The Gospel of Mark: The Second Coming - Part 3

In the early 1990's Lee Jang Rim, leader of the Dami Mission in South Korea, began predicting that the Rapture would take place at midnight on October 28, 1992. As the date approached, tens of thousands of Christians in South Korea gathered in over 200 churches awaiting the end of the world which they believed would happen at midnight. In one church over 2,500 expectant Christians gathered to sing hymns and wait for the rapture.

In the weeks prior to the anticipated event thousands of Korean believers sold their property, abandoned their families, quit schools and jobs and some even deserted military posts. There were even some reported suicides. When the rapture did not happen, one pastor simply told his church members, "Nothing has happened. Let's go home. Let's go back to a normal life."

There is a fascination among Christians for predicting the day and hour of our Lord's return. Yet Jesus himself made it clear that the day of His coming is the most closely guarded secret of the universe. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13:31–33, NIV84).

Are we to anticipate Christ’s Second Advent? Yes. Are we to watch for it? Yes. Jesus even told us to pray for it. The Scriptures are very clear that the Second Coming of our Lord will happen. It will be visible. It will be a glorious event for those who have committed their life to Jesus. It will be a time of anguish and gnashing of teeth for those who have not. C.S. Lewis, referring to how the lost man will perceive the Second Coming of our Lord, wrote: When Christ returns, how awful to know that all of it was true, and that it is too late to do anything about it. Are we to attempt to set dates of when it will happen? NO!

The question of the moment is: "How are Christians to live in light of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?" Jesus tells us: we are to watch!

The Bible gives us examples of the different kinds of watchers we can be.

I. WE CAN BE LAZY WATCHERS Mark 13:33-37

1. there are some believers who, early in their faith, eagerly anticipate the coming of our Lord, but as time goes by they become disinterested and ultimately do not really expect the Lord to come at all in their lifetime

a. they become lazy watchers

2. Jesus says that his return is characterized by the rich man who goes on a vacation or takes a holiday leaving his staff in charge of his large estate

a. the housekeeper asks, "When will you be coming home?" to which the master of the house replies, "I'm not really sure. When I feel like it, I guess."

b. the housekeeper, the chauffeur, the gardener, and the cook all have their assigned duties to perform and are to continue to faithfully execute their jobs just as if the owner of the estate is there watching

1) a week goes by and there is no sign of the homeowner

2) a month goes by and then another and still there is no indication when the master of the house will return

3) a year goes by, and still the master of the house has not returned

c. the servants begin to grow lax in their duties

1) the limousine and Porsche do not get polished as frequently

2) weeds begin to sprout in the once immaculately kept lawns and gardens

3) dust collects on the fireplace mantles and bookshelves

4) the staff is forced to eat leftovers and finally TV dinners

d. finally, the staff begins to take long siestas in the afternoon believing that surely there will be enough advanced notice of the owner's return that they will have time to get the house in order

3. the staff has become lazy in their watchfulness for the master of the estate

a. when they least expect it, guess who'll be coming to dinner?

b. in Luke’s version of the Mount Olivet Discourse we read

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”” (Luke 21:34–36, NIV84)

4. we can become lazy watchers

II. WE CAN BE PRE-OCCUPIED WATCHERS Luke 12:16-19

1. there are some Christians who are so pre-occupied with the events, agendas, meetings and concerns of this world that thoughts of Christ’s Second Advent don’t every enter their conscious thought

2. when we are pre-occupied with an event or situation we are all but oblivious to other events taking place around us

ILLUS. Every parent who has ever tried to have a conversation with their child during his or her’s favorite TV cartoon show knows this to be true.

3. worldly Christians are pre-occupied Christians

ILLUS. Many well-meaning Christians think that worldliness consists only of certain sinful practices that non-Christians engage in. Smoking, dancing, drinking, gambling, and theater-going are the "big five" that once headed the list for Baptists. Some add other things like too much makeup on women, long hair for men, and hip-hugging jeans. The implication is that, if you’re a Christian, and if you don't do these things you're spiritual. Now, I'm not suggesting that our social behaviors don't matter. Some of them are condemned by biblical principles, and indulging in others can lead to spiritual ruin. What I am saying is that worldliness is primarily a condition of the heart rather than a code of conduct. C. Stacey Woods calls it a "self-indulgent attitude ... toward life, the material universe, and all life's relationships." J. Henry Jowett says, "Worldliness is a spirit ... It is a life without high callings, a life devoid of lofty ideals. It is a gaze always horizontal and never vertical." In other words, anything that takes priority over devotion to Christ.

4. the answer to worldly living is simple: Keep on watching because you don’t know when the owner of the house will come back

a. we should not become so preoccupied with the events, agendas, and meetings of this world that we become unconscious of his coming

5. if we are not careful we can become pre-occupied watchers

III. WE CAN BE FAITHFUL WATCHERS

Mark 13:35 "What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!'"

1. the Second Coming will happen

ILLUS. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the Second Coming of Christ. There are 1,845 references to it in the Old Testament, and a total of seventeen Old Testament books give it prominence. Of the 260 chapters in the New Testament, there are 318 references to the Second Coming — one out of 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. For every prophecy on the First Coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s Second Coming.

2. what does it mean to be a faithful watcher?

A. WHILE WE WATCH FOR CHRIST'S COMING WE ARE TO LIVE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:19–25, NIV84)

1. because Jesus is our Great High Priest ... "we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place."

a. because Jesus intercedes continuously for us before God we can have a confidence in approaching God

ILLUS. Most of you have seen the movie classic, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman and the Cowardly Lion have traversed many miles and come through many dangers to present their petitions before the Great and Powerful Oz. But they approach the Wizard in fear and trembling with no assurance that he will even receive them,

b. that is the same way many believers approach God

1) in fear and trembling and trepidation

2. one of the challenges of being a Christian is drawing near to God with confidence

a. what good is access to God if you do not avail yourself to that access?

3. Christ alone has given us the wonderful ability to have fellowship with the God of Heaven

a. this access is made possible through his body which was "broken for us"

ILLUS. The Apostle Paul writes that Christ has provided access before God "through the curtain, that is, his body." Paul uses the example of the rending of the Temple Curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple complex, (Matt. 27:51). The veil was a symbol of a strictly limited access to God. When Christ died that veil was ripped in two from top to bottom. Hebrews tells us the veil represented the Christ who gave his life for us. When he died to bring forgiveness to all who would accept him it represented unlimited access before God.

4. While We Wait for Christ's Second Coming, We Are to Live in Fellowship with God

B. WHILE WE WATCH FOR CHRIST'S COMING WE ARE TO PERSEVERE IN HOPE

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23, NIV84)

1. trials and temptations are real for all of us

2. Satan hurls his fiery darts our way and seeks to penetrate our shields of faith

a. can we be honest?

b. sometimes we don't raise our shields fast enough and his attack wounds us

3. in the face of all that, Satan and the world sends our way it is sometimes tempting to give in to a sense of hopelessness

a. don't do it!

4. when those times come the Bible says "Hold on!"

a. the idea is not that we can loose God's grace if we don't hold on, but rather we hold on because in our hope we have assurance and the promise of better days

b. we can take heart because the one who has promised us hope of better days if faithful

5. while we watch for Christ's coming we are to persevere in hope

ILLUS. One of the great hymns of the faith is When We All Get to Heaven. The last stanza reads:

Onward to the prize before us!

Soon His beauty we’ll behold

Soon the pearly gates will open;

We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to Heaven, What a day rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus, We’ll sing and shout the victory!

C. WHILE WE WATCH FOR CHRIST'S COMING WE ARE TO LIVE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24–25, NIV84)

1. the Christian faith is not lived and practiced in isolation

a. there are many "lone wolf" Christians in our society

2. you will never, ever find a growing, maturing Christian outside of the fellowship of other Christians

a. pick a leaf from a tree and it will shrivel

b. take a coal out of the fire and it will grow dim and grow cold

c. separate a believer from the church and you will find a backslider

3. most of you here tonight know that the phrase "One another" is a significant thought in the New Testament

a. we are to "love one another" John 13:34-35

b. we are to "be kind to one another" Eph 4:32

c. we are to "bear one another's burdens" Gal. 6:2

d. we are to "confess our sins to and pray for one another" James 5:16

e. we are to ... well, there’s about twenty more

4. here in Hebrews 10:24 we are to "stir up one another"

a. the phrase "stir up" is a strong word which mean to "sharpen, stimulate, incite, or provoke"

1) NIV translates it as "spur one another on to love and good deed"

2) the idea is that we are to motivate each other to be the best possible Christians we can be

3) how many believer have been discouraged because other believers have put them down or jumped on their case for one reason or another

5. Paul encourages us to meet, to worship and to encourage each other while we wait for the Lord's return

What kind of watcher are you? Are you a faithful watcher? Are you a preoccupied watcher? Are you a lazy watcher?

First of all, it will make all the difference in the world to your understanding of the problems and your attitude toward the problems of our society. Anyone who yearns for the second coming and longs for the second coming hates the same things God hates and wants the same things God wants, and is working, right alongside of him, for those things.

Secondly, it also makes all the difference in the world to your personal behavior and your personal ethics, and especially, what I would call, personal integrity. C. S. Lewis wrote, concerning Christ’s Second Advent, “Precisely because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all times. The sentry does not know at what time the enemy may attack, or the sentry does not know the time an officer might inspect his post, so he must be awake at all times.”

Lastly, it makes all the difference in the world to your ability to forgive and make peace with people who have wronged you.

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