1.
Please pray with me. May
the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your
sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.
Amen. The message from God’s Word
this Last Sunday of the Church Year is taken from Mark 13:24-37, it’s entitled,
“Keep Your Eyes on the Road to Eternity,”
dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
Most of you have taken part in a surprise party for
someone. You know the excitement and the anticipation that usually accompanies
such an event. Everyone gathers at a certain place to wait for the arrival of
the guest of honor. Family and friends stand quietly near the door. Some even
peek out the window, ready to pass the word, “He’s here!” A certain tension fills the air. All attention is
focused on the moment of arrival.
3.
This same type of anticipation is what the
text speaks about concerning the arrival of Jesus. God’s Word reveals that at
the Second Coming of Christ, all of his promises to his people will be completed.
The celebration will begin. God will usher in the unending feast in celebration
of his tremendous love for us. As his redeemed people, then, we are called to
anticipate Christ’s coming and watch for his arrival. Jesus
wants us to keep our eyes on the road to eternity.
4.
Back in the late 1980s, some Christian leaders
predicted the very day of Christ’s return, the day on which, all the planets
came into alignment. Obviously, they were wrong. Apparently, they had forgotten
the Lord’s words: “No one knows about
that day or hour” (Mk 13:32). Jesus tells us about signs of the end, but
not so that we can calculate the exact day of his coming. He informs us about
the signs to keep us from being spiritually lazy. When we see a false teacher
arise, or an earthquake take place, or a war or a famine, Jesus is saying, “Wake up! Repent! I’m about to bring all my
words to fulfillment! Get yourself ready for my coming!” Let us be warned
against those who might lead us astray, those who make predictions about the
end of time beyond what the Scriptures say.
5.
“Be on guard!” the
Lord tells his disciples, “Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mk 13:33). All
too often we completely forget about Christ’s Second Coming. We’re too caught
up in our day-to-day lives. How often do you think of his return? Back in
college, I would occasionally think of it right before a big test that I wasn’t
ready for. “Now would be a great time to
come back, Lord!” Usually, though, too many days go by when we don’t even
give it a thought. I’m convinced that our perspective on life would be changed
if the prospect of Christ’s return was constantly at the front of our minds.
6.
Maybe you are tempted to say with the scoffers. St.
Peter quotes in his second letter, “Where
is this ‘coming’ he promised? . . . Everything goes on as it has since
the beginning of creation” (2 Pet 3:4). Maybe we’re tempted to think, “Maybe all this stuff about Jesus returning
is just a fairy tale.” But Peter reminds us that God isn’t slow in keeping
his promise, and he certainly hasn’t forgotten it. Peter specifically says in
his second epistle, “With the Lord a day
is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not
slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with
you, not wanting anyone to parish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2
Peter 3:8–9). The Scriptures are quite clear on that.
7.
While it’s true that we are to watch for the time of
Christ’s return, it isn’t necessarily true that his Second Coming is something
everyone is looking forward to. After all, coming face to face with the almighty God isn’t something many people
eagerly desire, because we know that we’ve fallen short of what he wants of us,
not only in the present but also in the past. Time may heal all wounds, but
time does not erase sin. Youthful sins aren’t pardoned just because we were
young. The sins of years ago are no less damning because some time has now
passed. We may drag some burdens on longer chains, others on shorter chains,
but in any event we can’t look forward to the future and to Christ’s Second
Coming when past or present sins still pull us down.
8.
The phrase “Second Coming” implies that this won’t be
the first time that Christ has come to this earth. What makes Christ’s Second
Advent a joyous time for us is what happened at his First Coming. Gal 4:4–5
says, “But when the time had fully come,
God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those
under law.” The first time that Christ came, he wrapped himself in the
chains that enslaved us, then broke them for us. He paid the price for
humanity’s fall into sin so that we could stand before him, deemed perfect and
without blemish, ready for his Second Coming. The eternal Son of God, Jesus
Christ, entered into human history, and became a helpless infant. He grew up
and lived a sinless life to fulfill the Law for us. He did all of this in order
to rescue you and me from unending time under judgment.
9.
In John 17 Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come.” The hour Jesus referred to there was
the time be was about to spend on the cross. Because he suffered and died in
our place, we won’t receive the judgment we deserve at his Second Coming. Our
judgment day—in the sense of punishment for our sin—already took place at the
cross. Our condemnation was experienced by Christ at Calvary. So God’s anger
has been appeased. In Christ, we have nothing to fear about the Last Day. At
Jesus’ Second Coming we will stand before God robed with the righteousness of
Christ himself. As the Scriptures say, “All
of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ” (Gal
3:27). Trusting that Jesus has done all this for us, we will spend eternity in
the new creation with him.
10.
It’s only when we consider both Christ’s First and
Second Comings together that the Good News of the Gospel Lesson becomes fully
clear. At his First Coming Jesus put us right with God, and at his Second
Coming, all that Christ accomplished at his First Coming will reach its final
culmination. Both advents together make our salvation complete and sure.
11.
So what do we do between now and Christ’s Second
Coming? Jesus wants us to keep our eyes on the road to eternity and that calls
for two responses. First, he asks you to receive the time he’s given you as a
precious gift, using it wisely in faith toward him and in service toward others.
Knowing that Christ may return at any time gives us perspective in life, an end
toward which to work with whatever time we may have.
12.
Think of some important event in your life—a marriage,
a graduation, the birth of a child. Then think how the time immediately
preceding that event was spent in focused preparation. Our awareness of
Christ’s Second Coming does the same thing. Christ gives us a positive end to
anticipate—a goal to define for us the value of time and the true explanation
of what life is all about. Living the life God has given to us in Christ, we
use whatever time he’s given us to glorify him in our lives, to love our
neighbor, and to carry out his mission. Whether it’s service in some capacity
here at this congregation, at your job, with your family, or somewhere else,
God calls you to use the time he has given you wisely and faithfully.
13.
Second, as we are good stewards of our time, God also
calls us to watch for the time of his return. Jesus even gives an illustration:
The time of his return will be 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” (13:34).
Our Master has gone away, ready to return at any time. But he has entrusted his
important work to us, each with an assigned task (Eph 4:11). We live and work
and witness, knowing that he will be coming soon. In his grace, he equips us to
be faithful servants. The signs of the end have been fulfilled. Christ’s coming
may be today or it may be 100 years from now. Our task is to watch for it,
keeping it at the front of our minds, letting it guide the way we use the time
we’ve been given.
14.
I was reading a story the other day about a little boy
who wanted a wristwatch. Day in and day out he pestered his parents, but they
continually put him off. Finally, he drove them to the breaking point. The
father told the youngster that he didn’t want to hear another word from him
about a watch. So, for the rest of the week the lad said nothing about it. He
knew that to do so would only invite punishment. But, Sunday soon rolled around
and in the evening the family was gathered for devotions. It was a custom in
the family for each member to learn a new verse of Scripture and recite it
during the devotion. Every other member of the family had said his Scripture
verse when it came time for the small boy to quote his. Looking up with a very
solemn face, he quoted the final verse of our text perfectly: “What I say to you, I say to everyone:
‘Watch!’”
15.
Now I’m not sure if that little boy got his watch or
not. But I do know that he was persistent. And it is that same sort of
persistence and single-mindedness that God desires of us when it comes to
watching for Christ’s return. “Whether in
the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn”
(13:35), Christ will return. Washed with his mercy and forgiveness in Baptism,
and reassured by his Word, we are constantly vigilant for that glorious day
when he appears. Then sin, death, and the devil will be banished from our lives
forever; what we know by faith will be confirmed with sight; time will be
brought to its fulfillment; and the joys of the new heavens and new earth will
be ours eternally. “What I say to you, I
say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” Keep Your eyes on the road to eternity. Amen.
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