A sermon by Owen Rogers
Three thoughts from the Luke 21:5-19.
1. It’s all regular history. These things had happened before, they happened in those days and they’ve been happening ever since. There are plenty of apocalyptic fears today. That the seas will rise and swamp much of the land that people are currently living on. That the world will run out of fresh water. That the economy will collapse. That we’ll be burgled/mugged/murdered. That there is no God so we have to find our own salvation.
They either say, “It’s up to us to do such and such so that this doesn’t happen but we have to do it now or it will be too late.” Or they say, “there is no answer, no way out, prepare to meet thy doom.” And there’s always someone offering that if you pay money you can offset your bad bahaviour and sustain the planet a little longer.
That’s with the big picture. There are also plenty of people who manage to mess their lives up; who get into trouble and difficulty whether through their own fault or not. I fact, it can happen to any of us. That too is regular history.
2. Be on your guard and don’t follow decieved deceivers. There are many voices telling us stuff and many of them are after our money. The rest are seeking power. There are plenty of people who are prepared to speak for Jesus who have never met him and actually have no idea what he’s about. Then there are those who do have a pretty good idea but tell it wrong for their own reasons. These are the ones to watch most carefully. Don’t follow any of them. Follow only Jesus.
3. Decide now not to worry about it. Make it you business to follow Jesus ever so closely. Trust him, whatever the outcome may be. Easier said than done? You bet … but, look at it from another angle:
Here is a big question. What is God doing when you are in a bind? When the lifeboat springs a leak? When the rip cord snaps? When the last penny is gone before the last bill is paid? When the last hope left on the last train? What is God doing?
I know what we are doing. Nibbling on nails like corn on the cob. Pacing floors. Taking pills.
I know what we do.
But what does God do? Big question. Real big. If God is sleeping, We’re duck soup. If he is laughing, We’re lost. If he is crossing his arms and shaking his head, then it’s totally hopeless and we might as well go bury ourselves.
What is God doing?
To get a line on that I recommend reading Exodus 14. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt but they got stuck between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea. Read how God got his people out of this difficulty.
Then, for good measure, read 2 Chronicles 20 to see how God saved his people from an invading army.
So, what do you think? What does God do when we are in a bind? If Moses and Jehoshaphat are any indication, that question can be answered with one word: fights. He fights for us. He steps into the ring, sends us to our corner and takes over. “Remain calm; the LORD will fight for you” (Exod. 14:14).
His job is to fight; our job is to trust. Just trust. Not direct. Or question. Or yank the steering wheel out of his hands. Our job is to pray and wait. Nothing more is necessary. Nothing more is needed. “He is my defender; I will not be defeated” (Ps. 62:6).
Back in the seventies Merlin Carothers put out a series of books with titles like “Prison to Praise”, “Power in Praise”, “From Fear to Faith” and “God’s Secret Weapon”. Based on the scripture, “Rejoice in the Lord, always.” His thesis is, when you’re in a hole and you can’t see the way out, stand still, praise God and watch God get you out. Praise God for what he’s going to do; praise God for what he’s doing and praise God for what he has done.
The more we do this – the more we trust, get out of God’s way, stand still and sing praises – we find that we handle our problems a whole lot better, live happier lives and glorify God.