End time assessment: don't be afraid

Sermon for 15 Nov 2009  W.Logan Crows Nest Lutheran Parish, Qld.

Mar 13:1-10
(1)  As Jesus was going out of the temple courtyard, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, look at these huge stones and these beautiful buildings!"
(2)  Jesus said to him, "Do you see these large buildings? Not one of these stones will be left on top of another. Each one will be torn down."
(3)  As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the temple buildings, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,
(4)  "Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will come to an end?"
(5)  Jesus answered them, "Be careful not to let anyone deceive you.
(6)  Many will come using my name. They will say, 'I am he,' and they will deceive many people.
(7)  "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don't mean that the end has come.
(8)  Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These are only the beginning pains of the end.
(9)  "Be on your guard! People will hand you over to the Jewish courts and whip you in their synagogues. You will stand in front of governors and kings to testify to them because of me.
(10)  But first, the Good News must be spread to all nations.

Lord, in these end times, help us to trust in you and not be afraid. Keep us safe, and cause your gospel to be proclaimed here and in every place, so that everyone has a chance to find true security in your saving love. Encourage us as we listen to your Word. Strengthen our faith, and equip us to strengthen others. Amen.

Would you be upset to see the Eiffel tower crumble and fall? What about the Taj Mahal? The Sydney Opera house? It would be a shock to see any of these magnificent buildings destroyed, but you’d probably be more upset if this church building – your church building – was destroyed.

The disciples were amazed by the grandeur of their temple. King Herod rebuilt and expanded the old temple that was established when the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. They were looking at white stones covered with a gold, some of which were 10 metres long and possibly larger. The Jews didn’t like king Herod but they did love their temple.

Even now the holiest place in the world for Jews is a small remainder of the outer wall of the temple, the famous ‘wailing wall.’ Why is it so important to them? For Jews, the temple is the place where God came to earth and made himself accessible to them.

For Christians, God does not need an earthly temple to make himself accessible to people. He has come to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Now he is available to us all, through the church, which is not a building nor an organization, but the group of people who believe in Him. We who believe in Jesus Christ are God’s temple.

We like our church buildings. They give us special places to gather, and are set out to help us think about God and what he has done for us. It would be sad to see our church buildings destroyed. But wouldn’t it be far worse to see parts of the living church destroyed?

We are the church. The church itself cannot be destroyed since Jesus promised in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” However, in verses 5,6 of today’s reading Jesus warns us: "Be careful not to let anyone deceive you.”
How might we be deceived?
He tells us: “Many will come using my name. They will say, 'I am he,' and they will deceive many people.”
In every generation the church has had to deal with people who put forward ideas that might seem attractive and plausible, but really undermine our faith.

This year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book ‘On the Origin of Species.’ On the surface Darwin’s theory of evolution is an innocent attempt to explain how life on earth exists in so many fascinating forms. Dig deeper, and ask people caught in the middle of the debate, and we find that the most consistent evolutionists understand their theory to justify their unbelief in God. Many powerful people do are not allowing public critique of the evolutionary worldview. According to a recent documentary called ‘Expelled – no intelligence allowed’ many scientists –not necessarily Christians- are experiencing severe repercussions for questioning evolutionary dogma, and daring to suggest that other ideas and models might be worth exploring, in the spirit of open scientific enquiry. 

Why are so many people deeply and religiously committed to atheistic evolution as a worldview?
I believe the same reason is driving many people to be preoccupied with the end of the world.

Hebrews 9:27 gives us the reason: “…it is appointed for human beings to die once, and after that comes judgment…”

Who wants to face the prospect of judgement?

At school students are examined and have their work judged. Assessment is an important part of learning: it should be a positive, supportive experience, where we find out what we know, what we’re not yet sure about, and how developed our skills have become. A positive, supportive experience…?
This isn’t always the case: being assessed, or judged, can be quite traumatic, because we can think that our value as people comes from our levels of achievement.

God’s final assessment, God’s judgement, on the last day, will reveal how he sees us.

On that day, there won’t be any large white stones, gold-covered or not, to hide behind. We won’t be able to find safety in our church buildings. Nor will we be able to hide behind our desperate lists of accomplishments, religious or otherwise.

The good news is, we won’t need any of that. We won’t need to find a temple to hide in, because we are the temple of God. We won’t need anything to sway his judgment in our favour because he’s already done all that is needed, to welcome us into our eternal home.

Our Lord says, ‘Be careful, don’t get tricked into thinking that you have to earn your way into my good books. The only way you can have peace with me, is through my love and forgiveness. Put your trust in me, and you won’t have to be afraid, no matter what happens! War, rumours of wars, earthquakes, famines; getting arrested and put on trial before religious and nonreligious authorities – no matter what happens, you don’t have to be afraid.

“Don’t be alarmed” Jesus told his disciples. Even when things you thought would be permanent, get taken away. Even if everything in your life that you are used to, changes. Even if the world comes to an end, next year, next month, tomorrow …today.
“Don’t be afraid.”

Jesus will keep us safe and secure. Let’s keep trusting him, and use His word to avoid getting tricked by manipulative fear-mongers or by self-justifying rationalists. We are safe and secure, in Christ. Amen. God’s Word is true!