Luke 21:5-38, The Way from the Manger

Luke 21 and the Beginning of the End

Luke chapter 21 verses 5 to 38 to the end of the chapter hear the word of the Lord and While some were speaking of the temple how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings. He said as for these things that you see the days will come when there will not be left here.

One stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And they asked him teacher When will these things be and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place? And he said see that you are not led astray for many will come in my name saying I am he and The time is at hand do not go after them.

And when you hear of wars and tumults do not be terrified for these things must first take place. But the end will not be at once. Then he said to them nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

There will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and pestilences and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons.

And You will be brought before Kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate before how to answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom Which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

You will be delivered up Even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish by your endurance.

You will gain your lives. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let those who are inside the city depart and let not those who are Out in the country enter it for they for these are the days of vengeance to fulfill all that is written Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days.

For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled and there will be signs and Sun and Moon and stars and on the earth distress of nations and perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken and Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Now when these things begin to take place straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near 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 Cares of this life and that the day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

For it will come upon all who dwell in 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. If the Lord had his blessings for the reading of his Holy Word.

Christmas, New Beginnings, and the Question of Jesus’s End

Well, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Actually, I think I prefer early fall but whatever Christmas time is popular. Why? Perhaps because it's about it's about beginnings a new era. Even the new era that separates all of history BC from AD and so represents in microcosm all new beginnings.

And yet it comes at the end of the year as we come to the end. We get to celebrate a new beginning and so new possibilities. So even though our culture buries Christmas under an avalanche of commercialism and silliness and sentimentality.

It doesn't it doesn't mind a little bit about a baby Jesus you know doesn't mind if Linus takes a couple of minutes from the annual Charlie Brown Christmas special to read from Luke chapter 2 about the Christmas story.

It doesn't mind. I didn't mind a little baby, Jesus because babies like all new beginnings or Are open to all kinds of possibilities to interpretation to becoming whatever we Dream for them to become babies are cute unintimidating and open-ended.

But where is Jesus going. What's his what's his in that is his destination now? It's hard to tell where someone or something is going just by looking at his or her or its beginning. And 1938 Fred jr. Was born the first son of an up-and-coming real estate developer in New York City.

He looked like he was on a trajectory to be a successful man. But alcoholism destroyed his life leading to a divorce. He was kicked out of his own house by his ex-wife. Having to move back in with his parents and he died of an alcoholism related heart attack at the age of 43.

His younger brother about eight years younger than him was also born in New York. Same family same prospect same environment saw the course of his older brother and decided to go another way swore off alcohol came started.

From a fairly well-to-do family, but made even more of it became a billionaire and four years ago Became the president of the United States and it's hard to tell from the beginning. How a life is going to end.

Well, where's Jesus going from his beginning? I think some in our culture. Like to like a little bit of the baby Jesus. They can they can focus on that for a little while because they think that gives them the flexibility to imagine that he ends.

Like they want him to end a gentle harmless non-threatening soothing therapeutic smiling all-accepting friend. Thoroughly pleasant even as a baby, don't you know as the song tells us no crying he makes oh, that's amazing.

Imagine even as a baby. He wasn't irritating. But where is Jesus really going to be when he reaches the end for which he was born? Will he end by being everyone's pleasant friend or maybe like the hippie Jesus of Jesus Christ superstar?

He ends on a cross. He's the victim of a cruel establishment. But we can hope that that's not the end for what he believed in what he taught. That we can hope as we board the bus with Jesus's hippie friends that his spirit that is his philosophy.

His attitude of love and non-violence that that will that will rise in our hearts like the Sun, you know, like that we can hope that his Teaching will grow our hearts and like, you know, like Grinch's heart grew three times its old size.

He might he might have ended on a cross we understand. So the liberal Jesus is picture for us, but that doesn't have to be the end of his mission on earth. A piece on earth is Christmas popular because people think that they can then imagine whatever ending they want for Jesus.

What really then is the end for which Jesus was born? Well, we see that here. We see that here from Jesus himself as as he reveals the end of everything and we see that here in two main parts first the beginning of the end and then the end of the beginning.

Jesus was born in a in a barn and placed in a manger. Placed in a manger and said which is animals feeding trough, but where does he end? Where is he? Where is he when he reaches the purpose for which he was born first?

The Temple’s Destruction and the Beginning of the End

We will see here the beginning of the end. Jesus and disciples were impressed by how grandiose this temple was where basically Jesus almost moved in and taken over. How huge it was a bit huge 40-foot blocks of Single stones.

I mean just a single stone be like 40 feet long. I don't know how they move such stones. Massive stones back in those days, you know, no trucks no trains no cranes. But somehow they managed the the buildings were not just gilded but covered with with plates of gold.

Siding that would glisten in the setting Sun. It was a spectacular sight and some have speculated that it was the most awesome Grandest and most ornate building in the world at that time here in verse 5 They were commenting that it was adorned with noble stones and offerings and Jesus responds unimpressed.

As for all these things that you see. The days will come. When there will not be left one stone upon another. The determination and the muscle that it took to move those stones in place Would be matched by as much determination to tear them down it will all be Thrown down.

He says in verse 6 that gets his audience's attention. It was almost unimaginable that this this grand temple. The heart of their religion the symbol of their relationship with God. What there? What they believe made the relationship with God possible that it would be destroyed and so they ask you verse 7 teacher When will this be?

When is the end? Here. The end of the temple, but they can only imagine that the temple is it is at an end. So also the entire world must be. The the end of the age the end of the temple must come they thought at the end of the world so when when is the end.

Then what will be the sign when these things are about to take place? You know what can tip us off that the end is coming what do we look for so we're not caught off guard. When is the end? No people are fascinated.

They are we're here. They still are today. They're fascinated by that question. The fascination seems to rise and fall a little bit depending on world events, but it's always pretty high. If things are looking dire nuclear wars threatening society seems to be splitting apart like in the 60s 70s.

Speculating on the end becomes very popular in 1970 how Lindsay published the late great planet Earth which predicted and described the end of the world supposedly based on the Bible. It was the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970s the whole the whole decade.

If I was saved because as a high schooler fascinated with everything that was supernatural and macabre. I talk about the end of the world from Revelation seemed like all part of the same mix. You know as as Ouija boards and astrology.

So I just all seems like it's part of the same thing. And so I read that book people today are are fascinated by by in times talk and if you could speak confidently and quickly and Appear to unlock the mysteries of the end times from Scripture.

You can make a lot of money off of that here. They're fascinated too. When is the end? What are the signs of? Course now we know or should know That the end of the temple in Jerusalem wasn't the end. Now there is a doctrine that has gotten more popular lately.

It seems to me perhaps is a reaction. Against the late great planet Earth and the teaching that it championed that the end of the temple in 8070 was in fact the end. That's that is that all that Jesus talks about here with what the passage we read is for us.

Just history it was all fulfilled and in and around 8070 and this view all the end times predictions here. They've already all been fulfilled. Even the resurrection of the second coming of Christ somehow we got a mystically returned.

That's called that doctrine is called preterism and it is a false doctrine. It's specifically condemned in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 18 where Paul speaks of those Quote who have swerved from the truth saying that the resurrection has already happened.

They are upsetting the faith of some. Understand they were probably seen. Well, Jesus was resurrected physically and were resurrected spiritually and that's all there is. That's probably something taught something like that, but that's wrong but on the other hand there are Futurists some of whom interpret everything in a passage like this to be about our future.

It really wasn't relevant to the people here that Jesus was speaking to. You know when they when they asked when will these things be and so do they read it? They read it like Jesus is talking just to them now not to these people.

It's all still about things to come. Some are such futurists that even the prediction here about the temple being destroyed must mean they think That the temple has to be rebuilt. Get this line of thinking by the way, this is for real they'll teach this the temple must be rebuilt so that it can be Redestroyed so as to fulfill their interpretation of this passage because they assume it's all still in our future.

Now, maybe we ought to consider that all of history and all the Bible Doesn't revolve around us. Shocking idea, isn't it? But when is the end we see here that the end doesn't come at once. Fact. He says that the end will not come at once.

But in stages that there are ends multiple ends and that the ends have a beginning that the coming of Jesus was the beginning of The end it's like looking at a range of mountains. Maybe you're driving from Somewhere and you see the mountains up ahead and it looks like maybe one big mountain.

But when you get to it and you occur around that one mountain there's more to come it's just mountain after mountain. There's a range. Maybe with no valleys in between maybe with small valleys and as you hike or drive through the range.

You can't really see very far ahead because you're going weaving around mountains. It's curvy the surprises around every corner here. They're coming to the end. But it's really a range of ends. First Jesus wants us to know how to live as we go through these ends as.

As we come to the beginning of the end, they're coming to the beginning of the end. And we're still in the beginning of the end. What for us will probably be a lifetime of ends. Here's what we're to do.

Living Faithfully in an Age of Endings

Practically, he'll begin and in this passage about how we're calibrated to live during the time of ends first. Be careful. He warns in verse 8. See that you are not led astray the danger of life among a mountain to a mountain range of ends.

Where things are ending is that some people will promise us ways out. Ways out of this range of mountains to a pleasant valley where nothing ends. They'll say that they have the secret. So we so we don't have to end the danger of false teachers here.

Be careful because many will come in my name. Notice the prediction many will come in the name of Jesus claiming that they are speaking for him. They'll say I am he they're the anointed one that comes from God speak for for Jesus like some young moon and the moonies or Jim Jones or the pontificus Maximus or Joseph Smith.

They're the one they say that you have to follow to get out of this miserable life of endings which ends in death. Notice, they'll say the time is at hand. They'll predict they have the date or at least approximately around the time.

They'll be the ones hawking predictions of when the world is going to end at such-and-such a date the Jehovah's Witnesses predicted that Jesus would return in 1878 and then revises it to three years later to 1881 and Nightly then about a generation later.

They predicted it'd be 1914 and then revised that four years later to 1918 and then 1925 and then in case you think well, you know after all these failures they learn their lesson there are such predictions backfire they said it again for 1975 and His 1975 drew closer some of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

They sold their possessions. Postpone surgery when you go through a surgery if you're gonna Jesus gonna come back soon cashed in their insurance policies. You've got to worry about that. You have the money enjoy it so they can live.

Well in those final few months. Before 1975 and the Jehovah's Witnesses as a group they grew Rapidly in the years running up to 1975 because those kinds of predictions are popular. They draw in the crowds.

I bet if we advertise you come I got to give this presentation I'm going to predict for you exactly when Jesus is going to return. We could probably we could make fill this this gym. They draw in the crowds that kind of thing, but In the years coming up to 1975, but it after became obvious that the prediction had failed their growth plummeted.

Since the end has begun. Don't believe those who say They know when the end will be. Now contrary to the instinct of many people in verse 9 when you hear of wars in turmoil tumult or turmoil. Do not be terrified.

I we think the other way around don't wait. There's a big war going in the end must be near. Let's be let's go run for cover. Fall out shelter in our backyard and Jesus will returns and Predictions of that kind of thing become more popular then because that's usually when in times of stereo peaks.

But Jesus tells us not to be alarmed by it. He told us not to be alarmed. It's kind of thing just happens it was popular in the 60s to the 80s because of the threat of nuclear war during the Cold War and Then there was a brief spike during the Gulf War in 1991 a prediction to that kind of thing.

I remember coming to Singapore and hearing in 1991 and hearing an American preacher. They're giving a series on the end times as Particularly in Singapore was you could see actually see the build-up in Singapore as American planes and ships would be going through Singapore to the Persian Gulf so you could sense of tension in the air and so They some of the Christians are indulged in that kind of thing.

Some things that that's a good time to sell in times sermons, but here Jesus says these things Must first take place first before what. Well before the end and then at the end of verse 9 Jesus says the end will not Be at once.

I Think there's a double meaning here. Not only for his audience at that time that the end is it coming? Immediately. With the destruction of the temple because that's what they were asking. Temple is gonna be destroyed.

So the ends coming right away and Jesus said no. It's not it's not coming at once not coming away even with the destruction of Jerusalem. That that's not the end that you assume it will be but also that the end I think he also means beside besides that that the end isn't coming all at once.

Because there are many ends there's a whole era of Ends endings again like a mountain range that we're navigating through. The end is it one? But multiple what Jesus brought. Was the beginning of the end?

So in verse 10 in this time of ends that began with Jesus. He says nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. I was there would be wars or war to so forth things like that. There will be he says there'll be great earthquakes.

Like the one that leveled San Francisco in 1906 or the Great Szechuan earthquake in China in 2008. Seven point nine on the Richter scale. I can't imagine that it was much through a 6 .0 earthquake and it was pretty awesome 7 .9.

I can't I can't even imagine and that killed sixty nine thousand people over sixty nine thousand people and he says and in various places famines like in Ethiopia in the 1980s and pestilences like droughts or Japanese murder beetles.

This sounds horrible. And there will be terrors he says like pandemics of the black death in the Middle Ages the smallpox cholera Spanish flu 1918 and now kovat and like the horrible 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean on the day after Christmas in 2004 that killed over 227 ,000 people in just a few hours and great signs from heaven like blood moons.

That in 2014 John Hagee claims is the sign of the beginning of the end times. And he was only off by 2 ,000 years, but here Jesus tells us that these kinds of things are just gonna happen. They just happen.

Don't be too alarmed by them during this age of endings like driving through a mountain range. Look, there's a war. There's an earthquake. Around the next bin is a famine then comes a terror. Wow. It's kovat.

He's saying don't be alarmed, sorry, I don't mean to be light frivolous about it, but guess I am whatever that's what that's sort of. What he's telling us here these things happen. So, you know, don't be too terrified.

Don't stop paying your mortgage. Don't quit school because you think what good does it do? That's just what you should expect at this time. Now that the end has begun. Notice in verse 12 before all this.

Prior to all the wars and plagues and disasters they will lay their hands on you and Persecute you delivering you up to the synagogues in the prisons and you will be brought before Kings and governors for my name's sake.

Jesus had this especially for the people now. Indeed it was for the people right in front of him who asked the question When will these things be they will deliver you. I know it's before all this before all those disasters.

You'll be persecuted. So they'll be ready for the persecution. That we see some of that in the book of Acts. So they wouldn't be like, you know, the JW's who thought that was all gonna end any moment now.

So as we'll cash in my insurance. No, Jesus won't warns them to be prepared ready for suffering. For the name of Jesus, you know for almost the first 300 years of his existence the church suffered persecution.

They had to be ready for that and it grew the church grew despite the sword. For longer than this country has existed. Amazing thought you think about it. Church was suffering persecuted for 300 years as long as the United States has been around in verse 13.

This will be our opportunity to bear witness notice that it's interesting. Is it verse 13? This will be your opportunity. We think of opportunities as good things opportunity. You see persecution as an opportunity, oh good we can be thrown in jail.

It's an opportunity remember in Acts the Apostles. Thank God for the opportunity first thing almost the first thing happened to the church with bought before the Sanhedrin. They were beaten and they thanked God for the opportunity the privilege to suffer for the name of Jesus.

Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians Chapter 16 9 that a great door for effective work has opened for me and there are many adversaries. I was there's an opportunity and there are adversaries opportunities and adversaries go together.

I Think during kovat we should Look for an opportunity. Well, we should both bear witness to the world. Yeah. Okay, we take it seriously. You can wear the mask be responsible help stop the spread distance ourselves.

We take vaccines and That we value the worship of God the fellowship of the church so much that we're not going to stop that it's an opportunity. To show what's important to us? Well, when's the end. Well, it's not all at once.

It's it's begun already. There are multiple ends. And so we need to be ready for the calamities and first before the calamities of persecution. Use it an opportunity to witness in verse 14 settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer.

Now that's not an excuse for not preparing for a sermon. You wouldn't want me doing that because I'm really not very good when I don't prepare. It's especially about being dragged before official persecutors notice verse 15 Jesus promises for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or or contradict.

Interesting think about that. Jesus is talking to these disciples. I will give you a mouth and wisdom. Think about what's implied in that Jesus can give us get given Peter so forth the the words that they need that we need.

Because he's not just an historical figure a great teacher who ended on a cross 2 ,000 years ago. He is God and so he can still Give us what we need during persecution. Like when the Romans and Smyrna in the 2nd century.

Little over but the year 150 I believe in the city of Greek city of Smyrna. The Romans officials there went on a persecution spree and arrested the pastor there polycarp. The head of the church there dragging him before the governor and demanding that he denounce Jesus.

He didn't have time to prepare anything. And being threatened with being burned to death. If he didn't renounce Christ, he said 86 years I have served him and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king and my savior?

Those are the words Jesus gave polycarp and Then they burned him to death. Perhaps most painful of all more than the fires of the Romans is the betrayal of family and friends in verse 16. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends and some of you.

They will put to death. That's why Jesus called us remember about the call to discipleship. You have to be willing to leave these people. Parents and brothers and relatives wife or husband. That's why Jesus has called a discipleship is not to put our trust in relationships.

We have to be willing to say no to them if necessary if saying yes means forsaking the Lord. You must be willing to be disliked for Jesus to be accused of being a bigot of being cold-hearted. And now it's false.

I know and it's insulting but it but it's that kind of Intimidation is used to get us to compromise the Lord. And verse 17. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. That's interesting, isn't it? You will be hated by all you're gonna be very unpopular.

So so much for measuring the success of a ministry or the success of a Christian by how popular he or she or it is. No, you you're gonna be pop unpopular. If you're fateful then look at the odd contrast at the end of verse 16.

Remember Jesus has said some of you some of you people like 11 of you 12 Apostles like Peter. Will they will put to death? Then in verse 18 Not a hair of your head will perish. Did you notice that as we read through?

Isn't that odd? How can that be? How can you be put to death and Still not perish. How does that work or in verse 19? How can you be executed like Peter and Polycarp and the missionary Jim Elliot who in the 1950s was speared to death?

By natives in Ecuador and and who had said he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. How can you how can you be like them and be killed and yet still Jesus says by your endurance?

You will gain your lives. Looks like they've lost their lives. Well, you can. If your life is more than your body to gain your life sometimes in this time of ends. You have to endure death. When will be the end?

Well, Jesus tells him about the end of the temple when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then know that it's desolation its end Has come near. That happened in 80 70 when the Romans besieged Jerusalem.

What the Preterists get right that that did happen. Jesus warns his people here then let those who are in Judea That is Jerusalem in the surrounding area flee to the mountains and then let those who are inside the city the city of Jerusalem depart and Let not those who are in the countryside country enter in to the city.

In other words get away. In verse 23 alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days because it'll be hard for them. In applying you you need to you need to run you need to go as fast as you can.

History says that the Christians of Judea Did just that when the Romans came in 80 70 because they because of this because of this very teaching right here. They remember how Jesus said when you see their armies coming flee so they fled and they saved their lives now some of this.

Like this here is history to us. It's accomplished. The end has begun with the coming of Jesus in this time of endings. There are what he calls in verse 22 notice that days of vengeance. This is one on Jerusalem in 80 70 a day of vengeance of God's vengeance.

God punishing people judging them now in this age bringing his kingdom on earth. In verse 23 there are times of great distress and wrath the wrath of God. When he when he brings it on earth probably what we pray for we pray your kingdom come.

Partly your wrath come on evil to us first that wrath comes against this. He says against this people and he means the people right there in Jerusalem at that time. Distress and wrath is coming against them a day of vengeance because they're the one who killed.

We're going to kill very soon the beloved son here the destruction of Jerusalem was a day of vengeance. And so it's scattered throughout this age from the time that the end began with Jesus to the time.

That the beginning will end with the second coming scattered throughout this age. There are days of vengeance of distress and wrath. I believe July 3rd 1863 was one such day when the forces of slavery were repulsed.

I forgot the exact number thousands of them killed at Gettysburg. I believe that August 6 1945 was one when the Japanese Empire that had wrecked so much murder and devastation across Asia. Saw one of their cities destroyed by an atomic bomb.

Since the end has begun there are days of vengeance. The end has begun and it will it will end the old temple and Its religion. And in verse 24 they will fall. That's the people here in Jerusalem they will fall by the edge of the sword be led captive among all nations and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled to this day.

Jerusalem is it it's still at least half occupied by Arabs since the end has begun. The first thing to end is the old religion with his sacrifices and priest. Next comes the end of the beginning. From verse 25 Jesus looks beyond the destruction of Jerusalem.

It's first got their attention. He looks beyond that toward the end the end of the beginning instead of tidings of comfort and joy our Tidings of turmoil. There will be as we get to the end of the beginning the end that is the end of this present evil age.

There will be he says signs and Sun and Moon and Stars and the earth and on earth distress of nations like world wars mass migrations Pandemics. There will be perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves like that cataclysmic tsunami.

And verse 26 people will be fainting with fear and with foreboding with what is coming on the world. Well, we see a lot of that this year. Have a way. 2020 has been the year of fear and foreboding and hysteria because of the pandemic people frozen in fear and many actually crying out for lockdowns.

Because of their their dread of getting sick their dread of dying is greater than their love of living. And all of this will happen because at the end of verse 26 the powers of the heavens will be shaken the powers of this present evil age will end and at the end of the beginning those powers are cast down and then finally the beginning is Ended in verse 27.

Notice verse 27 then they will see notice that The second coming is seen. It's not it's not just a metaphor for a merely spiritual reality. It's visible the Son of Man Jesus referring to himself this they will see the Son of Man Coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Which is referring to Daniel chapter 7 where one who one who looks like a son of man where he is worshipped there God because only God is worshipped he smashes the beastly kingdoms of this world and Brings in God's kingdom on earth.

And then in verse 28 when these things begin to take place when the end of the beginning begins. Straighten up he says Be joyful be expected again. You're not supposed to be terrified. Raise up your heads.

Because your redemption that is your you're being bought back. From death your redemption is drawing near and then he compares it in verse 29 and the following verses to it to a fig tree and Other fruit-bearing trees.

When you see the fig leaves starting to sprout, you know that the fruit is coming. So when you see the signs You know that the kingdom and in his fullness the reign of God that Jesus was born to bring is subduing.

Even death itself the last enemy to be destroyed will be death. You know that it's coming soon. The end began with Jesus his first coming Christmas and his death and resurrection tidings of comfort and joy the beginning this present evil age tidings of turmoil will end with a second coming.

The ending began With the cross and the resurrection of Jesus and then within a generation this generation the day of vengeance Was indeed fulfilled on Jerusalem all of it began to take place. Within that generation and this age is still ending it is still Taking place it began then it's continuing.

All of this is passing away. But his words Will not pass away. So we began with a warning remember how he began this passage. He began with a warning to watch out for false teachers and he ends it with a warning Not to be weighed down.

Not to be distracted to be worried to be fearful. So materialistic that we're just captured by all the things that now that the modern Christmas has been captured by you know stuff things shiny objects.

Gluttony intoxication partying drowning in the pleasures of this age that is ending watch yourselves. He says in verse 24 Watch yourself there. You're not just swept along by this flood of prosperity and of excess of indulgence.

Luxuries of drink of tasty food and of gadgets and entertainment watch yourself the stuff that Christmas is now advertised for our traps and If you're trapped by them by the cares of this life you're so obsessed with squeezing as much of this life of every Central pleasure that you can out of it that you're paralyzed by it by a virus that may threaten to take some of that away.

Notice that in the verse 34 that worry The worry that's being anxious about this life. But being obsessed with your money your food your clothes are being so terrified by viruses that the worry is lumped together in with with carousing and with drunkenness.

But in their worry carousing drunkenness, they're all sins that blind us to what's ending and to what's eternal. Indulgence is losing yourself in what will end and Worry is fearing that you will lose.

What will end? Parting excess and worry that they weigh us down. They blind us so we can't Look up when he comes and rejoice they smother our hearts their traps. The world teaches us to live for the stuff the things that stuff you the thrills of this age.