Luke 21:25-36 * November 29, 2009 * Advent 1 * Rev. E. Allen Sorum

Pray Now Today

Pray Now Today that you will

1. Escape the Distress of the Last Day, and

2. That you will Stand Before the Son of Man on the Last Day.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The last six words a boy wants to hear is: Wait till your father gets home.

When daughters mess up, it gets dealt with. Momma says, “Go to your room” or “Don’t do that again” or “You are not going anywhere tonight.” But when boy gets caught playing with matches…here it comes, “Wait till your father gets home.” No matter what dad did when he got home, it wasn’t as bad as the preliminary hours of dread and fearful expectation during which we had to wonder, “What is he going to do when he gets home?”

The Last Day will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Jesus will come back on clouds with power and glory. And now we are one with that little boy who wonders how his father will greet him? Christians often struggle with the Bible’s teaching about the Last Day. We are curious, like Jesus’ disciples, about signs and wonders but not comfortable in these hours of expectation.

There is stress and anxiety associated with the Day of Jesus’ return. So Jesus encourages us to pray today before that Day that we will escape all of the distress of the Last Day. Pray today, pray now, that on that Day we will stand before the Son of Man when he returns on that Day.

1. Pray that we will escape all of the distress of the Last Day

Our text takes place on the Tuesday of Holy Week. Jesus and his disciples have spent the day on the temple grounds. Jesus’ disciples were mostly country boys. They were impressed with the splendor of God’s temple in Jerusalem and commented on its beauty. Jesus replied, “It’s all coming down. Not one stone will be left upon another.” And he continued, “And since I am talking about the end of Jerusalem, I shall go on to tell you about the end of time!” The disciples asked, “And what will be the sign that these things are about to take place?”

Our text is a portion of Jesus’ answer to that question. As I read this text again for you, count the things that cause distress and anxiety. "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky. The oceans will threaten mountain peaks. The foundations of the earth will quake. The heavens will disappear and everything on earth will be laid bare by fire. Go see the movie 2012. Go see how moviemakers imagine the end to be. Go see a cartoon because we cannot imagine and Hollywood cannot depict the terror of these things. When the real show begins, men will faint from terror.

What makes a man faint from terror? Is it the fire that scorches the earth or is it the Lord who stands upon the ashes to judge mankind? Judgment will come. Jesus will return to raise all the dead and assemble the universe before his throne. From that throne, Jesus will reveal where each person will spend eternity.

This “generation,” mankind as a species, will not and cannot destroy this earth. Not the thinning ozone layer, not Iran’s nuclear technology. Jesus will destroy this earth. And once the smoke has cleared, he will assemble the world to hear his verdict. His word will not pass away, be sure of this.

This inescapable truth, announced by inescapable fire is what will make men faint, men who right now are bold to live as though they will not be held accountable for the evil they do.

"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. ⁵For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

Is this teaching given to us to make us comfortable? Well, not if we are paying attention. Jesus says to us today, “Pay attention. Be careful.” Be careful or our hearts will be weighed down with dissipation.

With what? Dissipation is a polite word for “all the dumb things we do when we get drunk on wine and beer.” We get weighed down, distracted, and defeated by the dumb things we do when we get drunk. That’s dissipation. That’s defeat.

But it’s not just alcohol or drugs that fog the mind and defeat the soul. We can get just as drunk and defeated by anxieties of life, by all the things we care so much for that have only to do with this life. I can get anesthetized by malted beverage or I can get anesthetized by materialism. Both will kill me because I will be asleep on the Last Day. That Day will close on me like a trap. SNAP I am dead, I am on the left with the goats. The verdict will be, “Depart from me.”

And so Jesus says to us today, pray today and every day until the Last Day, that we have the strength to escape all of this that is about to happen. Pray that God would wake us up from our fog. Pray that God would bring us to value and cherish and guard our survival on the Last Day just as much as he values our survival on the Last Day.

2. Pray now, pray today, that on that Last Day, we would stand before the Son of Man.

Pray today that you will stand before the Son of Man. Pray every day that your children, your family, your fellow church members, WELS Christians, all Christians, pray that on the Last Day we will stand together before the Son of Man.

There is no more important prayer that could ever fall from your lips. There is no more urgent prayer. Pray that on the Last Day, pray that you will stand before the One who will come to replace the sun because with Jesus on earth, we don’t need a sun.

Pray that you will stand before him whom the nations worship. This is an urgent prayer and it leads us to an urgent question: “How can I stand before the Son of Man?” Put on the belt of truth. Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Put on the helmet of salvation and fit your feet with readiness that comes from the gospel. Take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. Get ready for the Last Day in exactly the same way you get ready for every day. Arm yourselves with the promises of your Lord Jesus. Trust in Jesus, arm yourselves with Jesus, make yourself strong and bold in Jesus. Dressed in the perfect righteousness that Jesus has given to you, cleansed by the blood of Jesus that Jesus shed for you, you are not only ready to stand against Satan, you are also ready to stand before the Son of Man on the Last Day.

Jesus probably doesn’t want us to be comfortable. When I get comfortable, I go right to sleep. But Jesus will certainly comfort us. When you see the skies divide and the angels descend and the heavenly bodies fall, stand up and get ready to meet Jesus. How will Jesus meet you? What will he say to you? He will say to you who stand, “Come, join me in my kingdom of glory on this earth, walk with me in the new heavens on this earth. Receive your crown and your glory. Receive your glorious new body and enjoy the glorious new earth, the new Eden, the fullness and completion of your redemption. Come and be with me.

We do not understand this Last Day. We fear it inappropriately, like a silly, naughty boy waiting worriedly for his father to return.

In fact, our life is a pilgrimage. A Christian’s life on this earth is truly a journey. The journey may be short or long. It may be easy or difficult. It really doesn’t matter. Because a journey is only a journey when there is a destination.

Your journey has a destination. You are walking, standing, waiting, praying for the Last Day. Heads up. Eyes on the horizon. Mind clear. Heart focused. This perhaps sounds odd but Jesus tells us to get down on our knees and pray so that we will be able to stand on the Last Day. Finish your journey and stand. Finish your journey and receive your crown.