Fearless
Jesus then left the Temple. As he
walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple
architecture was. Jesus said,
"You're not impressed by all this sheer size, are you? The truth of the
matter is that there's not a stone in that building that is not going to end up
in a pile of rubble." (Matt. 24:1-2)
Have you paid attention to those drug commercials on television with all those warnings? You know, where the happy couple is walking hand-in-hand on the beach while a voice in the background warns you about all of the potential side effects that can happen if you actually take the drug like coughing, wheezing, diarrhea, loss of bladder control, going cross-eyed, growing hair on your back, and your head popping off. And those are just the warnings for the acne medication. Or, how many times have you heard potential parents question whether they even want to bring a baby into the world because: (1) global warming is going to melt the icecaps and we’re all going to drown; or (2) powerful madmen have the capability of developing nuclear weapons which they won’t hesitate to use to further their political ideologies; or (3) political movements in our country threaten to undo the Constitution, our freedoms, all decent, moral law, and protect the privileged few; or (4) COVID-19 is going to doom us all? We live in a pretty scary world, and it seems like nothing’s stable – everything’s changing. But in the midst of the chaos, Jesus tells us that we can be fearless.
The disciples were impressed with the massive stones used to construct the temple, where some of the largest rocks were almost 40 feet long, 10 feet high and weighed hundreds of tons. The gold, silver and intricate carvings, both inside and outside of the buildings, were beyond impressive; they were a masterpiece. So to the disciples, the buildings represented something they thought would always last. The disciples were probably thinking, “Man, these buildings will be here forever!” And Jesus’ response to their awe? Not a stone would be left standing. Not particularly encouraging.
But in 70 A.D., that’s exactly what happened. The Romans were tired of the Jew’s constant rebellion. So the army, under the direction of Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command, sacked the city: it was completely destroyed. According to Josephus (a Jewish historian who had been sent by the Romans to attempt to negotiate peace with the Jewish people inside the city of Jerusalem), Roman soldiers grew furious with Jewish attacks and tactics and set fire to an apartment adjacent to the Temple. Unfortunately, the fire soon spread to the Temple itself and melted the gold inside. So, after killing an estimated 1.1 million people during the siege, most of whom were Jewish, the Romans overturned every stone of the temple to salvage the gold that had seeped into the cracks between each block. In fact, the only evidence of the old city is what’s now known as the “Wailing Wall,” which seems appropriate given its tragic history. In other words, the same buildings that the disciples thought would last forever were destroyed within 40 years of Jesus’ prediction. In fact, some of these same disciples may have been alive to see the carnage from a distance.
So faced with the prospect of destruction, the disciples asked Jesus about the future, and Jesus reveals several crises that will take place before he returns. But it’s not just knowledge that he wants to share; he wants the disciples to be prepared by letting them know that it won’t be pretty, and it won’t be easy. It won’t be a time to play church. And Jesus starts out by saying that lots of deceivers will come, and lots of people will be deceived. Church and religion, it seems, have always been a breeding ground for so called “messiahs:” they come and go with regularity. They use words like “God told me,” or “God led me,” or “God spoke to me.” And they all seem to have frequent sit-downs with the Almighty. But Jesus said there would be a time of spiritual crisis and confusion; waves of strange teachings that sound good but aren’t. We are living in a time of false religions and, at least it seems, the truth is losing ground.
Later, in Matthew 24:24, Jesus warns that “Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I've given you fair warning.” In other words, there’s going to be slick appearances and “miraculous” performances. There’ll be multitudes and miracles; large audiences and spectacular deeds. Throngs of people. Displays of power. But don’t be impressed by the numbers, the tricks or the hucksters. Frankly, it seems like everyone’s looking for THE anti-Christ. But John tells us to look around because they’re coming and going all the time. (1 John 2:18) The mark of an anti-Christ is a person who claims extraordinary powers, that they’re closer to God than the rest of us and who exalt themselves while diminishing Jesus. They confuse the body of Christ, are accountable to no one, and hate being questioned about what they’re doing. Reminds me of a few televangelists, maybe even a politician or two.
But Jesus said it would also be a time of spiritual crisis. The world will be in an upheaval. Do you get that sense today with news of places like North Korea, China, Iran, or just about the entire Middle East making the headlines? We have madmen trying to get their hands on nuclear bombs, and countries threatening to annihilate Israel. Sometimes it seems like we’re even on the brink of civil war in our own country. And Jesus says this is only the beginning, not the end. Terrific. And it won’t be just a time of spiritual and political crisis, but a time of creation crisis as well. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world, and all of this is just the beginning. Now I don’t know where you stand on the politics of global warming, but there’s no doubt that Jesus says there’s going to be an increase in natural disasters before he returns because the planet is dying to be set free from the death and decay to which it has been subjected since sin first entered into the world.
In 1988, Edgar Whisenant, a former NASA engineer, wrote a book about the 88 reasons Jesus was going to return in 1988. He revised it to the 89 reasons Jesus was going to return in 1989, and again in 1993, and then again in 1994. There will be no new predictions however since Mr. Whisenant passed away in 2001. But now we have Hal Lindsey, Pat Robertson and others claiming that they have this end-times thing figured out. I’m not so sure. But as the end looms nearer each day, it will also become a crisis for Christians. Those aren’t happy words. Right now, an estimated 165,000 Christians are killed every year for nothing more than expressing their faith in Jesus. And in an “age of tolerance,” Christians aren’t. We will be fair game and we’ll be persecuted, hated and mocked. People we thought were contenders will be exposed as pretenders.
Persecution will reveal our faith and separate the real from the unreal. And what‘s scary is how Jesus says that our fellowship will be fractured and some of us will betray the very people we claim to love. In fact, Jesus said that the mark of these days will be a love that has grown cold. In other words, we just won’t feel like doing good anymore. Pretty grim stuff. But, there’s good news. Jesus says, “Don’t freak out when bad things happen. Don’t panic – these things have got to take place.” And if these things have to take place, then there must be a plan in there somewhere. And if so, it must be Jesus’ plan since, last time I checked, there’s no one who can predict the future of world events with any degree of accuracy. In other words, he already knows what’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen and what he’s going to do about it.
In the midst of all this chaos, his people are still going to be talking about the Good News everywhere they go. They’re not intimidated; they’re not afraid; they’re not confused; and they’re not freaked out. In other words, everything will work out in the end because if it’s not working out it must not be the end. For instance, I like good, political discussion as much as anybody but lately I hear people talking about politics in a panicky way. They talk as if government is either going to save this country or destroy it. But didn’t Jesus say some things “must” take place before the end? Frankly, my hope’s not in the government. My destiny is in the hands of God, and no one else.
I think it was Jesus who said that he had every intention of meeting all of our needs according to his riches in glory (Phil. 4:19), not Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or some multi-billion dollar bailout plan. And it’s Jesus who said he knows all of your needs, including the number of hairs on your head. (Luke 12:7) And it’s Jesus who told us not to worry about tomorrow. (Matt. 6:34) And it was Jesus who said that he would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) For instance, remember when Jesus walked on the water? It was in the middle of the night during a pretty vicious storm on the Sea of Galilee. And do you remember Peter? Peter asked Jesus if he could walk on the water. So, Jesus said, “Sure Peter, the water’s just fine!” Do you think there was a more nerve-wracking moment in Peter’s life than maybe that one? And although Peter got wet, he didn't drown because Jesus reached out his hand and saved him.
In the middle of the storm we’re living in right now, Jesus is telling you to step out and rest on his power. In other words, if you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat. And despite storm clouds on the horizon, we live in a day of tremendous opportunity. We live in a day when Christians can really be Christians; when the gospel makes sense to a world in distress; when we can stand out from the crowd. Remember, “There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.” (1 John 4:18) Stated differently, we can live fearlessly in the storms of calamity. Take David, for example. He lived through a lot of adversity. He faced giants both on and off the field. In fact, his world was rocked and he lost everything that he had, including his wife, when King Saul became jealous of David and decided to spend the rest of his life trying to kill him. If that were to happen to you, I’m sure you’d feel helpless, hopeless, outnumbered and that the only way that your circumstances could turn out would be bad – very bad. David’s world was in a shambles. But in his moments of distress he found an amazing truth – one of those “Aha!” moments.
“Light, space, zest— that's God! So, with him on my side I'm
fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to
eat me alive, those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged,
I'm calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool.” (Psalm
27:1-3) In other words, David found a solution to fear and it was the fact that he worshipped a really big
God! A protecting God; a God who’s bigger than the enemy; a God who knows how
to fight; a God who is like a fort with walls that won’t fall; a God who knows how
to make enemies look bad; a God who gives confidence. Listen to another of
David’s psalms: “God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in sea storm and
earthquake, before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift
mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies
protects us. River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city, this sacred haunt
of the Most High. God lives here, the streets are safe, God at your service
from the crack of dawn. Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms
threaten, but Earth does anything he says. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.”
(Psalm 46:1-7)
Pretty encouraging don’t you think? The greatness of a city that can never fall; a place where the economy is never in a recession; a city with a crystal clear river always bringing fresh water into the city. It’s the city of God. And even though we live in a world of chaos and problems, we also have a Kingdom in which we’re also now living because we’re dual citizens. So, who’s card are you carrying? Who’s kingdom are you in? And where do you spend most of your time? Attention, all! See the marvels of God! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, bans war from pole to pole, breaks all the weapons across his knee. “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything." Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us. (Psalm 46:8-11)
In a world of problems and calamity, we don’t have to fear. We just need to be still and know that our God has all things under his amazing control. So, be still; be unafraid. Know that he is God - not the government, not the problems, not even COVID-19. God’s kingdom can’t be shaken. So, be intrepid; be brave; be courageous; be bold; be valiant. Be fearless.
Grace,
Randy
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