August 12, 2026
The Time is Now - Part 3
Luke 19:43-44
08/12/2026
43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies
will set up a barricade around you and surround
you and hem you in on every side
44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your
children within you. And they will not leave one
stone upon another in you, because you did not
know the time of your visitation.'' (ESV)
This week the Church prayed:
O God, You declare Your almighty power above all in
showing mercy and pity. Mercifully grant us such a
measure of Your grace that we may obtain Your gracious
promises and be made partakers of Your heavenly
treasures.
As Jesus entered into Jerusalem the Sunday before He was
crucified, amid the waving of palm branches and the shouts of the
crowd, He wept and grieved over the coming destruction of the
city. Those who called for Jesus' death did not recognize that
He is the Son of God, the Messiah who God sent to redeem each
person from sin, death, and the power of the devil. By not
recognizing Jesus, the religious leaders and their followers
sealed their own fate.
Forty years after Jesus rose from the dead, the city of
Jerusalem was destroyed by the armies of Rome. Jesus' words, His
prophecy, were shown to be true.
For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will
set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem
you in on every side and tear you down to the ground,
you and your children within you. And they will not
leave one stone upon another in you, because you did
not know the time of your visitation.''
There is a point when God withdraws His offer of mercy,
pity, and grace. He never forces Himself on anyone. He shows us
the true peace which comes from the forgiveness of our sins for
the sake of His Son, but will allow people to harden their hearts
against Him.
Today you hear His voice, the good news that Christ Jesus
died and rose again to defeat death and the grave.
May our Lord grant that we know the time of His visitation.
Amen.