Learn From The Fig Tree | Mark 13:28-31 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of

Mark chapter 13 as we continue to delve into the longest

Mark 13 · chapter mention

recorded answer that the Lord Jesus gives to any question that

he received. Remember, it was the Lord's

shocking comment about the coming destruction of the temple

in Jerusalem that prompted the disciples to inquire about the

timing of such an inconceivable event.

And more than that, also ask about His coming and the end of

the age. And thus far, you and I have

collectively examined the multiple signs leading up to the

coming of Christ. And these were known as birth

pains. And following the birth pains,

Jesus highlights one major sign and spends the most time

discussing it. And it's called and known as the

abomination of desolation. And we paused there and

meditated on what the implications and even what that

really is. And finally, if you recall, we

took a whole Sunday to discuss the events surrounding the

actual day when Christ comes. So not just the things leading

up to it, not just the one major sign, but also the moment.

The moment the Lord Jesus cracks through the skies and what that

will be like. But Christ is not finished yet.

As comprehensive as this discourse may be, there is still

more that He desires to convey to us.

There are more insights He longs to unfold for His people, and

that's what you and I are going to discover in three or four

verses here in Mark 13. Beginning in verse 28, we're

going to assess what the Spirit of God longs to reveal in these

verses. Let's read together, shall we?

From the fig tree, learn its lesson.

As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves,

you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these

things taking place, you know that He is near at the very

gates. 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. If you've been with us long

enough and you know that it is the habit of this pulpit for

thoughts from a section of Scripture to be organized under

some headings. And the reason that is done is

to provide a helpful format that would make the truths that you

hear a little bit more memorable.

And it's going to be no different today what we read in

these verses. I want to group under three

things. And these three things, if you

remember them, I'm sure will help you recall the things under

them. So if anybody asks you today

what you learned at church, the church that you go to that

starts at 1:00 PM, you can tell them that you came to God's Word

and mark and understood #1 the certainty of Christ's coming #2

the watchfulness for His coming, and #3 the delight of His

coming. And I want to speak to you first

about the certainty of His coming.

I'm not sure if you picked up on it already, but Christ's summary

of His prophetic timetable exudes absolute assurance and

confidence. Look back at these verses with

me. You see here that He gives

language for us to realize that what He had just finished

explaining can be guaranteed. Looking at a verse 28, He says

here at the end of it, you know that summer is near.

Verse 29, when you see these things taking place, you know

that he is near. And then in verse 30 he says

that this generation will not pass away until all these things

take place. Then he echoes it here by saying

in verse 31, but my words will not pass away.

This generation will not pass away.

My words will not pass away. Before that he says, you know,

you know. And So what he wants to instill

in you and I right off the bat in this section at least, is for

you to be absolutely confident because he's communicating that

these events are unchangeable. They are set, they are

determined, they will take place.

No one or anything else can be able, can be able to alter what

he has already declared, decreed.

It is set. And that is supposed to be

imparted in us because it's supposed to create an unshakable

expectation for his return. And that is done by the

strategic teaching. And I want you to consider a few

things that he provides for you to know for certainty this is

going to take place. He gives this lesson about a fig

tree. It it seems very

straightforward. And it is.

And this is not the only time that Jesus used a fig tree to

illustrate a spiritual point. You've been with us.

I hope throughout this study or just two chapters ago, Jesus

curses a fruitless fig tree, and we unpacked that because we

wanted to determine that Christ wasn't operating because he was

in a bad mood. He did this as a symbolic act of

judgement that in the same way this fruit tree was cursed

because of the lack of evidence and the thing that it's supposed

to contain and carry was not there.

It paralleled the bankrupt system of Israel in the

religious practice, the charade, the spiritual charade was

pictured in this fruitless victory from a distance.

You saw leaves when when you got close, there wasn't the fruit.

And so that cursing took place in between Jesus speaking about

the temple and its activities and the religious leaders that

fell so very short of what God demanded of them.

And So what people tend to do is because that miracle, the only

miracle really that Christ performed, recorded, at least

that was a miracle of judgement. OK, well, if the fig tree there

represents Israel, then surely when we come here, the fig tree

also represents Israel. And the way they look at this is

Mark 11 speaks about the fig tree being Israel's destruction.

Mark 13, as you just read, speaks about the blossoming or

the rebirth or the reviving the restoration of the nation of

Israel. So how does this work?

It, it sounds exciting, but here's the the the thought that

when you see Israel restored, reinstated, that is the sign for

you that the summer is near. And people don't debate that

what Jesus said about Jerusalem in his lifetime, about the

destruction of the temple took place in 70 AD.

And those who would say that Israel is also being represented

in Mark 13 would say that the recent reviving of the Jewish

state is the fulfilment of Jesus prediction here and again, that

that may sound profound and may even cause sensationalism, but

you have to continue with that logic.

You have to be consistent with your argument if you're going to

say that. So here's what that means.

If Mark 13, where Jesus has learned from the fig, treats

lesson as soon as his branch becomes tender, puts out its

leaves, speaking about the blossoming of the people, the

Jewish people, then you also have to say that that is going

to be the sign that the summer, which is a picture of Christ's

return is near. And if you're going to say that

that is the sign, some would go as far to say when Jesus said

truly, I say to you in verse 30, this generation will not pass

away until all these things take place.

The generation that Jesus is speaking about is the one that

will be alive to witness, to witness the regathering of the

people of Israel and then flourishing again.

And if that's the case, then some would argue they did.

I think they're changing their mind now that the generation

that witnesses that will also be the generation that will welcome

the return of Christ. And so they would say, well,

yeah, a generation is 40 years, but he didn't come back, did he?

So oh, no, no, no, no, a generation's 80 years.

OK. Well, how long are you going to

keep this up? Is Jesus speaking about Israel

here when identifying the fig tree and learning from it?

I would say no. And there's one simple reason

for that because of Luke. So turn to Luke 21 and the

parallel account and I believe here is where we get our

clarification. Luke 21 verse 29 And he told

Luke 21:29

them a parable. Luke says it's a parable and he

told them a parable. Look at the fig tree.

You see that and all the trees, as soon as they come out and

leave, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is

already near. So Luke records Christ not only

referring to the fig tree, but all trees that shed their leaves

on an annual basis. And so that pretty much dispels

the notion that the fig tree represents the nation of Israel

because Christ is not singling out one tree.

He's speaking about a wide spectrum of them.

And so with that being understood, we have to then ask,

what is Christ trying to convey when pointing our attention to

the fig tree? But in Luke's version, to most

trees, it's actually very simple.

There's no a code to crack. There's no allegory to apply.

Here's what Christ is trying to communicate.

In the same way none of us question that the summer will

follow the springtime, we should be equally convinced that the

coming of the Son of Man will follow the signs that he just

finished explaining. It's plain.

It's it's very clear. And here's what he's trying to

awaken in US. In the same way, there is no

doubt but absolute confidence you have concerning seasonal

change that should echo your unwavering anticipation of the

Lord Jesus Christ bringing the full manifestation of His

Kingdom. But that's not all that Christ

has to offer to fortify our faith about this truth that He

is coming back. Yes, he says look to the trees.

When you see the tree in your front yard or in your

neighbourhood and it begins to have colour and the branches

begin to soften and things begin to transpire, you don't question

that change is arriving. You know it.

I want you to have that same unshakable confidence about my

return. But he goes beyond that.

He has more to offer us to make this certainty of confidence for

you and me. Go back to Mark 13, verse 31.

Mark 13:31

He says heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not

pass away. And this is something profound

for any mere man to make. This is bold, but we know that

Christ is no mere man, and so for him to speak in this fashion

is strategic because he understands his immediate

audience and hopefully the audience of our time who are

familiar with the entirety of the word of God.

But let's just take it from the vantage point of the disciples

who heard Christ saying heaven and over the pass away.

But my words will not pass away. It would ring a familiar bell

with what they've known from the Hebrew Scriptures, because this

kind of statement is a prerogative that God alone has.

This kind of declaration is dedicated only to the God of the

Old Testament. And you know that passage very

well. I hope it's an Isaiah 40, verse

Isaiah 40:8

8, where the prophet says very clearly, the grass Withers, the

flower fades, but what? But the word of our God will

stand forever. Do you understand what's

happening here? Here you have the prophet

declaring the exclusive trustworthiness and the

indestructible witness of God's Word, and yet Jesus of Nazareth

comes along now, and he equates his words to be on the same

level as God's. Remember what he says in Mark

1331. Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words, my words will not pass away.

How can you say that Jesus of Nazareth, it's only God's word

that will stand forever, and the skeptic will deem this to be

blasphemous, but the believing will recognize that we have yet

another golden nugget shining, the deity of the Lord Jesus

Christ. That this is Christ claiming by

quoting what belongs to God alone to say my words are God's

words, unshakable, eternal, immovable.

Yes, Isaiah said that the word of our God will stand forever.

And I'm telling you my words will also stand forever.

Even if the whole universe collapses, my word will remain.

So what it what does this have to do with our certainty of the

truth of the second coming? When Jesus taught about it, he

wants to understand God is talking about it.

God Almighty is conveying this. God Almighty is teaching this.

God Almighty is convincing you of this.

If you believe God for who He is, if you are firm in your

trust in Him, then you can absolutely trust what Jesus says

concerning these signs. The abomination of desolation,

His physical and bodily return. It will happen because God said

it would happen. But we're not just discussing

the certainty of His coming. We're discussing also the

watchfulness for His coming. This is not just analogy.

This is not just parabolic teaching to challenge and build

our faith about this particular truth.

There is personal application laid out for us here.

And you might be wondering where is the instruction in this

section? And I'll tell you that I believe

it's in verse 29. It's implied, he says in verse

29. So also when you see these

things taking place, so Jesus Christ expects his people to be

alert, watchful, mindful of the very things that he said would

precede his return. And what's important about this

is clarifying that Jesus is functioning as a prophet in this

prophetic declaration. Because when Christ says when

you see these things taking place, some would limit this

application to the 12 who heard Christ in the immediate sense.

What do I mean by that? They would say in the argument

that what Jesus taught on that Mount of Olives concerning his

return, remember we talked about this more than once, was all

fulfilled in 70 AD Everything, not just some things, all of it

was fulfilled. And they would use this as a

proof text because Jesus says when you see these things, when

you disciples implying that it's going to happen in your

lifetime, it's going to happen in this generation.

And so they say, see, Christ does not have a future people in

mind. But again, it's not a foreign

concept for someone in the office of a prophet to speak

about a future people not yet realized or future events yet

not not manifested, but is directly addressing Him as

though He was there. Even sometimes in the Old

Testament you'll see them speaking in the second person.

Let me give you one example of that in Isaiah 33.

Again, I want to make the case here that as Christ is

prophesying, He is also speaking about a future people.

And in Isaiah 33 verse 17, here's the prophet speaking

Isaiah 33:17

about something not yet realized, but is communicated as

though He is facing it head on. He says in Isaiah 33, verse 17,

Isaiah 33:17

your eyes will behold the king in his beauty.

They will see a land that stretches afar.

Your heart will muse on the terror.

Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed the

tribute? Where is he who counted the

towers? You will see no more the

insolent people, the people of an obscure speech that you

cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue that you cannot

understand. He he's speaking about the

people being set free from the oppression of their neighbouring

nations. Behold Zion, the city of our

appointed feast. Your eyes will see Jerusalem and

untroubled habitation in a movable tent whose stakes will

never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.

Like many prophecies, there's a partial fulfillment there, but

its ultimate fulfilment is when the King, the King of kings and

his true beauty will make his way into the city and your eyes

will see that king. This is nowhere near Isaiah's

time, but as a prophet as one said, as though he was being

transported to that time and is speaking to that people.

And in like manner, when Christ says when you see these things

taking place, yes, He is addressing the disciples, but He

is also expanding it to those who would be alive to witness

the escalating signs of His return and the implications of

that. Every believer in every age is

called to properly discern and responsibly respond to the

warnings Christ said to be aware of.

Every believer in every age is called to properly discern and

responsibly respond to the warnings that Christ said to be

watchful of that means. And that includes you shunning

away forced interpretations of world events like many crazy

Youtubers and podcasts do, lest you succumb to illegitimate

fears. But it primarily means that you

and I are called to be ready when abnormal shakings or shifts

take place before us. What's so amazing about this is

that when you actually read the New Testament carefully on more

than one occasion, you get the impression that even at that

time the leaders of the church interpreted certain things and

prepared the Church of their time for the potential arrival

of the king. And I want to prove that to you

in one place. And I really would want you to

see with your own eyes in First Corinthians Chapter 7, beginning

1 Corinthians 7 · chapter mention

in verse 26, there was this sense of how Christ and his

glorious and triumphant establishment of the Kingdom

could happen. And yet at the same time, the

Saint Paul, who's going to give these instructions also

clarified to people who falsely viewed certain things or heard

some crazy teachings about the return of Christ, says, listen.

We read it at one point in Second Thessalonians chapter 2.

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

Listen, listen, listen. You can't be afraid of this

because this needs to happen. This needs to happen.

Go back to work. But notice what he says to these

Corinthian believers in First Corinthians Chapter 7, verse 26.

1 Corinthians 7:26

I, I'm going to read a few verses, so follow along with me.

This is important to see it holistically.

I think that in view of the present distress, it is good for

a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife?

Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife?

Do not seek a wife, but if you do not marry, if you do marry,

rather you have not sinned. And if a betrothed woman

marries, she has not sinned Yet those who marry will have

worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.

This is what I mean, brothers. The appointed time has grown

very short. From now on let those who have

wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as

though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though

they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had

no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they

had no dealings with it. For the present form of this

world is passing away Now. I heard somebody preach from

this text before and exhorted the people as though Paul's

radical commands here apply for all people at all times.

Let me make this point still that I do believe that there are

wonderful principles specifically about developing an

eternal perspective as Christians.

I believe that's being promoted here and you can teach that, but

I believe the proper way also to frame what Paul is saying here

is how he sets it up in verse 26.

Looking at it verse 26 carefully.

He says, I think that in view of the present distress, a lot of

First Corinthians 7 speaks about marriage.

And if you don't view Paul's instructions and insights and

commands about marriage from this filter, that there was this

present distress that the Corinthian church was

experiencing, you might, you might develop extreme

understandings of what marriage is and what it isn't.

Something was happening in the day of the Corinthian church

when Paul wrote to them. What it is, it's not given to

us. Some believe that it was

growing, life altering, dangerous persecution against

Christians and it was encroaching upon the Corinthian

church. Others believe this present

distress might have been a crippling famine that was

striking at the nerve of the economy of the Corinthians.

It's not made clear, but whatever it is, Paul saw it as a

way to stimulate the believers to a certain way of life, to

encourage them to view it in a certain manner, and then to stir

them in a certain direction. What's significant about this

present distress is how he elaborates on it in verse 29.

Look at verse 29. Now, this is what I mean,

brothers, the appointed time has grown very short.

So there's this present distress.

And as Paul is now continuing on that thought, he's saying,

listen, listen, listen. I'm trying to get you to

understand that the appointed time has grown very short.

In other words, these perilous times reflect what the Word of

God tells us to be mindful of as we approach the end of all

things. And some would deem Paul as a

false prophet because he's way off.

It's been 2000 years, but Paul is not predicting anything.

He's not setting dates. All he's doing is what Jesus

commanded believers to do, to be mindful, to be watchable, to be

alert, to see what you need to see and to interpret them

responsibly and to discern and to see.

What does this ask of me? And in this case, the apostle

was looking what was happening in his day and used it to cause

the Corinthian believers to reconsider their priorities and

to reposition themselves to be the most effective for the

Kingdom of God in that very season.

So doesn't that make sense? Now he goes, I think that in

view of this present distress, whatever it was, evidently it

was, it was burdensome enough and dangerous enough for him to

say, if you've been considering marriage, I would probably put a

pause on that. Why?

Because persecution is a lot harder to handle when you have

wife and children. So Paul's not speaking here

generally about, you know, I know marriage is good, but if

you can choose not to get married, don't get married.

See if you have to understand the context or you're going to

give terrible counsel to people, Say no because of what's

happening around us. I perceive that the appointed

time is growing very short. So let's, let's perk up here.

Let's sober ourselves. Don't, don't let your family

life completely consume you. Don't let your emotional state

paralyze you. Don't let your interactions in

the business world distract you. See what's happening around us

and let that sanctify you. That's all that he's doing here.

And I believe what Paul is doing here, it should be no different

for you and I, that yes, we should always be ready for what

can happen. But understand that there, there

is a sensitivity that you and I have to develop to give

ourselves even more when times call for it.

What's a modern day example? Oh, I don't know, the world

shutting down for a few years. I remember that this text came

to mind when we were told to shelter in place for two weeks

and my concern was with all that's happening.

Are Christians more concerned that they can't go to their

favorite restaurant or travel to their yearly destination choice

of vacation? Or is the church strategizing

now because the battlefield has shifted dramatically?

I think that's a clear example for modern day application

concerning what Paul is doing here and I'm not, I'm not sure

on the other side of it if believers really took advantage

and seize the opportunity. Many churches are seeing less

attendance than ever. I believe Paul, if he lived in

our day would say hey wake up, don't you see what's happening

around us? This is abnormal.

If anything it rings true to what Christ said would take

place. These birth pains intensifying,

get your prayer life intact. Get serious about holiness.

If if you've been lately distracted by the the tricks and

the trinkets of the world, get rid of it.

And what's amazing here is that Paul's not even speaking about

this sin here. He's speaking about good things,

but he's trying to cause him to get a sharper eternal

perspective with current events. And so you have some Christians

who when they look out, they, they, they want to dismiss

everything. You have others who they make

everything something properly discerning, responsibly

responding. We have to be watchful.

Christ demands out of us, but not just watchful.

We're not just talking about the certainty of these things.

We're not just talking about our call of what we need to do

during these things, but there is something that maybe we've

overlooked. I want to talk to you lastly

about the delight of His coming Look back on Mark 13, verse 29.

Mark 13:29

So also when you see these things taking place, you know

that He is near. You know that He is near at the

very gates. This would have meant a lot to

the apostles who were suffering from a great misunderstanding of

how this whole thing works. Jesus being the Messiah, him

ushering in that Davidic Kingdom.

And Christ is aware of that. And he's also aware that in just

a few short moments, the same apostles who hoped that Christ

would overthrow the Romans and raise up what the prophets have

promised are going to see their Christ taken from them and put

to death. And so the Lord throughout this

discourse is emphasizing over, and he's trying to compound this

reality. And then look, what you're about

to witness is not going to be the final story.

Me, me dying on a cross is not the period mark to God's

redemptive purpose on the earth and for human history.

There is another part to this. I'm trying to get you to

understand it and be prepared for what's about to transpire.

And more than that, I believe what Christ is teaching here is

supposed to instill a hope that yes, He would die, but He would

also resurrect and right before their eyes ascend.

And even what you read in verse 29 is supposed to comfort them

and helping them realize this is not the last time that we're

going to see Him or be near him. Because look what the Lord says

again. He says when you see these

things taking place, you know that He is near.

He makes it so personal. He could have said, you know,

that judgement is near. He could have said, you know,

like Luke, the Kingdom of God is near, but he doesn't say that.

He says, you know, that he is near.

And when we consider this in a broader way, you realize that a

lot of the times when the New Testament teaches about the end

of the world in so many places, that highlights the personal

appearing of Christ as the centerpiece of it, of the

ultimate expectation. In other words, the end goal of

the end times is Christ. In fact, the very book that

provides the most detailed, frightening script about the

final chapter of human history ends on that very note.

So you read in that book about disasters and death tolls of

unimaginable magnitude, demonic invasions and cosmic meltdowns

and incomparable martyrdom. And then when you come to the

final closing remarks, you read this Revelation 22 and verse 17.

The Spirit and the Bride say come and let the one who hears

say come and let the one who is thirsty come.

Let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

You can do a whole conference on this one verse.

It is jam packed with jewels. But let me make a few comments.

What I find so striking is how the identity we are left with to

make note of concerning the people of God in the final part

of the final chapter of the Bible that deals with the church

and how she relates to these things is the picture of a

bride. You know, the Scriptures

provides many, many metaphors and comparisons of what the

church is, what the people of God are like ambassadors, a

priesthood, a pillar, an army, and yet how the Holy Spirit ends

off out of out of the great Bank of things that the Spirit

ascribes to the people of God is a bride.

Why? I believe because he wants to

highlight the relational reality of our faith.

Please, please don't limit the picture of Christ being our

bridegroom and the Church being His bride to denote the covenant

keeping commitment between two parties.

I hope nobody got married here force forcibly.

I hope nobody got married here reluctantly.

A true bride will have a throbbing love for her

bridegroom, and you have to include that in the imagery of

us being the bride of Christ. There's affection there, there's

feeling there. It's not just a contract that's

part of it, but there's something deeper going on.

People I know, Christians that are afraid of emotion.

They think emotions are sin. I'm persuaded that every part of

us should be consecrated unto God, including what I feel.

I don't go by my feelings, I don't serve God based on how I

feel. But boy do I desire for my

feelings to be holy and set apart unto Him.

And I believe the Holy Spirit helps us love, love the Son of

God. And so the the Spirit and the

Bride say come. And I think that's a strategic

placement there because when the church is in unison with the

spirit, when the Spirit is actually working in the church,

that relational reality will be heightened.

And not just that relational reality, but that heart cry

where the church says come, it's strengthened.

Now beware of the temptation to step away from this and use this

as a marker to examine the church at large and to evaluate

her spiritual health in this regard.

Don't take this truth and say, does the church I go to teach or

believe or even behave with that relational component of our

faith? Why don't you and I ask

ourselves if it's real first in us before we think it's real in

somebody else? Because the same John who said

he heard the Spirit and the bride say come says something

from his own bosom a few verses later.

So look at verse 20 of Revelation 22 and notice what

John himself says. He who testifies to these things

says, surely I'm coming soon. Amen.

He can't help it, come, Lord Jesus.

So the church doesn't just gather because we hold to a

certain creed. Statement of faiths are

important, pure, precise theology is good.

It's necessary, non negotiable. But more than that, deeper than

that, the Church is a collection of people who on an individual

basis have this heart cry and gather to share in that holy

affection. And here's what else moves me so

deeply is that this is what the Lord wants from his people.

Can you imagine a bridegroom knowing full well that his bride

to be is not excited for that day?

It's devastating. That'd be devastating for us on

a human level and so much this Christ yearn for this to be true

in his people that he actually has reserved the reward for them

that would operate in that way. You remember Paul in his final

letter in second Timothy four, he says in verse 8, henceforth

there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord,

the righteous judge will award me on that day.

And he doesn't end there. He goes and not only for me, but

also for those who have loved my appearing Christ appearing.

So there is an actual reward reserved for those who who feel

ably, who genuinely, who intimately yearn for the return

of Christ. We don't hear of this often.

We often associate the the teaching, the doctrine and the

theology of the end times with judgement, wrath, and us being

scooped up to heaven and trying to understand the timetable of

things. That's all wonderful.

But even at the end of the book that has the most detail

concerning that truth, we have this invitation, we have this

plea almost from the Spirit and the Bride come Lord Jesus.

It boils down to that, you know, if I'm studying about the end

times and it's not causing me to respond in that way, maybe I'm

studying wrong. If all I'm doing is stuffing my

head and not allowing those truths to move my heart, maybe

I'm not studying the way Christ designed me to study it.

Because in the very same book that says here it is, here's

here's just a highlight reel of what's to come.

Again, I want to emphasize this over and over.

You sign off on that letter with this beautiful picture of a

bride yearning for her bridegroom to arrive.

Can I ask you a question? I'm not here to, I'm not here to

condemn. I have no intention of

condemning anybody. But I have a duty to challenge.

And the preacher should challenge himself before he gets

up on any pulpit to challenge anybody.

Is that notion real for you? Is there any part of you that

actually is excited for the return of Christ?

If you're fearful you're not getting it right.

If if you're just excited about debate because your school of

thought concerning eschatology seems to be more probable than

the next, you're probably not doing it right.

But if you allow these truths to get you to a place where it

incites worship and adoration, and even as you see these things

taking place, listen, I don't know about you.

In the past few years, I've desired heaven more than any

time in my life. I haven't lived very long, but I

know where my citizenship lies. And I'm really, really looking

forward to meeting the one I've been preaching about.

You're saying, brother, that sounds great.

That sounds so spiritual. But I have to honestly say, as I

put my hand on that pulse, I believe I have accurate theology

and I love the word of God. I love serving God.

But this idea of Christ returning and me being with him

without filter, I'm not sure if that's something I've ever

meditated on. You know what's so encouraging

about when we read here, the Spirit and the Bride say come.

The Spirit without any spoilage, without any interruption,

without any split devotion, constantly yearns for that.

He wants Christ to be glorified. And the same Spirit who cries

that can help you cry, that he can make it happen in your life.

He can make it real for you. You even see it back in

Revelation 2217. It says here the Spirit and the

Bride say come, and let those who hear say come.

So there's even an invitation for people to make that same

appeal, to make that same cry. So here you're hearing the

Spirit and the bride say, come, I'm asking you now to make that

same cry. And, and now it shifts because

some see this as one call that the spirit and the bride.

They're not necessarily saying come, Lord Jesus, they're

telling the unbelieving to come. I, I don't see it that way.

I believe that there's, there's a two fold thing happening here.

And the first part you have the spirit of the bride saying come

toward the Lord. And I believe because John says

it himself. So it connects well.

But then in the second part he says, and let those who is

thirsty come, and let the one who desires take the water of

life without price. So it goes from an upward call

to a horizontal call. And that is the duty of the

church, that from the place of adoration or worship toward the

Lord. Now she can turn over to the

world and say, now would you want this?

I'm inviting you to this. I'm asking you to come to

experience this. To come to the experience what?

Remember the language of bride. So when he says, and let the one

who is thirsty come. Thirsty for what?

Thirsty for what? What is what is he?

What is he invoking here? What is he trying to help people

identify in the bankruptcy of their own soul?

What are you supposed to thirst for?

Well, I believe that context is clear.

The spirit and the bride, the spirit and the bride.

What is a bride? Do you know it's not a contract,

it's a relationship. So when he says that the one who

who's thirsty come. Do you thirst for a relationship

with God? He's inviting you into that

place, He's drawing you into that place and it's free and

it's overwhelmingly glorious and it's available to anybody who

would hear it and say I will accept it.

I will accept it. That's the delight of this whole

thing. Christ tells his disciples.

When you see these things, know that he is near.

It's all getting ready. We're going to we're going to

have a reunion and nothing will ever interrupt it again.

I'm at the very gates. And so you learned today with me

the certainty of His coming. We learned today about the

watchfulness for His coming. And I believe that in these days

ahead, watchfulness is going to be necessary.

Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep, Don't you dare fall

asleep with what's happening around our world.

Be more on fire for Christ than ever, would you?

And the delight, the delight of His coming.

He is coming and you and I are going to behold them together.

I can't wait. Let's pray and thank Him for

that. Lord, we thank You that we

learned something from a tree, that there's certainty that

there is a call to watch. And more than that, there's

something to enjoy. Lord, if we have lost that sweet

spot of relating to You, intimately, singing to You,

pouring our hearts to You, reflecting on You, even yearning

for you, would Your Holy Spirit help us?

Would Your Holy Spirit help us come to that place where as a

bridegroom, you see what You desire from Your bride?

And as days advance and years and memories and

responsibilities accumulate, Lord, help us never lose, never

lose that place. Strengthen it in our hearts,

Lord and Lord, with marriage and business and family and events

and memories and experiences. We pray like what Paul asked of

the Corinthian church, that we would never lose sight of what's

most important. We would never, we would never

fail to frame everything that we experience here on this earth

with what is to come and who is the one who gave it all to begin

with. So lo, we ask even now in the

closing times of this service that your Holy Spirit would woo

us once again and tenderize our hearts once again and help us

create that actual craving for that which the blood of Jesus

purchased our eternal home with Him.

We can't do this, no man can do this.

This is something that only you can provoke and we we gladly

yield to Him and ask that you make it true of us.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Amen.

As the praise team comes to lead us in our final moments of

singing, I want to make a brief gospel call.

I want to ask you, if you're a person sitting here today and

you've never accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, don't you see

what's happening in this world? I don't want to be a doomsday

preacher and nor do I want to ascribe things to what's

happening that are not appropriate.

All I want to say is, as a general observation, can't you

tell that things are different? And if anything, what Christ had

to say about the culmination of the age makes more sense today

than it ever has. So let me remind you today, in

great love, you're not going to live forever.

Neither am I. And there is a time coming where

God, who made this world, is going to fix this world.

And the one who's going to fix this world in that process of

regeneration has to deal with the cause of the evil in this

world. And Jesus told us that all this

sin that we're trying to figure out and philosophy about it

comes from the heart. And so when the Lord does

return, he's going to judge the wicked.

He's going to clean up house. Evil cannot inhabit his

presence. It cannot remain before him.

He must, in his justice, deal with it.

And if he deals with evil, he's going to deal with you and I.

It's coming. There is a Judgement Day coming

that's not preached much today, but the apostles preached it.

The Bible tells us about it. From old to new, all roads are

leading to Judgement Day. But somewhere along that path,

somewhere along that journey, that humanity is headed towards

God and his love interrupts. He makes himself known in the

person of Jesus Christ, and He pays the debt, the debt that we

just sang about being free from us.

He pays a debt, your debt. And if you receive that payment,

you have the assurance that when God cleans up this universe,

because he's already cleaned your heart through the blood of

His Son, you do not stand on the side of judgement.

You stand on the side of accepted, forgiven, perfectly

kept until all things are said and done.

Here's my I want to be playing. I'm just going to say it

straight. Do you have absolute confidence,

never mind about the last days? Do you have absolute assurance

that you have been forgiven for your sins?

Don't postpone. You're dealing with God if

you're a person here. Even if you're a young person

and you have not settled your account with the Almighty, I

plead with you to realize the great love of God for you by

sending Jesus Christ. He is real.

And if your heart is even pricked a little bit, I would

encourage you to entertain it further and to have a humble

conversation with God during this time of singing and to

receive His forgiveness for you as you realize the great price

that was paid on your behalf. And if you're a person in here

that's doubting it or fighting it or resisting or has questions

about it, give the leaders or maybe a believer that brought

you today the awesome privilege of helping you understand what

the gospel is all about. Talk to them about it.

Time is short. I believe preaching should be

more urgent than ever. I believe confrontational

preaching should be loud and clear in every pulpit in

America. Because if God doesn't have

mercy on America, we're not going to recognize America in a

very short time. So I, I want to do my part.

I'm no politician. I'm no advocate for this or

that. I'm, I'm, I'm just a poor man

who found bread, living bread and want to tell other people

how they can find that same bread.

That's all I am. I'm full, my soul is full.

And I, I want to let you know that you can also be full.

And the only way you can be full is if you eat of him.

In other words, you receive him and it's free.

No price tag, no amount, no effort, no exertion, nothing.

Just humility to say my soul is starving, it is empty, I am

weak, I cannot perform my righteousness to please God.

But if this, if this Jesus you speak about is willing to

receive me as I am, and if I could just fall at his feet,

he'll scoop me up, clothe me with his righteousness and make

me his own. I want this Jesus.

Why would you deny such a gift? Receive it as we sing, Say, what

do I mean? What do I do?

You, you speak to him from your heart under your breath.

You speak to him. You say, Lord, I repent of my

sins. I receive you.

I believe that you did this for me.

And I want to be numbered among the redeemed.

Please, Lord, change me, transform me.

I want to be saved. Please save me.

Please save me and and though you may not have the vocabulary,

if you're convinced that you're a Sinner and Christ as a Savior,

even if your words are few, Christ can understand them and

He'll do a work in your heart. Just be prepared to repent.

May Christ your Lord and Savior and you'll know new life.

Let's stand and worship the Lord together.