Sermon - Populus Zion 2022 - Luke 21:25-36

Last Judgement, Jan Luyken, 1649-1712

Jesus is coming again

1. News of Jesus’ second coming is comforting to us Christians

2. Let us not be filled with fear, drunkenness, gluttony and cares of this life

3. Rather, let us be watchful, awake, and praying

The end is near and the last day is coming! “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” If you’re an unbeliever, the last day, when Christ returns, sounds horrifying! Jesus shall return to judge the world, and those found unprepared will be cast into the burning fires of hell forever. It’s no wonder that there will be “people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.” Afterall, they’re about to be eternally condemned by the Judge.

But for us believers this isn’t something that should fill us with fear, but with joy! Jesus is coming again! News of Jesus’ second coming is comforting to us Christians. Therefore, let us not be filled with fear, drunkenness, gluttony, and the care of this life. Rather, let us be watchful, awake, and praying, so that at the last we shall stand before the Son of Man.

Truly, this message of Jesus’ second advent is most especially comforting to us believers. Why? “Because your redemption is drawing near!” The salvation which we’ve been waiting for will finally arrive. Jesus was crucified for the forgiveness of our sins, not just to give us a good life now, but to give us a good life for eternity. Jesus’ shed blood is the price that He had to pay in order to redeem you from eternal death. When Jesus returns finally we will get to fully enjoy the fruits of Christ’s labors in paradise! Thus, the news that Jesus is coming back soon is wonderfully joyous news! 

The joy we have was described by the prophet Malachi: “For you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” Or Jesus compared this news to that of Summer arriving. I know the cold wintry months are just beginning, but we all know the excitement and happiness we feel in the Spring when the snow has all melted and the trees are starting to leaf out. It’s fantastic! Even if you’re not a young spring calf anymore, you sure share that feeling of leaping like a calf out of the stall. That’s the joy and excitement that the news of Jesus’ second coming brings us!

This world is often like a long winter. It sure can be dark and cold and depressing at times. Whether it’s a chronic illness or disability, grief that you can’t shake, or disappointments about how parts of your life have turned out, it’s evident to us all that this world and our lives aren’t perfect. So what wonderful news it is that “the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings!” The day is coming when we shall be taken out of this veil of tears and into God’s comforting presence. Every sickness and grief, all loneliness and disappointment shall be healed when Christ comes again! Part of the reason why Christmas is such a joyful holiday is because it’s a glimpse into the joy we will have when Christ comes again.

Thus, in the bleak midwinter of this world, let us not be filled with fear, drunkenness, gluttony and cares of this life. We are prone to two dangers: either to be filled with terrible fear and dread about the many problems around us, or to stuff ourselves with the pleasures of this life in order to distract us from what’s going on. 

Jesus speaks of “people fainting with fear and with foreboding.” Today we have a real problem with “doomscrolling,” where we continually scroll through the doom and gloom news. It’s addicting, reading stories and articles about all of the problems around us, and even if you don’t read the articles the headlines are depressing. Or we turn on the TV news and it’s all a huge dramatic problem 24 hours a day. Shootings in various parts of the country; flu, covid, RSV deadlier and on the rise; war and bombs and worldwars; people we don’t like winning elections and who’s going to run in 2024.

It’s easy to become addicted to all of that fear and foreboding, especially when we stare at it for hours a day. Soon all we can think and talk about are all of the problems and how everything is going to hell in a handbasket. But that’s the way of this unbelieving world, which is quite frankly going to hell in a handbasket. However, we are not of this world, we are not going to hell, in a handbasket or otherwise. These signs of Christ’s second coming are for us reminders of our redemption and God’s glory awaiting us in His mansion in the skies. So turn off the screen, stop listening to the news for a while. Instead straighten up and raise your heads because Jesus is coming! Don’t be afraid and don’t despair! Don’t get sucked into the fears of this world!

The other danger Jesus warns us against is stuffing ourselves with the pleasures of this life in order to distract us from all that scares us. So on one hand it’s easy to fall prey to fear, but on the other hand it’s easy to fall prey to the cares of this life. “Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” Often when people are surrounded by problems, they find ways to distract themselves.

Jesus mentions three vices: dissipation, drunkenness, and cares of this life. It’s well known that alcohol is used as an escape from this world by many people today. If you drink enough alcohol, your problems aren’t taken away, but you don’t care about them anymore. The problem with drunkenness is that you stop caring about everything; not only do you stop caring about your troubles, you stop caring about your family, your work, and even God. 

The problems with drunkenness are well known. The problems with dissipation, however, are rarely considered today. For one thing, what’s dissipation? The older word was surfeiting, but we don’t know that one either! It means something similar to gluttony. Filling up with so much food and drink that you just don’t care about things anymore and you can’t think clearly. This is particularly a problem at this time of year between Thanksgiving and New Years when we gorge ourselves on feast after feast. Frankly this isn’t only a problem during December, but all year long. Just like with drunkenness, gluttony clouds our minds, and not only do we stop worrying about our troubles but we stop hoping in God to help us with our troubles.

Thirdly, Jesus warns us against the cares of this life. We come to love this world and the pleasures of life so much that we never want to leave this life. We say: It’s fine if Jesus comes back, but first I need to see my daughter get married, or I want to enjoy my retirement first, or I need to meet my next grandchild. It’s really a short-sighted perspective since it’s not considering life in view of eternity. Instead of looking forward to everlasting life, you think only of today. If you’re not ready when Jesus returns, it won’t be good for you.

Instead of letting all of these fears and pleasures weigh down our hearts, let us be watchful, awake, and praying. “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.” We don’t often think of Advent as a penitential season like Lent, but it is. Let us use these days not to feast like gluttons, nor to be filled with much fear, rather to prepare ourselves for Jesus’ second coming. 

Christ is coming soon and we need to be awake and watchful for His arrival. We can be prepared by keeping our minds clear of the many distractions and focus on Christ. With the short time given to us we can fill it with prayer and meditation on God’s Word. Afterall, Jesus is coming back! The eternal pleasure we’ve been waiting for is almost here. Remember that good news! It’s good enough news that it will strengthen us to stand before the Son of Man when He arrives.