Luke 12:54-59 – Signs of the Times

The Jews of Jesus’ day are blind to what is going on around them. They do not see the hand of God in the work of John the Baptist or the miracles of Christ. They ignore the teaching and prophecy of God’s Word about the coming Messiah. We must beware that we do not repeat their mistake. Far too often when events happen in our world we fail to see the hand of God in them. An epidemic sweeping across a continent is seen as a tragic unreasonable event. Empty churches in countries that once promised to follow the Lord are viewed as a mystery. Thousands in other countries put their faith in Christ even though to do so means persecution, imprisonment, and possibly death, and this too is called unexplainable. We are in grave danger of repeating the mistakes of the Jews – of failing to read the signs of the times. God’s hand is involved in all these events. His Word teaches us why these things happen, and it is our job as Christians to use His Word as our guide to what is happening around us.

Christ also emphasises the importance of seeking reconciliation with God before it is too late. We are compared to a man on his way to a magistrate with an adversary because of a dispute. Like this man, we are on our way to the presence of a Judge. We have an adversary – God’s holy law stands against us, and its demands must be satisfied. Like this man, we must be diligent to get our case settled before it comes to the Judge. We must seek pardon and forgiveness before we die. If we let the opportunity pass, the judgement will go against us, and we will be cast into the prison of Hell. Our time is running out.

Questions
1. How should we interpret events around us?
2. What does the Bible teach us about current events?
3. Why do we need to be reconciled to God?

Prayer Points
1. Pray for the salvation of your family and friends.
2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
3. Pray for family matters.