The Things That Are Coming – part 2
078 The Things That Are Coming – part 2
Mark 13:1-37 (1-2)
October 18, 2026
We began looking at this section this morning.
It is Mark’s version of “The Olivet Discourse”.
· Certainly Matthew gives us more details regarding this conversation, as he definitely set his focus on “the end”.
But through Mark the Holy Spirit is more concerned
With how we live in view of that end.
If we read this chapter with the expectation
Of gaining a blueprint of the end times,
We are likely to be disappointed and even confused.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IS WHAT IS CLEAR.
What we are looking for is what is the obvious point.
And that is not difficult to spot.
The chapter is NOT focused on answering the question of the disciples which was “when” will it come?
The chapter IS focused on encouraging Christ’s followers of how to be faithful “whenever” it comes.
Faithfulness to Christ in a world headed for judgment is the theme
That is what we will learn over the next few weeks.
I told you that the entire chapter can be broken into 4 main headings.
We started the first one this morning.
#1 THE OBSERVATION
Mark 13:1-2
The chief point we gained is that the disciples and Jesus
Had very differing opinions regarding the greatness of the temple.
The disciples were mesmerized
At the enormity of what man could accomplish.
(1) “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”
They saw the temple as a testimony
To the remarkable accomplishments of human achievement and ability.
Who knew men could make such things?
Who knew men could move such stones?
I suppose that each of us has had moments such as that.
· I can remember being pretty amazed while walking through the Hoover Dam.
· I was pretty amazed while standing on the Great Wall of China.
· But I was also pretty amazed watching that crew erect the bus barn.
It can be remarkable what man can accomplish.
But what we immediately recognized is that JESUS WAS NOT impressed.
He did not see the temple as a testimony to the greatness of human ability.
To Jesus the temple was a testimony
To the failure of human ability.
All that labor, all those sacrifices, all those feasts, all those ordinances,
And man was not one inch closer to God than when they started.
We saw the PARALLELS THROUGHOUT HISTORY
Of how man’s ability and works have NEVER BEEN IMPRESSIVE to God.
Instead of marveling at this temple, Jesus has had enough of it.
(2) “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
· Jesus didn’t marvel.
· Jesus pronounced judgment.
· And it is a judgment which would be literally fulfilled in less than 40 years.
WE RAN OUT OF TIME THIS MORNING WHILE DISCUSSING THIS,
But it is worthwhile tonight to return for some further observation.
If Jesus is not impressed with the human accomplishment
Perhaps we should not be either.
And I want to do something a little more personal tonight
Than we normally do.
I’m going to go a little OFF SCRIPT just to address an issue
That remains at the forefront of my heart.
You were probably all here last Sunday morning at Disciple Now,
And I got a little overcome with emotion.
NOW, FIRST OF ALL,
That was not my intention,
· Honestly I still don’t know how I feel about it.
· I’ve spent time praying about it and asking the Lord to examine my heart.
· But what I’ve found over the course of this week is that I’m still pretty angry.
I HESITATE to equate it to a “Jeremiah style: Fire in my bones”
But there is a definite frustration that remains.
While I am not trying to defend or justify my frustration,
I do think I see some of the same frustration here in the Lord.
He is not impressed by human achievement.
He laments it.
· He wept over that temple.
· He entered and examined that temple.
· He then cleared out that temple.
· He then confronted the teaching in that temple.
· And then He pronounced judgment on that temple.
WHAT FRUSTRATED ME AT DISCIPLE NOW
Is how apparent it has become to me that
We have an entire generation of young people
Who are being led down the wrong path.
And I am convicted that the church is complicit in it.
I stood and preached to somewhere around 55 youth at D-Now.
· It was about a 50/50 split regarding whether those kids were churched or
unchurched.
· Not all of them go here, but a good many of them go to church regularly.
· A lot of them are related to many of us; either children or grandchildren or
cousins, etc.
And I was burdened at how little care there was for Christ as a whole.
(That’s not to say there were none who cared, but the general consensus was obvious)
THAT ALONE IS FRUSTRATING.
When you speak to teenagers who can’t answer a single question,
Not because they’re dumb, but because they are “checking out”.
That’s frustrating.
And, as the video we showed pointed out, I am forced to wonder why?
· What are we teaching them?
· What are we reinforcing in them?
· What are we encouraging in them?
I think this is especially problematic in a small community
Where our schools are such an integral part of our identity.
Our community sends a clear message to young people
That nothing is more important
Than their ability to perform athletically.
I originally wrote “that few things are more important”, but that is inaccurate.
Our communities reinforce that nothing is more important.
Our communities pack out stadiums and line cross country courses
· In order to praise and encourage athletic success.
Coaches are given full authority to totally dictate our lives.
· They can have practice whenever they want, as long as they want,
· Our kids are forced to be there and to do their best without grumbling.
We tell ourselves that we do it because this is
“Teaching them discipline and molding them into useful human beings who know how to work hard and finish what they start.”
But even if that is true it is disheartening
For all that represents is human achievement.
But even without judging every individual motive,
The message that our communities send to teenagers is obvious.
Put yourself in their shoes
IF YOU WERE A TEENAGER, what would you think was the most important thing to do with your life?
· If the community is going to turn out to cheer every time you put on a jersey…
· If the community is going to pat you on the back after every game…
· If they are going to hold banquets in your honor…
· If they are going to order rings and hold ceremonies to give them to you…
· If you are going to get newspaper articles written about you…
· If you are going to get Facebook posts about it…
It’s no wonder our kids are confused about what matters.
But again, we can’t blame a secular community filled with lost people
For elevating such non-essential things.
WHAT ELSE WOULD THEY ELEVATE?
THE CONCERN FOR ME
Is whether or not we as a church
Are at all countering that message.
I’M NOT asking parents to pull their kids our of extracurricular activities,
· I’d be a hypocrite if I did, for my kids have all participated.
I’M NOT asking parents not to cheer their kids on when they do compete.
· Again, I’d be a hypocrite if I asked such things.
BUT I DO WONDER WHERE THE BALANCE IS.
I do wonder if we are rightly elevating the right message over the wrong one.
I do wonder if we are a little like the disciples and are mesmerized by the wrong things.
I do wonder if we are too quick to cheer and applaud something that is not worth being cheered and applauded.
AND I WONDER IF
We have failed to promote a proper perspective on all things.
MAYBE I’LL STATE IT A LITTLE CLEARER.
· When is the last time we patted a kid on the back for walking in brotherly love?
· When is the last time we encouraged a kid on his walk with Christ?
· When is the last time we asked them about their love for Jesus?
We are not going to keep the world from cheering in the stadium,
But when is the last time the church ever countered that message
By encouraging them to strive for Christ?
I just think the church here needs to develop a little more focus.
Certainly with our own kids,
But also with those of our community.
Tonight I want to address the heart of that.
I’m NOT going to give you anything practical here.
What I want to talk about more is our FOCUS.
Clearly here in Mark 13
The disciples were not rightly discerning what they were seeing.
They were impressed with something that was not impressive.
Their heart and the heart of Christ were not on the same page.
They were amazed, Jesus was frustrated.
I just want to make sure that I’m walking step and step with Jesus
And not with the world.
So, we’re going to put in pin in Mark 13 for a moment
And TONIGHT I want you to turn to 2 Corinthians 5.
TURN TO: 2 CORINTHIANS 5
· 2 Corinthians is a book that we have not yet studied together.
· One day I’m sure we’ll get there.
BUT BY WAY OF CONTEXT
I would let you know that it is by far the most intimate letter Paul wrote.
The term today would be “vulnerable”.
· Paul has been falsely accused by many false apostles of a number of things.
· He writes this letter to defend himself and by extension the gospel.
· He really opens up inwardly to let you see what he does, and why he does it.
And here in chapter 5 he addresses A MINDSET
That not only mirrors Christ,
But is the mindset we should have as the church.
It’s a mindset that keeps us from
· Focusing on the wrong things.
· Elevating the wrong things.
· Marveling at the wrong things.
· Encouraging the wrong things.
It’s difficult to gain continuity by jumping into the center of a book,
So let me just say that in chapter 4
Paul recently addressed the frustration of gospel ministry.
Paul is ministering in a world where Satan has veiled the gospel and is blinding the minds of unbelievers.
2 Corinthians 4:1-4 “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
· That is a difficult ministry.
· Preaching to the blind.
· (That’s a little what D-Now felt like this year)
But even so, Paul is not discouraged.
Even when opposed and persecuted and forsaken and struck down
He is not discouraged from gospel ministry.
And at the end of chapter 4 he tells us why.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
So I just point out where we are in the letter.
Paul has just revealed that he is able to endure in a difficult ministry,
Even amidst persecution, because he maintains an eternal mindset.
And that is where we open our chapter
In order to observe Paul’s perspective and learn to imitate it.
Obviously we have to move quick,
But that’s ok, I only want to the main points here anyway.
Let me show you 5 aspects of Paul’s perspective.
I hold them up as 5 examples that we need to imitate in the church.
If we are to push back against a culture
That is deceiving our young people to pursue the wrong thing,
This is where we start.
1) OUR FOCUS (5:1-5)
I’m not going to stay long here, but the analogy is clear.
Paul is comparing this life to our life gained in heaven.
· Paul says this life is like a tent.
· That life is like a building.
· This life is temporary and to an extent uncomfortable.
· That life is permanent and full of comfort and glory.
· Paul even makes the analogy that compared to the next life, this one is like nakedness. It’s like we are unclothed.
But God has promised us this eternal home
And given us His Holy Spirit as a pledge that it is real.
So we endure the trials here knowing that we have a better home coming.
And this is a good place to start with our perspective.
So long as the church is more enamored
With earthly trophies and accomplishments than heavenly ones
We will never push back against the culture.
Could it be that the reason we pursue and applaud and celebrate earthly things so much is because we value them over heavenly things?
When you read Paul here there is no doubt which he thought was better.
· If you ask him if he wants to sleep in a tent or a building the answer is obvious.
· If you ask him if he wants to be naked or clothed the answer is obvious.
· If you ask him if he wanted to groan or be comforted the answer is obvious.
This is the same Paul who wrote:
Philippians 1:21-26 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”
This is the Paul who would much rather
Leave everything about this world behind, but he was here for a purpose.
His purpose was not to pursue this world
Or applaud this world or even enjoy this world.
HE WAS HERE TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM THIS WORLD.
THERE IS A CHRISTIAN FOCUS.
Christ was not enamored with that temple
Because there was nothing effective or permanent about it.
He wanted more.
He wanted eternal things.
SO DID PAUL.
Our focus as the church in this world must change.
· We must be more focused on eternal things than earthly things.
· We will never challenge this world if we pursue all the same things they do.
· There is a better world coming.
· There is a better home awaiting.
· And if we are not focused on it no one will be.
Our Focus
2) OUR AMBITION (5:6-10)
You can see the obvious progression
The simple word “therefore” certainly ties it all together.
· We know that God has made an eternal home for us.
· We know that this life is not all there is.
· We know that we have the Holy Spirit who assures us of a home yet to come.
· We know that this world is temporary and perishing.
“Therefore…”
“Therefore, being always of good courage…”
There is another word to focus on for a moment; “courage”.
It’s a Greek word that means “confidence” or “boldness”.
“We know what we believe and we do not hide it from anyone else.”
If we are focused on heaven we don’t pretend to focus on other things.
We are bold and confident and courageous regarding our focus.
We want to be with the Lord.
And Paul says, (9) “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”
And here is another very important attitude that the church must adopt.
WHO DO WE WANT TO PLEASE?
Paul said we want “to be pleasing to Him”
It’s the same Paul who wrote:
Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
In other words, if pleasing men is your chief objective
Then you need to pursue something other than Christianity.
Christianity is not a lifestyle that is naturally pleasing to men.
· Christianity calls men to deny themselves.
· Christianity calls men to abandon the world.
· Christianity calls men to crucify the flesh.
AND THE POINT IS SIMPLE.
If we try to be Christians while pleasing men
We will inevitably distort and corrupt our Christianity.
Pick another title if pleasing men is your goal.
You’ve likely all heard the story of Alexander the Great and his rapid conquest throughout Europe and Asia.
The story is told of a young soldier who showed cowardice in battle, some say he fell asleep at his post
As this young man was caught, Alexander the Great approached him to ask him what was his name.
The young man responded, “My name is Alexander”.
Alexander the Great asked him again, “I said, what is your name?”
Again the boy replied “Alexander”.
A 3rd time Alexander the Great asked, “What is your name?”
And again the boy replied “Alexander”.
Then Alexander the Great said, “Change your conduct, or change your name.”
That is a good warning to all of us who take the name of Christ.
There is no room for living as men-pleasers if we bear the name of Christ.
Christ is a reproach to men.
If we want to please men we will have to malign the name of Christ.
This is a call for us to muster up courage and boldness and confidence
And make it our ambition to please Christ.
It is easy to walk in the parades of the world
And cheer the things they cheer.
And again, there is nothing inherently wrong with athletic competition,
Paul referenced athletics many times in his writings.
But he always referenced them with proper perspective.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
Paul referenced athletic competition
But he never lost sight of the fact that it was a perishable wreath.
His focus was clearly on eternal things
And his ambition was to please Christ.
I realize that calling a young man or young woman
To pursue Christ before they pursue sports is backward to our culture,
But someone has to make that calling.
Our ambition must be to please Christ, not the culture in which we live.
To which Paul goes on to say:
(10) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
We’re all going to answer to Christ for this.
· Someday we’re going to answer for why we were more focused on youth sports than youth evangelism.
· Someday we’re going to answer for what we truly promoted.
Our Focus, Our Ambition
3) OUR MOTIVATION (5:11-15)
There are actually multiple motivating factors
Mentioned in these 5 verses.
But based on the fact that Paul just identified a coming judgment for all believers the first motivating factor is obvious: “the fear of the Lord”
Paul said, “we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God”
That is a great statement.
· We live among men.
· We work among men.
· We talk to men.
But man’s thoughts and evaluation are NOT our chief motivation.
“we are made manifest to God”
That is to say, “We are laid bare before God.”
Paul said:
1 Corinthians 4:3-4 “But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.”
So what if they evaluate us.
Paul said that he lives his life knowing that God sees everything.
And then Paul says, “and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.”
In other words, “We live in a way that is peculiar to the world.”
He’ll say in a moment that they think we are “beside ourselves”
· They think we have lost our minds.
· Our Christian thinking is so backward to the world they think we are insane.
Paul says we live like that
Because we know that God is watching us and we want to please Him.
And we hope that you recognize that too.
“I hope you don’t also think we are crazy for the way we live.
I hope you can see that we are merely those who focus on eternal things
And live each moment to please God.”
And Paul says:
(13) “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.”
WHAT A STATEMENT!
If we live in such a way that the world thinks we are crazy,
It is because we want to please God.
If we live in such a way that the world doesn’t think we are crazy,
It would be only to please you.
Paul was committed to pleasing God.
For that he looked crazy
And he hoped the Corinthians could see that.
But even if they couldn’t, it didn’t matter, for HE FEARED GOD.
But fear of God was not his only motivation.
(14-15) “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
Paul was also motivated by the love of Christ.
He was mesmerized by the great love Christ had to die for us.
And Paul understood the expected impact of Christ’s love.
· Christ died so that all would die with Him.
· Christ lived so that all would live for Him.
IS THAT RADICAL?
Is that too much to ask for the church?
To die to self for Christ?
To live for Christ?
To suffer reproach for Christ?
To be considered a radical fool for Christ?
And again we come home to ourselves and ask:
Where is the fear of Christ?
Where is love of Christ?
Our culture fears losing a game.
Our culture fears their kids not starting.
Our culture loves accolades and praise.
Our culture loves accomplishment.
The church should be marked by something different.
Our focus and our ambition and our motivation
Should be so contrary to the world that they think we are insane.
While we live among them we must have:
· A different focus – eternal things
· A different ambition – to please Christ
· A different motivation – the fear of Christ and the love of Christ
WE’VE GOT TO BE DIFFERENT.
Our focus, our ambition, our motivation
4) OUR DISCERNMENT (5:16-17)
And here is where it gets painful.
There are no games being played here.
PAUL THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET.
He is finished pretending with superficial Christianity.
Those disciples were enamored with the outward beauty of the temple, Christ was frustrated with the total ineffectiveness of it.
Well you can see that same frustration with Paul.
· I’m done calling something Christianity that is clearly not Christianity.
· I’m done calling men Christian when they are clearly not Christian.
· I’m done looking at a man’s outward appearance and saying He is a Christian when there is nothing inward about his life that testifies to Christ.
See for Paul this is NOT A GAME.
For Paul this is NOT A SHOW.
Paul is playing for keeps.
· He really believes that lost men go to hell.
· He really believes that he will one day stand before God.
· He really believes that Christ died & rose and His followers should as well.
AND SO HE THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET.
He draws his line in the sand.
“from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh;”
We are finished identifying Christians by the type of t-shirt they were.
We are not going to identify a Christian
By his outward appearance any longer.
While it is true that we once knew Christ outwardly.
· He was once human
· He did once live among us
· We did once know what He looked like
· We did once see how He dressed
But not any more!
“yet we know Him in this way no longer”
We don’t spot Christ’s presence outwardly anymore.
(17) “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
There is Paul’s defining statement
On recognizing a genuine Christian.
He is finished handing out Christian merit badges
To men and women who demonstrate no internal change.
No more will he see a man with the right suit or haircut our church attendance and put a “Christian Stamp” on his hand.
That disciples marveled out a beautiful outward temple
And Christ said, “Nope! I’m tearing it down.”
I will not place my stamp of approval on some empty outward display.
Paul said “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.”
We know Christians because they are different.
· Their focus is different
· Their ambition is different
· Their motivation is different
And Paul is finished pretending otherwise.
That temple may be outwardly impressive
But it is full of dead men’s bones.
THIS DISCERNMENT MUST ALSO BE OUR DISCERNMENT.
We do our culture no benefit by constantly widening the gate.
We do our children no favors by letting them play the game either.
I would tell you that most of the students who came to our D-Now would claim to be Christians.
· They live in “Christian homes”
· They go to church
· They have been baptized
But they hate preaching, they ignore worship,
They do anything they can to skip spiritual things.
But we let them go on believing they are Christians
So that we don’t offend them or their parents or grand-parents.
Paul was finished with such games.
We are playing for keeps here.
ETERNITY IS ON THE LINE.
If Christ is a life changing Savior
Then it is not too much to ask for
A changed life to come from those who claim Him.
We need that kind of discernment in our culture.
But make no mistake,
It will take some of that boldness and courage to exercise it.
Our focus, Our ambition, Our motivation, Our discernment
5) OUR MINISTRY (5:18-21)
Such famous verses.
We quote the last one all the time.
But what simplicity!
What clarity!
What else would we be about?
WHAT IS MY GOAL?
WHAT IS MY MINISTRY?
· Is it to produce better athletes?
· Is it to produce faster cross-country times?
· Is it to produce state championships?
· Is it to produce athletic records?
It all sounds pretty superficial and stupid doesn’t it?
Paul said Christ came to reconcile the world to God.
Christ then entrusted that ministry to us.
Paul is not lining the cross-country course telling you to “get that guy ahead of you”
Paul is not saying “get in the weight room to get stronger”
Paul is standing there on the street corner cheering you on,
But he’s not begging you to run harder,
He’s begging you to be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus.
And the simple reality that has been burning in me since last Sunday.
Does the world know that about me?
Does the world know that about our church?
Am I doing anything different than the culture?
· Is my message any different?
Are we doing anything different than the culture?
· Is our message any different?
Jesus Christ actually became sin on our behalf
So that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
That is what He cared about.
If we care about anything else we miss the point.
Like the disciples, we are too enamored
With human achievement and human accomplishment
And totally failing to see that it leads men to hell and destruction.
The church can’t love that which frustrates Christ.
The church must love and pursue and focus on and proclaim
That which Christ loved and pursued and focused on and proclaimed.
Even if they oppose us and hate us and think we’re crazy for it.
· Our ministry must not align with the school or the culture.
· Our ministry must align with Christ.
That’s what’s been on my heart.
That’s what’s burning in me.
I think I have been failing there and I don’t want to fail any longer.
I think we have been failing there and I don’t want us to fail any longer.
WE MUST BE DIFFERENT.