“…for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.” V. 15
INTRODUCTION: Are we seeing signs today of the end of time with all the wars and other troubles in the world?
MAKING SENSE OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING
• Does this discussion of the end of the world carry in it a contradiction?—Are there two messages?:
One says "The sky is falling!"
Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven." Vv. 10-11
The other says "Don’t worry, be happy."
"And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ’I am he!’ and, ’The time is near!’ Do not go after them. When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." Vv. 8-9
• The primary message of the passage: the details of the future are uncertain, but there is one certainty-- the presence of Christ.
“I will give you words and a wisdom…."
CONCLUSION: in God’s hands the end can be the beginning. God can take the old and make it new. God can take the tattered shambles of our old life and make them so new that the old will not be recalled. That is the way of the universe. The old temples will fall, and their fall will be great and devastating, but the new that God will build will be greater than anything we have ever known.
So as you face all the other impending disasters of life, remember one thing. God can replace the old devastated parts of our world and our lives and make them new. Words and wisdom for doomsday believers. Put your life in His hands. The kingdom is indeed at hand. The kingdom is near. The kingdom is within you NOW!
Hear the good news from Jesus today:
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32
