8.16.2026 Faithfulness in the End

Aug 16, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: No One Knows the Hour: Living Beyond Prediction

Jesus’ disciples asked about timing, but He redirected them to faithfulness. Throughout history, predictions about Christ’s return have distracted believers, but Matthew 24:36 makes it clear: timing belongs to God alone. Obsessing over dates breeds fear or complacency, not fruitfulness. The end times began at Jesus’ ascension, inviting us to live with urgency, not anxiety. Our task isn’t to decode calendars but to steward today’s opportunities. Trust replaces speculation when we fix our eyes on the King, not the clock. [03:39]

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
(Matthew 24:36, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to fixate on “when” instead of “who”? How might releasing control of timing deepen your trust in Jesus today?

Day 2: Birth Pains and the Long Wait

Jesus compared global turmoil to labor pains—intense but purposeful. Just as childbirth involves prolonged struggle before joy, so creation groans for redemption. Wars, disasters, and persecution mark this era, yet they signal not doom but delivery. God’s patience allows more to hear the gospel. Endurance isn’t passive waiting; it’s active hope in the new creation being born. The ache of now is not the end of the story. [15:28]

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”
(Matthew 24:6–8, ESV)

Reflection: What current “birth pain” feels overwhelming to you? How might Jesus’ promise of ultimate renewal reframe your perspective on this struggle?

Day 3: Prayer in Winter, Faithfulness in Delay

Jesus told His followers to pray their flight wouldn’t occur in winter—a practical plea amid cosmic upheaval. Spiritual readiness isn’t mystical detachment; it’s raw dependence. Winter seasons test our endurance, yet prayer anchors us to God’s sovereignty. The “delay” of Christ’s return isn’t neglect but mercy, creating space for repentance. Faithfulness thrives when we lean into daily obedience, not dramatic signs. [18:07]

“Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.”
(Matthew 24:20, ESV)

Reflection: What “winter” circumstance makes perseverance difficult for you right now? How could intentional prayer reshape your endurance in this season?

Day 4: The Gospel to All Nations: Our Task in the End

Amid warnings, Jesus declared the gospel’s global spread as the defining mark of the end times. Mission isn’t a sidebar to prophecy; it’s the heartbeat. Every war, famine, and false messiah exists in the shadow of Christ’s ultimate triumph. Our calling isn’t to interpret headlines but to proclaim hope. The King’s return is certain—our task is to make His reign known. [23:13]

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
(Matthew 24:14, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your relational orbit needs to hear the gospel? What practical step can you take this week to embody or share Christ’s kingdom with them?

Day 5: Enduring to the End: The Mark of True Faith

Jesus warned that many would fall away, but salvation belongs to those who persevere. Endurance isn’t perfection but tenacious grip on grace. Trials reveal authentic faith, refining what’s temporary to reveal what’s eternal. Like athletes training for the long race, believers fix their eyes on the finish line: Christ’s return in glory. The promise isn’t ease—it’s resurrection. [27:52]

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
(Matthew 24:13, ESV)

Reflection: What temptation threatens to make you spiritually complacent? How can you actively “cling to Christ” this month in the face of that challenge?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 24 takes up the end in a world full of end-times guesses, movies, books, and predictions, but Jesus alone has the authority to say what the end means. The disciples ask the kinds of questions people still ask: when will these things be, and what will be the sign? Jesus does not answer the way they expect because the questions are pointed in the wrong direction. Jesus turns attention away from timing and signs and toward faithfulness, readiness, mission, and endurance.

Jesus gives one clear word about timing: no one knows. Predictions about 1988, Harold Camping, billboards, and “the Bible guarantees it” all run into that plain sentence from Christ. The end times are not a future puzzle waiting to be cracked, because since Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension, and promised return, the church has already been living in the end. That reality is not meant to produce panic. It is meant to sober the people of God toward the Lord and the task at hand.

Jesus also refuses to make signs the main thing. Wars, rumors of wars, false messiahs, famines, earthquakes, persecution, people falling away, and lawlessness are real, but they are not given so that people can become “apocalyptic seers.” They are warnings that call for endurance. The one undeniable sign is the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory. Until then, the signs keep happening because the world is living in birth pains.

The image of birth pains gives the shape of the age. Pain comes, and it lasts longer than expected. Wars, loss, persecution, and disappointment are not strange interruptions to God’s plan. Jesus says this whole period will feel like labor before the birth of the new heavens and new earth. The delay of Christ is not neglect, but kindness, because the gospel is going farther out and more people are hearing of Jesus.

Jesus calls for spiritual readiness. Prayer matters, even under God’s sovereignty, because God ordains to work through the prayers of his people. Discernment matters too, because false teachers do not usually look like cartoon villains with horns and scary staffs. The Word fills the mind so the people of God are not led astray.

Jesus also ties the end to mission and perseverance. The gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed to all nations, and servants are not praised for guessing signs but for being faithful. The one who endures to the end will be saved, not because endurance earns salvation, but because endurance shows real salvation. Christ returns, gathers his elect, judges rightly, and makes all things new.

Key Takeaways

1. No one knows the timing Jesus gives one explicit answer about the “when,” and that answer shuts down every attempt to calculate the date. Date-setting is not harmless curiosity when it contradicts the clarity of Christ. The end calls for sobriety, not speculation, because the present age already stands between Christ’s ascension and his return. [03:39]
2. Signs are warnings, not puzzles Wars, false messiahs, fear, and falling away are not meant to turn disciples into code-breakers. These things train long-distance faith, because the world keeps producing the same kinds of trouble until Christ comes. The point is not to stare at the signs, but to trust the Lord who already named them. [08:55]
3. Birth pains can last longer Jesus’ image of birth pains says that history will hurt, and the pain may stretch far longer than expected. That pain does not mean God has lost control or that faithfulness has failed. The labor is real, but so is the promised birth of the new heavens and new earth. [15:28]
4. Readiness kneels and discerns Spiritual readiness is not hype, fear, or obsession with headlines. It looks like prayer that takes God’s sovereignty seriously and discernment that takes deception seriously. False teachers often appear useful, impressive, and confident, so the Word must shape the instincts before crisis comes. [18:46]
5. Endurance proves real salvation Jesus warns that many will fall away, which means outward religious experience cannot be treated like a lottery ticket. Perseverance does not mean perfection, but it does mean clinging to Christ when death, cancer, job loss, disappointment, and persecution press hard. The one who endures shows that salvation is not an idea held lightly, but a life held by Jesus.

## [27:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:51] - Only Jesus Describes the End
[02:24] - The Disciples Ask When
[03:18] - Do Not Chase Timing
[06:28] - Do Not Get Lost in Signs
[08:55] - Endurance, Not Apocalyptic Seers
[12:08] - Wars as Birth Pains
[17:38] - Spiritual Readiness in Prayer
[19:23] - Discernment Against False Christs
[23:13] - The Gospel Goes to All Nations
[27:52] - Enduring to the End
[30:39] - The Son of Man Returns

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 24
“And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [02:24]

2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Matthew 28:19-20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Observation questions

In Matthew 24, what two questions do the disciples ask Jesus, and what kinds of things does Jesus emphasize instead of giving them a date? [03:18]
What repeated troubles does Jesus name in Matthew 24, and what image does he use to describe them? [12:08]
In Matthew 24, what commands does Jesus give when people face danger, deception, and uncertainty? Notice words like “see,” “do not be alarmed,” “pray,” “do not believe,” and “stay awake.” [17:38]
According to Matthew 24:13-14, what two things happen before the end: what happens to believers, and what happens to the gospel? [23:13]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows.” Why does that one sentence matter so much for how Christians think about end-times predictions and confident date-setting? [03:39]
Jesus calls wars, famines, earthquakes, and upheaval “the beginning of the birth pains.” How does that image help explain both the pain of this age and the fact that it may last longer than expected? [15:28]
Jesus warns again and again about being led astray. What does that suggest about the kind of danger believers should expect from false christs and false teachers, especially when deception does not look obvious? [19:23]
Jesus says, “The one who endures to the end will be saved.” How should that be understood alongside Matthew 7:21-23, where some people appear religious but are still unknown to Christ? [27:52]

Application questions

Jesus says no one knows the day or hour. Where is the pull in personal life to chase certainty, timelines, or secret knowledge instead of simple faithfulness? What does repentance look like there? [05:16]
The world’s troubles are called birth pains, not proof that God has lost control. When suffering, disappointment, or fear shows up, is the first response more often panic, numbness, or trust? What would it look like to meet that pain with hope in Christ’s return? [16:18]
Readiness includes prayer. What would it look like this week to pray with more seriousness about endurance, deliverance from evil, and nearness to God instead of only praying about comfort or quick solutions? [18:46]
False teachers often look impressive, useful, or confident. Where is there a tendency to trust a strong personality, a political voice, or a spiritual influencer more quickly than Scripture? How can the Word better shape discernment? [21:22]
The gospel of the kingdom must be proclaimed to all nations. Who is already in the circle of relationships God has given—family, neighbors, coworkers, classmates, friends—that may need a clearer word about Jesus from you? [23:13]
Faithful servants are commended for serving, not for guessing. What ordinary acts of faithfulness has Christ already put in front of you right now that may feel small but actually matter deeply? [24:35]
Endurance does not mean perfection, but it does mean clinging to Christ through real pressure. What kind of hardship is most likely to test perseverance—grief, illness, disappointment, temptation, weariness, or something else? How can this group help one another keep holding fast to Jesus? [29:40]

Sermon Clips

61s

#faithfulservant

“``Think about it this way. When Jesus comes back and we are face to face in our own judgment seat with the judge and king he's not going to say you are so good at guessing the end. Well done good guesser of signs and timing. What does he say to those who are faithful in the end? He says well done good and faithful servant. Servants are not busy about timing and signs and predictions. They're serving even though the master seems delayed. They're busy about the king's work and the king's work is bringing the news of the kingdom of God to the end of the earth. Living in the end anticipating the final end means that we are to be about the mission. That is what we do.”

63s

#persevereinChrist

“and how do you persevere because the one who endures that is the one who is saved because endurance shows that you have real salvation because he warns us here many people will fall away perseverance doesn't mean perfection but it means that you keep clinging to the only thing that has power to save Jesus friends persevere in Christ cling to him as we think about the end don't give up on doing good don't give up on the church don't give up on Christ don't give up because we will all face wars persecutions famines loss nations against we will all have various versions of that at a national local and personal level and the call to us as we think about that is to hold fast to Jesus and we hold fast to him because it's worth it”

44s

#noendtimingclaims

“Now, maybe like you, I chuckle at these predictions. But these kinds of predictions are what bring Christ and Christianity a bad rap. Those who make these kinds of predictions are at best ignorant, or at worst, disobedient to the very clarity of Jesus, who says, no one knows. No one knows. And so anyone who spends time trying to identify the timing is lying to you. Because Jesus says, no one knows. And so the very first thing we should think about when it comes to approaching the end is, he doesn't want us to figure out timing.”

48s

#livingintheend

“Now, one thing to know about timing that we need to grapple with in terms of perspectives of the Bible, ever since Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, we have been living in what we call the end times. Since he returned to heaven and awaiting his second return to earth, which he describes here, this entire period of waiting is called the end. Now, that's not to cause panic, but to rightly sober us that we're not supposed to spend time on timing. We're supposed to spend time on our posture towards the Lord and to our task at hand. We are living in the end.”

54s

#godsdelayiskindness

“And I think that's the point that Jesus is trying to make about birth pains. These wars, these famines, these nations against nations, these pains will last a lot longer than you think. We thought Malia would come way sooner than she did. Jesus is telling us, you think it's the end, the final end, but it's going to take a lot longer than you think. And we think it's Jesus delaying his return, but actually we read from Peter, he tells us the reason it takes seams from our perspective to be so long is because of God's kindness. Because in this period of time, God is allowing for the gospel to go further out so more and more people will hear of Jesus. It is kindness that he delays his return.”

45s

#birthpainshope

“And so when things go bad for the church, even though we're faithful in Christ, that's actually normal, inspected. When things go terribly wrong, even though we're faithful, that's not against God's plan. In fact, he says the whole thing should be birth pains because even though it seems terrible, eventually, just like a child is born and it's all worth it, the new heavens and new earth will be worth it. Now, how are we to approach the end? That's one perspective. We should think about it as this long period of time, which actually may be more painful than we realize, but eventually be worth it.”

41s

#takeupyourcross

“I think actually the fact that there's birth pains and it's pain and it's wars and famines and nations against nations and persecution throughout the world, it should kind of eliminate this idea for us that we think, and this mainly only exists in Western culture and the American church since the 1900s, but this idea that we think Christianity should be comfortable and pain-free. Jesus tells his church, us too, take up your cross. That's not a comfortable thing. We are to live in birth pains.”

90s

#spiritualreadiness

“Fill your mind with the word. Study it. Know it. There needs to be spiritual readiness. How should we approach the end? Being ready. Being discerning. Being near to the Lord in prayer. Gives one really strong example which I'll just say in summary. If you read the end of this chapter which we don't have time to look at but verses 45 to 51 he gives that like faithful and wicked servant example there. Because the idea there is that they both believe the idea but one doesn't really have it affect their life. Right? The wicked servant looks at the delay of the master and says, well my master is delayed and basically says I can do whatever I want. The faithful one even though it looks like they're delayed continues to be faithful and that's the point. Are you ready? Jesus' long period of time before his return isn't because he's doing nothing. It's for the kingdom of God to go out and more people to come in. But how are you going to respond in this time in the relationships we have in the timeline we have in the moment of history that we have? If Christ delays another 10 years or 10 millennia how do we respond? Are you spiritually ready? Or does it make us like the wicked servant complacent? That's readiness. Not predicting timing but being faithful in the time that we have.”

64s

#falsepredictionsfail

“The only thing he says about when is, no one knows. And yet, if you notice through church history, there have been many, many, many, many, many, many, many attempts to identify when. In 1988, so many books were written about Jesus coming back. They sold millions anticipating Jesus' return. And yet, in 1988, Christ did not return. Harold Camping, those of you who remember that period of time, 1994, he made his first prediction. September 6th, Jesus is coming back. And more closely to modern time, maybe many of you remember, May 21st, 2011, it predicted the end of the world. Again, you saw all over the Bay Area, billboards, right? Hundreds of radio stations were claiming, Judgment Day is coming, May 21st, 2011. I remember driving by in Oakland. And it says, the Bible guarantees it. But Christ did not return.”

53s

#wrongquestionfocus

“And then you read on as Jesus answers them, or doesn't really answer them. As Jesus does with the religious leaders, he also does with his disciples. Notice that whenever Jesus asks the question, he doesn't usually answer the question because they're asking the wrong question. And he gives them what they least expect. Because he wants them to see, he wants us to see, when you ask when questions and what questions, you're focusing on the wrong thing. Two ways to not approach the end. First way, don't focus on the timing. Don't focus on the timing. They want to first know when. That's a very important question. Lots of people have wanted to know when. But notice, if you read this chapter very carefully, Jesus never answers when.”

39s

#faithfulcommands

“They're really meant to be warnings to us to be faithful because all of us live in our end. What not to do when it comes to the end. Don't look at timing. Don't really get lost in signs. Let's spend more time on how we should approach the end because if you notice this chapter and you read it like an English teacher, you'll notice there's lots of imperatives. There's lots of commands for Christians and they really have to do with how to be faithful in the midst of persecution, trials, and difficulty.”

44s

#birthpainsnow

“You can read this at every time period and think, was this the end? They thought about Jerusalem and Rome back then. Was this Russia and Ukraine now or is this the war in the Middle East? Is it the recent earthquake we had in the Bay Area or in Japan? Like every period of time since Jesus' return you can note these things because they're all since Jesus' ascension and until his return birth pains of the final end. He calls them birth pains. It's the beginning of the final end. The birthing process of a new heavens and new earth.”

70s

#discernfalseteachers

“People who are rising up, who say that they have the answer, who really, they're not really about the people, they're about themselves, their own money, their own fame, their own admiration. None of these teachers, this is the hard thing about discernment. Most false teachers don't wear a shirt that says, the devil is my homeboy. I mean, that can be too obvious, right? I mean, we're used to, you know, Disney cartoons where the bad guy looks like a bad guy. None of the bad guys throughout history wear signs. They don't have horns. They don't carry a, you know, scary staff. They don't wear the devil is my homeboy shirts. The key to discernment means that you understand that villains or evil people don't often look like evil people. And how do you prepare for that then? You need to know the word. You need to know what the word says. And so when someone says, I know the timing or I know this particular sign, why would you say that I shouldn't follow that person? Because you know what Jesus says in Matthew 24.”

50s

#enduretotheend

“he talks a lot about that throughout the gospel of Matthew right the parable of the sower people who have really you know kind of flash in the pan experiences emotional experiences of God and you'll fall away because many people who think that they're Christians are not actually Christians which means statistically there are people here who think they're Christians who you will not be in the kingdom of God because who is in the kingdom of God the one who endures to the end see many people treat salvation as some kind of lottery ticket that retires nothing from you other than a dollar but throughout the Bible you see again and again how should you approach the end by persevering”

44s

#gospelproclaimed

“He lists wars, persecutions, martyrdom, apostasy, false teaching, lawlessness. But finally in the midst of all of that bad news is one piece of good news this wonderful news of the kingdom of God being proclaimed throughout the whole world. And I take this to mean as we think about the end as we believe that Jesus will return and that we're living in this time called the end instead of wasting our time trying to decipher what current events mean certain timings we are supposed to look at all those current events all of that urgency and say we are to be faithful to his command which we'll look at in verse chapter 28.”

50s

#Jesusaloneknows

“Since the advent of the atomic bomb in modern time, the end has been a regularly occurring topic of cultural conversation. You see it not only in the church, you see it in culture. So you see movies like The Terminator, many movies about the end, books, songs. You see this topic come up again and again and again. Culture has various ideas about the end, but only Jesus has the authority to describe and tell us about the end. And what he says about the end and what he does not say about the end ought to shape how we think about it, how it shapes our thinking, how it shapes our living in the present.”

50s

#undeniablereturn

“Notice the question that they ask that Jesus never really answers. They want to know when and what the sign is. And Jesus does give some sense of signs. I'm going to list a bunch of them here. They're not really quite signs here, though. He talks about people are going to try and trick you. Don't be afraid. He says, you will be hated. He says, many people will be ashamed in the church and drop out. The kingdom of God will grow. There will be a big tribulation. There's going to be his glorious return, something that you cannot deny. He's going to be coming from the clouds and a trumpet will blare. His return will not be like his first coming, which he came humbly, that no one noticed barely, but it will be something undeniable.”

75s

#focusonChrist

“Jesus really only calls one thing clearly a sign. It's his return, the Son of Man coming. That's the only thing he really mentions clearly as a sign. So the fact that they're looking for all these kind of predictor signs that we tend to also want to look for, that he doesn't really answer and he really only focuses on a general posture of circumstances and really only pointing on one sign means the signs aren't the point. Focus on him. Much of this chapter, the wars, the false messiahs, the abomination of desolation, they point to one historical event that they were anticipating, which happened in AD 70, the fall of Jerusalem. But he said that would happen in their generation. But that event is a shadow of a bigger event to his return. And ever since that fall of Jerusalem and his glorious return, we are kind of waiting and all those signs will keep happening again and again and again. They experienced them in Jesus' time. We continue to experience all of those things in the present because we are living in the end.”

62s

#stoplookingforsigns

“The focus isn't trying to identify various kinds of things that are predictors. And that's what the church tends to do at various times. That's what the book series of Left Behinds tries to do. I remember reading a book that largely influenced that series by another author, Hal Lindsay. He said that helicopters are actually the locusts described in the book of Revelation. And people started looking, well, all these helicopters around the world. He never really lived to see drones because drones would be more like locusts. I mean, we start looking at locusts and what does it mean for now and you endlessly look for various kinds of things. Eventually, they're going to create tiny drones the size of bugs that can attack, right? So is that locusts? We just endlessly look. But the point isn't to look. Now this is the predictor. Ever since he returned, it is the end. And the point is not to look at the predictor signs but to look at him and trust him.”

70s

#prayandparticipate

“Now, interesting here. He says, pray that your flight, they're trying to flee this destruction of Jerusalem, may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath. I ponder this for a moment because why would he ask his people to pray for something when he's sovereignly in control? Couldn't he just plan the timing to not be in winter and not be on a Sabbath? Why does he ask them to pray for it? Because what you see here is one example of something we see in all of Scripture. There's this mystery of God's sovereignty and human responsibility and somehow God works in his sovereignty through us and our action, including our prayers. God is sovereign and yet at the same time he ordains that he responds to his people's prayer. We may not get how the whole thing works, but it's an invitation to pray, to work in the sovereignty of God. just as we heard in glimpses during the testimonies, how God works in the midst of those prayers.”

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