WHICH WAY DO YOU GO TO GET TO THE FUTURE?
Mark 13: 1-8
In our passage from Mark, we hear Jesus talking to his disciples about the future. Everyone is interested in their future. The future was a popular subject even before Jesus’ time. If you want to draw a crowd, make a prediction about the future. If you want to sell a book, write that you have inside information about the future. The most popular Bible studies are not on the Gospels or on the Epistles. No, the most popular Bible studies are on the Book of Revelation, which is all about the future. Remember the popular book published some 30 years ago entitled The Late, Great Planet Earth written by Hal Lindsey? People couldn’t get enough of it. More recently we have seen the popularity of another series of books about the future written by Tim LaHaye entitled Left Behind. It seems that we have a thirst for any kind of inside information or secret codes that will unlock the mysteries of the future. We will buy anything that will help us be prepared for the future or discern the future. There is a deep-seated fear in us about the uncertainties of the future.
The disciples felt this fear as well. When Jesus talked about the future destruction of the massive temple, they wanted to be ready for it by seeking secret information or signs. Jesus didn’t give his disciples a time line or a special preview into the future. How does one get prepared for the future? How does one face the future with all of its changes and uncertainties and mysteries? In order to prepare for the future, I don’t recommend that you consult astrological signs or predictions. I don’t recommend that you keep up-to-date with fortune-tellers or psychics.
I don’t recommend that you seek the divination of spirits, a Ouija board or an alternative consciousness. Some folks naively adopt any road to the future that sounds good or touches their emotions. What do I recommend? Turn to God’s Word. Study God’s Word. In particular, I invite you to take a look at the Epistle lesson for today taken from the Letter to the Hebrews.
I. Develop A Close Relationship with your priest.
a. Know who your priest is
b. Know what your priest has done
c. Know the covenant your priest has made with you – Verse 16
Jesus will change your heart and your mind.
II. This close relationship with your priest will enable you to live with confidence and assurance instead of fear and worry.
a. Our confidence for daily living does not come from financial security, a good job, good health, or good abilities
b. Our confidence in daily living comes from confidence in the sufficiency of Jesus Christ to save us, to sustain us, and to empower us.
c. You can be a crosswalk guard…
you can tithe…
you can be a good parent…
you can be a good student…
you can be a good person…
This is how Jesus calls us to live.
We can live like this because of Verse 23
One summer day, a petite and well-poised 92-year-old woman, who fully dressed herself, put on makeup and fashionably coiffed her hair before 8 a.m. each morning, moved into a nursing home. Her husband of 70 years, a beloved pastor in their community, had recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, her escort provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheet that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old who had just received a new puppy. “Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room. Just wait.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.
How the room is arranged has nothing to do with whether or not I will like it…it’s how I have arranged my mind. I have already decided to love it!” She went on to share, “Each morning when I wake up, I choose to be positive and work with what I have, not dwell on what I have lost. As long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away just for this time in my life.”
Yes, Jesus said there will be charlatans. Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars. Yes, Jesus said there will be earthquakes and famines. Don’t forget that Jesus also said “Behold, I make all things new.” Rev. 21: 1-4
