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In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day, we come to Jesus’ description of his Second Coming. It will be a day of joy for his followers, but a day of dread, distress, and death for his enemies. It concludes with a message to Christians alive at that time, yet significant to believers in every generation: “lift up your heads; your redemption is drawing near.”

In Luke 21:20-24, Jesus continued his description of the global events that would come to pass because Israel rejected him. This text uses language that could apply to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. However, a closer look reveals that Jesus looked beyond the first century to the years immediately preceding his Second Coming. His description of those days tells a heart-wrenching story of human cruelty and divine judgment. But the paragraph concludes with a glimmer of hope. The trouble of those days signals the immanent return of Jesus the King.

This Lord’s Day we continue our study of Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse. Jesus explained that the current age that climaxes with his Second Coming will be characterized by persecution. It is not easy to follow Jesus. But the seasons of persecution bring opportunity to bear witness for the Name of Jesus.

This Lord’s Day we welcome Dr. Gerald Priest as our guest speaker. He the retired professor of homiletics (preaching) and church history at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. He will deliver a message based on the life of Daniel contained in Daniel chapters 1, 6, and 9.

The sermon passage for this Lord’s Day (Luke 21:5-11) introduces Luke’s account of Jesus’ extended teaching about his Second Coming. It is known as the Olivet Discourse. It extends through 21:36. We will work our way through this important passage in a series of six messages. Each of our hymns was selected because it anticipates the return of Jesus.

The sermon text for this Lord’s Day is Luke 20:41-21:4. At first glance, it seems to contain three unrelated mini-stories of the events that occurred during Christ’s Passion Week. Upon closer examination, they are related. The religious leaders had been questioning Jesus, attempting to entrap him so that they could condemn him. In Luke 20:41-44, Jesus countered with a question of his own based on David’s words in Psalm 110. He exposed their failure to understand and believe the Scriptures which resulted in their refusal to follow him. Instead, their behavior revealed their one true commitment: self-interest (20:45-47). In contrast, Jesus pointed out the selfless devotion of a poor widow as the perfect example of the faithfulness he desires.

This Lord’s Day we will observe the Lord’s Table by rehearsing the story line of the Bible. The story begins with God’s purpose in Creation. This sets the overarching theme of the Bible: the glory of God. However, soon afterward came the Fall, when we rebelled and marred the glory of God seen in his image-bearers. The Lord’s Table is a commemoration of the central point of God’s work of Redemption, namely the cross of Jesus. Finally, history will culminate with the Kingdom, when the returning Christ will set all things right in a new creation.

Sermon Outline:

I. Creation: God made us to put his glory on display. (Psalm 8)

II. Fall: Our rebellion marred his glory with deep ugliness. (Romans 1:18-25)

III. Redemption: God put even greater glory on display by providing forgiveness. (Romans 8:22-26)

IV. Kingdom: In a new creation we will marvel at Christ’s glory. (Revelation 21:1-5)

Few people in our Western culture understand the powerful biblical metaphor of a shepherd and his sheep. In ancient times, the shepherd symbolized a ruler who wielded authority by divine right. The ideal ruler would also care for his people. Jesus came to fulfill the ancient prophecies that God would raise up a Shepherd-King who would rule and care for God’s people. Jesus embraced this imagery as his own when he said, “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:14). The empty tomb declares that Jesus has the right to rule as King and that he will do so with loving care for his people.

This Lord’s Day is traditionally known as “Palm Sunday,”—the day Jesus entered Jerusalem at the beginning of his Passion Week. It is fitting that our sermon text describes an encounter Jesus had with his opponents near the end of that week. They approached Jesus with a question about the resurrection. It was an attempt to entrap Jesus because they did not believe in resurrection. Rather than falling into the trap, Jesus shamed and silenced them. In his reply, he affirmed our resurrection hope.

In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Luke 20:20-26), Jesus’ enemies plot to trick him into saying something they could use to condemn him. Jesus did not take the bait. Instead, he replied with the famous words, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” This statement lays the foundation for our understanding of the relationship between church and state—a relationship that we often must hold in tension.