Those must have been frightening words to hear from their Lord. It’s Jesus’ warning of the coming storm that would return over and over and over again until he returned. Wars have NEVER ceased, persecution has continued, rebellion is still going on.
Much of what Jesus told his disciples would take place in a matter of fifty years. There was a rebellion of the Jews against the Romans and so in 70 AD, Jerusalem was besieged by Titus. They surrounded the city and those inside suffered terrible famine. Jewish historian Josephus was an eyewitness to those times and wrote that parents were stealing food from children, brothers from sisters, neighbors from each other. Those who didn’t die from hunger tried to desert to the Romans only to be arrested, beaten, and crucified. Finally, the Romans were able to destroy the walls of the city and rampage the temple. Not a single stone of the original temple stood after their destruction. It was a horrible horrible time!
And yet, what happened in 70 AD is only a foretaste of the end times. Many times in history we have seen similar atrocities – in Nazi Germany, in Cambodia, Russia, China, and on and on. Jesus said in verse 8: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” Did you hear that? The BEGINNING. We might be complaining now, but things are not going to get better.
Now my purpose this morning in preaching from this text is not to look for the signs of the end times. We could certainly do that and look at many passages to guide us but I simply don’t believe that would be edifying for us this morning. What we need to hear is how to SURVIVE during these end days. What should we do? How can we make it? How can we keep from despairing and living in fear? We must turn to the Words of Jesus!
Winter is coming in Minnesota and you know what that means. Bitter cold – maybe twenty below zero. Possibly lots of snow, drifts, shorter days and longer nights. Many of us take road trips during Christmas to see family and friends and we are warned to be prepared when out on the roads. Pack a blanket, a shovel, a candle, flashlight, extra food, etc. We prepare a survival kit so that if we get caught in a blizzard, we can be safe.
Well, the Lord is telling his people here in the Gospel that a blizzard is coming and we better pack a survival kit or we will be in big trouble! We may not survive! Jesus gives us four elements of that survival kit in Mark 13. What are they? [show a literal survival kit prepared with large label. Inside are the elements of each point. The box is opened and each is revealed at the right moment.]
First of all, BINOCULARS – so that you watch what is going on. Verse 5: “Jesus said to them: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many.’” Verse 9: “You must be on your guard.” Verse 22-23: “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect-- if that were possible. So be on your guard;” Again in verse 33: “Be on guard – keep awake!”
The exact same word is used in all these verses – it’s from the word “to see.” (blepete) We must keep our eyes open and see what’s going on around us. Don’t ignore the facts and all that is being said and done around us. The easiest thing to do is to get comfortable and sleep our spiritual lives away resting in all our accomplishments when we should be resting in the completed work of Christ.
Why must we be on the alert? Because if not, we can be deceived and led astray. There are many false teachers who even perform miracles to prove their godliness and if we’re not alert, we will fall for it.
What does it practically mean to be alert? To not sleep through sermons? To watch the news every night and take notes? To read magazines and publications about corruption in the church? These are all good things but the most important way that we stay alert and on the watch is by being people who read and study and are drenched with the Word of God. The Scripture must be our standard for reality, for truth, for what is right and wrong. The moment that we are drawn to a new book, a new teaching, a new movement that departs from scripture is the moment our alert system is down.
Pastor David Barnhardt writes about one of these crafty teachings: “A full-page ad on the back cover of a national periodical stated: ‘Ever feel Jesus has been kidnapped by the Christian right?’ Then in letters an inch and a half high is the title of a course called ‘SAVING JESUS.’ The ad claims the course is taught by ‘leading religious voices of our day.’…After reviewing the contents of the course, one can only conclude if these leading voices from several mainline denominations are leading people anywhere, it is straight into hell.”
This is just one reason to stay awake and stay close to the Word – how else would we know what is true and false? Don’t ever put down the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God! Stay awake and stay aware!
The second piece of our survival kit: A PASSPORT AND WORLD ATLAS – it’s a reminder to continually share the gospel in all the nations. Verse 10: “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” We will be persecuted, arrested, slandered, and mistreated. But Jesus encourages us that the gospel message will still go out. The enemy may try to limit its message and wipe it out completely but he will not be able to do so.
We need to keep our main objective at the forefront of our church and our families. What is our purpose as a church and as families and as individuals? To be a light, to be a testimony in this world of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our goal is NOT simply survival. We’re not to hunker down in some bomb shelter and ride out the end-times storm. This would be tragic. We have a mission!
At present there are 7 billion people on this planet. Based on the statistics given by the International Mission Board, 750 million people have heard and believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Basically that means that 11 people out of 100 confess Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. On the other side of the coin, it also means that more than 6 billion people face a future in hell! (And these are just those still living.) Do you see the urgency? Do you see the great need for missions and evangelism today? At the same time 200,000 people in Saudi Arabia downloaded the Bible from the internet last year. There is an open door!
Where do those nations begin? With the people in your home, living next door, our co-workers, towns, and cities going all the way to foreign countries. Some of us went to Poland to share the gospel this year – but that’s not the only time to share the gospel. It’s our attitude, our words, our testimony from day to day. Share the love of Jesus right now!
The third part of our survival kit as found in Mark 13 is a CELL PHONE in order to receive last minute messages in time of trouble – it’s a reminder to listen to the prompting of God’s Spirit instead of listening to the fear and worry. Jesus says this in verse 11: “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”
There will be moments when it looks like everything is crashing down on you. Maybe you’ve already had one of those moments. But just as believers were arrested in the book of Acts, so too will we be arrested in the days ahead of us. That’s not a nice thing to think about.
But the amazing thing about that coming storm is Jesus’ promise: he will use it for his glory! We need not fear, worry, or dread what will happen. God will anoint us and give us words that we couldn’t imagine speaking! He will call it in and give us amazing words that are perfect for the situation.
To Dinh Trung was arrested more than 25 times for preaching the gospel in rural Vietnam. During his 24th imprisonment, in 1991, he was deprived of food for 12 days.
He said: “In prison, I worshipped the Lord a lot, praying and singing in a room by myself. My room was the prison toilet.” After 12 days, village authorities dragged Trung before a people’s court. “I became bold and grabbed the microphone,” he said. “I said, ‘for the Lord’s sake, because of his name, I am willing to die.’ The police grabbed the microphone back, exclaiming, ‘Once again, you want to preach the gospel.”
The next time Trung was arrested, he spent three years in prison. While in prison he helped lead many prisoners to Christ. One day, prison officials offered to release Trung early, but Trung surprised them by replying, “I demand my right to complete my prison sentence.” He wanted to spend more time leading prisoners to Christ and teaching new converts.
We may have a hard time imagining this happening here, but the days are coming and we need not fear. Trust the leading every day of God’s Holy Spirit. He will not fail you!
A fourth part of this survival pack – A BIBLE - stand firm to the end. Verse 13:“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
I dread reading this verse because I like being liked. I don’t know anyone who enjoys rejection. Many people will do almost anything to be liked by the people around them. But the enemy hates God and hates his followers.
The Lord tells us that our survival does NOT depend on being liked and popular; well loved by the crowd – but it’s in standing firm with the Lord and his Word and that will always cause conflict. But the Lord God will give us his courage and strength.
Let me take you back almost 500 years to Worms, Germany. Martin Luther was taken before a council which included the Emperor Charles V, along with all the politically powerful of Germany and of the church. Before them was a table piled high with books. Luther was brought before the council and asked two questions: Had he written these books and would he now choose to recant what he believed in? The next day Luther returned and responded: “Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds and reasoning – and my conscience is captive to the Word of God – then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen.”
We too may be asked someday to renounce our faith and we too must say: “Here I stand!”
Remember the parable Jesus told of the man who built his house on the sand? The storm came and the water undermined his home and he was swept away into destruction. That is the picture of life today that has no foundation on the Word of God – instead the foundation is whatever the culture says is right and wrong. (Mt. 7:24-29)
But the man who built his house on the rock was safe and secure when the wind and waves rose. Yes, those who build their foundation on the truth of Scripture will stand the test of time and the last days. Stand on the Gospel of Jesus Christ: saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and him alone. Stand on the moral standard that only come from the Bible. This is our foundation. Stand firm!
Are you ready? There are many other items in this survival kit, love and forgiveness, unity with other believers, resistance to temptation. But Jesus especially focused on these four because these are vital: Watching. Proclaiming. Listening. Standing firm. If you have these, you will survive and thrive in the end days!
