Christ the King Sunday

November 24, 2024

Mark 13:26-37

Live Like You’ll Live Forever—

Live With Your Eyes on the Skies!

26“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

32“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” (NIV1984)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As some of you know, I am not always a patient person. The good Lord has been trying to teach me to be more patient for— well, let’s just say that it has been quite a long time now. While I am more patient than I used to be, I still have a ways to go!

When you stop to think about it, patience is something we start learning when we are very young. A young child may go up to their parent who is making dinner and ask if they can have a cookie. The parent will usually look at them and say, “Wait until after dinner.” An older child may ask if they can get a new computer game and they might be told, “Wait until your birthday” or “Wait until Christmas and we’ll see.” Even as adults there are things we have to patiently wait for— such as a new car or a new house or a new job.

As difficult as waiting can be keeping our eyes on the prize, so to speak, helps us to be patient when we have something specific that we are waiting for. When we have our “eyes on the prize” we don’t want anything to distract us and perhaps prevent us from attaining that “prize.”

As we close out yet another church year our focus is directed to the ultimate “prize”— eternal life with Jesus in His Kingdom. With that “prize” clearly in focus let’s close out our sermon series entitled Live Like You’ll Live Forever by listening to our Savior as He says to us: Live With Your Eyes on the Skies!

Our text for this morning takes place as Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem for what would be our Lord’s last Passover celebration. In the verses preceding our text we’re told that as Jesus and His disciples were leaving the Temple, one of the disciples said to Jesus, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” (Mark 13:1). This reminds us that the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem was a beautiful and magnificent architectural achievement. God’s people took great pride in the Temple. It stood as the central place of worship for all of God’s people. It was here that God’s people offered their sacrifices and their prayers to their God. It was here that God made His dwelling with His people.

Do you remember how Jesus responded to this exclamation of awe by one of His disciples? Jesus used this opportunity to talk to His disciples about the end times. He revealed that in the not-too-distance future their beloved Temple would be destroyed— to the extent that “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Mark 13:2). This prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman legions marched in to quell a rebellion by completely destroying both Jerusalem and the Temple. Jesus then used the destruction of Jerusalem as a picture of what would happen to the world in the times that would precede the Last Day— Judgment Day.

All of this prompted Peter, James, John and Andrew to privately ask Jesus, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” (Mark 13:4). This is when Jesus talked about false Christs and false prophets, wars and rumors of war, natural disasters and religious persecution. After detailing sign after sign after sign— all of which are designed to lead people to prepare for the end of all things— Jesus tells His disciples, “But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’”

As dreadful as this sounds, as the children of God who know that we will live forever we have absolutely nothing to fear! Why? Because this will be the day that Jesus of Nazareth will be openly revealed to everyone as Christ the King! That glorious truth is brought out very clearly when Jesus goes on to say in the opening portion of our text, “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” In Jesus’ account of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31ff) our Lord reveals that when He returns to this earth He will be “seated on his throne in heavenly glory” and surrounded by all the hosts of heaven.

We might envision that for the unbelievers their reaction to Jesus’ royal return to this earth will be to try and tell themselves, “This can’t be the One we rejected. We rejected a carpenter who had delusions of grandeur. We rejected a Rabbi who let things get out of control and got Himself crucified.” We might envision others saying, “We pictured Him as a humble person who meant well but ultimately failed, a great religious teacher like the prophets of old— but that’s it.” Their words will ring hollow, and they will be overwhelmed with terror as soon as they see that Jesus of Nazareth is who He always claimed to be— Christ the King!

For us the sudden appearance of our King coming down from heaven “seated on his throne in heavenly glory” and surrounded by thousands upon thousands, ten thousand times ten thousand holy angels will instantly overwhelm us with joy and with pride! In that instant Christ our King will remove all doubt. In that instant Christ our King will fulfill all our hopes. In that instant Christ our King will be the visible answer to all of our prayers!

The first official act of Christ our King will be to send His holy angels all across the world to “gather his elect.” In Matthew’s Gospel Christ the King tells us that when He sends His angels to “harvest” the world, “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left” (Matthew 24:40). Luke adds, “Two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left” (Luke 17:34). Contrary to what some people want to believe this is not some imaginary “rapture” that they have manufactured in their mind. This is Christ the King separating all people into two groups— the sheep and the goats. This is Christ the King “sitting on his throne in heavenly glory” preparing to publicly announce the eternal destiny of all people. To those who have believed in Him as their Savior, to those who recognized Him as Christ the King He will says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). To those who rejected Him as their Savior, to those who refused to acknowledge Him as Christ the King, He will say, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). And since Jesus is Christ the King, since Jesus has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18), no one will be able to challenge His royal decree!

Since Peter, James, John and Andrew had specifically asked Jesus, “When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled? Jesus goes on in our text to help His disciples visualize the need for them to always be prepared for Him to visibly return to this earth as Christ the King. He does this by calling their attention to a familiar sight from everyday life. Look at verses twenty-eight to thirty-one of our text. We read, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

No one had to explain to the disciples that when the fig trees begin to bud that is the sign that summer is right around the corner. It’s kind of like no one has to explain to us that when the rains come back that’s our sign that winter has arrived! The “signs” that Jesus had just revealed to His disciples— false Christs and false teachers, wars and rumors of war, natural disasters and the persecution of God’s children— these are all “signs” that are designed to put us on notice: Christ the King will most certainly return to this world! Do people recognize these as “signs” from God? Do you recognize these as “signs” from God? Whether it’s the war between Russia and Ukraine or the political posturing between the United States and China, whether it’s the false teachers who have infected the church with things that directly contradict the Bible or the people who try to convince you that it doesn’t really make any difference what a person believes as long as they believe something, whether it’s the people who openly ridicule you for standing up for God’s Truth or the people who silently reject you because you are too “old fashioned,” or too “out of touch” with the way our modern society has “progressed,” these are all “signs” that we would do well to take to heart because these are “signs” that Christ the King is returning to this earth!

There is one verse here that may have left you puzzled. What did Jesus mean when He said, “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened”? Is Jesus referring to the people who were alive at the same time as the disciples? If this is what Jesus meant then He may have had the destruction of Jerusalem in mind. Since the word that is translated as “generation” can also be translated as “race,” Jesus could have been talking about the Jewish “race.” Think about it. Many of the different people who lived in Jesus’ day— such as the Samaritans and the Canaanites—no longer exist, but the Jewish “race” has continued and will continue to the end of time. Perhaps the most plausible explanation centers on the fact that the word that is translated here as “generation” can also refer to people who have something in common. If that is what Jesus has in mind then He would be referring to the people whose common denominator is their hatred and their rejection of Jesus as this world’s only Savior from sin, their hatred and their rejection of Jesus as Christ the King. Until the very end of time there will always be people who hate and reject our dear Lord and Savior. And yet, no matter how you want to understand Jesus’ words there is no debate when it comes to His words, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Just as Jesus tried to help His disciples visualize the need for them to always be prepared for Him to visibly return to this earth as Christ the King, so also Jesus tried to help His disciples realize what they are to do as they are patiently waiting for Him to visibly return to this earth as Christ the King. Look at verses thirty-two to thirty-seven of our text. We’re told, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back— whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.”

Once again we come face-to-face with a passage that all too many people all too often misunderstand and misapply. How can Jesus say that He does not know when the end of the world will come? Is this “proof” that Jesus does not claim to be true God? Not at all! Here is where we need to understand the distinction between Jesus’ State of Humiliation and His Sate of Exaltation. During His State of Humiliation, that is, during the time from His conception and birth to His death and burial, Jesus had willing “set aside” the full use of His divine power, majesty and glory. During His State of Humiliation Jesus could say that He did not know when Judgment Day will arrive. During His State of Humiliation Jesus could also say, “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). Now during His State of Exaltation— which starts with His descent into hell and continues on through His sitting at the right hand of the Father and into all of eternity, in His State of Exaltation Jesus “took back” the full use of His divine power, majesty and glory. In His State of Exaltation Jesus knows all things at all times— including when He will visibly return to this earth as Christ the King!

With that being said, did you notice how Jesus helped His disciples— including us!— realize what we are to be doing while we patiently wait for Jesus to return to this earth as Christ the King? Our King has given to each and every one of us an “assigned task.” In other words, our King has given us work to do for Him in His Kingdom— work that He expects us to carry out to the very best of our ability!

What “assigned task” has your King given to you? Have you been given the “task” of helping to lead His congregation? Have you been given the “task” of teaching His Word to others— whether children or adults? Have you been given the “task” of encouraging your brothers and sisters in the faith? Have you been given the “task” of reaching out to others so that more people will know Who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for them? (Pointing to the cross) Have you been given the “task” of helping to maintain the church and property our King has given to us? Have you been given the “task” of supporting God’s church with your offerings and with your prayers? Whatever “assigned task” your King has given to you— strive to make sure that when your King returns He does not find you “sleeping.”

Patience. The need for patience is implied in all three of our Scripture readings for today. In our Old Testament reading the Lord’s prophet said to the Lord’s people, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens” (Isaiah 51:6). In our Epistle reading for today Jude encouraged his fellow believers, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (Jude 21). And here in our Gospel lesson Jesus says to His disciples, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

May God grant that as people who know that we will live forever, as people who know that Jesus will most certainly return to this earth as Christ the King we will patiently take to heart all three of these encouragements and live with our eyes to the skies!

To God be the glory!

Amen