Living in the Shadow of Eternity
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Learning why Christians must live for the present with a watchful eye on the future-- in the shadow of eternity.
Text: Luke 21:34-36
Date: 06/22/2025, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 198
Description:
Jesus wraps up His "discourse on the things to come" with a sequence of poignant exhortations to His disciples (of all time frames). First, to avoid the snares of the world, because they burden and therefore deaden the heart to spiritual things; second that His Parousia will come suddenly when least expected and therefore to be ever-alert; and third to turn to God for the strength to endure and ultimately stand before Him victoriously. All three exhortations have the same underlying message-- that whether we realize it or not, the present (meaning the life we live now) is dominated by the future (the very fact of the Eschaton and that judgment is imminent). The mindset of a humanistic world at enmity with God is that "man is the measure of all things" and that we determine the future by what we do in the present. Christians, on the other hand, are instructed to live for the present, but with a watchful eye upon the future. In other words, as ambassadors of Christ, we will "live and move and have our being" in the shadow of eternity.
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 21:34-36.
A. Context, Matt. 24:14.
1. Setting the scene.
2. Three time frames.
3. The past, the present and the future.
B. When the future dominates the present.
1. Overview
a. The "here and now" and "not yet".
b. When the future dominates the present.
2. The "weight" of the world, 1John 2:15-17.
a. An emphatic warning.
i. A warning for the "here and now".
ii. A Hebraism, Ex. 19:12; Deut. 11:16.
b. Heavy hearts.
i. A strong reason.
ii. The moral life, Matt. 5:8; Psa. 24:3-4.
iii. The weight of the world, Mark 14:40; Luke 9:32; Ex. 7:14; 2Cor. 1:8.
iv. A burdened heart, Rom. 1:21-22.
c. The way of the world.
i. Dissipation and drunkenness.
1) When life is a party.
2) Life lived in a haze, Isa. 5:22; Rom. 13:13.
3) An expanded warning, Matt. 4:17.
ii. The cares of life.
1) Analyzing the "cares" of the world, Luke 8:14.
2) Defining "this life", Luke 17:26-27.
3. The Day of the Lord, vs. 34b, 35.
a. The suddenness of the day.
i. Determining the "day", Luke 21:31; Jer. 33:15.
ii. Defining "suddenness", 1Th. 5:2; Amos 5:18-20; Luke 17:24.
b. The universality of the day.
i. The image of "the trap".
ii. The reference to Isaiah, Isa. 24:17; Isa. 24:1,3-6.
4. Staying awake, vs. 36.
a. A call to diligence.
i. Life also has an end.
ii. To be "in Christ", Luke 12:35-40, 43.
b. The source of help.
c. Victory in Christ Jesus, Rom. 14:10-12; Rev. 7:11,16; Matt. 25:21.
III. Application
A. Living for the present as a pagan.
B. Living for the present as a Christian, Luke 12:22,23,25,29-31; John 16:33, 14:1-3; Rev. 21:4; 6:34.
IV. Conclusion
