I hope you have been learning much and thrilled about learning from the Gospel of Mark as I have been. Praise God for this Gospel. There is so much to learn and I pray you are as challenged and determined as I am to follow our Lord Jesus Christ more and more. We are now in Mark 13; as we will note, it is another one of those chapters packed with truths, promises, warnings, and love from our Creator, Savior and Lord Jesus Christ!
Please open your bibles to Mark 13. We will read the whole chapter, outline it, then in the next weeks learn in more detail what God is saying in specific passages. Read along with me Mark 13….
May I suggest this outline which I made an insert in the bulletin today. Read along with me the highlights of the Chapter to grasp the full picture of what our Lord is trying to say all his disciples…..
Today, I would like us to focus of the first 3 verses of Mark 13. What would you say is significant about the truths in Mark 13:1-2??
There’s man’s view of the world and there is God’s view of the world.
v1-2: Man’s view is usually opposite God’s view!
The disciples marveled at the large stones and manmade buildings! And did you note, The disciples even tried to get God Jesus Christ excited about the physical things and manmade creations!
Jesus noted how easily the physical things can collapse.
Let’s take a closer look at the details and get an idea of what Jesus was trying to say.
1. Where were Jesus and the disciples at that time??
– by the Holy Temple in Jerusalem!
What can we say about Jerusalem at that time??
Jerusalem at the time of Jesus was a Metropolitan city, rich, busy, and much influenced by the world, especially the Great Roman Empire!
What can we say about the Temple? Show picture
The Temple during Jesus’ time was the 2nd Temple and renovated lavishly by King Herod! But a 2nd Temple was built around 538BC as described in the Book of Ezra.
The 1st temple replaced the Tabernacle in the Dessert in which God met with His people!
That 1st Temple was built by rich King Solomon but later destroyed by the Egyptians.
The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD, thus fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy!
Only a wall remains TODAY but will be built again someday to fulfill God’s Plan! (more about the abomination in v14 in a few weeks)
2. Why did the disciples marveled at the large stones and great buildings??
The disciples were proud and amazed at man’s capabilities!
And so in Mark 13:2,
3. Jesus states that man’s capabilities will fail and physical amazements are temporary!
Let us note what happened in v3: Why do you think some of the disciples asked for a schedule??
2 possibilities:
a. They knew Old Testament prophecies and were excited about what was going to happen!
b. They wanted to know if it was going to mess up their own schedule!
Let us pause here for now and follow up with Jesus’ response next week.
What is the main Biblical Principle from v1-3? Be careful in being amazed with man’s capabilities and creation and always consider God’s view and schedule!
Does God’s schedule drive our life schedules or do we live our own personal schedules and then somehow try to drive God into it?
And here are life application thoughts for us:
1. What are the 2 possibilities about our lives in God’s hand in the future??
- We can physically die at anytime and face God!
- We can be taken to heaven instantly in the “Rapture”!
And so,
2. As I am living my life, am I considering God’s future plans for me?
This applies personally as well as how we relate to people!
What are some practical examples of this??
