Turn now, if you will, in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 21. Luke chapter 21, found on page 1120 of your Pew Bibles. Luke chapter 21, beginning our reading at verse 29. And he told them a parable. Look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, You see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will not pass away. But watch yourselves. Lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life. And that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times. praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man. And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him. This morning as we look at this passage we'll break it up into three sections. First, sure signs that he comes, sure signs he comes. Secondly, living not in fear but faithfulness. And lastly, his continued teaching, his continued teaching. Now as you may recall over these last few weeks as we have been working through the Olivet Discourse, you remember that Christ got the attention of his disciples as they left the temple. as they made comments about that grand edifice of the temple, that wonder of the world that glinted in the sun, that looked like a snow-capped peak from far off for those pilgrims who would come to town and enhearten them as they knew they were drawing near to that destination, to that place where they might gather in obedience to God and worship him together. His disciples, as they had witnessed the transformation of what had once been a very humble edifice by Herod into something grand and spectacular, noting each and every year the changes that had been made, the improvements that had been placed upon it through the generous gifts of benefactors, marveled. saw this perhaps as an indication of God's good pleasure or perhaps as a sign of security and something that would last. And Christ as he overheard them responded in a fashion that they probably hadn't anticipated, telling them that this thing that they were marveling over, going gaga over, soon would be nothing but rubble with no two stones left standing upon another. And as he continued on his way up that Mount of Olives to Olivet, his disciples followed in tow contemplating what could this mean. And as soon as they had arrived at that place where they would rest for the evening, some pulled him aside and began to ask him questions about these comments. First and foremost in their mind was, when will this happen? When, oh Lord, will such devastation come and the destruction of this great edifice happen? Not an unusual question. We likely would have asked the very same thing. That we would not be caught unawares, that we would be prepared. Sometimes perhaps our motivations aren't so honorable that instead of having mere curiosity, we're looking for how long it is we might continue to enjoy the things that we have before they are gone. Before we have to get serious about our walk and service with Christ. So our questioning the when may stem from sin within our own life and sadly comfort with that sin. Jesus hears their question of when and also they follow it up with how will we know what will be the signs that these things are going to take place? And he doesn't answer their questions directly. but rather he seeks to adjust their focus. You heard me mention that he may have been building upon what they had witnessed at the end of their time within the temple when they saw that poor widow come and in faith, confident in that one whom she served, drop those last two little mites within the offering box. Those things that represented the entirety of all that she had and yet she could do so confident in the fact that that one who had made her was the same one who had shown himself faithful to her each and every day of her life through the highlights as well as through the difficulties. And Jesus uses this opportunity in the midst of the dismay, concern, and fear manifest by his own disciples to reiterate what it is that they needed to focus their attention upon. They needed to continue to focus upon that mission which he had for them of the duties that are theirs as servants of the Almighty to continue to do those things that he has given to them as he would soon be leaving them and returning to the Father and enlisting them to see the church of Jesus Christ established. And as he paints for them a picture of what they might expect It isn't a picture of ease. It isn't a picture of riches. But rather he speaks to them of the hardships that they will encounter, the persecutions, the imprisonments, and how even some who bear his name will testify even up until their life is at its end and they are martyred. He tells them these things that they might understand these are according to the plans that have been made by his father from the very beginning. That these things are not expressions of his weakness or his lack of awareness or his not being sovereign. That they might understand these things to typify what is the period of the church. And for that reason, as Jesus spoke to those, his closest disciples, he is addressing you and I today, those who call upon his name and put their hope and trust in him, that we might realize in what appears to be a nation that is on the wrong trajectory, that is too often leaning upon human philosophy and human wisdom and abandoning the word of God. that we would not despair. And if we would be called upon to suffer within this life, if we would find increasing pressures leveled against the people of God, that we might recall these words and know that our king reigns and our king's victory is sure and we can be confident that in his grasp we will not be lost. And he goes through this in preparation, but Christ never forgets the initial questions that they ask. When and by what signs? And as we come here to our passage this morning, he comes back to these things. He remembers their questions. He is attentive as he is always attentive to their cares and concerns. And so he offers to them this parable this morning. He says to them, look at the fig tree and all of the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. We who live here in Western PA are accustomed to long winters. My apologies to some of you that are transplants from Kansas. You have something to learn this year. I can remember this was a difficulty when I first came out to go to seminary because it felt like to me that winter began somewhere around the end of October and didn't really draw to a close until somewhere around the first of May. Is that your experience? You know. That's quite a radical change from what I was aware of in Kansas, where you get something like 335 days a year of sunshine. Most of those are pleasant enough that a sweatshirt might do, but there are a couple of hard days where the northern wind blows through. You know that in the midst of winter if you were to go out to one of the trees that are outside and you go and you twist one of the branches that it is apt to snap isn't it in the middle of winter. Not having a lot of life in it, not having sap in it, it's brittle. And yet you know in the spring as you begin to see what looks to be from afar the trees becoming slightly reddish. You know, it's an evidence that the sap is beginning to move up within the boughs of the tree. And you go out then and you sit there and bend that branch. Now it's flexible right in your grasp. And all of you from Western PA breathe a sigh of relief. Winter is nearly done. Well here is Christ as he is addressing the cares and concerns of his disciples. Those who are wondering about signs and how will we know when these things are going to take place. Christ responds to those who were his disciples by calling upon the example of the fig tree. A tree that is very evidently dead and without life in the winter. loses all of its leaves and yet it was common knowledge that as soon as you began to see the buds form that the seasons were about to change. And so he says to those who were worrying those who had become anxious about these words that Christ had given of the things that were near at hand like the destruction of Jerusalem but also those things that epitomized the end of time when Jesus Christ would come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. He says, you'll know these things for the signs of these times are going to be evident to you. You'll see these things, what I have been describing to you, would happen. Those things that would be signs of the time. You'll know them when they happen. Well, why is it that Christ would seek to impress upon them that these things will be abundantly clear? You see, If we think we're going to be caught unaware, our temptation oftentimes is to, instead of remain active in the things and responsibilities he's given us to do out of fear, to be paralyzed, to stop, to worry. And here is Christ giving words of comfort to his disciples, calling upon that common happening with the changing of the seasons in that place. Now it's interesting he doesn't just end here with the example of the fig and some commentators have said this may also be an example of where Luke understanding his audience goes beyond those of the locality there in the Middle East and may also represent the Gentiles from afar. says you know these things to be true even as it regards all trees that put on leaves. So in case they weren't familiar with the fig this wouldn't be lost on them but rather that you and I who probably don't have a fig tree in our yard might understand these things are meant for our comfort and instruction as well. I read earlier from Genesis chapter 1 that we be reminded of the orderliness of our creator, that that order is intended and is truly for us a comfort, that we know when the sun will rise and when it will set that we can know by the arrangement of the constellations how to move about the world and for many years that was a primary means by which those who were sailing the great seas would know and be able to arrive at their destination because of the orderliness of God's creation. Here, Christ is trying to impress upon his disciples that that orderliness of God didn't cease at creation, but is a part of his character and typifies his great plan. What a great blessing it is that our loving Savior can give to us such words describing what will be the time and age of the church that we can know these things. When we think about the century of missions when we saw the church of Jesus Christ make such incredible strides as men and women picked up their belongings and often went accompanied by their own caskets. to bear witness of Christ around the world, to face any manner of hardship and threatening out of their confidence of these very things that Christ has given to us within His Word of what may come to pass and His sovereignty over His church and over His people. And so He says to His disciples, So also when you see these things take place, when you see those buds arise upon the tree, your spirits are lifted. For you know that warmer weather is at hand." Occasionally we're surprised. But you know these things are bound to happen. You know the change of season is coming. And he says here that rather than wait with dread and fear, he says these things are going to happen in like manner to those signs you're accustomed to with the fig tree. And it's to have the same effect upon all those who believe. Why is that? Why would that be then? A point of encouragement. Well, he's already told us in our previous passage that these things stand as a testimony to the reality and truthfulness of his word. That these things will come to pass and that our day of redemption is near at hand. As we go through the monotony of day after day after day and contending with those things that demonstrate the effect, the ongoing effect of sin within God's creation, we sometimes get weary. When we're contending with new aches and pains, we sometimes might be tempted to despair. And yet He is here directing His disciples to look for these very signs that they would be encouraged and be reminded that these things stand in testimony to the reality that the coming of Christ is growing ever nearer. His redemption, His gathering together, those who are His to dwell with Him forever, gives to us encouragement. and hope and helps to dispel the fears and desperation that otherwise might exist within us. He says, so that when you see these things take place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. He goes on in verse 32, he says, truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. This verse within that passage we're studying today has probably been the verse that has been most often misunderstood. And it has been used by the detractors of Christ in order to try to make some accusation that Christ got it wrong. He said all of this generation would pass away. But they don't understand the generation for whom he is speaking. He is speaking to his disciples, not merely the four or those who were assembled with him on Olivet. Brothers and sisters, he's speaking to you and I as he speaks here of this generation not passing away. All that he has described within this Olivet discourse of the hardships, the persecutions, the threatenings, the imprisonments of the earthquakes, the famines and the pestilence that will be a common part of the age of the church. These things all must come to pass. So when he speaks of this generation not passing away, he is telling us these things will be. will be the common witnesses or be the common occurrences of the age of the church. In order that you and I not be filled with fear the next time we hear of a great earthquake and loss of life or tsunami that ensues, the next time that we are not filled with dread when we hear that nation against nation is arising, And blood is being shed. We know from the word of Christ that these are things that continue on in expression until they are finally done away with. When he comes in power to judge the wicked. When those things that typify and yield the frustration of his creation are finally done away with. And we see in fullness the full peace of Christ established in that new heaven and new earth. This is meant for your and my comfort, our encouragement that we would continue in those things he has given us to do. In verse 33, he says, heaven and earth will pass away. You see it is at this point that we see as he is addressing this generation will not pass away he says heaven and earth will pass away that we might understand the scope of what he is here addressing until he comes and brings with him the new heaven and new earth. These things will accompany us and yet to the comfort of his people, those for whom he has shown such loving care that he would say, you will know when the coming of the destruction of Jerusalem is at hand and when you see the armies begin to assemble outside her, you will flee the city and go to the mountains. Such that when that first army came in 67 AD, That's precisely what the Church of Christ did. So many in that infant church saw the reality of what he had prophesied concerning what would happen. And they left and established themselves in Pella. And Christ again demonstrated his great lengths to preserve his precious church. As he impresses these things upon his disciples, as he reminds them that these things must all occur, that the prophets, what the prophets have said would be fulfilled. He is continually driving his people back to his word. To be men and women who are students of the word, that we might be well acquainted with his word. Fully knowledgeable of all those things which he has already uttered. that speak to that day that he has appointed when our loving Savior will come again and the judgment will come to pass. Then he turns to his second point, living not in fear. He has sought to eliminate that fear from their thinking having addressed us in the first point. But what is it then that he would have us live in? He would have you and I live in confidence. He would have you and I live acting in faithfulness, doing the things that he has called upon us to do. And in order to achieve that, we see once again, the loving act of our Savior is to give warning to his beloved disciples. You see, right now, he's not addressing unbelievers. Right now it is his disciples upon Olivet that he is addressing and giving to them warning. And you see his warning listed in verse 34. He says to them, but watch yourselves. Watch yourselves. Jesus knows our propensity to sin. He knows our frailty. He knows our weaknesses. He knows the pitfalls that are common to men, women, and children. And so those who have walked with him throughout his earthly ministry, those who have seen the wonderful miracles he's carried out, those who have heard with their own ears his teaching throughout his earthly ministry, here are warned against that great infectious disease of sin that is a lack of watchfulness of how life works, of how easy it is After the benediction has been given and we began to mow out of the building and return to our homes to see the things of God slip so quickly from our minds. And the rest of life, its cares and concerns and all of those things that are seeking for our affections. and looking to occupy our hearts begin to crowd back in. So he tells his disciples, watch yourselves. Be men, women, and children who are regularly examining yourselves to ensure that your priorities, which as you begin the day on the Lord's Day may be, I need to go worship God this morning. remain in the order that he is first. And you don't see that when Monday comes it gets supplanted by work, it gets supplanted by my cares and the activities of my children. And all of a sudden the things of God fall toward the middle and by the end of the week they are a distant memory. For that's what he describes as he describes the manifestations of their need to watch themselves. He says, lest, lest you find yourself weighed down with dissipation. Dissipation is not one of those words that we use in our common conversations. The idea here of dissipation is one who is given to excess. There's any number of ways we can be given to excess, aren't there? You know, we tend to think in terms of being given to excess perhaps when it comes time to sit down at the table. We think of being given to excess when we think about how hard it is and without ceasing we labor. Or perhaps we're dealing with it in the 21st century with that temptation to doom scroll. and waste hour upon hour as we flip through social media and scour the internet and deal with this, that, and the latest video or engage in video games. He says, lest your hearts be weighed down with these things. These things we give ourselves to. in excess, soon are the lords of our life governing the time that we have, consuming us and keeping us from the things that he has appointed for you and I to do. He holds up against that drunkenness. Because in that expression of excess, what is often the typical response to one who has been given too far too much to drink is idleness, not doing anything, sleeping his life away or passed out. Here as he is speaking to his disciples, whom we would tend to think would be some of the most well-equipped individuals, having seen what they have seen and heard what they have heard, He knows these are common to all men and women. Now throughout God's word we have seen numerous expressions of this kind of thing that the saints cannot rest upon their laurels but must always be on their guard. You can go back and use the example of Noah. Noah was that one who in obedience to God heeded God's call to build that ark over that prolonged period of time despite the ridicule of his neighbors who mocked him incessantly for being a fool. Over all the years it took him to build that ark and yet he was obedient. And yet what do we read of Noah soon after? God had delivered them from the flood, but we see him given to drunkenness, don't we? And the shame that was his because of drunkenness. We have held up before us in Hebrews 11, in the hall of faith, one like Abraham, who trusted God. And it was credited to him as righteousness and yet what else do we see that God has preserved within his word regarding this father of the faith, this giant of the Old Testament church? That what typified his sinfulness was his lie when he went down to Egypt. And rather than claim his wife to be his wife out of fear for what they would do to him, said, she's my sister, that instead he might be treated well by those in Egypt. Or we use the granddaddy of them all, David, that one whom we've been delighting to sing the Psalms that he was used of the Lord to write down for us, to preserve for us, that we might have a book of praise. And yet this one who is known as the apple of God's eye had that terrible season of sin within his life of adultery and murder. You see what Christ is warning his disciples about the rest of scripture testifies to be true that you and I would take seriously these warnings of Christ today. That we would not grow lax, that we would not have a false sense of security but that we would be constantly examining ourselves to ensure that sin has not found a place to occupy within our heart and where we find it that we would confess it to him that we might know his forgiveness and the peace that ensues from that one who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Besides this matter of remaining watchful, there's another expression of it, that we are to be men and women and children of prayer. Not only are we to be watching ourselves, but he says, another one of the tools that God has given us for this very preservation is that we would be regularly engaged with him, enlisting that tool of prayer. Difficult to go astray when you are in the midst of conversation with your Lord and Savior, to be led apart from him, to embrace the other affections of the world. And so he says, you need to be regularly in prayer, asking God to grant you the strength necessary. Oftentimes when we are working as elders with those who have have come into a season of sin, one of the first responses of sinners is to think that they can, by their own strength, right their life. They just need to try harder. And we often will watch as elders as they undertake this task to their great frustration because they cannot do it by themselves. They do not possess the strength and wisdom in themselves to free themselves from sin. Only Christ can bring about that transformation of life and ensure that a sin is done away with. Here he says, pray that you may have the strength to escape all these things. He has already given to us the assurance that he will provide a means of escape from every temptation. Our problem is not that we don't have an escape route clearly in view. It's that we too rarely utilize the escape that he has given us because we love our sin more. because we've bought into the promises of sin and what it will give us. Promises that will always show themselves to be fleeting, unsatisfactory, and at worst always making us yearn for more of that sin until we find ourselves completely enslaved by it like a drug addict to his drug. Watch yourself and pray. Well he's already said that his hope is that we will be able to stand upright, that we can lift our head. And here we see that theme again put before us as the people of God as to what Christ expects of those who he will find when he returns. Those who are engaging in his work, standing before their beloved Savior. And so he leaves us there at that second point. standing before the Son of Man." Now all of these things are happening as the remaining hours of Christ's time upon the earth are quickly slipping by. Christ has been utilizing his days in order to instruct the people which is in keeping with the mission, the ministry that his heavenly Father had given him to seek and to save the lost. Such is the greatness of his love and care for those who are perishing that each new day comes and he goes back into that temple and he engages once again in that life giving word out of a care and concern for those who are perishing. And so it continues though he knows full well what is approaching. Though he knows full well what he is about to suffer. For he understands what is needed that all of these whom he is addressing may know security, may know more importantly salvation. For he knows that upon his shoulders will be placed all the sins of those who believe. All of those whom the Father has given him will be upon him. that instead of you and I facing the wrath of God, rightly deserved for our sin, we instead, because he has taken that upon himself, his blood having been spilt, his body broken, might instead know the good pleasure of our heavenly Father, who looks upon us today if we are in him, as those who have been redeemed, as those who have been made, clean their sins washed away who bear upon themselves His righteousness imputed to us that we are now in Christ acceptable before our Heavenly Father. Think upon that. That is what He was pleased to accomplish for us that we might with confidence go throughout the days that He has appointed in service to Him in great anticipation of his return and of that opportunity when sin will finally be done away with, the frustrations of this life, the sadnesses, the pains will no longer be with us and we will dwell with him forever. See, as Christ has been seeking to encourage his disciples and encourage you and I, he then concludes our passage, this Olivet Discourse, by then demonstrating what you and I are called to go from here out into the world to do. To bear witness of Christ. to speak that life-giving word of the gospel at every opportunity that we have out of a care and concern for the lost, out of a desire to see the great hand of God work upon their lives, that they too might know the mercy and grace of God as we have experienced it in Christ and come into his glorious light, that they might see that light appointed by God rise in their life. Jesus Christ, a light that will not dim, a light that spells eternity for all who hope and trust in him. May we heed the word of Christ and may we be prepared by him being given the wisdom and the strength necessary that we would go forth from this place prepared to do that which is our work in him. to speak the gospel, to address those who are hurting with that word that brings healing, to see Christ build his church here and beyond. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, again, we thank you for these wonderful answers to the question of when and by what signs that as your servants, Those who have been brought into the service of Christ, we may not despair as we see these things that are typical of the age, but rather we may remain confident, confident that we are within your grasp, confident that your word remains though heaven and earth will be destroyed. Confident, Lord, as we go forth to speak of that one who so lovingly preserved these things for our encouragement and direction that those around us who perhaps even today are in despair, those who are walking in darkness, those Lord in need of hope may come into contact to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And because you go before us that conquering one is conquering hearts may hear and respond. O Lord, this is our prayer, as you would be pleased to allow us yet more time to serve as a congregation. This is our prayer as individuals, as servants of Christ, that you would be pleased to use us in such a fashion, all for the glory of your name. So Lord, may we be encouraged and may we be steadfast. in that which you have called us to do. May we delight in the work that you have given us, for you created us to labor within your creation for such things as these. Use us, Lord. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.