A Compassionate Call to Discipleship (Luke 21:5-38)

A Compassionate Call to Discipleship

(Luke 21:5-38)

“Expect the Worse and Plan for the Best”

“Expect the Best, Plan for the Worse and prepare to

be surprised”Dennis Waitley, author and motivational speaker

Jesus Christ, author of life and Lord of the Church

* These are Jesus’ final public words to his disciples…

* These words occur as Jesus leaves the temple…

* These words have parallel accounts in Matthew (24-25) and Mark 13 BUT Luke’s comments act as a summary of both of these other accounts. * These words tell God’s people, both the Jews and the church, how to prepare to act and feel in the end times. * These words are in response to many comments about the beauty of

the Herodian temple…

* These words give a general timetable for End Times events… beginning with the 2nd coming and working backwards to 70AD.

Quick Overview…

Luke 21’s Five Sections#1 Curiosity about End Times is Natural, VV 5-9

#2 Description of the Very End of the End Times just before the 2nd coming, VV 10-11

#3 Description of the Middle of the End Times and its persecution and witnessing, VV 12-19

#4 Description of the beginning of the End Times and the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, VV 20-24

#5 Description of How God’s people should think and live during the End Times, VV 25-38


Expect the Worse, Plan for the Best#1

Curiosity about the End Times is natural VV 5-9

Luke’s Progression of Thought about the End Times


Description of the Very End of Time just before the 2nd coming

VV 10-11

Matthew 24:29-31“Immediately after the tribulation of those days

the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30

Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn,

and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds,

from one end of heaven to the other.


Mark 13:24-27“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give

its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be

shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27

And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of

the earth to the ends of heaven.


Revelation 16:1-21

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth

the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” 2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the

people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image


Revelation 16:1-21

3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and

every living thing died that was in the sea.


Revelation 16:1-21 4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they

became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments.

6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink.

It is what they deserve!” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just

are your judgments!”


Revelation 16:1-218 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9

They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over

these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.


Revelation 16:1-2110 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into

darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their

pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.


Revelation 16:1-2112 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river

Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw,

coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false

prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on

the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake,

keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled

them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.


Revelation 16:1-2117 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,

and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of

lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man

was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19

The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the

great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no

mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the

hail, because the plague was so severe.



Description of the persecution and witnessing during the Middle of the

End TimesVV 12-19

Luke 12:4-12“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn

you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five

sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all

numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. 8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me

before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks

a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11

And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how

you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you

ought to say.”

1 Peter 3:15

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and

respect


Matthew 10:21-23Brother will deliver brother over to death,

and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end

will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I

say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the

Son of Man comes.


John 10:27-28

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them

eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them

out of my hand.



Description of the beginning of the End TimesVV 20-24

Daniel 9:24-27“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to

put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25

Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build

Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and

moat, but in a troubled time.


Daniel 9:24-27And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one (Jesus) shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people (Rome) of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary

(70AD). Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war (Until Christ Returns).

Desolations are decreed. 27 And he (the antichrist) shall make a strong covenant with many for one

week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of

abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on

the desolator (Lake of Fire).”


Jeremiah 18:11-12 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the

LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against

you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ 12 “But they

say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the

stubbornness of his evil heart.’


Zechariah 12:9-10And on that day I will seek to destroy all the

nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the

inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an

only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.


Malachi 3:1-4 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare

the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of

the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can

endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and

like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of

Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.

4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in

former years.

Luke 19:41-44And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had

known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you

and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within

you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the

time of your visitation.”


Luke 11:49-51Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will

send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the

blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged

against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell

you, it will be required of this generation.


Romans 2:4-9Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that

God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6

He will render to each one according to his works: 7

to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but

for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and

fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the

Greek, •



Description of How God’s people should think and live during the End

TimesVV 25-38

Romans 8:18-25For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager

longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not

willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the

glory of the children of God.


Romans 8:18-25For we know that the whole creation has been

groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we

ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption

as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (The renewing of all creation in a new world)24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with

patience.


Hebrews 6:17-20So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so

that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to

hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the

curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after

the order of Melchizedek.


Titus 2:11-14For the grace of God has appeared, bringing

salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present

age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and

Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are

zealous for good works.


5 Lessons for life1) We are already in the End times and persecution is at the door.2) Our greatest purpose in living is to be witnesses to our world of Jesus Christ and the Good News3) The worse is that our world has hated Jesus and it will hate and persecute us as we identify with him4) The Best is that there is nothing our world can do to ultimately hurt us when we make Jesus our greatest delight, our constant comfort, and our greatest source of sustenance for life.5) A sharp awareness of God’s timetable and his plans calls for personal prayerful vigilance.

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A Compassionate Call to Discipleship (Luke 21:5-38)