Living with Intention and Anticipation (Mark 13:24–37)

CPT: Jesus describes that in a world of uncertainty, his followers should be faithful to their mission as they live in anticipation of his return.

Purpose: Encourage the church to live on mission, living with intentionality and anticipation of the Lord.

CPS: In an uncertain world, Christians are called to live with intention and anticipation.

Christians should live with intention by being spiritually and mentally prepared.

Christians should live with intention by engaging in God’s mission for their life.

Christians should live with intention by having a heart of anticipation to see Jesus.

Introduction

Attention

I want you to know today that living the Christian life is exciting! Sure, we face troubles. We face issues and problems. There are family things that come up, things at our workplace, whatever it is. But there is also a new life. God is working in you. He abides in you. There is an excitement to the Christian life. The world is uncertain. But in an uncertain world, Christians live with intention and anticipation because we love Jesus.

What does it look like to live with intention? When we lived on the east coast, my wife and I took a trip to Virginia. We traveled over this bridge called the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Now, we have an incredible bridge in San Diego called the Coronado Bridge. That bridge is 2.1 miles long.

But the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, that bridge is a 17.6 mile bridge-tunnel from shore to shore that goes both above the water and under the water. They had to construct four artificial islands for this bridge.

Now to build this took teams of engineers that lived with intention. Everyday, from 1958 to 1964, they had to have a picture in their mind of what the end would be. Pieces were laid down with precision. There was rigorous testing to make sure that the end product would be safe for traffic. It was finished and is known as an engineering marvel.

Do you know that the Christian life is meant to be lived with precision? We lay down the pieces in our life so that the end product, when we stand before the Lord, glorifies him. That takes living a life of intention and anticipation of being with the Lord.

Problem

Living with intention is hard. We all fall short, which is why the grace of God is so important in our lives. But we strive to be people who live with purpose, with intention, with anticipation of Christ. How can we live with intention and anticiptation of Jesus?

Context

We will be in Mark 13:24-37, which is on page 901 in your pew Bible.

We are in the middle of a teaching Jesus gives his disciples known as the Olivet Discourse. It’s called that because Jesus is giving this teaching to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, a mountain with olive groves that is close to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The Olivet Discourse is a teaching filled with different predictions and prophecies. Jesus predicts that the Temple will be destroyed, a prophecy that was fulfilled in 70 AD during the first Jewish-Roman War. The set the Temple on fire, the gold melted between the stones, and the Roman soldiers moved the stones to get to the gold, literally fulfilling Jesus’ prediction in Mark 13:2 “Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.”

He gives them signs of the end of the age, a time filled with false Messiahs and false prophets. He warns of coming persecutions and a time where there will be in Mark 13:19 “days of tribulation, the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning of creation until now and never will be again.”

That brings us to Mark 13:24, where he speaks of “those days, after that tribulation.”

Scripture Reading

Mark 13:24–37 CSB

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; 25 the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 He will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28 “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near—at the door. 30 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 32 “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—but only the Father. 33 “Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming. 34 “It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. 35 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. 36 Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”

Pray

There is a common phrase that we hear in this text. It is repeated four times: “Be alert!”

In this passage, last week we described the Olivet Discourse in a negative sense, telling us to be alert against deception, because there will be many false messiahs, false prophets, and other forms of deception as the time grows near.

Here in a positive sense, Jesus tells the Christian to be alert by living a life with intentionality and anticipation.

When you live with intention, you live a life that takes purposeful action. You are proactive in life, taking actions that are aligned with God’s will and purpose for your life. Living with intention involves a mindful engagement in the present moment. For a Christian, a mindful engagement with the present moment, being alert, includes a hopeful expectation of the future, a hopeful expectation of God’s promises.

Being alert for a Christian is to live with intention and anticipation. I believe we see that in three ways in Mark 13:24-37.

First,

Christians should live with intention by being spiritually and mentally prepared.

In the Olivet Discourse, the Lord is the Good Shepherd protecting and preparing his sheep. He talked to us about being alert against deception, against false messiahs and false prophets.

As we get into Mark 13:24, Jesus is telling us to be alert for the signs of the time of his return. Jesus signs in the heavens that will alert us to his return. It says in Mark 13:24-25:

Mark 13:24–25 CSB

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; 25 the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

The heavens will react to the coming of the Son of Man. The sun will be darkened, the moon not showing its light, stars falling, and the heavens will shake at this return.

This reminds us of the reaction of creation when Jesus was hanging on the cross. In Matthew 27:45 it says, “From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land.” In verse 51, the earth quaked and the rocks split. The heavens and the earth reacted to the Son of God on the cross. In Matthew 27:54, a Roman centurion and those with him saw how the heavens and earth reacted to the Son of God on the cross, “they were terrified and said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God!'”

Imagine the reaction of people at the return of Christ. The Lord tells us that we will be in a world in chaos, a world following lies and deception, a world that is led astray by the evil one. In all of this uncertainty and chaos, how will people react to the sun being darkened, to the heavens shaking? There will be panic.

But why will there be panic? Because people are not spiritually and mentally prepared. There minds are in confusion, and they don’t believe in the things of God.

Many people today are not proactive in the things of God. Being intentional takes work. Instead, we are in a reactive mindset, being carried along by the news cycle. We want to relax and take it easy. We want to be entertained.

Being intentional takes work. It takes an ability to suffer and persevere through hard times because you can see five steps ahead, or ten steps ahead. When you are intentional, you know where this path is heading, and in the end, it’s leading to where you want to be.

Jesus’ life was full of intentionality. Even in his social gatherings, there was intention around it. When he was at a wedding in Cana, his disciples witnessed his power over creation in changing water to wine. When he dined with the tax collectors and sinners, he did so because in Matthew 9:12 “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.”

The intention of Jesus’ life was to do the will of the Father. Everything in his life, his actions, his words, his deeds, everything was aligned with the mission of the Father’s will. Jesus was was intentional to submit to the Father in everything he did.

Intention takes being spiritually and mentally prepared to submit to God. When the chaos falls around you, if you are spiritually and mentally prepared in Christ, you can step into the chaos knowing who has the power over the chaos.

Being spiritually and mentally prepared has an urgency to it because of how temporary life is, and how temporary everything around us is. Look at how Peter described this in 2 Peter 3:10-11:

2 Peter 3:10–11 CSB

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. 11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness

So often, Christians and others go about their life as if everything will always be the same. The truth is, life goes by fast, and the world around us is not here forever. One day, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. This church will be gone. Your home will be gone. Things around us as we know it will be gone.

We live in a temporary time. What does all that mean? Look at 2 Peter 3:11 “11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness” When he says, “It is clear what sort of people you should be,” he is talking about intention.

There is a necessity to be proactive in our conduct, to be proactive in our godliness.

When you play on a professional sports team, there is an intentional preparedness that takes place. If you want to play for the Padres, there is an intention in your day.

You wake up early. You eat well, and get to the ballpark early. You step in for extra batting practice in the cage. You go out on the field and take some extra ground balls. If you pitch, you go on the mound and practice your pitches.

If you want to be the best player you can be, you continue this everyday. It’s a regular part of your life.

We know how to live with intention in our career, and how it takes being prepared. But Christ is calling the players on his team to be alert, being spiritually and mentally prepared for the field of life.

And he has told us what is ahead! We know how this all ends. The Lord is forever on the throne.

Christians should live with intention by being spiritually and mentally prepared.

Second,

Christians should live with intention by engaging in God’s mission for their life.

As the Lord gets to the end of the Olivet Discourse in Mark 13, he uses two parables to describe a sense of intention and anticipation in the Christian life.

The first parable is the parable of the fig tree. This is in Mark 13:28-29. He says:

The Parable of the Fig Tree

Mark 13:28–29 CSB

28 “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near—at the door.

People in first-century Israel lived in an agricultural society. Now, we tend to understand the seasons by looking at the date. But people in the first-century were deeply connected with the land. They could understand the coming seasons by observing changes in agriculture.

A fig tree was a common and familiar sight in Israel. Figs were a natural part of their diet. When they saw a fig tree’s branches become tender and leaves beginning to sprout, they knew that summer was near.

Now, if you are vigilant, and you see changes in the agriculture, you know the harvest is coming. If you are prepared and alert, you will be ready for the new season.

Our need to be prepared in where God has us is made clear in the second parable. It’s called the parable of the doorkeeper, and its in Mark 13:34-37:

The Parable of the Doorkeeper

Mark 13:34–37 CSB

34 “It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. 35 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. 36 Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”

There is a man on a journey. This is Jesus, the Son of God, who ascends into heaven, as we see in Acts 1:9. This brings us into an interim period where the Son of God is not physically on earth, a time away where he has left his servants to do the work of ministry until his return.

Now it says the man on a journey gave authority to his servants. What is this authority? Jesus empowered his servants through the authority of the Holy Spirit, as it says in Acts 1:8:

Acts 1:8 CSB

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Now, why does the Lord empower his people with the Spirit? For a number of reasons. Because he loves us. Because he has promised never to leave us alone. The Spirit gives us counsel. He guides and leads his people. Because the Spirit convicts people of judgment and changes hearts and minds. Because faith, hope, and love comes through the power God’s Spirit in your life.

But what I want you to see here is that you are empowered to be on mission for Jesus. The Christian life is not a passive life, where you are waiting for the next shoe to drop. The Christian life is an exciting and active life, empowered by the Spirit, and on mission for Jesus.

Notice in the parable what it says in Mark 13:34, the Master “gave each one his work.” If you are in Christ today, the Master has a purpose and plan for your life. He has given each of his servants a work to do.

Now, each person here lives in a context and will impact people that I will never reach. You have family members that I will never talk to. You have friends, co-workers, community members that I will never know. God has placed you in that context because he has a special work for you for his kingdom.

What is the greatest command? “Love God, love others.” If there is one thing I know, I know this: You are called to impact people for God’s kingdom. I don’t know what that looks like in your life, but you do. There are people around you, people that you have influence with, people that God has called you to for his glory.

What does that require? That requires for you to engage in the mission that God has given you. Be faithful to where God has you right now. Engage in the mission.

It says in the parable, when the Master comes, don’t let him find you sleeping.

It reminds me, in the church that I used to go to in New York City, they had an evening service. And it seemed that, in every Sunday night service, there was a guy in the back, and I didn’t know him. But one thing I knew about him, he was tired.

Because every Sunday night, during the sermon, you would hear him snoring in the back. He would snore loudly! The poor usher guy would have to go up to him, tap him on the shoulder, and wake him up.

It’s why we try to make sure that there is plenty of coffee ready for you all in the Keurig in the Welcome Center.

Now, our pastor was quite good. He would teach the Bible well, and I was blessed under his teaching. I wondered how much this man had missed in the sermons. He was there in the church, but he was missing out on what God had for him in the teaching.

Now, that’s just teaching. But I wonder how much we are missing out on what God for us because we are asleep on the job?

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul talks about being prepared for future times. He says in 1 Thess. 5:5-6:

1 Thessalonians 5:5–6 CSB

5 For you are all children of light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. 6 So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled.

The Christian life is an active life. It is an exciting life! We are called to be self-controlled and engaged in the work God has for us.

Apply

Christians should live with intention by being spiritually and mentally prepared.

Christians should live with intention by engaging in God’s mission for their life.

Last,

Christians should live with intention by having a heart of anticipation to see Jesus.

The Lord speaks of his future coming as something at an arrive an unpredictable time. He states this in Mark 13:32-33:

Mark 13:32–33 CSB

32 “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—but only the Father. 33 “Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming.

Now, to get into the question of the Christ’s divine knowledge regarding his coming would be a longer sermon. But regarding where it says that only the Father knows the day or hour, there is a submission within God. The Spirit submits to the Son, and the Son and the Spirit submit to the Father. With Jesus, he is always aware of the right timing. In John 7:6, speaking to others, he said “My time has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand.” The Son submits to the timing of the Father.

Jesus speaks with anticipation. He tells us to watch! To be alert! For you don’t know the time of his coming. For us, the time of his coming is every day, every hour. Christ is with you in this moment, for as it says in Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave you or abandon you.” Yet, there is also a desire, an anticipation within the Christian life that says, “I want to be with Jesus.” As Paul said in Philippians 1:23:

Philippians 1:23 CSB

23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—

When you love someone so much, you desire to be with them. Paul had this desire within him. He said also in 2 Corinthians 5:8 “8 In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” We long to see Jesus.

In the text in Mark 13, there is all kinds of chaos. There are false messiahs, false prophets, there is tribulation. There are signs in the heavens, where the sun doesn’t shine it’s light and the heavens are shaken. Yet, despite all the chaos, in the middle of the chaos, the Lord is triumphant over the troubles. He comes in victorious. In Mark 13:26:

Mark 13:26 CSB

26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

We worship the Lord, the one with all power and all glory. He is mighty. He is glorious. We await his return with anticipation, knowing that his words are true. As it says in our text today in Mark 13:31:

Mark 13:31 CSB

31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Do you know what will pass away? The troubles that you are facing. Do you know what will pass away? The sickness in your family, the troubles in your home, the addiction that you’re facing, all of it will pass away. But you know what will not pass away? God’s promises.

God promises that, if you put your faith in him, he will make you a new person. God promises that he will carry you through the things you’re facing. God promises that you will see him again, and you will have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

The cross is God’s promise to you. His Word says that all who believe in him will perish but have eternal life. His words, his promises, will never pass away. They are confirmed by his power and great might.

It is because he is so good, so powerful, so mighty, and so glorious, that we know he walks with us today, and we look forward to being with him forever.

There is a hymn called: “Standing on the Promises.” It goes:

Standing on the promises of Christ, my King, Through eternal ages let his praises ring;

Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God, my Savior;

Standing, standing, I'm standing on the promises of God.

The Lord says that his words will never pass away, and that is so good, because we are standing on the promises of God.

And because of who he is, because of his love, because of his grace, it is good to live every day with an anticipation to see Jesus. Do you do that? Do you know the goodness of Jesus? Do you know that he walks with you today? Do you anticipate to see him?

God is calling us to live lives with an intention to glorify him and an anticipation to see him. Come Lord Jesus! Amen.

Conclusion

Christians should live with intention by being spiritually and mentally prepared.

Christians should live with intention by engaging in God’s mission for their life.

Christians should live with intention by having a heart of anticipation to see Jesus.

Conclude

Prayer

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!