There Will Be Signs
Luke 21:25-36
December 6, 2020 anno Domini
Signs tell you what is coming. Deer crossing. Construction zone. Sauk Rapids exit. Jesus said, “There will be signs,” but without faith you will be perplexed. You will not know what is coming or better Who is coming.
Consider COVID-19. The Holy Trinity never includes me in the Zoom meetings where God decides how to carry out His will on earth, so I don’t know “why” God allowed COVID or what is His goal in allowing this virus to scare the world to death. Universally people think COVID is an evil and ungodly thing. It is killing .2% of the people who get it. It has cost hundreds of thousands of people their jobs, forced millions of children to lose a couple years of education, and it has taken many lives by suicide due to isolation. If the vaccine is as good as the government and pharmaceutical companies tell us, then next year schools will be open, restaurants will be serving, and our elderly will be welcomed back into society. We will all consider that good.
But what if we are misreading the signs? We judge the signs of God the same way we judge the signs of the road. If the signs tell us we are going the direction we want to go then we are glad. If the sign tells us Interstate 94 is still under construction or that we missed the turn to Wisconsin and now we’re in Iowa we are going to be unhappy. What if COVID, which is certainly evil, is being used by God for good?
The signs of which Jesus speaks in Luke 21 are signs of great distress. The whole of creation is shaken. We are supposed to be alarmed about the earth’s temperature rising .01 degree in 10 years. What would happen if the sun started to flicker on and off? What if the moon started bouncing around in the sky? Jesus tells us these are good signs. Not that the signs in and of themselves are good – if the sun would flicker once we would return to the ice age in an instant, but the signs serve a good purpose. They tell us Christ is near.
So now, right now, is not the time to hunch over in defeat or hang your head in despair. When these things begin to take place, straighten up, and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” When your life is shaken, when your false gods totter and crash to the floor, when the road has taken a wrong turn, straighten up, lift up your head, look for Christ, because He is coming and He is coming for you.
The signs tell us the whole world is under the curse of sin and the curse of sin is destruction and death. You also are under that curse. You’ve seen the signs. You ought not be surprised when your knees start to ache or your eyes grow dim or your heart falters or you lose your mind. These are signs of the end for all sinners. The soul who sins dies.
You can read the signs one of two ways. You can hope that the signs will get better, that a doctor, or medicine or a surgery can get you on right road to normal life, or you can lift up your eyes and look for Jesus. That doesn’t mean we should disregard our health and wellness. It simply means we put them in their place and we look for Jesus from the beginning to the end of our lives.
There is only one sign that points you to life – the sign of the cross. There is only one way out from under the curse of sin. His name is Jesus. No medicine will keep you alive. A surgeon might save your life once or twice, but he cannot save you forever. Christ Jesus saves you. He took your affliction on Himself. He became sin for you. His blood is the only medicine that can rid you of sin. By faith in Him His forgiveness is made your forgiveness. One dose of Jesus and you are forgiven. A daily dose will keep you alive. You are free from sin, and therefore, from death. Even though you die, yet shall you live.
If you have ever taken a permit to carry class (or if you remember driver’s education) you were taught situational awareness. Keep your head up. Know everything that is happening as far as you can clearly see. We have all seen the videos of people on their cell phones walking into traffic, falling down steps, and landing in fountains in the mall. We have heard the stories of families being killed because someone was heads down on his phone instead of heads up behind the wheel.
You can look two different places when you see signs of the end. You can look at yourself. You can keep your head down and look around in your life for a better sign or a different road. You can judge your life by your perception. Sometimes you’ll feel like you’re cruising the North Shore on a perfect fall day but mostly you’ll be find yourself in a whiteout not knowing where you’re going until you land in the ditch of despair. Your other option is to straighten up and raise your heads, and look for Christ because your redemption is drawing near.
The Son of Man is coming with power and great glory but right now He comes in great humility. Now you do not see Him, but you only have all the signs of His present coming: His preacher, His water, and His bread and wine. With the water of your baptism, Christ redeemed you, purchased you from bondage to sin, death and the devil, and put you on the path to the resurrection. With His Word of forgiveness you are given life because without any sins you cannot die and stay dead. You have to rise from the dead if you are forgiven. Christ’s resurrection says so. With His bread and wine, He feeds you His body and blood. Jesus does not get any nearer to you on earth than in His Supper. In His house you have ample signs that Jesus is near now – near to forgive, near to redeem, near to save.
You can look inside you for signs but that will wreck you. Jesus says, “Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” Christ alone is the way. The signs of Word and Water, Bread and Wine, set you on the way – the way of death and life, the way of confession and forgiveness. His Word will turn your eyes from your way to His way, and then when He appears you still stand upright and see Him and rejoice.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of the Lord will never pass away. So, see the signs, stay awake, straighten up and raise your heads. All the signs are saying, “Your redemption is drawing near.” In the name of Jesus. Amen.