#1019. Easter Tuesday- Stand firm (26/3/24)
- Matt Beaney
- Mar 26, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 27, 2024
During this Easter Week, I thought that it would be helpful to look at some of the events and teaching on each day running up to Resurrection Sunday - The Greatest Day! Today we look at some of the events of Easter Tuesday.
Lesson: During these ‘Last Days’ there are many things that test our faith and love, so let’s be aware and prepared so as to remain faithful and loving.
You can listen to this devotional below (It’s also available on Spotify on the Community Church Putney podcast)
On the Tuesday of Easter Week, Jesus taught His disciples about the signs -‘the birth pains’- preceding His return. This section, often called The Olivet Discourse because it takes place on The Mount of Olives, runs from Matthew 24:1-25:46. Here, Jesus prophesies about The Last Days leading up to His return and how we are to stand firm and remain faithful in these very challenging times. Here is an overview of the features - good and bad - that He speaks about:
The destruction of the temple - the centre of worship.
False Saviours with a false message and hope.
War, Famines, Earthquakes.
Persecution, deception and discouragement leading to coldness of heart.
The gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all nations before His return.
Great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world.
Jesus, The Son of Man, coming on the clouds of heaven at an unexpected time.
A call to remain faithful and ready for His return.
A particular feature that I’d like to highlight in light of wars around the world and in Israel and Gaza at present, is the promise of war and conflict as a part of the ‘birth pains’ before Jesus’ return. We read:
‘You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.’ (Matthew 24:6-8)
Conflict and the various signs spoken of are the kinds of things that can cause people to doubt that there is a God. They can also cause us to be ‘alarmed’. Our faith is tested through such events and some will even turn to false saviours. Jesus reminds us that these are all a part of the ‘birth pains’.
RESPONSE - STAND FIRM!
On this Easter Tuesday, let’s be reminded that during these ‘Last Days’ there are many things that test our faith and love so let’s be aware and prepared so as to remain faithful and loving. Jesus challenges us and encourages us:
‘…But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.’ (Matthew 24:13-14)
‘”So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. ‘Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?“‘ (Matthew 24:44-45)
On this Easter Tuesday, Jesus is showing us both the positive and dark features of these Last Days. We don’t live in Disneyland! We live in a fallen and passing world in which the ‘birth pains’ are painful. However, labour comes with the promise of the new birth of all things. Jesus wants to remind us that throughout these Last Days, He is on a mission and He wants us to join Him in taking the ‘gospel of the Kingdom’ to all nations. Have we allowed persecution, deception and discouragement, to cause our love to grow cold?
COMMUNITY GROUP NOTES AND STUDY
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
Please ensure that the members of your group are aware and familiar with using the daily devotionals which is accessed in Church News or the Teaching button on the website.
In particular, please ensure that you know the details and arrange travel for our Good Friday walk.
Please also be praying for and inviting to next week’s Easter service.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week and how has this helped you?
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
Our message from our series in Luke on Sunday was entitled, The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few - Jesus sends out the Seventy-Two (Luke 10:1-24). In this section, as Jesus heads for Jerusalem, Jesus continues to teach His disciples about the mission that they are on, and the harvest that they are to be involved with.
Please read Luke 10:1-24, and discuss:
Did God speak to you about anything specifically from Sunday’s message?
What did Jesus say about the harvest and how are we to respond?
What did Jesus say about the workers and why is this the case?
How is prayer important to the success of evangelism?
How often do you pray about your and the church’s effectiveness in evangelism? Do you have a list of friends that you are praying for?
What is the message that we are to ‘sow’?
What is a ‘person of peace’ and who are they in our lives?
SIV - Do we have any stories of how we have ‘Served, Invested, and inVited’ recently?
Let’s pray together that, this week, we will have opportunities to SIV; and pray for anything else that’s come out of our time in God’s Word.
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