Luke 21:12b-19 — The Ultimate Pep Talk

READ THIS: Luke 21:12b-19

12b They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Have you ever been given a pep talk about something hard you had to do, but the words ended up leaving you a lot more scared than pepped? This passage can kind of feel that way if you miss the big picture that Jesus is trying to paint for us! Yesterday, we learned that these words from Jesus are about the future! We know that some of these things happened years later, and many of these things could happen in the distant future as well, but that ultimately this passage is a message for anyone who believes in Jesus.
 
Jesus is telling His followers that they have some tough days ahead of them... Jesus says they were going to be put in prison, betrayed, hated, and in need of self-defense, which means the days ahead weren't going to be fun. If we only looked at the harsh days ahead and didn't listen fully to what Jesus said, it would be easy for them to lose hope! But luckily for us, Jesus encouraged them, too! He says that He will give them words and wisdom to speak, but the big message we see here is the ending: if we stand firm, we will win life. That's not some weird video game or sport reference... we will be given life, eternal life, forever with Jesus!!! Now THAT is a good pep talk.

THINK ABOUT IT:
 
1. If you were put in prison, betrayed, and hated by others, but you still had Jesus, would it be worth it? Why or why not?
 
2. How can you encourage people around you the way Jesus encourages us?

TRY THIS:

Give someone a pep talk today about Jesus! Text em, call em, or tell it their faces!!!

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