Grace OPC Sewickley PA

Sermon Book: Mark

  • Christ Our Passover

    Christ Our Passover

    About this sermon

    On the first day of Unleavened Bread, Jesus eats the Passover with his disciples and announces that one of them will betray him. God had decreed the betrayal, and Judas still bears full guilt for it. Jesus takes the bread and the cup and gives them new meaning: his body given and his blood of the covenant poured out for many. The Lord’s Supper replaces the Passover and looks both back to the cross and forward to the day Christ drinks the cup new in his kingdom.

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    Sermon transcript

    Amen. Please remain standing for the reading of God’s Word as we can continue our consideration of the Gospel of Mark. We’re heading towards the final stretch in the Gospel of Mark. We’re in the final section of Mark, and today we consider Mark chapter 14, verses 12 through 25. So let us hear God’s holy word. Mark 14, beginning at verse 12. On the first day of unleavened bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, his disciples said to him, where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover? And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him. And wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, the teacher says, where is my guest room in which I may eat the Passover with my disciples? and he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.

    Prepare for us there.” The disciples went out and came to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he came with the twelve. As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, that one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me. They began to be grieved and to say to him, one by one, Surely not I? And he said to them, it is one of the 12, one who dips with me in the bowl. For the son of man is to go just as it is written of him. But woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.

    While they were eating, he took some bread. And after a blessing, he broke it and gave it to them and said, take it. This is my body. And when he had taken a cup and given thanks, he gave it to them and they all drank from it. And he said to them, this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Dear friends, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing upon the preaching of his word. And we will do so today using a prayer offered by Martin Luther.

    Eternal God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant us your Holy Spirit who writes the preached word into our hearts so that we may receive and believe it and be gladdened and comforted by it in eternity. Glorify your word in our hearts, make it so bright and warm that we may find pleasure in it, and through your inspiration think what is right. By your power, fulfill the word. For the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, and all of God’s people said, Amen. You may be seated. The title of my sermon on this Lord’s Day morning is Christ, Our Passover. And if you’re following along in your sermon outline, there are a number of words you can be listening for if you find that helpful in following along in the sermon. Well, dear friends, in our passage for this Lord’s Day morning, we have the beginning of Mark’s account of the events that took place on the Thursday of Passion Week, that is to say, the day before our Lord was crucified, Good Friday, including events that occurred on the night in which our Lord was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples.

    In this passage, we read of our Lord making arrangements for celebrating the last Passover meal that he would celebrate with his 12 disciples, the Last Supper. We also read of Christ’s solemn prediction of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal. And finally, we have in this passage Mark’s simple, condensed, yet profound account of our Lord’s institution of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Now friends, as we approach this portion of God’s word, I think we would once again do well to recall the importance and centrality of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the religious life of God’s people. The Feast of Passover was followed immediately by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasted a week. Remember the significance of the Passover celebration for God’s people under the Old Covenant. First of all, the Passover was a commemoration of God’s final plague poured out against Pharaoh and the Egyptians, namely the death of the firstborn.

    When God destroyed all the firstborn of the Egyptians, but spared the Israelites, just as he had promised to do, because of the blood of the Passover lamb smeared on the lintel and doorposts of the Hebrews’ houses. Now Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrated and commemorated the central redemptive act of God under the Old Covenant, namely God’s delivering and rescuing Israel from her slavery to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, doing so by what the biblical authors often describe as God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm. And when the Bible uses that kind of language about God’s hand and God’s arm, obviously God as a spirit does not have a literal arm or a literal hand, but that signifies his omnipotent power brought to bear to redeem and rescue his people. Now, what is the significance of these observances for us today?

    Well, friends, these Old Covenant observances of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were arguably the clearest Old Testament-type symbols and pictures pointing to the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. Christ is, in fact, the one who is described as our Passover, as the Apostle Paul writes in in the Corinthian correspondence, he says, Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast. And as John the Baptist declared and proclaimed of the Lord Jesus, he says, behold, what? The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So friends, let us keep these truths in mind as we dive into our passage for this Lord’s Day morning. And first of all I would have us focus on the first section of this passage which runs from verses 12 through 16.

    Notice first of all beloved the careful preparations that are made for Christ to celebrate the Passover with his disciples. Here in this first section of our passage for today Mark records for us the careful preparations that are made for Christ to celebrate the Passover with his disciples. Let me again read these verses. It says, on the first day of unleavened bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, his disciples said to him, where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover? Now let’s pause there for a minute. Sometimes the terminology of unleavened bread seems to have been used at that time to refer more broadly to the entire festival celebration, including both the Passover celebration itself as well as the subsequent week-long feast of unleavened bread. And this seems to be how Mark is using this terminology here when he speaks of the first day of unleavened bread.

    Here it would seem that Mark is using this language to indicate that he is speaking of Thursday of Passion Week. But we need to also remember that how the Jews in those days counted time, how they counted their days. We count our days from midnight to midnight, but the Jews viewed the day as being from sundown to sundown, from evening to evening. It would seem here that Mark is using this language, like I said, to describe Thursday of Passion Week, but remember that the Jews counted their days from evening to evening. So by Jewish reckoning, sundown on Thursday evening would be counted as the beginning of what we would call Good Friday, the day on which our Lord Jesus was crucified. And in these verses, verses 12 to 16, again, we find our Lord’s instructions to his disciples on making preparations for his last Passover meal with his disciples.

    And then we see our Lord’s disciples, two of our Lord’s disciples, Peter and John in particular, as the parallel gospel accounts indicate, carrying out our Lord’s instructions. And so it says in verse 13, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, go into the city and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him. Now typically, only the women would carry pictures of water. So this would make this individual, this servant, this man stand out in the crowd. We’ve got a man, so his disciples were to look for a man carrying a picture of water. And it says in verse 14, whenever and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, the teacher says, where is my guest room in which I may eat the Passover with my disciples?

    Now, this seems to indicate that our Lord Jesus had made these arrangements previous to this event, that he made these arrangements before the actual Passover celebration. Some would say that, well, this is an indication of our Lord’s supernatural omniscience, and certainly, you know, we don’t deny our Lord’s omniscience. But it seems to me that the more natural way to read this is that Jesus had made these arrangements in advance. Keep in mind that, remember, the religious authorities in Jerusalem wanted to kill Jesus. Jesus had a target on his back. So everything needed to be done discreetly and somewhat secretively. And so Jesus says, go and look for this man carrying the water jar, follow him, and then make ready for the Passover where he shows you. As it says in verse 15, he himself will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready, prepare for us there.

    And of course, the disciples carry out our Lord’s orders. Verse 16 indicates, the disciples went out and came to the city and found it just as he had told them. And they prepared the Passover. And so what do we learn here from this? What are some of the truths that we can glean from this event? Well, friends, this passage, among other things, it reveals and underscores a number of very important redemptive truths. First of all, it shows that Christ was obedient to the whole law of God revealed in the Old Testament, not just the moral law, but the entire law of God, including even those ceremonial and ritual laws that pointed forward to him. Christ himself is the ultimate Passover lamb. He is our Passover. He fulfills the symbolism of the Passover. And yet Jesus, as the obedient son of God, obeys the Passover law and eats it with his disciples, just as he is commanded to do in the Word of God.

    All of this underscores the truth, friends, that our Lord Jesus Christ embodies in his own person, in his own life, the true, obedient, covenant-keeping Israel. You see, think about national Israel under the Old Covenant. If you’re familiar with the history of Israel as revealed in the Old Testament scriptures, it is a very disappointing history. It is a history of almost constant unfaithfulness. There were some periods of reformational revival under Hezekiah, Josiah, and so forth. But overall, for most of Israel’s history, the professed people of God were guilty of covenant-breaking. Israel, as the theocratic son of God, the theocratic firstborn of the Lord, was often a covenant-breaking people. National Israel under the old covenant often failed to obey, failed to keep the covenant, and thus failed to embody that covenant faithfulness to which God had called her.

    But by contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ completes the story of Israel. Just as Jesus Christ is the last Adam who succeeded where the first Adam failed, so Jesus as the embodiment of the true Israel obeyed where national Israel of old had disobeyed. Now I just want to point out that in the Old Testament Israel is sometimes referred to as the Son of God. Israel, corporately considered as the people of God, was a, theocratically speaking, the Son of God, the firstborn of the Lord. For example, turn back to Exodus chapter 4, and let’s look at verses 21 to 23. Exodus chapter 4, verses 21 through 23. Here God is calling Moses to be the deliverer of his people from their slavery in Egypt. And we read these words beginning at verse 21 of Exodus chapter four.

    The Lord said to Moses, when you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power, but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Here are these words, look at verse 22. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord, Israel is my son, my firstborn. So I said to you, let my son go so that he may serve me. that you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.” The reason that God in the final plague destroyed the firstborn of Pharaoh and the Egyptians is because Pharaoh and his people refused to let God’s firstborn son, his theocratic firstborn son, Israel, go free. And so the punishment fits the crime, if you will.

    National Israel of old, think about it. National Israel of old, as the theocratic firstborn son of God, was often a disloyal, faithless, disobedient, covenant-breaking son. But by contrast, our Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate divine Son of God in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ as the firstborn, the divine firstborn Son of God, was the loyal, faithful, obedient, covenant-keeping Son. And that is how he is, by implication, presented in our passage for today. Jesus fulfilling all of the law of God, including this ceremonial law of the Passover. And this passage also sets the context for our Lord’s institution of the Holy Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, which we will be privileged to celebrate on the next Lord’s Day morning. The fact that our Lord Jesus instituted the new covenant celebration of the Lord’s Supper, even in the midst of celebrating the old covenant observance of the Passover meal.

    What does that show us? That shows us that the new covenant sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is to replace the old covenant sacrament. of the Passover. Just as the Passover was a covenant meal, a ritual covenant meal under the Old Covenant administration as revealed through the prophet Moses, Moses being the mediator of the Old Covenant. So the Lord’s Supper is the covenant meal under this new covenant administration in Christ, Christ himself being the mediator of a new and better covenant. And by the way, this also demonstrates covenantal continuity. In other words, the continuity of God’s one overarching covenant of grace in both Old Testament times and New Testament times. Now there’s a common, and let me just, as an aside here, we’re doing a little bit of off-roading here, but it is connected with the implications of our text for today.

    There’s a common notion out there in the Christian world today that God’s people under the Old Testament were saved by the law, but that now we are saved by grace through faith. And usually this misconception is brought about as a result of the influence, for example, of dispensationalism, and if you’re not sure what that is, that’s okay. This is not a sermon that’s intended to dive into the differences between dispensationalism and covenant theology. That’s for another time. But there’s that view of interpreting the Bible, but also You read the Old Testament, and let’s face it, there are a lot of laws and commands in the Old Testament. And so, if you do a superficial reading of the Old Testament, you get the impression that, well, this is a portion of scripture that is focused on law.

    But in the New Testament, we’ve got grace and promise. But friends, that is a misreading of the scriptures. When you read both the Old Testament and the New Testament carefully, you realize that there is so much grace and mercy that saturates both Testaments. In fact, God’s act of delivering his people from their slavery in Egypt is an act of amazing grace on God’s part. You see, friends, law and gospel, command and promise are found in both Testaments, in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. And that is why there has always been one way and one way only to be saved, and that is by God’s grace alone through faith alone in the promised Messiah alone. As I believe it was Augustine once said that the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed.

    The Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. Old Testament saints were saved not by works or by merits or by keeping the law. It’s impossible for any sinner to obey God as we ought. Old Testament saints were saved in the same way that you and I are saved, by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But Old Testament saints were saved by trusting in the Messiah yet to come, the messianic lamb that was pictured for them in the Passover meal. New Testament saints are saved today in the same way, by trusting in the Messiah who has already come, namely the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is our Passover lamb. Beloved, Christ is our Passover lamb. Is he your Passover lamb? Are you protected from the angel of death, the messenger of God’s wrath against sinners?

    That angel of death that brought death to the firstborn of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Are you shielded by the blood of Christ, your Passover lamb? Have you by faith taken shelter under the protection of the blood of Christ as your Passover lamb? If not, turn to Christ today. Put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Trust in his blood to cleanse you from all sin. Rest in him, repent, believe. But next, as we move on, we see that Christ has given instructions for the celebration of the Passover meal. The disciples have prepared in accordance with Christ’s instructions. Take to heart next our Lord’s prediction of a treacherous betrayal. We find here in verses 17 through 21, our Lord’s prediction of a treacherous betrayal. It says in verse 17, when it was evening, was Thursday evening of Passion Week, when it was evening, he came with the Twelve, and the Twelve would have included Judas Iscariot.

    Now remember that earlier on, Judas had already made arrangements with the chief priests and the scribes to betray the Lord into their hands. And I believe, if I’m remembering correctly, the parallel text in John’s Gospel indicates that Satan had already entered into Judas. Judas was already, he had given himself over to sin and Satan had already entered his heart. So they come together to celebrate the Passover meal together and verse 18 says, as they were reclining at the table, remember in those days they didn’t sit on chairs around a table, they reclined on couches around a low table close to the floor. You would recline on your side and you would use one hand to prop yourself up and another hand to eat. So that’s what’s being pictured here. They were reclining at the table and eating.

    Jesus said, here he uses this solemn word, truly or amen. Truly, I say that one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me. To the disciples, this would have been shocking, shocking news, especially one who was eating with them. I’ll explain more about that in a sec, but it goes on to say, In verse 19, they began to be grieved and to say to him one by one, surely not I. The disciples are distressed to hear that one of them will betray the Lord. And those of a tender conscience among them, which is all of them, except of course for Judas, they’re grieved. They’re like, it’s not me, is it, Lord? See, this is a proper stance of humility before the Lord to recognize that, Lord, I’m weak. Apart from your grace, I would betray you.

    Surely not I, Lord. And then Jesus gets more specific. He says, verse 20, he said to them, it is one of the 12, one who dips with me in the bowl. And then Jesus goes on to say in verse 21, these very somber, solemn words. For the son of man, son of man, that is the Messiah. That is a messianic terminology taken from Daniel chapter seven. That’s Jesus’ favorite self-designation, as we’ve seen multiple times in Mark’s gospel. So he’s talking about himself as the Messiah. For the Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. A pronouncement of woe is a pronouncement of a divine curse. He goes on to say, it would have been good for that man if he had not been born.

    Now notice, friends, the utter treachery of Judas’s betrayal as he betrays the master with whom he reclined in table fellowship. See, when we share meals together today, as we’re about to do in our fellowship meal, it’s a wonderful time, it’s a blessed time, but in our Western mindset, sharing a meal with someone does not necessarily have the same kind of depth or connotations that sharing meals had. have had in that particular cultural context, and even in certain Middle Eastern contexts today. You see, in this Middle Eastern context, to betray someone with whom you’ve had such intimate table fellowship, including sharing a bowl, dipping your bread with them in the same bowl, to share such intimate fellowship with someone, and then to betray that person, would have been viewed as absolutely disgusting, heinous, and shocking. You see, table fellowship in that culture signified friendship, loyalty, fidelity.

    So what Judas did here was, it was not only horrific at a spiritual level, even at a cultural level, it was horrific and disgusting and shocking. But notice that our Lord Jesus, when he says these words, he issues this warning. He does so in the presence of Judas. He says, the son of man is to go just as it is written of him. This is a fulfillment of Psalm 41 verse nine. If you’d like to turn to Psalm 41 verse nine, I’ll read that briefly. This psalm, which is a psalm of David, remember that Christ is great David’s greater son. David was a picture and type of Christ. David had experienced betrayal in his own life and in his own kingship, but David’s experience of betrayal points forward to Christ. In Psalm 41, verse 9, it says, even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

    This points forward to Christ’s betrayal by Judas Iscariot. And so this is sovereignly determined by God that this would happen. But at the same time, we notice that Judas is fully responsible for his sin, for Judas freely chose of his own free volition to betray the Lord Jesus Christ. Woe, and that’s why Jesus could say, woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. Again, what does Jesus mean by this? Well, this obviously hearkens forward to the judgment and wrath of God that will come upon Judas for betraying unto murder. God’s anointed one, the promised Messiah. And so we notice our Lord gives sort of a final warning to Judas, as if to say, are you really sure you want to go through with this?

    You really realize what you’re doing. Now what can we, what are some of the takeaways? What do we learn from this in terms of applications? Well here, beloved, among other things, we see the mysterious interplay between God’s absolute sovereignty on the one hand and genuine human responsibility on the other hand. Verse 21, for the son of man is to go as it is written of him. In other words, it was sovereignly decreed that Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, would betray the Lord Jesus Christ unto death. This was sovereignly decreed by the plan of God. And yet, woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. There is responsibility there. God did not force Judas against his will to betray Christ. Judas wanted to betray Christ. He wasn’t a puppet on a string.

    His desires were decreed by God at one level, and yet they were fully his desires. Remember, God is not the author nor approver of sin. And we wrestle with this. We think, well, how can it be that this event was under the sovereign plan of God, even prophesied in the Old Testament scriptures, and yet Judas is fully responsible for what he does? Well, that’s a mystery, my friends. My answer to that question is I don’t know. But what I do know is what the late Dr. R.C. Sproul used to say, used to love to say, there are no maverick molecules running around in the universe. And that, my friends, is true. God had indeed predetermined that one of Christ’s own disciples would betray him unto death. But that does not absolve Judas from the guilt of his betrayal of Christ.

    I’m reminded of what our Westminster Confession says. If you want to turn to Confession of Faith, Chapter 3, Section 1, which is on page 921 in the back of your Psalter hymnal. What we’re getting at here is what the Westminster theologians articulated in such a profound way in this one section. This is the chapter on God’s eternal decree. It says, God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass. There’s the absolute sovereignty of God. And yet there’s a very important qualification here. Yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. Again, in our finitude, in our limited understanding, we say, well, how could this be?

    And my answer to you, brothers and sisters, is I don’t know. All I know is that the scriptures say that God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and we can trust him. God is absolutely sovereign, and Judas, and indeed all of us, are absolutely responsible. We also see here the vital importance, therefore, of heeding the solemn warnings of scripture, and not like Judas, hardening our hearts. Yes, God is sovereign, but Jesus treats Judas as a responsible moral agent, and he issues this warning. It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. Judas knew that Jesus knew what was going to happen and that these words were spoken to him. I’m reminded of what we’re told in Psalm 95, a wonderful psalm of praise and thanksgiving, but a psalm that also issues a solemn warning.

    In Psalm 95, beginning at verse 6, it says, they shall not enter into my rest. May that not be the case for you. Dear listener, flee to Christ. Rest in Him. He will receive you as you turn to Him. But finally, take to heart, beloved, our Lord’s institution of the Holy Supper. Let us take to heart our Lord’s institution of the Holy Supper as Mark records it in verses 22 through 25. Now Mark’s record of Our Lord’s Institution of the Lord’s Supper is very condensed. It’s encapsulated. If you compare parallel texts in the other gospel accounts, you’ll get a fuller account of what Our Lord says. And perhaps Mark did not feel the need to give all of the details that are given in the other gospel accounts because he knew that the early Christians were already aware of that.

    But nevertheless, we have much we can learn from this. It says this in verse 22, while they were eating, what does Jesus do while they’re together at this Passover feast eating together? He took some bread and after a blessing, he broke it and gave it to them and said, take this, take it, this is my body. What does he do? He takes the bread, he blesses it, he breaks it, he distributes it. These are the sacramental actions. that are replicated in our celebrations and in all proper biblical celebrations of the Lord’s Supper. And then verse 23, when he had taken the cup, a cup and given thanks, he gave it to them and they all drank from it. Again, what does Jesus do? He takes the cup. This would have been, this would have been the fruit of the vine or wine.

    He takes this cup, he gives thanks, he distributes it, and then he interprets what’s going on here. He says in verse 24, he said to them, this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. And then he goes on to say in verse 25, truly, I say to you, again, we’ve got that solemn word, truly, or amen, I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Now I want us to notice a couple things here about Mark’s account of our Lord’s institution of the Holy Supper. Notice the simplicity, the simplicity of this celebration. It’s a very simple ritual meal. Bread is broken, distributed, received. Wine is distributed. The words of institution are spoken.

    The wine is distributed. It is received. And that’s pretty much it. This goes against adding elaborate theatrical man-made rituals and complicated theatrical ceremonialism to the simple biblical celebrations of the Lord’s Supper. In some Christian traditions that are outside of the Reformed faith, celebrations of the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist or the Mass or whatever it gets called can be very elaborate ceremonial affairs. I grew up in a tradition where the celebrations of the Lord’s Supper, while they retained the biblical basics or the biblical center of the celebration, there were also additional rituals. And I know that because as a child I served as an acolyte in my church, and I remember that You know, before the celebration of the supper, I was to take a bowl to the priest or the pastor and pour some water over his fingers.

    There were little rituals here and there, and there were people genuflecting, crossing themselves, all kinds of ceremonialism that really detracted from the simple message of the supper. Friends, the Reformed churches historically have sought to celebrate the Lord’s Supper in the beauty of its biblical simplicity. Let us seek to always maintain and retain that simplicity. We also notice here that Christ makes it clear what the basic elements and actions of the supper should involve. Now there may be special circumstances where it’s difficult to get bread or wine where you could perhaps, under certain circumstances, substitute other things, but ordinarily bread and wine are that which is to be used, bread or the fruit of the vine. is that which should be used. And I may have shared this before, but there was a time when I was a college student, I was very active in my college Christian fellowship, and I was also active in college in a Christian band, played the bass for that band, and my bandmates and I were hanging out in the dorm room one night, and we had ordered a pizza.

    And we were praying together, we were enjoying Christian fellowship together, and we got the brilliant idea, well, let’s celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. But we didn’t have wine or even grape juice. We just had pizza crust and Pepsi. So that’s what we used. We had pizza crust and Pepsi. And I look back on that and I say, God, thank you. You are so kind and merciful and forgiving. Because I look back on what I did then with horror. We meant well. But I’m thinking, we are blaspheming. We blasphemed the Lord’s institution. Who were we to replace the fruit of the vine with Pepsi or use pizza crust? Friends, when Jesus says, do this in remembrance of me, he means do this in remembrance of me. He told us the elements that we are to use. and the way in which those actions, those sacramental actions are to be performed.

    We see here then the meaning and significance of the sacred meal as well. Jesus not only does this, but he interprets what he’s doing. He interprets the bread. What does the bread symbolize? He says, uh, it says, take it. This is my body or this represents my body. And then what about the cup? Well, he explains that again. He explains this symbolic sacramental action. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. And so what does this mean? It means Christ’s body was broken for you and for me. His blood was shed for you and for me, for our redemption, for our forgiveness. And that’s why, brothers and sisters, this is why it’s so important for us to see the importance of the Lord’s Supper. Now we celebrate the Lord’s Supper on a monthly basis here, and I want to encourage you brothers and sisters, whenever the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, try to make that a priority.

    Whether it’s celebrated, we do every other month, we do one month it’s in the morning service, the next month it’s in the evening service. We have reasons for alternating that to accommodate folks. But whenever it is celebrated, I want to encourage you to be there, because in the Lord’s Supper, By faith and through the Holy Spirit, we actually commune with the benefits of Christ’s broken body and shed blood. Not, of course, in a corporal way, in a cannibalistic type of way. But Christ is really present. It isn’t just a mental remembrance. It’s an actual living communion. And who wouldn’t want to have supper with Jesus whenever you get the chance? So I want to encourage you, brothers and sisters, let’s make the Lord’s Supper and its celebrations a priority in our lives and in our fellowship together.

    We also see in verse 25, the Lord Jesus emphasizing the eschatological aspect of the supper. Jesus says, truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. This reminds me of what Paul says later on in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 26, where Paul writes of the Lord’s supper. Let me just get there. Chapter 11 verse 26, Paul writes, for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. The Lord’s Supper was not just instituted for the early apostolic church. It is to be celebrated by the church of Jesus Christ until Jesus returns. So not only does the Lord’s Supper point us back to what Jesus did for us on the cross 2000 years ago, it points us forward to his return, when he will come again in glory to take us to be with himself.

    And so the Lord’s Supper is not only a remembrance, it is also a supper that is saturated with the Christian hope, the blessed hope. Dear ones, our Lord’s institution of the sacrament of the Holy Supper and this sacred covenant meal itself itself helped to underscore the truth that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is indeed our true and final Passover lamb. Beloved Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast by faith through grace. Alleluia and Amen. Let us pray. Our Lord and Father in heaven, We praise and bless and thank you God for your amazing love for us in giving your son Jesus to be our Passover lamb. We thank you that we who are sinners can take refuge, shelter under the blood of Christ our Passover lamb. And therefore we can live with confidence and hope.

    May we not harden our hearts against this message of the gospel. May we instead embrace it, confess it, receive and rest upon it. We pray these things in Jesus’ name and all of God’s people said, Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • A Plot, an Anointing, and a Betrayal

    A Plot, an Anointing, and a Betrayal

    About this sermon

    Two days before the Passover, the chief priests plot to seize Jesus, and Judas offers to betray him. At Bethany a woman breaks an alabaster vial and pours costly perfume over his head, and Jesus defends her gift as an anointing for his burial. God overrules the wicked plot so that Christ dies at Passover as the true Lamb. Her extravagant devotion stands against the treachery of a disciple who took his privileges for granted.

    More sermons from Mark · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    Amen. Dear friends, let’s remain standing for the reading of God’s Word as we continue on in our consideration of the Gospel of Mark. We today begin the final section of Mark’s Gospel, the last three chapters of Mark’s gospel having to do with our Lord’s passion. In other words, the events leading up to and including our Savior’s sufferings and death on the cross, as well as his resurrection from the dead. And today we’re going to consider Mark chapter 14, verses one through 11. Mark 14, verses one through 11. Let’s hear with reverence and awe the word of our God. Now the Passover and unleavened bread were two days away, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize him by stealth and kill him. For they were saying, not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people.

    While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard, and she broke the vial and poured it over his head. But some were indignantly remarking to one another, why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for over 300 denarii and the money given to the poor. And they were scolding her. But Jesus said, let her alone. Why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them, but you do not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burial. Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.

    Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. They were glad when they heard this and promised to give him money, and he began seeking how to betray him at an opportune time.” Dear ones, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God endures forever. Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing upon the preaching of His Word. Our gracious Lord and Father in heaven, we pray that as your spirit inspired and breathed out these words of scripture, that your spirit would illuminate our minds and our hearts so that we would receive these words and understand them and how they impact and relate to our lives and to the church. Be with us now, Lord God, open our minds and hearts to behold wondrous things from your word, feed our souls, build us up in our faith that we might worship and serve you. with our whole being.

    We pray these things in Jesus’ name and all of God’s people said. Amen. You may be seated. You’ll notice on your sermon outline there’s quite a number of key words that you can be listening for this morning. I just would point out a couple central ones. Gospel, Passover, anoint, love, and betrayal. Well, dear friends, if you read the gospel accounts in the New Testament carefully, one of the things that you may have noticed is that the gospel writers focus a lot of space and a lot of detail on the events leading up to our Lord’s crucifixion and His resurrection from the dead. Now, why is that the case? Why is it that so much ink is spilled and so much space in all four of the Gospel accounts, including Mark, is taken up recounting these historical events leading up to the sufferings, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ?

    Mark’s Gospel, for example, as I mentioned, devotes at least three chapters to covering events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus. Now, why is this the case? Why do the Gospel writers do this? Well, the answer has to do with the Gospel itself. After all, think about it, friends. What is the Gospel? For example, is the Gospel accept Jesus into your heart and you’ll be saved? Is that the gospel? Is that the good news? Well, you may be surprised to hear me say the answer to that question is no. No, that’s not the good news itself, although, don’t misunderstand, understood correctly, accepting Jesus is part of our proper response to the gospel message. Well then, is the gospel make a decision for Christ and you’ll go to heaven when you die? Again, friends, the answer to that question is no, that’s not the gospel.

    Although, part of our proper response to the gospel message involves the human will, or I should say the renewed human will. After all, the Bible teaches that our wills are in bondage to sin and until the Holy Spirit regenerates you, you will not will to come to Christ. Friends, when we scour the contents of the New Testament, we discover that the Gospel is not really about us, nor is it about our response to the Gospel, as important as that response of faith and repentance are. Instead, we discover that the gospel is about Jesus Christ. It is about the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially his death on the cross for our sins and his resurrection from the dead. The Gospel is the joyful announcement of what God has done to save us sinners through the death and resurrection of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

    So since the Gospel message is centered on the death and resurrection of Christ, it makes sense that the Gospel writers would devote so much space and write so many words to recording these historical events. Dr. Walter Wessel states it well in his commentary on Mark. He says, the importance of the passion and resurrection of our Lord for the early church is evidenced by the relatively large amount of space the narrative takes in each of the gospels, and especially in Mark. Out of Mark’s 661 verses, and I want to pause there for a second. Children, I want your parents to ask you this afternoon after church, how many verses are there in Mark’s gospel? Remember the answer to this question. There are 661 verses in Mark’s gospel, okay? So remember that, and parents, be sure to ask your children that.

    So out of Mark’s 661 verses, 128 are devoted to the passion and resurrection story, and a total of 242 are devoted to the last week from the triumphal entry to the resurrection of our Lord’s life. These events, Dr. Wessel says, these events formed the basis of the church’s witness and worship, the lifeblood of early Christianity. The Witnessing Church proclaimed a crucified and living Savior, and the Worshiping Church reflected on the meaning of these events for its inner life. And so, beloved, in our passage for this Lord’s Day morning, we begin our exploration of this section of Mark’s Gospel that includes his divinely inspired accounts of the events leading up to and including our Lord’s atoning death on the cross for the sins of his people and our Lord’s glorious bodily resurrection from the dead, which again, these events are covered in chapters 14 through 16, this final section of Mark’s brief gospel.

    Now, in our passage for today, we read of a plot, of an anointing, and of a betrayal. And why are we considering this passage all together? Why not just consider, for example, the first two verses separately from the anointing, separately from Judas’ betrayal? Why do we consider these, this passage together Well, to quote from another scholar, Dr. C. E. Graham Swift, he says, we treat this paragraph as a whole because verses 10 and 11 are directly connected with verses one and two. And the intervening story of the anointing has evidently been introduced here by Mark with the twofold purpose of throwing into relief the treachery and avarice of Judas on the one hand, and showing that the incident was at least one factor in his turning traitor. For here he heard Jesus speak quite plainly of his burial, and perhaps at last Judas realized that his cherished hopes of material power and advancement were doomed.

    More about that later. But with all of this in mind, let’s dive into our passage for today, and let’s focus first of all on the opening verses of chapter What we find here, first of all, brothers and sisters, is an evil plot by the enemies of Christ. And if you’re following along in your sermon outline, this is the first main point. An evil plot by the enemies of Christ. Let me read these verses once again. It says, Now the Passover and unleavened bread were two days away, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize him by stealth and kill him. For they were saying, not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people.” Now Mark opens this section of his gospel dealing with the passion and later the resurrection of Christ by situating it in its chronologically speaking, situating it in the time in which it occurred.

    The Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away we’re told. And then we read of the characters in this plot. These characters included the chief priests and the scribes. The scribes were the theologians, the Bible scholars, and the chief priests were the ruling priests that presided over the liturgical and ceremonial life of Israel in the temple. And what were they seeking to do? They were seeking how to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him, but An important note is made in verse two. They were saying not during the festival. otherwise there might be a riot of the people. Now by some estimates the population of Jerusalem and its surrounding area more than doubled during this high holy season of the Passover. So there were a lot of pilgrims who would come to Jerusalem and come to the temple and so these chief priests and scribes are concerned that well, you know, if we’re too public about this, if we publicly arrest and and seek to seize and kill Jesus, when we have all of these pilgrims in town, that may create a riot.

    And if that creates a riot, how is the Roman government gonna respond? The Roman government’s gonna come and squelch this riot and possibly even remove us from our positions of leadership and influence and authority. So those are the priorities that they had in mind. So they’re planning after the festival’s over, later on to seize Jesus, not during the festival, but as we’re going to see, that plan changes. Now, friends, it’s important to situate this within its overall redemptive historical context. You see, in these verses, what we are witnessing, as we witness throughout redemptive history, we are seeing the forces of the serpent plotting to crush the seed of the woman. Remember that proto-evangel, that initial proclamation of the gospel that our Lord declared to Adam and Eve after they had fallen in the words spoken to the serpent.

    If you go back to Genesis chapter 3 verse 15, And don’t worry, I’m not gonna take us through the entire Bible, but this is, we need to read this account that we’re considering today in light of this antithesis, in light of this ongoing spiritual warfare between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. as the Lord addresses to the serpent after the fall of Adam and Eve. What does the Lord say to the serpent? I will put enmity. Notice God is the one who’s going to put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed, he shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Now remember, who was it? Who are the seed of the serpent? The seed of the serpent represents unbelievers, those who are under the serpent’s sway.

    The serpent represents Satan. Those, apart from Jesus Christ, are, spiritually speaking, children of Satan. They are the seed of the serpent, and the seed of the serpent are at war with the seed of the woman. The seed of the woman, ultimately, is Jesus Christ, but it is also in union with Christ, the elect, those whom Christ represents. as the second Adam. And so we see this conflict between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. Here in our passage for today, the chief priests and the scribes represent the seed of the serpent seeking to crush the seed of the woman, singular seed of the woman, the Lord Jesus Christ. So it’s important for us to keep that in mind. It’s also important for us to briefly review the meaning of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread and their importance for God’s people.

    For it is during this Passover season, this season of the Passover celebration and the Feast of Unleavened Bread that this plot is being hatched here. Now what was the Passover? What was the significance of the Passover? Well the Passover festival which had been commanded by God of His Old Covenant people, the Passover festival commemorated the occasion when the angel of the Lord in the final plague against the Egyptians, the angel of the Lord passed over the homes of the Hebrews on the evening when he killed the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. Remember, the Lord had threatened in the final plague to kill the firstborn of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Why? Because Pharaoh and his servants refused to let God’s firstborn son, namely Israel, go free. So the consequence was that their firstborn sons were going to be killed.

    But the Hebrews were spared from that. And do you remember why the Hebrews were spared from the angel of death that came? to slaughter the firstborn of the Egyptians? Well because the Hebrews in obedience to God’s command had smeared the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts and lintel of their houses where they ate the Passover meal together. If you want to brush up on your Passover knowledge then I’d encourage you on your free time to go back and read Exodus chapter 12. But the point is, the Hebrews found refuge. They were shielded from the death angel. They were shielded under the blood of the Passover lamb. And so the Passover festival was immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasted for a week. And friends, it’s interesting that in the Old Testament, leaven was often, not always, but it was often a symbol for what?

    For sin. And so for the Passover celebration and the feast of unleavened bread the Israelites were to remove all leaven from their homes and they were to eat unleavened bread for an entire week. The unleavened bread eaten at the Passover time was a reminder to the Israelites of how they had to flee Egypt in haste. Turn with me, if you would, very briefly to Deuteronomy chapter 16. Let me read verses one through four of Deuteronomy 16, which reminds us of God’s command. Here, Moses addressing the children of Israel as they’re preparing to go in and take the promised land. We read these words, it says, observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God. For in the month of Abib, the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.

    You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd in the place where the Lord chooses to establish his name. You shall not eat leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste. In other words, The Lord delivered you so quickly, you were in such a hurry, you didn’t even have time to put leaven in your bread. So that you may remember all the days of your life, the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. For seven days, no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning.

    Now keep all of this information about the Passover and unleavened bread in mind as we consider what the chief priests and the scribes are doing. It says again in verse 1, the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize him by stealth and kill him. The New International Version puts it this way. It says they were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. Now again, Friends, we need to let this passage of Scripture reach out and slap us in the face. This is shocking information. It might not be shocking to us because we’ve heard this story many, many times. But put yourself in the shoes or the sandals of the original readers of this gospel account, the original audience who heard this message. Who is it that is plotting to murder the Messiah? the chief priests and the scribes.

    Oh, consider how vile, devious, and hypocritical their evil plot was. Here they are, the religious leaders of Israel, these men who were supposed to be holy men, these men who were looked up to as moral examples among the people of God and who were looked to as the leaders of Israel’s religious life. And what do we find these religious leaders of God’s people doing here on this occasion? Are they gathered together for a prayer meeting? No. Are they gathered together for a Bible study? I mean, part of the ones who were here are the scribes. These were the Bible experts, the scholars of those days. Are they gathered for a Bible study? No. Are they having a theological discussion of deep and profound theological truth? No. What are they doing? They’re plotting murder. They’re plotting to murder the Son of God, the Messiah.

    And they are doing so during the most sacred season of the Old Covenant calendar, the season of the Passover. The horror of their sin ought to be shocking to us. You see, of all people, they are the ones that should have been the very first to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. They had seen His miracles, miracles which were signs of the Kingdom of God. They had witnessed the Lord Jesus do things like heal the sick and give sight to the blind, and they knew about Jesus raising the dead. They had heard about the raising of Lazarus, for example. They knew about Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fishes. They knew about how Jesus cast out demons. He had power and authority over the demons. They could not deny our Lord’s miraculous powers. And these miraculous powers were signs of the kingdom of God, which pointed to Jesus as the king who was bringing in the kingdom.

    The kingdom of God drew near and was present in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they should have recognized it. They knew the scriptures, or they should have known the scriptures. But instead of being the first to recognize and receive him, they are the first and foremost to reject him and to seek his destruction. Of all of our Lord’s enemies, they are the most hostile of his enemies. But notice also, friends, that in God’s ironic providence, their evil plot, which will result in the murder of Jesus, will actually end up fulfilling the spiritual meaning and significance of the Passover festival. For on the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ, the ultimate Passover lamb, would be sacrificed for us, purging out the old leaven of sin and bringing in the unleavened purity of this new messianic age.

    Even in their evil plot to murder the Messiah, and unknown to them, they have no clue that God is using them to carry out His plan and purposes. Even in the midst of their evil plotting and scheming, God is sovereignly overruling their evil actions to accomplish His redemptive purposes in Christ. Now notice next again, I already read this but let me again have us focus on verse 2. It says, they were saying, not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people. Now that’s sort of a cliffhanger there because, see, they’re planning to wait until after the feast to arrest the Lord Jesus. But that would have been problematic. You see, in God’s sovereign plan in Providence, it was vitally important for Jesus, the Passover Lamb of God, to be crucified for the sins of his people during the Passover celebration.

    After all, friends, Christ is the fulfillment of the symbolism of the Passover. He himself being the Passover Lamb who taketh away our sins. So how is it that God is going to orchestrate events to guarantee that our Lord Jesus will go to the cross during the Passover, not after the Passover? Well, enter Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot is sometimes looked upon as a tragic figure and at one level he was a tragic figure. He was a disciple of Jesus but it is clear from the biblical accounts that he was not a true believer in Christ. He was a wicked, evil man. So while at one level Judas’ betrayal of our Lord was tragic and it was indeed a horrible sin on his part, a sin which he freely consented to. He wanted to betray Jesus. He got fed up.

    He realized that this was not the kind of Messiah I was looking for. But nevertheless, in God’s sovereign providence, Judas the betrayer would come to serve as a vital function in God’s plan of redemption. You see, Judas’s betrayal of Jesus was the providential opportunity that made it possible for these religious leaders to go forward with their plans to arrest Jesus, even during the Passover festivities. They were initially saying, well, let’s wait till afterwards, but then here comes along Judas. And so they end up fulfilling God’s plan that His Son, Jesus Christ, would be crucified during the Passover. Now there’s many takeaways and applications that we could glean from what we’ve considered so far. But first of all, let me point out a couple things. Friends, God in his amazing and ironic providence is able to overrule evil for the greater good.

    And he does so in this passage. Here he overrules the plotting and scheming and evil of these wicked men. to work towards his own holy, good, redemptive purposes. As Psalm 2 reminds us, and what these chief priests and scribes are doing is precisely what is spoken of in Psalm 2. As Psalm 2 reminds us, what is God in heaven doing when the rulers of this earth plot and scheme against the Lord and against his Messiah? Well, in Psalm 2, God in heaven is depicted as laughing at, even scoffing at the vain plotting of ungodly rulers who take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed Messiah. Again, if I may read the first six verses of Psalm 2, we read these words. It says, Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing?

    The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens does what? Is he wringing his hands and saying, oh no, what am I gonna do? I didn’t bargain on this, I didn’t expect this, no. he who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury, saying, but as for me, I have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain. And since Yahweh the Lord has installed his king on Zion, the king being Jesus, no one can overthrow His kingship. Since our Lord is sovereign and overrules evil for His ultimately good purposes, let us, beloved, not fret because of the plotting and scheming of evildoers.

    Instead, let us trust in God’s overruling and often ironic providence. But another lesson that we can glean from this passage as we reflect upon the meaning and significance of the Passover and of Christ, our Passover Lamb. Christ is the Passover Lamb of His people. Brothers and sisters, Christ is our Passover Lamb and we, by faith, take refuge under the shield of the blood of the ultimate Passover Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Dear listener, is He your Passover Lamb? Are you trusting in Him and His death on the cross to take away your sins, to shield you from the wrath of the Lord, and have you taken up the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the sense of rejoicing that in Christ all of your sins are purged away because of His life and death and resurrection.

    Turn to Christ today. Trust in Him as your Passover Lamb. And so we see here an evil plot, but we next notice in verses three through nine an extravagant expression of love for Christ. We have here next an extravagant expression of love for Christ. Says in verse 3, while he, while Jesus was in Bethany, which is right outside of Jerusalem at the home of Simon the leper and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard and she broke the vial and poured it over his head.” So Jesus is here in Bethany and he is at the home of a man named Simon the leper. Now this is probably a man who Jesus, whom Jesus had healed of leprosy but he continues to be called Simon the leper.

    And Jesus is pictured as reclining at the table. That’s how they would eat in those days. You wouldn’t sit on a chair around the table. You would recline on a couch around the table, low to the ground. And so that’s how Jesus is depicted. He’s reclining at the table and they’re having a meal together. And there came an unidentified woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of Purinard. Many scholars believe that this pure nard, or spike nard as it sometimes is called, was produced in India and it was such a costly thing, we’re told that later on in verse 5, that it could have been sold for over 300 denarii. That’s almost a year’s worth of wages for a day laborer. So this was very expensive. This was a very expensive perfume. And what does this woman do?

    It says that she broke the vial. That’s how you would access this expensive, this expensive nard or perfume. And she poured it over his head. She anointed his head with it. And that was a common thing in that culture, the way to show honor to an honored guest and so forth. But then she gets criticized. It says, but some were indignantly remarking to one another, why has this perfume been wasted? for this perfume might have been sold for over 300 denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. They were scolding her for this act of love that she performs to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now in terms of the details of this event, even though some of the details are somewhat different It is possible that Mark here records the same anointing event that is recorded by the Apostle John in John chapter 12 verses 1 through 8.

    And if that’s the case, if Mark is referring to the same event, then the woman who anointed Jesus on this occasion was Mary, the sister of Martha, and of Lazarus. You remember Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Now, it’s not certain that this is the same event. There are some chronological challenges in harmonizing those two gospel accounts. There are explanations for those chronological difficulties, and there’s also some differences in detail. But whether or not this was Mary In any case, this godly woman, whoever she was, her expression of love and devotion to Christ is set in sharp contrast to the murderous hatred of the religious leaders that we just read of in the first two verses, as well as the disloyal, faithless heart of our Lord’s betrayer, Judas Iscariot. Now, how does Jesus respond to the scolding of those who took offense at what this woman did?

    And the wording here in the Greek is very strong. It says in verse 4, some were indignantly remarking, they were really ticked off at her. Why would you do this? Why would you waste this precious perfume? You could have sold it and given to the poor. Don’t you care about the poor, right? What does Jesus say? Look at verse six. Jesus said, let her alone. Why do you bother her? Jesus jumps to her defense. And then he explains, she has done a good deed to me. Verse seven, for you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish, you can do good to them, but you do not always have me. Now, is Jesus here in verse seven? Do Jesus’s words here indicate that a lack of care and concern for the poor? No, no.

    There are many other passages in the Gospel accounts where Jesus has a heart for the poor, especially in the Gospel of Luke, especially emphasizes our Lord’s concern for the poor and the downtrodden. So Jesus is not saying that generosity to the poor is unimportant, but Jesus is a higher priority than even generosity to the poor, because Jesus is Lord. He is the Messiah. He’s the Son of God. And she’s seeking to honor Him by this act of love and devotion. And so Jesus says, you always have the poor with you. You can do good to them anytime you want. And I think the implication is here is that are you really concerned? Are you doing good to the poor? or are you just using this as an excuse to complain? If this is the same event recorded as recorded in John’s gospel, in John’s gospel it’s Judas Iscariot who complains because Judas being a thief like the dip his hand into the money box.

    So maybe there was a financial motive here for this complaint and indignancy against this devout woman. Whatever the case may be, Jesus then goes on in verse 8 and says, she has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burial. Jesus speaks of his burial. You see, Common criminals who were executed did not get anointed for their burial. They were buried in a common grave. It was typical in Jewish burial practice to anoint the body for burial. But if you were a common criminal, you would typically be thrown into into a common grave. Obviously, Jesus wasn’t. He was put in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, but the point is, Jesus is saying, in these words, Jesus is anticipating that he would be killed as a common criminal. And so he says, she’s anointed my body beforehand for the burial.

    And then he says truly, or amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” That prophecy is being fulfilled even at this moment, even today, as I’m preaching from this passage of God’s Word. And so, friends, we see here the contrast between this woman’s love for Jesus and the hatred of the religious leaders and the faithless heart of Judas Iscariot. A couple points of application. Beloved, it is never a waste to give extravagantly of our time, of our talents, and of our gifts to honor and serve Christ and His cause, especially since He’s done so much for us. Jesus, think about it, Jesus laid down His life for you. He poured out His lifeblood to redeem you.

    What could ever repay him for that amazing grace? J.C. Ryle says it well. He writes, a cold heart makes a slow hand. If a man once understands the sinfulness of sin and the mercy of Christ in dying for Him, he will never think anything too good or too costly to give to Christ. He will rather feel, as he quotes from Psalm 116, verse 12, what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits? Indeed, brothers and sisters, what shall we render to the Lord for all of his gracious benefits and blessings to us, especially the blessing and gift, the free gift of eternal life that he has bestowed upon us? Notice also how highly our Lord esteems this devout woman and her heartfelt gift, and therefore how highly He esteems heartfelt expressions of love, service, and devotion to Him.

    Again, as Ryle so eloquently states, the praise of Christ at the last day will more than compensate for all we suffer in this world from unkind tongues. This woman was suffering from unkind tongues who were scolding her, but Jesus comes to her defense. There are many unkind tongues out there that would scold us for seeking to be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, but let us not be concerned for them, for Jesus will vindicate us in the end. But finally, beloved, as we wrap up our consideration of this portion of God’s holy word, consider finally a tragic betrayal by a disciple of Christ. A tragic betrayal by a disciple of Christ. Then Judas Iscariot, verse 10, then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12, went off to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.

    The thing about Judas, he was able to arrange for Jesus to be betrayed to them privately, sort of without the crowds knowing too much about it. And so what is their response? They were originally planning, let’s put this off till after the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread. says in verse 11, they were glad when they heard this. Now we can go forward with our plan. And they promised to give him money. And by the way, the 30 pieces of silver that he would receive is really a pittance for what he lost in betraying his professed Lord. He got 30 pieces of silver and what did he get really in reality for that? Eternal damnation. Not worth it, is it? But they were glad when they heard this and they promised to give him money.

    And he began seeking how to betray him at an opportune time. Now again, Mark does not tell us exactly why Judas decided at that point to betray Christ. It was probably something that he had been contemplating for quite some time. But as I mentioned before, John 12, verse six tells us that Judas was a thief, for he had charge of the money box and he used to pilfer from it. And that, I would think, might indicate that Judas was motivated to follow Jesus for less than spiritual reasons. One of the things we’ve been learning in our study of the Gospel of Mark is that there was this misconception out there in the Jewish world about what kind of Messiah to expect. They were expecting, the people as a whole were expecting a military conquering Messiah who would bring back earthly prosperity and peace and power and influence over the nations. that Jesus came to be a suffering Messiah who would die for sinners.

    Judas had a theology of glory. It would appear that Judas was looking to follow a Messiah who was going to install him in a position of power, wealth, prosperity, and influence in his kingdom. And when Judas hears Jesus talking about his own burial, maybe he’s like, okay, I’m out of here. I’m out of here. This is not what I signed up for. Given the context of Mark’s placement of this account here immediately after our Lord’s defense of this devout woman, where Jesus, as I said, explicitly mentions his burial in verse 8. This event may have been the last straw for Judas, since it may have become clear to him that he was never going to achieve earthly wealth or glory by following Jesus. You know, it’s kind of speculative to say this, but I’m guessing that if Judas were manifested today, if he were around today, that he would probably be a prosperity preacher.

    He would probably be like, yeah, God wants you healthy and wealthy and prosperous. None of this persecution or struggle or discipleship stuff, no. But when Judas realized, no, this is not gonna get me any kind of wealth, he betrayed his professed Lord. Couple final applications. Consider, beloved, how many gospel privileges one may enjoy and yet still be lost. Judas was among the 12. He was one of the Lord’s chosen apostles. He sat for years, he sat at the feet of Jesus. He heard our Lord’s teachings. He heard the preaching and teaching of the kingdom of God from the very lips of the Son of God incarnate. He witnessed the Lord Jesus perform miracles, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons, walking on the waters, multiplying the loaves and fishes. Judas saw it all.

    And what spiritual good did it do him? Nothing, because he didn’t see it with the eyes of faith. He was hardened and unbelieving. Though he had been exposed to many gospel privileges, yet he was lost. And this is a warning to us, brothers and sisters. Don’t be a Judas. Make sure that you’re not a Judas. One who is exposed to gospel privileges but who never truly believes the gospel for yourself. Repent and believe in Christ. Trust in Him from your heart as Lord and Savior. And look to Him to forgive you of your sin and renew you by His grace. Do not take your privileges for granted. Also, we notice in verse 11, take to heart how the wicked rejoice over gospel betrayers. It says they were glad when they heard this. Oh, they rejoiced that this, one of Jesus’ own disciples was coming to them to betray his master.

    And oh, how the world loves it when they hear stories of deconversion. of those abandoning the Christian faith. It’s especially sad to hear of former Christians, of those who were even former preachers, abandoning Christ, abandoning the faith. Now we need to be careful. Some of these deconversion stories, some of these deconstructive stories of those losing faith, sometimes the faith that these folks are losing was never really a sound Christian faith. If you ever meet someone who claims to be an ex-Christian, engage them in conversation. Ask them, well, tell me about your church, the church that you left. Tell me about the Christianity that you left. And sometimes these folks have been wounded or damaged or abused by toxic or legalistic churches, and we need to have compassion on them and say, well, that’s not what real Christianity is all about.

    But oh, folks like Judas. with his hardened unbelief and selfishness and greed. How horrible it will be on judgment day for those like him. Let us not give the wicked something to rejoice over by betraying our Savior and abandoning the truth. Let us hold fast our confession to the end, but may God in his sovereign grace grant us the grace to do so, amen. Let us pray. Our Lord and Father in heaven, We thank you and praise you and bless you for your amazing grace to us in Jesus. And we thank you, God, for how you sovereignly orchestrated these events. and yet in such a way that neither the responsibility of these sinners is undermined in any way, but you sovereignly orchestrated these events so that Jesus, our Passover lamb, would be sacrificed for us in your timing.

    Lord, we ask that you would help us to take these truths to heart and by your spirit enable us to look to Jesus and Jesus alone as our Passover lamb. in His name we pray and all of God’s people said, Amen. Let’s rise as we respond to what we’ve heard from the preaching of God’s Word. Let’s rise and we’ll sing number 496, My Jesus I Love Thee, 496.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Keep Alert!

    Keep Alert!

    About this sermon

    No one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return, not the angels and not the Son in his human nature, only the Father. Much of the Olivet Discourse concerns the fall of Jerusalem in that generation, and the day of final judgment remains unknown and certain. Like a doorkeeper whose master may return at any hour, Christ’s people must stay alert and avoid spiritual drowsiness. Those in Christ can welcome that day, while those outside him should flee to him now.

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    Sermon transcript

    so named because Jesus delivered this teaching on the Mount of Olives. And this morning, hopefully, God willing, we’ll complete our study of the Olivet Discourse. We’re going to consider verses 30 through 37. And the title of my sermon today is Keep Alert, Mark 13, 30 to 37. I’m going to begin reading at verse 28 to sort of fill out the context a little bit. So let us hear God’s holy word. Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 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.

    But of that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert, for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert. For you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows or in the morning, in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you, I say to all, be on the alert. Dear ones, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever.

    Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing upon the preaching of his word. Our gracious Lord and Father in heaven, we thank you that you are a God of revelation, that you reveal yourself and your truth and the good news of salvation in your word. We thank you for your God-breathed, inerrant, infallible word. It is indeed a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path. a light to our way. We ask that by your spirit you would give us attentiveness this morning as we attend to this portion of holy scripture. We pray that you would open our minds and our hearts to behold wondrous things from your word and we ask that you would grant unto me, your unworthy servant, the grace to declare, proclaim and speak forth your word with clarity and power and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name we pray and all of God’s people said, amen.

    You may be seated. If you’re following along in your sermon outline, I would especially encourage the children to follow along in the outline. And children, notice there’s a number of words that you can be listening for. What I’d encourage you to do is choose maybe three or four words to listen for especially and count the number of times that I that I say those words. There’s quite a few words to be listening for in my sermon today. The words alert, judgment, temple, return, unknown, day, prophecy, signs, and sun. So you’ve got a lot of words to choose from. Well, friends, if you’ve been a driver for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced what is sometimes referred to as highway hypnosis. You ever heard that term? You can probably guess what I’m talking about. It’s a phenomenon where you’re driving along and the road or its scenery kind of lull you into an almost hypnotic state where you’re not even really consciously thinking about the act of driving.

    You’re sort of driving subconsciously, right? So let’s say that you’re on a long trip. You’re traveling down some familiar roads and it’s as if your brain shifts into autopilot. Maybe you get absorbed into conversation with your passengers. Maybe you’re having a conversation with your spouse or your children or whoever is with you in the car. Or maybe you get absorbed in an audio book or some music that you’re listening to. Or maybe you just zone out as the scenery of the road just zips by in your peripheral vision. But then all of a sudden, something happens on the road that kind of snaps you out of your state of highway hypnosis and snaps you back into being fully, consciously engaged in the act of driving. Perhaps a motorcyclist, whom you hadn’t seen just a few moments ago, suddenly passes you at an insanely high speed, getting your heart pounding and your adrenaline pumping.

    That’s happened to me on a number of occasions. You’re just driving down the road, and all of a sudden, this loud motorcycle suddenly passes you, and you’re like, where did that thing come from? Or maybe you see a large truck trying to merge onto the highway and into your lane during a time of heavy traffic. And it’s clear to you that this truck is going to merge whether you let him or not. And so you suddenly snap to attention. You have to quickly scramble to figure out how you’re going to get out of the truck’s way without causing an accident. Now, I don’t know the statistics, but just as many accidents on the road are caused by things like, of course, drunk driving, texting while driving, falling asleep behind the wheel, and so forth. My suspicion, beloved, is that many other accidents are probably caused by the kind of inattentive, distracted, unalert driving that results from highway hypnosis.

    Well, dear ones, just as safe, responsible traveling on the roadways requires us to be attentive, alert, and fully engaged drivers, similarly in the spiritual realm, a life of following the Lord Jesus Christ on the narrow road of faith and repentance requires us to be fully engaged. It requires us to be watchful. It requires us to keep alert. There is no acceptable highway hypnosis on the road of Christian discipleship. And this is especially the case living as we do on this side of Jesus’s cross and resurrection. Since friends, we find ourselves living in a period of redemptive history where we find ourselves between our Lord’s first advent in the first century and his glorious future second advent that will occur at the end of this present age. We’re living in this unique period of redemptive history, this age between the ages, this age between our Lord’s first coming and His future, glorious.

    Second Advent. Indeed, my friends, it is clear that the major theme of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse, and especially the major theme of this particular section of the discourse that we are considering this morning, is the theme of alertness, the theme of watchfulness, especially in view of the coming final day of judgment, that final day of judgment being described here in this section of the Olivet Discourse in verse 32 as that day or hour. But how do we know that when Jesus refers in verse 32 to that day and hour, how do we know that Jesus is now talking about the final day of judgment? Well, that brings me to my first main point. Before we can dive fully into verse 32, we’ve got to again consider verses 30 and 31, and this brings me to my first main point.

    Let us, beloved, consider the meaning of this generation and the enduring value and complete reliability of Christ’s words. In verses 30 and 31, we are to consider the meaning of our Lord’s term, this generation, and the enduring value and complete reliability of Christ’s words. Now, in recent sermons on the earlier sections of this chapter, I’ve been making the case for the interpretation that says that everything that our Lord Jesus predicts up until verse 31 was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, which took place in the first century in 70 AD, and also fulfilled in the tumultuous events of Great Tribulation, which led up to and accompanied that first century divine judgment event. I’ve also mentioned my conviction that our Lord changes the subject in verse 32 of our passage to a prediction of the final day of judgment, which will take place again at our Lord’s future glorious second advent.

    But you may be wondering, well, Pastor Jeff, if the earlier sections of the Olivet Discourse, as you’ve been arguing, are indeed pointing either exclusively or at least primarily to the events that would take place around 70 A.D. with the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. If that’s the case, how do we know, how do you know that in verses 32 to 37 our Lord has shifted his focus from predicting the destruction of the Jerusalem temple to predicting his future second coming and the final judgment. Well, dear ones, there are, in fact, some very important clues in the context of this chapter that points in that direction, as well as in parallel passages found in other gospel accounts. And these parallel passages and these contextual clues would seem to clearly indicate that in this section of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse, Jesus is clearly, he’s clearly changed the subject from the destruction of the Jerusalem temple to the final day of judgment.

    And some of these clues I’ve already spoken to in past sermons, but by way of summary, let me just remind us of a number of these important clues. Now, remember that this whole discourse, this whole teaching of Jesus was the result of a question that the disciples asked Jesus. Remember, Jesus and his disciples came out of the temple and one of his disciples was pointing out how wonderful, how majestic and magnificent the temple structures were. Verse one of chapter 13, teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And then Jesus in verse two, makes the prediction that all of this is going to be torn down, that the Jerusalem temple would be completely, utterly destroyed. And then as Jesus sits down, Four of his disciples, Peter, James, John, and Andrew, approach him and they say, tell us, verse four, when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?

    In other words, when are these things that you’ve predicted, Jesus, about the destruction of the temple, when are these things gonna take place? But it’s helpful because Mark gives us a more condensed version of the questions of Jesus’ disciples on this occasion. If we turn to Matthew’s Gospel, Matthew 24, verse three, and I invite you to turn there, Matthew 24, verse three, Matthew’s account of the disciples’ questions is more full, more complete. Matthew 24 verse three, it says, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, when will these things happen? The things having to do with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. When will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? See, the question as recorded by Matthew makes it clear that in, at that time at least, in the minds of the disciples, the destruction of the temple and the end of this present age at our Lord’s final coming and the final judgment day, all of these events were understood in their minds at that time to be concurrent events.

    They were expecting all these events to happen at one and the same time. Like many of their fellow first century Jews, apparently our Lord’s disciples during his earthly ministry before his resurrection, apparently they believed that the earthly temple in Jerusalem would remain as a center of worldwide worship during the age of the Messiah. So the destruction of the temple would not take place until this present age was over and the eternal state had begun. That was their apparently their understanding. So Jesus’ answers to his disciples’ questions indicate that the destruction of the temple and our Lord’s second coming are not concurrent events, but rather would take place at two different, distinct, separate times. But the main clue in our passage that our Lord separates these two events is the so-called time text of verse 30. is you, and I invite you to encourage you to look there.

    Jesus says in that verse, truly I say to you, Jesus says truly, the Greek is amen. And whenever Jesus says amen, it’s like he’s saying pay attention, this is important. He says I say to you, Jesus speaks with divine authority as the divine son of God, the promised Messiah. He says, Truly, I say to you, this generation, the Greek is hei genea haute, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Now friends, there have been numerous theories about how to understand what our Lord Jesus means by this generation. For example, some evangelical Bible scholars have suggested that Jesus means, and I quote from one, the generation living when these signs begin to occur, whenever that might be. Others have suggested that by this generation, Jesus in fact means this race, namely the Jewish race.

    And if that view is correct, then what Jesus is saying is that the Jewish race will continue in this present age until our Lord returns. at the end of this age. However, friends, that’s a very questionable interpretation. To my knowledge, no reputable Bible translation translates this term as this race. All of them translate it as this generation. As I’ve stated in past weeks, the most natural, plain, contextual interpretation of this generation is, again to quote from an evangelical scholar, the generation in which Jesus lived while on earth. In other words, Jesus is addressing his contemporaries. When he says this generation, he means this contemporary first century generation. This is how the Lord Jesus uses this terminology of this generation in other passages. For example, turn to Matthew 23 and look at verse 36. Matthew 23, which is the chapter immediately preceding Matthew’s record of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse.

    In Matthew chapter 23, Matthew records our Lord’s pronouncement of woes upon the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious, hypocritical religious leaders of his day. And Jesus says in verse 30 of Matthew 23, Jesus says, truly I say to you, all these things will come upon This generation, it’s the same words that are used in Mark 13 verse 30, are used in Matthew 23, I’m sorry, verse 36 of Matthew 23. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. So friends, if all of this is the case, then what this indicates is that everything that Jesus predicted up until that verse would be fulfilled within the generation then alive. Now in recent Lord’s days, we addressed some of the reasons why folks are doubtful about that. Many folks look at the language here, the language of cosmic upheavals and the stars falling from the skies and astronomical phenomenon and they say, well certainly that’s got to be referring to our Lord’s second coming.

    But as we considered, when we considered that, those verses, that this kind of language was used often in the Old Testament prophets figuratively. to refer to God’s historical judgments upon the enemies of his people. And on the last Lord’s Day we considered especially verses 26 and 27 where Jesus talks about the Son of Man coming in the clouds And he’s referring there to the prophecy in Daniel chapter seven. And as I pointed out on the last Lord’s day, that’s not a prophecy of the Lord’s return in the clouds from heaven. That’s a prophecy of our Lord’s ascension. Our Lord rising from the earth, going up to the ancient of days in the glory cloud. And so again, if this is the case, then Jesus is clearly indicating that all of these things would take place in that first century.

    There’s also a distinction that is made in this passage, and I pointed this out before, between those days in the plural and that day and hour in the singular. Back in verse 24, Jesus had said, for example, but in those days, those days of tribulation that would precede and accompany the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, In those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, et cetera, et cetera. But in verse 32, Jesus talks about that day, singular, that day or hour. But the fact that the destruction of the temple would be preceded by signs while the final day of judgment will come without any signs, that is another major interpretive clue here. In the previous sections of Mark 13, Jesus gives many signs that the first century generation of Christians was to be alert to that would herald the destruction of the temple.

    And he clearly uses local first century references here. He talks about fleeing, those in Judea fleeing to the mountains and so forth. J. Marcellus Kick writes, unmistakable signs are indicated as to the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. But in regard to the coming of the Lord and the final judgment, no definite signs were given. After all, Jesus says, of that day or hour, no one knows. Why is it that no one knows when Jesus is gonna return? Because there will be no signs, no precursory signs. It could happen at any moment. And then Jesus, to reinforce what he’s been saying up to this point, he says in verse 31, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Here our Lord reinforces everything that he has been teaching in this passage by pointing out that his words will not pass away.

    In other words, brothers and sisters, you and I can rely on what the Lord Jesus is saying. His words are of enduring, eternal value, because He is eternal. He is the eternal, divine Son of God, and thus His words are completely reliable, completely trustworthy, for they are the very words of God. Heaven and earth will pass away. The universe will pass away. But my words will not pass away. My words, Jesus is saying, are more stable, more certain, more secure. than the continuance of the universe itself. And we can rely upon them. Dear listener, do you rely on the words of Jesus Christ? Do you rely on the truth and trustworthiness of God’s holy word? While Jesus is not directly addressing the issue of the doctrine of Scripture in verse 31, what he says here clearly comports with and supports the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture.

    The Bible is without error because His words will never pass away. They are certain, they are secure, they are enduring, they are eternal. And so, dear listeners, let us build our lives upon the rock of the Lord Jesus Christ and upon the eternal truths of His divine word. We can trust in His words. But having explained all of this, Jesus then goes on in verse 32 to say this, but of that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. That brings me to my next point. You see, the destruction of the temple was to be preceded by many signs. Signs that would continue, by the way, throughout this present age between our Lord’s first and second advents. There’s going to continue to be wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and famines and all of that.

    Those aren’t unique signs. But nevertheless, particular signs that Jesus pointed out happened that led up to the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. But when it comes to the second coming of Christ, no one knows, no one can know, as Jesus told his disciples after his resurrection in Acts chapter one, when they were asking him, Lord, are you gonna restore the kingdom to Israel at this time? What does Jesus say to them? He says, it’s not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. This is my next point based on verse 32. Understand, let us understand, beloved, that only God knows when judgment day is coming. That’s the point Jesus is making here. Only God knows when Judgment Day is coming. Now, we notice here a number of things.

    We notice, first of all, that Jesus speaks to the reality of Judgment Day. There will be a Judgment Day. Jesus himself taught that, as Jesus does here in verse 32. He describes that Judgment Day as that day, singular, that day or that hour. reminds me of what our Confession of Faith so eloquently states in chapter 33. I’d invite you to turn there. It’s on page 939 in the back of your Psalter hymnal, 939. It’s a wonderful summary of what the Bible teaches about the last judgment. In Confession of Faith, chapter 33, section one, we read this. God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father, in which day not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds, and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.

    Judgment Day is coming. It is a reality. But that raises the question, well, if Judgment Day is coming, who knows when it’s gonna come and who doesn’t know? Well, let’s focus first of all on what Jesus says about who does not know the timing of Judgment Day. Jesus says, but of that day or hour, no one knows. And by the way, when Jesus says no one knows, he means no one knows. You don’t know, I don’t know. Jesus could come back within, before I finish this sermon, Jesus could come back in 100,000 years, we don’t know. But we are to be attentive as we live in this age between the ages. Jesus again says no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. By the way, the fact that Jesus indicates that no one knows the timing of that day or that hour shows that he must have had in mind the final day of judgment.

    Since, as I already pointed out, Jesus has already indicated earlier in this discourse that there would be numerous signs that the destruction of the temple was drawing near, including what Jesus describes in verse 14 as the abomination of desolation. If you go back to verse 14, Jesus says, but when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be, let the reader understand, then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. And according to early church historians, that exactly is what happened when the Roman armies started to approach Jerusalem. The Christians fled. The Christians in Judea fled. Now Jesus quotes in verse 14, Jesus quotes there from the prophet Daniel, and it’s interesting that Daniel was very specific about the timing of the abomination of desolation that would precede the destruction of the temple.

    Turn back, if you would, to Daniel 12, verse 11. Daniel 12, verse 11. Daniel writes this. From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Now there’s debate, Bible interpreters debate what is he referring to by the 1,290 days. The point I’m trying to make here is that he gives a time. He says it will happen within a certain period of time. Again, as Marcellus Kick writes, if the abomination of desolation indicates the second coming, then Daniel knew the time and his knowledge would contradict Christ’s statement that no man knoweth the day and the hour. I think that’s a very good point that he makes there. So clearly, friends, In the context of this passage, that day and that hour must be referring to the judgment day, not to the destruction of the temple.

    But some who read this verse are disturbed by who Jesus says doesn’t know, because Jesus not only says no one knows, he makes it exclusive of everyone but God the Father. He says, of that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Now, brothers and sisters, anti-Trinitarians, those who reject the biblical doctrine of the Trinity, this is one of the proof texts in their arsenal of proof texts to try to disprove the full deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and to therefore undermine the doctrine of the Trinity. So when Jesus says that not even the Son, he’s referring to himself as the Son of God, that not even the Son knows the day or the hour, does this statement imply that Christ the Son is somehow inferior to God the Father?

    Or does this statement somehow undermine the doctrine of the Trinity? Well, brothers and sisters, let me say absolutely not. You see, Jesus is speaking here in the light of his incarnation. He is speaking with respect to his human nature, not to his divine nature. He is speaking with respect to his estate of humiliation, not his estate of exaltation. You see, the Bible teaches that Jesus has two natures. Jesus, when he came down, the eternal son of God, he has a divine nature, and when he came to this earth in his incarnation, he didn’t get rid of his divine nature, he didn’t subtract his divine nature, he added to himself a full human nature, body and soul. So Jesus, children, Jesus is fully 100% God and fully 100% man united in one divine person. He is the God-man, he is the word made flesh, he is Emmanuel, God with us as the scriptures teach.

    But with respect to his human nature and during his time here on earth, Jesus in his humanity, at that time he had limited knowledge of the Father’s plan for the future judgment day. But of course many other scriptures affirm both the full deity of Christ as the Son of God and his divine co-equality with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. So if you’re ever conversing with an anti-Trinitarian like a Jehovah’s Witness or a Muslim or someone like that who rejects, a Unitarian who rejects the Trinity, That’s how you explain this passage. When Jesus says not even the son knows, he’s talking about himself with respect to his humanity. Now, admittedly, there’s mystery here. How is it that the divine and human natures of Christ relate to each other? There’s great mystery there, and the theologians have a field day trying to plumb the depths of this divine mystery, but we can be assured that Jesus is not here saying, he’s not denying his full, deity or his full equality with God the Father.

    And so Jesus makes it clear, no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven, not even the Son with respect to his humanity and in his state of humiliation. Who then does know the timing of the judgment day? Only God. No one knows that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone. What are the implications of this statement are profound if you think about it. Some of the most popular books out there and teachings out there in the Christian book and teaching market are books on Bible prophecy. And many of these books are written by authors who claim to have special insight in terms of the timing of our Lord’s future second advent. And they often engage in what I’ve been calling newspaper exegesis as they try to read current events into the pages of scripture and say, ah, this must be pointing to the fact that Jesus must be returning at any moment.

    Well, that’s been true, by the way, since the first century. since our Lord’s resurrection and ascension. His return is indeed imminent. He could come at any time. But the fact, friends, see, if God alone knows the timing of the Judgment Day, and if even the angels in heaven and even Jesus himself during his earthly sojourn did not know the timing of that day, what makes you think that some modern-day Bible prophecy teacher or date-setting prophecy speculator or some famous Christian celebrity could figure it out? Don’t you see how arrogant that is to say, well, I’ve got special insight into this? Here’s why the Lord could be coming back at any time. Jesus says, that he doesn’t know with respect to his earthly ministries, humanity. Certainly this means that not even folks like Hal Lindsey or Harold Camping, remember Harold Camping, who I believe predicted 1994 would be the time of the Lord’s return and then he had to revise that.

    He has since departed from the scene. We think of the late Tim LaHaye with his Left Behind series. We’ve got all these popular Christian prophecy writers claiming to have special insight, but they all, each and every one of them, are not following what Jesus says here. Jesus says no one knows. You don’t know, you can’t know. What’s the point of it then? Well, that brings me to my final main point as we consider and wrap up our study in this section of Mark’s Gospel in verses 33 to 37. Beloved, the fact that the timing of our Lord’s return and therefore Judgment Day are unknown should be a strong motivation to spiritual alertness. The fact that the timing of our Lord’s return and therefore of Judgment Day are unknown should be a strong motivation to spiritual alertness.

    Jesus says in verse 33, take heed, keep on the alert, for you do not know when the appointed time will come. There again, he reinforces what he’s just said. No one knows, and then he particularizes it. You do not know, you do not know. And therefore take heed, keep on the alert. Now what does that mean? Does keeping on the alert mean that, okay, well, since Jesus could return at any time, I better just go and live in the mountains and await my Lord’s return? It’s clear from the illustration that he goes on to give that keeping alert means being busy about the work of the Lord as we await our Lord’s future glorious second advent. We, Church of God, are to be busy about the work of our Lord. We are to be busy loving our neighbor.

    We are to be busy supporting the mission and evangelistic endeavors of the church. We are to be busy serving a Christ, serving our neighbor, fulfilling our callings and our vocations, and we all have a calling, a vocation in life. Again, if I may refer us to our Westminster Confession of Faith, page 939. Let me read the final section of that chapter and of the confession itself. Confession of Faith, chapter 33, section 9. I’m sorry, section 3. Chapter 33, section three says this. As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment both to deter all men from sin and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity, so will he have that day unknown to men that they may shake off all carnal security and be always watchful because they know not at what hour the Lord will come.

    Sound familiar? and may ever be ever prepared to say, come Lord Jesus, come quickly, amen. As Jesus points out. In verses 33 to 36, Jesus says, he gives an illustration. He says, it is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves or servants, as that could be translated, in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore be on the alert for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows or in the morning. That language there in verse 35 about the evening, midnight, rooster crowing and so forth, that may be a reference it seems to the four watches of the night as reckoned by the Romans.

    And so, Think about that illustration. Here are these servants, their master tells them that they are to keep on the alert, that they’re to be busy. But let’s say the master leaves and the servants start slacking off or start abusing their master’s property or abusing each other and so forth and then their master returns and he finds them not doing what they’ve been called to do, what he’s commanded them to do. See, when Jesus says, keep on the alert, he doesn’t say, okay, just sit back and wait for me to return. He’s like, keep busy, be about my work, be about the work of the Lord. That’s what it means to be, that’s what it means to keep alert. It’s not the highway hypnosis mentality to discipleship. It is the fully engaged in the driver’s seat mentality as we drive down the road, make our way down the road of Christian discipleship.

    Jesus goes on to say, keep on the alert. And in verse 36, in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you, I say to all, be on the alert. In other words, Jesus is saying, I’m not just talking to you, my immediate disciples. This is what Jesus says to his church in all subsequent ages of church history. This is our duty, beloved, to be on the alert as we await the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is a universal obligation to spiritual alertness. Clearly the Lord Jesus did not mean to limit this earnest exhortation only to his immediate disciples. What he said to them, he says to all. Christ is coming. Are you ready, beloved? But as we close our time, perhaps what I’ve shared this morning from this passage scares you.

    Perhaps you think, wow, The Lord could come at any time. I’m not sure if I’m ready. How can I know that I’m ready, Pastor Jeff? If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, you are ready. You are as ready as you ever will be. The moment the Holy Spirit opens your heart to trust in, to receive, to rest upon Christ alone for your salvation from sin, at that moment, The blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin. The Lord justifies you. He clothes you in his perfect everlasting righteousness. He adopts you as his child. He gives to you that perfect everlasting righteousness that alone serves as your title to heaven. So if you are in Christ, you are ready. And these words of Jesus ought not to terrify you. They ought to comfort you. Yes, Jesus calls us to be busy about the work of our Lord, but not because, oh, I better keep busy or else the Lord’s really going to chew me out if He comes back and I’m not, you know, living perfectly for Him.

    That’s not the point. You see, friends, there will be no shame for believers on Judgment Day. There will be no hanging of heads all tears will be wiped away, all shame will be taken away, because Christ will openly acknowledge and vindicate us on that judgment day. And so yes, while we must do our duty out of gratitude for God’s gift of salvation to us in Jesus, we must also look forward to this final day, not in fear or terror, but with faith, with hope, with joy. Because Jesus, think about it brothers and sisters, Jesus is coming back for you and me. And he’s gonna take us to be with him forever. And he’s gonna transform the universe into a new heavens and a new earth wherein righteousness dwells. But if you are outside of Christ, if you’ve not trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you should fear this day.

    May God in his sovereign mercy open your heart and your mind and your eyes to understand your sinfulness, to understand your need for a perfect, sinless Savior. The good news is that God has provided such a Savior. His name is Jesus Christ. He never sinned. He is the perfect Son of God incarnate. He died on the cross. He lived a perfect life. to make up for all of our disobedience. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and he rose from the dead proving that the Father has accepted his sacrifice for our sins, and he promises that whoever believes upon him, whoever trusts in him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus welcomes you this morning through the gospel. He freely offers himself to you. His arms are open to all who would come to him.

    But the problem is that all of us are running in the other direction. Jesus is there with his arms open, welcomes all who come, but we’re going the other way. The Holy Spirit has to turn your heart, has to convict you of sin, show you your need, and turn you to Jesus. And if you run to Jesus, he’s not gonna push you away and say, you, get away from me. He’s gonna say, welcome, come and welcome to Jesus Christ. Come to him. And then when he comes back, He will take you to be with Him forever. Amen. Let us pray. Heavenly Father. We thank you and praise you, O God, for the good news that Christ is coming again. We pray that we would all, O God, be in readiness for that day by trusting Christ and Christ alone for our salvation from sin.

    Grant unto any who might be here today or any who might be listening through the internet who do not know Christ as their Savior, we pray that your sovereign spirit would effectually call them through the gospel to faith, and repentance. We ask these things, Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name and all of God’s people said. Amen. Let’s respond to what we’ve heard by rising and singing as our closing hymn, 390, Christ is coming, 390.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Coming in the Clouds, and the Fig Tree

    Coming in the Clouds, and the Fig Tree

    About this sermon

    Jesus says that ‘they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.’ The words come from Daniel 7, where the Son of Man rises on the clouds to the Ancient of Days to receive dominion, a picture of Christ’s ascension and enthronement. The gathering of the elect by ‘angels’ describes the messengers of the gospel gathering his people from every nation. Christ reigns now at the Father’s right hand and will return to judge, so the church declares his reign and calls the nations to repent.

    More sermons from Mark · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    Amen. Please remain standing for the reading of God’s word as we continue our consideration of the gospel of Mark. And we find ourselves continue to make our way through Mark chapter 13, the most extensive teaching section in Mark’s gospel, known as the Olivet Discourse. Our focus this morning will be on Mark 13, verses 26 through 31. I’m going to begin reading at verse 24 to fill out the context a little bit. Our focus again will be especially on verses 26-31. Let us hear God’s holy word. 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 that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

    And then He will send forth the angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 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. Dear friends, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let’s seek the Lord’s preaching of his word this day. Gracious Heavenly Father, once again, we thank you that you have spoken to us in the Holy Scriptures.

    We ask, Lord, that you would make us attentive. We ask that you would give us wisdom and insight as we seek to understand this portion of your God-breathed, inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word. We ask that by your Spirit you would open our minds and our hearts to behold wondrous things from your Word. And, Lord, we do ask that you would guide me, your servant, that I might speak forth your Word with clarity and with faithfulness. And we ask, Lord, that we might all be built up in Christ. We pray that the name of Jesus would be exalted in the preaching of Your Word this day. We ask all these things, Heavenly Father, through Christ our Lord and all of God’s people said, Amen. You may be seated. As you can see in your Bulletin, the title of my sermon this morning is Coming in the Clouds and the Fig Tree.

    And the key words to be listening for quite a few of them are prophecy, Jerusalem, temple, clouds, ascension, king, messiah, angels and fig tree. Well, dear friends, as we’ve been considering in recent Lord’s days on recent Lord’s days, there is no shortage of Bible prophecy teachers and prophecy speculators out there in the Christian world today. And there are few passages of Holy Scripture that are so mishandled to fuel prophecy speculations more than our Lord’s teachings here in this section of Scripture known as the Olivet Discourse. On this Lord’s Day morning, we continue our study through Mark’s account of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse, which Jesus delivered to a group of his disciples during the last week of his life, the week leading up to his crucifixion, which is typically called Passion Week. Now, in recent sermons on the Olivet Discourse, I’ve been making the point that there is, I believe, good reason within the context of this discourse itself to believe that in this prophecy, Jesus is primarily predicting the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, which took place 40 years after he made this prediction in 70 AD under General Titus and the Roman armies under his charge.

    In other words, most of what Jesus predicts in his Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in the first century, at least the bulk of what he predicts up through verse 31. Now, a major contextual reason for believing this is that in this teaching, Jesus is answering his disciples’ questions, particularly and precisely on when the Jerusalem temple would be destroyed. So if we go back to the very beginning of chapter 13, and let me just quickly read through the first four verses. Remember, Jesus had had some disputes with the religious leaders within the temple precincts. And then when he left the precincts, we read that this occurred, says as he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, teacher, behold, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And indeed, the complex of the first century Jerusalem temple was indeed marvelous.

    It was a marvelous architectural wonder. Verse two, here’s where Jesus makes the prophecy, the prediction. And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives. This is why this teaching is called the Olivet Discourse. As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning him privately. Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled? And so again, What is the context here? Well, Jesus had made a prediction, a prophecy that was literally fulfilled about 40 years after he made this prophecy in verse two, that the temple would be destroyed, that not one stone would be left upon another.

    And what do the disciples ask him? They say, when will these things be? When will this happen? And so this is a contextual clue. that will guide us and help us to interpret the teachings of our Lord in this chapter. Another major reason for believing that the bulk of this prophecy of the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in the first century is because Jesus explicitly tells us in verse 30 that all of the things that he predicts up until that point in his discourse will take place within the generation then alive. As Jesus, if you skip down to verse 30, Jesus says, truly, in the Greek it is amen, truly or verily, I say to you, I, the Son of God incarnate, Jesus is speaking with His divine authority, 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. The words of Jesus are more certain than the continuance of heaven and earth. However, as we’ve considered on the last Lord’s Day, due to the teachings and influence of popular Bible prophecy speculators, many believers today have trouble seeing how some of the language that Jesus uses in this passage could possibly be referring to the destruction of the first century Jerusalem temple instead of predicting our Lord’s future second advent. The future advent of Christ being an event which is still obviously in our future. This particular section of the Olivet Discourse with its language of astronomical disturbances and cosmic upheavals of stars falling from the sky and the moon and the sun being darkened and all of that. Certainly, along with Christ coming in the clouds, this kind of language seems to many of our fellow believers today to be referring clearly to our Lord’s future second advent, not to some first century event like the destruction of the temple.

    Now, on the last Lord’s Day, we gave some in-depth consideration to this language of astronomical phenomena and cosmic upheavals, especially as this language is often used in the Old Testament prophets. And what we discovered by comparing Scripture with Scripture is that this kind of language is often used figuratively in the Old Testament prophets. For example, This language is sometimes used to symbolize God bringing historical judgments upon nations and upon their rulers. Heavenly bodies such as the sun, the moon, and the stars are sometimes used to symbolize kings and kingdoms. And astronomical disturbances are often used in the prophets to symbolize God’s historical judgments falling upon his enemies and the enemies of his people as God in effect turns out their lights and turns their world, their cosmos upside down. By using this kind of picturesque language in verses 24 and 25, I suggested to you that our Lord Jesus is intending to picture God’s soon coming judgment upon an apostate first century Israel and a corrupt religious leadership that had rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah and would sadly end up murdering him.

    By using this cosmic upheaval language, Jesus is utilizing the well-known language and imagery of the Old Testament prophets, and he’s using it to underscore the severity of God’s judgment upon apostate Israel as that judgment would be experienced by them in 70 A.D. with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. Again, it would appear that our Lord Jesus is following in the footsteps of the Old Testament prophets by using this figurative language to communicate that the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple would be like lights out for apostate Israel and its godless leaders. It will be the end of their universe. But what about this imagery of Christ coming on the clouds and the lesson of the fig tree and the language about God sending out his angels to gather in the elect from the four corners of the earth?

    How are we to understand that language? Well, friends, let us now turn our attention to this section of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse. And if you’re following along in your sermon outline, this is my first main point. Beloved, let us consider the significance of Christ as the Son of Man coming in the clouds and the gathering in of the elect. Let us consider the significance of Christ as the Son of Man coming in the clouds and the gathering in of the elect. Let me again read for you verses 26 and 27. The Lord Jesus says this, then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send forth the angels and will gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the heaven.

    Now, again, many of our fellow Bible believing Christians today, including some very sound Orthodox Bible scholars, would say, surely this language has got to be referring to the second coming of Christ. Again, there are other scripture passages where similar language is used, where it’s clear that the authors of those other passages are clearly referring to the second coming of Christ. And again, while I believe that, let me just say that while I believe that much of this passage here in the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in the first century, I do affirm, as do all Orthodox churches throughout the world, that Jesus will return again in glory at the end of this age, and that the Bible does indeed teach the glorious future second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But how are we to understand this language?

    And doesn’t this language clearly point to our Lord’s second coming? But again, if that is the case, then we’re presented with a problem. You see, I would suggest to you that in verse 30, Jesus tells us that all of these things took place within the first Christian generation. And again, there’s different understandings of what Jesus means here by this generation. Some evangelical commentators suggest that it really should be understood as this race, meaning that the Jewish race will continue until the end of this present age. Others seek to suggest that, well, there’s sort of a lot of double fulfillment going on here and multiple horizons of fulfillment that Christ has in view here so that verse 30 can be understood in such a way as to absolve Jesus from making a false prediction. But friends, and we’ll talk more about that and the meaning of verse 30 and 31 a little bit more on the next Lord’s Day.

    But let me just for now suggest to you that the plain, simple meaning of this text is when Jesus says, this generation will not pass away. What does he mean by this generation? Simple. He means this generation. And when he says, all these things, what does he mean by all these things? Well, again, simple. The plain, literal interpretation is all these things, all the things that he’s been speaking of up until this point. So think about the problem that that presents us with. If Jesus in verses 26 and 27 is predicting his parousia, his final advent, his second advent at the end of this age, then Jesus made a false prediction because Jesus did not return within that generation. And if Jesus made a false prediction, then by the standard of Deuteronomy 18, Jesus was a false prophet.

    And if Jesus was a false prophet, then he’s not the son of God. He’s not our savior. And we are still lost and dead in our trespasses and sins. But friends, I do not believe that Jesus is a false prophet. I do not believe that Jesus made a mistake. I believe that he meant precisely what he says here. So that being the case, how are we to understand this language? Well, let’s kind of turn turn over every rock and try to understand these verses. Let’s focus especially on verses 26 and 27. Jesus says in verse 26, then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Now, Son of Man, what is Jesus referring to when he’s referring to the Son of Man? If you’ve studied the gospel accounts, you know that that this title, Son of Man, is our Lord’s favorite title for himself.

    It’s a messianic title. Jesus is indeed the son of God. He is divine. He is true God, but he’s also true, excuse me, true man. He is the God man. But this title son of man derives from prophecy in the book of Daniel as we’ll see in a few moments so Jesus in using the title son of man for himself he is making a veiled claim to be the Messiah because the son of man figure in the book of Daniel was a divine messianic figure and Jesus says They will see the Son of Man doing what? Coming in clouds. Now, what’s the significance of these clouds? If you’re familiar with the scriptures, you know that the clouds often show up at important points in redemptive history. What do the clouds represent? Well, often they represent the divine presence, God’s special saving presence.

    For example, remember when the Israelites were rescued by God from their slavery in Egypt and they were brought through the Red Sea on dry land and they were brought to Mount Sinai? We read of a cloud, a supernaturally given cloud, a theophany, if you will, a supernatural cloud sign of God’s special presence as God guided and protected his people. And it was a cloud that attended with them throughout their wilderness wanderings. This pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that hovered over the tabernacle. indicating God’s presence with his people. And of course, when Jesus was transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration, after Peter wakes up and sees what’s going on, and what does Peter say? You remember the account? Peter, who can’t seem to keep his mouth shut, he says, Lord, it’s good for us to be here.

    Shall I make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah? And then a cloud overshadows or engulfs Peter and the other apostles with him on that Mount of Transfiguration. As God the Father says to them, this is My Son, My beloved Son. Listen to Him. And of course, we know that when Jesus ascended into heaven, He ascended into the clouds as His disciples witnessed Him go up into heaven. So again, the cloud imagery is a sign of God’s presence. The Son of Man title is a reference to Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed One, the promised Messiah. The clouds are a symbol of God’s presence. Now, verse 26 is a reference to the prophecy of Daniel 7, verses 13 and 14. Let’s turn back in our Old Testaments to Daniel chapter 7.

    And look at verses 13 and 14. And this is what Jesus is referring to when he says these words in verse 26. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds. Jesus is there referring to this Daniel prophecy in Daniel 7, verses 13 and 14. And this should give us a clue to what Jesus is referring to. Look at this prophecy, Daniel 7, verses 13 and 14, as the prophet Daniel writes the following. And here he’s describing this vision that he has. He says, I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom. that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him.

    His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Now, friends, it’s important to notice that this prophecy of Daniel is not predicting the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead, this prophecy of Daniel 7, 13 and 14 predicts the Messiah’s ascension in the clouds to the Ancient of Days, which is Daniel’s way of referring to God the Father. And this passage also describes our Lord’s coronation as King of Kings. as He has given dominion over all of the nations.” Again, this does not predict our Lord’s descent from heaven on the clouds, which will take place at His future second advent, as many mistakenly interpret this passage to mean. And this is significant because it appears that the prophecy of Daniel 7, which our Lord Jesus refers to in verse 26 of our passage, is not a prophecy of the Second Coming.

    If that is the case, then when Jesus says, then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, He is predicting His ascension into heaven. Again, the direction is not from heaven to earth on the clouds, but rather from the earth to the heavens. The Son of Man comes to the Ancient of Days and is presented before the Ancient of Days and is given from the Ancient of Days. He is given dominion over all of the nations. So this refers to the ascension and the coronation and the session of Christ at the Father’s right hand. Now, and so since Jesus is referring to this Daniel prophecy in Mark chapter 13, verse 26, I would suggest to you that Jesus is not using this language to predict his second coming, but to predict his ascension into heaven, his reign at the father’s right hand and the implications of that heavenly session, that heavenly reign.

    Now, friends, one of the most powerful proofs to the early Christian church that Jesus, as the messianic son of man, had indeed taken up his throne in heaven to reign over the nations. One of the strongest proofs to the early Christians that Jesus, who had been taken up from them into heaven, was indeed reigning as king of kings and lord of lords, was indeed the destruction of Jerusalem. and its temple, which Jesus carried out from his throne in heaven through the instrumentality of the Roman General Titus and his Roman armies. But pastor, It says in verse 26 that they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds. Doesn’t this language of seeing the Son of Man indicate the future Second Advent when all humanity will see Jesus returning on the clouds of heaven to earth?

    And indeed, there’s other passages of Scripture that indicate that when Jesus returns at the end of His age, He will indeed return on the glory clouds and all humanity will see Him when He returns. But think about this, friends. Even in the English language, we use the language of sight, of seeing, in more than just one way. Sometimes when we talk about seeing something, we’re obviously referring to our eyesight. You know, I saw a great comet in the sky last night, we might say. But at other times, we use that term in a more figurative sense. Let me just give you an illustration. One of the things that you should probably know about your pastor, or not that you should know, but one thing that I will confess to you, is that I am terrible at math.

    I struggled mightily with math in high school and so forth. And let’s say that I, your mathematically challenged pastor, that I’m trying to figure out a math problem. And I’m just clueless. I can’t figure out how to make how to solve this problem, how to make it work. Now, let’s say that you are gifted at mathematics and you come along and you see me struggling to figure out this math problem and you explain to me how I can solve the problem. And when it finally when I finally have a mathematical epiphany, when I finally get it through my thick skull, how to solve the mathematical problem, I might say something like, oh, now I see what you’re saying. In other words, now I understand. Now I perceive what you are saying. And so, friends, if Jesus is referring to his ascension, to the right hand of the Father in verse 26, then when Jesus uses this language that they will see the Son of Man, see is being used here, I believe, in the sense that they will perceive that He is indeed reigning at the Father’s right hand.

    If the interpretation I’m offering here is correct, it is in this sense that they are said to see the Son of Man coming in the clouds. Christ is seen to be truly ascended to God the Father, the Ancient of Days, and truly reigning in glory at the Father’s right hand. He is seen to be in such a position by the fulfillment of his prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction. Christ’s heavenly reign was seen in the sense of perceived and understood in his sovereign orchestration of historical events that led up to the judgment destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, which again took place 40 years after Jesus had predicted its destruction. It took place in 70 AD. But what about some might say, well, wait a minute, let’s go on to verse 27. Verse 27, Jesus talks about the angels being sent forth to gather the elect from the four winds.

    Verse 27. And then He will send forth the angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the furthest end of earth to the furthest end of heaven.” Surely, that’s got to be referring to Jesus’ return at His second advent when He will send out His angels and gather in His elect into the kingdom. That we will all be raptured, quote unquote, if we’re still alive when our Lord returns or the dead will be raised. And the angels will present the righteous before the Lord on that final day. Well, so what about this reference to angels gathering in the elect? Well, the Greek term for angel, Angelos, can literally be translated as messenger. Now, sometimes, in fact, oftentimes in scripture, this term is used to refer to beings that we typically refer to as angels, these glorious heavenly spirit beings who are typically referred to as angels, who are agents serving God and sent forth by God to serve God’s people.

    It’s interesting, these spirit beings, these heavenly spirit beings are often called angels precisely because they are heavenly messengers sent from God to serve his people and to bring God’s word to his people. Oftentimes in scripture, the angels are sent by God as agents of his revelation to give new revelation from the Lord to his people. But friends, That’s not the only way the term Angelos in the Greek can be used. Here in the context of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse, the term could be understood as referring not to spirit, heavenly spirit beings, heavenly messengers, but rather to human messengers. And if that is the case, Jesus is predicting the Great Commission. He’s predicting the spread of the gospel. He’s referring to angels in the sense of preachers and missionaries and evangelists and witnesses who go into the world and preach the gospel and gather in the elect to his church and kingdom through their preaching of the gospel.

    So I would suggest to you, beloved, that that is a correct way to understand what Jesus is predicting here. After all, after Jesus died for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit upon the church, what happened then? The gospel went out. As Jesus said, it would. And as he commanded his church to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, read the book of Acts as the gospel goes, not only into Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, but to the ends of the earth. Friends, what are some of the takeaways, some of the lessons or applications that we can glean from our consideration of this particular section of our passage? Well, first of all, there’s many lessons we can learn, but I would suggest a couple of points.

    Friends, the good news of all of this, whether you agree with the interpretation I’ve offered or not, the good news is that the resurrected and ascended Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, does indeed reign. He reigns at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. One day, everyone will recognize his reign. One day, everyone will acknowledge his lordship. For the word of God teaches us in Philippians that on that final day, Every knee shall bow. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Dear listener, let me ask you, have you acknowledged His sovereign reign? Have you bowed before His Lordship? We’re told in Scripture in passages like Romans 10, verse 9, that if you confess with your lips, Jesus is what? Jesus is Lord. Not only that He’s divine, but that He’s the sovereign King over all creation.

    If you confess with your lips, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. That is God’s promise. Dear listener, have you confessed Jesus Christ as your very own Lord and Savior? Do you trust in Him and Him alone for salvation from your sins? Another takeaway is that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to our risen, ascended, and reigning Lord Jesus Christ. And reigning from His throne in glory, Christ is indeed orchestrating all events of human history, and He’s orchestrating them in such a way that they will serve his sovereign purposes. God is indeed carrying out his sovereign plan within history through the messianic reign of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that reign will be consummated when Jesus returns at the end of this age in glory and takes us to be with himself.

    In the meantime, our risen, ascended, reigning Lord Jesus Christ has given to us his church a commission to proclaim his gospel to all the nations. So we as a church, we have a messenger function. We have an angelic function. We as churches of Jesus Christ are to serve as angels of God in the sense of messengers bearing witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. Let us as a church seek to fulfill our angelic messenger role by taking the gospel to our neighbors and to the world. But what about this lesson of the fig tree that Jesus then brings up, verses 28 and 29, and we’ll wrap it up here with the consideration of these verses. Jesus, after speaking about cosmic upheavals, after speaking about the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds and the gathering of the elect from the four corners, the four winds.

    Jesus then says in verse 28, Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, these things meaning the things that Jesus has been speaking of up until this point, recognize that he is near right at the door. One commentator writes the following. He says, perhaps Jesus stood near a fig tree. Because these trees produce two crops each year, they became proverbial for the passing of the seasons. Unlike many trees in Israel, the fig tree, the fig sheds its leaves each fall. New leaves appear relatively late in spring and indicate that warm weather is about to arrive. It’s also interesting to note, beloved, if you if you know the Old Testament, that that Israel is sometimes depicted in scripture as a fig tree.

    The Bible was God addressed his people in an agricultural setting and God in the scriptures often uses agricultural imagery to symbolize his people or truths that are connected to his people. And if Jesus is using this fig tree illustration in the sense in that sense here to refer to Israel symbolized by the fig tree. then Jesus may be indicating that when these signs appear, then the apostate Israel that had rejected him as the Messiah will indeed be ripe for judgment. The signs spoken of in this passage were to be clear indications that God was about to put out the lights on an old covenant apostate Judaism that had rejected and crucified the Messiah sent to her. If that is the case, What should we learn from the fig tree illustration that Jesus uses? Well, I think this confronts us with the all important question.

    What will you do with Jesus Christ? We know what the majority of the Jewish community and the Jewish religious authorities in the first century did with the Lord Jesus. The majority, there was a faithful remnant that God had chosen by grace among the Jews in the first century. But most of the Jewish community and most of the Jewish religious authorities rejected Jesus as the Messiah, as the Son of God. Like apostate first century Israel and its religious leaders, will you reject him? Or like the faithful remnant in those days, will you, by sovereign grace, receive him and confess him? Dear friends, let us not be like Israel of old. Let us not be like first century Israel. They had the Son of God incarnate in their presence. They saw him do miracles. They heard him preach the gospel.

    And yet the majority of them rejected him. And even after he rose from the dead and the good news of his resurrection was proclaimed, what did the religious leaders, according to Matthew’s gospel, what did they do when they got news from the soldiers who had guarded the tomb that Jesus rose from the dead? They bribed the soldiers and they tried to create a conspiracy theory to cover up the good news of the resurrection. Their hearts were given over to hardness. May God in his sovereign mercy grant that our hearts may not be hardened like the hearts of the first century religious leaders. May we, by the grace of God, repent and receive and rest upon Christ and Christ alone as the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God. And out of gratitude for God’s gift of salvation, may we seek to declare the glad tidings of great joy.

    The good news that Jesus is indeed risen from the dead. He reigns at the Father’s right hand. And let us warn the nations that He is coming back to judge all of humanity. Let us urge the nations to ready themselves for that day to repent and turn to Christ. And before we close our time in prayer, I do want to say if any of you are struggling with. The interpretation I’ve offered to you, or you want to learn more about that, I do have a book I’d like to recommend to you. R.C. Sproul’s book, The Last Days According to Jesus, is a helpful guide to these kinds of questions. I don’t necessarily endorse or agree with everything he says in that book, but if you’d like to study more and learn more about this perspective, Dr.

    Sproul, the late Dr. Sproul, gave a very helpful presentation in that book. Friends, let us close our time in prayer. Gracious Lord and Father in Heaven, Sovereign and Eternal God. We do thank you that Jesus, our Savior, reigns, that he is King of kings and Lord of lords. We thank you that one day he is returning in glory to set all things right and to usher in the new heavens and the new earth wherein righteousness dwells. In the meantime, grant unto us the grace to bear faithful witness to his reign. We pray these things in Jesus’ name and all of God’s people said, amen. Let’s close our time together by rising and singing our closing hymn number 286. Let us love and sing and wonder 286.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Messiah’s Reign and Cosmic Upheavals

    Messiah’s Reign and Cosmic Upheavals

    About this sermon

    After the tribulation, Jesus says, the sun will be darkened and the stars will fall from heaven. The Old Testament prophets used the same language of cosmic upheaval for God’s historical judgments on nations such as Babylon, and Peter uses it at Pentecost. These images proclaim the Messiah’s sovereign reign and God’s judgment on Jerusalem. Judgment begins with the house of God, and those who are in Christ can face the last day without fear.

    More sermons from Mark · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    Amen. Please remain standing for the reading of God’s Word as we continue our consideration of the Gospel of Mark. My sermon text today is Mark chapter 13, verses 24 and 25. I’m gonna read verses 24 through 31 to fill out the context a little bit, but let’s especially focus on verses 24 and 25. Mark chapter 13, beginning at verse 24. Dear friends, hear the Word of our God. Just to remind you of the setting, the Lord Jesus is delivering His Olivet Discourse. 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 that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

    And then he will send forth the angels and will gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near, right at the door. 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. Dear ones, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing upon the preaching of His word. Our gracious Lord and Father in heaven, what a wonder it is that you have spoken to us.

    You’ve not only spoken to us through your mighty works of creation and providence, you have spoken a sure and certain word to us in your word, especially in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray that by your spirit you would bless your word as it goes forth today. We ask that you would Give us open minds and open hearts to hear and receive that which the Spirit is communicating to us through this portion of your infallible, inerrant word. We ask that you would set a guard over my lips, that I might speak only that which is faithful to your word. And we ask that you would build us up in our faith this day. In Jesus’ name we pray, and all of God’s people said. Amen. You may be seated. The title of my sermon this morning is Messiah’s Reign and Cosmic Upheavals.

    And I’d encourage the children to pick a number of these key words if you’re following along in your sermon outline. Choose a couple of these key words to be listening for. And sometimes young children find it helpful to count the number of times they hear these words in the sermon. The words are prophecy, scripture, cosmic, sovereign, authority, and judgment. Well, dear ones, this morning we continue our study through this admittedly difficult portion of our Lord’s teachings, which is known as the Olivet Discourse. And remember that this is called the Olivet Discourse because our Lord Jesus delivered this address, this teaching, from the Mount of Olives facing Jerusalem and its temple. Now, as we’ve seen in recent Lord’s Days, as we’ve gone through the opening sections of this chapter, this is admittedly a very challenging portion of God’s Word.

    It is a portion of God’s Word that has been interpreted in many different ways, even by sound Orthodox Bible scholars. As I’ve been preaching recently through this passage, one of the points that I’ve sought to drive home throughout this passage, as we’ve considered this text of God’s Word, is that there is good reason to believe that most, if not all, of the events that our Lord predicts in this passage, at least up through verse 31, were fulfilled in the first century with the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 A.D. under the Roman general Titus and his Roman armies. And although this interpretation of Christ’s Olivet Discourse, which I’ve been offering, tended to be a more common interpretation among older Bible commentators, With the rise of a school of interpretation known as dispensationalism in the modern evangelical church, this first-century fulfillment view has been almost entirely replaced by interpretations which see most, if not all, of these prophecies throughout the Olivet Discourse as yet to be fulfilled in our future.

    But as I’ve tried to show, the plain literal sense of our Lord’s words in verse 30 would seem to clearly indicate that He expected these events, at least up to that point in the discourse, to be fulfilled within the lifetime of His present first century generation. Again, as Jesus says, and remember Jesus, the divine Lord incarnate is speaking with divine authority. He says, truly, I say to you, Amen, truly, verily, I, I being the eternal Son of God incarnate, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things, not some of these things, until all these things take place. But dear ones, it is precisely the language of our passage for today that many contemporary Christians and Christian leaders and Bible scholars and theologians find difficult to square with a first century fulfillment view, especially the language of astronomical phenomenon and cosmic upheavals and disturbances, and also of Christ, the language of Christ coming in the clouds which will be dealing with on the next Lord’s Day as we read this kind of language in verses 24 through 27.

    Surely this language must be talking about our Lord’s future return in glory at His second advent, right? many Christians would say, and many of the Bible prophecy teachers and speculators of today will appeal directly to this kind of language to support their futurist interpretations of these Bible prophecies. Well, dear ones, it is my hope that our study of this passage for today will help to offer insight into how the scriptures use this kind of prophetic cosmic language And also to show you how this passage fits into a first century fulfillment view. Again, I’m not saying that all of the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in the first century. As I think I’ve explained in previous weeks, the latter part of this discourse I believe is speaking of our Lord’s future second advent at the end of this age.

    Up to this point, I believe Jesus is here saying that this is going to be fulfilled in response to his prophecy back in verse 2, where Jesus said, do you see these great buildings? Speaking of the buildings of the Jerusalem temple, he says, not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down. So friends, what we’re going to do is we’re going to compare Scripture with Scripture. We’re going to spend a little time flipping through our Bibles and looking at other prophetic sections of Scripture where this kind of language is used. And this kind of language would seem to be in the background of what Jesus is saying and how he is using that language in our passage for today. So let’s, and this is the first point in your sermon outline, if you’re following along, consider how the prophetic sections of scripture often use the language of cosmic upheavals.

    Consider how the prophetic sections of scripture often use the language of cosmic upheavals. Again, let me read verses 24 through 25, which we’ll be focusing on in particular. Jesus says here, but in those days, He’s just spoken of the great tribulation, the days that will precede the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple and the awful slaughter that took place as God’s judgment fell upon an apostate, first century Israel that had rejected its Messiah. Jesus goes on to say in verse 24, 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 that are in the heavens will be shaken.” The language that Jesus uses here of astronomical phenomenon and cosmic disturbances is rooted in passages like Isaiah chapter 13, which I read earlier in the service.

    Now friends, prophecy speculators, prophecy speculations rather, about the timing of our Lord’s second advent have become almost an entrenched tradition and an unchallenged sacred cow in some segments of the modern evangelical church. I mean, You go into a Christian bookstore, you look at a Christian bookseller online, and look at the prophecy section. There’s all kinds of books about Bible prophecy, and many of those books speculating about certain events of today that may be, in their view, a fulfillment of Bible prophecy, and often this kind of prophetic speculation is fueled by astronomical events which are interpreted by prophecy speculators as signs in the heavens, and therefore signs that the end time events are soon to be upon us. For example, a number of years ago, some of you may recall this, a number of years ago, there was a lot of talk about blood red moons, for example.

    I think it was John Hagee who wrote a book about that. And then whenever there seems to be an unusual astronomical event, for example, the rare alignment of planets or a profuse number of comets or an eclipse, whenever these things tend to happen, what also tends to happen? Well, the prophecy speculations tend to go up and the prophecy speculators will often point to those events and say, ah, our Lord’s return must be just around the corner. However, friends, when we carefully compare Scripture with Scripture, in other words, when we let God’s Word interpret itself, we begin to realize that the prophecy speculators of today have often not been diligent students of God’s word, especially when it comes to understanding the Old Testament and how the Old Testament prophets often used this kind of language of astronomical phenomena and cosmic upheavals to describe the political and international events of their day.

    Today’s prophecy speculators are often guilty of using what has been called newspaper exegesis. That is to say, the practice of reading into the prophecies of the Bible current events, or in this case, current astronomical phenomenon. But dear ones, Newspaper exegesis is not a responsible handling of God’s holy word, nor is it a sound principle of hermeneutics or the science of Bible interpretation. Instead, the only way to understand difficult passages of Scripture, like this one that we’re considering today, is to compare Scripture with Scripture. After all, the Bible is a unified divine revelation. God’s Word interprets itself. Even though the Bible was written over several thousand years by the hands of many human authors, there’s one ultimate author behind all of Scripture, and that is the divine author, the Holy Spirit. And His, and the Spirit does not speak in tongues, excuse me, does not speak with a forked tongue.

    The Spirit speaks a unified message in His Word. And so we must interpret Scripture with Scripture. As our beloved Westminster Confession of Faith puts it in chapter 1, section 9, the infallible rule of interpretation of scripture is the scripture itself. And therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture, which is not manifold but one, it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly. So with this in mind, let’s look at a number of examples from the Old Testament prophets where this language of astronomical phenomena and cosmic upheavals are utilized. Let’s turn back, for example, to Isaiah chapter 13 and look at verses nine and 10. Turn back to Isaiah chapter 13, and let’s look at verses 9 and 10. And as you’re turning there, it’s important to understand that Jesus and his apostles would have been much more familiar with this kind of language and the use of this language than many Christians are today.

    And so what do we read in those verses? Well, It says this, Isaiah writes, Behold, the day of the Lord is coming. In the scriptures, the day of the Lord is often presented as a day of judgment, God’s day of judgment, bringing judgment upon a nation, or the ultimate day of the Lord will be when Jesus returns in glory. But here he says, “‘Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation, and He will exterminate its sinners from it.’” And then notice verse 10, “‘For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light.’” What is this passage predicting? What is the subject matter of Isaiah chapter 13?

    Is the subject matter here the prediction of the ultimate day of the Lord? Now, I believe that this passage is a type of and points to that. But notice the context. Look at verse 1. In verse one, it is clear that the Holy Spirit, through Isaiah, is addressing God’s judgment that he will bring against the ancient nation of Babylon. Verse one, the oracle concerning Babylon, which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw. And this is confirmed later on in the chapter, if you skip down to verse 19. And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. So, friends, if you read verse 1 and consider the context of this passage, the context makes it clear that this is a prophecy predicting God’s local historical judgment upon the ancient nation of Babylon.

    And yet God uses this language of cosmic upheaval to describe God’s judgment against this nation. As one commentator has described this passage in Isaiah 13, the language of cosmic upheaval and astronomical disturbances found in verse 10 of that passage is meant to figuratively symbolize lights out for the nation of Babylon. It’s not intended to say that this is literally gonna happen when God brings judgment upon Babylon, the stars are not gonna shine, the sun will be darkened and all of that. This is figurative language describing how God is going to bring the darkness of his judgment against the land of Babylon, Babylon being an arch enemy of God and God’s people. Or let’s turn next to Ezekiel, the prophet Ezekiel. Let’s look at Ezekiel 32, verses 7 and 8. Ezekiel 32, verses 7 and 8.

    We read these words. And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon will not give its light. All the shining lights in the heavens, I will darken over you and will set darkness on your land, declares the Lord God. Now again, is God speaking of the final judgment at the end of this age? What’s the context here? Well, this is another example of a prophecy which uses the language of cosmic upheavals to describe a local historical judgment that God would inflict upon another group of God’s enemies, namely ancient Egypt and its pharaoh. As verse one indicates, in the 12th year In the 12th month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, and go on to verse two, son of man, take up a lamentation over what?

    Over Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say the following to him. So in the context of Ezekiel 32, God is pronouncing judgment upon the nation of Egypt and its Pharaoh, the ancient nation of Egypt and its Pharaoh. And many other passages use similar language. Let’s go back to Isaiah and look at Isaiah chapter 34, verses four and five. Isaiah chapter 34, I know you’re flipping around in your Bible a lot this morning, but bear with me. This is important to see the Old Testament background to this kind of language. Isaiah chapter 34, verses four and five. Again the following language is used, it says, and all the host of heaven will wear away and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll all their hosts will also wither away as a leaf withers from the vine or as one withers from the fig tree.

    Who is God pronouncing this judgment against? I mean, this language of the sky being rolled up like a scroll, this language of cosmic disturbances and astronomical upheavals and so forth. Well, look at verse five, look at the context. For my sword is satiated in heaven. Behold, it shall descend for judgment upon Edom. and upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction. Again, the Edomites, who had descended from Jacob’s brother Esau, were also typically arch enemies of God’s people in Old Testament times. And God, again, uses this language of cosmic upheaval to describe the judgment upheaval that he is going to bring upon the people of Edom. Or look, if you would, at Amos, chapter eight, verses nine and 10. Amos is after the Book of Joel in the Minor Prophets. Amos 8, verses 9 and 10, we read these words.

    It will come about in that day, declares the Lord God, that I will make the sun go down at noon and make the earth dark in broad daylight. Then I will turn your festivals into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. And I will put sackcloth on everyone’s loins and baldness on every head. and I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and the end of it will be like a bitter day. Again, in verse nine, we have this language of the sun going down at noon, the earth being darkened in broad daylight, this language of astronomical phenomena being employed. Well, who is God addressing this judgment prophecy against? Well, in this passage, this is a judgment against God’s people Israel, as verse two makes clear. He said, what do you see, Amos?

    And I said, a basket of summer fruit. Then the Lord said to me, the end has come for my people Israel. I will spare them no longer. You may say, well, okay, pastor, this is the Old Testament, but how does the New Testament use this kind of language? Well, let’s turn to Acts chapter two and look at verses 14 to 21. Acts chapter two, verses 14 through 21. Peter’s famous Pentecost sermon, this was the sermon that Peter delivered, the preaching of the gospel that Peter delivered on that marvelous day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was supernaturally poured out upon the church and people were empowered to speak in languages they’d never learned before. And the crowds came together, there was a sound as of a rushing mighty wind, there were tongues of fire that alighted upon the disciples and they were empowered to speak in languages they had never heard so that the people heard the wondrous works of God in their own language.

    It was a reversal of the Tower of Babel. And how does Peter explain what’s going on that day? Well, look at his explanation in verses 14 through 21. But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them, Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel.” In other words, Peter interprets the Pentecost event as a fulfillment of this prophecy that he quotes from the Old Testament prophet Joel. And here’s the quotation from Joel. And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth my spirit on all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

    Even on my bond slaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. But then notice he continues to quote from Joel and says that this is a fulfillment that is happening on this day, this day of Pentecost, verse 19. And I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. In verses 17 through 21 of this passage, the Apostle Peter is quoting, as I mentioned, from Joel 2, verses 28 to 32. But notice that Peter interprets the whole passage quoted here from Joel, including this language of cosmic upheavals in verses 19 and 20, as being fulfilled by the events that occurred on that day of Pentecost.

    And you may say, well, how can that be? Well, again, think about it. Pentecost was an amazing, incredible event of redemptive history. It was a reversal of the Tower of Babel. It was an indication that the gospel was going to burst forth out of the Jewish confines and go to the nations, that the gospel and the Great Commission was going to go to the nations and that the Lord would gather his elect from the four corners of the earth through the preaching of the gospel in all the world. Beloved, and I could go on and on, but I think I’ve hopefully made my point clear enough as we’ve considered these various passages of Scripture, as we’ve compared Scripture with Scripture. Dear ones, we learn from passages like these that in the Old Testament, the stars and other astronomical phenomena often represented nations and peoples.

    And they were often used as symbols for kings and kingdoms. Or at times they were used as symbols representing the civil or religious state of God’s covenant people, Israel. So what does all of this teach us? I think we can learn some important things from these observations. First of all, beloved, we must learn to interpret God’s Word on its own terms and to avoid imposing preconceived ideas or interpretive schemes onto the Scriptures. Now, we all have a tendency to do that, don’t we? We all have a tendency to want the scriptures to confirm our own preconceived ideas. We want the scriptures to confirm our thoughts, our ideas, our interpretive schemes. I’ve got that tendency and you do, we all do. So we have to keep that in check. We need to allow God’s word by his grace to transform us by the renewing of our minds rather than being conformed to other ways, foreign ways of thinking that are outside the language of Scripture.

    So let us seek to be diligent and careful students of God’s Word. Let us be careful to compare Scripture with Scripture. Let us be good Bereans, and I expect you all to go home today and check these things out for yourself. Don’t just believe what I say because I say it. Go back to the Word and think to yourself, is this really what the Scriptures say? Another important lesson I think we glean from all of this is that God’s historical judgments against nations and kingdoms, sometimes symbolized in scripture by astronomical phenomena and cosmic upheavals, this reminds us that our God is the holy and righteous judge over all the nations. These phenomenon also point to the sovereign, universal reign of God’s chosen and anointed King, the Messiah, Jesus our Lord. Do you, dear listener, acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as the sovereign King, Messiah, and rightful Lord over all?

    He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Do you acknowledge Him as such And, dear listener, have you repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ and Christ alone as your very own Lord, Savior, and King? But all of this may, again, be troubling because this might be new to some of you, or at least this way of understanding passages like this might be troubling, and you might wonder, well, does this mean that we don’t have the blessed hope No, friends, that’s not at all what I’m saying, and this leads me to my next and final point. Beloved, as we’ve been learning, the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, symbolized by the language of cosmic upheaval, indeed anticipates the final judgment and the cosmic new creation that Jesus will usher in at His future glorious return.

    The destruction of Jerusalem and its temple was indeed a very significant redemptive historical event. It was, even though Jesus had done away in principle with the old covenant and its sacrificial system by his death on the cross in the 30s AD, nevertheless Animal sacrifices in the temple system continued to exist until the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. And that was an incredibly significant event for redemptive history. And if you study and read anything about the horrible suffering that went on among the Jews during that horrible judgment event, you will realize that this is a perfect picture of God’s holy judgment against a wicked, covenant-breaking humanity. Indeed, the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem points forward to an ultimate judgment that is yet to come. Dear ones, as I’ve sought to demonstrate, while I’ve sought to demonstrate that our Lord Jesus uses this prophetic language of astronomical disturbances and cosmic upheavals to predict God’s judgment upon an apostate first century Israel, a prediction which was indeed fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Romans in 70 AD, at the same time, I would also submit to you that the historical first century fulfillment of our Lord’s prediction here is not at all irrelevant to the matter of His future second advent.

    On the contrary, this first century fulfillment is a type and picture of the kinds of final eschatological events that will indeed accompany our Lord’s future glorious bodily return in glory to judge the world and to usher in the eschatological new heavens and new earth of the eternal state. After all, the scriptures do indicate in other places that there will indeed be literal cosmic upheavals in this present universe when our Lord Jesus Christ returns at his future glorious bodily second advent and when he ushers in the new heavens and the new earth. And just to give you one example, Let’s all turn together to 2 Peter 3 and look at verses 8-13. 2 Peter 3 verses 8-13. Now one of the things that makes this different from the sections of prophecy that I read to you in the Old Testament, the prophetic use of cosmic upheavals and astronomical disturbances is to be understood more figuratively because of the context of those passages and also because they are presented in a more poetic form.

    But here we have straightforward teaching from the Apostle Peter given in this epistle. We have an epistolary presentation of the truth here. And so let us consider 2 Peter 3, 8 to 13. Peter writes, But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat. He is, again, he is speaking in straightforward, plain teaching here, not using figurative language.

    He says, the heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up, since all these things are to be destroyed in this way. what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to his promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Amen. We are looking for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. There is a final day of the Lord coming. Jesus is going to return as he left the earth bodily in his ascension. He will return bodily at his glorious future second advent.

    What are some final takeaways that we can glean from the passage that we’ve considered today as Jesus uses this kind of language of cosmic upheaval in verses 24 and 25 of our passage? Well, there’s many things we can learn, but just I would leave you with two final points of application. First of all, beloved, let us remember that God is the sovereign ruler over all nations and all peoples, whether or not they recognize it. God raises up some nations and peoples, he brings down others according to his sovereign will and good pleasure. His authority is ultimate, universal, and final. The future of all nations and all peoples is ultimately in his hands, not in our power. Yet there are many today who think that, well, if we just get the right people in political office or we just change the laws and make the laws more just and reasonable and so forth, well, we can bring in utopia.

    There is this common myth out there, this common belief in the perfectibility of humanity. If we just change society and make things more just and equitable and so forth, everyone’s gonna get along and it’s gonna be like heaven on earth. No, no. Contrary to utopian-minded secularists who foolishly imagine that they have the power to create heaven on earth through their own political policies and actions and activism, the word of God teaches that the only thing that is going to bring in paradise, bring in utopia, is the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We don’t bring in his kingdom, he will bring in his final consummated kingdom in the end. We can do nothing, man can do nothing. And certainly we are called to be faithful in this present age, to love our neighbors and to seek the common good in this present life.

    But we look to Jesus and Jesus alone to bring about his consummated kingdom. We also learn here in this passage that this passage implies that God is the righteous judge of all nations and peoples. And this is especially so with His own covenant people. Remember, the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple was a judgment against God’s professed covenant people. because of their apostasy and their rejection of their own Messiah. I’m reminded of what the Apostle Peter writes elsewhere in 1 Peter 4, verses 17 through 19. In that passage, Peter writes, for it is time for judgment to begin with what? with the household of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?

    Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful creator in doing what is right. Judgment begins with the house of God. It begins with me and it begins with you. Dear listener, are you ready to stand before King Jesus as your Lord and judge? Well, I’ve got good news for you. If you are in Christ, if you have trusted, rested upon Christ and Christ alone as your Lord and Savior, you will stand on that judgment day because you stand in Him. He is your righteousness, your everlasting righteousness. His blood cleanses you from all sin. His righteousness clothes you and enables you to stand justified once and for all and forever before the Creator of heaven and earth. But if you are outside of Jesus Christ, if you’ve not repented and put your faith and trust in Him, then you must fear that day because it will not go well with you.

    Oh, turn, turn to Christ this day. Trust in Him as your Lord and Savior lest the kinds of judgment language and judgment events that are spoken of by this language of cosmic upheaval come upon you and bring the judgment upheaval of God into your situation and your life. Jesus welcomes you with open arms, dear sinner. He welcomes all who would come to him. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, not just now, but forever. And you can look forward to that final day as a day of victory and joy. Amen, let us pray. Gracious God, our heavenly Father, we pray that by your spirit you would Help us to learn how to be good students, diligent students of your word. Give us the grace, oh Lord, to have our minds transformed and renewed and transformed by that word.

    And we pray that by your spirit you would help us, Lord, to once again cling hard and fast to the Lord Jesus Christ, looking for that blessed hope that he will bring to us. And may we live, Lord God, our lives knowing that every moment of every day is a moment closer to the time when Jesus will come back in glory and take us to be with Him forever. For we pray these things in His name and all of God’s people said, amen. Dear friends, let’s rise, close our time of worship together by singing as our hymn of commitment number 281, Rejoice the Lord is King, 281.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • The Abomination of Desolation, Part 2

    The Abomination of Desolation, Part 2

    About this sermon

    God rules history, and Christ’s prophecy of Jerusalem’s fall proves it. The great tribulation of AD 70 carried unique redemptive-historical weight, as God ended the old covenant order. For the sake of his elect, God cut those days short. God’s election gives believers comfort and assurance, and Christ keeps them from the deceptions of false christs and false prophets, as they build their lives on the rock of his word.

    More sermons from Mark · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    Remain standing for the reading of God’s holy word. We continue our consideration of the gospel of Matthew, and we find ourselves in Matthew’s account of our Lord’s Olivet discourse. And so we’ll be focusing today on I’m sorry, did I say Matthew? I meant to say Mark. Mark, chapter 13. They both start with an M. So Mark 13, verses 14 to 23. Mark chapter 13 verses 14 through 23. I’m going to read the first four verses of this chapter to remind us of the context. And then then we’ll take up our sermon text in verse 14. So let us hear with reverence and awe the word of our God. Mark chapter 13, beginning at verse one. As he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Teacher, behold, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings.

    And Jesus said to him, do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down. As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning him privately. Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled? And then skip down to verse 14. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be, let the reader understand. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one who is on the housetop must not go down or go to get anything out of his house. And the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

    But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days. But pray that it may not happen in the winter. For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation, which God created until now and never will. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, behold, here is the Christ, or behold, he is there, do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed. Behold, I have told you everything in advance. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever.

    Let’s pray for the Lord’s blessing upon the preaching of his word. Our gracious Lord and Father in Heaven, we thank you for your powerful word. We thank you, God, that you have communicated to us and we pray that you would grant us the illuminating grace of your Holy Spirit that we might understand that which you are speaking to us in this portion of your God-breathed, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word. We ask that you would set a guard over my lips, that I might speak only that which is faithful. And we pray that you would give us all eyes to see and ears to hear that which is the spirit is communicating to us in this portion of your word. And we ask, Lord, that that much spiritual fruit would be born in our lives through what we hear today.

    We ask these things through Christ our Lord and all of God’s people said, amen. You may be seated. Well, sometimes preachers bite off more than they can chew, and I did that on the last Lord’s Day. I thought I could get through this section in just one Lord’s Day, but obviously I was not able to do that. So here we are again, considering the abomination of desolation part two. And if you’re following along in your sermon outline, there are a number of key words that I would encourage you. to listen for, I especially would encourage the children to listen for these words. The words are sovereignty, prophecy, tribulation, election, and security. Well, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Bible teaches that God is sovereign over all things, including history. The Word of God reveals throughout its sacred pages that God has sovereignly decreed a plan and purpose that he is working out within history.

    Indeed, as many of you have heard me say on numerous occasions, history is ultimately what? His story. For the true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s sovereignty ought to be a source of great comfort, security, peace of mind, and deep encouragement. For friends, the Scriptures assure us that he who began a good work in us will indeed carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus, and that we believers are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation. The God who by sovereign undeserved grace has chosen us and redeemed us in Christ and through the Holy Spirit has brought us to faith in Christ through the Word. That same God will preserve and keep us secure in that faith even until the end. Why? Well, because He is sovereign and His purposes and plans for us will not, indeed cannot, fail.

    For God keeps His promises. And if he has begun a good work in you, he will carry it through. Now, one of the chief evidences of God’s sovereignty over history is Bible prophecy. The Bible, of course, is filled with prophetic sections that include predictions about future events in redemptive history. The reason, of course, that God can predict future events is because he has planned for those events to occur. This section of our Lord’s teachings, which we’ve been considering in recent weeks, known as our Lord’s Olivet Discourse, is a highly significant portion of Bible prophecy. For in this section, our Lord Jesus Christ predicted an amazing event in redemptive history. He predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, an event that happened some 40 years after our Lord uttered this discourse. It happened when the Roman general Titus and his armies destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 70 A.D.

    Again, I would remind you of the context here. Jesus is coming out of the temple. Remember, this is Passion Week, the last week of our Lord’s life, the week leading up to his crucifixion. He and his disciples are in Jerusalem, and Jesus has had some confrontations in the temple precincts with the various religious leaders of the day. And as they leave the temple, One of his disciples points out the marvelous structure, the marvelous buildings that were there on the temple grounds. Teacher, behold, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And what does Jesus say in verse two? Jesus makes a prophecy. Jesus said to him, do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down. And of course, Jesus made that prediction somewhere around 30 AD.

    And 40 years later, precisely that happened. Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. Now, as I pointed out in previous Lord’s days in the minds of the disciples, the destruction of the temple would mean the end of the cosmos, the end of the world. And as we are seeing, as we will see throughout this Olivet Discourse, Jesus makes a distinction between the immediate fulfillment of this prophecy and the second coming of Christ that is also predicted later on in this passage. But nevertheless, the focus today will be on the matter of the destruction of the temple, which took place in 70 AD. And the disciples respond to this in verses three and four, it says, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, that’s why it’s called the Olivet Discourse, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning him privately.

    Tell us, when will these things be the things about which he had predicted? When will these things be and when are they going to be fulfilled? And so our Lord’s teaching in this chapter is largely in response to this question that his disciples posed to him here at the beginning of chapter 13. Now, let’s remember the setting of our passage that we’re considering today, verses 14 through 23. On the last Lord’s Day, we began to consider the meaning and significance of our Lord’s teaching here on this mysterious abomination of desolation that we read of in verse 14. And as we considered last week, this terminology about the abomination of desolation derives from various passages that are found in the book of Daniel. For example, Daniel chapter 9 verses 25 through 27, Daniel 11 verse 39, and Daniel 12 verse 11.

    Based on contextual clues within our passage, I sought to make the case that this abomination of desolation was fulfilled when the Roman armies brought their idolatrous legionary eagle standards into the sacred precincts of the temple prior to destroying the temple in 70 AD. Now, I won’t repeat the case that I sought to make for this view on the last Lord’s Day. If you’re interested, you can go back and go into our sermon audio page and listen to last week’s sermon again. But I will point out again that this is an interpretation that I think makes the most sense of the first century Jewish indicators in the context of this passage. Throughout this passage, we need to read it in its context. And Jesus makes clear first century references. For example, verse 9, going back to verse 9, Jesus says, Be on your guard, for they will deliver you to the courts and you will be flogged in the synagogues.

    You know, the original persecutors of the earliest Christian church were the were the Jewish authorities. The synagogue was the first major persecutor of the church, not the Roman Empire, but the synagogue came first. And so clearly this is a first century setting that Jesus is speaking to, at least in this particular passage. And look, look again at verse 14, the beginning of our passage for today. Jesus says, but when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be, let the reader understand. then those who are in what in Judea must flee to the mountains. And as I pointed out on the last Lord’s Day, that’s precisely what the what the Christians, the Jewish Christians in and around Jerusalem did when when they saw the Roman armies approaching Jerusalem around 70 A.D. events leading up to that.

    And so there are, again, there is a first century setting here in our passage for today. Now, with all of this in mind, let’s take up our passage in verse 19. And first of all, if you’re following along in your sermon outline, this is my first major point. Beloved, let us take to heart the deep distress of the first century Great Tribulation. Take to heart the deep distress of the first century tribulation. Consider how Jesus describes this tribulation that will precede the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Jesus says, for those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now and never will be. Sounds like a pretty major tribulation going on here. Now, what are those days? Jesus refers to those days in verse 19.

    Well, in the context of our passage, those days would naturally, most naturally refer to the first century days described in the immediately preceding context, not to some future great tribulation, although A case can be made that this first century Great Tribulation, which occurred around the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, typifies or anticipates times of Great Tribulation that will precede the future Second Advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But anyways, as we see this language, many many read this passage and they look at the language here and they say, well, this can’t be referring. I mean, yes, the the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple was truly an awful thing. If you read the historical accounts, it was a bloodbath. I believe, if I’m remembering my research correctly, some have suggested that even up to a million Jews were slaughtered in and around Jerusalem at that time.

    It was a horrible tribulation. There was unimaginable suffering that the people endured during that time. But certainly, some would say, certainly that’s not the worst tribulation that there’s ever been. Notice the Lord’s words. Those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now and never will. Well. It’s important for us, brothers and sisters, to understand the language of prophecy, to understand what some have called prophetic idiom, and how our Lord uses these kinds of words. One of the study notes in my New Geneva Study Bible on this passage says the following. It says, the Roman historian Tacitus and the Jewish historian Josephus, that’s a pagan and a Jewish historian, described the destruction of the temple as a catastrophe of supernatural dimensions with armies appearing in the sky and a supernatural voice.

    According to Josephus, the suffering was unparalleled. So according to this pagan and Jewish source, the events that surrounded the destruction of the temple in 70 AD were attended by supernatural manifestations. There were armies appearing in the sky. There was a supernatural voice and so forth. But again, does that explain the language that our Lord Jesus uses here? Well, friends, I would assert to you, I would I would submit to you that the language, the kind of language that our Lord Jesus is highlighting in this passage points to the uniqueness and the redemptive historical significance of this great tribulation of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Jesus says in verse in this verse, this will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation, which God created until now and never will.

    In other words, this is going to be a unique event. It is an event that is that is central and unique in the course of redemptive history. And when you think about it, it really was. You see, Jesus died on the cross for our sins somewhere around 30 A.D. But after Jesus died and rose from the dead and even after Pentecost, the Jews in Jerusalem who did not believe in Jesus continued to offer the sacrifices of the old covenant system in the Jerusalem temple. So even though in principle, with the death of our Lord, the old covenant system and its temple rituals had been in principle done away with, they continued to be practiced even until the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. So with God’s judgment upon his apostate people for rejecting their Messiah with the destruction of the temple, the old covenant system was completely done away with.

    In fact, in principle, it was done away with when Jesus made atonement for our sins. But it is completely been destroyed as of 70 A.D. and no Jewish sacrifices offered in a Jewish temple in Jerusalem have been offered since that time. Again, beloved, one of the things to understand about our Lord’s teaching method, Jesus often employed hyperbole. Intentional exaggeration. It’s not dishonest. That was an accepted and understood form of teaching in those days. And so when Jesus says that this tribulation will be such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation, which God created until now and never will. I would suggest to you that that perhaps our Lord is here using some hyperbole, but he’s using this to point out that this will be a unique and final event. Beloved, understand that Christ’s judgment upon an apostate first century Judaism and historical judgment which took place in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 A.D.

    I believe there is good reason to view this as a type and anticipation of his final judgment coming in his future glorious second advent. As horrible as the judgment, the historical judgment of the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 A.D. was, even more horrifying to those outside of Christ, will be our Lord’s return at the end of this age when He judges humanity. When He separates the sheep from the goats. And so, passages like this to motivate us to make sure that we are ready for that day, that we are found in Christ, that we are trusting in Him, resting in Him, and by His grace, following Him. Again, even though these events I believe were fulfilled historically in the first century with the desecration and destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. They can also be viewed as a picture of the future judgment, which is yet to come when our Lord Jesus returns in glory at the end of this present age.

    And even though that even though this has a first century fulfillment, it has ongoing relevance for God’s people today. But speaking of ongoing relevance, as we make our way through this text, Jesus goes on to say in verse 20, unless the Lord had shortened those days, those days of tribulation that that were leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he shortened the days. That brings me to my next point. If you’re following along in your sermon outline, notice, beloved, the relevance of election to the tribulation event. Notice the relevance of election to the tribulation event. It’s interesting to me, our Lord mentions the elect here almost in passing. He mentions election without apology, without explanation.

    In the thinking of Christ, the doctrine of divine election was apparently uncontroversial. He just mentions it without the slightest bit of defensiveness. And and he expects his disciples to understand and accept what he’s saying without any pushback. And there is no at least no recorded pushback on him. And really, this shouldn’t surprise us, beloved, especially if you’re familiar with the Old Testament scriptures, as, of course, Jesus would be and his disciples would be as well, for indeed, This truth of divine election is deeply rooted in the Old Testament scriptures. That’s why I read that passage from Deuteronomy this morning, where God reminds his people that they are a holy people and that he set his love upon them, not because they were more numerous than the other nations, but simply out of sovereign mercy and faithfulness to his covenant promises to Abraham and so forth.

    So I want you to notice a few things about what Jesus says here in verse 20. Notice, first of all, my friends, that God has an elect or chosen people. And that is that is the truth that many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in the evangelical world kind of shy away from, or they’re kind of nervous about that. We live in a time when the Christian community as a whole tends to emphasize man’s decision for God and human choice more than emphasizing God’s choice of us. But a consistent scriptural view of election is that we choose God because he first chose us. We love him because he first loved us. As the Bible clearly teaches elsewhere, these elect ones that Jesus refers to are not chosen due to any worthiness or merit or virtue in themselves.

    For like all men, they too are sinners worthy of God’s judgment. We have all sinned. We all are, by nature, apart from grace, we are all children of wrath. We are born fallen in Adam and deserve God’s wrath for our sins. Instead, they are chosen by God’s pure, unmerited mercy and grace and love found in the Lord Jesus Christ and him alone. So God has an elect or chosen people. We also notice that Jesus teaches here that God governs the events of history for the sake of his elect. Notice what Jesus says, unless the Lord had shortened those days. Notice the assumption here is that the sovereign Lord is sovereign over these days as he is sovereign over all days. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he shortened the days.

    Now, obviously, Jesus is speaking about these particular events leading up to this great tribulation. And yet, what is true of our Lord’s disposition of events and the days leading up to the Great Tribulation, what He says about that certainly would apply to all things, would they not? After all, God causes all things to work together according to the counsel of His will, as we are told in passages like Ephesians chapter 1, verse 11. So God governs the events of history for the sake of His elect. He works out His plan and His purpose ultimately for the benefit of his elect, which glorifies him above all. We also notice in the context of this passage that God preserves his elect, but he does so in such a way that upholds their engagement and responsibility. Look, skip down to verses 22 and 23, where Jesus is warning about false Christs and false prophets.

    Jesus says, And then if anyone says to you, behold, here is the Christ, verse 21, if anyone says to you, behold, here is the Christ or behold, he is there, do not believe him for false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible, who? The elect. But behold, take heed. I have told you everything in advance. And so, yes, The language of if possible, verse 22, Jesus says that the deceptions brought by these false Christs and false prophets, these pseudo Christoi and these pseudo prophets will be so strong and powerful that even the elect would be tempted to be led astray. But Jesus says, if possible, that implies that God will preserve his elect from ultimate deception. At the same time, Jesus gives this teaching to his disciples and to us, his church, in order that we may take heed, as it says in verse 23, take heed, behold, I’ve told you everything in advance.

    In other words, be on the lookout for these false prophets, these false Christs. Don’t be taken in by them. And so, beloved, we see the relevance of election to this tribulation event. But friends, as an aside, whenever the doctrine of election is brought up, there are some brothers and sisters in Christ, some of a of a sensitive conscience, some who are perhaps hyper introspective. Maybe that describes you. Maybe you are one who who is very sensitive. You want to please the Lord. And you read about this and you think, well, what if I’m not one of God’s elect? How do I know that I’m one of God’s elect? Well, in answer to that question, dear listener, let me offer to you the answer that was given by the great Calvinistic Baptist preacher and evangelist. Charles Haddon Spurgeon in his famous sermon on election.

    And by the way, I would encourage you, if you’re struggling with the doctrine of election, read Spurgeon’s sermon on election. It’s a wonderful, clear, biblically grounded sermon. Spurgeon was right when it came to election and sovereign grace. He was wrong on baptism, but but he got the sovereign grace right. And he was a preacher of the gospel. The Lord brought many to faith in Christ through the preaching ministry of Charles Spurgeon. And in this sermon, Spurgeon said the following. He says, whoever believes God’s truth and believes on Jesus Christ is elect. He says, I frequently meet with poor souls who are fretting and worrying themselves about this thought. How, if I should not be elect? Oh, sir, they say, I know I put my trust in Jesus. I know I believe in His name and trust in His blood.

    But how if I should not be elect? Poor dear creature, you do not know much about the gospel or you would never talk so. For he that believes is elect. Those who are elect are elect unto sanctification and unto faith. And if you have faith, you are one of God’s elect. You may know it and ought to know it, for it is an absolute certainty. If you as a sinner look to Jesus Christ this morning and say nothing in my hands, I bring simply to thy cross, I cling. You are elect. You see, friends. Saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a gift from God that he gives in his due timing to his chosen ones. We don’t believe in order to be chosen. We believe because we are chosen by God. And like I said before, we choose him because he first chose us.

    So do you want to know that you are among God’s chosen ones, among the sheep of Christ’s flock? then repent and believe. Receive and rest upon the Lord Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. In John 6, Jesus says that all that the Father gives to Me will come to Me. Jesus speaks there of election. Of the Father giving to Him a people. And He says all that the Father gives Me will come to Me. But then Jesus in that very same verse goes on to say, and whoever comes to Me, I will in no wise cast out. Do you desire to come to Jesus for your salvation? His arms are wide open. If you come to Jesus, if you have come to Jesus, you have no one to credit but God and His grace alone.

    But if you refuse Christ as He has offered to you in the Gospel, you have no one to blame but yourself. For His arms are wide open to all who would come unto Him. Have you come to Jesus? Do you trust in Him for your salvation? Come to Jesus. Trust in Him. He died on the cross for sinners just like you and me. He rose from the dead so that whoever believes in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. And having come to Christ, this doctrine of election should not be a doctrine that intimidates you, but rather a doctrine that comforts you, because it tells you that God, before the creation of the world, had you in mind. that he loved you with an everlasting love and he has drawn you with the cords of love unto himself.

    So we see the relevance of election that is intertwined in our Lord’s eschatological teaching here. But finally, beloved, heed our Lord’s warning against false Christs and false prophets. Look at verses 21 through 23. This is my final point in your outline. Let us heed our Lord’s warning against false Christs and false prophets. Jesus says, and then if anyone says to you, behold, here is the Christ or behold, he is there. Do not believe him. If anyone or any religion or any preacher points you to someone or something as the source of your salvation other than Jesus Christ, then don’t believe him. Don’t believe him. Don’t listen to false shepherds. Your salvation and mine is found in Jesus Christ and Christ alone. Jesus says, I am the way and the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father except by me.

    Salvation is found in him and him alone. He is the true Messiah, the anointed one, the son of the living God incarnate, the Savior, the word made flesh. And then Jesus goes on to say, for false Christs and false prophets will arise. And indeed, in the first century, they did arise and they continue to arise throughout the course of church history and will continue to arise even until the day of Christ. Jesus says, for false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. You see, here’s something to know, friends, about false Christs and false messiahs. A false prophet doesn’t walk around with a sandwich board over their bodies that says, be warned, I’m a false prophet. That’s not how it works. False prophets, false teachers, false Christs can often have very charismatic personalities.

    They can draw you in. Times of great distress and upheaval, such as the times that preceded the days of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in the first century. Such times can sometimes weaken people’s inhibitions and make them more open to the voices of those who promise them hope and security, even if those voices are coming from an evil source. If you are a student of history, you may scratch your head and wonder, why was it that, for example, that Adolf Hitler drew so many followers. The German people were not stupid people. They were not unintelligent. Why is it that so many otherwise intelligent, we would think sane people were drawn in by this ideological madman known as Adolf Hitler? There was a demonic power behind that. You see, false teachers and false ideologues can be very deceptive, very much smooth talkers, and they can draw you in. and it’s easy to be taken in by them.

    In fact, the Word of God warns us elsewhere that in the case of those who refuse to believe the gospel, God may at times choose to send a strong delusion so that they might not repent. It’s not that God deceives people, but basically God says, hey, you don’t want me, you don’t want the gospel, fine, have your own way. We think of what the Scriptures say about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. What did God need to do to harden Pharaoh’s heart? Does that mean that God created fresh evil in Pharaoh’s heart? No. God does not create evil. All that God needed to do to harden Pharaoh’s heart was to give him enough rope to hang himself. To leave him to his own devices and remove the restraints from him. We live in a time where there is much deception and where otherwise intelligent, educated people are buying into lies and deceptions.

    The spirit of discernment seems to be far off from many. And so we need to take warning because even the people of God can be taken in by these kinds of modern lies and deceptions. I mean, who would have thought 10 or 20 years ago that we would live in a time where people would seriously say, that a biological man can become a woman or a biological woman can become a man. Nonsense. Nonsense. There is a strong satanic, there are doctrines of demons that are very powerful and that tempt even those among God’s people to be drawn towards them. Jesus is warning us. He says false Christs and false prophets will arise. And we’ll show signs and wonders just because someone can produce an apparently supernatural sign or wonder is not necessarily an indication that that person is a true servant of God, especially if they’re preaching a false gospel or denying the word of God.

    False Christs and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed, behold, I have told you everything in advance.” You’ve been warned. You’ve been told. So be on the alert. But take comfort, beloved. Praise be to God that He promises to preserve us believers in the faith. That’s why the words, if possible, are so comforting in verse 22. God preserves us. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. And Jesus says in John chapter 10 that he keeps us in his sovereign hand, that he and the father are one and the father keeps us as well. Nothing can snatch us out of his hand, not even the satanic deceptions of the evil one. However, again, remember that God preserves us in part by moving us to heed his warnings.

    Let us, beloved, heed our Lord’s warning not to be led astray by spiritual snake oil salesmen. Instead, let us build our lives upon Jesus Christ, the rock of our salvation, and upon his unchanging gospel promises. And I will leave you, beloved, with a reading from Matthew 7, 24 through 27, as my final exhortation to all of us. At the end of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says the following. Hear the word of God. This is serious business. Jesus says, therefore, Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and slammed against that house. And yet it did not fall for it had been founded on the rock.

    Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell and the floods came and the wind blew and slammed against that house and it fell and great was its fall. Build your house, your life, your eternity upon the rock of Jesus Christ and the absolute unerring, unchanging truth of his holy gospel. Amen. Let us pray.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • The Abomination of Desolation

    The Abomination of Desolation

    About this sermon

    Jesus warns that when the disciples see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not, those in Judea must flee to the mountains. The phrase comes from Daniel, and it points most likely to the Roman armies that brought their idolatrous standards into the temple precincts before Jerusalem fell in AD 70. Christ, the true high priest, had inspected the temple and found it defiled, as Leviticus prescribed for a leprous house. The fall of Jerusalem pictures the final judgment, and everyone should flee to Christ for refuge now.

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    Sermon transcript

    reading of God’s holy word. As we continue our consideration of the gospel of Mark, today we consider Mark chapter 13, verses 14 through 23. Mark 13, verses 14 through 23. I’m going to read the first four verses to remind us of the setting, and then we’ll take it up at verse 14. Let us hear God’s holy word. Beginning at verse 1, as he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Teacher, behold, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And Jesus said to him, do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down. As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning him privately. Tell us, when will these things be?

    And what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled? And then skip down to verse 14. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be, let the reader understand. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one who is on the housetop must not go down or go in to get anything out of his house. And the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days. But pray that it may not happen in winter. For those days will be a time of tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation, which God created until now, and never will.

    Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect whom He chose, He shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, behold, here is the Christ, or behold, he is there, do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed, behold, I have told you everything in advance. Dear ones, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Please join me in a word of prayer for God’s blessing upon the preaching of his word. Our gracious Lord God and Heavenly Father, once again, we ask that you would grant us the grace to be attentive and open and teachable to that which the Spirit is speaking to us in this portion of your God-breathed word.

    We ask, Lord, that you would bear spiritual fruit in our lives through what we hear today. And we ask, oh Lord, that you would set a guard over my lips that I might speak only that which is faithful to your word and edifying to your people and that which will bring glory to your name. Be present now, Lord, in the proclamation of your word by your spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray and all of God’s people said. Amen. You may be seated. If you are looking at this passage, you may be thinking to yourself, how’s Pastor Jeff gonna get through all of this entire passage today? And I will forewarn you that we might have to go to a part two. of this passage because there’s a lot of material to cover. We’ll cover as much as we can in the time allotted to us today.

    But the title of my sermon today is The Abomination of Desolation. And if you’re following along in your sermon outline, you’ll notice six words that you can be listening for. I’d especially highlight the words abomination, desolation, and judgment for our consideration today. Well, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our passage for this Lord’s Day morning continues Mark’s record of our Lord’s Olivet Discourse. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave this teaching to a group of His disciples during what has been called Passion Week, meaning the week that led up to our Lord’s crucifixion, the very last week of His life. And Jesus delivered this teaching on the Mount of Olives facing Jerusalem and its temple, as we’re told in verse three, which is why scholars call this teaching the Olivet Discourse. Now, under the influence of modern-day Bible prophecy teachers and speculators and enthusiasts, many sincere evangelical Christians today have been taught that most, if not all, of our Lord’s teaching in the Olivet Discourse predicts events that have yet to be fulfilled in our future rather than teaching or prophesying of events that were fulfilled at least in part if not largely in the first century.

    But as I’ve tried to show in recent Lord’s Days from the context of our passage, there are compelling reasons to believe that much, if not most, of our Lord’s teachings and predictions here in the Olivet Discourse were fulfilled in the first century with the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD by the Roman general Titus and his armies. Most of our Lord’s teachings here were not intended to predict events in our future. Although, as I pointed out and tried to make clear on the last Lord’s Day, there is also good reason to infer from our Lord’s teachings here that the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD, these things were meant to be types and pictures of the final judgment of the wicked that will take place on the Judgment Day when our Lord Jesus returns in glory at the end of this age.

    And also I pointed out that the kinds of events that Jesus said would characterize this first generation of the Christian church up until the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, events such as wars and rumors of wars, persecutions and tribulations, earthquakes and famines and so forth, that these events would characterize the entire period of redemptive history between our Lord’s first advent and his future glorious second advent at the end of this age. So even though I will be arguing much of what is here found in the Olivet Discourse had a historical fulfillment in the first century, nevertheless, it has ongoing relevance for us as we live in this age between the ages, as we live in this period of redemptive history between our Lord’s first advent and His future glorious second advent. Now, just by way of review, let me point out again a couple of indicators for a first century setting and fulfillment of many of the prophecies in our Lord’s Olivet Discourse.

    And as I’ve pointed out in past Lord’s Days, the subject itself that is under consideration points to a largely first century fulfillment. Think about it. Our Lord here in verse 2 prophesies the destruction of the temple. In verse 2, it says, And Jesus said to him, in response to one of his disciples who pointed out the marvelous stones in the buildings of the temple complex, Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.” And so the subject under discussion is, when will these things happen? These things related to the destruction of the temple. As it says in verse three, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning him privately about this. tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled.

    Now, as I’ve also pointed out, in the minds of the first century Jews, the destruction of the temple would mean the end of this present age, the end of the world. But as I hope to show, Jesus in this teaching here is separating those two events. And so these are some considerations that we have to keep in mind as we seek to properly interpret this difficult passage. I’ve also pointed out that there are first century indicators throughout this passage. For example, verse nine, as we considered on the last Lord’s Day, Jesus said, be on your guard for they will deliver you to the courts and you will be flogged in the synagogues. and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake and so forth. The reference to synagogues is significant because how many Christians are persecuted today in synagogues?

    Jewish persecution of the Christian church took place in the first century. In fact, the initial persecutors of the early Christian church were the Jewish authorities, the synagogues and so forth. So that indicates a first century setting. Or if in our passage for today, verse 14, when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be, let the reader understand, then let those who are aware In Judea, flee to the mountains. So again, this reference to Judea would seem to point to a first century setting and fulfillment. And also mention of the housetops in verse 15. The one who is on the housetop must not go down or go in to get anything out of his house. In the first century, in that setting in Jerusalem and Judea and so forth, people tended to spend time on their roofs.

    There would be, usually in a typical house, a staircase on the outside of the house leading up to the roof, and you would spend a lot of time on the roof. And the roofs were often close to each other, so you could make escape from the city by jumping from roof to roof. Again, this too would indicate a first century setting and fulfillment. Of course, the biggest indicator in this discourse of the first century setting is verse 30 where Jesus says, truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Now, I’ll be preaching on that particular passage on a future Lord’s Day, but nevertheless, the most natural, plain interpretation of this generation is that Jesus meant this generation, and so forth. Now, I’ve tried to make a distinction between what Jesus predicts will happen in those days of tribulation, those days that lead up to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, and that day. that final day that Jesus refers to in verses 32 to 37.

    I’ve made the case and I will be making the case that only in verses 32 to 37 does Jesus explicitly prophesy about his future second advent. Now with all of this in mind, let’s consider verses 14 through 18. Let’s first of all consider our Lord’s solemn warning to 1st century believers to flee at the signs of Jerusalem’s impending destruction. This is the first main point in your sermon outline. Let’s consider our Lord’s solemn warning to 1st century believers to flee at the signs of Jerusalem’s impending destruction. Again, verse 14, Jesus says this, but when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be, and then either Jesus says or perhaps a later editor inspired by the Spirit puts in parenthesis, let the reader understand, then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

    What is this abomination of desolation that our Lord is referring to here and what lessons and truths are we to glean from this? Dr. Walter Wessel, in his commentary, declares that, quote, this is one of the most difficult verses in Mark’s gospel, if not the entire New Testament. And I would agree with Dr. Wessel on that. That’s why this passage has been subject to all kinds of different interpretations, even amongst godly Bible-believing scholars. The phrase, the abomination of desolation, or as the NIV translates it, the abomination that causes desolation, this is a phrase that comes from various passages in the book of Daniel. In particular, Jesus derives this language of the abomination of desolation from passages like Daniel 9, verses 25 through 27, which I read to you earlier in the service. Also, Daniel 11, verse 31, and Daniel 12, verse 11.

    Calvin believes that in particular, if I remember Calvin’s comments correctly, he believes in particular that Jesus was referring to Daniel 11.31 specifically, but whatever the case may be, it is from this series of passages that Jesus seems to derive this terminology regarding the abomination of desolation. Now what is that referring to? Well, a number of different interpretations have been offered, as I said, by Bible-believing commentators. According to Gary DeMar in his book Last Day’s Madness, dispensationalists typically interpret this as being fulfilled in our future, that the abomination of desolation is something that is yet in our future, before our Lord’s second coming. And according to DeMar, The dispensationalists believe that the abomination of desolation, quote, will appear in a rebuilt temple during the so-called seven-year tribulation period after the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. You ever heard about the rapture?

    Some have described the fascination in the evangelical world today with the rapture as rapture fever. And indeed that rapture fever continues today. Many of our brothers and sisters were looking for the rapture. Certainly there is legitimacy in looking for our Lord’s return at the end of this age. But there’s a whole complex of theology and eschatology that goes into this notion of a rapture at the end of this age, and a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, the seven year tribulation period, and so forth. But friends, a plain literal interpretation of the time text in verse 30, as I mentioned, makes it clear that Jesus is predicting something that will happen within the generation of his apostles.” Again, as Jesus says, truly I say to you, truly, amen. Jesus says, pay attention, this is important. I, I, the eternal Son of God incarnate, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things So the idea that this is going to take place in our future is something, this abomination of desolation, is something that is not really supported by a contextual interpretation of our passage for today.

    Now, let me just mention, some of you may be familiar with Gary DeMar, and you may have actually been a little bit alarmed that I brought up his name. If you’re not familiar with him, that’s okay. But I just want to assure any of you who might be concerned that I in no way am advocating for or endorsing Mr. DeMar’s teachings as a whole. There are many things that he teaches that I would disagree with. For example, it’s my understanding that he’s a promoter of theonomy and Christian reconstruction, and we at Grace Church, we’re not into that stuff. We don’t agree with that. When I think of Mr. DeMar, I think of the saying, you know, chew the chicken but spit out the bones. In his book on Last Day’s Madness, his dealing with the Olivet Discourse, there are some helpful things, and that’s why I’m quoting from him on those particular matters, but I certainly don’t track with him all of the way and would not commend him to you overall as a sound teacher.

    But nevertheless, I wanted to make that clear to any of you who might have been concerned about that. Well getting back to the subject, in terms of older commentators who understood that Jesus was talking about a first century fulfillment, where do they see that fulfillment? Well some think that this abomination was fulfilled by the Jewish zealots who moved into and took over the temple area at the outbreak of the Jewish war in either 67 or 68 AD. Others think that the abomination was fulfilled when the Idumeans, who were descendants of Esau, joined the Zealots in Jerusalem in murdering the high priest Ananus, and according to Josephus, in slaughtering over 8,000 in the outer courts of the temple. Those are two possible ways to view this, but the most standard first century fulfillment interpretation is the view that the abomination that causes desolation was in fact fulfilled when the Roman armies who were carrying their idolatrous legionary eagle standards surrounded Jerusalem and eventually took those standards into the sacred precincts of the temple.

    That’s the view that I hold. While Daniel’s prophecy about the abomination of desolation was initially fulfilled in 168 BC when the pagan leader Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Jerusalem temple with pagan worship, Jesus sees its ultimate fulfillment in the desecration and destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, which again took place in 70 A.D. And to quote from a study note in the Reformation Study Bible, it puts it this way, it says, Daniel 1131 predicts the coming of the king of the north who will desecrate the temple. That prediction was first fulfilled in 168 B.C. when Antiochus IV Epiphanes set up a pagan altar and sacrificed a pig in the most holy place. In A.D. 70, the Old Testament text was definitively fulfilled when Titus, the Roman general, sacked the temple. And again, you might ask, well, wait, most of the Bible prophecy teaching that I’ve been exposed to, Pastor, says that this is something that is yet to take place in our future.

    Is there any other confirmation when we compare Scripture with Scripture to the abomination of desolation referring to this first century 70 AD fulfillment? Well, I would suggest that indeed there is. If you turn to the parallel passage in Luke’s gospel, in Luke 21, verses 20 through 22, I invite you to turn there, Luke chapter 21, verses 20 through 22, we read the following. And this is part of Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse. Jesus says, But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. He’s talking about the destruction of Jerusalem. Verse 21, then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city, because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.

    Well friends, so this is the historical fulfillment, I would argue, of this abomination of desolation. You think about it. The vast majority of the Jews in our Lord’s day rejected their own Messiah. And the Jewish authorities murdered the Son of God with the help of the Romans. And so the Lord’s Messiah was rejected by his professed covenant people. He was murdered by his professed covenant people. And they rejected the sacrifice of Christ, the atonement of Christ, and continued to offer their sacrifices in the temple. So God’s judgment came upon an apostate Israel that had rejected its Messiah in 70 AD. But in addition to the historical fulfillment of this prophecy about the abomination that causes desolation in the Roman desecration of the temple, I think Mr. DeMar also offers an intriguing interpretation that sees this as being fulfilled spiritually by the ongoing Jewish sacrifices in the temple after our Lord’s crucifixion.

    Now think about it this way. Think about it, brothers and sisters. What were all of those sacrifices that we read about in the Old Testament? What did they point to? They pointed to Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world, right? When Jesus was crucified, when he died on the cross, he offered that once and for all and final sacrifice for sin. When he gave up the ghost, when he finished the work, the veil in the temple was torn into from top to bottom, indicating that there was no more need for those old covenant sacrifices to continue to be offered. And yet, after our Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection, The Jewish priesthood and authority continued for a period of about 40 years until the destruction of the temple to offer those Old Covenant sacrifices, even though Christ’s sacrifice had done away with the need for them.

    And so, Mr. DeMar writes, the Jews of Jesus’ day had turned the temple into a, quote, house of merchandise, John 2.16, and a robber’s den. Matthew 21, 13. When a priest inspected a house and found it leprous, the house was to be torn down, according to Leviticus 14, 33 to 47. Jesus, as the high priest after the order of Melchizedek, Hebrews 5, 6. inspected the temple twice, found it leprous, and issued his priestly evaluation. As Matthew 24, 1 says, and Jesus came out from the temple as the priest shall come out from the house, Leviticus 14, 38, and declared it desolate as the priest declared a leprous house to be unclean, according to Leviticus 14, 44. And then he goes on to say, With the true Lamb slain, the earthly temple could no longer operate as a place of sacrifice.

    The action of the high priest standing in the holy place, continuing to offer sacrifices in the temple, was an abomination, a rejection of the work of Christ. Think about that. Brothers and sisters in Christ, there are many serious sins that can be committed. But I would submit to you that the most serious sin of all is the sin of rejecting the blood of Jesus, rejecting the final sacrifice of Christ. Every time Animals were sacrificed in the temple in Jerusalem after our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross. Every time following the crucifixion and resurrection, when sacrifices were offered in the temple, the temple’s meaning and significance was desecrated because the work of Christ was rejected in those acts. And so friends, let me ask you today, Have you accepted the finished work of Christ? By the grace of God, are you looking to Jesus as the once and for all and final sacrifice?

    There is no greater sin than to turn away from Christ and to count as worthless his precious blood. Do not desecrate the Lord’s offer of grace to you in the gospel by rejecting the blood and righteousness of Jesus. And then our Lord goes on in his teaching in verse 15. Again, I’ve noted the local setting there, the reference to Judea. Those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains and so forth. And then verse 15, the one who is on the housetop must not go down or go in to get anything out of his house. Again, as one commentator puts it, houses were often adjoined and close to one another, so one could run from roof to roof. Stairs were often outside the house. What is the mood? What is the emphasis that Jesus is giving here in these verses?

    He talks about fleeing to the mountains. He talks about not going down and getting stuff from your house. Again. This is urgent. Jesus is saying, when you start to see these things happening, flee, flee, get out of there. Houses were often adjoined so people could flee, and that is what happened, by the way, in the first century. And then verse 16, and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat or cloak. The cloak was often used to keep one warm at night while sleeping. The call to flee is so urgent. that there would not even be enough time to go back and get one’s cloak. And then verses 17 and 18, Jesus says, but woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days, but pray that it may not happen in the winter.

    What’s the point that he’s making here? Well, think about it. The condition of pregnancy and cold winter weather would make a swift escape even more difficult. Again, notice the utter urgency of our Lord’s call to flee. But the question is this, did these first century Christians who were aware of our Lord’s teaching here in the Olivet Discourse, did they indeed flee when they saw these things happen, when they saw the Roman armies? Dr. C. E. Graham Swift, in his commentary, writes that just prior to AD 70, the Christians of Jerusalem did in fact make their escape in this way. And Eusebius, the church historian, tells us that they fled to Pella in Perea, east of Jordan. So this was indeed fulfilled. The early first century Christians took this teaching to heart and they fled from Jerusalem before it was sacked by the Romans.

    Beloved, the Jewish Christians were urged to flee when they saw the approach of the Roman armies. How does that have relevance for us today? Well friends, there is something even more horrifying than the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple from which we must flee. The destruction, if you’ve studied the history of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD, if you’ve studied the history of that, you realize that was a horrific event. It was a bloodbath. There was awful, horrific suffering that took place when Jerusalem was destroyed and its temple desecrated and razed. but there is something more horrifying than that to fear and to flee from, and that is the eternal destruction of hell that is coming upon the unrepentant wicked at the end of this age. I sought to make the point that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is meant to be a type, a picture, of the final judgment that is yet to come when our Lord returns in glory at the end of this age to judge the living and the dead.

    On that final judgment day, every thought will be exposed. Everyone will give an account for every thought, word, and deed. And those who are not written in the book of life, those who are outside of Christ, will be cast into the lake of fire. Are you in Christ? Have you fled from the wrath to come? God is holy, infinitely holy. And he requires a perfect righteousness to serve as our title to heaven. And as sinners fallen in Adam, we don’t have that righteousness. But there is in the gospel a perfect everlasting righteousness offered to sinners like me and like you. That is the righteousness of Christ. Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the God-man who was crucified to make atonement for sin. He was raised from the dead so that whoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life.

    The word of God urges us to flee from the wrath to come. Flee from the wrath to come by fleeing to Jesus Christ. His arms are wide open to all who would come to him. In fact, Jesus, Jesus said, come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith and repentance today, and he will forgive your sins, he will clothe you in his perfect everlasting righteousness, so that you need not fear the final judgment. For the final judgment for you, dear Christian, will be a judgment of vindication, not a judgment. of condemnation. Praise be to God that Jesus Christ loves us enough to warn us to flee. And praise be to God that in the gospel, he gives us direction about what to flee to, namely to himself, the one who is our perfect, all-sufficient Savior.

    Turn to him today. Trust in him today. Rest in him today. And you will have nothing to fear. Amen. Our gracious Lord and Father in heaven, these are difficult portions of scripture to grapple with and understand, but we do pray that by your spirit you would enlighten us and help us to see that which the spirit is seeking to teach us in these portions of scripture. Give us wisdom, give us insight, give us clarity, and we pray that by your spirit you would work within us the grace to both will and to do that which is your good pleasure out of gratitude for your amazing gift of salvation to us in Jesus our Lord. We thank you, Lord, that in him we have righteousness, redemption, sanctification, and wisdom. In Jesus’ name we pray and all of God’s people said, amen.

    As we close our time of worship today, let’s rise and we’ll sing hymn 459, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less, 459.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Proclamation, Tribulation, and Endurance

    Proclamation, Tribulation, and Endurance

    About this sermon

    Jesus warns his disciples that they will be handed over to councils, beaten in synagogues, and brought before governors and kings for his sake. Much of this came true in the apostolic generation before Jerusalem fell, as the gospel spread among the nations and nearly all the apostles died as martyrs. Families will divide over Christ, and his people will be hated for his name. True saving faith endures to the end, and the Holy Spirit preserves it through the means of grace.

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    Sermon transcript

    As we continue our consideration of the Gospel of Mark, today my sermon text is Mark chapter 13, verses 7 through 13. I’m gonna read the first 13 verses of this chapter to offer you the setting and context of our passage. But our focus will be on verses 7 through 13. Let us hear God’s holy word. As he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down. As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning him privately. Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?

    And Jesus began to say to them, see to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in my name saying, I am he and will mislead many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened. Those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. But be on your guard, for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them. The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.

    Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. Dear friends, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let’s pray for God to bless the proclamation of his word. Lord God Almighty, Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a God of revelation, a God who has revealed yourself to us, that we need not be uncertain about the times, but indeed that we can live our lives on the rock, the foundation of your holy word. because that foundation points us to Jesus, the rock of our salvation. Lord, we ask that by your spirit you would once again open our minds and our hearts to behold wondrous things from your word, and we ask, Lord, that you would grant unto me, your unworthy servant, the grace to declare your word with power and clarity for the edification of your people and the glorification of your holy name.

    In Jesus’ name we pray, and all of God’s people said, amen. As you can see on your sermon outline, the title of my sermon this morning is Proclamation, Tribulation, and Endurance. And there’s a number of key words that I’d encourage especially the children to listen for, prophecy, persecution, context, scripture, division, endurance, and gospel. Well, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, there are a lot of books out there in the Christian book market today on the subject of Bible prophecy. But even though many of these books claim to be written by different authors, it seems to me that many of these popular contemporary books on Bible prophecy that you will find in your typical Christian bookstore or Christian bookseller actually seem to have been written by one and the same author, namely, Chicken Little. Why do I say that?

    Because it would seem that the basic message of many of these popular books on Bible prophecy is pretty much the same. The sky is falling. Or to be more accurate, Jesus must be coming back really, really soon. All of the signs of the times point to His imminent return. Be sure you don’t take the mark of the beast and be sure that you don’t miss the rapture. Now, certainly I’m not scoffing at the importance of living lives in anticipation of our Lord’s second coming. We need to do that. In fact, our passage for today and our passage in Mark chapter 13 says that we must be watchful and we must be ready. But at the same time, there’s a lot of speculation out there when it comes to books on biblical prophecy and there’s a lot of hype The market for these kinds of books on Bible prophecy seems to be a rather lucrative one, as many sincere believers thirst for secret knowledge about what is coming up next on God’s prophetic forecast.

    And this thirst for secret knowledge about the future that we find in the Christian community today is met by an endless stream of prophetic speculators, each claiming to have discovered the key to unlocking the meaning of Bible prophecies, and each claiming to quench the thirst of those who long to know what’s coming up next on God’s prophetic timetable. One favorite passage from God’s Word that modern Bible prophecy teachers turn to for their prophetic speculations is our Lord’s Olivet Discourse. And this Olivet Discourse, so named because Jesus delivered this instruction, this teaching on prophecy and eschatology on the Mount of Olives prior to his crucifixion, this is recorded in three of the Gospels, all three of the synoptics, Matthew 24 and 25, It’s recorded in Luke 21, verses 5 through 36, and it’s recorded here as well in Mark 13.

    And dear ones, I would suggest to you that there are few passages of Holy Scripture that have been more twisted, more distorted, more manhandled, and therefore more misunderstood than our Lord’s Olivet Discourse has been at the hands of contemporary prophecy speculators. As we make our way today and in the weeks ahead through this vitally important portion of God’s inerrant word, it is my hope that we will gain insight into how to understand this passage within its own context. and that we will be unshackled from the scripture twisting and the distortions of the prophetic speculators of today, whose misinterpretations of God’s word, I believe, have done great damage to the cause of Christ, to the kingdom of God. How the church has received numerous black eyes from prophetic speculators with their date setting, and the dates come and go, and the world looks at us and scoffs and mocks at us.

    So as we dive into our passage for today, and as I said, we’ll be focusing especially on verses seven through 14. The first point I wanna make, beloved, is that understanding the first century setting and context of this passage is a vital key to its correct interpretation. Understanding the first century setting and context of this passage is a vital key to its correct contextual interpretation. What is the setting and context of our passage? Well, this passage is set during Passion Week. Our Lord Jesus gave this teaching on the last week of his life, the week leading up to his crucifixion. In fact, this teaching was very likely given, I believe some scholars suggest it was delivered maybe two days before his crucifixion. And so this is Passion Week. And what is the subject at hand?

    Well, the first four verses of chapter 13, as we considered on the last Lord’s Day, make it very clear that the subject at hand was the subject of the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. Jesus, in verse 2, had made a prophecy. He predicted the destruction of the temple. The particular disciple points out to the Lord Jesus what wonderful buildings and so forth, what wonderful stones were there on the Temple Mount. And Jesus responds with this prophecy in verse 2. He says, Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down. And it is in response to that specific prophecy that four of his disciples, Peter and James and John and Andrew, these are among the inner circle of our Lord’s disciples. They come up to him and they question him about about this.

    And they ask him in verse four, tell us, when will these things be? These things meaning what? The things that Jesus predicted in verse two. When will these things be? and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled. But one of the things that it’s important to do is to compare scripture with scripture. It’s clear from Mark’s gospel that the primary thing that was on the disciples’ minds when they asked Jesus this question was the destruction of the temple. But as we compare scripture with scripture and look at the parallel text in Matthew’s account, and Matthew gives a fuller account of our Lord’s teachings in the Olivet Discourse. If you look at Matthew chapter 24, of verse 3. Consider Matthew’s record of the questions that Jesus’ disciples posed to him.

    Matthew 24, verse 3, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, when will these things happen? and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age. One of the points I tried to make on the last Lord’s Day was that in the minds of first century Jews, The destruction of the temple would mean the end of the cosmos, the end of this present age. In their minds, the destruction of the temple would mean final judgment, it would mean the Lord’s return, it would mean the coming of the age of the Messiah and so forth. And so we need to keep that in mind as we seek to navigate our way through these verses here. Bible scholar C.E. Graham Swift, I think, offers an important perspective when he says the following in his commentary.

    He says that Jesus is, as it were, using the events associated with the immediate crisis, namely the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, which took place in 70 A.D., to foreshadow those events that are connected with the ultimate crisis, that ultimate crisis being our Lord’s future second advent. And this explains why the two are interwoven so clearly. So what’s Dr. Swift getting at? Well, in other words, friends, the events that characterize the period of time between our Lord’s ascension into heaven and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. In a sense, those events foreshadow the entire period of time between our Lord’s first advent and his future glorious second advent. And the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, which took place in 70 AD, This was, in a sense, a judgment coming, a secret judgment coming of Christ to execute the vengeance of the covenant against an apostate Israel who had rejected its Messiah.

    But that judgment event, and if you’ve done any studies on the event of the destruction of the temple, it was a horrible, horrible event. If I’m recalling correctly, by some estimates, somewhere in the neighborhood of a million Jews were slaughtered in the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD. There was cannibalism, it was horrible suffering. It was indeed a great tribulation for apostate Israel. Well, that event, that judgment event that Jesus prophesied here was a foreshadowing and a type of our Lord’s visible future eschatological judgment coming at the end of this present age. which will take place at his glorious second advent. The destruction of the temple in 70 AD was a picture, a type of the final judgment, an intrusion of God in judgment upon an apostate Israel. And it was a picture thus of the final judgment that will occur at our Lord’s visible return in glory at his second advent.

    So even though the events that our Lord speaks of here in this first section of the Olivet Discourse arguably, I would say, have primarily a first century fulfillment, this passage has ongoing relevance for the church during the entire period of redemptive history between our Lord’s first coming and his future glorious second coming. So those are important principles of interpretation to keep in mind. Now on the last Lord’s Day, as I sought to orient us towards this passage, the Olivet Discourse, I listed for you or laid before you a number of things that are important to keep in mind as clues for appropriately and contextually interpreting this passage. And I’ll just remind you of two of those clues. One of the most important passages, and I don’t have time to preach on it in depth today, we’ll get to this later on in future weeks, but if you go down to verse 30, the time text of verse 30 is very important for the interpretation of this passage.

    In verse 30, Jesus says, truly, amen, in the Greek, truly, I say to you, I, the Messiah, the Lord incarnate, Jesus is speaking with divine authority, truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. In other words, all of the things that our Lord has predicted up until this verse. Now, some in the Greek, this generation is he genea. Some have suggested that it should be translated as this race. So they would say Jesus is simply predicting that the Jewish race will persist until our Lord’s return at his second coming. But when we compare scripture with scripture, for example, if you study the woes that our Lord lays before Israel in Matthew chapter 23, where he uses similar terminology of this generation, it’s clear that Jesus meant this generation, his contemporary generation, the generation that was then alive. in the days of our Lord.” So this would seem to indicate that everything up to verse 30 in the Olivet Discourse had its fulfillment in that generation, in that first century generation.

    Another interpretive key is the distinction that we find in this passage between those days, meaning those days of tribulation which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Jesus refers to those days of tribulation, for example, in verses 19 and 24. And that is distinguished from that day, which Jesus refers to in verse 32, where he says, but of that day, or hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. And it seems clear that Jesus is trying to separate in his disciples’ minds that which they had meshed together, namely the destruction of the Jerusalem temple and our Lord’s final eschatological second coming, Jesus says, no, of that day, that day of his return in glory at his second advent, of that day, no one knows the day or the hour.

    He could come at any time. He could return in two seconds, two years, 200 years, 2,000 years, we don’t know. But the whole point here in this Olivet Discourse. In this discourse, eschatology is being used by Jesus for exhortation. He is exhorting us to be watchful, to be ready, to live our lives in the light of our Lord’s imminent return. But in terms of the first century setting and fulfillment of this particular passage, let’s go through these verses. In verses seven and eight, we read this. Jesus says, you will hear, When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened. Those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. And then verse eight, for nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places and there will also be famines.

    These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. And some might say, well, wait a minute, Pastor. What Jesus is talking about here, doesn’t this characterize the entire period of redemptive history between the Lord’s first coming and his future second coming? And the answer to that question is yes. However, the particulars here can also be viewed as having a first century fulfillment. In the first century, the Jews lived under the Pax Romana. They were subject to the Roman Empire. And the Roman Empire enforced the peace of Rome, the Pax Romana. It was maintained in the Roman Empire, of course, only through a strong military presence. And the Roman Empire was a mixed bag. Yes, it was a pagan, brutal empire. But it was also an empire that God used to bring great blessing. There was relative peace and stability.

    There was the Roman road system which aided in the spread of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire and so forth. But there were also plenty of wars and rumors of wars among the nations that made up the Roman Empire in this period of time between 30 AD and 70 AD. especially the Jewish wars that led up to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. But these wars and rumors of wars, as I said, continue to characterize our current age as well. And then Jesus also mentions natural disasters. Look again at verse 8, there will be earthquakes in various places and there will also be famines. Well guess what? In the first century there were indeed earthquakes and famines. But again you say, well wait a minute, there continue to be earthquakes and famines even today.

    Yes, that’s correct because as I said, The things that characterize the first generation of the Christian movement in the apostolic age continue to characterize this period of time between the first coming and our Lord’s future second coming. But then to see the particular Jewish and first century fulfillment of this passage, we need go no further than verse nine. Look at verse nine. What does Jesus mean by the courts? He’s talking there about the Jewish courts that were overseen by the Jewish elders. And then he mentions that you will be flogged in the synagogues. How many times today do you read of Christians being flogged in the synagogues? That was something that took place primarily in the first century. And you will stand before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them. Read the book of Acts.

    We read of Paul standing before governors and kings and giving testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ. You know, the first persecuting power of hostility against the early Christian movement, the early Christian church, was the Jewish establishment. The earliest persecutors of the church was not the Roman, the earliest persecutor was not the Roman Empire. The earliest persecutor of the Christian church was, were the Jewish authorities based in Jerusalem. And that is reflected in our Lord’s words here in verse nine. So Jewish persecution is in view. And skip down to verse 11. When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. Again, this too speaks to, as I’ll mention in a few moments, a first century fulfillment.

    But then, look at verse 10. It says in verse 10, The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. Now some interpret this to mean that before Jesus returns at his second advent, the gospel has to go out to all of the nations of mankind. So some would say, well, wait a minute, look at this verse. How does this have a first century fulfillment? Well, beloved, the word in the Greek here for nations is ethne. And so what Jesus is predicting here is the spread of the gospel throughout the nations, in other words, among the Gentiles within the Roman Empire. The Greek in Matthew 24, verse 14 helps to confirm this. If you look at the parallel text in Matthew 24, verse 14, let me go ahead and read that. Matthew 24, verse 14.

    We read these words. I’m sorry, yeah, Matthew 24, 14. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to the whole world as a testimony and to all the nations, and then the end will come. Now, the Greek in Matthew 24, 14 says that the gospel will be preached in all the ecumene, oecumene, the word from which we derive the word ecumenical. And that word means the inhabited earth, and it is a word that was often used to indicate the Roman Empire. Well, you say, how could this have been fulfilled before 70 AD? The language seems so universal. Well, the answer that I would give is that the New Testament itself elsewhere says that it was so. Let’s just look at a few passages. Look with me, if you would, at Colossians 1, verses 21 through 23.

    Colossians 1, verses 21 through 23. Paul writes this. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” Paul, writing in the first century, writing to the Colossians, says that this gospel that he preached has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. Again, he uses very cosmic language to describe the spread of the gospel throughout the world of the Roman Empire. Or you consider Romans 1, verse eight.

    Romans 1, verse eight. Paul writes, first, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. The Romans’ faith, their gospels being proclaimed throughout the whole world, clearly he didn’t mean that their faith was being proclaimed in South America or in Japan or in Australia. The gospel had not reached those lands at this particular point in redemptive history. But nonetheless, he says your faith has been proclaimed in all the world, meaning the Gentile world within the Roman Empire, the world that was known to them. Or consider Romans 16, verses 25 and 26. Romans 16, verses 25 and 26. Paul writes, Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but is now manifested by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to what?

    To all the nations, leading to obedience of faith. Now beloved, I do believe that Jesus said that we are to make the disciples of all the nations. And certainly the gospel is to go out beyond the bounds of the Roman Empire as it has in the course of Christian history. And it will continue to go out until our Lord’s return. But again, even verse 10 can be viewed as having a first century fulfillment. But again, a first century fulfillment that continues to have ongoing relevance as the gospel continues to spread. throughout the nations of mankind. Another indication of a first century fulfillment can be found in verse 11, where Jesus says, when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that hour, for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.

    Now some would suggest that what Jesus is here promising is that for all of the ages of Christian history, up until his second coming, whenever Christians are persecuted and hauled before magistrates and so forth, that the Holy Spirit will give them aid and assistance. And certainly, there’s other passages of scripture that indicate that the Spirit does indeed help us in times of persecution. But it seems pretty clear in verse 11 that this is a promise of direct inspiration for these apostles. Remember who Jesus is addressing. He’s addressing his apostles. And he says, when they arrest you, you apostles, and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say. But say whatever is given to you in that hour, given to you, it would seem, by direct inspiration. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.

    This promise of direct inspiration applies only to first century apostles. And then we read of animosity for those who reject the gospel. Again, verses 12 and 13, brother will betray brother to death. and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Now friends, of course, this has been a cross that the church has had to bear throughout its history. It has ongoing relevance. But this hostility and hatred against the claims of Christ and against the gospel was especially pronounced in the age of the apostles. According to what I believe to be reliable early church tradition, did you know that almost all of our Lord’s apostles, except the Apostle John, died violent martyrs’ deaths for Jesus?

    According to history, The Apostle Peter was crucified upside down. The Apostle Paul was beheaded. And Mark, the disciple of the Apostle Peter, Mark, the author of this gospel, if I’m remembering correctly, Mark was killed by being dragged behind a horse unto his death. So this kind of open persecution and hostility was especially intense and pronounced in that first generation of Christians. Again, it continues, this prediction of persecution and hostility continues to have relevance, but we can view this passage as also having a first century fulfillment. Beloved, a couple of applications from this. First of all, first of all, We see here the vital importance of rightly handling God’s Word by interpreting it in its own context. In other words, we need to let Scripture interpret Scripture. The Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Many different authors composed the books of the Bible over a lengthy period of time, and yet even though there is diversity of expression, the Bible is a unified divine revelation, and that’s why if we have trouble understanding one portion of Scripture, we need to compare it to portions that are clearer.

    We need to compare Scripture with Scripture. That’s precisely what the prophecy speculators of today do not do. They twist the Scriptures. They very often read into the Scriptures their own ideas instead of searching the Scriptures and seeking to bring out the meaning of Scripture based on its own terms. So let us seek to compare Scripture with Scripture. Let us also be careful not to read too much prophetic significance into current events. Let’s not engage in what some have called newspaper exegesis, where we look at the present headlines in the news feed and we read those into scripture. Oh, I wonder if so-and-so is the Antichrist. Do you know how many predictions of the Antichrist there have been throughout the years? Some had predicted that Hitler was the Antichrist, and then there was one book a number of years ago that predicted that Saddam Hussein would be the Antichrist.

    Those didn’t come to fruition, did they? No, we have to be careful not to read too much prophetic significance into current events. After all, our Lord Jesus makes it clear in this discourse that no one knows the time of his future second advent. So it is simply poor stewardship of our time and energy trying to read between the lines and guess the timing of his return. As Jesus says in verses 32 and 33, but of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the sun. Another important lesson here is that this reminds us that God, our God, is the sovereign Lord over all history. And that should be a source of great comfort for us. It is not as Jesus says to his apostles in Acts chapter one after his resurrection when they ask him, Lord, are you at this time gonna restore the kingdom to Israel?

    How did Jesus respond? He said, it’s not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. but you will be my witnesses. Don’t focus on speculating when Jesus may return. Instead, brothers and sisters, let’s be busy about the business of serving our Lord and fulfilling the Great Commission until that time when he returns in glory at the end of this age. But in closing, a couple brief points of application, then we’ll close our time in the Word. I want you to observe from verse 12, how the gospel brings division, sometimes even division of families. This is my second main point in your outline. Observe how the gospel brings division, sometimes even division of families. Verse 12, Jesus says, brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

    Now the ironic thing about the gospel of Jesus Christ, it brings great unity to those who embrace it, but it also brings division in the case of those who don’t embrace it, those who are hostile against the claims of Christ and his gospel. You know, think about it. I mean, how are we addressed in the scriptures? We are brothers and sisters in Christ. If Christ is your Lord and Savior, you may come from a completely different background. We come from different backgrounds, different socioeconomic statuses. We come from different nations in some cases, and yet Christ brings us together. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. If you are in Christ, you are my brother or sister in Christ. and I am your brother from another mother, as the saying goes. We are brethren, brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ.

    And yet, when the gospel is rejected, it can bring turmoil and sometimes even violent division. Again, consider how this too, had a first century fulfillment, but it also continues to have ongoing relevance today. The gospel arouses the hostility of those who reject it and who refuse to repent, and that should not surprise us. Jesus warned us about this. If you consider what Jesus says in Luke chapter 14, verses 25 through 27, Jesus says, let me get to that verse here. Now large crowds were going along with him and he turned and said to them, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be Again, Jesus is using hyperbole.

    He’s not saying that we are to literally hate our father and mother, but the point He’s making is that our love for even our own family should be nothing compared to our love for and loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. The call of discipleship challenges our deepest loyalties as Jesus Christ rightfully demands our supreme loyalty and our deepest love. Dear listener, is your supreme allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, if you’re wondering and saying, I’m not so sure, my loyalty is not what it ought to be, come to Christ. Trust in Him, call upon Him to change your heart, to forgive your sins. You see, the demands of discipleship show us that we’re not capable in ourselves of meeting those demands, but Christ does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. So let us trust in him, and as a result of that trust, as we are filled with gratitude for his gift of salvation, the outflow of that will be a life of ever-deepening devotion to and loyalty to Christ our Lord.

    But finally, beloved, notice the animosity of the world and the endurance of the saints. The animosity of the world and the endurance of the saints. Jesus brings this out very clearly in verse 13. You will be hated by all because of my name. Again, Jesus is speaking in generalities. He’s not saying you’re gonna be equally hated by everyone. But he’s giving a prediction that there will be hatred for God’s people among those who reject Christ. But here’s the good news. The one who endures to the end, he will be saved. Here again, though this prophecy of Christ had at one level a first century fulfillment, it also has a continuing ongoing relevance to the church and to believers today. And some would ask, well, why is the world so hostile to Christianity, to biblical Christianity?

    There’s a study note in one of my study Bibles that I think puts it well in commenting on the prediction that you will be hated by all. It says, because God’s law offends and because Jesus claimed to be the only way to salvation, John 14, verse 6. Why is it? that the unregenerate, those who reject Christ, are so hostile to biblical Christianity because we lay before the world, we bear witness to the moral law of God as the only absolute standard of right and wrong. The world says, no, we wanna make our own rules, we wanna be autonomous from God, we wanna go our own way. I did it my way, that’s the motto of the unregenerate man. We live in an age where the primary idol of our age is the idol of self-sovereignty.

    You get to choose your own identity. You get to create your own reality. But friends, we know as believers, Bible-believing Christians, that God gives us reality. We live in God’s world. God gifts to us our identity. And that’s very offensive to those who seek to create their own reality. And of course, we proclaim Christ as the only way to salvation because Jesus himself said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. When we uphold the claims of Christ, it’s not because of some arrogant spirit of Christian imperialism, but because we are simply seeking to faithfully confess who Jesus is and that he is the only hope of salvation. Here in this passage, our Lord highlights the faith and persevering patience of the saints. True believers are in it for the long haul, unto the end or to the uttermost, as it could be translated.

    True saving faith is not just a one-time decision for Christ. but rather it is a persevering trust in and clinging to Christ alone for salvation. A penitent faith that is renewed daily and that is nourished week in and week out by the ordinary means of grace, especially the word but also the sacraments and prayer and worship in the fellowship of Christ’s church. Beloved, true saving faith is a faith which perseveres in Christ until the end. And it perseveres because God the Holy Spirit enables us. He preserves us and enables us to persevere. By the grace of God, let us cultivate this persevering faith by diligently using the means of grace. And especially as we prepare to come to the Lord’s table, let us be built up in our faith and have our faith in Christ renewed and strengthened, amen, let us pray.

    Our Lord and Father in heaven, we thank you, oh God. For your word it is a lamp unto our feet, a light into our path, a guide into our way. We pray that by your spirit you would build us up by what we’ve heard today, strengthen us, deepen our understanding and our faith. We pray also that you would bless us as we prepare to partake of the Lord’s Supper together. Be with us now and feed us with the emblems of Christ’s broken body and shed blood. We pray in Jesus’ name and all of God’s people said, amen. Well dear ones, as we prepare to partake of the Lord’s Supper together, I’m going to read

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • When will These Things Be?

    When will These Things Be?

    About this sermon

    The disciples admire the temple’s great stones, and Jesus tells them that not one stone will be left on another. Their questions about when this will happen open the Olivet Discourse. God rules history, and much of the discourse concerns Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70. Wars, earthquakes, and famines are only the beginning of birth pains, so Christians should reject sensational prophecy teaching and ‘newspaper exegesis’ and stay grounded in the Scriptures.

    More sermons from Mark · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    And please remain standing for the reading of God’s word. Today we begin our study and exploration of a very difficult and challenging portion of Mark’s gospel. We’re gonna be spending a number of weeks in Mark chapter 13 today. My sermon text is Mark 13, verses one through eight. So let us hear God’s holy word, Mark chapter 13, verses one through eight. As he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Teacher, behold, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings! And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down. As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning him privately. Tell us, when will these things be?

    And what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled? And Jesus began to say to them, see to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in my name saying, I am he and will mislead many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened. Those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Dear friends, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing upon the preaching of his word. Gracious Lord and Father in heaven, we thank you for the scriptures, for they are breathed out by you and they are given for our instruction and edification that we might be equipped for every good work.

    We ask that by your Holy Spirit you would illuminate us, open our minds and our hearts to behold wondrous things from your word. We ask that you would make us open and receptive to what you are teaching us in this portion of Holy Scripture and we ask that you would set a guard over my lips that I might speak only that which is faithful to your word and edifying to your people. We pray these things through Christ our Lord and all of God’s people said. Amen. You may be seated. title of my sermon this morning is, When Will These Things Be? And if you’re following along in your sermon outline, there are quite a number of words you can choose to listen for. If you find that helpful in following along, may I suggest that you count the number of times that I say the words prophecy, temple, signs, Jerusalem, and faith.

    Well, dear ones, we all have a sense of curiosity about what the future holds, don’t we? We wonder to ourselves, what will tomorrow bring? Or perhaps we think to ourselves, what will my life look like in five years, or 10 years from now, or perhaps even 20 years from now? Perhaps this curiosity about the future is one of the reasons why things like horoscopes and fortune tellers and palm readers and so forth and other occultic practices that promise to predict the future are so popular among so many even though such practices are obviously condemned in the word of God. While it is certainly understandable for us to be curious about the future, the word of God makes it clear that we who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ do not need to be anxious about the future.

    And why is this the case? Why is it the case that we do not need to be anxious about the future? Well, friends, because the scriptures assure us that God holds our future in his almighty sovereign hands. In fact, while many things about the future are uncertain, at least from a human vantage point, from a human point of view, Scripture assures us that there are some events that are certain to take place in the future. And they are certain to take place because God Almighty has sovereignly decreed and planned for those events to occur. These events would include such things as the future glorious second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the end of this present age, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, the eternal state, and the ushering in of the ultimate new heavens and new earth wherein righteousness dwells.

    All of those things are sure and certain because God has decreed for those things to be, and we can look forward to those glorious events of redemptive history yet to come. How do we know this to be the case? Well, because Bible prophecy reveals these future events. Dear ones, as you’ve probably heard me say before, and as I’m fond of saying because it is so important, history is what? His story. Bible prophecy underscores this truth. It underscores the truth that God is sovereign over history. But when it comes to Bible prophecy, there are many differences of opinion among Bible-believing Christians. So speaking about Bible prophecy, there is a great deal of confusion today about how to understand and interpret certain prophetic sections of Holy Scripture. Regrettably, in the Christian world today there is a lot of error and false teaching and quite frankly a lot of sloppy and careless exegesis when it comes to interpreting Bible prophecy.

    Sadly, friends, there are many preachers and Bible teachers whose teachings on Bible prophecy are sensationalistic in the extreme. There are many who misunderstand, misinterpret, manhandle and twist certain prophetic passages of Scripture or who end up treating the Bible prophecies of Scripture sort of like a crystal ball to peer into the future. Well friends, One of those passages that is often interpreted in a sensationalistic way is the very passage that we are considering this Lord’s Day morning from the Gospel of Mark, from Mark chapter 13. Mark chapter 13 is a very important and significant portion of our Lord’s teachings on prophecy, biblical prophecy. And it is sometimes called the little apocalypse, or more often it is called the Olivet Discourse. The reason it’s called the Olivet Discourse is because our Lord Jesus gave this teaching on the Mount of Olives.

    Our Lord’s teaching here in Mark 13 is also found in Matthew chapter 24. In fact, it is found in a more extensive and detailed account in Matthew chapter 24 as Matthew gives us a more detailed record of our Lord’s teaching on the Olivet Discourse, but it is also found as well in Luke’s gospel in Luke chapter 21. So the fact that this Olivet Discourse of our Lord is found in multiple gospel sources underscores its importance for the life of the church. As we begin our study of this challenging section of Mark’s gospel, first of all, what I want to do, beloved, is I want to seek to provide us with a proper orientation towards our passage by setting before us some important questions that we need to ask, which can serve as guidelines for properly interpreting our Lord’s teaching here.

    And then I want to have us consider the historical setting and context of this passage, and that’s vitally important for us to understand those things, if we’re going to correctly interpret this passage. And then finally, I want to have us consider our Lord’s warning not to be led astray by false messiahs and by misreading the signs of the times. So friends, let’s first of all consider some important questions that we need to ask about this passage. I wanna sort of, first of all, orient us correctly towards this passage in a helpful way, hopefully, to help us understand and interpret this passage. One very important principle of proper Bible interpretation is that it’s the principle of learning how to ask good questions. And this is true if you’re approaching any passage of scripture, but it’s especially the case when we’re dealing with difficult passages of holy scripture.

    Asking good questions like, okay, who wrote this? To whom was this passage written? What is the original historical context? What were the issues at play when this was written? And what is it that precedes this passage and follows this passage that can throw light upon the passage and so forth? Now, as an important aside before we consider some of these important questions that are necessary to explore in approaching this passage, I do wanna say, friends, as I’ve mentioned, there is no shortage of wild and wacky and way out interpretations out there of the Olivet Discourse, but at the same time, Let us admit that it is true that this is indeed a very challenging passage of God’s word to interpret. And even very sound Orthodox believing Bible scholars have often interpreted the details of this passage differently from one another.

    There are good, godly, sound Bible scholars out there who approach and interpret the details of this passage and come to different conclusions. And I say this because knowing who I’m preaching to, knowing that quite a number of you are well-versed in the scriptures, I will be offering today and in the weeks ahead, I realize that you may not end up agreeing with every detail of interpretation which I’ll be offering in the weeks ahead as I preach through Mark’s account of the Olivet Discourse recorded for us here in Mark chapter 13. However, while the details of interpretation may differ, I would assert to you brothers and sisters that every sound Orthodox Bible scholar and pastor and theologian affirms that at least some parts of our Lord’s teachings here affirm his future glorious second advent at the end of this present age and also affirm that this passage urges us believers to be watchful and ready for our Lord’s return, since as we will see, as Jesus says in verse 32, no one knows the day or the hour.

    Jesus’ concern here in this passage is not so much to satisfy our curiosity about the future as to exhort and instruct us to live faithful, watchful lives in the present. So with all of this in mind, what are some helpful or important questions that we can ask ourselves as we approach our text for today? Well, first of all, we need to ask ourselves what prompted our Lord to give this teaching. In other words, what question or questions were our Lord’s disciples asking of Him? What’s the actual subject of discussion that our Lord Jesus is here seeking to address? Understanding how to answer those questions will be very helpful in guiding us as we seek to interpret this passage. Another important question that we need to ask, and which I’ll be addressing in future sermons, is how are we to understand the prophetic and apocalyptic language that our Lord uses in this passage?

    Jesus, for example, quoting from the Old Testament, refers to a time when the sun will be darkened and the moon will cease giving its light and the stars will fall to earth from the sky and so forth. How are we to understand that language? How is that language, which is very common in the Old Testament, to be interpreted in terms of how our Lord is using that language here in the Olivet Discourse. The scholars sometimes refer to this as prophetic idioms. So understanding prophetic and apocalyptic language is another important subject to consider. Another important thing to consider in approaching this passage is what precursory signs and time indicators does Jesus use here to answer his disciples’ question or questions? And also another question in closing this consideration of the questions to ask of our passage, are there some details of this passage that are intended to have a double fulfillment?

    And if so, how much double fulfillment is taking place? In other words, it would seem, for example, that Jesus is asked about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, which took place in 70 AD, and yet Jesus also seems to address the issue of his return at the end of this age. So is there double fulfillment going on here in this passage? So these are just some of the questions we need to ask of this text as we approach it. But with this in mind, let’s dive in. And I want us next to consider the historical context and setting of this passage. And this is my second main point in your outline. Let’s consider the historical context and setting of this passage. And let’s first of all focus on the first four verses. Look at verse one.

    As he was going out of the temple, Let me just pause there. Remember, Jesus had been in the temple. This is taking place during Passion Week, during the week leading up to our Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection. And Jesus has been in the temple. He’s been disputing with the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees, and the scribes. He’s been having confrontations with them in the temple. And now that time of confrontation is over and Jesus is leaving the temple. And as he’s leaving the temple, what happens? It says, as he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, teacher behold, teacher, rabbi, pay attention. Look, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. Now the disciples of Jesus here are basically tourists in Jerusalem. And it’s probably likely that some of them at least had been to Jerusalem previously, but here they stand in awe at this glorious structure of the temple.

    And indeed, my friends, history teaches that the Jerusalem temple was indeed a magnificent structure. One Bible commentator says this of the temple that existed in the days of the Lord Jesus. It says, Herod the Great began rebuilding the temple in 19 BC using marble and gold as decorative materials. The outer court measured 500 by 300 yards. It was bordered by walls of massive white stones, some of which were 16 feet long. and three to four feet high. On top of these were magnificent covered cloisters or walkways with richly carved wooden ceilings. It was a sight to behold. Indeed, the temple at Jerusalem in the first century was one of the ancient wonders of the world. I think, I forget the exact figures, but I think it took up something like one-sixth of the city of Jerusalem at that time, was taken up by the temple courts and the… of the temple itself and so forth.

    Now, it’s also important to consider the spiritual significance of the temple in Jerusalem to the Jewish people. In the Old Testament scriptures, the temple was God’s house. It is often referred to and described in the scriptures as God’s house, meaning God’s palace, the place of his residence. And so it represented God’s gracious reign over his people, as well as his abiding presence with them. The presence of the temple represented to the people of God the stability of God’s covenant promises and his abiding faithfulness to keep those promises. And so to the first century Jewish mind, The destruction of the temple would mean God’s curse, God’s abandonment of his people, and the end of the present world order. Indeed, it would mean the end of the present age. See, to the first century Jewish mind, the destruction of the temple would mean the end of this present cosmos.

    It was viewed as, it would be viewed as an event not just of national or local significance, but an event of cosmic significance. But this is precisely what our Lord Jesus predicts in verse two. As the disciples are awestruck by the magnificent structure of the temple and the temple courts and so forth, and the wonderful stones and the wonderful buildings in that temple complex, what does Jesus say? Jesus speaking In his role as the great prophet of God’s people, he is our prophet, priest, and king. And here he speaks a prophecy. Verse 2, Jesus said to him, do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down. Now, it’s easy for us, living as we do in the 21st century, being familiar as we are with the course of biblical history and having the full canon of scripture, it’s easy for us to gloss over this and say, oh yeah, yeah, of course, the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, big deal.

    We don’t realize how shocking these words must have been. to his disciples. Jesus said, do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another until all is destroyed. And then it goes on to say, verse three, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, they’ve left the temple area and he sits on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple. You can get a good view of the temple from the Mount of Olives. And four of his disciples, Peter and James and John and Andrew, were questioning him privately. And what did they ask him? Look at verse four. Tell us, when will these things be? What things are they referring to? The things having to do with the destruction of the temple. When will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?

    Now, let’s consider some contextual clues for properly interpreting this difficult section of teaching here in Mark chapter 13. From what we’ve considered so far, what is the subject under discussion? Well, the subject under discussion is clearly our Lord’s prophecy of the temple’s destruction, which was fulfilled about 40 years after Jesus gave this prophecy in 70 AD Jerusalem and its temple were utterly destroyed by the Romans under the Roman general Titus, and Titus later became the emperor in Rome. And so that is the subject under discussion. And what question or questions are posed to our Lord by these disciples in response to our Lord’s prophetic prediction of the destruction of the temple? Well again, look at verse three. It says, as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning him privately.

    And then Mark gives us a summary of what they asked him. Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things, all these things that Jesus was predicting are going to be fulfilled? And so it might seem, at least from Mark’s account, like their focus is primarily on the destruction of the temple. However, keep your finger there in Mark chapter 13. Let’s go to Matthew’s account in Matthew 24, verse three. Matthew, as I said, gives us a fuller account of our Lord’s teachings on the Olivet Discourse. And in Matthew 24, verse three, we read the following. As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, when will these things happen, these things having to do with the destruction of the temple, and what will be the sign of what?

    Of your coming and of the end of the age. You see how in the disciples’ minds, the end of the temple, the destruction of the temple, is associated with the end of the present age, the end of the present cosmos even? And so again, there’s two questions on the disciples’ minds. And Jesus addresses in this Olivet Discourse, he addresses both matters. But where does he address both matters, and how does he address it? Well, this leads to another contextual clue for properly understanding and reading this Olivet Discourse is the timeframe saying in verse 30. Look at verse 30, and we’re not gonna focus on this too much today, and I’ll be preaching more on this in future weeks, but in verse 30, Jesus says, truly I say to you, Jesus says, truly, amen, meaning this is important, don’t miss this.

    I say to you, Jesus speaking with his divine authority as the Son of God incarnate, truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Jesus seems to be saying, in this passage that everything that he predicts, at least up to that point in his discourse, will be fulfilled within his generation, or at least the bulk of it will be fulfilled within this generation. There’s different views about what this generation means, I think the plainest meaning is the obvious meaning. Jesus is speaking about that first century generation. God certainly knows how to tell time. And we’ll be getting more into that in future sermons. But I think another very important contextual clue is the distinction that Jesus makes between those days of tribulation which he refers to, for example, in verses 19 and 24.

    And later on, that day, meaning the day of our Lord’s second advent at the end of this present age. In verse 19, Jesus says, for those days, the Greek is hi, hei, merai, ekeinai, those days will be a time of tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation, which God created until now and never will. But then, verse 32, if you skip down to verse 32, but of that day, teis hemeros akenes, of that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone. Now, what this seems to be suggesting, beloved, is that in verses 5 through 31, Jesus is primarily focusing on answering the disciples’ question about the destruction of the temple. Whereas in verses 32 through 37, Jesus is predicting the end of the present age, which our Lord will usher in on that day, meaning the day of his glorious future second advent.

    So again, think about it. In the disciples’ minds, the destruction of the temple and the end of this age with the return of the Messiah Those things were all intertwined one with another, but Jesus separates those two events of redemptive history. He says, yes, the temple will be destroyed, but the Son of Man will also return. And what does Jesus say about the timing of his return? Verse 32, but of that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone. And so, friends, the destruction of Jerusalem was to be marked by precursory signs. But no one can know the day or the hour of our Lord’s second advent. And the suggestion seems to be that the reason that no one knows the day or the hour is precisely because, contrary to popular modern Bible prophecy teaching, there will be no precursory signs of that event.

    That’s why, brothers and sisters, we believe that our Lord’s return is imminent, meaning it could happen at any time. Jesus Christ could return in two seconds, or in two years, or in 200 years, or 2,000 years, 200,000 years, we just don’t know. The point is that we are to live in watchfulness and readiness for his return. Couple of lessons or applications I think we can glean from this difficult passage. From difficult passages like this one, beloved, first of all, we learn the importance of seeking to understand God’s Word within its own context and setting and on its own terms. It’s easy for us to read in our own interpretive grid into the Scriptures, and we’re all guilty of the tendency to do that. But the key is to be aware of that tendency. Instead, we need to draw out from scripture.

    We need to have our theology informed by the scriptures. We need to exegete the scriptures, not eisegete it by reading into it our own thoughts and ideas. And we need to compare scripture with scripture. Another important lesson we can glean from this passage, beloved, is that God is not impressed by the things that impress fallen sinners. Things like large, impressive buildings. What do the disciples say to Jesus? They say, The temple complex was filled with wonderful stones, wonderful buildings, it was a magnificent structure, but God was not impressed by the structure, and sadly, the Jews in the first century had turned the temple into, pretty much into an idol. They assumed that because the temple was still standing, all was good with God, they were good with God. As long as the temple was there, everything was fine.

    But Jesus comes along and tells them that they must repent and that they must seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Friends, what do the scriptures indicate that God is most, quote, impressed by? God is impressed, if you will, by those with a humble and contrite spirit, those who fear him and tremble at his word. Your listener, do you fear the Lord? Do you tremble at His Word? And do you recognize your sinfulness? Do you recognize that the Lord, as the sovereign over history, will one day bring you before His holy throne on the Judgment Day, and that all of your thoughts, words, and actions will be exposed before King Jesus on that day? Are you ready for that day? Only if you are united to Christ, only if you are in Christ by faith will you be ready for that final day of reckoning.

    Oh, turn from your sin to Jesus Christ. Trust in him and him alone for salvation from sin and you will be saved. God will clothe you in Christ’s righteousness and you will be able to stand on that great judgment day. Another lesson I think we can learn from this passage is that under the new covenant in Christ, we no longer need to worry about an edifice of stone. Certainly it’s a blessing to have our own church building, isn’t it? What a blessing it is. But nevertheless, the church, as you know, the church is not the building. The church is the people of God gathered around the word of God, gathered around the gospel word and sacraments, united to Christ by grace through faith. Christ himself is the fulfillment of the temple. Christ indeed is revealed in scripture as the living temple of God.

    He fulfills the imagery and the symbolism of the old covenant temple. And so the disciples are all stressed out and concerned about Jesus’ prophecy about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. But they have the greater temple in their midst. They have Jesus Christ, the living temple, in their midst. That’s the temple they need to be concerned about. And though Christ was to be crucified, he will be raised from the dead on the third day, and he will reign at the Father’s right hand. And the scriptures teach that we are a temple of the Holy Spirit in union with Jesus Christ, as many passages in the New Testament, such as 1 Peter 2, 4 through 12, make clear. But friends, as we wrap up our time in this passage today, and I know that this has sort of been more or less an introduction to issues that we’re going to be getting into in this chapter in the weeks ahead, but there’s some very important warnings and lessons that we read of in verses five through eight, and that brings me to my final point.

    Beloved, take to heart our Lord’s warning not to be led astray. So here is Jesus. He makes this prophecy. He gives this prophecy about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, which implies that God’s covenant curses are coming upon a faithless apostate Israel who has refused to receive its Messiah. But then, and the disciples are like, when are these things gonna happen? When’s the temple gonna be destroyed? What are the signs of all these things being fulfilled? What’s the first thing Jesus says to them? Does he say to them, well, let me tell you what to be looking for. Number one, number two, number three. Now the first thing he says is this, look at verse five. Jesus began to say to them, see to it that no one misleads you. We are so prone to being misled, aren’t we?

    That is why it’s so important for us to be good Bereans, to be students of the scriptures, to be in the word. See to it that no one misleads you. God’s word calls us as his people to exercise discernment. See to it that no one misleads you. misleads you. Why does he say this? Well, he explains in verse six, many will come in my name saying, I am he and will mislead many. And then verse seven, when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, which they would, and which we do today, do not be frightened. Those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” As our Lord Jesus begins to answer the questions posed to him by his disciples, it becomes clear that his main concern is not so much to give them a prophetic forecast for the future in order to fulfill their curiosity, but instead to exhort and to instruct and to warn them so that they might be stable and unwavering in their faith and their loyalty to him, and so that they might be prepared to endure in their faith even in the midst of hostility. and persecution.

    We learn from verses 5 and 6, for example, that we are to be warned against being led astray by false Christs. And just as there are many false prophets and false teachers and even some false Christs today, so there were many in that generation who falsely claimed to be the Christ. If you study the history of the first century, of first century Judaism, there were many messianic pretenders that arose in those days, just as there are messianic pretenders and false teachers and false prophets today. And the word of God exhorts us to be on the alert, not to be led astray. And how do you keep from being led astray? Keep yourself in the Word. Test everything by the Word. Test what you’re hearing from me today by the Word of God. Also, I think we can learn from verses seven and eight that we are to be warned against mistakenly interpreting worldwide upheavals as signs of the times.

    You know, I sometimes hear fellow believers say things like, well, you know, in reacting to what’s on the news, the latest news cycle, oh, I wonder if this is a sign that we’re in the end times. Aside from the fact that the Bible, the New Testament, teaches that we’ve been in the last days, in the end times, since Jesus died and rose from the dead and poured out the spirit upon the church. These are the last days, and it has been the last days since the first century. But aside from that fact, the assumption is that these national and international upheavals are a sign that the coming of Christ could be just around the corner. Maybe it is, but what does Jesus say here in verses 7 and 8? He says, when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened.

    Don’t be frightened. Don’t live anxious lives. God is sovereign. Jesus is essentially saying, I’m still Lord. I’m in control. No need to be frightened. What does he say? Those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. That’s not the end of the cosmos. That’s not the end of the age. Just because there are international upheavals does not mean that the end is yet, that the consummation has come. Kind of sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it? Aren’t there wars and rumors of wars today? Of course, this is one of the points that I think our Lord Jesus is making is that this inter-advent age, this time between our Lord’s first advent and his future glorious second advent will be characterized by these kinds of things, by wars. and rumors of wars. It certainly was the case in that first generation of the Christian church, and it’s the case today.

    And then verse eight, for nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Is that happening today? Of course. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will also be famines. Are there earthquakes and famines today? Of course. He says, these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. And that kind of clues us in, the beginning of birth pangs. When birth pangs begin, that means that they’re going to continue and even intensify as until the birth of the child. Friends. As Jesus teaches us here, such things are to be expected in this present evil age prior to our Lord’s return in glory. And such events are not to be viewed as signs that the end of the age is near, but rather, as Jesus says in verse eight, these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

    All of this I bring up to drive home the fact that we need to be warned against sensationalism when it comes to Bible prophecy. You know, if I wanted to make a whole boatload of money, what I could do is I could come up with some novel prophetic scheme, some novel scheme of interpreting the Bible, and I could write a book and become a Bible prophecy expert and sell tons of books about predicting when Jesus is gonna return and so forth. There seems to be quite an appetite for that. And a lot of that is fueled by what some have described as newspaper exegesis, reading current events into the scriptures as if, oh, well, this is definitely, this event over here is definitely fulfillment of this passage and so forth. We need to be warned against such newspaper exegesis.

    Jesus tells us that in this present evil age, there will be wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation. There will be earthquakes. There will be famines. This is not out of the ordinary. This is the way things will be until our Lord returns in glory. So let us be warned against newspaper exegesis and being led astray by sensationalistic Bible prophecy teachers. And how do we do that? We do that by, again, being in the Word. Let us strive to know sound doctrine and to avoid false teachers and sensationalism. Let us be rooted and grounded in the truth of the Holy Scriptures. Amen. Let us pray. Our Lord and Father in heaven. We praise you and thank you, God, that Jesus is victorious over sin and death and hell, that he reigns, O Father, at your right hand, and that he will come again for us at the end of this age to usher in the new heavens and the new earth wherein righteousness dwells.

    Give us grace and give us patience to endure through times of tribulation, and we ask, Lord, that you would make us bold soldiers for the Lord Jesus Christ. In his name we pray and all of God’s people said amen. Let’s rise as we close our time in the Word today. Let’s rise and we’ll sing number 374. All hail the power of Jesus’ name. 374.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Pretentious Piety, and a Poor Widow

    Pretentious Piety, and a Poor Widow

    About this sermon

    Jesus warns against the scribes who love long robes, honored seats, and long public prayers while they devour widows’ houses. Religious hypocrisy earns greater condemnation, and Jesus teaches degrees of punishment in hell. A poor widow then drops two small coins into the temple treasury, all she has to live on, and Jesus says she has given more than all the rich. Christ became poor to make his people rich, and gratitude for his grace moves them to give sacrificially.

    More sermons from Mark · Browse all sermons

    Sermon transcript

    standing for the reading of God’s Word. We continue our consideration of the Gospel of Mark, and we are at the end of Mark chapter 12. My sermon text today, Mark 12, verses 38 through 44. Mark chapter 12, verses 38 through 44. Dear ones, let us hear God’s holy Word. Remember, this is Passion Week. This is the week leading up to our Lord’s crucifixion. In his teaching, he was saying, beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and like respectful greetings in the marketplaces and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses and for appearances’ sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation. And he sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury, and many rich people were putting in large sums.

    A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling his disciples to him, he said to them, truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury, for they all put in out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty put in all she owned, all she had to live on. Dear ones, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Bow our heads in prayer and ask the Lord to bless the preaching of his word. Heavenly Father, what a privilege it is to have access to your holy word. Lord, this is a high privilege. We ask that you would give us the grace to hear the truths of your word proclaimed this day with reverence and awe.

    We ask that by your spirit you would cause our hearts to be open and receptive to that which the Spirit is speaking in this portion of your God-breathed scriptures. Lord, we ask that you would grant unto me, your unworthy servant, the grace to speak forth and declare your word with clarity, with power, with the assistance of your Holy Spirit, and that your name might be glorified and that your people would be built up in grace and faith. In Jesus’ name we pray and all of God’s people said. Amen. You may be seated. Dear friends, the title of my sermon today is Pretentious Piety and a Poor Widow. And there’s quite a number of key words that the children of all ages can be listening for if you find that helpful. The words hypocrisy, piety, condemnation, salvation, giving, sacrifice, and generosity.

    I’d encourage the children to pick a couple of those words and count the number of times that I say those words. Well, dear ones, as the flow of Mark’s gospel moves us closer to the event of our Lord’s crucifixion, Mark records many of the events and teachings of Christ that had taken place during Passion Week, that is to say, during the last week of our Lord’s life, the week leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Now in the previous context, our Lord Jesus Christ had criticized the experts in the law, namely the scribes, the Bible scholars of the day basically, for their erroneous understanding of the Messiah. And so on the last Lord’s Day we considered verses 35 through 37 where Jesus asks them the question, How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

    Doesn’t David himself call him Lord? And so he focuses on their erroneous false teachings about the person of the Messiah. But in our passage for today, our Lord Jesus issues a sharply worded warning against them because of their hypocritical living and their false piety. And then probably as a contrast to the hypocrisy of these scribes, our Lord directs the attention of his disciples to an example of humble piety and sacrificial giving as seen in the actions of an anonymous unnamed widow. And so Jesus had criticized the theology of the scribes, rightly so, but in our passage for today we also find him rebuking them for their hypocritical living and their pretentious piety. So let’s dive into this passage of scripture and I’ll have us focus first of all on verses 38 through 40. And the first thing I would have us consider is that Jesus warns us here against hypocritical religion.

    Dear friends, let us be warned against hypocritical religion. Now notice how our Lord Jesus describes the scribes in verses 38 through 40. It says this, in His teaching, Jesus was still teaching the people. Even though His crucifixion was imminent, Jesus is still busy about the activity of teaching the people of God. And he says in his teaching, beware of the scribes. Beware of the scribes. He issues a warning against these Bible scholars, these experts, supposed experts in God’s law. Sometimes some of the Bible translations call these scribes lawyers. That’s kind of a misleading term because they’re not lawyers in the contemporary sense. They were lawyers in the sense that they were viewed as experts in the law of God. But Jesus says beware of them. And why? Well, he says, beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and like respectful greetings in the marketplaces and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets who devour a widow’s houses and for appearances sake offer long prayers.

    These will receive greater condemnation. Well, let’s notice how Jesus describes these scribes here. But before we do, I think Dr. C.E. Graham Swift offers a helpful caution. You know, we have to always understand the Lord’s words and his teachings in the context in which he’s making them. And Dr. Swift points out that not all the scribes were equally bad. but the general tendency of their class was in the direction of ostentation, avarice, and hypocrisy. Remember, Jesus had just commended a scribe back in verse 32 through 34, who had asked him an insightful and sincere question, and Jesus said, you’re not far from the kingdom of God. So Jesus is making a general statement here, but he’s not thereby saying that all of the scribes are equally bad. But nevertheless, as a class, he describes them.

    And what is the first thing he criticizes about them? Well, he criticizes them because they crave public acclimation. They are basically attention junkies. They long for attention. Look at what Jesus says in verses 38 and 39. He says, beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes. They wore particular clothing to attract attention to themselves. They like to walk around in long robes. They like respectful greetings in the marketplaces. It’s not just, I mean, we all like being addressed respectfully. But it’s not just that they liked it, but that they sought this attention in public, in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets. These scribes or teachers of the law, as they are described in the NIV, were guilty of what could be called show-off religion.

    They were guilty of an ostentatious, pretentious piety. Dr. Walter Wessel explains that these teachers of the law wore long white linen robes that were fringed and reached almost to the ground. In the synagogue, they occupied the bench in front of the ark that contained the sacred scrolls of the law and the prophets, in other words, the Old Testament scriptures. There, the teachers could be seen by all the worshipers in the synagogue. They were often invited to banquets because of their prestige and were given special places of honor. And it’s important, Jesus is not saying that they are to be condemned simply because of the clothing they wore or simply because of where they sat in the synagogues or the respectful greetings that they received, but as Dr. Wessel points out, what Jesus condemns is their seeking such honor for themselves instead of for God, whom they professed to be. to serve.

    And so, again, these are attention seekers. These are religious leaders who did their righteous deeds in the presence of others as a means of theatrics. Theirs was an ostentatious, pretentious piety. Jesus also criticizes them because they treat the weakest members of society, such as widows, with injustice and therefore show that they do not love their neighbors as themselves. As Jesus says in verse 40, he says of them, not only do they long for attention and seek attention and acclamation and honor from others, but They devour widows’ houses and, for appearance’s sake, offer long prayers. Dr. Wessel explains that since the teachers of the law were not allowed to be paid for their services, they were dependent on the gifts of patrons for their livelihood. Such a system was vulnerable to abuses. Wealthy widows especially were preyed on by the greedy and unscrupulous among these men.

    Jesus particularly condemns the hypocrisy of their long prayers, which were used as a mask for their greed. And Dr. William Hendrickson clarifies further. He says the scribes here condemned are described as devouring, devouring, fattening themselves on the houses of these lonely women. But not only were they guilty of injustice against vulnerable members of society, they also covered their greed, they covered their greed and injustice with a show of pretentious piety. Again, as it says in verse 40, Now, again, Jesus is not condemning lengthy prayers. He’s not condemning public prayers, but rather he is condemning the motivation of such prayers in the case of these scribes who used their pretentious piety to cover over and smooth over what they were actually doing in terms of taking advantage of these vulnerable widows. Now, in the ancient world, few were more vulnerable and open to exploitation than widows.

    In the ancient world, if you were a woman, you had very few career options outside of the home. If you were single, you could live with your parents and find support that way, living with and working for your parents, or you could get married and be supported by your husband, but what would happen if your husband died and you weren’t able to go back and live in your father’s household. Well, that would put you in a very, very difficult and vulnerable spot if you did not have resources to live with. So these scribes here that our Lord criticizes hid their injustice and lack of concern and compassion for the most vulnerable in society, they hid it behind a cloak of prayerful piety. By their prayerful piety, this theatrical show of piety, they sought to blunt any criticisms of their behavior towards those who were vulnerable and open to exploitation.

    And by the way, it’s interesting, if you study the scriptures, especially the Old Testament, we see that God has a special place in his heart for the most vulnerable in society. We often read in the prophets, for example, of God God showing concern for foreigners, in other words, the sojourner and the orphan and the widow. Why such concern? Because those are the members of ancient society that were most open to exploitation, most open and vulnerable towards injustice. Well, scripture makes it very clear that God hates sin, injustice, and oppression. But God especially hates such evils when they hide behind a mask of religiosity and piety. But Jesus Christ, our omniscient Lord incarnate, he sees behind that cloak, he sees behind the mask, and he looks into the heart. And he sees in the hearts of many of these scribes, he sees a heart of wickedness and evil, a heart that does not keep the second table of the law, does not love one’s neighbor as oneself, but a heart that seeks to exploit a vulnerable, such as these widows, for its own ends.

    Jesus Christ sees behind the mask, he looks into the heart, and we can be sure that he will bring ultimate justice to bear in the end. And speaking of ultimate justice, as Jesus denounces and warns against these scribes and their wicked practices, he says of them, at the end of verse 40, these will receive, what does it say? Greater condemnation. Those are sobering words. Think about it. Greater condemnation. There’s many takeaways, applications we could glean from this statement of our Lord here, but let me just mention a couple of implications of what our Lord Jesus is saying here about greater condemnation. One of the implications is that just as there is salvation for the penitent believer, so there is condemnation for the unrepentant wicked, such as these scribes that Jesus is here denouncing. And by condemnation, Christ clearly is referring to the punishment of hellfire.

    Now what does this imply? Well, this implies that a very popular doctrine today is a false doctrine. One of the popular doctrines out there today is the doctrine of universalism or the idea that in the end everybody will be saved. But the Bible doesn’t teach that, and Jesus Christ himself doesn’t teach that. The doctrine of universalism or universal salvation is contrary to the clear teachings of God’s word, especially the clear teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore it is a false doctrine. Another implication is that there will be degrees of punishment in hell. Jesus speaks here of greater condemnation. What does that imply? That implies that some of the unrepentant wicked in hell will receive a lesser condemnation. Condemnation nonetheless, but a lesser condemnation. You see, friends, God’s word teaches in many places that God will judge people on the basis of what they have done, on the basis of their works.

    But here we need to pause very quickly and clarify that. See, don’t misunderstand. This is not to deny the equally biblical truth that our justification and eternal salvation are received by God’s grace alone as a gift, received by God’s grace alone, through God-given faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, and apart from any works on our part. Scripture teaches that in terms of our salvation, we believers are judged on the basis of what Christ has done. His works, his merits are imputed to us, credited to us, and received as a gift by us through faith alone, a faith which itself is a gift of God. So God alone gets the glory for our salvation. Does that mean that good works are unimportant for us because Christ has done it all? No. Our works done in faith are important, but they are simply the fruits and evidences of the reality of our faith.

    And we are told in Scripture that our works will be brought up on the judgment day, not as the basis of our entrance into heaven, not as our title to heaven, but rather in order to vindicate the reality of our faith in the presence of gathered humanity. As it says in our shorter catechism, on the Day of Judgment, believers will be what? Openly acknowledged and acquitted on the Judgment Day. The moment the Holy Spirit effectually called you to faith in Jesus Christ in the courtroom of heaven, the gavel of God went down and God in the secret courtroom of heaven declared you to be righteous in His sight. Not because you’re righteous in yourself, but because Christ’s perfect everlasting righteousness has been credited to you. His blood has cleansed you from your sin. His righteousness has been credited to you. and God has declared you righteous in his sight.

    And that righteousness alone, that righteousness of Christ alone will serve as your title to glory. But other people cannot see that. God can see your heart. He can see the faith in your heart. But others can only see your faith by your deeds, by what you do. And that is why that secret declaration of righteousness that God has already declared in the courtroom of heaven will be openly declared on Judgment Day. and our works will be brought forth as evidences to gathered humanity of the reality of our faith. So in that sense, we will be judged by our works, and God delights to reward that which he himself gives us as a gift of grace. But likewise, getting back to our passage for today, in the case of the unrepentant wicked, their evil works are the fruits and evidences of their impenitent, unbelieving hearts.

    And just as there will be degrees of reward in heaven, rewards of grace, not of merit, Likewise, there will be degrees of punishment in hell on the basis of the evil works of the unbelieving wicked. And that is why Jesus can speak here of greater condemnation, degrees of condemnation in hell. The implication we can draw here from our Lord’s words is that while hell will be hot for every unsaved person who is sent there, Jesus makes it clear that it will be even hotter, if you will, for those whom, like the scribes Jesus here describes, are guilty of hypocritical religion. Unrepentant sin merits condemnation, but unrepentant sin cloaked in religious hypocrisy merits greater condemnation. Dear listener, is yours a hypocritical faith? Is your faith mere theatrics like the faith of the scribes and the Pharisees?

    Are you putting on a show when you come to church, when you confess your faith? Are you putting on a show? Or have you from the heart, by God’s grace, received and rested upon Christ alone in penitent faith? Dear listener, Turn from your hypocrisy. Turn from your pretentious piety. Turn from your hypocrisy. Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent and believe upon Him and Him alone for your salvation, and you will be saved. You will be forgiven. Christ’s righteousness will be credited to you, and you will escape not only the greater condemnation, you will escape condemnation because the Bible says there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. I think another takeaway from our Lord’s sobering words here is that with greater knowledge comes greater responsibility and accountability, as one Bible scholar puts it.

    When I was pastoring in New Jersey, there was a retired Bible Presbyterian pastor and his wife who used to attend our church. They have since gone to glory. But I remember this, I would have conversations with this retired pastor and remember one time that he told me that he used to tell his people that, look folks, I need more grace than you. What is he talking about? Here’s a pastor who has devoted his life to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. What does he mean, I need more grace than the members of my congregation? Well, because he understood this principle, that with greater knowledge, with greater light, comes greater responsibility and greater accountability. This is what James is getting at in James chapter three, verse one, for example. In James three, verse one. James the brother of Jesus writes, let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

    Phew, that scares me when I hear that. But nevertheless, that statement is meant to drive us back to Christ. Yes, we need great, those in my position, we need greater grace because we have greater accountability. But praise God, the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin and his merit and sacrifice prevail even for those of us who are preachers. And so friends, let us take to heart these sobering words that Jesus issues here. But next, as we move on in our passage and consider verses 41 through 44, let us take to heart an example of sacrificial giving. Let us take to heart an example of sacrificial giving. It says in verse 41, and he sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury And many rich people were putting in large sums.

    A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins which amount to a cent. Now it is quite possible that Mark records this occurrence here in the flow of his text in order to contrast the hypocrisy of the scribes, on the one hand, who are described in verse 40 as devouring widows’ houses, to contrast their hypocrisy with the genuine piety of this impoverished widow. And while it is speculative, we can’t prove this with certainty, it would not surprise me if one of the reasons why this widow was impoverished is perhaps she had been taken advantage of by certain scribes who had led to, who had exploited her. leading to her impoverishment. We don’t know that for certain. It doesn’t say that in the text. That’s speculative. It may not be correct. But nevertheless, if that was the case, it certainly would fit in well with the flow of what Mark is recording here.

    And it says in verse 43, calling his disciples to him, he said to them, truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury, for they all put in out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty put in all she owned, all she had to live on. Now, what is the setting there? Well, Jesus is still in the temple in Jerusalem, and the temple was divided into various courts and sections. The outer court was the court of the Gentiles, and then there was the court of the women, and then the inner courts included the temple proper and so forth, where only the priests could go, and so forth. Dr. William Barclay explains the setting. He says, between the court of the Gentiles and the court of the women, there was the gate beautiful.

    It may well be that Jesus had gone to sit quietly there after the argument and the tension of the court of the Gentiles and the discussions in the cloisters. In the court of the women, there were 13 collecting boxes called the trumpets because they were so shaped. So these were collection boxes that had a trumpet-like structure on the top of them where you could throw your money in. It goes on to say, each of them was for a special purpose. For instance, to buy corn or wine or oil for the sacrifices. They were for contributions for the daily sacrifices and expenses of the temple. Now Jesus mentions two small copper coins in verse 42, which amount to a cent. Well, Dr. Barclay explains that the coin was, in the Greek, a lepton. Lepton literally means a thin one.

    It was the smallest of all coins and worth 140th of one pence, or as the New American Standard Version translates it, it amounted to basically a cent, very small denominator of money. And it’s interesting, Jesus is sitting there probably catching his breath. He’s been engaged in controversy with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and so forth. And he sits there where he can observe these trumpets, these collection boxes. And he sees this, he sees a bunch of wealthy people throwing in large amounts of money. He sees this poor widow. throwing in two small copper coins, two leptons, thin ones. And what does Jesus say? Well, he uses the word truly, amen, amen, truly. When Jesus says truly, it’s as if he’s saying, listen up, this is important. He says, truly, I say to you, I, the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking by my divine authority, what does he say to them?

    I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury. Well, how can that be? There were many rich folk who put in a whole lot more than this poor widow did. How then can Jesus say that she has given more than all? Jesus, in verse 43, judges this widow to have given more than all. What does that clue us into? That clues us into the fact that God measures our generosity differently than the world does. The world looks almost exclusively at the amount given, but God looks at the motives of the heart as well as at the financial resources and circumstances of the one who gives. And so, in verse 43, the disciples must have been scratching their heads and saying, what are you talking about? This poor widow put in more than all the contributors.

    She just put in two small copper coins, two leptons. Jesus explains in verse 44, he says, for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on. The wealthy gave, if you will, they gave their leftovers, but this poor widow gave her all. I do wanna issue a caution here as we consider what our Lord is saying. We need to be careful here about drawing life prescriptions or moral demands from descriptive passages like this one. One very important principle of Bible interpretation is that not everything that is described in the Bible is prescribed by the Bible for our imitation. And so just because this poor widow gave all she had to live on to the temple treasury does not mean that God expects you and me to give all of our possessions away.

    We lose the main lessons of our passage if we focus on such questions. Such questions are not in the purview. They’re not on the radar screen of what Jesus is addressing here. And by the way, let’s say that you did that. Let’s say that you read this passage and said, well, I think God wants me to sell everything that I have. You know, to sell my home, sell my cars, sell my, you know, clothes, and just liquidate it all and give it all away to charity and to the church and missions and so forth, leaving nothing for myself. Well, actually, in most cases, such actions would be very poor stewardship. of your resources, because it might be a short-term boost to the finances of the church, finances to support missionaries, charities, and so forth, but if you don’t have any resources to live on, you yourself are gonna be one who needs to live on charity.

    And so, again, we need to not draw lessons from passages like this, descriptive passages like this, as if they are prescriptive for our behavior. But Jesus does want us to learn some takeaways, some lessons from this. A couple of applications that we can learn from what Jesus is teaching here. We learn here, first of all, that God is more concerned with the heart attitude of the giver than the actual amount that is given. God looks at our motives, and God’s word encourages us to be cheerful givers, to be generous with our resources, and to seek to serve our neighbor. In fact, Paul in Ephesians, I think it’s Ephesians chapter four, one of his imperatives to the thief, the former thief, he says, let the thief no longer steal, but instead let him work with his hands so that he may what?

    So that he may have means to, to paraphrase, have means to help those in need. In other words, instead of taking from others what is not yours, work with your own hands, earn your own living if you are able, and give generously to others who are in need. Another lesson is that this obscure unnamed widow, unnoticed by the world, is noticed by the Lord Jesus Christ for her sacrificial giving. The world often ignores and doesn’t notice the generosity and the service and of God’s people. The world ignores us, but God notices. God notices the little acts of faithfulness and sacrificial service done in faith and out of gratitude for his gift of salvation. He notices that which goes unnoticed by the world. Another lesson I think we can glean from this is, as Dr. Barkley says, real generosity gives until it hurts.

    It’s easy to give of your time, your talents, and your money if you give out of your abundance or if you give your leftovers. It would be easy for a wealthy person who, for example, has all of their needs provided for, they’ve got a roof over their heads, they’ve got clothing on their backs, food on their tables. They have all of their bills and all of their debts paid off. And they’ve paid for entertainments and pleasures and vacations and all of that. And they might say, oh, we have a little bit left over. Well, maybe we should give some of those leftovers to charity or to the church or to missions or what have you. It’s easy to do that if you have abundant resources, but to give and serve sacrificially out of your poverty, that is to serve and to give in the way of Christ.

    It takes divine wisdom to know what that means in your particular set of circumstances, but friends, think about it. Jesus Christ, our Savior, became poor and sacrificed himself on the cross for us so that we might receive and enjoy and benefit from the riches of his grace and mercy and forgiveness and might receive the gift of everlasting life, the greatest gift of all. He gave until it hurt so that we might experience his grace, his forgiveness. Out of gratitude for his wonderful gift of salvation, let us too show our gratitude by imitating his sacrificial generosity. Again, dear listener, have you received the benefits of our Lord’s sacrificial generosity? Christ offers himself fully and freely to you in the gospel. Jesus says, come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.

    Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I’m gentle. and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Come to Jesus. Trust in him as your savior from sin. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, and the Bible says you shall be saved, and you will experience spiritual, eternal rest. And that will be the greatest motivator of all towards generous, sacrificial service to the Lord in his kingdom. Amen. Let us pray. Gracious Lord and Father in heaven, We thank you, O God. We thank you for Jesus, that through his poverty we have been enriched with the gift of salvation. Though he was rich, he became poor for us that we, through his poverty, might be enriched beyond all understanding. We ask, Lord, that Christ’s rich grace towards us would motivate us to live lives of sacrificial service in your kingdom.

    Be with us now. Bless us, Lord, throughout the remainder of this Lord’s Day. Enable us to grow and to be refreshed in your presence, to grow in grace and knowledge. In Jesus’ name we pray and all of God’s people said, amen. Let’s respond to what we’ve heard from God’s Word by rising and singing our hymn of commitment. I will sing of my Redeemer, 498. I will sing of my Redeemer.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.