Be Alert

Passage: (Mark 13:24-27, 32-37)

Points
1. After the tribulation, the powers of heaven will be shaken and the Son of Man will come with great power and glory.
2. The Son of Man will then send out the angels to gather the elect from the ends of the earth and heaven.
3. We are to stay alert and awake because no one knows when the Father will bring about His judgement and the end of the world as we know it.

Personalize
The coming of the Son of Man is the coming of God's judgement on the earth. Before God's judgement is unleashed His children, the followers of Christ will be gathered from the ends of the earth and heaven. It will be at this time that His wrath will be poured out on the earth and His final judgement will be declared. In Revelations we read: "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God." (Revelations 16:1). This will be the final steps of God's judgement on the earth.

As we look at these passages, Jesus has instructed His disciples to be "on guard and stay awake" (v. 32). The second coming of Christ and the final judgement of God on the earth is a call to be prepared and to sound the alarm for all to come to repentance. The coming of Christ is not the time for us to gather with brothers and sisters on a commune, but it is a call to be about the Father's business of sharing the good news of the gospel. The Lord has placed us as servants in his household and we must remain alert so we can welcome him when he returns.

We should not be absorb with the thoughts of his coming so that we can not serve Him today. I have heard it said, "we should not be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good". Jesus did not tell His disciples to wait, but He told them to be on guard and to be awake. We are to remain on guard and alert to our surroundings so we can help prepare others and be aware of what God is doing among us. The greatest preparation we can make is to lead others into the household of God. Now is the day of salvation and we must stand guard and proclaim the good news to all those who will hear. Be ready for the coming of Christ. Be alert and be about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to all those in your home, community, city, and nation.

Prayer
Lord keep us alert and on guard. May we never be found off guard and not serving you faithful until the final day we are given. With joy we anticipate your coming but with perseverance we press on to make you known among the nations so they too will look forward to your coming with joy and expectation.

Created 7 months ago