Sunday Worship Service
Ready Or Not, He Is Coming!
Mark 13:28 – 37
Proposition: Prophetic events in Israel point to the return of Messiah. Be confident in your salvation, continually seek Him and faithfully serve Him.
Application: Be confident of your salvation in Christ; be continually seeking the Lord; be faithfully serving the Lord.
Introduction
Have you ever heard the word apodidraskinda. It describes one of the oldest and most widespread game in the world. Can you guess what it is? It’s the childhood game, “hide and seek.” “Hide and seek” was first played in ancient Greece in the 2nd century and still today even the remotest parts of the world people play the game. With eyes closed the “seeker” counts to an agreed upon number while “hiders” hide. After reaching the count, the “seeker” calls out ready or not, here I come!” Whether we are ready or not there is a day when the Lord will return. His coming is no childhood game. In this chapter, Jesus warned us of the awful tragedies that will be a part of our human experience while He is away.
Events in Israel help us discern where we are in God’s prophetic timetable, so that we might be prepared to meet the King. We prepare by being confident in our salvation, by continually seeking Him and constantly serving Him.
The Parable of the Fig Tree (13:28 – 33)
Jesus used the picture of a fig tree to help us discern the time of His coming. The fig tree is one of the last trees in Israel to leaf out in spring. Its shoots and leaves are signs that summer is near.
When we see trees starting to put out leaves, we can put our boots, toques, coats and mitts away and take the snow tires off the car. When we see leaf buds on trees, we know summer is near. We can’t say, “Wait, I’m not ready for summer!” Ready or not summer is coming, and we can prepare for summer. In the same way, we can prepare to meet the Lord! Jesus was saying: “When you see the prophesied events begin to take place know that the next season, the Messianic reign of the Lord Jesus is upon us.” What are those prophesied events Jesus is referring to? We covered them in the last two messages. We are using the image of pregnancy, labour and delivery to describe the stages of history. The pregnancy stage began with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD; followed by an increase in frequency and intensification of wars, deceptions, natural catastrophes, persecution and the proclamation of the Gospel. After pregnancy comes labour. With the abomination that causes desolation the world is in labour.
In that day armies surround Jerusalem seeking to destroy it, followed by cosmic darkness, then the Messiah comes. The delivery stage is when He comes in power and glory. The child born is the messianic age.
Events in Israel (13:28, 29): In Scripture the fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish people (Jeremiah 24:2 – 8). Israelis could look at a fig tree to know if summer was coming. In the same way, we look at events unfolding in Israel to know where we are in God’s prophetic timetable. For instance, when we see a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, we know the abomination that causes desolation is not far away. Sadly, the world wants to get rid of Israel. We hear crowds of people on the streets of major cities in the West chanting from the river to the sea Palestine shall be free. The Jordan river and Mediterranean Sea are the eastern and western boundaries of the land of Israel. Shall be free means free of Jews. This is a call to chase Jews out of their land. Because Israel is essential to God’s end time program satan is preoccupied with Israel. If Israel is destroyed, then prophecy is thwarted. No matter how the world views the Jewish people, they will remain until the end.
Endurance of the Jewish People (13:30): The word generation can mean one of two things. The more common use of the word generation refers to those living at the same time. For instance, we speak of a generation of people born in the twenty-first century. If generation refers to the people living at the time Jesus spoke these words, His statement does not make sense. No one in that generation is alive today. The only prophetic event that was fulfilled in that generation was the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. But in this chapter Jesus spoke about events beyond the temple being destroyed. The other way to understand the meaning of generation is to refer to those descended from a common ancestor. It speaks about a race of people (Gen 5:1, 10:1, 11:10). Jesus was speaking about the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that is the Jewish people. In effect Jesus was saying that in spite of the existential threats the Jewish people would face throughout the centuries they will be preserved until His return. The Jewish people are one of the wonders of the world. Without a homeland, driven to every corner of the world, despised, hated, persecuted yet they remain and have retained their distinct identity as a people. The fact that the Jewish people are still here and many of them living in Israel speaks to the accuracy of Jesus’ words. The nation of Israel is the fig tree helping us to discern where we are at in God’s prophetic timetable.
His Eternal Word (13:31): Leaders come and go. Fashions come and go. Music styles come and go. Everything is fleeting. Even our stable universe as we know it will one day pass away. But the words of the Lord Jesus are eternal. They are words of eternal life. Notice He said, “My Words will not pass away.” He did not say “the Word of God will not pass away” (Isa 40:7, 8). If God’s Word endures forever, and Jesus’ words endure forever, Jesus and God are One.
Because of their high status and nearness to God you would think angels in heaven, and the Son of Man, would know the precise time of His coming. But Jesus did not know.
His Human Weakness (13:32): This statement shows the self-limitation of the Lord Jesus in His humanity. The limitation of knowledge does not diminish His deity. Jesus is fully God and fully man; He is the Son of God and Son of Man. In His humanity, as the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus exercised His divine attributes only at His Father’s bidding (John 8:26). The Lord has withheld from us the date of His return. The time of Jesus’ return is not a part of God’s revelation to us. He is not willing to make it known to us. This is a clear warning against any attempt at date setting. Any person who claims to have a revelation as to the exact date when Jesus returns is deceived. It is arrogant to claim to know something that not even the angels in heaven nor the Son of Man know (Deut 29:29). The only warning we will get from God concerning the return of Jesus is what we find in His Word. And the warning we find is more than enough to prepare us.
Not knowing the time of Jesus’ return is no excuse for not being ready. Jesus used another figure of speech to teach Christians to be ready for His return. If the fig tree refers to Israel, the household refers to the congregation of God’s people throughout the ages– that is the church.
The Parable of the Household (13:33 – 37)
Servants on assignment (13:33, 34): The man on a journey is the Lord Jesus who left this world to return to His Father where He is now seated at God’s right hand interceding for us. Before going back to the Father, Jesus, as the Lord of the household gave His servants authority to carry out all assignments pertaining to His household. As believers in Christ Jesus, we are given an assignment and the authority to carry out our assigned task (Eph 4:7, 8). The gifts the Lord gives determines our assignment within His household. The church is His household (1 Tim 3:15). Even though the Lord is Head of His church He puts us in charge of it as stewards. Every believer has a ministry in the household of God. Do you know the assignment the Lord has given you? There is no unemployment in the Lord’s household.
Watchman on guard: Notice the doorkeeper is given a special task. While his Master is away he is to control access to the house. He protects the household from intruders. He ensures thieves don’t gain entry and deceive the servants and destroy the household. The doorkeeper must be discerning, not allowing deceivers into the house. Deceivers claim to bea servant of the Saviour when in fact they are servants of satan. The doorkeeper will guard the household during the night.
Owner Comes at Night (13:35, 36): Jesus mentions that the owner will return not in the daytime but at night, between sunset and sunrise, not between sunrise and sunset. Four watches of the night are described. The first is from sundown to 9 PM. The second is from 9 PM to midnight. The third is from midnight to 3 AM (rooster crows). And the final watch is from 3 AM to 6 AM (sunrise). The servants will be serving in the night – when the world is dark. We live in a dark world. We serve in a dark world. The Lord will return to a dark world.
Conclusion (13:37)
Ready or not the Lord is coming. He is coming to a dark world. Will His return be a blessing or will it be dreadful? Don’t not be unprepared for His coming. Four times in five verses Jesus instructed us to be on the alert. When He returns, He will find two kinds of people, the prepared and unprepared. Don’t be unprepared! People ignored Noah’s warning and did not grasp the meaning of the ark they were not prepared and perished in the flood. We too will be caught off guard if we follow the same pattern. If we do not know the Lord, if we are engaged in the pleasures and pursuits of this world, if we are weighed down by the cares of life, we will not discern the times or be prepared for His return. That does not mean we should cease to enjoy life or deny ourselves the good things life has to offer, but it does mean that such comforts must take second place to the Lord. The Lord Jesus must be our first love and everything else comes after. All of life becomes a preparation to meet the King. How do we prepare?
Be confident in your salvation: Be certain that you know the Lord. You know Him by repenting from sin and trusting in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and the joy of salvation.
Be continually seeking Him: Seek Him in His Word seek Him in prayer. As you seek Him you will know how to live in these dark days, and you will discover the assignment He has for you. And doors of opportunity will open for you (1 Cor 16:8, 9).
Be faithfully serving Him: He has given every one of us an assignment and the authority to carry it out. Serve Him with the gifts He grants to you and the authority confers on you. The Lord supplies His Spirit, He supplies His gifts, His power, His Word, He even supplies the opportunities to serve, we supply the faithfulness. So that when we meet the King face to face, He will say to us, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
Ready Or Not, He Is Coming!
Mark 13:28 – 37 |
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A Strange Mission
Mark 11:1-11 |
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Horrors on the Horizon
Mark 14:14 – 27 |
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Before the Birth Pangs Begin
Mark 13:1 – 13 |
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Attitudes
Mark 12:38 - 44 |
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Questions About Life and Love
Mark 12:18 – 34 |
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A Political Question
Mark 12:12 - 17 |
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Who Owns The Vineyard?
A Matter of Authority |
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Fruit, Faith and Forgiveness
Mark 11:12 – 25 |
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Was Blind but Now I See
Mark 10: 46 – 52 |
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Understanding Servant Leadership
Mark 10:32-45 |
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There is a Cost to Following Jesus
Mark 10:17-31 |
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Family Values
Mark 10:1-16 |
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Embracing Humility
Mark 9:33-50 |
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A Faith that Does Not Fail
Mark 9:14 – 32 |
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Kingdom Preview
Mark 9:1-13 |
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The Mission of the Messiah
Mark 8:22 – 38 |
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He Has Done All Things Well
Mark 7:31 – 8:10 |
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The Problem of Sin and The Triumph of Faith
Mark 7:17 – 30 |
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Truth and Tradition
Mark 7:1 – 16 |
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A Night Of Wonders
Mark 6:45-56 |
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The Cost of Service
Mark 6:14-29 |
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Little Is Much
Mark 6:30-44 |
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More than a Carpenter
Mark 6:1-13 |
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Faith Rather Than Fear
Mark 5:35-43 |
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A Faith That Makes You Well
Mark 5:21-34 |
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The Chain Breaker
Mark 5:1-20 |
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Faith In The Frantic Moments
Mark 4:35-41 |
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Shine Jesus Shine
Mark 4:21 – 34 |
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Spiritual Crop Failure
Mark 4:1-20 |
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Surviving the Pressure of Persecution
Mark 3:20-35 |
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Christ Among The Crowds
Mark 3:1-19 |
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Feasting, Fasting and Fault-Finding
Mark 2:13-28 |
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When Jesus Is In The House
Mark 2:1-12 |
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Follow The Plan
Mark 1:29-45 |
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Fishers of Men
Mark 1:14-28 |
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The Good News Begins
Mark 1:1 – 13 |