(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better — and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see why)
Focus Question:
How do you “understand the times?”
Intro:
It’s Inauguration Day here in the United States, but the whole world’s been watching a great deal of mess over the last many months. I don’t care who you voted for, here are three reminders from Scripture.
Romans 13:1-2 says, “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.” (CSB)
So unless the state forbids that which God commands or commands that which God forbids, two of our three reminders are that Joe Biden is becoming President under the sovereignty of God and that how we respond is directly tied to how we are, or aren’t, obeying the word of God. Christians rightly can and do debate where the state crosses the line, but that’s a separate issue.
Later in Romans 13, verse 11 says, “Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” (CSB)
Yesterday in our OT segment I paused and pointed out that the tribe of Issachar was called out particularly as praiseworthy for “understanding the times.” And today you’re going to hear Jesus command the same thing of you and me. That’s our focus question today. How do we do that?
Today’s a special edition of For the Hope…I’m just going to read Luke 12 (which is a long one anyway), and we’re going to look at three things Jesus says about how to understand the times.
NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT:
Passage: Luke 12
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 59
Words: ~1261
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The simple answer for “How do I understand the times?”, of course, is to be in communication, in communion, with God. We do that by Spirit and truth found in Scripture. It’s why, no matter what else I might do, we always read the Bible here. And while today’s episode doesn’t answer the question from the perspective of the whole Bible, here are three things we glean from Luke 12.
“Be on your guard for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.”(v1) Notice that ch 12 bookends with the idea of hypocrisy…
“Judge for yourselves what is right.” (v56) That’s the very next line Jesus says after he calls the crowds hypocrites for being able to read the weather but not the times. And where do we get discernment? Spiritual discernment comes from communion.We have to get our own hearts in order first (Mt 7), and the antidote to hypocrisy is humility, which means our reverence and awe must be in the right order… “don’t fear men, fear God” (v5). How do we do that? Acknowledging Christ (v8-9).
Expect division. Now remember Jesus’ high priestly prayer in Jn 17 where he twice prays for unity. Sounds like a contradiction, right? But when Jesus prays that, the first time its for the disciples, and the second time it’s for future believers. But in the big picture, it’s going to cut close to home. Did you see last week on the news that one of the U.S. Capitol rioters that got arrested was busted because her own daughter turned her in? I’m not taking a side, and just using this as an analogy for the last point.
Always be ready. Ready means you’ve not compromised on being on your guard, judging for yourselves what is right based on a fear of God and acknowledgement of Jesus as Lord and Savior.
So how do you discern the times? By being in, and prioritizing, relationship with God above all else. That’s a function of intentionality. Remember, God has given you gifts to use, but you have responsibility, too. How will the Holy Spirit give you the right words to say at the right time? Because you know how God thinks by spending time in relationship, as a disciple, as a learner, as someone who grows in thinking God’s thoughts after him.
May we do that together, my friends.
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
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