SERMON TITLE: The Return of Christ
TEXT: Mark 13:24-37 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 2-27-22
Watch the sermon here.
You can find the sermon notes here.
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
A few weeks ago we returned to Mark’s gospel — a book of the Bible we’re finishing up this year. And we returned to the gospel of Mark to find Jesus teaching about the end times. And — in that first week — we looked at what it means for us to be a people who are living in the end times. Last week — Jesus taught about the very uncomfortable topic of tribulation — his words about the difficulties the people of God will experience in the end times. And — today — we’re finishing up this short series on the end times by looking at what Jesus has to say about his return.
So let’s turn to our passage for today.
If you have your Bible please turn with me to Mark chapter 13. We’ll be looking at verses 24-37. We’re in Mark chapter 13. Beginning in verse 24.
““But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”” (Mark 13:24-37 ESV)
The return of Christ. A topic many have differing opinions about. An atheist has an opinion about Christ’s return — it’s not gonna happen — the same opinion held by many who practice other religions. Then there are us Christians. And — if there’s one thing we’re all unified on — it’s the topic of the end times and Christ’s return, right? That’s a joke people.
But here’s what we Christians can all agree about. Christ will return — that’s a guarantee. Yet the day and hour are unknown to all but the Father. And — until that day — God’s people are to remain diligent and watchful and faithful.
We should all be able to agree about that because — that’s taken right from what Jesus teaches in our verses. So — my hope for us — is that instead of ignoring Christ’s return or making a debate out of it — my hope is that we’ll rejoice in the hope we have — that our Savior has promised that he will return. And — the day of his return — will be a great and glorious day.
Similar to how C.S. Lewis concludes the Chronicles of Narnia series with these words. “And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page. Now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read — which goes on forever. In which every chapter is better than the one before.”
For us — those who believe in Jesus — his return to earth will conclude the title page of God’s story. And then we — his people — will begin chapter one of the Greatest Story ever written which will go on forever. What an encouraging thought and promise as we live in these end times. These days are but the title page of God’s Story. And soon the page will be turned — and chapter one of eternity will begin.
Yet — as much as I’m hoping for unity for us — we have to admit that — as I said earlier — even Christ’s return has been a divisive subject in the church. As I’ve mentioned in previous weeks — it’s easy to get caught up in the what and how of the end — what’s going to happen and how will all of this end — instead of keeping our eyes fixed on the who of the end — Christ and his return. And — previously — we’ve considered why we often look to the what and how of the end.
When life’s hard and difficult — when life’s hopeless and depressing — it’s easy to understand why someone would start looking for signs that maybe — just maybe — the end was near. Thus we put our focus on the what and the how of the end of this title page we’re living in — instead of looking ahead to the promised beginning of chapter one that’s before us.
Add to all of this how difficult it can be to interpret what the Bible has to say about all of the signs about the end times. There’s much that’s clear to us — like the things mentioned earlier that we hopefully all agree on — but then there are things that aren’t as clear — yet these are things we often focus on wanting greater clarity on. Thus we turn to Christian authors who claim to know which modern countries are prophesied about in Daniel and Revelation and whether or not this political leader is the antichrist or if this new technology is the mark of the beast. Christian movies are made where people suddenly vanish — having been raptured — and planes start crashing — as the pilots have disappeared. And cars crash into one another — on the streets — because they don’t have any drivers. And people are forced to get a tattoo of the number 666 — some of you’ve seen the movies — you know what I’m talking about. Focused on all the signs — except the most important sign — the one that’s meant to have our attention — Christ’s return.
But — it’s not just recent Christians — those living in the past few decades — who’ve gotten caught up in end times signs and the end of the world craziness. For example (Avery Thompson, “10 Super-Scientific Doomsday Predictions that Didn’t Pan Out,” September 25, 2017. https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/web/g3226/doomsday-predictions/.), in 66 AD the Essenes — a Jewish-Christian sect — predicted that Christ was going to return between 66-70AD. They thought the final battle — as described in Revelation — was taking place when a group of Judeans rose up to revolt against the Romans — with the Romans obviously being the bad guys in Revelation and the Judeans being the good guys. Well — guess what happened? The Romans won the war — the bad guys won — totally messing up their end times prediction.
I mentioned Y2K — a few weeks back — but did you know that something similar happened as the year 999 came to an end? Y2K had a predecessor — Y1K. Pope Sylvester the second — along with some other church leaders — thought for sure that January 1, 1000 was going to bring about Christ’s return. So they spread the word that the world was coming to an end on New Year’s Day. People rioted in the streets. Many flocked to Jerusalem where Christ would return. But then January 1st came and went and nothing happened. So Pope Sylvester rethought things — reworked his end times maps and charts — and predicted that Jesus’ return would happen 1,000 years after Christ's death — not his birth — so the world would come to an end during the year 1033. But here’s the catch. Sylvester’s last prediction was so far in the future that he wouldn’t be alive to find out that he was wrong again.
A few centuries later — another pope predicted the end of the world — but he didn’t have a cool date like the year 999 turning to 1,000. His “end of the world” prediction was based on the founding of Islam. And he believed that Christ would return 666 years after Islam began. Now that’s some creativity?
In 1524 a group of scientists in London got on the end of the world crazy train. They predicted a giant flood would destroy the world — sound familiar to anyone? Why a flood? Because the planets had aligned with the constellation Pisces — which — if you don’t know — is a fish — which made it obvious to the scientists that a flood was coming. Londoners sought high ground in an effort to prepare for a flood that never happened.
In 1780 — here in America — while the war for independence was going on — and everyone was literally living on edge — thinking about destruction — thinking about the end — the possible end of their life — hoping for the end of the war. Well — one day — the sky suddenly went pitch black during the middle of the day. People panicked. They thought it was the end of the world as the darkness lasted an entire day. They interpreted the darkness to be what’s mentioned in the Bible — like what we find in our verses. But the darkness turned out to be caused by smoke from a huge forest fire — not a sign of Christ’s return.
We’re intrigued by these kinds of things — which is nothing new — while the things clear to us in Scripture — can seem dull and boring. Like Jesus’ words that we’re to faithfully serve him — in the end times — regardless of how close we are to the day of his return. Clear things like how we — his followers — are to live with great hope and assurance — in these end times — because our eyes are fixed on our Savior — who’s promised us that he will return. And not fix ourselves on signs that — history has shown — often mean nothing. God’s people — in believing the gospel — we’re to live in the present — with all of its trials and difficulties and tribulations — with our eternal future in mind. We live in this time of the title page of history — knowing that chapter one of God’s Story is about to begin.
Which leads us to the sign of all signs that marks the end of the title page of history and the beginning of chapter one of eternity. What sign am I talking about? The return of Christ. We’re back in verse 24.
““But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” (Mark 13:24-27 ESV)
The return of Christ. Did you know that there are over 300 references to Christ’s second coming in the New Testament? One out of every thirty verses mentions Christ’s return. And — for every prophecy in the Bible — about Christ’s first time coming to earth — for every one of those prophecies — there are eight prophecies about his return. (George Sweeting, Today in the Word (Chicago: Moody, 1989), 40.) So — the place to begin — to better understand the return of Christ — isn’t just the book of Revelation. You’ve got an entire Bible you need to study to understand the topic of Christ’s return. As it’s been said, “The newspaper will not help us understand Revelation. Knowing the Old Testament and the rest of the New Testament will help us understand it.” (Keith A. Mathison, “When Will Jesus Return?,” August 30, 2021. https://tabletalkmagazine.com/posts/when-will-jesus-return/.) There’s simply no shortcut in having clarity on Christ’s return — we must be people who know God’s Word — and know it well.
We’re to know these passages — about Christ’s return — because — by knowing them — we can encourage each other with them. For — as the apostle Paul — in writing about the return of Christ — tells us, “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, NLT)
Paul says that the topic of Christ’s return and the end times is meant to be something we use to encourage each other. And these words — on the return of Christ — are an encouragement because — as the author of Hebrews writes, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT)
Here — we find encouragement — as we’re reminded of what Christ’s return signifies. It signifies the culmination of his work of redemption — his work of saving for himself a people. His return is a final declaration of victory — “I have defeated Satan, sin, death, and Hell.” And — like we’ve seen previously in this series — there will be signs indicating that the day of Christ’s return is at hand. And — though — people will see the sun darkened and will see the moon not giving light and will see stars falling from heaven — the most important thing all eyes will see is the Son of Man — Jesus Christ — returning to earth in the same way he departed — as we find in the book of Acts. In Acts — Jesus ascended into heaven — and here — we see Jesus descending back to earth — returning with great power and glory.
And — upon his return — Jesus will send out his angels to gather his people — the elect. And notice — there’s nothing yet for God’s people to do. Did you catch that? There’s nothing for us to do thus far in these verses. All we’re seeing are promises of what are guaranteed to take place upon Christ’s return. He will come with great power and glory. All will see him return. And — upon his arrival — he will have his people — the elect — gathered together — making it obvious that they are his people.
And — as C.S. Lewis writes in another of his books — “For this time [the time of Christ’s return] will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side.” (C. S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity)
If there’s anything for us to do — here in these verses — it’s to rest in these promises given to us. To trust these promises. To believe these promises. To receive them. To live as if these promises are true and guaranteed to us because they are true and are guaranteed to us.
And how do we know that these promises are true and guaranteed to us? Well we find our answer in Jesus’ words in our next verses.
We’re in verse 28.
““From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mark 13:28-31 ESV)
Jesus begins with a parable — a lesson to be learned from the fig tree. He tells his disciples that they can tell — by looking at a fig tree — when summer is near. The fig tree can be used as a sign — indicating that summer is coming — by looking at its leaves. Once you see the leaves on the fig tree — summer is here — it’s a guarantee. Similarly, Jesus tells them to watch out for the signs that he’s just mentioned. And — he tells his disciples — that the things he’s spoken about will take place before “this generation passes away” — this also is a guarantee.
Now — if we remember what we learned from last week’s verses — Mark tells his original readers — people receiving his gospel about 40 years after Jesus spoke these words — Mark tells them, “You understand exactly what Jesus is talking about.” Mark seems to think it’d be obvious to his original readers how — everything Jesus is teaching — happened in their lifetime — most of the fulfillment of this chapter in Mark having happened during the destruction of Jerusalem — including the desolation of the Jewish temple.
Now — and I’m pretty sure this is super obvious — in our present day and age — the generation Jesus is speaking about has passed away. He’s talking to his original disciples — and none of them are here on earth today. So — in some sense — the signs that Jesus describes — in our verses — happened during their lifetime. Yet — here’s the tension. The last day — the day of Christ’s return — hasn’t happened yet. So there are promises — yet to be fulfilled. Words of Christ — yet to come to pass. Thus — Jesus tells them — “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
And it’s here — that I can imagine the disciples — being Jewish men who knew their Old Testaments much better than most of us — I imagine they would’ve heard echoes of Isaiah chapter 40 in Jesus' words. “A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”” (Isaiah 40:6-8 NLT)
Jesus — in saying that his words will not pass away — is declaring to be divine — that he is God. Thus — just like Yahweh’s words — as described in the Old Testament — Jesus’ words will not pass away. Generations will come and go. The heavens and earth will come and go. But God’s Word — Christ’s Word — shall never pass away — God’s Word will stand forever. Thus — though the times may change and the winds of culture may sway left and right — we — the people of God know — that his Word is still standing today.
And this Word of God — which is standing today — is “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)
And this Word of God is “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT)
And this Word of God — which is standing today — is “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105 NLT)
And — here we are — thousands of years after Jesus spoke these words of promise to his disciples — and his Word is still standing. It has not passed away — it cannot pass away. One thing shall remain from generation to generation — the Word of God. The grass withers. The flower fades away. People are born — people die. Nations rise — nations fall. But the Word of God stands forever.
And — now — we turn to what we’re to do — what the people of God are to do — until the day of Christ’s return. We’re in verse 32.
““But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”” (Mark 13:32-37 ESV)
What are we to do until Christ returns? We’re to be on guard and stay awake.
Have you ever hit the snooze button — on your alarm or phone — thinking, “I’ll just close my eyes for a few more minutes” — only to have fallen asleep again for much longer than you planned? Or had that moment where you wake up in a panic realizing that you didn’t hit snooze — but turned the alarm off — and had to rush out the door to get to class or to work — hoping nobody would notice how late you were running or that morning breath you were sporting with unbrushed teeth?
Often — the consequences of running late — like this — are inconsequential. But — if you do it often enough — you can end up losing your job or failing a class. But what are the consequences for not being on guard and staying awake so you’re ready for the return of Christ? Have you even thought about the consequences? Surely Jesus’ words to us are not something we should hit the snooze button on, right? Yet, that’s exactly what many have done. But being on guard and staying awake are commands — given by Christ — to us. This is the “what we’re supposed to do” part of our verses. And do you know what the deliberate breaking of these commands is called? Sin. Sin that needs to be repented of. Do you know what the unintentional breaking of these commands is called? Sin. Sin that also needs to be repented of.
So — for all of us — we need to wake up! None of us knows when Christ will return — history’s shown us that we’re all incapable of predicting his return correctly — and there's a good reason for this. Only the Father knows when Christ will return.
And — this not knowing — when Christ will return — isn’t meant to create a sense of apathy or laziness among us — it’s meant to wake us up! Because it’s too easy to live as if there’s still plenty of time before Christ will return. Time to share the gospel with our family members, neighbors, co-workers, and friends. It’s easy to believe that we can do what we want to now — with our time — because there’ll always be more time — in the future — to obey Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations.
But when you’re the doorkeeper — as Jesus describes — waiting for your master to return home — you don’t fall asleep on duty. You stay awake. You remain diligent. You keep watch. You remain faithful. And you know that any extra time is mercy from our Savior. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate to him our faithfulness. It’s not time to be wasted. Why? For we know why the day of Christ’s return isn’t yet upon us — we know why we’ve been given more time.
As Peter tells us, “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. 11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. 15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.” (2 Peter 3:8-15a NLT)
Be on guard — stay awake — make the most of the time — this is how we’re to live until Christ returns. Until that day is here — we’re to live holy and godly lives — looking forward to the day when Christ will descend to earth on the clouds. And — though the heavens and earth will pass away — God’s Word will endure as we experience his promises to us fulfilled. A new heavens and a new earth — a world filled with God’s righteousness — a world without sin. And — until that day — remember that God is being patient with all people — including us — so that others have time to be saved. God is being patient so that we — his people — have time to proclaim the gospel to the nations — so more people might call upon the name of the Lord — our Lord who is promised to return. Call upon his name and be saved. Make the most of the time we’ve been given so others might be saved. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the time you’ve given to us — a tangible expression of your patience with us and with all people. For you are being patient with us so that others might be saved.
Spirit of God, help us to make the most of the time. Remind us to be on guard and alert and awake — using our time wisely for your glory and the eternal good of others.
And — Jesus — we thank you for giving your life — in love — on our behalf. You made the most of every second of every minute of every day that you walked here on earth. And — you did so — so we might be saved by turning to you in faith. May we follow in your footsteps — making the most of every second of every minute of every day so others might be saved by turning to you in faith. And — Jesus — I pray that right now — this moment — today would be that day for some who are listening to my voice. May they turn to you in faith — trusting in you for salvation. In your name we pray. Amen.
As we turn to the Lord’s Table, we’re reminded again of the return of Christ. For this is a meal demonstrating to us how God has loved us in the life, death, and resurrection of his Son, Jesus — the hope we hold fast to until our Savior returns.
On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:24b-26 (ESV))
And with these words we’re commanded to eat this bread and to drink this cup in true faith and in the confident hope of his return in glory. In this meal, God graciously declares to us that our sins have been completely forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (Adapted from the Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 75, 80)
At this time, I’d like to invite forward those who are going to be serving us. And — as they come forward — let’s pray.
Father, we give you thanks for your Son, Jesus. For his obedience and suffering during his life on earth, and for his giving up of his body and blood on the cross. Give us assurance that our sins are pardoned through his blood and may your perfect love drive out all fear. Fill our minds with your peace and turn our eyes to Heaven, where Christ is at your right hand interceding for us. Unite us with each other through your Spirit so — together — we serve you until our Savior returns. Amen.
As the bread and cup are passed down the rows, take the bread on your own — but save the cup. In the tray — with the bread — there is a gluten free wafer option in the center of the trays. Eat the bread on your own — but save the cup — which we’ll all drink together.
Take — drink — Christ’s blood shed for you. The grace of God for you.
Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, in your wisdom, you’ve made all things and you sustain them by your power. You formed us in your image, setting us in this world to love and serve you, and to live in peace with one another. When we rebelled against you — refusing to trust and obey you — you did not reject us, but claimed us as your own.
Then — in the fullness of time — out of your great love for us — you sent your only Son to be one of us, to redeem us, to heal our brokenness, to cleanse us from our sin, and to defeat our greatest enemies of Satan, sin, death, and Hell so that we might have hope until our Savior returns. And in response to these great truths we now praise you in song together. Amen.
May you go — making the most of the time — as you look forward to the day of Christ’s return. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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