Sermon
for Pentecost 23, November 16, 2025
Mercy, peace,
and love be multiplied to you in Christ
Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Luke
21:5-19 5As
some were talking about the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones
and offerings, Jesus said, 6“These things that you see here—the days will come when there will not
be one stone left on another—every
one will be thrown down.” 7They
asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what is the sign that these things are
about to happen?” 8He said,
“Watch out so that you are not deceived!
For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is
near.’ Do not follow them. 9Whenever you hear of wars and
revolutions, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the
end will not be right then.” 10Then
he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom. 11There will be
great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be horrifying sights and great
signs from heaven. 12But
before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute
you, handing you over to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and
governors for my name’s sake. 13It
will turn out to be your opportunity to testify. 14So make up your minds not to
prepare beforehand how to defend yourselves, 15for I will give you
words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or
contradict. 16You will be
betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will put some of you to death. 17You will be hated by all people
for my name’s sake. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By patient endurance you will
gain your lives.
(EHV)
Patient
endurance in faith gains eternal life.
Dear
fellow redeemed,
It happens at least once a week; I
will be having a conversation with someone about current events, and that
person will ask whether I don’t think Judgment Day is right around the
corner. Now, what I think about that
time is of little importance, but it shows that judgment is on peoples’ minds
because anyone with any familiarity with the Bible, or Christianity in general,
has heard about the signs of the end.
Our text this morning is filled with signs that must be fulfilled before
the end of the world. In reality, much
of what Jesus mentions, here, concerns the destruction, or we could say, the
judgment of Jerusalem and the persecution His apostles would endure. However, more important than reading the
signs of the times is knowing that Patient endurance in faith gains eternal
life.
As
we come upon the scene in our text, we see disciples following Jesus, but they
were distracted by the beauty of the temple in Jerusalem. Even though that temple being rebuilt by the
Herods was but a shadow of Solomon’s temple, it was still a marvelous
structure. Immense stones were
placed. Precious stones adorned the
walls, and some walls were wrapped in gold.
It truly was magnificent to see, but it would be a temporary
structure. It wouldn’t last nearly as
long as the tabernacle, or tent, that had been God’s dwelling place on earth
when Moses led the Children of Israel through the wilderness and on until
judges ruled Israel. That should serve
as a reminder to us. The things of this
world, no matter how magnificent, are temporary. We saw that twenty-four years ago when two
massive, magnificent towers were felled in a matter of a couple hours.
When
Jesus warned of the temple’s demise, He was foretelling the judgment that would
fall upon Judah approximately forty years later. In 70 A.D., the Roman armies laid siege to
the city and every person inside was eventually massacred or led off into
slavery. The city walls fell; the temple
lay in ruins, and the conquering hoards ransacked everything of value. Jesus warned, “These things that you see
here—the
days will come when there will not be one stone left on another—every one will be thrown down.”
Now,
most regard this as ancient history, so what does it mean for you and me? As Jesus spoke about Jerusalem’s destruction,
He was also foretelling the end of the world.
Because no one knows what day God has set to have Jesus return with all
His angels to judge the world and everything in it, we need to be ready at all
times. The Holy Spirit through St. Paul
warns, “Concerning the times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write
to you, for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come
like a thief in the night. When people
are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ destruction will suddenly come on them, like
labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will certainly not escape.” (1
Thessalonians 5:1-3) Likewise, Jesus
tells us, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate
them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew
25:31-32)
On
the day Luke wrote about, “They asked him, “Teacher, when will these things
happen? And what is the sign that these
things are about to happen?” Mankind
is always curious to know when judgment might come. We see that all the time as criminals try to avoid
detection, or when children hide from their parent’s accusing eyes. Many imagine that if we can only know when
Jesus will return we will have time to prepare—time to get right with God—time
to do what we should have been doing all along, or to stop doing what we know
is wrong.
Yet,
the truth is, what we are doing or not doing at the moment Jesus returns will
not affect His judgment, because “God’s foundation stands firm, having this
seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his.’” (2 Timothy 2:19) Here we learn that none of us is ever good
enough to earn acceptance into heavenly glory.
There is no Hall of Fame committee that will vote us into God’s elect.
This
is why Jesus instructs His followers, “Watch out so that you are not
deceived! For many will come in my name,
saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near.’
Do not follow them.” Do not
follow those who pretend to replace God’s Son.
The Bible has clearly stated, “Look, he is coming with clouds, and
every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will mourn
because of him.” (Revelation 1:7)
Thus, anyone who comes in any other way claiming to be Jesus is clearly
an imposter, but just as clearly, no one goes to the Father except through
Jesus, and it is through faith in Jesus that we are welcome in the Father’s
presence. Likewise, anyone claiming to
know when Judgment Day will come marks himself as a fraud, for Jesus informed
His disciples, “No one knows when that day and hour will be, not the angels
of heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)
As
we read through the rest of this text, we hear of many terrible and troublesome
things that will take place before Jesus returns. Indeed, Jesus says, “Whenever you hear of
wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first,
but the end will not be right then.”
Those things must happen before the end comes. It is mystifying to our minds that such
tragic things are necessary. Why should
so much suffering and destruction be needed?
The best we can answer is with God’s Word through Isaiah, “Certainly
my plans are not your plans, and your ways are not my ways, declares the
Lord. Just as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my plans are higher
than your plans” (Isaiah 55:8-9) At
the same time, we take heart because God also declares, “My word that goes
out from my mouth will not return to me empty.
Rather, it will accomplish whatever I please, and it will succeed in the
purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Therefore, by the work of the Spirit, Patient
endurance in faith gains eternal life.
It
is God’s will to save as many sinners as possible, and He works through the
means of His Word and Sacrament to bring lost souls to life and into His
kingdom of grace. Many in this world
will be terrified when “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom. There will be great
earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be horrifying sights and great
signs from heaven.” Those tragic
events and scary signs will shake people to their core, and some will seek
God’s help. Some will finally admit they
need a Savior. It is at that point that
God has prepared His elect to receive forgiveness and salvation by the power of
the Holy Spirit in the Gospel and Sacrament.
Of course, it doesn’t take terror to bring every sinner to the baptismal
font, but in some cases, terror shatters the stony heart so that it can receive
God’s mercy.
As
these troubles, disasters, heavenly signs, wars, and persecution take place,
God will make opportunities for His people to witness to the hope they have in
Christ Jesus. Jesus pointedly told His
disciples that they would suffer great persecution, even death, and betrayal by
their own families on account of Jesus’ name.
We can likewise expect to endure the same things. Many years later, St. Peter wrote, “But
even if you should happen to suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not be afraid of what they fear, and do not
be troubled. But regard the Lord, the
Christ, as holy in your hearts. Always
be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the
hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:14-15)
In
our times, we see more and more opposition to Jesus and His Word. Again, Jesus reminds us, “You will be
hated by all people for my name’s sake.”
In these end times, we can and should expect trouble. However, this troubled world has never been
our true home. Our true and eternal home
is with our Lord in heaven. It is
because of His love for you and His mercy for our sins that Jesus promises, “But
not a hair of your head will perish. By
patient endurance you will gain your lives.” Regardless of what happens in this world, God
will raise us from the dead with glorified bodies. No force of nature, no natural disaster, no
act of Satan, and certainly nothing man can do to us will ever change what God
has in store for those who love Him.
Through
all of this, God calls us to be His witnesses.
No, not all of us will be tortured or killed for believing in Jesus, but
if that should ever come our way, as we see it happening in so many places
around the world, today, Jesus wants us to patiently endure as testimony to the
hope we have which is complete forgiveness of all our sins, and the sure and
certain confidence that Jesus has won our salvation, and the Spirit has brought
that forgiveness, life, and salvation to us through faith in Jesus worked in us
by the power of His Gospel.
As
much trouble as this text describes, it is a call to faith in Jesus as our
Savior. Everything He foretold has been
happening since He returned to His Father’s side in heaven. Nothing has happened that is not in God’s
plan to save sinners. Neither will
anything ever steal away God’s love or His loving care for His elect—those who
are called to faith in Jesus—who believe in Him for life and salvation
everlasting. Therefore, for you and me, Patient
endurance in faith gains eternal life. Amen.
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