1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,120 When I was in seminary, my hardest professor was Doctor 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,560 Peter Gentry. I took several classes from him 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:11,240 on Greek and Hebrew. He was the only professor I ever 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:15,280 feared. One of Doctor Gentry's favored 5 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,720 teaching techniques was to assign us a portion, whether of 6 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,640 Scripture or something else, in Greek or Hebrew, and we'd have 7 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,040 to prepare it before class, translate it, study it, look up 8 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,760 words we didn't understand, analyze it, and then come into 9 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:32,960 class prepared for him to call on anyone at any time at random. 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:36,880 To then have to read a few sentences of Greek or Hebrew out 11 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:42,240 loud, give your own translation, and then answer any question 12 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,880 Doctor Gentry asked you about anything in the sentences you 13 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:50,360 just read. Many students lived in mortal 14 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,400 fear of Doctor Gentry. One class I had with them, some 15 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,040 students dropped after the first week. 16 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:02,280 You never knew when you would be called on or what you would be 17 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:07,920 called to give an account for. So your only way to show up 18 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:13,240 prepared to class was to master that text, to study and study 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,680 and study until it got inside you, to try to ask yourself 20 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,800 every possible question Doctor Gentry could think to ask you 21 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,160 before he got a chance to ask you. 22 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:29,960 What was certain is that at some point you'd be called on, and 23 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:32,720 when you were, there would be no place to hide your ignorance. 24 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,120 You just be naked and exposed before everybody. 25 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:43,000 What was uncertain is when you'd get called on and what you'd 26 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:48,440 have to give an account for. Today we continue our series in 27 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:53,520 Mark's Gospel with the last part of chapter 13, verses 28 to 37. 28 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,560 If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand and someone 29 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,520 will bring you one. If you don't have a Bible, like 30 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,800 at all, please take it home, read it and come back and talk 31 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,400 to us about it. In our passage, we're 32 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,040 approaching the end of Jesus earthly life and he's speaking 33 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:11,360 to four of his disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew. 34 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:16,640 In this long speech to four of his disciples, Jesus competently 35 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:21,720 tells them what the future holds both for them and for him. 36 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,480 Jerusalem will be conquered and the temple will be thrown to the 37 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:31,680 ground. That happened in 70 AD, 40 years 38 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,560 after Jesus was teaching. But that's not all that Jesus is 39 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,520 talking about. He is also teaching them that He 40 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,760 will personally return to judge and save. 41 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,520 Before I read our passage, just one note on the translation in 42 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:51,680 verse 29, you will see that in the ESV it says so. 43 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:52,920 Also. When you see these things taking 44 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:57,920 place, you know that He is near. In verse 29, there's a third 45 00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:00,120 person singular verb in the Greek. 46 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,280 I was paying attention to Doctor Gentry's classes, third person 47 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:04,800 singular. That means it could be 48 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:10,040 translated he, she, or it. It could be it is near at the 49 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:11,320 very gates. And I actually think that's a 50 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,280 better translation. That's how the NIV translates 51 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:14,440 it. It's how the King James 52 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:16,640 translates it. So I'm going to say it when I 53 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:19,160 get there. I don't normally do that, but I 54 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:24,920 think it makes the best sense. Now for verses 28 to 37 of Mark 55 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:31,520 13 from the fig tree, learn it's lesson. 56 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,040 As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, 57 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:42,440 you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these 58 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,280 things taking place, you know that it is near at the very 59 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,800 gates. Truly I say to you, this 60 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,680 generation will not pass away until all these things take 61 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:56,400 place. Heaven and earth will pass away, 62 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:03,960 but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day or that 63 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:10,280 hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, 64 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:15,000 but only the Father. Be on guard. 65 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,279 Keep awake, for you do not know when the time will come. 66 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:24,320 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and 67 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:29,680 puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands 68 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:37,760 the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake, For you do 69 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,680 not know when the master of the house will come in the evening, 70 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,920 or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the 71 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,840 morning, lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 72 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:57,200 And what I say to you, I say to all Stay awake. 73 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,600 Now, our passage does refer again to events that will take 74 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,120 place within this generation. That's what Jesus says in verse 75 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,280 30, and that's the focus. These events that will take 76 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:15,920 place within this generation. That's the focus of verses 28 to 77 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,960 31. But then the longer paragraph, 78 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,440 verses 32 to 37, focuses on Jesus's second coming. 79 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:27,560 Specifically. In that longer paragraph, Jesus 80 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:32,440 announces something certain and something uncertain. 81 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,160 What's certain is that he'll return. 82 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,280 What's uncertain is that none of us knows when. 83 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:47,120 So the question you need to answer is how can you be ready 84 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:53,400 for Jesus's return? Jesus is coming, is certain, and 85 00:05:53,400 --> 00:06:00,240 it's time is unknown. So how can you be ready? 86 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:06,360 In our passage, Jesus shows us three ways in which we can live 87 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,120 so as to be always ready for his return. 88 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:14,240 Three points. The third will be the longest .1 89 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,320 Know what time it is. Know what time it is. 90 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:22,120 That's what Jesus reminds his disciples to do in verses 28 and 91 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:26,840 29. In verse 28, Jesus tells a short 92 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,080 parable from the fig tree. Learn its lesson. 93 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:33,040 As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, 94 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:37,160 you know that summer is near. At this time, Jesus and his 95 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:40,200 disciples are sitting on the Mount of Olives, just outside 96 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:42,120 the city of Jerusalem, looking over at the Temple. 97 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,360 Mount Olives was known not only for its olive trees, but also 98 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,600 for its abundant fig trees. And figs were one of the only 99 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,880 deciduous plants in ancient Judea, one of the only plants 100 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,040 that would have new leaves every summer, every spring rather 101 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,520 going into the summer. So it's natural that he uses a 102 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,120 fig tree as an illustration. The point of the illustration is 103 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,240 simple. When you see new growth in the 104 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,360 spring, you know that summer when you will get to harvest the 105 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:09,200 fruit is right around the corner. 106 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:15,160 The new leaves give sure promise that fruit will follow. 107 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:20,080 This also jogs our memories about another fig tree we've met 108 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:24,120 in Mark's Gospel. Back in Chapter 11, Jesus saw a 109 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:28,760 fig tree in leaf that had no fruit and he cursed it. 110 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,880 He said may no one ever eat fruit from you again. 111 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,520 That was a symbolic act. It was a lived out parable of 112 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,280 the judgment that's going to come against the temple. 113 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,960 The whole religious life of Israel, Jesus was saying is 114 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:52,000 leaves without fruit show without substance and so God was 115 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:53,960 going to judge them for their false worship. 116 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:58,200 That's the reason behind Jesus prediction of the temple's 117 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,680 destruction. So he gave this sign in this 118 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,160 teaching with a fig tree to show why God was going to judge his 119 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,360 people and destroy their temple. Here Jesus's point about the fig 120 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:10,960 tree is simpler. It's just when you see leaves, 121 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,000 summer is coming. But that also echoes the note of 122 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,200 judgement. What is the summer that's going 123 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,640 to come? It's not going to be happy or 124 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:22,680 leisurely or pretty. It's going to be judgement. 125 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,520 Jesus parable is about the coming destruction of the 126 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:28,880 temple. That's been the main topic of 127 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,080 the whole chapter so far. It was Jesus's explicit 128 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,720 prediction of the temple's destruction back in verse 2 that 129 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,799 prompted these 4 disciples to ask in verse 4 tell us when will 130 00:08:39,799 --> 00:08:42,559 these things be? And what will be the sign when 131 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:44,440 all these things are about to be accomplished? 132 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:49,640 And what Jesus says in verse 29 shows us that He's continuing to 133 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,360 answer their question. So also, when you see these 134 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:55,400 things taking place, you know that it is near at the very 135 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,840 gates. Now, what are these things that 136 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:01,680 are taking place? It's everything Jesus predicted 137 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:06,400 from verses 5 to 23. In the most broad sense, many 138 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:08,720 things will take place that aren't signs of the temple's 139 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:11,800 destruction. But one thing will happen that 140 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:16,120 will be a sign, namely what Jesus calls in verse 14, the 141 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:20,200 abomination of desolation. Whatever that abomination is, it 142 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,800 signals that Rome is about to conquer Jerusalem and they're 143 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,800 about to destroy the temple. And so anyone with eyes to see 144 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:29,640 what's happening should flee, should get out immediately, try 145 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:35,200 to preserve their lives. Just as leaves are a sign of 146 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,320 summer soon to come, so this abomination and all the events 147 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:44,160 right around it are a sign that Jerusalem's destruction is soon 148 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:48,880 to come. So here Jesus is returning to 149 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:51,360 directly answering his disciples question. 150 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,440 He's given them a sign. When the sign is fulfilled, the 151 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,560 temple's about to fall. He's telling them that in order 152 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:01,120 to be prepared for future events, they need to know what 153 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:05,640 time it is. We recently passed through the 154 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:08,480 annoyance of daylight savings time. 155 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:12,600 I think daylight savings time, on the upside, might be the most 156 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:15,360 politically unifying issue in America. 157 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:19,400 In my nearly 40 years of life, I have never heard a good argument 158 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:21,560 for it. I have heard no one give any 159 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:23,680 kind of reason for who it serves or how it helps. 160 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,480 I think someone could win the presidential election in a 161 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:31,040 landslide with the single campaign promise to abolish 162 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:34,000 daylight savings. It would bring our fractured 163 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,920 country together. What does daylight savings time 164 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:40,320 do? It just, it just arbitrarily 165 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,200 shifts our lives an hour back and forth. 166 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,880 It bears no relation to reality. It helps no one. 167 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,640 It just means you have to adjust your poor, tired body an hour in 168 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:53,800 some direction and your children's poor, tired bodies an 169 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:55,880 hour in some direction for no good reason. 170 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,600 But that's the kind of time we live in in the modern West. 171 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,280 We live by the clock. We have to obey the clock. 172 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:03,560 We don't live by the sun, the seasons. 173 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:06,280 We live by what the clock tells us to do. 174 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:09,520 And so if the clock tells you to get up an hour earlier or stay 175 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:12,800 up an hour later, you have to, and your body will just have to 176 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:18,240 adjust to what time it is to live well in. 177 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:23,640 Now, Eastern Standard Time, you have to fit your life to what 178 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:28,440 the clock says. To live well in light of God's 179 00:11:28,680 --> 00:11:33,960 sovereignty and God's purposes for all of history, you have to 180 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,520 fit your life to what time God says it is. 181 00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:41,840 And what time God says it is is not some kind of arbitrary thing 182 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:43,360 that bears no relation to reality. 183 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:48,120 Instead, what time God says it is defines reality. 184 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:53,280 It's important to recognize that Jesus gives his disciples 185 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:57,040 instructions about the future, not so that they or we could 186 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,800 study it like a code and kind of have our secret decoder ring 187 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,880 that we sort of keep notes on. We can go, aha, I know exactly 188 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:05,640 when Jesus is coming. Many people throughout history 189 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,280 have claimed that many people even today still say stuff like 190 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:09,840 that. Jesus is telling you, as we'll 191 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:13,080 see explicitly in the Third Point, never believe a word that 192 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:17,280 anyone says about that, because they do not and cannot know. 193 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:24,320 Instead, He teaches us about the times we're living in so that 194 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,640 we'll know how to live well in them. 195 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,960 What time is it, according to Jesus? 196 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:34,400 What time are we living in? Well, we live on the far side of 197 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:38,480 the fulfillment of all these prophecies about 70 AD, so these 198 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:40,920 are not directly relevant to us. But what is? 199 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:47,240 Well, here's a few ways in which theological realities about who 200 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,280 Jesus is and what he's done for us determine the time we're 201 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:54,600 living in. We live between Jesus 202 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:59,600 resurrection and his return. The reality of his resurrection 203 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:03,360 and the certainty of his return are the two most definitive 204 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,600 events that shape the time we live in. 205 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:09,680 We live after Pentecost when God poured out His Spirit on His 206 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:11,720 people to indwell us and renew us. 207 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:16,400 We live in the time when God Himself makes us His temple by 208 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,120 His presence with us. We live in the era of the Spirit 209 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:24,000 equipping and empowering us for His service. 210 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,040 We live in the time of the New Covenant as we celebrate 211 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:29,560 whenever we have the Lord's Supper. 212 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:32,760 By His death, Christ has accomplished the forgiveness of 213 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:35,520 all of our sins. He's granted every believer to 214 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:40,320 know God truly and intimately. He has brought us into an 215 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,480 unbreakable relationship with His Father. 216 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,160 We live in the overlap of the ages. 217 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:51,920 The New Age has broken into the Presence, but it has not yet 218 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:55,920 been consummated. We live in the time of the Great 219 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:59,240 Commission of the Gospels, expansion to the farthest 220 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:03,040 reaches of the earth. We live in the time when God's 221 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,640 salvation has come crashing into the Presence, but it's not yet 222 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:10,480 been completed. Right now, I'm living in a time 223 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:14,720 when my severely sprained ankle has begun to heal but is not yet 224 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,840 fully healed. Seasoned athlete Brian Miller 225 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,520 reminded me just this morning that after it heals, it's 226 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:22,480 probably going to give me trouble for the next couple 227 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:28,080 years. So even after I heal, I will not 228 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:36,240 likely yet be fully healed. When Christ returns, the healing 229 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,280 will be perfect. The healing of all of our sin, 230 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:41,240 the healing of all of our bodies, the healing of this 231 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,320 whole creation. There will be no lingering cause 232 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,640 for left ankle concern for another two years or whatever. 233 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:51,520 All that'll be gone. The time we're living in is the 234 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:54,720 time when we look forward confidently to that. 235 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:57,000 Who cares about daylight savings? 236 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,480 This is the time we're living in. 237 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:04,000 To live well in it, you must let these theological truths shape 238 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,120 your sense of what time it is more than you let anything else. 239 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:11,040 Not how the economy is doing, Not how your favorite political 240 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,920 party is doing. Not how your career is going. 241 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:17,800 Not the direction cultural tides are pulling or vibes are 242 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:20,280 shifting. Those things can all change in 243 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:22,760 an instant. We can read them wrongly in the 244 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,280 1st place. Instead, let Jesus tell you what 245 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:30,720 time it is, like God's word tell you what time it is, as Martin 246 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:32,880 Luther famously said, referring to Christ's return. 247 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:40,720 I have two days on my calendar today, and that day, how can you 248 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:47,240 know what time it is? Point #2 trust Jesus's words. 249 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:52,640 Trust Jesus's words. That's what Jesus himself 250 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,400 teaches us to do in verses 30 and 31. 251 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:05,040 Look at verse 30. Truly I say to you, this 252 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:08,840 generation will not pass away until all these things take 253 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:13,520 place. What does Jesus mean by this 254 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:16,720 generation? I think he means the human 255 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,840 beings presently alive. He's been talking about things 256 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,040 are going to experience that aren't signs of the temples 257 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:23,840 fall. Things they will experience that 258 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:25,400 will be signs of the temples fall. 259 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:27,600 What's going to happen when the Roman army comes near? 260 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:31,120 He's talking about people who will see those events fulfilled. 261 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,800 You know the times Jesus used this word in Mark's gospel. 262 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:35,360 He's talking about his contemporaries. 263 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,120 He's talking about those presently alive. 264 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:41,360 I don't think he's using the word generation in any kind of 265 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,600 metaphorical or figurative sense. 266 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:48,000 Also, when he says all these things, he means the same thing 267 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,280 that he meant by these things in verse 29. 268 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,520 He also means the same thing that he said by all things in 269 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:56,760 verse 23. He's talking about the 270 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,440 destruction of the temple and the signs that will let you know 271 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:04,680 it's coming. Jesus was not a failed or 272 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:10,359 mistaken apocalyptic prophet. He never claimed that he would 273 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,079 return or history would end within the lifetime of his 274 00:17:14,079 --> 00:17:17,560 hearers. Instead, he's saying that the 275 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:20,040 generation of those people presently alive will see 276 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,319 Jerusalem fall. And it did. 277 00:17:24,079 --> 00:17:26,319 If you've ever kind of gotten into apologetics, you know, 278 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:28,920 reading or watched more skeptical scholars talk about 279 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:30,840 can we trust the Gospels or not, they will often bring out this 280 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,080 very verse, Mark 1330 as the kind of champion. 281 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:38,040 Aha, Jesus got it wrong. I think those scholars are 282 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:40,360 simply failing to understand what Jesus is talking about. 283 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:42,920 When he says his generation, he means his generation. 284 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:45,320 When he says these things, he's talking about the main substance 285 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:46,760 of his whole speech up to this point. 286 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:51,080 And instead of this verse being a kind of triumphal gotcha, aha, 287 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:53,080 Jesus got it wrong and you can't trust him. 288 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:58,840 It's just the opposite. The things he said all happened 289 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:07,040 to the T 40 years later, Jesus's prophecy proved true. 290 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:12,000 One reason Mark gives a whole chapter to this discourse is 291 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,240 that whether Mark was written before these events or after 292 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,040 these events, in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, I think it's 293 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:17,840 probably before. But in the wisdom of the Holy 294 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:22,040 Spirit, here's Jesus saying all these things that were soon to 295 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:26,040 be fulfilled and would stand as a record ever after, validating 296 00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:34,240 Jesus's prophetic authority. This should confirm our trust in 297 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:37,600 His words. It's exactly the point Jesus 298 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:39,520 makes in the very next verse, verse 31. 299 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:44,240 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 300 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:50,600 As we read in Isaiah 40 earlier, this is what God says about His 301 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,080 own words. Jesus is claiming that His words 302 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:58,240 are just as eternal, just as imperishable, just as inviolable 303 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:02,520 as God's own words. That can only be true if they 304 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:07,640 are God's own words and they are. 305 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:13,840 The authority that Jesus claims for his teaching is one more of 306 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:17,360 the dozens of proofs of his divinity that we've seen 307 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:20,880 throughout Mark's gospel. In this passage, you cannot 308 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,440 approach Jesus as a wise teacher of morality. 309 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:28,960 He is claiming divine authority for His words. 310 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,520 That means the only acceptable response is total acceptance, 311 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,120 total submission, total trust, total obedience. 312 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,080 You don't get to sift. You don't get to pick and 313 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:38,760 choose. You don't get to read Jesus the 314 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,080 way you'd read, you know, your favorite newspaper column. 315 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:42,800 This was very insightful. But you kind of disagree with 316 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:44,840 Him sometimes. Oh, it's even provocative, what 317 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,120 you know, enjoyable to kind of sharpen your thinking. 318 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:51,480 Nope. Jesus is saying that the only 319 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:55,960 way to relate rightly to His teaching is the absolute 320 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:59,320 allegiance you give to the words of God. 321 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:04,480 So what should you do? Trust in all of Jesus teaching. 322 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:09,080 Submit all of His commands. Believe all of his promises 323 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:12,480 about the future, especially the great promise of his return. 324 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,120 Most of this chapter is about what would happen to Jerusalem 325 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:18,280 within a generation. And it all happened. 326 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:22,600 Jesus speaks truth about the future because He is sovereign 327 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,840 over the future, which means the only way to have an absolutely 328 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,920 secure future is to entrust your future to Him. 329 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:35,160 If you're not a believer in Jesus, I wonder if you're 330 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:40,160 looking for certainty. What can you trust absolutely? 331 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:44,520 Is there anyone or anything you can be confident in with no 332 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:51,480 reservation, no shadow of doubt, no backup plan you kind of have 333 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,720 to keep in reserve if this person kind of lets you down or 334 00:20:55,240 --> 00:21:01,040 doesn't come through? Jesus offers that kind of 335 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:04,560 certainty. That quest for certainty is 336 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:06,680 understandable. It's valid, it's legitimate. 337 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:09,800 Don't let anyone tell you that because no one here among mere 338 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:11,440 mortals can offer you that kind of certainty. 339 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,200 That is just not on offer. Jesus offers it. 340 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:19,840 Jesus makes good on it. Jesus claims that's what you 341 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,440 should do with his words, treat them as utterly certain. 342 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:27,920 And he backs it up in countless ways throughout the gospels by 343 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:32,120 giving us evidence that he is God Incarnate. 344 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,000 Notice Jesus says his words are permanent. 345 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,600 They're eternally permanent. They're more permanent than this 346 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,840 universe which is going to last longer, the solar system or 347 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,520 Jesus words. Jesus says it's his words. 348 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,160 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away 349 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,400 one day unless Jesus comes back first. 350 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:57,480 You will pass away. Everyone you love will pass 351 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:00,640 away. Everything good you've done will 352 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,240 pass away. Every trace of you from any 353 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,960 living person's memory or any historical record will pass 354 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:12,120 away. Eventually, the universe itself 355 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:18,000 will pass away. Jesus himself declared it. 356 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:21,520 So. Where can you find lasting 357 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:28,360 truth, certain hope, unshakeable meaning only in Jesus? 358 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:31,880 His Word is his bond. His word is the bond that holds 359 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:37,400 the universe together, and His word will outlast this universe. 360 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,480 If you're not a Christian, trust in Jesus today. 361 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:44,840 There's another prediction Jesus makes that should lead you to 362 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:47,520 trust him. Three times in Mark's gospel, 363 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:52,000 once a piece in chapters 8-9 and ten, he promises, he predicts 364 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,160 that he will die and then rise again. 365 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,520 He predicts it in detail. He'll be betrayed, he'll be 366 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,080 handed over to the authorities, he'll be beaten and mocked, and 367 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,640 then he'll be killed. And it happened exactly as he 368 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:06,560 said it would. But it didn't stop there. 369 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,280 He said after three days, he would rise again. 370 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:14,360 And he did. The purpose of all of that is to 371 00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:17,440 reconcile us to God. We owe God our lives. 372 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:21,040 We owe God our obedience. We owe God our total allegiance. 373 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,440 And yet all of us have turned our backs against God. 374 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:25,160 All of us have rebelled against God. 375 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:27,720 All of us have lived for ourselves instead of God. 376 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:29,680 We've sinned. That's the essence of what the 377 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,560 Bible calls sin. We deserve to be judged. 378 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,520 We deserve to be condemned. We deserve to be rejected by 379 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:40,880 God, and yet with this infinite gap that there was between US 380 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:45,480 and God, God did everything necessary to cross it for us. 381 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:47,840 That's what Jesus becoming Incarnate is about. 382 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,120 That's what his life of teaching and healing is about. 383 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:52,000 That's what his death on the cross is about. 384 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:53,320 It's what his resurrection is about. 385 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,760 Reconciling us to God that we've done nothing to deserve or earn 386 00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:58,520 and He's done everything to achieve. 387 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:02,400 If you believe that, if you trust yourself to Jesus, that is 388 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,880 what makes you a Christian. That is what makes you right 389 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:07,120 with God. That and nothing else. 390 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,680 If you've never believed in Jesus, turn and trust in him. 391 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:15,520 Today. Jesus declares heaven and earth 392 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,800 will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 393 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:24,680 One day when Jesus returns, this universe will die and be 394 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,280 resurrected. How can you trust that's really 395 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:29,440 going to happen? Looks like things are pretty 396 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:30,760 much going on the same. They always have. 397 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:33,880 This universe doesn't really seem a fit subject for a death 398 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:36,560 and resurrection has not happened before. 399 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:38,560 Why should I believe that's going to happen? 400 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,480 Because the same one who predicted the universe's death 401 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:47,760 and resurrection predicted his own death and resurrection. 402 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:50,720 Because the one who rose from the grave is the one who 403 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,840 promises to raise you from the grave and to raise this whole 404 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,360 universe from the grave. Trust Jesus's words. 405 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:02,200 And to trust in Jesus's words also requires us to trust every 406 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:03,960 word of the Bible. Why? 407 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,640 Because Jesus himself believed and taught that the words of 408 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:11,720 Scripture are the words of God. When he wanted to appeal to a 409 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:16,240 point about creation in Matthew 19, about God making us male and 410 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:19,760 female, he says that he who created them male and female 411 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,080 said and he quotes the words of the Bible. 412 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,280 But those words of the Bible he's quoting are just the words 413 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:26,760 of the narrator. It's not God speaking, it's just 414 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,960 Bible words. Jesus says those Bible words are 415 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:34,600 God's words. In John 1035, Jesus says the 416 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:40,000 Scripture cannot be broken, it must be fulfilled. 417 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:44,920 It will always be valid. That means it's all true. 418 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,920 So it's not that Jesus's words are extra trustworthy and the 419 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:52,240 rest of the Bible is maybe selectively helpful. 420 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:53,600 If you're with Jesus, you're good. 421 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,920 But Paul, I don't know, some of those Old Testament prophets 422 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:01,680 sound a little harsh. If you trust in Jesus, you must 423 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,200 trust all of the words of Scripture because that's what he 424 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:06,360 believed and that's what he taught. 425 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,280 So if you're a believer in Jesus, how can you grow in 426 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:13,520 trusting Jesus's words and all of God's words? 427 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,920 Memorize them. Meditate on them. 428 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:23,640 Turn God's words into prayer. Send God's words back to Him as 429 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:27,400 grounds for praise, spurs to confession, reasons for 430 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,560 Thanksgiving. That's why we so often link up a 431 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:32,920 Scripture reading and a prayer in our services. 432 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:35,960 We're meditating on these things together, sending them back to 433 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:39,800 God in prayer. Let Scripture rearrange your 434 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:43,160 priorities. Let Scripture rearrange your 435 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:48,280 plans. Let Scripture unveil and lead 436 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:55,080 you to kill distorted desires and to help implant new God Word 437 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,840 desires. Let Scripture teach you where to 438 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:02,760 place your hope. Let Scripture teach you not to 439 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:07,000 invest your whole soul in anything that will end when this 440 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,240 life ends. Instead, invest your whole soul 441 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:15,120 in Christ's return. That is the only absolutely 442 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:21,400 certain investment you can make because Jesus is coming back. 443 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:30,960 You just don't know when point #3 stay awake, stay awake. 444 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:39,960 It's in verses 32 to 37. In verses 32 to 37, Jesus 445 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:44,160 repeats a command to stay awake five times, using three 446 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:49,120 different words or phrases. He urges us to stay awake as we 447 00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:52,760 await His return, because His return is certain and it's time 448 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:55,600 is unknown. So the only way to be ready for 449 00:27:55,600 --> 00:28:01,160 it is to be always ready. Look first to verse 32. 450 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,640 But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the 451 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,040 angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 452 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,200 Note that here Jesus changes the topic again. 453 00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:15,760 He's been talking about those days and all these things in the 454 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:20,280 plural. Now he changes it to that day in 455 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,800 the singular what day? The day of his return. 456 00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:26,400 And his main point is clear in verse 32. 457 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:31,040 No one knows when it's coming. Not humans, not angels, not even 458 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:34,440 Jesus, only the Father. So that is clear and emphatic. 459 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:38,800 You should never, ever, ever believe anyone who claims I know 460 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:43,440 when Jesus is coming back. Jesus says that is impossible, 461 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,000 but this verse also presents a theological challenge to us. 462 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:56,000 If Jesus is God Incarnate and he is, and if God knows all things 463 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:03,200 and he does, then how can Jesus not know something? 464 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,960 Good question. Genuine difficulty. 465 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,520 We're going to pause and work on it for a little while. 466 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:14,720 I think we can understand this by comparing it with other 467 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,240 aspects of Jesus's human existence. 468 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:21,880 For instance, think of the end of Mark 4, when Jesus is asleep 469 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:24,480 in the boat in the middle of a storm and the disciples are mad 470 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:25,560 at him. Don't you care? 471 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:27,360 Can't you see we're perishing? We're all going to drown and 472 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:28,720 you're sleeping. What's going on? 473 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,200 Who is the one who's asleep in the boat? 474 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:38,280 It is God the sun Incarnate. If you keep that whole truth 475 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:42,160 about Jesus in mind, that he's God the Son Incarnate, you can 476 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:47,040 speak a true sentence that says God fell asleep. 477 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,000 What are you talking about? Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son 478 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,600 Incarnate, sitting there asleep in the boat right here. 479 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:55,960 If you were there, you could have seen it. 480 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,240 Who's the one who's sleeping there? 481 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:02,200 It's God, specifically God the Son. 482 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:08,760 But what about Jesus makes it true that he can fall asleep? 483 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,800 It's the fact that he's truly a human being. 484 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:14,720 To put it a bit more technically, we can say that 485 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:21,360 Jesus sleeps in and by virtue of his human nature, not his divine 486 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,160 nature. The divine nature does not and 487 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:28,040 cannot sleep. The divine nature is not a body. 488 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:33,080 God does not get tired, as Psalm 121 verse 4 says. 489 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,400 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 490 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:42,800 So God doesn't sleep, but God the Son Incarnate does. 491 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:48,440 Is that a contradiction? No, it's a paradox. 492 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:54,920 It's true because of the incarnation, and it's only true 493 00:30:55,200 --> 00:31:00,440 with reference to Christ's humanity that he assumed in the 494 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:02,800 incarnation. If you want to study this more, 495 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:05,600 I've got a whole book on it more or less called Biblical 496 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,640 Reasoning. So is God the Son Incarnate? 497 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:14,800 Jesus is at once all powerful and weak. 498 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,720 He is at once immortal and mortal. 499 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:23,680 He raises the dead and he gets tired. 500 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:31,120 He forgive sins and he can die. So what does this mean for our 501 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:34,640 passage? It means that as God, Jesus 502 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:37,560 knows all things. But as man, according to his 503 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:39,400 human nature, his knowledge is limited. 504 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:45,240 He is at once omniscient as God and ignorant as man. 505 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:48,760 Jesus isn't saying that he can't know this, only that he doesn't. 506 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:52,600 It was not part of his Incarnate mission as the Messiah, either 507 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:55,600 to know or to make known the time of his second coming. 508 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,720 We didn't need to know it. Jesus, as a human being, 509 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:02,120 remained ignorant of it. He's ignorant as man and 510 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,600 omniscient as God. If you have a tough time 511 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:07,560 imagining how that could possibly true, or what the 512 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:11,040 consciousness of God the Son Incarnate is like, well, that's 513 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,240 exactly the point. We can't imagine it. 514 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:16,960 It's incomprehensible. It's beyond our ability to 515 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:19,760 grasp. It is a mystery, not a 516 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:24,960 contradiction, but a mystery. Not a contradiction, but a 517 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:28,760 paradox. And again, Jesus's practical 518 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:33,440 point here is that you know he's coming and you cannot know when. 519 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:39,800 So what should you do? Verse 33 Be on guard, keep 520 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:46,280 awake, for you do not know when the time will come, because you 521 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:48,520 don't know when he's coming. You have to be always ready for 522 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:52,240 his coming because you don't know what passage Doctor Gentry 523 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:53,720 is going to ask you to translate. 524 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:57,200 You have to be ready to answer for all of the passage. 525 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:02,360 A soldier keeping a night watch over his camp with all of his 526 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:05,760 sleeping comrades. He doesn't know when an enemy 527 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:10,320 might attack, so he has to stay awake throughout his whole 528 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:16,120 shift. 10 verses 34 to 37. Jesus has a similar illustration 529 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:19,080 for this point. He says it is like a man going 530 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:22,600 on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in 531 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:25,680 charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay 532 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:28,560 awake. Therefore stay awake. 533 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,960 For you do not know when the master of the house will come in 534 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,680 the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows are in 535 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:38,200 the morning, lest he comes suddenly and find you asleep. 536 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:43,280 And what I say to you, I say to all stay awake. 537 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:49,360 In this short parable, Jesus refers to different servants who 538 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,520 each had different work. But his point is that every 539 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,200 single Christian is like the doorkeeper. 540 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:58,960 The doorkeeper's job was to stay awake, and that's each of our 541 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,440 job too. In verse 35, Jesus uses 4 542 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:05,880 phrases that match how the ancient Romans divided up the 543 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:08,080 watches of the night. Basically, they're counting 12 544 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:12,159 hours from sundown to sun up, basically six, 6:00 PM to 6:00 545 00:34:12,159 --> 00:34:14,440 AM roughly. So the four watches of the night 546 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:18,520 are called evening, midnight, the Roosters, crow, and morning. 547 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:22,800 Or they might call it early 4 watches, 3 hours a piece. 548 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:28,480 What was the doorkeeper's job is to keep out unwanted visitors 549 00:34:29,199 --> 00:34:33,560 and to let in anyone who had a right to come, including the 550 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:37,600 master of the house. How is every Christian a 551 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:42,360 doorkeeper? We are all meant to keep watch 552 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:48,080 for Jesus's return. We're all meant to stay 553 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:53,560 spiritually awake and alert. For a real doorkeeper, getting a 554 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:56,840 full 12 hour overnight shift would be absolutely brutal. 555 00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:00,640 That's rough. That's Jesus's point. 556 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:05,400 There is no time when a Christian clocks out from 557 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,520 awaiting Jesus's return. There is no time when a 558 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:12,920 Christian can go off duty from being spiritually vigilant, 559 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:17,560 awake, alert. You can never clock out. 560 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:23,760 You should never take a break. Jesus point here is simple and 561 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:26,640 practical and profound. Throughout your whole life as a 562 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:29,200 believer, you must remain ready for His return. 563 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,880 Throughout your life you must live so as to greet Him with 564 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:39,880 joy. You should never do anything 565 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:46,160 that you would be ashamed to be found doing when Christ comes 566 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:50,200 back. Because this is such a rich and 567 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:53,040 important point, I'm going to spend some extended time 568 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:56,000 applying it. I've got 5 application points 569 00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:05,240 that I'll walk through 1 by 1 #1 Because you don't know when your 570 00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:08,720 end or the end of all things is coming. 571 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:15,760 Repent and trust in Jesus now because you don't know when your 572 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:17,800 end or the end of all things is coming. 573 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:23,240 Repent and trust in Jesus now. Don't put it off till later. 574 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:25,640 Jesus saying you don't know if there is a later. 575 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:27,840 You don't know if God will give you a later. 576 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:30,880 You don't know if this whole universe gets a later. 577 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:34,400 Whether you're a kid growing up in a Christian home or you're an 578 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:37,520 adult exploring the faith, don't simply push it off. 579 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:39,920 Don't say yeah I can, I can figure out Jesus later. 580 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:44,000 Repent and believe now. If you have questions standing 581 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,360 in your way, do your best to seek answers now. 582 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:50,440 If you've got issues or priorities that put you out of 583 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:55,200 sync with Jesus, address them in your heart and mind now. 584 00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:58,200 If there's someone who can help you know what it means to follow 585 00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:01,520 Jesus and convince you that it's worth it, talk to that person 586 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:07,040 now. Ephesians 426 says do not let 587 00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:10,880 the sun go down on your anger. You should also not let the sun 588 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:21,200 go down on your unrepentance #2 Don't build your hopes on dreams 589 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,720 of progress or plans for fulfillment. 590 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:31,160 Don't build your hopes on dreams of progress or plans for 591 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:34,160 fulfillment. Progress is one of the central 592 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:38,840 myths that our culture lives by. We flatter ourselves to think of 593 00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:41,200 the world is getting better and better and better, and it's all 594 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:43,920 thanks to us. We're making progress and 595 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:47,000 knowledge, science, technology, morality. 596 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:51,560 We're making so much progress and AI that no human being will 597 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,520 ever have to think a single thought ever again. 598 00:37:55,280 --> 00:38:01,600 That's what I call progress. But are we making people better? 599 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:08,800 Are we making life better? Are we becoming more just, more 600 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:12,280 compassionate, more caring, more fair? 601 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:20,560 Progress on any grand scale is a myth, and so is living according 602 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:22,400 to your own personal plans for fulfillment. 603 00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:26,640 It's not wrong to make plans. It's not wrong to seek to be a 604 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:30,720 good steward of your gifts, or to aim to serve the common good, 605 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:34,200 or to enjoy the good things that God gives you in your life. 606 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:39,400 But so many of us, so much of the time, load up all of our 607 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:43,200 hopes for happiness into the rickety little cart of our plans 608 00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:46,880 for fulfillment. And we push that cart into the 609 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:51,080 future, and all our heart is riding on it. 610 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:55,920 Jesus teaching on the second coming means you don't know 611 00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:57,800 whether any of those plans will come to pass. 612 00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:05,120 Jesus might return before I finish this sermon, as CS Lewis 613 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:07,720 put it in a powerful essay called The World's Last Night. 614 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:12,240 The doctrine of the Second Coming teaches us that we do not 615 00:39:12,240 --> 00:39:15,000 and cannot know when the world drama will end. 616 00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:17,240 The curtain may be run down at any moment. 617 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:19,800 Say before you finish reading this paragraph. 618 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:23,520 This seems to some people intolerably frustrating. 619 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:25,480 So many things would be interrupted. 620 00:39:26,240 --> 00:39:28,120 Perhaps you were going to get married next month. 621 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:30,760 Perhaps you were going to get a raise the next week. 622 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:34,080 You may be on the verge of a great scientific discovery. 623 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:38,400 You may be maturing great social and political reforms. 624 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:42,000 Surely no good and wise God would be so very unreasonable to 625 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:46,000 cut all this short. Not now of all moments. 626 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:53,240 God will not evaluate your life better based on whether you 627 00:39:53,240 --> 00:39:58,240 change the world. He will assess whether you were 628 00:39:58,240 --> 00:40:02,440 faithful to Him. He will not hold you accountable 629 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:08,240 for what's beyond your control. He will hold you accountable for 630 00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:11,320 what you have done with what he gave you. 631 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:18,560 CS Lewis again on this point, frantic administration of 632 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:23,320 panaceas to the world is certainly discouraged by the 633 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:26,360 reflection that this present might be the world's last night 634 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,240 sober work for the future. Within the limits of ordinary 635 00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:36,720 morality and prudence is not, for what comes is judgement. 636 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:41,120 Happy are those whom it finds laboring in their vocations. 637 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:44,640 Whether they were merely going out to feed the pigs or laying 638 00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:48,360 good plans to deliver humanity 100 years hence from some great 639 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:53,720 evil, the curtain has indeed now fallen. 640 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,080 Those pigs will never in fact be fed. 641 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:00,960 The great campaign against slavery or governmental tyranny 642 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:03,760 will never in fact proceed to victory. 643 00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:11,720 No matter. You were at your post when the 644 00:41:11,720 --> 00:41:17,320 inspection came. Stay at your post. 645 00:41:18,680 --> 00:41:30,360 Wait for the inspection #3 Mark and avoid what causes spiritual 646 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:35,000 sleep. Mark and avoid what causes 647 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:39,560 spiritual sleep, as Jesus says in verses 35 and 36. 648 00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:42,640 Therefore, stay awake, lest he come suddenly and find you 649 00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:45,640 asleep. What's that a metaphor for? 650 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:50,880 That's spiritual sleep. Jesus means being spiritually 651 00:41:51,320 --> 00:42:01,600 slothful, negligent in duty, disobedient, unfruitful, unfit 652 00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:05,320 for his service, unprepared for his second coming. 653 00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:11,920 What causes or contributes to spiritual sleep? 654 00:42:12,440 --> 00:42:15,320 Here's a whole bunch of particular of potential factors, 655 00:42:15,560 --> 00:42:20,920 in no particular order. Too much time with or too much 656 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:26,480 attachment to friends who pull your heart toward the world. 657 00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:32,200 Working such long hours that you have no time for corporate 658 00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:38,200 worship or personal devotions. The world getting its hooks into 659 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:41,440 your heart, its values, attachments, goals, priorities. 660 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:43,800 Could be through what you watch or listen to. 661 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:47,640 Could be through what other people take for granted and find 662 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:54,320 normal in your class or at the office in leisure time, 663 00:42:55,280 --> 00:42:59,320 consistently defaulting to entertainment without any 664 00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:04,440 thought of edification. Could be success, prosperity, 665 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:08,960 wealth, possessions, getting everything you want in this 666 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:12,240 life. Can lull you to sleep. 667 00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:17,200 Could even be spiritual presumption. 668 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:21,160 Being confident in yourself rather than continually 669 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:24,040 dependent on God's grace. Taking advantage of God's grace 670 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:25,880 as if it gives you a license to sin. 671 00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:31,760 Thinking I'm I'm good with God, we're fine, I'm forgiven, no big 672 00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:36,440 deal. Instead of relentlessly seeking 673 00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:42,560 to put sin to death. Do any of those describe you or 674 00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:45,960 do others come to mind as I'm going through that list? 675 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:49,520 Are you in a state of drifting off to sleep? 676 00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:53,320 Have you been spiritually sleeping for some time? 677 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:59,200 If that's you wake up. There is time right now. 678 00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:04,640 There might not be time later. As Paul says in Ephesians 514, 679 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:07,960 Awake O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine 680 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:12,120 on you. Don't be too proud to wake up. 681 00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:18,640 Don't be too ashamed to wake up. I don't think that because it's 682 00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:20,880 been such a long season, it's too late to change. 683 00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:30,920 Better late than never #4 Mark and embrace what keeps you 684 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:36,840 spiritually awake #4 Mark and embrace what keeps you 685 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:40,040 spiritually awake. Kids in the congregation, adults 686 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:42,760 can play, too. Have you ever been so excited 687 00:44:42,920 --> 00:44:45,720 for what was coming the next day that it was hard to fall asleep? 688 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:50,480 Maybe Christmas Eve could be the day before your birthday, could 689 00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:52,960 be the day before a vacation you're looking forward to. 690 00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:55,640 What makes it hard to sleep is that you're so eager. 691 00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:57,480 You're so excited for what's coming. 692 00:44:58,080 --> 00:44:59,640 You don't want to sleep. You just want it to be the next 693 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:05,560 day. As a believer in Jesus, anything 694 00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:09,800 that makes you more eager for Christ's return will help you 695 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:11,720 stay awake in anticipation of it. 696 00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:14,000 What helps keep you spiritually awake? 697 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:17,400 Personal devotions. Time in the Word and prayer in 698 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:21,160 secret, especially meditating on heaven and the world to come. 699 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:26,560 Private prayer, especially self examination and confession. 700 00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:33,320 Coming to corporate worship regularly, eagerly, expectantly. 701 00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:36,800 Time spent with other believers in which you remind each other 702 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:40,320 of God's promises and Christ's return. 703 00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:46,680 And any prudent practice, it helps you take a step back, 704 00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:50,800 helps you get some critical distance from whatever plans 705 00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:54,280 you're most fervently pursuing, whatever dreams you're most 706 00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:57,160 devoted to. Anything that causes you to take 707 00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:00,880 a little step back and say, I wonder if God really wants me to 708 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:02,680 pursue that as much as I want to pursue that. 709 00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:06,400 Seeking counsel about it, evaluating it in light of 710 00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:09,360 Scripture. Anything that lets you in any 711 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:16,560 way put God's agenda before your own agenda #5 Last point of 712 00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:21,040 application. Be a good cup of coffee for 713 00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:24,440 fellow church members. Be a good cup of coffee for 714 00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:26,960 fellow church members. I know that not all members of 715 00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:28,680 our church appreciate a good cup of coffee. 716 00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:31,160 It is permitted to abstain from coffee and be a member of this 717 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:33,360 church. I am not binding anybody's 718 00:46:33,360 --> 00:46:35,440 conscience. I'm really offering an 719 00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:38,440 illustration. What does a good cup of coffee 720 00:46:38,440 --> 00:46:42,840 do for you? It energizes you, helps you stay 721 00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:46,920 awake. That is what each member of this 722 00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:49,720 church should be for other members. 723 00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:54,120 How can you be that good cup of coffee for another church 724 00:46:54,120 --> 00:46:56,560 member? Encourage them with God's 725 00:46:56,560 --> 00:47:01,440 promises. Speak truths of Scripture to 726 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:04,640 them. Help make sure that fellow 727 00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:07,400 members make it to church. I love the way that so many of 728 00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:09,360 you offer rides to each other. For those who don't have a car 729 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:11,800 or can't drive, use that time on the way to have a spiritual 730 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:14,840 conversation. Come to church eager in those 731 00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:17,800 few minutes before, a few minutes after, not just to check 732 00:47:17,800 --> 00:47:19,720 in or get to know somebody, although that's good. 733 00:47:19,720 --> 00:47:21,640 Not just to have a little get to know you conversation, though 734 00:47:21,640 --> 00:47:24,760 that's good, but to have deliberate spiritual 735 00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:29,960 conversations. And if you're not a member of a 736 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:32,960 faithful evangelical church, I want to appeal to you, not so 737 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:37,200 much to join this church, but to join a faithful gospel preaching 738 00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:40,000 church. Being a committed member of a 739 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:43,080 church is one of the most crucial antidotes to spiritually 740 00:47:43,080 --> 00:47:46,320 falling asleep. When you join a church, you gain 741 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:50,600 however many dozens or hundreds of potential good cups of coffee 742 00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:53,080 to help you keep from falling asleep. 743 00:47:54,720 --> 00:47:57,680 When you're not a committed part of a local church, there's a 744 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:01,040 spiritually significant sense in which you're on your own. 745 00:48:01,560 --> 00:48:02,920 It's not how God means us to live. 746 00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:06,200 It's not how Jesus means for us to be parts of His body. 747 00:48:06,520 --> 00:48:09,160 If you are a Christian, you are a member of the body of Christ, 748 00:48:09,160 --> 00:48:12,960 so you should be a committed member of a local body of 749 00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:14,920 Christ. If you want to learn more about 750 00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:16,640 what it would look like to be a member of our church, I would 751 00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:19,120 encourage you to come to our membership class next week, 752 00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:22,200 right after church lunch and three hours into the afternoon. 753 00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:26,760 Jesus is coming, is certain, and it's time is unknown. 754 00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:31,080 How can you be ready? Know what time it is? 755 00:48:32,240 --> 00:48:35,320 Trust Jesus's words and stay awake. 756 00:48:38,040 --> 00:48:41,880 This is Jesus's last public teaching in the Gospel. 757 00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:46,920 In the next chapter, he's going to be betrayed at night. 758 00:48:49,320 --> 00:48:52,720 In the next chapter, Jesus will take a side three out of the 759 00:48:52,720 --> 00:48:56,880 four disciples who are with him here, Peter, James and John, and 760 00:48:56,880 --> 00:49:03,520 he will instruct them to keep watch and stay awake while he 761 00:49:03,520 --> 00:49:06,640 goes off and prays. What happened? 762 00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:13,000 They fell asleep. Jesus kept watch through prayer. 763 00:49:13,960 --> 00:49:19,800 They fell asleep. They were sleeping and caught 764 00:49:19,800 --> 00:49:22,720 sleeping by Jesus when his hour came. 765 00:49:23,280 --> 00:49:27,000 What hour was that? The predicted hour to be 766 00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:32,120 betrayed to his death. In our passage, Jesus predicts 767 00:49:32,120 --> 00:49:36,120 the judgment that's going to fall on Israel and Jerusalem 40 768 00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:39,120 years hence. In the next couple chapters of 769 00:49:39,120 --> 00:49:42,920 Mark. Jesus will suffer judgment and 770 00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:45,720 destruction that each of us deserves for our sin. 771 00:49:46,840 --> 00:49:51,080 And then, just as He promises to return, so He returned from the 772 00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:56,280 grave, bringing light and life with Him to all who trust in 773 00:49:56,280 --> 00:50:00,000 Him. Just as He returned from the 774 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:05,720 grave, so one day He will return to us again, bringing the new 775 00:50:05,720 --> 00:50:10,240 creation with Him. We know He will, we just don't 776 00:50:10,240 --> 00:50:17,080 know when. So be ready, stay awake, let's 777 00:50:17,080 --> 00:50:25,430 pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you 778 00:50:25,430 --> 00:50:29,670 for these sobering and comforting words. 779 00:50:30,560 --> 00:50:34,240 Pray that we would believe that Jesus is coming back and that 780 00:50:34,240 --> 00:50:37,080 our lives would be changed as a result. 781 00:50:37,840 --> 00:50:39,800 We pray in His name. Oh man.