↓ Our Savior Lutheran Church, Grants Pass, OR
↓ Faith Lutheran Church, Medford OR
“Enduring to the END”
TEXT: St. Mark 13:1-13 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His
disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what
buildings are here!” 2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see
these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall
not be thrown down.” 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the
temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us,
when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things
will be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed
that no one deceives you. 6 “For many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am
He,’ and will deceive many. 7 “But when you hear of wars and rumors of
wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not
yet. 8 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines
and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. 9 “But watch out for
yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten
in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake,
for a testimony to them. 10 “And the Gospel must first be preached to all the
nations. 11 “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry
beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you
in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12
“Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and
children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to
the end shall be saved.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN The Final Countdown, the Last Three
Sundays of the Church Year, the last days. Our thoughts turn to
eschatology, words about The End. Today’s readings all deal with the end,
each in their own way.
DURING HOLY WEEK Jesus and His disciples were exiting the
Temple. It was early in what we call HOLY WEEK – the week leading up to
Jesus’ death and Resurrection, and the disciples are playing a bit of the
tourist. “Teacher, look at those massive stones! What majestic buildings!”
IMPRESSIVE TEMPLE Herod’s Temple was an impressive sight. It
was one of the wonders of the ancient world. 46 years in the RE-building,
it was Herod’s attempt to buy the affections of the Jews. As much as the
people hated Herod, they were proud of their Temple. Yet Jesus wasn’t
impressed. It was going to undergo God’s shake test, and it won’t survive.
“Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Thirty years later, it actually happened, just as Jesus said. The Roman
army invaded Jerusalem and completely destroyed the Temple. The only
part that survived was/is a small portion of the temple’s wall, known today
as the “Wailing Wall.” [Otherwise] Not one stone left standing on another.
WHEN & HOW WILL THIS HAPPEN The disciples were shaken, as any
Jew of Jesus day would have been. The Temple was the center of their
religion. It was God’s dwelling place. How could God let something like
that happen to His House? Later, while sitting on the Mount of Olives,
overlooking the temple grounds, they asked Jesus. When will these things
happen? What is the sign that they are about to be fulfilled? Will it happen
in our lifetimes? Will there be a signal, a warning? Jesus never tells them
“when.” And the sign He gives is not to satisfy their curiosity or fascination.
WE TOO… We too are consummate End Times
“junkies.” We want signs. We want to know when so we can “pencil it on
our calendars.” The End of the world. Wouldn’t it be nice to know? Or
WOULD it? Jesus knows better than to tell us. Still, He doesn’t leave us
without warning or without a promise.
FALSE…EVERYTHINGS “Watch out that no one deceives you.” Don’t
take it for granted that you can’t be fooled; watch out. The devil’s a lot
trickier than we think he is. The religious world will be a sign: false
christ’s, false religions, false gospels which are really not the Good News
at all. We have them today, pseudo-christs and pseudo-saviors, alternatives
to Jesus, religious gurus who claim to put you in touch with God, some
even sporting healings or miracles, or at least predictions [of the End] to
make the point. But they don’t point to Jesus’ Cross and Resurrection, to
His Body and His Blood, to His Baptism, and Word of forgiveness. The old
heresies are alive and kicking, there’s nothing really new under the sun.
ONLY !1! But, Don’t be deceived. There is only one Jesus Who died
on a Cross for you, and He’s the One and Only. He’s All the Jesus you
need. [END] SIGNS:
The political world serves a sign – wars, rumors of war, nation against
nation, kingdom against kingdom. Ukraine-Russia. Israel-Hamas. Just as
peace is established in one part of the world, war breaks out in another.
The natural world serves as a sign – earthquakes in various places,
famines, natural disasters. As Paul says in Romans, the entire creation
groans under the burden of our sin, waiting expectantly for our
Resurrection, the redemption of our bodies. You can expect it.
HIS NEW PERSPECTIVE Jesus isn’t trying to shake up His disciples,
or cause them to doubt or despair. He’s giving them a way to look at things
and to interpret what’s happening in the world from His perspective. All the
wars, rumors of war, earthquakes, famines – all the deaths of this world
Jesus calls “the birth pangs,” the labor contractions of the new creation.
Just as giving birth is painful and often difficult, so is the coming of the new
creation. It involves dying and rising – the Death and Resurrection of Jesus
Himself, … and also your own death and resurrection.
GET READY 4 TROUBLE Jesus prepared His disciples for the
trouble that lay ahead. He knew that His own victory over sin and death
would bring opposition. His disciples would be considered heretics by the
religious world that prefers to deal with God on its own terms. They would
be tried in the religious courts and banished from their own houses of
worship, the synagogues they grew up in. The government would be used
against them. They would be hauled before kings and princes to testify. Yet
Jesus assures them they would be equipped for the challenge. “Don’t worry
what you’re going to say. Just speak what you are given by the Spirit.”
PAUL BOLDLY ENDURED Think of the apostle Paul in the book of Acts,
hauled before the religious high court, tried before governors and kings, and
no matter where he went, no matter what the circumstances, he still
preached Christ, … all the way to his own martyr’s death.
YOU WILL BE BETRAYED Jesus warned His disciples they would be
betrayed, even by those closest to them. Brother would betray believing
brother; children would betray confessing parents, even to their death. It
happened in the First Century. It happens today in our Twenty-first Century
wherever Christians are persecuted for the Name of Jesus.
B. ALERT. DON’T DESPAIR Jesus is not telling His disciples these things
to terrify them or to discourage them. He’s preparing them, and us, to be
alert to the times in which we live. Live with eyes and ears open to the signs
of His coming. And He re-assures them with the sure Hope of the Gospel.
TAKE HEART. YOUR NAME… St. Paul wrote of the coming of Christ in
the clouds to raise the dead and gather His believers. This comes at a time
of great distress, unparalleled in the history of the world. Yet there is this
promise: “Everyone whose name is found written in the book, will be
delivered.” All who are in Christ, the Book of Life, will be saved. Those
who are wise, that is, those who trust in the promise of God in Jesus, will
shine like the brightness of the Heavens.
UNSHAKEN- Hebrews [ch.12:26-29] tells us that though the whole cosmos
will be shaken by the Voice of God like it has never been shaken before, yet
we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, a Kingdom ruled
over by Christ crucified and risen, a Kingdom in which sin, death, and hell
are no more. That is as unshakeably yours as Jesus is unshakeably risen.
JESUS PROMISES Jesus says, “He who endures to the end will be
saved.” That’s a promise from Him Whose Word is sure and true. He won’t
ever fail you or abandon you or go back on His word to you. You have the
sure and certain signs from God Himself. You are Baptized, the testimony
from God that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. You have
Christ’s Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper, which you take with you to
the end of your days. You have His Word and promise of forgiveness, that
in the death of Jesus your sins are covered, and God is at peace with you.
HOPE The last days are not days for panic, anxiety, or uncertainty. They
are days for alertness, readiness, watchfulness, longing, hopefulness and
patient endurance. Yes, there will be hardship, pain, difficulty but these are
only the birth pangs of a new creation that has already come in Christ.
“He who endures to the end, will be saved.” You have Jesus’ promise. Trust
Him to the End, because He is faithful. And so we pray with the whole
church and all the Saints, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” IJ’N, Amen.