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.
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.
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