"Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
"Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’"
Good Morning my beloved,
I believe that there are many within the church today that have become enamored with success, prestige and power, acting more like the world than the people of God, and as a result the influence of the church has drastically diminished. In fact, there is very little difference between many of those sitting in the pews and those in the world, they become just as angry when confronted with their sin, denying committing adultery, stealing company supplies for personal use and cheating on their tax returns. Even in the ministry, many are running around leading double lives, looking like the ungodly. They are praising God with their lips while acting as though they deserve the credit for what God has done. Narcissism is deadly to ministry. I believe the reason that the church is struggling because we have started acting and looking like the world. In Leviticus 20:26, God has clearly said, "Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine." Perhaps we need is a strong dose of end times imagery to open our eyes to the reality this temporary planet will not exist much longer, we have every reason to believe, the earth as we know it, will soon pass away. This should have a profound impact on the way we conduct our lives, and necessity of faithfully following Christ, even if no one else does! We are called to live lives that will make Christ more attractive to others, unfortunately, the witness of many modern contemporary Christians have been rendered ineffective because of some public behavior that was unbecoming a Christian. It is unthinkable that if Jesus were here teaching today, He would be way too holy, far too righteous, far too intolerant, for our immoral generation and they react no differently than corrupt religious leaders of His day. They would hate Jesus for condemning "good people" and forgiving "bad people" and they would crucify Him.
In Luke 17:26-27, Jesus said "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they
were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being
given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the
flood came and destroyed them all." The return of our Lord Jesus Christ will be unexpected, unannounced, yet, many Christians have lost sight of what is yet to come. How many times must the Bible say "Be on the alert! Be on the alert!" before the church, the professed people of God, will wake up? We’ve all been warned over and over, repeatedly, it's nobody's fault but your own if you're not ready! Sadly, many in the church are more concerned with trying to figure out who the Antichrist is than they are anticipating the glorious appearing of the Lord.
After having previously given them general signs, followed by some more specific indicators, and so to summarize, Jesus transitions into an uncomplicated parable, to answer the "when" question. When you understand that the parables given to the disciples were for the purpose of understanding, they're really not very difficult to understand.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Amen
Today's Message: Will You Work In The Waiting?
Open our Bibles if you would to Mark chapter 13. I trust you will be following along with me as I read, I pray that we would not to just listen to what Jesus is saying, but that we would strive to grasp it's meaning, allowing it to penetrate us deeply. Let's open our hearts and listen for what the Spirit of God has to say to us today. Mark 13:28-37.
"Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
"Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore,
be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is
coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows,
or in the morning— in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’"
Let's look at verse 28, "Now
learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become
tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near." Notice He begins the parable with "Now learn," Jesus wants us to thoroughly understand, to learn the lesson that comes out of this illustration of the parable
from the fig tree. The analogy of this lesson applies to any tree, when the tree begins to bud, and the leaves start to form, there is a tenderness to the branch, it needs to be cared for carefully. Because spring has come and summer is near, we all understand that. If the tree is a fruit producing tree, we know that summer is the time for fruit. The Bible frequently speaks of the harvest as the time when God will sent His angels to separate the tares from the wheat, the evil from the good. It's important to understand, that as we move toward the impending judgment, God calls His people to warn those in darkness, of the time when God will separate the righteous from the unrighteous, and the unrighteous will burn in the unquenchable fire. We know that the harvest is the final judgment. In Matthew chapter 9:37-38, Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Because many pastors are embarrassed to proclaim the Gospel in Truth because someone might be offended, many professing Christians in the church are living as immorally as the unredeemed world, the coming harvest will be day of great grief and of desperate sorrow. Because God sees people with perspective of eternity, not just their current spiritual condition, we need to communicate the Gospel with authority, so they will believe it. Because of His compassion for people, Jesus told to the Truth because He loved them, if you have forgotten this Truth, you’ve lost the most important part of Gospel message. Jesus welcomes penitent sinners and He rejects impenitent sinners and the religious self-righteous.
Verse 29, here He is linking the application of the parable with the end of man’s day and the beginning of God’s day. "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door." When you see all these things happening, when the abomination of desolation comes, the generation that is alive at that time will see the return of Christ. He's right at the door. Jesus is emphasizing the urgency of sharing the Gospel with a lost and dying world, so that they may come to know the One True God and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who alone can offer them salvation.
Verse 30, "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."
There has been a lot of confusion about what generation Jesus was speaking of. Many have wrongly assumed He was referring directly to the disciples. Obviously, this is incorrect, because they all died before the Second Coming. By "this generation," Jesus is saying this message is for a generation in the future that is going to see these signs. Those who don’t know Christ as Lord and Savior, will not go up in the Rapture, the invisible church will already be taken out, we know that by the seven letters to the church in the book of Revelation, where He is warning the church to repent and purify themselves before His return. The rapture will have already occurred, because true believers will be kept out of the Tribulation. In fact, the church isn't even mentioned or implied after Revelation chapter 4, I believe that's rather significant proof the true church will not be here. When Christ comes to set up His Millennial Kingdom, He’s coming with the saints. If the Rapture and the Second Coming were to happen at the same time, who will be left to populate the 1,000 year kingdom? So "this generation" has to refer to those who are alive at that time because they were not taken up in the Rapture.
Verse 31, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." This is an inconceivable statement, difficult for us to comprehend. It's hard to imagine that the world as we now know it will cease to exist, but not until everything stated in Scripture is accomplished. In Matthew 5:18, Jesus clearly emphasizes "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
In spite of evolutionists claims, the earth is not 4.5 billions of years old. Quite frankly, if God wanted us to know the exact age of the earth, He surely could have given us that information in Genesis 1, where everything I need to know about the history of the world is provided, by the Creator! I can't help being reminded of the Job Factor in Job 38:4-5, when God asked "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know!" One thing is self-evident to me, I am not the source of Truth, God is, I am however responsible to proclaim it. God's Word is absolutely true and unchanging, He has not changed His mind about sin, or those who commit it, in spite of what many in the church are teaching today. I understand that puts me at odd with this post-modern culture, where there is no absolute Truth.
I do believe that if you are truly born again, if Christ's sacrificial death has been applied to you, if the Holy Spirit indwells in you, your conduct will reflect
that. When was the last time you heard your pastor teach a message on the subject of deliverance from sin? For many sadly, that answer is never, because they want to define truth on their own terms. If you want to know the way things really are, then you must go to the source of Truth, God's Word, that's the Truth I proclaim. I am absolutely shocked by how confused some pastors are about what the Bible teaches. The evangelical church is moving further and further away from what glorifies God, moving toward what glorifies the sinner, and they will continue to do so until someone stands up and boldly holds them accountable. Where you have shallow biblical teaching, you will inevitably have a superficial understanding of God's Divine Truth, the two are inseparable. The problem is people are content with a shallow teaching because the Bible contains Truth they don’t want to hear, it confronts sin and commands you to walk away from it. God's Divine truth is not found in somebody’s opinion, it's found in God's revealed Word. You can take it, you can leave it, but you can’t
tamper with it any way you want to make it say something other than
what it says in order to justify your sin. When people come under the powerful, authoritative preaching of God's Word, as set forth by God, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they will begin to see sin for what it is, a damnable offense to God, rather than something to be celebrated. Scripture is clear, no one can be a Christian who does not understand, believe, embrace the Truth, who has not been delivered from sin unto righteousness. Ezekiel 36, "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." In other words, "I’m going to change everything about you, from the inside out." That is the very essence of regeneration! 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." Everything is completely changed, your attitude, your affections, your desires. I’m far from perfect, but the person I was, is not who I am anymore. I don't want to practice sin, I want to obey God's Word. That’s how you can tell who’s a Christian. In fact, 1 Corinthians 5:11,
tells us we're "Not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an
immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a
drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one."
Verse 32, "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." I imagine if people knew the exact moment the Lord was coming, they would be living fast and loose, trying to slip in at the last moment. That's why He’s told us what will happen and He's told us to stay alert, to live every moment in anticipation, to expect His coming at any moment. Jesus deliberately chose not having access to the day and hour of His return, by veiling His deity, He willingly restricted Himself to certain human limitations, in order to live fully as a human being, that does not make Him any less God. Jesus is God. God incarnate, God in the flesh. Since no one knows the day or the hour, but the Father alone, you better be ready or go to hell forever. Even the angels around the throne of God don't know the day or hour. Even though Jesus is God and is fully worthy of all glory, becoming human, He became a "little lower than the angels. Everything the Father told him, He knew and revealed. By the way,
He resumed full knowledge after His resurrection.
The message here, be ready, because you don't know when you're going to die, put your trust in Christ now so you don’t die in unbelief. Those people who are alive to see those signs, can know it's near, but they are not going to know the exact time. Because God has not chosen to reveal it, you better expect it at any time, living in anticipation. The rapture of the church could be very soon, in fact, I believe that it could happen in this generation. There’s not going to be sign for that. Interestingly enough, even though He says "no one knows," that hasn’t stopped some people from thinking they can predict when Jesus is coming back, with all these ridiculous calculations. The problem with that is, how do
you do you calculate something that cannot be known? Not only do people not know the day and the hour the Lord is coming, what's worse is most of them don’t even care, even with all the things that are going on in the world today.
Verse 33, "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come." We don’t know what generation it’s going to come upon, that's why the Lord wants every generation to live in expectancy of His return. I do not know when Jesus will return, but I do know that day is firmly established in God's plan. Before Christ returns sin has run its course. Looking at our world today, it’s hard to imagine that the fullness of sin has not yet run its reckless course, but it's true. God doesn’t keep a time clock, He's waiting until all those who will be saved are. 2 Peter 3:8, "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day." It is deeply disturbing that so many pastors are still preaching man-centered messages rather than warning people of the impending day of judgement, as if they haven’t got a clue about what is coming.
Verse 34, "It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert." He gives us a pretty simple illustration to demonstrate that all we have belongs to Him, we don't own anything, we're put in charge to manage what belongs to Him until He returns. We all have a job to do in God’s Kingdom and we are to take that responsibility very, very seriously, being faithful to cultivate our field of service. We will give an account to Him for our duties. Notice He even identifies one to be a doorkeeper, who must stay on the alert to let the master in. In other words, we each have a responsibility, we are not to be found sleeping at our posts when He returns. So stay awake, be alert and faithful to our duty! Though this message is written for a future generation, since believers today do not know when the church will be called up to meet Him in the air, we must diligently proclaim the Gospel in a post-Christian society, so that non-believers won’t have to face that horrific time of judgment.
Verses 35-36, "Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning —in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep." Jesus repeats the warning to the generation alive at that time, telling them to be on the alert, they’re going to see the signs but they’re not going to know the day or the hour of His return. He will come unexpectedly, don't be caught off guard!
That brings us to verse 37, " What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!" He repeats it again because that generation needs to be on alert.
In chapter 21 of Luke's parallel account, he adds "Be
on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with
dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will
not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth." He's talking to the future generation of believers, who are alive to see the signs, you know He’s near, keep watching. Do not allow themselves to be overwhelmed, distracted with the things that can cause you to struggle, and don't get caught up in trying to find comfort in drunkenness and debauchery. If you do, that day will come on you suddenly like a trap leaving no possible way of escape. Then he says "But
keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to
escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." Those who wait and come to Christ for salvation will not be able escape the horrific things that are going to be coming upon them, those who see the beginning of it, will certainly see the end, unless they're martyred for their faith in Christ. Escaping the horror of that day and eternal judgment of hell is surely one of the greatest reasons I know of to get saved today and go to heaven. If you think that the world is bad now, all the crime, violence, human trafficking, murder, it's all going to get much, much worse, the worst time the world has ever seen. If I wasn't already saved, that would be motivation enough for me! Woe to the generation that is alive to see the abomination of desolation, judgment and fierce wrath of God has come upon the earth. That's why all of this is written down, revealed in the pages of Scripture, so that you won’t have to go into this horrific time. Yet, many are not going to wake up, until it's too late. In Matthew 24 He says "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah." Noah preached for 120 years and still people ignored the truth, they didn’t
believe a word of it until the flood came and they were washed away. Only Noah and his family were preserved.
It's the same today, even though faithful preachers are proclaiming the Truth, warning people to get right with God, the majority of people aren't going to listen, they don’t have an interest in the Truth. They're going to mock us, scoffing, continuing to live just as they always have. We understand that's the way it's going to be, still, we must proclaim the Gospel to anyone who will listen, praying for Jesus’ intercession for the lost, trusting Him for the results. There have been countless multitudes of lost souls that have been saved through the centuries, I urge you to pray for the salvation of all people, not just those for whom you have natural affections, like friends and family. God honors those prayers for the souls of the lost; He’ll honor yours too.
Sadly, many church goers are too busy fellowshipping with each other and "polishing our own brass," and taking soul winning classes, to good to take the time to share the Good News of the Gospel with sinners. I pray that you're not one of them, because we'll all stand before Him and give an account for our service from the time of our conversion. Proclaim the Gospel of salvation to people in love, whether you know them or not, and pray He saves them from their sins. I can't bear the thought of another lost soul being separated from Christ, suffering in torment in Hell forever, because I was afraid to speak up. Even if one repents and believes, it will have been worth all the mocking and persecution I may face from the others. I pray that you will share my passion, my burden for the lost, for the Lord’s sake.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2024 All Rights Reserved
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2024 All Rights Reserved