Sermon on Luke 21:5-19 Pentecost 26C November 16 th /17 th, 2013 Grace and peace to you all from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we come to a topic that Christians would do well to think about more. The fancy word for this topic is eschatology, which basically means the study of last things. And it is important and crucial to meditate on eschatology because there s a number of ways God s faithful people can be led astray. The two most dangerous ways to be led astray are these: (1) We don t take eschatology seriously enough and because of that we don t take seriously the fact that the Lord is the judge of the living and the dead and He will come again to sort the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats. And (2) we become totally engrossed and obsessed with eschatology that we dream up all sorts of end-times scenarios that are not only theological absurd, but are also theologically and morally wrong. So today we ll look at how we navigate between these two fallacies in order to see what Scripture truly says about the end of all things and why that matters here and now. First, we look at the first fallacy: We don t take eschatology seriously enough. This sort of thinking leads to a number of issues for God s people. One of them is that when we don t take seriously the end of all things we act as if Jesus coming back again is of no consequence and doesn t really matter that much. The person who believes that this is true might say some of the following statements: It doesn t really matter what you believe, as long as you believe in something. We re all trying to get to the same place, right? It doesn t really matter what you believe because, after all, all people go to heaven, well at least the good ones do. Or perhaps one of the most dangerous statements of all, I don t really believe in that kind of stuff. Since we only have one life to live, I m going to make sure that whatever I do makes me happy and 1
makes me feel better about myself. Now, all of these statements are also going to be lived out accordingly in how we relate to others, in how we relate to ourselves, and in how we relate to God. And the basic approach to this mode of existence looks like this: Little to no care about the suffering or the plight of others, little to no care about how take care of ourselves and our life of faith, which inevitably leads to little to no care about the teachings of Holy Scripture that, we must remember, God Himself gave to us. To put it more concretely, this sort of person will not help others in need, whether they are poor or have suffered from disaster because, well, that s not our problem, let someone else deal with it. This sort of person will only be about themselves and what matters to them. And what matters to them? Well, their three favorite persons; me, myself, and I. And so if you want to know how this person can think and act in such a way, you look at their receipts to see what they buy. Sure they might toss a few coins into one of those red drums a volunteer is ringing a bell by, but out they go from Walmart or wherever with a cart full of stuff for them. And finally, because this person isn t at all worried about their relationship with God and what God will say to them on that final day, that is if they even believe, they could care less what other people think about God. And so they advocate for a laissez-faire sort of spirituality where nobody is wrong and everyone is right. Now, let s look at the next fallacy: Those who are obsessed with eschatology. This sort of thinking you can see on National Geographic s show Doomsday Preppers. You can see this obsession in unbelievers and you also can see this sort of obsession in a number of Christian and non-christian churches. On this side of the spectrum, these sorts of folks tend to have a lot in common with folks on the other side of the spectrum. One of the commonalities is the intense focus on me, myself, and I. Because the world is soon to be going to hell in a hand basket, it s 2
time to batten down the hatches. It s time to buy more guns and ammunition than the Michigan National guard has. It s time to spend, spend, spend because since this world is going to the dogs, because it s going to be a dog-eat-dog world, at least me and my family will survive. If we look at how they relate to others, we might notice the following things: Conspiracies are what is truth even if those conspiracies aren t based on any fact; of if there are some facts available, those facts have been so twisted and distorted that they cease anything at all. So, according to them, the world is going to end via economic disaster, governmental collapse, pandemic disease, meteor, comet, sun spots, you name it, someone somewhere believes it. I also find it very curios that all these end time predictors tend to be Americans; I wonder why that s so? Anyways, because of this, these sorts of folks tend to be very suspicious of others. If you call into question their motives (and how dare you!), well, just don t unless you want a tongue lashing. This then leads into their theology, believer or unbeliever it doesn t matter, which is just like the other group; it is man-centered instead of God centered. God isn t going to fix the world, people are. We ll, they fix whatever is left of it at least. And not only that, but their theology, different from the lackadaisical theology of the other group, is always right, and if you don t agree with them, you re against them. In this case, they are always right, and everyone else is wrong. So our task is to navigate between these two fallacies and stay true to the course that God has set for us in his word. The faithful Christian not only notices what is wrong between these two extremes, but also lives accordingly. We notice that not only is it unhealthy spiritually and morally to neglect eschatology, thinking about the end of all things, it is also unhealthy spiritually and morally dangerous to be so obsessed about it. So we turn to what Scripture says 3
about eschatology and hold fast to God s word instead of whatever someone else dreams up. And when we turn to Scripture we ll notice a number of things: (1) We remember that the end times aren t coming, they have already arrived. What this means is that God s judgment has already been made and it looks like the cross. In case you re wondering, you haven t measured up; no one has. You have been judged and have been found wanting. The gig is up. The only thing left to do is to believe in the one who pardons us from God s just judgment, Christ Jesus and him alone. That is why Paul can say in Romans 8:1 these words, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So when Jesus does come again to raise all the dead, when the Father asks What have you done to receive eternal life? you sing to Him that beautiful line from Rock of Ages: Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. (2) We remember that we are living between the First and Final coming of the Lord. During this in-between time, much has to be done. This is why St. Paul chastises the lazy-bones in Thessalonica who aren t doing anything and are content being religious freeloaders. The story of Scripture and the doctrines of the faith must be learned and taught so that all generations are prepared for when Jesus comes again; so that their lamps are full of oil, so that they aren t found to be napping. The good news is to be preached so that believers become more confident in their Lord. The good news must be preached so that enemies of God become friends. The good news must be preached so that all those who are lost and forsaken may be found and forgiven. Jesus calls this making disciples; not becoming members of an organization, but becoming disciples of the one who died and rose again for us and for our salvation. We should also add that holiness of life is expected. Because you have been freed form sin, death, and the power of Satan, that 4
doesn t mean that you are now free to do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want. To think and act in such a way is to throw the good news back in God s face. Or as the apostles called it, re-crucifying the Lord (Hebrews 6:6). Finally, (3) we remember that as Christian pilgrims we are a hopeful and a hope-filled people, but we are also realists. What this means is that we take seriously the fact that Jesus is coming again, but also take seriously the fact that it hasn t happened yet. We don t know when it s going to happen like Jesus himself say in Luke 21; and that s a good thing. We read this promise in 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. The Lord is taking his time so that others might join God s family. And as Christian realists who are full of hope, we take advantage of this borrowed time whenever and however we can. Every opportunity to serve is a God given opportunity to help someone in need to show them that even if everyone else in their lives has written them off, God hasn t. And every opportunity to speak is a God given opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ and his love. These opportunities to share our faith to someone willing to listen don t happen very often, but when they do may the Spirit of God use our words for his benefit and for his glory. May God also continue to give us the endurance we need day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year as we wait with eager anticipation until the coming of our Lord, when he comes again to earth and brings heaven down with him. Amen. 5