Behold, The Days Will Come

Q: What does the Bible say about the last days?

The Bible describes the last days as the period from Christ's first coming until His return, emphasizing the need for vigilance and trust in God. The Bible refers to the last days beginning with the incarnation of Christ and extending until His second coming. Scripture passages such as 1 Peter 1:20 and Hebrews 1:1-2 indicate that we are living in these last times. During this period, believers are called to remain vigilant and to watch for Christ’s return, as it is not for us to know the exact time when He will come. This uncertainty serves to keep us dependent on God and engaged in our faith, trusting that He knows what He is doing even in challenging times.

Q: Why is faith important for Christians in troubled times?

Faith enables Christians to trust in God's sovereignty and provision despite challenging circumstances. Faith is essential for Christians as it anchors us in the hope and assurance of God's sovereignty, especially during troublesome times. The preacher emphasizes that God doesn’t depend on our strength or resources; rather, He delights in using what we perceive as insignificant for His purposes. This reminds believers that faithfulness in the little things is significant in God’s sight. As troubles arise, we are called to look to Christ, who provides peace and sustenance, encouraging us to trust Him rather than being preoccupied with circumstances.

Q: How do we prepare for Christ's return?

Preparation for Christ's return involves watching, praying, and serving one another in love. To prepare for Christ's return, believers are encouraged to remain vigilant and focused on their relationship with Him rather than attempting to predict the exact signs of His coming. Jesus instructs us to watch and serve, implying active participation in faith life through prayer and acts of love towards others. This preparation reflects a life oriented around Christ, trusting that He will provide the necessary strength and resources. Additionally, understanding that we will not know the day or hour serves as a reminder to keep our focus on Him and to be ready at all times.

Q: What does it mean that God uses 'the least' for His glory?

God often uses the seemingly insignificant and weak things of the world to display His power and glory. The observation of the poor widow who gave all she had underscores a vital truth in scripture: God delights in using the least of these for His purposes. This is a demonstration of His sovereignty and grace; He often takes what the world deems insignificant and elevates it for His glory. Examples such as the mustard seed illustrate how small beginnings can lead to great things in God’s kingdom. The focus is not on the amount we contribute but rather our willingness and heart behind giving, which God values above all.

Q: What is the significance of Christ's sovereignty in salvation?

Christ's sovereignty ensures that salvation is entirely His work and not dependent on human efforts. The sovereignty of Christ in salvation is a central tenet of Reformed theology, asserting that He alone does the work of salvation without relying on human merit or works. The sermon emphasizes that our salvation does not hinge on our cooperation or effort; rather, it is a gift from God that we receive by faith. This truth liberates believers from the burden of striving for acceptance before God, affirming that Christ has accomplished all needed for our redemption. His grace empowers us to live righteously, but it is ultimately His power that secures our salvation.

Okay, let's be turning to Luke 21. Luke chapter 21. This is one of those chapters like Mark 13 and Matthew 24 that men, even men of the world, men who care nothing for Christ, they will read it and study it and look at it because they wanna find out the end of the world.

That's what they're searching for and looking for. That's what this chapter seems to speak of, like Mark 13 and Matthew 24. There's many people, they care nothing for Christ, but they get excited about sensational things and headlines, and they want to know what's happening. and what's recorded in these books that are a complete mystery to them. But they think they're going to find out the end of the world and know what they're looking for in terms of the signs of the end.

And when they look at that, because there are things spoken of here that are very familiar to us, they happen in our day, they happen in previous generations and days as well, and so they think, well, based on the signs, I'm living in the last days, I'm living in the end times here. Now, interestingly, the scriptures do describe these days as the last days and the last times.

They're called that. Since our Lord came to this earth in the flesh, these times are called in scripture the last days. I'll give you two examples. Peter in 1 Peter 1 verse 20 tells us that our Lord Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you. These are the last times. Then in Hebrews chapter one verses one and two we're told, God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world.

And so in that sense, these are indeed the last days. And so we would expect to see the things described here by our Lord in this chapter and in Mark 13 and in Matthew 24 and in Revelation, because these are the last days But the fact is, as far as I can tell from reading the scriptures, they're written in such a way so that no man can know when the end cometh.

No man's gonna know, except our Father. And that tells me that, very likely, we're not even gonna see it coming. It's gonna come very differently from what we think or how we understand it. Our Lord told his disciples, right before his ascension, he said, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. And before that, in a similar chapter, in Matthew 24, verse 36, he says, but of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. And we're not gonna know. hidden by the Father.

And there's good reason why the Lord does that. There's good reason why these things are hidden. Because one, it would probably make us very complacent before that time. And two, it's also good that we look for His return, that we watch in faith and in prayer for His coming and serve Him. The Lord knows exactly what He's doing here.

And so, He tells us these things and these signs are given so that every day and every generation we would seek the Lord. We would seek him and ask him for his grace and his keeping, right? That we would seek him, that we may serve him and that we may love our brethren. And that's how we're to spend our days. watching in prayer and serving our Lord and our brethren in love and in kindness and praying for one another and helping one another.

As he says in Matthew 24 also, verse 42, watch therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord doth come. Those are good words to live by. Watch therefore, because you don't know when he's coming. You don't even have to know when he's coming, you just be watching. You just be in prayer. You be mindful that he is coming.

And so these things being so, I want us to draw forth some lessons from this passage. There's things for us to learn in whatever day we are for troublesome times. Because there's troubles in every generation of believers. There's just difficulties and trials and there's things that face that generation that will occupy us with more than enough. whereby we may grow in the Lord, and learn of Him, and learn of these truths, and be drawn to Him, and blessed of Him, and comforted by Him, that He is our God, and that what He has spoken is true, and He keeps and fulfills all His work. He knows, He knows exactly what He's doing. And so what we see is, In every generation of believers, there's trials, there's difficulties. We're gonna see the truth of these things in every generation. So our passage begins here in Luke in verse one through four. Let's read that.

And he looked up and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all. For all these things have of their, for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God. But she of her penury, or she of her poverty, her want, her extreme poverty, of her want and poverty hath cast in all the living that she had."

Now, there's three things in what our Lord says here that I want to touch on with you that our Lord observes for us here. This is where we're beginning. The first thing we notice is that to man, what this certain poor widow did, this looking at what she put in the box, it compares to insignificance. It seems meaningless. Had you not put anything in it at all, it would have been fine. That's how man looks at it. But to the Lord who sees all, it's not insignificant at all. It's not insignificant at all, it's meaningful.

He loves the cheerful giver. The scriptures tell us that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. And no doubt that woman trusted God and believed God and she put in all she had, casting her entire self upon the Lord to provide for her and what she needed the rest of that day and the rest of her days. That he would appear for her and give her what she needed. And there's this truth shown to us in scripture in the prophet Zechariah, chapter four, verse 10.

The Lord asks, who hath despised the day of small things? We of all people should not despise little things because the Lord uses little things. He uses things that are nothing to bring to naught the things that are. He blesses little things. He delights because it shows forth the glory and power of God that he's not bound by the weakness of his people, by the insufficiency of his people, by the nothingness of his people. He's not limited. In fact, he delights to show himself all the more glories in those little things, in those little days, in those little ways.

For, he goes on to say, they shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven. They are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. And so of a truth, our Lord sees all. Our Lord knew right when to look up, right when she was coming, and he observed, she's thrown in, everything she has, and though it's two mites, it's a whole lot more than what those rich fellows before her and after her have put in. It's so much more, because the Lord can take the smallest of things and make them mighty. That's why he tells us of the kingdom of heaven.

He says he likens it to the seed of a mustard seed, right? The smallest of all grains and says that little, little tiny thing becomes a great plant, so great a tree that the birds of the air come, they flock to it and they light in the branches. They fill out the branches. They land there and they're all flocked in there.

And that's what the Lord does in his kingdom. Now, the second thing is this is an encouragement to us. All right, this is an encouragement to you that even though we find ourselves laboring in troublesome times and never having enough or feeling like there's enough or that what little we have wouldn't be useful, but this is an encouragement to know that what we have, that what the Lord has given to us, he's able to take it and make it bountiful. Bountiful, right, overflowing riches that adorn the kingdom of his grace. He's able to do that and he does that. And then the third thing we see here is that our giving and service, it really comes down to a heart issue. It's not how much you can do, it comes down to the heart.

As I said before, the Lord loveth a cheerful giver. What you can give, you give, whether it's of your resources or your time, which is a resource, your money, your prayers, your thoughts, your phone calls, your cards, whatever it is that you can do, the Lord loves it.

And he's given us what he's given us for that service, for the service and good of one another and for his kingdom. And so even though we might have little or it might seem small, the gifts which the Lord has given to us go forth as a living fountain, as a stream that comes from one divine source.

And it goes out and it nourishes and feeds and quenches the thirst of the thirsty. He's able to do that. Even in a desert like this place, he's able to bring forth a stream of living waters that feeds and nourishes the people of God, who hunger and thirst for his righteousness. And so we see that with the poor in spirit, they're made rich, rich in his grace.

So be thankful for these blessed observations that our Lord gives to us for us living in troublesome times. That he's not displeased, he's pleased with us. Though we may not have much, much to show for, yet he's pleased. He sees it and he's well pleased for your faithfulness and continued trusting in him. Because that's what he's given to us to do at this time, in the day in which we live.

Now, verse 5 and 6. And some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts. He said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. Now, we know that from the historical records that in 70 AD, the Jewish temple that was there, that they were looking at with goodly stones and the gifts there, that it was adorned with. We know that in 70 AD, the Roman army under Titus surrounded the city of Jerusalem.

And then by some miracle, mysteriously, when they were about to go in, instead of going in, they pulled back. They didn't go in and attack, they pulled back. And it was at that time that the historians write that the Christians fled, which was what our Lord tells them to do. That when you see this time when Jerusalem's surrounded, You flee. You go out. Don't go back to your house. Don't get nothing. You don't need it. I'll provide for you. You just grab your kids, your wives, get out. You run. And they did that and they survived.

And then right after that, the Romans, I don't know what happened. Obviously it was the Lord, but then they just went in and they destroyed the city. and they destroyed the temple. They were, the soldiers apparently were going for the treasure of the temple and ripped that place apart. You know, with fires and gold melting and things like that going into crevices, they ripped that thing apart to get everything they could from that temple. And so that it was described as the plowing of a field.

They toppled it just like the Lord said that they would do it. And then at that time, as I understand, that's when the time of the Gentiles began, because the Lord left the Jewish nation desolate, but scattered the people, including those who had the gospel, to go out and to carry that word forth, adding to the work that the apostles had already done, strengthening the churches in the Gentile nations. And so all Israel, which included not just the Jews, but the Gentiles also, all Israel is being saved. Just like Paul wrote in Romans 11, 26.

Now, I want to observe two things here for our day in regards to this temple's destruction here. The first thing is that it's a reminder to us that everything shall be destroyed. Whatever we look at, whatever we set our eyes on and love or admire, like the temple with these goodly stones and gifts that it was adorned with, everything shall be destroyed. Nothing that man builds, the architectures, his dreams, his ideas, nothing that we build is going to last. it's all going to be destroyed and burned up.

Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3, verse 7 and 10, but the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. And now in verse 10 of that chapter, but the day of the Lord shall will come as a thief and light.

In other words, you don't know when you're gonna be robbed. You don't know when the thief's coming. That's the day of the Lord. You don't know. It's gonna be in a day that we expect not. In the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. And so it is, we see examples of this throughout history, right? History is littered with civilizations that at one time were great and mighty and strong and powerful, and they're just surrounded by desert now, and no one goes there anymore, right? There's places just that once were that are no more.

And so it is that whatever man puts his confidence in that isn't Christ, it can and shall be shaken at any time. And I'll show you that in scripture. Look over at Hebrews chapter 12. Go to Hebrews chapter 12 and drop down to verse 25. This is just showing us, I'm just letting you know, don't try to hold on to things because it's all being destroyed. Just settle that in your hearts right now. It's all gonna be destroyed. You're not gonna save anything that Now, just trust the Lord, just lean upon him. So Hebrews 12, 25, see that ye refuse him not that speaketh.

For if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. Don't cast away your confidence in Christ, whose voice then shook the earth, but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." In other words, everything man builds for man and for his glory is shaken, falls apart, and is destroyed.

But that which the Lord builds, that remains. That won't be shaken. Your faith, which is given to you of God, that's the thing that shall remain and stand in the day of adversity. Whatever troublesome day, that faith that the Lord gives you, that remains. And though you and your flesh might be shaken and made afraid, but you keep going because you trust the Lord, because he's given you faith that cannot be moved, that cannot be shaken, because you're his and he is yours.

And that's what remains. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom, verse 28, which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire. And so, it's very easy and natural for us as men and women to put our confidence in the things that we can see. And then to doubt because we don't see things. That's just natural to us. especially when you're looking at religious ornaments or the dead letter form of religion. Don't get caught up in those things because you can just look at the temple And it was goodly.

It was built by people with good hearts, right? Solomon built that temple with the things that David had laid up. And he was faithful in the day that he built that. And there were the priests and it was used unto the glory of God. It was a goodly, wonderful building. I think it was added on to by Herod in his day. And he gave gifts to it and all kinds of things went into it. And yet when it pleased the Lord, He destroyed it. He let it be destroyed. He shook it and it fell apart. And that was the end of it. It didn't stand at all.

And so our salvation isn't dependent upon earthly things. It's not dependent on what we build. It's not dependent on us. It depends entirely upon your Lord. And that's a good thing. You can let the things you see go, because what the Lord builds, that remains. And we see it. I mean, we did it ourselves, and sometimes we still struggle with it, but the strictness of the form of religion that man trusts in, that's not salvation, no matter how goodly and how adorned it looks with gifts and things like that of men. the Lord provides everything we need, and he works it in the heart. He makes us new creatures, new creatures, and that's where he's seen.

In John chapter four, Jesus said unto the woman at the well, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Nothing about outward things there. For the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

And so what the Lord shows us is that salvation is not in the carnal form of religion that man puts his hope in. People put their hopes in because they can go to a mega church or a well-established church that's been around there and it's large and there's many people that go there and people do put their confidence in that. That's their hope and that's their community. But salvation belongs to the Lord. Salvation is the Lord's. It's not in the role, the church role. It's not in the number of people. It's not in the things we can count and see. It's in the Lord. Turn over to Romans 3. Go to Romans 3.

Romans 3.21. where we see what the Lord puts our attention on, but now the righteousness of God without the law and without the form of religion and without the buildings and the trappings that men trust in.

Now the righteousness of God is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets. This is what God established Israel for, to bring forth the seed, the promised seed, the redeemer. and the law and the prophets give witness to him, to Christ, right? Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, his faithfulness, his faith and his faithfulness and his obedience, not yours and not mine, his, the faith of Christ. unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. I'm so thankful that his gracious salvation is free, full and abundant.

And it's to all who are in Christ Jesus, all who trust Him, all who come to the Father in Christ, confessing, I don't wanna be found in my own righteousness. I don't wanna be rewarded or judged or anything in my own righteousness, which I've done by the law or by religion or whatever it is. I don't want my good works to count. I wanna be found in the faith, the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. I wanna be found in Him. That's why I want to be founded because if you look at me, you're going to find spots, stains, blemishes, evil, right? And in my flesh dwells no good thing. So don't, don't look at me and me, look at me in Christ Lord, right?

Cause the father is well pleased in his son and all who come to him in his son, trusting the faith and the, what Christ has done. And so that's how we come. We can now worship, rejoice in and serve our God and Savior without the shackles and the mysteries and the shadows and the pictures. We can come to Him in full understanding that it's all of Christ. All this time, He's been speaking to us and testifying to us of His Son in this scripture. That's how we're saved. That's how we're delivered. That's how we're kept. and preserved and blessed, and the life we have eternal is all found in the Son. The Father hath given all things into the hand of His Son, Jesus Christ.

So come in Him and believe Him. Trust Him to the uttermost. And then the second thing we take from these words is that we ought never put our confidence and trust in the works of our own hands. If something as magnificent as this temple can be destroyed by the will and purpose of God whenever He pleases to do so, when He destroyed that temple when it was His good pleasure to do so, then what does that say about my works and your works? It only confirms that God is independent upon man's works. and his cooperation and what he does or thinks he allows God to do in his life.

It's entirely resting on the shoulders of Christ. The government shall be on his shoulders, and it is. He's the Savior. He's our God and Savior. It's resting on him. He's the cornerstone. He's holding up the whole thing. And we are living stones. as members of his body made so, put together and assembled by the Lord as it pleases him. You can rest in that. And that won't be shaken, because that's of his making.

What we build, church buildings and whatnot, that can be shaken, burned up, torn down, made into rubble and just destroyed. But that which the Lord builds can't be shaken. Salvation has become our walls. salvation, right? Not a wall which man built, but the wall which Christ built. That hedge can never be burned up, can never be taken away, can never be breached or destroyed because it's of Christ.

And we can rest in Him and rejoice in what the Lord Jesus Christ did. Our God can take, as it were, a certain poor widow and do great things with what she has done. He can use her and build great things from the little that she gives. And that's exactly what the Lord has done.

In reference to the church, he chose her, he formed a body, and he purposed to do what he would with that widow, that poor widow, and made her rich. Though she was childless, she has many children, many children, right? And made to delight in what she's done by that poor widow, that poor people, that ragtag muffin group of people that in preaching the gospel, they turned the world upside down. They turned the Roman world upside down. by that message that they preach. That's how wonderful the Lord is.

So whenever you realize you're in troublesome times, don't fret or look at the greatness of your enemies and the resources that they have. They seem to have unlimited resources. Who cares? Who cares? If God is your God, you have all things and he can do all things as it pleases him. God took the greatness of their temple and raised it to the ground. He lowered it to the ground. And so don't look at the little you or I have and the little that we can do. Look to him who can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us. Just be looking to him. Remember Paul, the prisoner learned, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. That's what the Lord had taught him.

Now, let me just go a little bit into our final point here, but I think I'll pick up on some of it, but it says verse seven and eight, they asked him saying, master, but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? And this was their question, when shall these things be? And our Lord said, take heed.

Take heed that ye be not deceived, for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and the time draweth near. Go ye not therefore after them. In other words, our thought is, well, if we just know when these things will be, then we can be ready for it. And he says, that's not gonna help you. Take heed that you be not deceived. And there's your safety. Look to Christ, right? Get in Christ, be in Christ. Look to him and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so that's why he doesn't even address it, because it's really not for us to know. That's not important. That's not gonna help us, if anything would hurt us, right, to know. but it's not necessary. There's no salvation in us knowing what we know about it. That's not the important thing.

What helps us, what's a strength to us and a support and an aid for us is knowing him whom the Father hath sent, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, take heed that ye be not deceived, because if you're spiritually deceived, If you're outside of Christ and you don't believe Him, it don't matter what you've done in preparation for the end.

You've missed the one Savior. You've missed Him who is the very salvation of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's your salvation. There's your hope. There's all the preparation you need for the last days is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is it. Make sure you're not deceived following a false Jesus a Jesus who needs you to save yourself first. Don't be following him. You look for and beg God for the righteous Jesus, the one who saves to the uttermost, the one who said on the cross, it is finished. And it is.

He's done all the work necessary for the salvation of his people. And he is actively right now bringing it to pass in the hearts of his people. effectually calling us, giving us his spirit, seeking us out, bringing the word to us wherever we are, or us to the word, as it pleases him, and he's the one who brings salvation, light, and life in the heart of his people. It rejoices him.

He tells us, he says, you know, I've spoken these things to you that you might have peace in me, right? When you're looking at the end as men think it is, right? And the way people look at these things as if there's salvation in that. He says, I've spoken, he says, you might have peace in me.

In the world, you'll have tribulation. And if you look at the things that are coming upon the earth, there is fear and worry. The Lord says men's hearts will fail them looking after these things. Well, don't look at those things. You have Christ to look at.

You keep looking to him and there's peace. There's peace and he provides. And he's provided things that we don't even know about to worry about those things so that you and I don't have to worry about them. We can trust him. Believe him, but believe him and trust him because when you start looking at the end as if that's necessary or meaningful or important for us to do, it ends up being a distraction to us. It ends up being a cause of worry and fear and doubt, and it takes us away from looking to Christ and serving one another in love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control, These are the fruits that he's bearing in us.

And so the Lord, he knows what we have need of, and he promises, I'll supply everything you need. I'll provide for you. I'll keep you. I'll give you peace and rest in me. And all that I purpose to do, I'll do it. Even if you don't have a lot and have nothing, I'll do everything that's necessary, he says. Everything that you need.

Trust him, take heed and follow Christ. Know who the Christ of the scriptures is. And I think we'll pick up again in that and drill into that a little more as we go through this chapter the next time. But I'll say this about the one who saves. He's sovereign and saves to the uttermost and doesn't depend on you and me to do it. He's able to save and does save without our works, without our help.

Any works that we have, it's because He gives it to us, and He works it in us. God hath wrought these things were His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before prepared that we should walk in them, or ordain that we should walk in them. I pray the Lord bless that word to our hearts. Amen.

Behold, The Days Will Come

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the last days?

Why is faith important for Christians in troubled times?

How do we prepare for Christ's return?

What does it mean that God uses 'the least' for His glory?

What is the significance of Christ's sovereignty in salvation?

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Behold, The Days Will Come

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the last days?

Why is faith important for Christians in troubled times?

How do we prepare for Christ's return?

What does it mean that God uses 'the least' for His glory?

What is the significance of Christ's sovereignty in salvation?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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