*Pause 10 seconds before preaching*
I hate waiting. Don't you? I only paused there for less than 10 seconds and yet, how uncomfortable was that? When you know something ought to be happening and it doesn't, that is so frustrating. We live in a world where we expect everything to happen right now. In this world of computers and telephones and microwaves and planes that can take you across the world in a day, waiting 10 seconds with nothing happening can seem like an eternity.
About a month ago I went with Brian and some other guys out somewhere in west Texas to go goose hunting. I had never been before but I was as prepared as I could be thanks to Brian. I had my cold weather gear and a shotgun. One of them I didn’t need at all and the other I needed more of. We got out to this big open field out in the middle of nowhere about 530 in the morning and set up a bunch of decoys and then lie down on the ground surrounded by these decoys and then for the crowning touch we put a giant plastic goose on our heads. No kidding.
And then we just laid there. And laid there and laid there. And laid some more. 20 degrees and no geese and I’m in a frozen field with a plastic goose on my head. It would be pretty funny if it was happening to somebody else. I can’t see anybody else because of the goose on my head but I can see out of it enough to see geese flying way up in the sky way out of range. And every time they would fly over the guide would say, “Ok, here they come. Get ready.” And the geese would just fly on by.
It didn’t take too many hours of this before I have to admit that I really didn’t believe the guide anymore. At first I was all tense and ready to jump up and shoot but after a while I was just lying there trying not to freeze solid. I knew that they could fly down to our field and I knew it had happened to other people before but I just didn’t think that any geese would ever fly within range of our guns and, sure enough, they didn’t.
Unfortunately, some of us are the same way about watching and waiting for Jesus to come back. We start off watching the sky, thinking that it can happen at any moment. We have read that it will happen in the twinkling of an eye and we are ready and waiting and watching. But He never comes. In fact, people have been waiting for thousands of years and still nothing. So what do we do? Do we keep on watching or do we just try to get through this life to the end?
And even if He does come back, so what? What does that mean for us today? I’m starting a 3 sermon series today on the question, “So what?” So what if Jesus comes back? So what if there is a hell and so what if there is a heaven? Because that is the question people all around us are asking; maybe not out loud, but they are basically asking with their lives and their habits, “What relevance does all that religion stuff have for me?” And if we are not able to answer that question their lives will be as fruitful as our goose hunting trip. The only difference…is eternity.
Turn to Mark chapter 13 to see what Jesus Himself said about His return. This is a difficult chapter to understand in some respects because Jesus is talking to His disciples about 2 different things in one conversation. He is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in one sentence and His imminent return in another. But with careful study of verses 26-37 we will see clearly the relevance of His return.
- Mark 13:26-37-26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.32“But about that day or hour no one knows, 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. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Several of the commentaries I read on this passage mentioned that it was a difficult passage to understand and the first time I read it I certainly agreed. To fully appreciate the passage you need to know that Jesus is responding to a question asked by His disciples. Earlier in the chapter it says that Jesus and His disciples were walking out of the temple and one of them remarked about how beautiful the temple was and Jesus replied that soon not one stone would be left on top of another.
This had to be a curious response for the disciples to a harmless statement and so they asked Him about it later and our passage today is part of His response. What is difficult about this is that He was answering their question by telling them about 2 different things that were going to happen; the fall of Jerusalem and His second coming. He intertwines the 2 stories in this one conversation and even 2000 years later we have a hard time understanding so you can imagine the disciples’ confusion as they walked along.
Nevertheless, there are 3 easy to understand truths that we can see in this passage and I want to focus on those this morning.
1) He is coming back
2) We have jobs to do
3) We are to keep watch
How many of you have ever been part of a military family? My dad was telling me that his dad was in WWII and would often write home to my grandmother telling her how much he missed her and that he would be home soon. In fact, he was probably telling her exactly when he would be home but my grandmother never knew it because the censors would censor all the mail and literally cut out all the details about where they were and when they were leaving. And so my grandmother never knew when he was coming but she waited and watched every day hoping it would be that day. Maybe some of you can relate to waiting for your loved one to come back from military duty.
Well, Jesus tells us in this passage that He is coming back and there are dozens of other passages that tell us as well. I won’t go through them all but I have to include these 3:
Acts 1:11"Men of Galilee," they said. "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Colossians 3:4“When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory
1 Thessalonians 3:13 “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”
Ok, I gotta give you one more. I could do this all day. I get excited about this and you should too. Let me just tell you that the word “amen” just means “that’s the truth” or “I agree” or “so may it be” and that would be very appropriate after reading passages like this. I’m just throwing that out there. One more…
Revelation 1:7-8 “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
Man, that gets me excited! I am so ready. I hope you are. I hope you are ready and I hope you are excited. It says that we will not know when and it’s almost too much to think about but if someone were to ask you, “So what if Jesus comes back?” I hope you can be excited as you share with them what it means to all of us. And that leads me to my next point. While we are here we have jobs to do.
In verse 34 Jesus says the man leaves his house but each of his servants has assigned tasks. We have jobs to do while we are here on earth and there are at least 2 facets to this I want to explore. First, what is our job while we are waiting on Him to come back? Is it to have a big church? Is our job to be comfortable while we wait? Is our job to judge sinners? No. None of that is in our job description.
What was the last thing Jesus told His disciples (and us) at the end of the book of Matthew? Turn there in your Bibles if you would. I want you to see it, not just hear it. I want you to know what your job is because Jesus wasn’t just talking to His disciples here. This is our Great Commission as well.
Matthew 28:18-20: 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Go and make disciples. That’s our job. Let’s say you took a job with Bob’s Ditch-digging Service and the boss told you to go dig a ditch. He told you in writing when you signed on that your job was to dig ditches. And you said you would do it. You agreed and shook hands and signed on the dotted line knowing that all the tools you needed were available in the shed. But at the end of the day, the boss comes back and sees you leaning on the shovel and you have not dug but a couple of scoops of dirt, what are you going to say?
It’s too hot. It’s too cold. I’m too young. I’m too old. Digging ditches makes me uncomfortable. I never really had the opportunity. Digging ditches is not my gift. I’m digging on the inside. That’s how I do it. Oh, that’s the foreman’s job. What do you think the boss is going to say? What do you think God is going to say when you get to Heaven and you haven’t done your job?
That brings up the other facet of this point that we have jobs to do and that is that God trusts you to do the job. We think of having our faith and trust in God but He also has faith and trust in you that you will do the job of an evangelist as it says in II Timothy 4:5. You are expected to always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, according to 1 Peter 3:15. Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” And that’s what the disciples did. Jesus trusted them and there was no Plan B. It’s the same today. It is up to us and Jesus put his trust in us to get the job done. He even says that He will be with us always. Everything we need to get the job done is at our disposal but the way some of us live it is as if we are saying, “So what if we have jobs to do? So what?”
So, we know He is coming back and we know we have jobs to do. The last thing we are to do is to keep watch. I am reminded of the passage later on in Mark where Jesus is in the garden praying and the disciples keep falling asleep. Jesus asks them if they couldn’t just keep watch for one hour. Nobody wants to be like that but what does it mean for us today to keep watch?
Verse 35says, “Keep watch, for you do not know when the owner of the house will come back.” I heard about a man who went to Europe on vacation and went to one of the castles in Spain called the Castillo de Coca. The vacationer found only one man on the whole property; the gardener. He asked the gardener where everybody was and the man said he was the only one there but he would be glad to take him on a tour. The vacationing gentleman noticed that every inch of the place was just immaculate. The gardens were tended. The lawn was mowed. Fresh flowers were in the window sill. Even the interior was spotless with beautiful linens and sparkling silver.
The guest asked the gardener how often the owner comes by. “He hasn’t been here in 12 years.” Well then how do you get your orders and your pay? “The owner’s handlers take care of that.” Well how often do they come? “Never.” The man was surprised and said, “Well, you must expect your master to come any day now.” “No sir,” said the gardener. “I expect him back today.”
Our job is to tell others the Good News of Jesus while we are here but while we are here we are also to keep watch over everything God has given us. That means we are to go to work and do our earthly jobs as if God were our boss. Paul says in Philippians 1 that we are to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. I Peter 3:16 says to live so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
To keep watch means to be prepared all the time for Jesus to come back and no matter when He comes you won’t be ashamed of what you are doing and have done. Where do you want to be when Christ comes again? Where do you not want to be when He comes? That’s a good question too!
And if He doesn’t come back today you will be able to say, “So what? I’ll be ready tomorrow.”
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