Be Ready

Mark 13:28-37

            The tittle of the message this morning is “Be Ready” because that is the command from Jesus in this passage. This is the end of the Olivet Discourse. We have been walking through this for the last month. Jesus has just given us a whole chapter of prophecy concerning His return to the world and the end of the age. And He sums it all up with this imperative; He says, “be ready.” Be alert. Stay awake.

But how do we do that, how can we be ready for the return of Christ? We do it by living for God today. We do it by living for His purpose for our life. We watch and we pray. We keep one eye on the world and one eye on the horizon for the world to come. We serve in our calling. We fulfill His mission.

We make disciples. We grow in the Spirit. We fill our lives with love, peace, joy and kindness and we become more like Jesus.  We seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and. we do all these things because that is what God has commanded us to do. We are to be about our Father’s business as we wait the return of our Savior. (Mark 13:28-37)

  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.

  29      “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.

  30      “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

  31      “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

  32      “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

  33      “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointedtime will come.

  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.

  35      “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—

  36      in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.

  37      “What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!” (Pray)

            Throughout history there have been many people who made predictions concerning the return of Christ, the rapture of the church and the end of the age.

In the 1800’s there was a group called the Millerites who became famous for their end times predictions. They were founded by a Baptist preacher named William Miller who predicted Christ would return on October 22, 1844. The movement gained so much momentum that Millerite churches began to pop-up all around the country and in Canada. People began selling their possessions and preparing for the day.

Well October 22nd came and went and was a great disappointment for many.  People became so angry they came out with clubs and attacked some of the Millerite churches. A church in New York was burned to the ground. Congregation members in Toronto were tarred and feathered. But the movement did not die out, it became the Seventh Day Adventist church that exists today.

In the 1980’s a man named Edgar Whisenant, a bible student and Nasa engineer wrote a book titled 88 reasons why the church will be rapture in 1988. It sold over three hundred thousand copies and was mailed out to ministers all over the world. But 1988 came and went with no rapture of the church. Still today, end times predictions are popular but that is because end times predictions are profitable. People capitalize off the fears and curiosity of others.

It has been over two-thousand years since Jesus gave us the words of this prophecy, but He never told us to make predictions, He told us to be prepared. That is the whole point of Mark 13. Throughout this chapter Jesus commands us to be ready.

In Vs. 5 He says, “see to it.”  Vs. 9, “Be on guard.”  Vs. 23, “Take heed.”  Vs. 33, “Take heed.” Vs. 33, “Keep on the alert.” Vs. 34, Stay on the alert.” Vs. 35, “Be on the alert.” Vs. 36, “don’t let Him find you asleep.” Vs. 37 “Be on the alert.” The message throughout this chapter is clear, be ready for Christ to return by living for God today.

The first thing I want you to see in this passage is “The signs are discernible,” Vs. 28-29. In these first two verse Jesus gives us three imperatives; He tells us to learn, know, and recognize the signs, but He never tells us to obsess about the signs. He begins with this parable of the fig tree. Notice Vs. 28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree; when it’s branch has already become tender and puts forth it’s leaves, you know that summer is near.”

Many people believe the fig tree here represents Israel because Jesus has used that metaphor before. He used it as an example back in Mark 11 when He cursed the fig tree for not producing fruit, we learned that it represented Israel, who failed to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God, and they suffered God’s judgment.

But that is not the case here. Jesus could have been talking about any tree, He just happened to be sitting on top of the Mount of Olives where there was an abundance of fig trees. Luke makes that clear in his version of the story, Luke 21:29 tells us that Jesus said, “Behold the fig tree and all the other trees.” So, this illustration applies to all the trees.

There have been people who have gotten so carried away by Jesus’ use of the fig tree they make predictions. They will say, since the fig tree represents Israel and since He says this generation will not pass until these things are fulfilled. And Israel became a nation again in 1948, then certainly this will be the generation Christ returns.

But they completely ignore what Luke says. No, the fig tree is just a tree like all other trees that go through changes with the seasons and Jesus’ point is discern the times, pay attention to what is going on around you and learn the lesson.

Vs, 29 says, “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” What Jesus is teaching us here is the same way we recognize the natural signs taking place in the world, as believers we should be able to recognize spiritual signs. We should be able to look at the world around us, know the things Jesus has said, and recognize He is close at hand.

Notice the phrase “these things” in Vs. 29. He is talking about the signs. He is talking about the wars and rumors of wars, the natural disasters, the false prophets, the persecutions. He says, when you see these things and they are growing in abundance like contractions at the birth of a child you will know I am standing at the door.

What is interesting to me is; He doesn’t say there is anything wrong with looking for the signs. In fact, we are told to learn, to know, and to recognize what is going on in the world around us. The point is to use discernment. But the implication here is that we are not supposed to obsess about it. We are to look for His return so that it doesn’t catch us off guard.

Also, it is important that we understand that no one lacks the natural ability to know Christ. Anyone in the world can look at what is going on and become a believer. But we lack the moral ability because we don’t want to.

We turn a deaf ear, a blind eye, and a hard heart to the truth of God. We act like there is not enough evidence for God, but the truth is we don’t want to see the evidence. So, Jesus uses the fig tree as an illustration and the fact is we can see what we want to see, and the signs are there. And His return is inevitable.

That is the next thing I want you to see in this passage is the events are inevitable. Vs. 30-31. These things that Jesus speaks of are going to happen, and they are going to happen rapidly.

Notice the phrase in Vs. 30, “Truly I say to you.” Jesus is the only one who uses this phrase in scripture. This is unique and exclusive to Him. And what He is saying is you need to pay attention, this is important.  Then He says, “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

This is one of the most disputed passages in scripture. The question is what Jesus means by this generation. I think it’s important that we remember the disciples asked Jesus two questions. One was about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the other was when He was going to come again.

And Jesus never makes a distinction between the two events. The signs that preceded the destruction of Jerusalem will be the signs that precede the end of the world. The point is these things are going to happen rapidly, within one generation. For the disciples living in the first century the destruction of Jerusalem happened in their lifetime and for the believers who live in the last days, it will happen in one generation as well. It is going to happen fast.

Not only are these events going to happen rapidly, but they are irrevocable. Notice Vs. 31, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” This is a promise from Christ that we can be certain of what He says..  And there are two things that stand out to me out to me in this verse.

First, He tells us, Heaven and earth are going to pass away. This is new information. We knew that the heavens would be shaken. We knew that the earth was going to convulse. But Jesus makes it clear to us they will cease to exist in their current condition. Peter teaches us the same thing in 2 Peter 3:10-11,

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and it’s works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”

 So, the heavens and the earth will pass away but if that is true, how does Jesus’ reign in a millennial Kingdom here on earth? The Apostle John teaches us in Revelation 21 there will be a New Heaven and a new earth. Things are going to be different. The lion will lay down with the lamb. A child will be able to play with a sneke. The world as we know it will be different.

2. I see, Everything Jesus said, is going to happen. You can count on it.The false prophets, the persecutions, the natural disasters, His return to the world. These things are more certain than the heaven and earth itself. Even though the universe is going to melt His promises never will.

This is a truth that applies to all of scripture. The Word of God is inerrant, infallible, unchanging, and will endure forever. And that is a great encouragement to us as believers because there are times when life becomes so difficult, we don’t know what to believe or who we can trust. But in those times, we can turn to the Word of God. It is the undisputed truth we can rely on.

There are some who will say it has been so long since Christ uttered these words, how can we believe it? So many of the things mentioned in this passage have already taken place. Maybe this is just a fable, maybe it is a figment of the imagination of a believer. But the Holy Spirit knew that would be the reaction of the world and He gave us 2 Peter 3:3-4.

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

There will always be people who scoff at the things of God but there are three things certain about the future of mankind; there will be a great tribulation such as the world has never seen before, the heavens and the earth will pass away, and Christ will return. That is what Jesus has said will happen and we can believe it, His words will never fail.

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is “The time is unknowable” Vs. 32. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but the Father alone.”

Only God knows when these things are going to take place. We need to humbly recognize there are some things we will never know about God. There are secret things that belong to Him alone and this is one of them. So, we don’t need to waste our time trying to figure it out.

Jesus Himself said, “I don’t know.” Even the eternal Son of God was walking by faith in this moment. This is the amazing integrity of the incarnation. That Jesus, God in the flesh came into this world and at times, He set aside the privileges of being God. He did that for us. He set aside some of His capabilities so that He could maintain the integrity of who He was. Now, I don’t understand that, but I will never understand all there is to know about God, and I humbly accept that.

We are told that the angels in heaven don’t know. So, if the angels don’t know and Jesus did not know, are we to believe that some prophecy teacher on TV has it figured out!! No, I think that any attempt to predict the time of Christ’s return is contrary to the Word of God. It violates scripture. Yet so many people ignore the words of Jesus and try and do it anyway. No one knows and if someone tells you they do, you can be sure their wrong.

The next thing I want you to see in this passage is the command to be watchful, Vs. 33-37.  Five times in these last verses we are told either to take heed or be on the alert.

And what I find interesting is we take the opposite approach. We believe, “if no one knows when Christ will return. If no one knows when these things are going to happen then there is no reason to think about them.” But Jesus says just the opposite, He says, “Be on the alert,” why? Because it just might be today!!! It could come at any moment and our job is to be ready, to stay alert.

But notice how we stay alert, Vs. 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.”

Jesus gives us this great illustration, and the point is, we are to stay busy with our assignments. Each one of us has a task to do in this world. Jesus is the man gone away on a journey and He has given us an assignment to do while He is away, and we are going to be accountable to Him when He returns. So, how do we know we are staying awake? We stay busy serving God.

 I think there are two mistakes we make as believers when it comes to staying awake.

 First, we get tired of waiting. We are serving God in life, we are witness to our family, our friends, and our neighbors. We pray, we try to live right, and go to church, we give in the offering, and we wonder where my reward is. I’m doing all the things I am supposed to do. Where is my blessing.

The reason: we feel that way is we’ve become apathetic and unhappy in our relationship with God. All our focus is on ourselves. It is an attitude of rebellion in our heart. Not only are we not alert to the things of God anymore, but we have fallen asleep on our relationship with Him. We have forgotten why we started this journey in the first place. And Jesus says, “wake up, guard the door and do your work.

The second mistake we make as believers, is we think we always have time. We can live our lives however we want, and we can always square things up with God later. The sin in our lives is no big deal because we always have time to ask for forgiveness. But the truth is no one knows how much time they have.

James 4:13-14, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” According to James our life is like a flickering flame. None of us are promised tomorrow but those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are promised eternity.

Also, I want you to notice the call to be ready is universal. It goes out to believers and unbelievers alike. Notice Vs. 37, “What I say to you I say to all, be on the alert.” To be on the alert is to be watchful. To be vigilant. It gives us the idea of being motivated and keeping your attention where it needs to be, having your mind on the right thing at the right time.

And that is good advice for everyone in the world, believer, and unbeliever alike. Because anyone can look at this world we live in and see that the time is near. As a person who has a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, I can say, “never the less Lord come quickly, come soon!!”

Does that describe your relationship with God? If He were to return today, would you be ready? And if not, how can you get ready? What will you do?

We stay on the alert by living for God today. We live for His purpose. We watch and we pray. We serve in our calling. We fulfill His mission.

We surrender our lives to Jesus, and we do the things God has commanded us to do. We look for the signs and we patiently wait for the Savior. We are the doorkeepers of the Kingdom of God.