As Jesus and his disciples were walking through the busy city of Jerusalem, the disciples began to comment how impressive this place was. No matter how many times they had been there before, they couldn’t help but be amazed by the great structures that surrounded them: Herod’s palace, the mighty temple, the massive city walls. It seemed so strong, so stable, so secure. As they walked along ooing and ahing at the majesty of this city Jesus announced, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). Woe, woe, woe! To think that such massive destruction would come to this place was nearly inconceivable to Jesus’ disciples. The disciples naturally had a few questions for Jesus. First, when was Jerusalem going to be destroyed? Second, what kinds of things should people expect in the time leading up to Jesus’ return which will mark the end of the world?
Jesus’ weaves together an answer to both of those questions. He begins by describing what type of things we should look for leading up to Jesus’ return at the end of the world. You might be familiar with that list sometimes called, “Signs of the End Times”. There will be: religions that claim alternate ways to heaven other than faith in Jesus; violence in society and among nations; natural disasters and mass devastation; persecution and hatred of Christians; lies that lead people away from Christ; a general lack of love or concern for fellow human beings. We might simply say that things are not going to get better for God’s people, but they are going to get harder. But did you notice how this section ends? “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14). Doesn’t that seem strange? You might expect that with all those things mentioned previously, that the message of Christ and its proclamation would be stifled, reduced or maybe even snuffed out completely. But no! It’s just the opposite! Even as all these things are taking place, the good news of Christ Jesus as Savior will be preached in the whole world!
I think about that this morning as Christian churches across the United States are completely empty. It may appear that the devil has gotten exactly what he wanted! People are not in church. And it was even their pastors who told them not to come! How easy was that! Is the devil going to try to capitalize on this situation? Of course he is! He’s going to try to use it to get people to question God’s goodness, to doubt God’s control, to tempt people to walk away from God because he isn’t doing what they think he should be doing and when they think he should be doing it. Yes, the devil never lets a good tragedy go to waist. He is going to try to use it for his damning purposes.
But remember that the Lord has a plan in this also. Last week we talked about how God uses hard times like these to prosper his people, to point us to the hope and the future he has given to us in Christ Jesus. If you missed that message you can go back and listen to it. But that’s not all. The Lord also uses these hard times – times like the ones that Jesus told us were coming – for his gospel message to go out to people and places that we had never imagined we could reach.
Last week we had roughly 300 views of our worship service – many of those views were by multiple people, couples and families, watching at the same time. That means there were an estimated 600-1000 who people heard what normally 200 people that attend our weekly worship services would have heard. How awesome is that! In some ways it reminds me of what happened in the 1st Century when Christians were being persecuted. Those Christians were forced to leave their homes, friends and jobs, but here’s the neat part, “But the Word of God continued to spread and flourish” (Acts 12:24). Why? Because they took what their Christian faith wherever they went. Here’s the irony – because we have been forced to STAY IN our homes, the gospel message of Christ as Savior is being brought to people and places we might never have gone before. It’s kind of like the little kid who though that he would get rid of the dandelions by blowing on them. He thought he accomplished his task when all that was left were stems. Little did he realize that by blowing on the dandelion he was spreading its seeds all over the yard and there would eventually be more dandelions than when he started. Could that be what the Lord is doing in these times when the devil seems to be blowing against us? I pray that it is and that we are prepared for it.
That’s a word that we’ve heard a lot lately, “prepared.” What is essential for us to be prepared? There’s another word that we’ve heard a lot about lately when it comes to what are essential and non-essential businesses. While there is plenty of debate and personal opinions about what is essential and non-essential for our daily lives, there is no debate for what is essential for a life with Jesus now and for eternity. Jesus makes it clear when he says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus is essential for a right relationship with God. Jesus tells us the truth about the situation, a truth that is reflective of the world that we see and live in. While there are plenty of good, nice and beautiful things in this world, we also see how quickly things can get ugly. Hoarding, blaming others for what they’re going through, taking advantage of people in vulnerable situations, anger and impatience boils over into hurtful words and defiant actions. There is definitely something wrong and Jesus identifies what it is: it’s sin. And what is the result of sin? It’s guilt. We have a feeling that someone at some time is going to hold us accountable for our sin. Jesus tells what sinners are required to pay, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That guilt hangs around our necks, pulling us down, looking for somewhere, someone to provide relief and freedom. Some people try denial, some try affirmation by others, but the reality does not change. Guilty sinners deserve death.
But remember what Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus has come to bring us life. Jesus’ solution to sin is so unique and so simple, that many just dismiss because of its simplicity. But that’s actually what makes it such good news. Jesus does not distance himself from a world infected by sin and destined for death. Jesus does not come to give us a whole new set of mandates to follow. No. Instead Jesus enters this world to live among us and for us. He lives so that he can go to the cross and die for us. Jesus goes to the cross as he lifts the guilt of sin that hangs around our neck and that demands our death, and he places it upon himself. He says to God his Father at the cross, “Punish me instead of them. Let me die so that they can live. Let me pay so that they will not have to.” On Easter morning, as Jesus rose from the dead, God declared Jesus’ payment at the cross satisfactory, enough for all people. For all those who depend on Christ’s payment of their sin, God declares once guilty sinners, “No longer guilty!” right with God, at peace with him and worthy of life eternal.
That is the simple, beautiful, powerful message of the gospel that the devil wants to destroy and rob the world of hearing. It is the gospel message that reveals the devil’s lies and deceptions. The lies that attempt to convince people that Jesus is not essential or necessary for them, that Christianity is just about rules that restrict you from being who you are, that Jesus is just one of many ways to get to heaven – that slavery of the devil is better than the freedom of Christ. How are you going to stand up to such opposition? How are you going to be prepared as the devil blows hard against you? One thing is essential. Jesus prayed for you, for times like these, when he prayed to God his Father, “Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth” (John 17:17). What is essential to stand strong in Christian faith? It is the truth of Jesus – the Bible. To know the truth about sin and Satan. To know the truth about God’s Son Jesus and the salvation he came to win for you. To know the truth about what God does and does not promise us. To know the truth of Christ that God keeps sending his people out to proclaim until the end of the world.
When the announcement was made that we were going to be cancelling public worship services there might have been the thought, “One less thing for us to do” almost with a sense of relief. But this isn’t about us doing less. I think it’s calling us to do more, not less. To do more of what will actually benefit us, our families, our communities for more than just a couple of weeks, months or years. Could it be that the Lord is using this hard time to bring us to spend more time with the truth of the Bible, to return to dinner tables that were rarely used because of busy schedules, and to read or watch a devotions, to pray for and with one another? Could it be that this hard time helps to open our eyes a bit more to those who are struggling and searching for what you have in Christ Jesus? Could it be that the Lord is using this hard time to find new and creative ways for us to bring the gospel of Christ to more people? Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to this gospel ministry which yes, has certainly changed in its form, but has not changed in its goal – the goal remains for the truth of the gospel of Jesus to keep on going out to all the world, to every person. May this be a time when it is said of us, “But the Word of God continued to spread and flourish” (Acts 12:24) for our blessings and for the blessing of many others. Amen.
