How to Prepare for the End of the World (Afternoon)
Download MP3Good afternoon. My name is Denny Ragland. I'm an elder here at Redeemer. And it's my privilege to read sections of Mark chapter 13, which Connor will be preaching from in a few minutes. Listen closely, for this is the word of the lord.
Connor Coskery:As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, look teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And Jesus said to him, do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew asked him privately, tell us when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?
Connor Coskery:And Jesus began to say to them, see that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name saying I am he, and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.
Connor Coskery:There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These are but the beginning of birth pains. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
Connor Coskery:And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the 4 winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows. Not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the father. Be on guard, keep awake, for you do not know when the time will come. The word of the lord.
Connor Coskery:Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you for gathering us again this evening. Lord, we have come to pay attention. Where there's a lot of things that are going on in life, there's a lot of things that we could be doing, but you have gathered these people in this place at this moment in history to hear from you. And so, Lord, I pray that you would speak.
Connor Coskery:Lord, I pray, that you would move in our midst by your spirit and that you would bless the proclamation of this word, and that it would be faithful and honoring to you. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Redeemer Community Church.
Connor Coskery:If we haven't met, my name's Connor Coscree, and I have the privilege of serving as youth pastor here at Redeemer. And this evening, we are going to continue our study through the chapter through the book of Mark and as Denny just read, we're going to be in Mark chapter 13. Mark chapter 13, the previous two chapters, Jesus has been addressing the internal corruption going on within the temple and its leaders, and so when we get to chapter 13 in our passage tonight, we're going to complete this discussion on the temple. And Jesus, as we just read, makes an emphatic statement about the future. I've titled this sermon, How to prepare for the end of the world.
Connor Coskery:I'm not trying to be funny or cute. This chapter, these verses are about the end of the world, the end times. Which I'm sure conjures different feelings. Depending on your background, some of you might read these verses and and say, yep, clear as day. I know exactly what this is saying.
Connor Coskery:Others, might read these verses and it might stir in you feelings of fear, uncertainty, and what I what I might say might be like, I'm sorry pastor, but that's not how I've heard that preached before. And many of you might read these verses and just be super confused and and just be like, I have no idea what's going on right here. I believe, I'll lay my cards out at the very beginning. I think I think that it's best for you just to know exactly where I'm going. I, I believe so if you actually, want to make a little note in your worship guide, the sections, I'm going to tell you I'm going to tell you where, because what we see Jesus doing is is hopping around a little bit, and so you can make a little annotation.
Connor Coskery:But here's what I believe Jesus is saying in Mark chapter 13. I believe that Mark chapter 13 talks both about the destruction of the temple, which we'll talk about as a historical event, and Jesus's second coming. Here's how I break it down. So Mark chapter 13 verses 5 through 23. So if you want to make a little note, it describes the years leading up to the temple being destroyed in 70 A.
Connor Coskery:D. While verses 24 through 28 shift our gaze to the ends into the world. And then verses 28 or 29 through 31 refer back to the destruction of the temple. And then verses 32 through 37 zoom us back out once more to give us instructions on how to live while we await Jesus's return. You're free to disagree with me, but I want to be clear that this topic, this topic on the end times, it should never divide us.
Connor Coskery:Plenty of Bible believing gospel centered Christians have disagreed with about what this passage means. Your interpretation of this passage is not a primary issue, and it should never create division between brothers and sisters in the church. This evening, my goal and what I hope to do is to clarify. But I want to I want us to remember that as we engage this text, we keep the main thing central, and we stand together that the the big things we know, that Jesus wins, that Jesus is coming back and that we long for that day. So how do we approach Mark chapter 13, especially considering everything Jesus says about the future?
Connor Coskery:2 things, whenever you engage a difficult text and especially this text, it's essential to consider 1, the historical context which it was written, and 2, the author's purpose. So first, the historical context. In this case, we should never read Mark chapter 13 and isolate it from the rest of Mark. As I mentioned at the beginning, chapters 11 and 12, they're discussing the temple controversies. Things that are going on in the temple that Jesus is saying, y'all are way off.
Connor Coskery:And 13 is the culmination of those controversies where Jesus is going to say it decisively, the temple is going to be destroyed. So we have the historical context and then we also have the author's purpose. As we'll see, as we navigate this passage, Jesus never intended for his disciples or for us to read these words and respond by retreating from the world, becoming obsessed with the minutiae of dates and times and trying to track crack some hidden code. Anytime Jesus talks about the end times, he does so to inspire present faithfulness. In just 37 verses, Jesus uses 17 imperatives.
Connor Coskery:He's using action language because he wants to prepare his disciple for suffering and challenges and he knows that they're going to be tempted to distraction or despair or outright give up. We're nearing the time where Jesus is going to be delivered up and crucified and he knows that that day is coming. He knows he's about to leave them and things are going to get really, really challenging. And so he charges them to stay awake. That even though it might seem like the world is ending.
Connor Coskery:They should hold fast to the hope with hope and assurance that he reigns. He is Lord and he is coming back. Friends, we aren't waiting for the end times. We are living in the end times today. Jesus has died, he has resurrected, he has ascended, and he has sent the spirit.
Connor Coskery:The last days are here. So these words, we need them. Our hearts need these words tonight. Two points will serve as our guidepost this evening as we walk through Mark chapter 13, and these two points, they encapsulate what Jesus is conveying to his disciples, and they will help us to, to navigate how we should live today in light of Jesus's return. So, playing off the title of the sermon.
Connor Coskery:To prepare for the end of the world, we must 1. Prepare to suffer with hope. And 2, we must stay awake. So suffer with hope and stay awake. Let's begin by looking at the first four verses, so verses 1 through 4.
Connor Coskery:And these these these first verses, they really serve as an introduction, between this conversation that Jesus is having with his disciples. So verse 1, it says that, as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples asked him, Look teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. Jesus has just wrapped up his 3rd trip to the temple, and his disciples just like, look at these amazing buildings. And for context, the Jerusalem temple at this time was one of the, ancient wonders of the world. Herod the Great had renovated it, on a grand scale.
Connor Coskery:It was said that if you were traveling into Jerusalem from a distance, the, the temple on the mount, it looked like snow capped mountains. It was glorious. It was it was built to shout the glory of God. And so, the the Jews at this time were justifiably proud of this national monument. But instead of nodding, Jesus responds, This beautiful temple that you're so proud of, it will be destroyed.
Connor Coskery:And after this, Mark says that they left and they gathered on the Mount of Olives, which would have been set just across the Kidron Valley, and they gather on this hill, which overlooks the temple. And they engage in this discussion, the disciples, they're curious about this statement that Jesus has made earlier, and they just they want to learn more. And so they ask him, Hey Jesus, you said that earlier. When will these things happen? And what are the signs that this is happening?
Connor Coskery:And Jesus answers with prophecy. There's a literary shift between, from narrative to prophecy and biblical prophecy can be challenging to understand and to make it more complicated it appears that Jesus is actually talking about 2 prophecies. 1 for the near future and one for the far future. A prophecy far into the future is hard enough to understand, but Jesus is combining 2 prophecies where the near prophecy foreshadows the future prophecy. Scholars call this prophetic telescoping.
Connor Coskery:You know, Mark, we've talked about the Mark and sandwich, which is a fun literary device. Now you get to add to your repertoire, prophetic telescoping. It's really cool actually. So, one way to understand this is to imagine looking at a mountain range from a distance. So you look at a mountain range, it's this beautiful sight.
Connor Coskery:And when you look at those mountains through a telescope or binoculars, those mountains look like they are side by side next to each other. Right? But when you fly over them or you check a map, you discover that they're often separated by miles and miles. What looks like is right next to each other is actually really far away. And this is what I believe is happening here in Mark chapter 13.
Connor Coskery:Jesus is talking about 2 distinct events that are separated in time. So when the disciples ask when these things will happen, they refer to the destruction of the temple and Jesus describes the suffering and the events that will accompany this tragedy. And this tragedy, the temple being destroyed, this, for the disciples, this invasion would upend everything that they knew. This would feel to them like a mini apocalypse, like the end of the world. But this mini apocalypse isn't the end.
Connor Coskery:Instead, it's foreshadowing to the future judgment to come when Jesus will return. So with this in mind, let's consider, let's consider the first part of the prophecy about the temple being destroyed. And this brings us to that first point where to prepare for the end of the world, we must prepare to suffer with hope. And we're going to look at verses 5 through 23. And, and friends, I wish that we could sit here that this this chapter is really conducive to a Bible study to where we could sit in and dig into the the nitty gritty details, but for time sake, we're only going to be able to walk through these at a 30,000 foot view.
Connor Coskery:But let's look at, again verse 5 and we're going to go all the way through this first major section in, to verse 23. So Jesus tells the disciples that the temple is going to be turned to rubble, it's going to be destroyed. And this actually happens. There this is a clear marker in history. I'm a history buff, so bear with me as I give a few brief history lessons as we talk through this, but the temple was actually destroyed.
Connor Coskery:The Roman Jewish wars, they began in 66 AD. And Titus, the son of the Emperor Vespasian, he invaded Jerusalem between 67 70 A. D. In August of 70 A. D, he he invaded Jerusalem and he destroyed the temple.
Connor Coskery:Just as Jesus foretold, no stone was left on the other. And this event was truly horrible. We have the writings from a Jewish historian called Joseph Josephus, And this guy, he he he witnessed all of this, and it's like he had a pen and a paper and just started writing everything down. So we have we have vivid description of what these days were like, and he describes these He estimates that 1,100,000 people died during this time. He described the Romans as being so ruthless that they ran out of wood from crucifying so many Jews.
Connor Coskery:And that inside the city, he said it was filled with disease, murder, starvation, and even cannibalism. In verses 5 through 13, they describe the world leading up to this event. He warns of people who will claim to be the savior, but they will be false. He warns that the drumbeat of war is going to be loud. He warns that there will be natural disasters and intense persecution, even among families, between brothers and sisters, mothers and sons.
Connor Coskery:And Jesus anticipates that they will be that they it will be tempting to interpret these signs as the world coming to an end. But what he says is that these are just the beginning the beginning of the birth pains. Now as we continue if we look at the next major section in verse 14 through 23, Jesus gives more specific about the invasion and the temple destruction where he describes an abomination of desolation standing where he shouldn't. This phrase is, is first used by the old testament prophet Daniel who referred to the desecration of the temple by, Antiochus Epiphanes, a Hellenistic king who sought to eradicate the Jews. And one of the worst things that he did was as he invaded Jerusalem or and he, he took he went into the Holy of Holies, the place where no one is supposed to go except the great high priest.
Connor Coskery:And he he put pagan shrines in it. He mocked the God of the Jews to put, to put, foreign gods in the most holy place. And Jesus says that just like this happened years before Jesus came, he indicates that something similar like this is going to happen again. Someone will stand where they shouldn't and do things that defame the glory of God. Again, when we comb through history, we see how this prophecy was fulfilled.
Connor Coskery:In the years following Jesus's death and resurrection, there were many false messiahs. There were near constant wars, natural disasters and there were there was fierce persecution. Invaders and zealous. They did blasphemous things in the temple as they mocked the God of the Jews. The book of Acts in many ways is a scrapbook of these events.
Connor Coskery:It's amazing we can trace so many of what Jesus is describing here actually happening to the disciples in the book of Acts. But these are just the beginning. Jesus doesn't want the disciples to confuse this forthcoming suffering, albeit terrible with signs of the end. These are not signs that the world is ending, but the reality of living in the last days in a world broken, marred by sin. Jesus is telling them all this to ensure that his disciples have realistic expectations in the days and the years ahead.
Connor Coskery:He knows that he's about to leave them and he wants to make sure that they patiently endure. So he tells them plainly life is going to be really hard. But the pain has a purpose just like the pain a mother experiences in labor is replaced with joy when the baby is born, your pain will one day cease when this evil world is made right again. So Jesus sets them in the proper posture to suffer, to suffer with hope. He doesn't give them a battle strategy to defeat Rome.
Connor Coskery:He tells them to be on guard, to endure, to not sound the alarm and remain calm, trusting that he will have the last word, and he will win. And before we move on to our next point, how how should we respond to these 23 verses? Again, we believe that Jesus is is talking about a specific event in the lives of the disciples that the disciples would experience. But what he's describing is life in the last days, and if we are still living through those birth pains, and that is what Jesus says we are living in until he comes back, how should we respond? How should we respond during the build up to a contentious election where both people make grand promises about the future and warn of ruin if the other party wins?
Connor Coskery:How do we respond to the escalating wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, to the devastation from another hurricane, more wildfires and brothers and sisters being killed for their faith all over the world. How do we respond? We listen to the words of Jesus. To those imperative statements he gives to his disciples, and we respond by remembering his promises, by enduring suffering and staying calm in the chaos, because we know the end of the story. You have an incredible opportunity to witness to the world.
Connor Coskery:I really believe this. I I believe that we have an opportunity to witness to the world by being a non anxious, faithful presence in our communities. Because you know the end of the story, you can weep with the brokenhearted instead of being surprised by suffering or reacting with betrayal to every crisis. Instead of doom scrolling, you can pray to the Lord who holds all things together by the word of his power. Instead of withdrawing from the world, because you know the end of the story, you can move into the rubble.
Connor Coskery:You can love your neighbors and extend your hands in compassion. That's how Jesus wants us to live in the last days. So when the disciples asked about the temple, Jesus told them what would happen. Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. This mini apocalypse would be a dress dress rehearsal for Jesus's final return.
Connor Coskery:If the first part of the prophecy prepares us to suffer, the second part of the prophecy reminds us that our that our suffering is never in vain. One day, Jesus will return on a glory cloud, a sign that God has come to dwell with his people, and he will undo all of the terror and pain caused by the fall. We suffer with hope, but our suffering will not last. As theologian Cornelius Plantinga says, the return of Christ is good news for a people whose lives are filled with bad news. The return of Christ is good news for those whose lives are filled with bad news.
Connor Coskery:Let's look, at verses 32 through 37, and this takes us to our second point. Stay awake. So to illustrate his second coming, Jesus tells the disciples a brief parable about a man who goes on a journey and leaves his servants in charge. The master commands their commands the servants to do their work, to stay awake because they don't know when the master will come home. The parable's simple.
Connor Coskery:The master's Jesus, whose journey is his return to the father following his death and resurrection, and the servants are his disciples who will be commissioned to go out and make disciples to the ends of the earth. If you look back at verses 24 through 27, they describe what it will look like when the master returns. It will be awesome and it will be unmistakable. Creation will unravel when Jesus returns to gather his, to gather his, his disciples, to gather his followers, his elect from every corner of the world and destroy evil forever. It will be a terrifying day for the enemies of God, but it will be a joyous day for those who are in Christ.
Connor Coskery:Yet it appears Jesus shows concern. In the 3 final verses, he repeats the same command, Stay awake. With his final words being, I say to all stay awake. It's like an actor who breaks the 4th wall and starts speaking to the audience. Jesus is saying, I say to all of you every person who is reading these words, stay awake.
Joel Brooks:Jesus knows it's going to be tempting to forget that the master's coming home.
Connor Coskery:And he reiterates that only the father knows when he will return. Which is a caution we should take seriously. There is no calculator, there is no chart that can determine when Jesus will return. Not even Jesus knows. And it's, that's a, it's a beautiful peek into the relationship of the trinity where the father, son and holy spirit.
Connor Coskery:Only the father knows when Jesus will return, and instead of Jesus demanding to know, he joyfully submits and trusts the father. The only certainty is that he will return. And we must be awake. This command that Jesus gives us 3 times, this command, it should give us pause. We should slow down And we should really consider the inverse of it.
Connor Coskery:If we're to stay awake, well, how then are we being lulled to sleep? A few years ago, Birmingham was voted the most bible minded city in America. There are great churches everywhere. You can walk into virtually at any coffee shop here in the city and see a bible opened. Many of us have access to education, health care, and all the resources possible to build a happy healthy life.
Connor Coskery:And there is certainly nothing wrong with these things however I'm afraid that this pursuit of the happy healthy life at the very least puts you at risk of relegating Jesus to just a part of your life. You pray only when you need something. You trust mainly in your bank account or your medical record and feel entitled to unbridled leisure. You do what you want with who you want and you really end up sleepwalking through life going places, but not really remembering how you get there. Mark 13 should wake us up.
Connor Coskery:Jesus will not be pushed to the background. We can't just live on autopilot and drift through life. Jesus is coming back and we can't be found asleep. So how do we stay awake? How do we heed what Jesus has commanded to stay awake?
Connor Coskery:How do we do that? I want to encourage you with at least 4 ways, 4 ways to stay awake. The first is worship. Worship, which you are all doing right now, sitting together in corporate worship, gathering together, this prepares us for the Lord to come again. Our hearts forget, so we need to sing the same songs, sit under the word, preach to pray for one another, encourage one another, and receive the Lord's supper.
Connor Coskery:And then from this place, we don't just stay here, but we spill out into our communities and we do good and we remind the world of the true story. We worship. Notice the superscript above, awake in verse 33. I love this. The footnote mentions that some manuscripts add, keep awake and pray.
Connor Coskery:And I love this because, what it tells us at the very least is that the early church already interpreted keeping staying awake with praying. So first we worship, second, we repent and we forgive. Living in unrepentant sin is undoubtedly a a sign that we are asleep. Therefore we should listen to the words of James that say, confess your sins, pray for each other, experience healing. And as we examine our hearts and root out sin, repenting, we should be quick to forgive.
Connor Coskery:The good news of Jesus second coming is that the weight of justice isn't on your shoulders. Instead, we can endure injustice because we know that one day Jesus is going to come back and he's going to make everything right. We should be a repenting people and a forgiving people. So we worship and we repent and we forgive. 3rd, we mobilize on mission.
Connor Coskery:The master gave his servants work to do and Jesus commissioned his followers to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. So we take it upon each of our job descriptions is to join the saints throughout history. To take the gospel to the ends of the earth confident that no persecution can thwart Christ building his church. The rise of the church in acts again, I would encourage you to read the book of acts after considering this chapter and you're going to see all of the the dots connecting here. The rise of the church in acts is a vivid, example a picture of persecution not stopping but advancing proclamation.
Connor Coskery:So we worship, we repent and forgive, we mobilize on mission. And lastly, we we fill our hearts with the promises of Jesus. Jesus gives massive assurance in verse 31 citing Isaiah 40, which Isaiah 40, it says, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stands forever. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Jesus says he isn't like the false teachers.
Connor Coskery:He isn't like the temple made of stone. His words will not pass away. You could trust them. Therefore, we need to if we're going to stay awake, we need to immerse ourselves in the scriptures. We need to receive those promises of life.
Connor Coskery:We need to fill our hearts with the promises of life and not the promises of whatever, news station or social media account that we're following because those are only meant to lead us to worry and fear. So we worship, we repent, and forgive, we mobilize on mission, and we fill our hearts with the promise of God. That's how we stay awake. I do want to take a moment for those who are still unsure of Jesus. What are you waiting for?
Connor Coskery:Are you waiting for a better argument? A better time? A worse situation? Don't wait. Don't leave these doors this evening.
Connor Coskery:Receive his invitation to eternal life. Jesus is coming back and we must be found awake. In the coming days, Jesus is going to gather again with his disciples in a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. And Mark says that that that evening, Jesus became greatly distressed and troubled, and he went off to pray. And as he left, he said to his disciples, my soul is very sorrowful.
Connor Coskery:Remain here and watch. And when he returned to his disciples, he found them asleep. And so once again, he says, remain here and watch. He goes off to pray, and he comes back again, and he finds them asleep. They couldn't even stay awake for an hour.
Connor Coskery:In the end, Jesus is the only one who stays awake. And after this, Jesus, the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Nothing would stop Jesus from pouring out his love and accomplishing his mission to seek and save his peoples. The disciples failures couldn't stop him and neither can yours. Jesus took our place on the cross and he accomplished everything necessary for our salvation, and we are not welcomed into the kingdom based on our ability to stay awake, but on his ability to stay awake.
Connor Coskery:Jesus is the only one who stays awake in the end. Jesus doesn't leave us with a job to do, but he fills us with his spirit and he enables us to persevere, to patiently endure while the nation's rage and the world's brokenness is heavy. Listen to the apostle Paul as he reminds us in Romans chapter 8, for we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the of childbirth until now. Same language. And not only the creation, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit, we groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Connor Coskery:For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. It's our posture, we wait patiently.
Connor Coskery:Staying awake, but Jesus has graciously what we see in Mark 13 Greece, Jesus has graciously given us a peek behind the curtains to show us the inevitable victory that awaits. The rubble left in the wake of today's suffering will one day be a distant memory when Jesus returns to defeat Satan and make all things right. The beautiful buildings may be gone, but our hope is a city. There is no need for a temple because we will be welcomed into the loving presence of our heavenly father. So how do we prepare for the end of the world?
Connor Coskery:We worship. And that looks like weeping. We weep, we watch, we pray, we repent and forgive, we mobilize on mission. We trust, we stay calm, and we fill our hearts with the promises of God remembering Jesus's words, Behold I am coming soon. And together we cry, Come Lord Jesus.
Connor Coskery:Come quickly Lord Jesus. Amen. Let's pray. Lord, we we confess, Lord, that we, that we're sleepy people. Lord, that we are often, led to despair, distracted.
Connor Coskery:We struggle to trust you, Lord. Lord, I pray that these words would wake us up, that, Lord, we would, we would look around and see the suffering that is all around us, And that, yes, we would cry that we would weep, but, Lord, we would weep to you knowing that you are with us and that you hold it all together. But, Lord, I pray that as we weep, we would suffer with hope, knowing that you will return, and you will make everything right again. God, I'm reminded of the prayer that saints are praying even this evening right now as I'm speaking, Lord. A reminder that you are actively keeping watch over us.
Connor Coskery:Lord, the prayer of at day's end, keep watch, dear lord, over those who work and watch and weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Bless the dying. Soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous, all for your love's sake. You keep watch over us, Lord. You do, and I pray that we would remember that, and that we would live our lives today knowing that.
Connor Coskery:We love you Jesus. We pray this in your name. Amen.
