Look inward. Look up. Look around. Look inward. Look what he says. Number one, look up.
In the midst of your distress, trials, tribulations, difficulty, and the end of the
world, look up. Look what he says in verse 25. And there will be signs in the
sun and in the moon and in the stars and on the earth distress of nations with
perplexity, the sea, and the waves roaring. He's describing both the end of the
world and the current end of Jerusalem during his day. He's viewing both. We saw
that last week. He says there are going to be signs in the heavens, the sun, the
moon, the stars, and the desolation of the tribulation period, the great
judgments that are going to fall upon mankind during that time. If you study
the book of Revelation in detail, it'll tell you about plagues, terrible plagues,
not seen since the days of Israel leaving Egypt. You'll see plagues like the
darkening of the sun, where the sun itself will be a third less bright than
it's ever been before. It talks about the stars of the heaven falling to the
earth and just like when you say, I saw a shooting star, you know it's not an
actual star, but a comet or a meteor going through the atmosphere. And in the
book of Revelation it says that a star from heaven called Wormwood will not
just pass through our atmosphere, but will come to the planet itself and we
will see desolation and death because of it. When you watch a movie about the end
of the world and you see these great troubled times about weather changing
and about the stars falling, about the sun not shining, about plagues that
people don't understand, and viruses that go around the world, you have to
understand where the base of all of these people's ideas come from. They come
from the Scripture. What they're doing is they're in a modern way trying to
reinterpret truths that Jesus gave thousands of years ago about what the
end of the world will actually, what actually will be like. And he says the
earth will be in distress of nations, the nations of the earth will be fighting
against each other with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring. He said the
nations of the world will be like waves crashing against each other, frothing
and fomentation all over the place. The whole world will be like a big swirling
cyclone in the midst of the sea. Men's hearts, verse 26, felling them because of
fear and expectation of those things which are coming to the earth. Notice
what he says, in this last day the men of the world will be fearful and they will
be absolutely terrified by what they're watching take place in the earth. The
powers of the heavens will be shaken. The sky itself is as it were, as if it
were falling, verse 27. Then they will see, then they will see. Notice the word
see, look at verse 27. Then they will see. What will they see? What does it say? Then
they will see what? The Son of Man. Who is the Son of Man? Then they will see the
descendant of David, the descendant of Adam, the Son of Adam coming to claim the
throne, the Son of Adam. He is coming in the clouds, the Bible says. The Son of Man
will be coming in the cloud with power and glory. Now when these things begin to
happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near. He
says, when you begin to see the world falling apart, there is one thing you
should do and that's not look down, look up. It's amazing to me how we as
Christians have a propensity to see what's going on around the world and all
we can do is look down in discouragement and despair when he says quite the
opposite, look up and see Jesus coming. The signs of the second coming will bring
terror to the lost, but they will bring comfort to the saved. Let me say that
again. The signs of the second coming, when you see the world falling apart,
when you see your world falling apart, they will bring terror to the unbeliever.
They will bring comfort to you. Why? Because you know this means he's coming
again. So do not be distressed. Do not be worried. Why? Because it's all a matter
of perspective. Police are interesting, aren't they? If you're a police officer
in the room, please don't raise your hand. It'll be embarrassing. They are. Police
are interesting to me. I'm gonna be honest with you. I try to always be honest.
Sometimes I do not like seeing the police. I don't. So that's a terrible thing to
say. Back to the blue pastor, back to blue. Oh, I do. I back to blue and I love the
blue. I love police. I've got friends in this congregation who are cops. I love it.
I think you're great. Sometimes I don't want to see you. Like I am one of the
most, the biggest supporters of that thin blue line. I love the police, but
there's one moment in particular that when I see the blue and the red right
behind me, when that moment happens, I do not want to see the police. That which I
once loved, I now despise. I think to myself, look at these bureaucrats. Got
nothing better to do than to come after good citizens like me. I'm a
minister. I'm a pastor. I'm a man of God. And I'm very busy and I have to get home
quick because my Chipotle's getting cold. So when I see the police, sometimes I am
not happy to see the police. Wow, you too, Gene. Wow. Okay. Right. Confession booth
is in the back, my friend. Alright.
Now, when you see the police going after a bad driver who's cutting in and out of
traffic and hurting people and scaring people, you sit there and be like, oh man,
that's great. So in the same moment, I hate seeing the police is the same moment
you love seeing the police. Why? Matter of perspective. As much as I hate seeing
this, I got to tell you what I really love seeing. When my family is in danger,
somebody's broken into my house and they're threatening my children. This is
what I want to see. That's what I want to see. Now, in that scenario, there's some
people that don't want to see that. My children want to see that. I want to see
that, but there are some people who don't want to see that. They're the people
who are attacking the innocent. Do you understand? That's exactly what Jesus is
saying his second coming will be like. When Jesus comes back, there will be a
vast amount of people in the world who are terrified at the fact that Jesus is
coming back and there's going to be a very small minority here like, thank God,
he's finally here. When your world is falling apart, understand this. He will
not leave you defenseless. Listen to me. Look up. Look up. Number one, look up.
Secondly, he says, look around. Look around. The first thing he says in the
midst of tribulation, whether that be historic, Jerusalem being destroyed in
70 AD, prophetic, what takes place during the future tribulation period, or
immediate, what's going on in the end of your world right now, he says, you must do
this. You must look up and then you must take a look around. Look what he says in
verse 29. And he spoke to them, the parable, saying, look at the fig tree and
all the other trees. When they are already budding, see and know for yourself
that summer is near. For you also, when you see these things happening, know that
the kingdom of God is near. He says, look up. Also look around. Hey friend, listen,
can I ask you a question? Can't you see what God is doing in the world right now?
The first thing is to get your head out of the sand and look up. The second thing
is for somebody to come alongside, pat you on the back and say, look around. Do you
see all this? Now Jesus gives a metaphor or a parable or an illustration to
explain this concept of look around. Look at what he says specifically in verse
29. When he's taken to them a parable, look at the fig tree and all the other
trees. What does that parable mean? The fig tree. Well, that may be difficult for
you as an American, me as an American, 2,000 years later, but it was not difficult
for the modern Israelite during this time. There's a symbol they understood, the
fig tree. If I were to say to you, if I were to say you, I'm gonna tell you a
story. Let me tell you the story. I was standing on a beautiful river that led
into a lake and I'm up in Alaska and all of a sudden a bald eagle flying over
the lake came down near me and it landed and it looked at me and then it took off
and as it took off a lightning bolt hit the eagle and the eagle died. You're very
smart people. I look at you and say, what do you think that means? What would you
think I was saying? What's the symbol of the bald eagle and what nation does it
represent? What would you think I'm talking about? You're like, oh man, are you
saying that God's gonna come after America? That analogy would be obvious to
all of you because the symbol of America, one of them, is the bald eagle. Jesus says,
let me tell you a story about a fig tree. The fig tree was the national symbol of
Israel. This is multiple times through multiple prophets throughout the Old
Testament. On Monday of this same week, Jesus goes by a fig tree and he stops and
he looks for figs and he says to his disciples, there's no figs. I'm gonna
curse the fig tree. The next day when they walk by, the fig tree is completely
dead. It's all a metaphor, an illustration that symbolizes the end of Israel. So what
he says is when trouble and tribulation come, look up to God, but number two, look
around. First of all, look at the fig tree, the nation of Israel, and then he says,
look at all the other trees. Well, if the fig tree is in the nation of Israel, what
do you think all the other trees are? Yeah, all the other nations. Jesus's
metaphors are not that difficult to grasp if you understand the culture in the
time. Jesus said, you want to know when all this takes place? I'll tell you when
it all takes place. Keep your eye on the fig tree and then watch what all the
nations do related to the fig tree. For those who come to church every week,
you know all I've been doing is teaching verse by verse chapter by chapter
through the book of Luke for almost two years, and we happen to come to this
passage at this moment.
Say, what do you mean keep your eye on the nation of Israel? For the last 100
years, we have seen the nation of Israel head into the spotlight like never
before, where the world's attention and focus is on it. In 1948, we see that
Israel was declared a nation. The recognition of the Jewish state, the
nation of Israel, after their war for independence from 1947 to 1949, and in
the midst of it, the United Nations steps in after the atrocities of the
Holocaust, and all of these individuals having very little place to go, they were
given back their rightful land that had been given to them by God Himself
through their ancestors. They arrived and they had, when were they kicked out of
that land? By the Romans in 70 AD. So after 1900 years, the world recognized
Israel needs their homeland back. This happened in some of your parents'
lifetime. This is not hundreds of years ago. There was no nation of Israel as it
relates to the land, but 1948. So when he talks about this idea of the earth will
be in distress of nations with perplexity in the sea and the waves
roaring like all of the nations of the world fighting each other and foaming,
he's not just saying look at Israel, he's saying look at all the nations, and
that's what you see in World War I, don't you? Again, the 20th century. They
called it the war to end all wars. This was the very first war that nearly the
entire globe participated in. War, when you study it, is not what war was then. We
go from World War I and we thought the war that will end all wars, but it did
not end all wars. All it did is hit a domino that led into the fascism of
Germany, the fascist Nazism of Hitler and his regime in the Third Reich. And
once again, the world was at war. Never had the world seen anything like this.
And once World War II was over, we almost immediately went into a third
type of war, the third what we call the Cold War, fought in between proxy
nations by superpowers, red versus blue. In your own lifetimes, you'll remember the
rise of what we call the war on terror or the rise of Islamic extremism that's
taking place not in one singular location, but locations all over the world.
War. Even now you see major superpowers like Russia moving their forces into the
Ukraine. And what many say is the next step when China will then move their
forces into Taiwan and America cannot stand by because of the resources the
United States needs in the land of Taiwan. War. And then this last week, you see
once again Hamas, a terrorist organization beginning to attack the
nation of Israel. All of this was prophesied. All of it. You see? Yep, we have a
lot going on don't we? Because we got the stock market we got to look at tomorrow
and yesterday the football games and...
And today the football games. Sorry college, thank you. So what does he say in
verse 25? All the earth distress of the nations that with the perplexity the sea
and the waves roaring. What does this all... what does all this political
perplexity mean? He answers the question in verse 31, verse 30 and 31. When they are
already budding, he's talking about the trees. When you see the trees
starting... when you see the nations starting to awaken in this way. When
they're already budding, you see and know for yourself that the summer is near.
You're not a foolish person. After winter when you see the trees begin to bud, you'd
like, oh spring is here and summer's coming. And when you see the nations begin
to awaken in wrath, so also when you see these things happen know that the kingdom
of God is near. You say, well are you terrified? No, because I'm not afraid
because it just means Jesus is coming which is kind of who I've put my whole
life into. Like it doesn't worry me. Like my whole life is for Christ and for His
kingdom.
Remember God has not abandoned this world and He will come again. See that's
His whole point. Jesus says I'm about to die, get buried rose from the grave. What's
gonna happen to you in 35 years is Rome is gonna come and destroy. By the way, here
are glimpses also what's gonna happen at the end of the world. Also here's some
messages to anybody who's going through a trial or tribulation in your own life
right now. Here's what you need to know. You need to look up to Jesus Christ. You
need to look around and realize God has a plan. He knows what's going on. He always
has. He always will. Now look at verse 32 because there is a complex thought that
we must work through instead of just skipping it. Verse 32. Assuredly I say
to you this generation will in no means pass away till all these things take
place. Now what does Jesus say in verse 32? Jesus has given a sermon to His
disciples. He says all of this is gonna happen and this generation will not
disappear off the face of the earth before all of these things happen. Well
let me ask you a question. Did all of these things happen yet? Yes or no? No
according to this. I mean some might say yes. In fact that's the view of those who
only view this sermon as historic. They say all of this is just describing when
Rome came in. The problem is there's a lot of passages in here that don't
describe what happened with the Romans. Like the moon and the stars and the sun
didn't change. The nations of the world were not perplexed. It was just Rome and
you see. And most importantly at the very end Jesus says they will look up and
see the son of man. See Jesus coming in the clouds. When Rome was attacking
Jerusalem did everybody look up and see Jesus coming again? Yes or no? No. So I
think Jesus' sermon is historic but it's also prophetic. He's seeing both. Jesus
is coming again. And so you say well then what does this word generation mean?
Because if Jesus says this generation will not pass until all the... When is this
gonna happen? Jesus says I'll tell you when it's gonna happen. It's when this
genea will not pass until it all happens. Genea. Genea is the word that we really
need to look at. It's the Greek word that would have been written to express what
Jesus said at the time. And the word genea can absolutely and often is
translated this generation. But the word the genea also is related to the
concept of genealogy or family group, tribe. I believe when Jesus says this
generation will not pass away until all of this happens. In context and
grammatically he's talking about the family group of Israel. This family
group will not pass off the face of the earth until I come again, which is the
main point of the sermon. He's saying when you go through tribulation understand
God doesn't abandon His people. This people group is gonna be just fine all
the way to the end of time. That is true of the nation of Israel and is true of
every child of God in this room. God the Father doesn't abandon His people. That's
why he says in verse 33 heaven and earth will pass away but my words will in no
wise pass away. He said this whole thing will fall apart but I'll tell you one
thing that will not fall apart. Here's what he's saying. One thing that will never go
away is my word and promise to protect you. Now look at me, look at me. I know
some of you love history and you're thinking about the Romans coming and
taking over Jerusalem and I know some of you love prophecy and you're thinking
about the end of the world but I'm telling you in the midst of your
tribulation right now, his promise is he will never leave you nor forsake you.
You need to look up and look around at the signs. Why? Because like Jeremiah said
to the nation of Israel God's beloved people he said in Jeremiah chapter 33
go to the next passage there. Jeremiah chapter 33 and verse 3, 31 verse 3, the
Lord has not appeared of old time saying, yea I have loved you with an ever-lasting
love and with loving kindness I've drawn you. Jesus says to the nation of Israel,
I have loved you before you even knew who I was and with loving kindness I have
patiently drawn you to myself. That's how God feels about his people. Cannot
underestimate this. Please don't miss the point. It's why God brought you today.
The same way God feels about Israel is the same way God feels about you. He has
always loved you before you even knew who he was and with loving
kindness and patience he has patiently been pulling you to himself. It doesn't
mean you won't go through tribulations and trials. No quite the contrary. That's
what it means to be the people of God. But what he is saying is that you will
sustain life throughout and there will be blessings of joy at the end. Don't give
up. And so what he's saying about those who went through tribulation who will go
through tribulation and who are going through tribulation now he's saying look
up look around and look inward. God does take care of his family. By the way if
you look at the nation of Israel that's happened all throughout history. You
study the war for independence of 1947 to 1949 and you watch the miracles that
God did for the nation of Israel during that time. You look at the next war in
1967 called the Six Day War where in six days the nations of the world came
against Israel and God by his providence and protection protected his people. And
in 1973 when Syria and Egypt attempted to attack and take over the Golan Heights
or push back the nation of Israel God blessed them again with another great
victory. Victory over victory over victory because God protects his people
and for some of you you're playing this intellectual game you're like well who
is God's people it's the same intellectual game that the demons are
playing about you. Well I mean is God really right I mean does God really love
you maybe you deserve what you're going through. And some of you have bought into
that lie about your own life as if you deserve all this terrible tribulation
and what God is saying is I will protect my people. God will protect you. Doesn't
mean you won't go through difficulty but you will come through difficulty. Number
one look up. Number two look around. Number three what was the last one? Look
inward. You have to look inside and that's what he says look what he says in
verse 34. But take heed to yourself don't just look up don't just look around.
Look to yourself look inside lest your hearts be weighed down. Have you ever
gone through difficulty enough where your hearts begin to be weighed down?
Alright let's be honest right now. Are you ready to get real? How many of you in
this room right now? You don't have to say what but you can say look pastor over
the last 30 days. In the last 30 days I personally have gone through something
that I have really really been tempted to be weighed down about. I'll be the
first to raise my hand I have I can point out three things in my life that
are weighing me down. How many of you are like me would you raise your hand you've
got some things? Okay this is what he's saying in the midst of your trials and
tribulations. Here's what you must do. Take a focused look inside and do not be
weighed down. Do not allow that to happen. This lack of encouragement this
discouragement that you're going through. The danger is to do what this person
does in Jesus's story. The danger of living in a place of discouragement
rather than joy. Look at what happens. Their hearts are being weighed down with
carousing and drunkenness and the cares of this life. Do you know what happens
when we go through difficulties? What we want is something to take our minds off
of it. And so sometimes we self-medicate sometimes we just want something to
stimulate our mind so we're not thinking about the problem. We put our minds
everywhere rather than putting our minds and resting them upon God.
Let's say we go carousing or we start to self-medicate or we fill ourselves up
with the things of this life that never satisfy. And he says
why do you better not do that? Why better not do that? Here's why. Because that day
will come upon you unexpectedly. In the moment of tribulation, don't you
get it? In the moment of tribulation Jesus is going to show up. And when Jesus shows up
you don't want to have your head buried in the sand of all sorts of things.
You want to be looking up. You want to be looking for Him. The reality is some
won't be paying...some whenever they came to 70 AD in the destruction of
Jerusalem by Rome they weren't paying attention. Some during the tribulation
period these tribulations say they won't be paying attention. And some right now
in the midst of your trials and tribulations you don't...you're not
taking time to see what God is actually doing inside of you. Instead we try to
mute what God is doing inside of us by getting our minds into all sorts of
other things and eliminate it. Just keep the music flowing so I don't have to
think about what's going on. He says don't do that. Verse 33. For it will come as a
snare upon all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Like a snare,
like a sudden trap, like a...like a animal who accidentally triggers a trap and
now it's trapped. He's saying that's the way the coming of Jesus will be for a
lot of people it'll be a surprise. Verse 36. But not for you. Watch therefore and
pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that
will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man. He's saying it to all three
groups. To those that are going into the Roman occupation, pay attention and
you'll survive this. He's saying to the tribulations then pay attention and you'll
survive this and go into the millennium. And the message is for you. This is
amazing about the story of Jesus. This sermon. He's speaking to three different
groups throughout history. He's saying to you, pay attention, look to God and you
will live through this. It's a matter of perspective. That's why the sermon is
entitled Look Now. Joy really is a matter of perspective. I remember when my wife
and I were first starting this church almost 20 years ago now. 20 years ago
now. How many of you in your 40s? Anybody here in their 40s? If you're in your 40s,
raise your hand. How many of you in your 40s? Do you ever make a joke about you
being old? Yeah, you ever make a joke about you being old? Like, yeah, I'm so old.
And people don't laugh. I do that with my kids all the time. Like, yeah, because
dad's so old. They're like, and I'm sorry, what? What's the joke?
I am. Almost 20 years ago, we started Southern Hills and when we did, I
remember Heather and I were so filled with troubles and worry because we had
huge expectations and major ambitions. And they were ambitions almost 100% for
God, a little bit for us. You know what I mean? How many of you know what I mean?
And every Sunday I would come in, we started the church so there was nobody
here and at the beginning 40, 50 people would show up in an auditorium. Ted and
Julia, remember? And I remember, I would love those moments, but can I be honest
with you? Sometimes I would despise those moments.
Because I was thinking, I know where this is going. Why can't it get there?
And so my expectations, my passions, my excitement, my ambition, it was so much
in the future of what I knew could happen that I was not having joy in the
moment. No joy. Every day a battle, every day a stress, every day a worry. At any
moment it could all just fall apart. And in my mind I thought to myself, when I
get to a certain place, it's just every, all the circumstance is going to make it
like, it's perfect, like now I'm happy, now I can sit back. And what I imagine
back then is where I am right now. And I fight the same discouragements and the
same battle of depression and the same ambition and the same unmet expectations
because now is not as good as what it could be. And so joy is just elusive
right next, in my next step. So I went to a pastor's conference. I was 25, 26
years old. My wife and I went. We went to a big church. Now I look back, it wasn't
a mega church or anything, but for us it was like a huge church conference in
California. And I went there and we, I sat in the third row and I sat there and I
took notes. Everything the pastor said, you got to do this, I'm like, I got to do
this, got to do that, got to do that. I'm writing it all down because we're going to
do something. I'm going to get rid of all these troubles and these trials and these
tribulations. We're going to make it happen. And I can remember like it was
yesterday, the pastor who ran that conference stopped me. Somehow he had
learned my name and he stopped me. He said, Josh, I said, yeah. He said, I heard
what's going on in Las Vegas. You successfully planted a church. Yeah. And
what I thought he was going to do is give me like three or four ideas of how I
could become amazing like him. He didn't. He looked at me and he said this. He said,
Josh, can I just say to you, I know you've got big things. God's got big things.
But just try to enjoy the stage of ministry you're in right now because
it's going to go by quick. And I can remember him saying it. I can even
remember the words, but I also remember the feeling. I remember thinking, okay,
yeah, but what's the real advice? Here's what he knew that I've, I'm coming to
learn that if I can't enjoy the trials and tribulations and the
difficulties of that moment, I'm not going to enjoy the trials and tribulations
and difficulties of this moment, nor of the next, nor of the next, nor of the next,
because what Job, our depressed friends says is true. Man's days are few and
full of troubles. Joy is a matter of perspective, even in the midst of
tribulation. That's pray. Father, thank you. Thank you for teaching me this.
Thank you for watching the Southern Hills YouTube channel. Make sure you
subscribe and hit the bell icon to be notified every time we make a new video.
And remember, we exist to make disciples for Jesus Christ. Have a great week.
Peace.