“The End!”
Text: Mark 13:32-37
11-21-2021
Grace, Mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. You know, I’m always looking for new ways to capture people’s attention during my sermons with the hopes that you’ll remember God’s Word for longer than 5 minutes. Actually, I’m hoping you’ll remember it throughout the coming week and apply it to your day-to-day lives. So this morning, I’m going to reverse the order of my sermon and start with the words that some of you just can’t wait to hear: “The End”! Okay, maybe that’s not the exact words. I usually close with the word “Amen.” But either way, it’s “The End” that you’ve been anxiously waiting for, right?
So... are you ready for “The End”? Oh, be careful. I’m not referring to the end of the sermon. Are you ready for “The End”… of life as you know it? That’s really the whole point behind the words of our Savior, Jesus, in the Gospel Lesson for today. He wanted His followers to be ready for “The End.” Why? Because it’s nearer than you think. And there are eternal consequences that accompany the end. Therefore, Jesus warns us to be ready and watching for it at all times.
After saying, "Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come,” Jesus then introduces a short parable in order to drive home the lesson He was trying to teach. In verse 34 He says, “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.” That tells us a lot about what Christ expects us to be doing while we wait for “The End.”
First of all, Jesus says that each of us has been given an assigned task to do as one of His servants. Every single one of you has a special calling from God. He may have given you the vocation of being a father or mother, a student, a farmer, a blue-collar worker, a doctor or nurse, a mechanic, a businessman, an office worker, or whatever. No matter what your current vocation is, God has called you to serve Him faithfully in it. Don’t ever fall for the false notion that one of these jobs is more important than another. If God has called you to serve Him in that capacity, then He can use you there to spread the Gospel regardless of what work He has given you to do. It’s easy to think that spreading the Gospel is only the Pastor’s “job.” But it’s also one of YOUR assigned tasks as a Christian. You are to warn others that The End is near and how they can be prepared to meet the Lord when He returns.
In order to do that properly, we’ve got to get the message out, but we also have to make sure that our message is clear and accurate. I read a story about 2 Pastors who were standing by the side of the road, holding a sign that said, “The End is Near! Turn around now before it’s too late!” Along came a young man in a fancy new car who didn’t have the time or patience for religion. He rolled down his window and yelled at the Pastors, “Leave us alone, you religious fanatics!” Then he stomped on the accelerator and sped off down the road. Within seconds the Pastors heard screeching tires and a loud splash. The one Pastor turned to the other one and said, “Do you think we should change our sign so it simply says: Bridge Out?”
All kidding aside, we have an important and serious message about “The End.” And we have to make sure that we keep that message accurate because if it gets mixed-up or confused, the people who hear it are going to be speeding off to a literal “dead end.” At the end of this earthly life there is a “Bridge Out” of sorts. When sin entered into our world a huge chasm was created between us and God. At death, sinful mankind was destined to plunge right over the edge of that chasm to eternal destruction in hell. But through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, God bridged the gap that separated us from Him. And He promises that everyone who believes in Jesus can now safely pass from this life into eternal life with Him.
But here’s where we have to make sure that our message is clear and accurate. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In other words, there is only ONE bridge between us and God and that’s Jesus Christ. There is NO OTHER WAY! Any one who claims that they can lead you on a spiritual path to God apart from Jesus will simply lead you to a disastrous end.
Several years ago I was very disappointed when I heard a news report about one of our former Presidents who stated that Muslims believe in the same God as we do. If that story is true, then as a Christian he totally distorted and ruined the Gospel message of Jesus. But I’ve got news for you. This same mixed-up message is floating around within Christianity at large and has even been promoted by some prominent Church leaders. They wholeheartedly endorse the notion that non-Christian religions such as Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Mormons worship the same God as we Christians do, but they just call Him by a different name. That is a dangerous lie from the pit of hell! We need to stand up and tell the truth in uncompromising terms. ANY religion that claims to have access to God apart from Jesus Christ is a dead end. And all of their followers are headed down a road to eternal destruction. Unless they have faith in Jesus Christ ALONE as their Savior, those people will NOT be ready when The End comes.
I hope you’ll forgive me but I have to use another illustration from the movie, Lonesome Dove because it fits perfectly here. There’s a scene where some bandits have kidnapped a young lady-friend of one of the characters named Gus. He’s a retired Texas Ranger who is brave and quite accurate with his six-shooter. Gus tracks down the bad guys and finds them having a drunken party. It’s dark out as he looks down on their camp and says to the guy who’s with him, “Them boys don’t know it, but the wrath of God is about to descend upon them.” Sadly, that statement is true of the unbelieving world around us. God’s wrath is ready to descend on everyone who doesn’t believe in Jesus as their Savior, but they are totally unaware. As Christians, our assigned task given to us by our Master is to lovingly and yet boldly warn our fellow man. We are commanded to share the good news of the one and only way to be saved from destruction, and that’s through Jesus Christ our Lord.
But Jesus also says that as we go about our duties as His servants, we too must watch for the end. He says to be careful so that you don’t fall asleep while you wait. Christ is warning against falling asleep spiritually. In order to do that, we need to have our faith stimulated regularly to stay alert and awake, watching for The End. Our faith is invigorated when we gather for worship to hear God’s words of love and forgiveness and salvation. Our faith is stimulated as we study the Scriptures together and at home, and as we pray to Him. Our faith is rejuvenated as we receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. The danger is that sometimes we approach these Means of Grace with a ho-hum attitude. Beware of that, because it’s a sign that you’re falling asleep spiritually. Christ’s warning is loud and clear: “The end is near… so watch and stay awake!”
When I was at the seminary, one of my professors said, “Preach every sermon as if it were the last one that those people will have a chance to hear.” He was right and that’s what I try to do. That’s why I have to make sure that my message is clear and accurate. But it’s also incumbent upon YOU to listen as if this is the last Gospel message you will ever hear. How would you act if you knew that tonight you were going to die? Would you do some things differently? Then that’s how you should be acting RIGHT NOW! Jesus says that no one knows when The End will come. None of us knows when our last day will be. So we need to listen to God’s Word and make sure that we have that message straight in our own hearts and minds because it can mean the difference between eternal life and death.
The Good News is that if you believe in Jesus as your Savior then you have nothing to fear as you wait for The End. Imagine a child waiting for his parents to come home. As he watches out the window for their return, will he be filled with joyful anticipation or with dread? That depends on. If he’s torn up the house, shaved the dog, and beat up his little sister then all he has to look forward to is the wrath of Mom & Dad that’s about to descend on him. But if he has done what he’s supposed to then he has nothing to fear. If you have held onto your gift of faith, and by it, followed the commands of God, then you have done the assigned task that God has given you… and that is, to freely receive His grace and mercy, which produces the fruits of faith.
As we watch and wait for the return of Christ and the end of this world, we can look forward to our last day with joyful anticipation. Even though we’re sinners, we know that we’ve been made right with God our Father through Jesus. He removed the damning guilt of all our sins on the Cross. He took away God’s wrath. Now, all we need do is trust in Him and Him alone and we have His guarantee that God will welcome us into heaven on our last day. So what should you be doing as you watch and wait for The End? Keep busy doing the assigned tasks that God has given you in your vocation. Keep gathering for worship to have your faith sustained by hearing God’s Word and receiving His blessed Sacrament. Then, you will be prepared to keep telling others the clear message about Jesus as our Savior. Keep watching and waiting with joyful anticipation for you know that Christ is coming someday soon to call you to your eternal, heavenly home. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. Amen!
Soli Deo Gloria!