WEBVTT 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:05.400 This is your daily reminder. God has not run 00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:09.199 out of mercy, not for you, not today. Welcome 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:12.259 to the New Mercies Podcast. Welcome back. Today 00:00:12.259 --> 00:00:15.740 is Friday, March the 6th. Thank you for your 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:18.500 prayers. My vocals are doing a little bit better 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:19.899 today. We're just going to pray they keep getting 00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:23.019 better before the week is up so that I can keep 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:25.660 sharing the content on this episode, on this 00:00:25.660 --> 00:00:28.960 podcast, and also to be preaching this weekend. 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:32.100 Looking forward to what God has for us on Sunday. 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:35.820 Today our reading plan goes into Luke 21, which 00:00:35.820 --> 00:00:37.500 is what I'll be talking about on Sunday morning 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:40.159 from the pulpit. And I just want to say before 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:42.789 we jump into the reading today. I'm not going 00:00:42.789 --> 00:00:45.649 to read every single verse of scripture in the 00:00:45.649 --> 00:00:48.909 sermon. That's a lot to cover in Luke 21. Hopefully, 00:00:48.990 --> 00:00:50.450 if you've been following along and going through 00:00:50.450 --> 00:00:52.710 our reading plan, you've seen us already look 00:00:52.710 --> 00:00:55.509 at Luke 21 one time today, this week, and then 00:00:55.509 --> 00:00:58.530 you saw us look at Matthew chapter 24, which 00:00:58.530 --> 00:01:02.450 is a mirror. It lines up in the same time frame 00:01:02.450 --> 00:01:05.250 and same discourse that he is giving, that Jesus 00:01:05.250 --> 00:01:09.189 is teaching. Today, I want to tell you, it seems 00:01:09.189 --> 00:01:11.450 like a lot of times thing. So I want to free 00:01:11.450 --> 00:01:13.689 up and kind of clear up just a couple of thoughts 00:01:13.689 --> 00:01:16.430 before we jump into this. This is, if you remember 00:01:16.430 --> 00:01:18.950 from our time together on Tuesday, we talked 00:01:18.950 --> 00:01:21.390 about this is right after Jesus has exposed the 00:01:21.390 --> 00:01:23.709 religious elite and how the establishment is 00:01:23.709 --> 00:01:27.760 corrupt and broken. Now, Honestly, we could say 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:29.900 that at any day and age. In our day and age today, 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:32.000 we could talk about how something is exposed 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.219 and if it's exposed, it's corrupt and it's broken, 00:01:34.340 --> 00:01:36.480 the establishment or whatever it may be. But 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:38.540 he's talking, he just did that with the religious 00:01:38.540 --> 00:01:42.120 elite. Then he goes into the temple where they 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:44.239 are giving an offering. And we see, we pick up 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:46.819 in Luke 21 where the widow gives her offering 00:01:46.819 --> 00:01:49.040 and Jesus says, look at this, she is really given 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:51.900 something. Then it follows up with, there's a 00:01:51.900 --> 00:01:54.640 crowd here because they're here for Passover. 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:57.079 They're here for the Passover. over time. We're 00:01:57.079 --> 00:01:58.799 going to see that next week when we jump into 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:03.870 Luke 22. But today... We see Jesus is in the 00:02:03.870 --> 00:02:05.269 temple and there's all kinds of people there. 00:02:05.329 --> 00:02:07.090 So they're packed in. They start talking about 00:02:07.090 --> 00:02:08.909 how beautiful the temple is, how amazing the 00:02:08.909 --> 00:02:11.270 structure is. And then we read in Luke 21, he 00:02:11.270 --> 00:02:13.909 begins to talk about how the temple will fall. 00:02:14.090 --> 00:02:17.250 All this will be destroyed. Now, then he goes 00:02:17.250 --> 00:02:21.449 into wars and persecutions and the destruction 00:02:21.449 --> 00:02:23.969 of many things and the world chaotic events. 00:02:24.250 --> 00:02:28.389 So the question at hand today in our time today 00:02:28.389 --> 00:02:32.180 is, is Jesus talking about what they would see 00:02:32.180 --> 00:02:36.259 in a few short years, the fall of Jerusalem in 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:42.159 70 AD, and ultimately the final rebellion and 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:45.460 climax of all the fall of the nation back in 00:02:45.460 --> 00:02:48.939 130 AD. Is he talking about those events, or 00:02:48.939 --> 00:02:51.689 is he talking about end times events? Right. 00:02:51.789 --> 00:02:53.030 That's kind of a question on a lot of people's 00:02:53.030 --> 00:02:55.490 minds. I've had so many messages this week. Hey, 00:02:55.610 --> 00:02:57.409 I'm reading all this and then I'm watching the 00:02:57.409 --> 00:03:01.129 news. I think I see a correlation. Yeah, sure. 00:03:01.189 --> 00:03:03.150 There's correlations. I think in my personal 00:03:03.150 --> 00:03:05.389 opinion, my interpretation, I believe Jesus is 00:03:05.389 --> 00:03:07.479 talking about a little bit of both. I think he's 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:09.719 telling them about what's going to come in their 00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:12.719 lifetime right then. I think he's also giving 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:16.120 a hint or pieces of information for us for the 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:19.520 end, for the times that we will face now, today, 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:22.360 in our day and age. So with that understood, 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:24.960 I want to read just a couple of verses for you. 00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:27.039 We're going to start in verse number 10, and 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:29.500 we're going to go down to about verse 19. I want 00:03:29.500 --> 00:03:31.460 to just show you what the Lord's telling me today. 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:35.580 I'm not giving timelines or I'm not giving world 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:37.460 events that are happening and all the things. 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:39.020 I just want to read a little bit of scripture 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:40.500 and show you what the Lord's revealing to me 00:03:40.500 --> 00:03:43.159 out of his word. One of the things that I believe 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:47.360 about the word is if what's being taught today 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:49.819 out of the scripture could not be understood 00:03:49.819 --> 00:03:53.060 by the original audience it's probably misinterpreted 00:03:53.060 --> 00:03:54.860 right because the scripture was written for the 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:57.639 original audience and that would then transcend 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:00.900 time and so that the word is true and it's good 00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:03.219 from the time it was spoken to the time we're 00:04:03.219 --> 00:04:05.919 reading it now it doesn't mean that it's changed 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:08.719 it doesn't mean that our our application may 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.400 have adjusted a little bit but the interpretation 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:12.939 is still the same so i want to read a few verses 00:04:12.939 --> 00:04:15.280 out of luke 21 today and share with you some 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:17.709 of my thoughts that i believe the original audience 00:04:17.709 --> 00:04:20.290 would have understood, and the audience Jesus 00:04:20.290 --> 00:04:22.759 is talking to, as well as us today. Hopefully 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.339 it kind of gets us on some solid ground. Here 00:04:25.339 --> 00:04:27.639 we go in Luke 21 beginning at verse 10. Then 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:29.879 he said to them, Nation will rise against nation 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:32.339 and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:34.879 earthquakes and in various places famines and 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.480 pestilences, and there will be terrors and great 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:40.180 signs from heaven. But before all this, they 00:04:40.180 --> 00:04:42.540 will lay their hands on you and persecute you, 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:45.199 delivering you up in the synagogues and the prisons, 00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:48.060 and you will be brought before kings and governors 00:04:48.060 --> 00:04:51.399 for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:54.360 to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:57.339 minds not to mediate beforehand how to answer. 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:01.699 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:04.120 none of your adversaries will be able to withstand 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:07.560 or contradict. You will be delivered up even 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:10.000 by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:12.800 and some of you they will put to death. You will 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:16.160 be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:19.480 hair on your head will perish. By your endurance 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:23.420 you will gain. your lives. Now, I want to say 00:05:23.420 --> 00:05:26.300 right now, as we look at this scripture, as we 00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:28.420 think about this scripture, there is a lot to 00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:31.199 unpack here that I believe we will overlook and 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:33.939 we'll miss if we don't rest in it for just a 00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:36.980 second. I'm not really sure what verse 18 means 00:05:36.980 --> 00:05:39.339 about not a hair on your head will perish. I 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:41.480 don't think that one applies to me personally, 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:44.519 but I do think that for those of you listening 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:48.639 maybe on an audio version, I am a bald man. But 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:51.339 as we look at this text today, here's what I 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:53.879 want us to make sure and notice. He talks about 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:56.100 there's going to be national catastrophes that 00:05:56.100 --> 00:05:58.779 happen. There's going to be natural catastrophes 00:05:58.779 --> 00:06:01.300 that happen, right? The nations are going to 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:02.920 rise again. There's going to be national problems 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:05.879 that will take place. Is he talking about in 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:10.300 70 and 130 AD, or is he talking about 2026? Either 00:06:10.300 --> 00:06:13.240 way. It's true, right? I think we don't need 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:16.740 to misinterpret it. I think we need to understand 00:06:16.740 --> 00:06:18.680 where he's coming from. There's going to be national 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:21.000 crisis. There's going to be national and natural 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.500 catastrophes that are going to take place. But 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:26.220 then he says, I think it's so beautiful, as he 00:06:26.220 --> 00:06:28.019 says, yeah, there's going to be problems that 00:06:28.019 --> 00:06:31.319 are big, big, big scale, but let's make it personal. 00:06:31.420 --> 00:06:33.879 Let's jump into what he means for us. But before 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:35.899 all of this, they're going to take you and they're 00:06:35.899 --> 00:06:37.920 going to persecute you. And then they're going 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:39.699 to put you in court. They're going to prosecute 00:06:39.699 --> 00:06:41.899 you. Right? This is the way he says that. He 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:44.319 says, you'll be brought before kings and governors 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:46.240 for my name's sake. You're going to be prosecuted. 00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:47.839 You're going to be put in jail. You're going 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:49.220 to be put in jail. You're going to be brought 00:06:49.220 --> 00:06:50.899 in front of these powers. That's what's going 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:54.680 to happen. And then I love the word that he gives, 00:06:54.779 --> 00:06:57.899 but don't worry. You're telling me there's going 00:06:57.899 --> 00:07:00.879 to be wars, nations are going to rise up against 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:02.680 nations. You're telling me there's going to be 00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:06.199 natural disasters like famine and like pestilence, 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:10.459 like major problems globally or in whatever area. 00:07:10.540 --> 00:07:11.740 I mean, you're telling me that's going to be 00:07:11.740 --> 00:07:14.180 an issue and then they're going to come and persecute 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:16.819 me and you're telling me not to worry? Okay, 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:20.660 well, how do I prepare? That is the question, 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:23.740 right? How are we going to be ready? for the 00:07:23.740 --> 00:07:25.639 day of the Lord. How are we going to be ready 00:07:25.639 --> 00:07:28.399 for that day? Now, he goes on in the rest of 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:30.620 the text. I believe, again, we can understand 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:33.779 it as to the audience he was talking to, also 00:07:33.779 --> 00:07:36.019 to preparation for us today. But here's what 00:07:36.019 --> 00:07:39.620 I love about this text specifically, verse number 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:43.040 15. Verse number 14 and 15, he says, but go ahead 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:45.360 and settle in your minds right now. Don't be 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:46.980 trying to think about what you're going to say. 00:07:47.750 --> 00:07:49.629 Because if you start thinking, what am I going 00:07:49.629 --> 00:07:51.149 to say? What am I going to say? Then you may 00:07:51.149 --> 00:07:54.170 start building a case for yourself. Instead, 00:07:54.470 --> 00:07:57.410 he says, I'm going to give you the words. I'm 00:07:57.410 --> 00:07:59.569 going to be there in the moment. Do you hear 00:07:59.569 --> 00:08:02.730 the amount of dependency we need on the Lord? 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:05.769 We have to depend on him to show up in that moment. 00:08:06.350 --> 00:08:09.430 I'm not going to have a speech prepared for when 00:08:09.430 --> 00:08:12.189 I, if I were to ever get arrested or get put 00:08:12.189 --> 00:08:16.199 in front of a governor or a leader. That could 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:19.959 possibly take my life. I'm going to have a thought, 00:08:20.139 --> 00:08:21.839 right? Well, here's why I did the things I did. 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:24.079 Here's how I can spin it to make this happen. 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:26.000 Jesus says, listen, I'm going to give you the 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.040 words to say, and don't worry, the words that 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:30.560 I will give you, nobody can even contradict them. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:33.860 They're going to be so frustrated. I don't know 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:35.120 if you've ever been in a conversation before 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:37.639 where you've allowed the Holy Spirit to work 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:40.379 through you and speak through you. It's amazing. 00:08:40.970 --> 00:08:43.529 It's incredible. I've talked to so many people 00:08:43.529 --> 00:08:46.090 within our church family and around the world 00:08:46.090 --> 00:08:49.350 that said, I've walked into a conversation, didn't 00:08:49.350 --> 00:08:51.490 know where all the scripture was coming from. 00:08:51.629 --> 00:08:54.029 Where did this come from? Yeah, I hid it in my 00:08:54.029 --> 00:08:57.049 heart six years ago. And for some reason, the 00:08:57.049 --> 00:08:59.350 proverb pops up right now in my head in this 00:08:59.350 --> 00:09:02.190 moment, or the way that God wants to encourage 00:09:02.190 --> 00:09:05.129 this person right now is through this word. It's 00:09:05.129 --> 00:09:08.049 amazing. It's awesome. Jesus is telling his disciples, 00:09:08.169 --> 00:09:09.909 his followers, listen, there's going to be problems. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:12.539 globally. There's going to be problems, national 00:09:12.539 --> 00:09:15.340 problems, nation against nation. There's going 00:09:15.340 --> 00:09:17.960 to be problems with the earth is going to be 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:19.740 groaning and there'll be pestilence. There'll 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:22.019 be famine. The earth won't produce what it needs 00:09:22.019 --> 00:09:23.799 to produce. There'll be issues with all this. 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:25.639 People are going to persecute you. They're going 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:27.360 to put you in front of, they're going to prosecute 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:28.960 you. And you're going to say, well, what do I 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:31.820 need to do? What's my fight? And Jesus says, 00:09:31.899 --> 00:09:34.840 your fight is to depend on me. That's your fight. 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:38.559 Your fight is to trust. I'm going to give you 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:40.980 what you need when you need it. Can I tell you 00:09:40.980 --> 00:09:43.000 today, that may be the most encouraging thing 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:45.440 I've ever had. A lot of times I feel like I don't 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:47.360 know enough. I'm not educated enough. I'm not 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:49.720 skilled enough in certain areas. And here's what 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:51.899 God keeps telling me and reminding me. All I 00:09:51.899 --> 00:09:54.159 need is for you to depend on me. I'm going to 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:56.299 take care of you. I'm going to give you the words 00:09:56.299 --> 00:09:58.840 to say. I'm going to give you the moments in 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:01.720 which to say them. Don't get ahead of me. Don't 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:04.019 walk too far behind me. Let me walk step in step 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:06.879 with you, and let's get this done together. I 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:09.759 also love how the scripture says, by your endurance. 00:10:10.600 --> 00:10:13.700 that you will gain your lives. What that means, 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:15.340 there's a lot of places in Scripture we can tie 00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:17.679 that to. I know that if you've been a student 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:19.740 of the Word, you know that several places in 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:22.120 the New Testament, we will hear about how our 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:24.639 faith produces endurance, and endurance produces 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:28.399 this hope that we have. And as we finish well, 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:30.799 I believe I was talking with somebody this week, 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:34.500 and I really truly believe that we have a chance 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:37.940 to finish the race well. I believe everybody 00:10:37.940 --> 00:10:40.330 does. Maybe you didn't start well. Maybe the 00:10:40.330 --> 00:10:43.370 run didn't start too well for you. Maybe this 00:10:43.370 --> 00:10:45.929 year didn't start well for you. It doesn't mean 00:10:45.929 --> 00:10:48.230 you can't finish well. It doesn't mean you can't 00:10:48.230 --> 00:10:52.409 put that faith to action and then finish and 00:10:52.409 --> 00:10:55.450 endure whatever comes your way. How can you endure? 00:10:55.590 --> 00:10:58.129 Through Jesus. How can you do it? Through depending 00:10:58.129 --> 00:11:01.110 on him. Today, there's a lot in Luke 21. Read 00:11:01.110 --> 00:11:03.330 it all. Read it again. Let it soak in. But here's 00:11:03.330 --> 00:11:05.529 what I will encourage you with today here with 00:11:05.529 --> 00:11:08.509 new mercies. The new mercy for me today is he 00:11:08.509 --> 00:11:10.769 will give you exactly what you need when you 00:11:10.769 --> 00:11:13.789 need it. Just put your dependency on him and 00:11:13.789 --> 00:11:14.769 not on yourself.