Andy Pearson 20170620ct

Okay, now, it's true, isn't it, that there are areas of the Christian faith, there are elements of the Christian religion that we do not consider as we should in the 21st century church.

So there are areas of the Christian faith, elements of the Christian religion that we do not focus on perhaps as we should.

Areas that we don't get due consideration and time.

For example, if we focused on the predicament of the lost perhaps as we should, that would maybe tell in the way that we witnessed and our evangelistic zeal, wouldn't it?

Or if we focused on the holiness of God as we should, I think that would tell maybe in increase of more fervent repentance from sin.

So there are areas that we don't focus on as we should.

But perhaps chief amongst these overlooked essentials is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you not agree?

I think it was said of the early church that they thought more about the Lord's return than they did about their own lives and their own death.

I wonder if that could be said for us in here.

Isn't it true perhaps that Christ's return has maybe been pushed onto the back burner of the modern church, of the contemporary church?

Well in our short time this afternoon, what I hope we can do is just consider one or two elements about the return, the perusia, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we do that, before we get to the text, I think maybe we've got to say one or two things just about the different interpretations that people might have of Mark chapter 13.

Mark 13 · chapter mention

Because it's certainly the case that some people, some scholars, they see that what Jesus is doing in Mark 13,

is he is actually thinking only about the fall of Jerusalem in AD 17.

Now do you see where they're getting?

Do you see their point?

They're saying that when Jesus in this chapter, when he talks about increased persecution in the church,

when he talks about apostasy and things like that,

that really all he's got in mind is the time leading up to the fall of the temple in the first century.

So you've got that quite significant understanding of Mark 13.

So you've got that.

You've also got something else.

Because quite a few people think Mark 13 is just really, what we say, higgledy, piggledy.

That's what my mum would say anyway, higgledy, piggledy.

A bit over, all over the place.

A bit disjointed.

So they will see that what Jesus is doing.

Yes, in some places he's talking about the fall of the temple.

Maybe something.

In other parts he is talking about his return.

And their interpretation is he's just jumping from one thing to the other.

He's just all over the place.

There's no sort of coherent kind of thinking or coherent thought going on.

So that's another interpretation.

Now, to be honest with you, I don't think either of those interpretations does justice to Mark 13.

What I think is happening here is that really our Lord has both of those things.

Few.

Do you see what I'm saying?

That yes, at this moment he is preparing his disciples for the coming fall of Jerusalem.

Do you know what else he's doing?

He's using that event, the fall of the temple, really as a symbol or a kind of paradigm of the end of the age.

And when we've been looking at this in our congregation in the centre of London,

I think I've said the same thing at every single service, in every single sermon.

But really here in front of you what Jesus is doing is he's looking through that fall of the temple, fall of Jerusalem,

and he's looking through it to the time where he will return.

Return on the clouds.

And as we look at this very short section from verse 28 onwards just now,

I think what we'll see from our Lord, what we'll learn from our Lord,

are two important lessons about the second coming.

So it's not, I remember going to a meeting like this once in Edinburgh,

and the guy stood up and he said, well, I'm going to be short, but I do want to cover 11 points.

So basically, it won't be like that, I promise you, I promise you.

Two important lessons we learn from the Lord.

But each of those points has a necessary required response from you and from me.

So what do we have?

What's the first lesson we've got here?

Well, first of all, I think we learn from verse 28 onwards that the return of Christ is imminent.

Okay, you got it?

The return of Christ, the return of our Lord is imminent.

Now we know, don't we as Christians, that in Scripture,

our God loves to teach us using nature.

Isn't that the case throughout the Bible?

He uses, very often our Lord uses natural, nature metaphors,

metaphors taken from nature.

I'm sure you could cite some examples of that, couldn't you?

Let's go for the salt of the earth,

or maybe of when Israel is spoken of as a vineyard.

You see the idea, nature being prominent.

Now you'll see that that is how Jesus begins.

If you look at your Bible in verse 28,

he tells you and I to learn from,

do you see what it is?

It's a fig tree.

I don't know how familiar you are friends with fig trees.

My wife and I, we've got a fig tree just a couple of doors down.

One of our neighbours has one,

so it kind of makes a little bit of sense to me.

But even if you have never even in your entire life seen a fig tree,

the message here is not difficult.

So you understand this,

that in the Middle East,

the fig tree was very, very unusual

in how it bore fruit and bore leaves.

A lot of the trees in the Middle East,

they begin to bud in early spring.

Others in the Middle East, of course,

were evergreen trees.

There's the fig trees, they're thin.

You see, it's different entirely

because the fig tree,

they begin to bud just before the summer arrived.

Just as the summer was on the horizon.

Now you see, do you,

that's what Jesus sent us here.

He's saying just as people can look at a fig tree,

they look at it and they say,

yes, we can know for sure that summer is at hand.

Jesus, he is saying,

if you look at the world,

and if you see the signs that he's mentioned

in this portion of scripture,

if you see in the world,

increased persecution, apostasy,

what do we know?

What do we know?

We know that the summer,

we know that one great event

is on the horizon,

it is at hand.

Now, what is the obvious question

we've got to answer then?

If Jesus is saying,

if you see this in the world,

there's one great event.

What's the obvious question we've got to answer?

What is this great event he's talking about here?

Well, I think, to be honest with you,

primarily Jesus is talking about

the fall of Jerusalem.

If you've got your Bible,

if you look at verse 30,

see what he says.

He says,

he looks at the disciples,

they're sitting in the night of all this,

and he says to them,

this generation.

Do you see that?

This generation will not pass away

until all of these things have happened.

So I think primarily,

he is talking about the fall of the temple.

But hang on a second.

What did we just say?

We said that in this chapter,

Jesus very often is looking beyond the immediate.

So I think this is also what Jesus is saying.

He's speaking to us.

He's saying,

this generation,

the one in which we inhabit,

this present age,

these last days,

they will not pass away

until we see some of these things happen.

All of these things happen.

And when we understand that,

I wonder if we all in here just now

hear the message from God.

I think it's just four words.

I think he's saying to us,

the end is nigh.

Simply, I think that is it.

But let's be frank about things.

That since you and I live in the last days,

do you know what's true for us?

The end,

the return of the Lord Jesus Christ,

it's always nigh.

Do you understand?

The return for us in the last days,

the return of Christ is always nigh,

always imminent.

Now, let me pose to you a question.

How else, as Christians,

do we know that Christ's return

is at hand?

Isn't it true that we know

that that is the case

because Christ's return

is just one part

of a greater

redemptive event?

Isn't that the case?

I mean, how much do you think about

Christ's return?

Do you think of it

as a sort of separate entity?

Do you think about it

as a separate event?

It's not like that.

Do you see that it is one part

of a greater redemptive act

of God that includes

Jesus' life

and his death

and his resurrection?

It's a sin.

It is one part of a whole.

In fact, let me try

and explain it like this.

For years in this country,

if you were in school

and in a science class,

invariably you would be given

the same scientific experiment to do.

So perhaps if you were educated

in the United Kingdom,

perhaps it is the case

that you've done

this very science experiment.

And if you're a scientist,

you will have to excuse

if the details are a little bit rough.

But what happens

is that you would take

hydrogen peroxide

like it is.

Do you remember this?

And you would add it

to a black solution

and the solution was

iodine and starch.

Now if you do that,

hydrogen peroxide

to iodine and starch,

what happens?

What happens?

Not very much happens.

There's this strange

kind of delay.

You add it to the solution

and you have to wait a while

to look at the beacon

and wait before eventually,

immediately,

because of the chemicals involved,

that black solution

all of a sudden

turns bright blue.

And you see,

that's what we are

dealing with here.

Do you understand?

That because Christ's

resurrection and ascension

has been added

to his perfect life,

his righteousness,

and his death,

what's happening today?

Like, spiritually speaking,

what are we doing as Christians?

Do you see what we're doing?

We're staring at the beaker.

Do you see,

we're waiting.

There's this delay.

We're waiting

before the inevitable happens

that Christ Jesus

returns to this earth.

Do you see?

Christ Jesus,

his return is

always imminent.

It's always imminent

for you

and for me.

So,

tell you what,

let me

bring this

to your door

just now.

Let me ask you

what sounds like

a really

wishy,

washy question,

but it's not.

But I say to you

that Christ's return

is near.

And I say to you

that the Lord Jesus Christ

could return

this year.

As a Christian,

how do you feel

about that?

That Christ

could return

this year.

Is there a sense,

perhaps,

of anxiety

a little bit

with that?

Do you wonder

about your service,

your work,

in the church?

Is there,

perhaps,

even a sense

of fear,

maybe,

that builds up?

So,

if you're a Christian,

you need not fear

because did you notice

what Jesus says here

to calm your nerves

and calm your heart?

Have a look at

his verse 31.

What he says,

he says,

the end is coming.

It's for sure.

He says,

the heavens and the earth

are going to pass away.

But what does he say to you?

He says that his word

is not going to pass away.

You see what that is?

That there,

that's your security.

The fig tree

might begin to bud.

Summer

might be at hand.

What do you know?

What do I know?

We know that the gospel,

we know that the word of God,

we know that the incarnate

word of God

will endure.

We know that Christ,

our friends,

all who are in him,

we are going to outlive

this present age.

Isn't that,

isn't that encouragement?

Isn't that a beautiful thing

that there might well be

a nearness

to the Prusia?

There is.

But on that final day

if you're in Christ Jesus,

there's going to find,

you're going to find refuge

under the protective wings

of your God.

So you see here

that the return

of Jesus

is at hand

and is imminent.

Now the second thing,

he said two things,

and the second thing

we also see here

is that the timing

of the return of Christ,

the timing of it

is unknown.

I don't know

where you are

with scripture,

I don't know

where you sit

theologically,

you know,

if there was,

if there is,

or was with you

any doubt

that Christ

in Mark 13

is thinking

of his return,

I think that doubt

has to evaporate,

it has to be eradicated

by what Jesus

goes on to say

in that kind of

new section.

You see what he says

in verse 32,

he speaks of

that day.

It might seem

like an ordinary

phrase to us,

but actually

it's a technical phrase

that the prophets

would use

in Old Testament

scripture,

that day

was a technical phrase

to speak of

the day of the Lord,

the coming

of the Lord.

So what do we know?

We know for sure

Christ is thinking

of the end of the age.

I wonder

when

Paul read

this out earlier on,

did you

notice

the main theme

of this second section

here?

let me

spell it out

and underline it.

It is,

friends,

the hiddenness

of the timing

of Christ's return.

Or maybe

you would allow

this.

The main theme

here is the

unknowability

of exactly

when it is

that our Lord

and Saviour

is going to return.

Because we get

verse 32,

what does he say?

He says it

simply as

it is possible.

He says,

no one knows.

And that's

something he repeats.

No one knows.

No one knows.

It's something

that he extends out

because he says,

no one knows.

Look what he says.

He says,

no one knows.

The disciples don't know.

And he says,

the angels don't know.

Now,

I've come along

as Paul kindly

invited me

to come along here.

I wasn't sure

really what

was going to happen.

But I'm delighted

to be here.

And I can say

you look like

a well-read

and alert

and attentive

group of people.

So I'm sure

of this.

As Paul read it out,

I'm sure

that you saw

that in front of us

just now

we have one

of the most

arresting,

startling truths

in all of the Bible.

Did you see it?

Look,

verse 32.

Who does Jesus

add to the mix?

He says,

no one knows

when he sets

a return.

He says,

the disciples don't know.

He says,

the angels don't know.

Look who does that?

He sits

in the mouth

of all of the disciples

and he says,

and I,

I don't know.

Isn't that a nice thing?

Isn't it quite a

startling thing?

You know,

this is the Lord Jesus

we're dealing with

and he's saying,

I don't know

the age of the age,

I don't know

the time scale

or the timing of it all.

I do think

that could be

confusing for us.

So let's deal

with just a couple

of things here.

First of all,

let's ask him,

if Jesus Christ

doesn't know

the time of the

end of the earth,

can we truly

regard him as God?

Can we?

Like,

you see the question

in fact,

you know,

is it not the same

question that

the church was

embroiled in

and the Aryan

controversy

in the fourth century?

You know,

people were saying,

they were pointing

to this verse,

they were saying,

Jesus says,

I don't know

when I'm set to return,

I don't know

the end of the age.

So people were saying,

can he be defined?

I mean,

does this here

not suggest

that he is beneath God?

Does this not suggest

that he is subordinate

to God?

How would you answer that?

I'll tell you this,

I love the way

that we can answer that.

Oh,

do all we need to do?

All we need to do

is point back

to the very last

thing he said.

What did he say?

Heaven

and earth

are going to pass away.

My words are not

going to pass away.

Now what would every single Jew

have known?

They would have known

that that was an implied

claim of divinity.

They would have known

that phrase.

Heaven and earth

can pass away

my words

and not pass away.

They would have known

that was Jesus

claiming it to be God.

Because what did

every Jew know?

What did they know?

They knew

that only God's word

endured.

Friends,

you know Isaiah 40

Isaiah 40:8

verse 8,

don't you?

The grass withers

and the flowers fall.

But how do you go on?

But the word of our God

stands for everything.

Do you see it?

And whatever this lack

of knowledge about the end

tells us,

it does not tell us

that Jesus was worse

than God,

does it?

He has just claimed

full,

perfect divinity

in the previous phase.

But that then leads on

to the second issue.

Friends,

aren't you asking

why is it

that Jesus

doesn't know?

Aren't you asking

that when you read this?

Why is the timing,

the knowledge

of the timing

of the end

of the earth,

why is it

the preserve

of the Father?

Why does the Son

not know?

And I think,

honestly friends,

the answer to that,

I should send you

and me just now

to our knees

wonderment,

maybe,

certainly worship

because I think

in that lack

of knowledge,

see the extent

of what Jesus

Christ has done

for you.

How do you think

about your salvation?

What do you think

about the atonement?

Do you think

God has just done

a little thing,

there's nothing

to God,

this great redemptive

work.

Do you think

Christ has done

just a small thing

for you?

See there,

come on.

See there,

the extent

of the incarnation,

the magnitude

of the self-entering,

consider this,

that to win

your soul,

Christ has

dressed himself

in ignorance.

Isn't that

what you've got here?

That in order

to become

a sufficient

sacrifice

for human sin,

what has Jesus

done?

Do you see

what he's done?

He has added

to his divine

knowledge,

what?

human

unenlightenment.

Isn't that

a stunning thing?

The son

knew not

the time

of his own

return and

why?

It was all

for you.

It was all

to win

your soul

from hell.

Now,

what did I say?

At the start,

I said that there

would be two

points and

two required

responses.

We've seen the

first required

response.

We are surely

to rejoice.

Christ.

What's the second

required response?

We don't know

when Christ

is returning.

We know it's

near.

We don't know

what's the

required response.

Thankfully,

praise God,

Jesus makes it

so clear.

In fact,

I think I can

say this to you.

I honestly

think in his

word,

God is shouting

the required

response at

you.

He is

screaming it

at you today.

Look at

verse 33

to see it.

What does

Jesus say?

He says,

you don't

know when I'm

coming back,

so be on

your guard.

And friend,

do you understand

what I mean by

God shouting

it at you?

Understand that

five times in

that little

section,

Jesus repeats

the same thing.

Five times.

He says,

be on your

guard,

stay awake,

be alert.

Then right at

the end,

do you notice?

He extends

out.

He says,

everyone stay

alert,

stay awake.

Then he even

gives us a

parable.

He compares

you to a

doorkeeper who

has to watch

out for his

master's return.

I'm asking

you,

do you hear

the message

that God is

screaming at

us this

afternoon?

Do you hear

what it is?

We don't know

when Christ is

set to return.

We know

he's at

house,

so what do

we do?

We've got

to be ready.

That's it.

We've got to

be waiting.

We've got to

be prepared

for this.

So,

I'll end

with two

questions and

we're done.

first of

all,

if you're a

Christian

here,

are you

asleep?

Is that

an adequate

description

of your

spiritual life

just now?

Like,

if you are

true to

yourself,

is it the

case that

you are

unenthused

about Jesus?

Unenthused

about the

gospel?

Are you

uninvolved

in the

service of

Christ's

church?

Are you

spiritually

asleep?

You surely

see what

God is

saying.

He's

saying,

this is

an urgent

matter

here.

Friends,

I call you,

I do not

know you,

but surely

you see here

the message,

we've got to

rise up out

of our

slumber.

And we

rise up to

prayer,

we rise up

to service,

we rise up

to actually

telling these

few people on

the street

this wonderful

message of

what Christ

has done

for us.

Because I

have to

warn you,

you and

I,

we don't

want to be

asleep when

our Lord

returns.

And then

we close with

the second of

those questions,

and that's

maybe for

you,

if you have

yet to bow

the knee to

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Friends,

if you are

yet to submit

to him,

here's the

question for

you.

Are you

ready

for this

event?

You know,

I think,

as well as

I do,

that time,

life,

opportunity is

short,

and Christ

Jesus is

coming back.

So I am

asking,

are you

ready to

meet

God?

Friends,

if not,

surely maybe

today even

is the time

where you

waking up,

and you

waking up

to eternal

life,

you maybe

see in

scripture

something of

what Christ

has done

for you,

something of

his glory,

and even

today,

you turn

from your

sin,

you repent,

and you

believe in

the Lord

of glory.

Friends,

when we

read Mark

Mark 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13,

surely it's

the case that

actually for

all of us,

we all have

the same

fervent prayer,

don't we?

What would

that be?

It would

be,

Maranatha,

come,

come,

Lord Jesus,

and come

quickly.

Let's pray.