Warning Signs

Jesus preaching here in Luke chapter 6.

Jesus is making some prediction he is not really changing any of the signs he's reinforcing these saying this is what this is what has been promised in the Old Testament and I'm going to tell you it's it's still going to happen. These particular signs were we find ourselves now. Chapter 6 are are in the form of warning warning sign will scribes. It is a desire to eat, drink and be merry. But what they fail to realize is that while they may achieve some level of happiness on earth, but judgment is coming.

So what is the root of true satisfaction today. Stephen David continues through Jesus sermon in Luke six Jesus compared and contrasted those who were supremely happy with those who were eternally empty. The Lord's reminder of where hope and joy come from is just as important today as it was when he first spoke those words. This is wisdom for the today's message from God's word is called warning signs is today you live in a world that is essentially terrified that life will become unsustainable on earth but the sun is either going to burn out or burn us up. One of the other. Let me encourage you to date as the sphere is is actually related to the rejection of God's brochure God's sign God's predictions about planet Earth. For instance, of the apostle Peter talks about the first judgment that occurred by water. The global flood when he mentions that in relation to a future judgment. He writes this world that then existed was diluted with water and perished.

But by the same word that is the word of God the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly second Peter 367 Peter is referring to the coming final judgment of all of unbelieving humanity, which is going be followed by a fire that God himself ignites universes literally burned up, so I guess you could say global warming is on its way to sentence according to the Bible.

Following this cataclysmic fireball, a new heaven and that is a new universe and a new earth, specifically our crafted brand-new only this time, as it were immortal and we know that well. The apostle John writes of that final judgment that Peter alludes to is called the great white throne judgment.

It's at this final comprehensive judgment of all unbelievers from all time. It's then that God records what's going to happen affect the allows John to see it giving them a vision of that future. Here's what he sees. If anyone's name there.

That judgment was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire known immediately after this judgment text John writes in the very next verse, then I saw a new heaven that is a new universe and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Remember, the apostle Peter explained to us how it passed away and fireball were God burned away, burned it up in judgment. But Peter also gave us. By the way back in the text. God's promise about the earth show to begin to you again. Second Peter 37 that happens, the universe and the earth that now exist we have right now are stored up for fire, being kept until that day of judgment that were The Greek term means reserved to keep in store whose keeping the universe functioning whose keeping the sun shining just the right temperature whose keeping the moon orbiting at just the right distance away whose keeping the earth alive and well, so to speak.God is how long will the earth remain functioning and capable of sustaining life as we know today.

Will God said it will remain. It's being kept until that day of judgment. But how do you know between now and then were were not then either freeze or fry and we know that there can be variations in temperatures along the way.

That's true based on even the most liberal estimates the earth right now is around 1° warmer, on average, that it was hundred and 30 years ago. We know there's variations are gonna get a hand and then create out of earth one vast desert with no seasons, the winter rainfall no ability to produce crops, provide for the human race.

How do you know letting that happen.

But we know because of a promise God made more than 4300 years ago.

It's a promise God made not just from Peter and John, but it's a promise God made way back to a man by the name of Noah. When Noah finally disembarked with his family from that art. They had lived on for a little more than a year. People think they lived on there for 40 days and 40 nights. So that's how long it rained the they lived on that for years. I wouldn't be as bad as you living in her minivan for year. This was a big big boat but it would still take a here for the water receded, which created filled the oceans and rivers and lakes carving out canyons and rock formations in a matter of months to give you a pop quiz today and ask you what is the promise that God gave to know whether that involve you would immediately say well it involved a what a rainbow good pass right you be right, God promised Noah that up a rainbow would be his sign.

His promise that he will never again flood the earth with water. Genesis 913, by the way this is significant promise and proof of a global judgment, a global flood. If God promised Noah that there would never be another regional slot. Then he lied, there's regional flooding local flooding every year there will never be another global flood. That judgment passed. There is a judgment get ahead what God predicts always comes to pass affect the allowed Noah to warrant his world for 120 years that this judgment was coming what God predicts takes place. God never has to change the brochure the language well I guess it didn't happen. But there's another promise that God made to Noah, that is also coming true.

In fact, this this promise would make the human race sleep better at night and another not listening but you are so I want you to sleep better at night by simply taking God at his word. Here's what God also said to Noah in Genesis chapter 8 while the earth remains now is making a promise to know that something is going to happen as long as the earth remain how long is the earth going to remain in this condition.

Will Noah didn't know the answer to that. We know because Peter and John gave us the inspired timeline from the Holy Spirit.

The earth will remain until it is destroyed by the next judgment which is fire. So what happens to the earth between now and then God told Noah here is until then. While the earth remains seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.

In other words, between now and the final judgment, the earth will produce harvests which require rain and sunshine.

The earth is going to experience cold and heat, summer and winter so the seasons are going to continue as they are now day and night will not cease. Which means the earth. Evidently, as though you rotating on its axis running daytime and nighttime none of this is going to cease until the earth no longer remains. That's God's promise and what he promises, he performs beloved.

This is God's universe. This is God's planet. It's temporary is going to re-create it one day. In fact, now for the last 4300 years from the time of Noah until today. God has not had the change. One sign, one prediction they will come true and yet ahead they will come true in the future know maybe you came in today and you thought we are in the Gospel of Luke. We are this is just an introduction. Okay and and and it struck me because as I listen to Jesus preaching here in Luke chapter 6 and you can turn are now Jesus is making some predictions.

He's he's not really changing any of the signs he's reinforcing them. He's saying this is what this is what has been promised in the Old Testament and I'm going to tell you it's it's still going to happen. He's pointing them out is predicting things that will ultimately come true in these particular signs were we find ourselves now. Chapter 6 are are in the form of warnings there warning sign woes is audience of several thousand people are to be listening in as he delivers these warning signs. All the preachers here on the plateau that is this level place on the mountains now you're with us earlier in our study. Jesus preached how somebody can be in a state of blessing happiness before God that happy the blast genuinely blessed individual is spiritually dependent on the king their repentance weeping over their sin, their faithful in spite of rejection they choose to stand with the king over and against the kingdoms of the world is out to be in a perpetual state of blessing before God we call them the Beatitudes when Jesus is going to turn the tables and basically say let me warn you, this is how to be in a perpetual state of danger before God. You want to know how to be an in and a in a in a relationship with God.

That's blast here it is you want to know how to be in trouble with God. So he flips the coin, so to speak, and gives us warnings of grave danger and he does this by pronouncing for was a 10 is a a pronouncement a warning delivered as a pronouncement of coming judgment.

It has consequences.

Now that are true. Ultimately, it will take place at the end of human history.these are not picture the Lord yelling or angry your you know mad.

It is audience DVDs. These warnings are not the result of hatred with love, not not is not a lack of compassion, but genuine pity.

The word woe has this this moaning, lamenting Sal will all something terrible is wrong.

Something desperately needs to change. 10. The idea is that use this word of himself when he came in to the presence of the holiness of God. What do you say hello. It is made when my mother used to tell me, just way your father will be denied. What I say 10 is a rhyme undone something is gonna happen. Something needs to change for Jesus delivers her for woes which are in reality for wanting something can change you can change the day you can claim them as your King today or reject the here's the first warning verse 24 but woe to you who are rich for you have received your consolation now before you assume that the no American is going to get into the kingdom of heaven because according to world standards. If you have food in your refrigerator, and a change of clothing in your closet in an automobile in your garage or in the top 5% of the worlds wealth is Jesus saying and I should've never succeeded in business.

Sorry you're out knowledge and notice that each of these was you might circle in a drawn arrow up to the beatitude because each of these four was are contrasted with the previous four Beatitudes. So back in verse 20 the Lord says blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God in Matthew's gospel were given the added words that are helpful, blessed are the poor in spirit so the poor person is someone who is spiritually destitute, entirely dependent on the king to get into the kingdom. And now, in contrast, the richer verse 24 are those who don't need the Lord as far as her concern that everything they they need, they they depend on no one but themselves that they don't know Jesus. You see, one of the rich is a warning to the self-satisfied unit of the self-made man, the person who does not want nor need God. Jesus says what you notice again. He says well you have your consolation to the same Greek term translated comfort Park Place this fact, it's the root word used of the Holy Spirit. He is our comforter. He is our consolation was even more startling to me is that Luke uses the same phrase earlier in chapter 2, when he referred to the Messiah as their consolation. Israel's comforter, so Jesus is essentially saying here that those who are in the kingdom find their satisfaction, their comfort in the Messiah and those who are not part of his kingdom.

Find their comfort in themselves. The unbelievers says I am happy without God, the believer says I can not be happy without God, not of the second warning verse 25. What are you who are full now, for you shall be hungry again. This is contrasted with the beatitude, the Lord delivered look up in verse 21. Blessed are you are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied or full Matthew as his hunger is related to righteousness that is being right with God, the citizen of Christ kingdom longs to be right with God longs to live right before mankind. The citizens of this world think they have no need for God. They have no desire to be right with God. In fact, a BS in there right now I'm right.

Call me a sinner by me I'm right warning here. Woe to the fall is a warning to the self-righteous. They are really good to themselves. They gotta keep up appearances money be in church there literally for all of them. Sal believer is that DOP self who comes to Christ. An unbeliever is full of cell phone when you're full of salt.

There's no room for God.

They have across their heart to sign the basically says no vacancy, no room for anybody but me. That is the third warning the latter part of verse 25.

What you who laugh now. Preshow morning we loaded the last thing is a warning to the self-assured word laughter that he uses.

Here's often tied to mocking a derisive laughter, proud, boastful, laughter is used in the Old Testament translation.

The Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, the limitations have longer seven for the enemies of God. The last thing that the destruction of Jerusalem. The idea depends on the contrast in context. So Jesus is contrasting the mocking laughter of the world here notice back in verse 21 with the laughter of the believer believers mourn their weeping with the help of Matthew's gospel over sin. Jesus later promises you will be filled with nothing but joy and laughter is every tears right away. Revelation chapter 21 verse four. But the unbeliever he says in verse 25 essentially is no sorrow over sin no no desire to to repent they they laugh and now they mopped the gospel of the King. I would we want that. Why do we need that few people are not.

They laugh they mark that the king and the citizens of his kingdom so so Jesus puts up a sign here. This is a warning sign and it isn't going to be changed later on. Those who laugh at the king who mock his warning will one day realize they have denied and rejected the true king and then laughter ceases. Matthew records in chapter 8 Jesus as their weeping will never end says no laughing matter. This is dangerous territory. We give you his fourth and final warning is in verse 26 woe to you. He says when all people speak well of you for so their father, that of the prophets.

In another words, these false prophets were applauded. People love them.

One of the popular is a warning to the sought after loading you when all people speak well of you, not a keyword there's a circle, is the word all when all people as their goal for everyone does speak well of them. Now he's not saying the Christian should never get a good review and work. You know you should let anybody her neighbor that think you're a nice person.

But Jesus is and encourage encouraging you to make enemies or or to be ornery. If this is your theme verse for being obnoxious. Your misrepresenting of the verse.

Again this is understood, in contrast to the citizens of the kingdom of God. In verse 22. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name.

Why is your ornery now on account of the Son of Man. You belong to the king's and when you represent Jesus the King as a citizen of heaven somebody down here in the kingdom's birth is going to hate you are revile you not like you are spurring you are turning your name into something evil in the contrast in verse 26 look at the citizens of earth. What are they pursuing what matters. When all people are speaking well of them. You see, they want acceptance and admiration from everyone except the king, for the citizens of heaven, you may not have any of that but it doesn't matter so long as you have acceptance by the king, so citizens of earth to want to make waves and when rock any boats. Teachers public at large is going to pursue acceptance at the expense of truthfulness. Why don't we just change the signs that would soften the narrative and go with the flow and let's fit in something like a sore thumb, you want to be self made you want to be self-assured. You want to be self righteous.

You want to be sought after as an influencer. Everybody's impressed with you.

Maybe that means even God is impressed with you, Jesus will say later in Matthew chapter 8, many who think they are the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. When when Jesus predicted it. When the Bible revealed it when the apostles wrote in promising that day when their eternal destiny is sealed before that terrifying throne were all of unbelieving humanity will stand one day when all of those signs and predictions will come true.

Thousands of years after posting warning says not assign about a glacier melt right or wrong.

This is a sign about judgment coming. Jesus is delivering here his definition of blessing is delivering here his woes, warnings, danger, and will all come true one day where you stand. I want to invite you to stand with the king today on wisdom from the heart. Stephen Davey is working through a series from Luke six called sermon on the plateau. Today's message is called warning signs will continue through this series.

Next time between now and then we have a free resource that will help you know for certain that you belong to God.

Stephen's booklet Blessed assurance is available this month is a free download. You can read it on your phone or tablet or your computer is also a print version, but the e-book is free right now. You'll find it at wisdom online.thanks again for joining us today our number is 86 648 Bible. So glad you were with us and I hope you will be with us for our next Bible lesson right here on wisdom