171203
The Evangelical Free Church, Warrensburg, MO --- Mel Johnson – 3 December 2017
You are a minister of God’s Word and Grace. Attend to it!
A Tender Branch
Mark 13:24-37
(Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9)
We seek the mighty God in the most unlikely places --
as a child in a stable, and in an empty tomb.
May God hear these prayers, which come from the unlikely corners of our lives.
Give us ears to hear, O God, and eyes to watch,
that we may know your presence in our midst during this holy season of joy
as we anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ. – Amen
------
As we enter this season of Advent, the expectation and anticipation of the coming of Christ, the King and Messiah, our hearts should be transported to that time more than two thousand years ago when mankind felt the protection and the tyranny of the Roman Empire. There was hope…
Can you put your mind in the time and place of Jesus’ birth? It may seem to be a peaceful time of Christmas spirit; the nativity of the Anointed One.
It wasn’t… there was an intense desire for the Messiah to appear and to rescue Israel from Rome.
------
If you have been able to place yourself in Palestine during the reign of Herod, hold that thought for a moment ---
Now, come back to 2017.
In this nation, we have the impression of peace and prosperity. We live in a place where riches are taken for granted. There is no obvious threat of loss. We have laws to protect our freedom to worship God in whatever manner we choose; or not.
But… we cannot rest our hearts. Thereare growing threats from within and abroad; a real and violent threat, seeking to kill, to subdue, and to rule this nation with a law that denies God, demeans the Savior, and promises to turn our freedom to slavery under the henchman of a false god.
Christmas is already referred to as the Holiday Season (Happy Holidays!). But there is no holiday in any serious warfare.
We should be just as intense as the Jews of Jesus’ day in wanting the Messiah to come! Maranatha…
------
That word, maranatha, is found only once in the New Testament,
1 Corinthians 16:22. --- Depending on how the syllables of this Aramaic word are divided, it means either “the Lord has come” or “O Lord, come”. So, it fits both the first and second advent of Christ. He is coming back for us.
Let’s read --- These are the words of Jesus:
Mark 13:24-37 (ESV)
The Coming of the Son of Man
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson:
as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
30Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
No One Knows That Day or Hour
32“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34It 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.
35Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
37And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Jesus was teaching His disciples just a few days before His death. Already, He was telling them to look forward to His return. The description of life as His return approached was not pretty. He spoke of tribulation, and the desecration of the temple; of the “abomination of desolation” being where he ought not to be, and the people of Judea heading for the hills.
But what stands out to me is the comparison with the fig tree: verse 28, “as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.” – A Tender Branch.
I’ll go out on a limb here --- In Christ, we are branches of the True Vine. The church of Christ grows from the stump of Jesse. We continue to grow without effort of our own, and even without knowing. But the church universal has grown. Yet, we remain tender. We are green, relatively new in the universe.
Bring it down a little further and we can see individual churches struggling in the weeds and briers of society. Look even closer and you can see individuals, even yourself, in a web of tangled relationships and demands.
Each one of us is a tender branch.
Imagine the world full of God’s vine, full of us, just waiting for the new leaves and the flowering that is promised, the glory of God.
As we study the Scriptures, we see the merciful patience of the Creator, Caretaker, and Gardener giving as much time and nutrients as possible in hopes of healthy branches. But history has shown more dead, unresponsive peoples than branches that want to be a part of God’s family.
Those branches are cut off and burned…
He waits … and I wonder … what if we grew; what if we let Him care for us instead of fouling ourselves up as we do with the efforts of pride. If we, the Tender Branches, began to yield the leaves, and began to bloom with the Fruits of the Spirit; would it not be time? If mankind would yield to the will of God, would He not see the time for Christ to return.
------
Consider --- what is our part in the delay? What is it today that would prove our sincerity in saying maranatha, Come, O Lord?
In the meantime, here is how Jesus described life during the wait:
Mark 13 (ESV)
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
13And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
- The Abomination of Desolation
14“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 20And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 21And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
- The Coming of the Son of Man
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
- The Lesson of the Fig Tree
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
------
We long for true peace on earth. That is the promise of God through the Messiah.
Isaiah the prophet of God spoke his fervent desire for the advent of Messiah:
Isaiah 64:1-9 (ESV)
1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
2as when fire kindles brushwoodand the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
3When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
4From of old no one has heardor perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,who acts for those who wait for him.
5You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,those who remember you in your ways.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?
6We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7There is no one who calls upon your name,who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have made us melt inthe hand of our iniquities.
8But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
9Be not so terribly angry, O Lord,
and remember not iniquity forever.
Behold, please look, we are all your people.
I think we would like to say that: Please look; we are all your people!
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
We are a Tender Branch of the True Vine. We are to abide in Him; to be His people.
But a Tender Branch is just that; vulnerable to damage, easy to hurt.
We must be careful to care for one another with that difficult balance of tenderness and truth. We gather as a congregation, and meet outside the walls with the purpose of encouraging each other to grow closer and to serve to the glory of God.
I close with the sentiments of Paul to that very American-like church at Corinth:
1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (ESV)
3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,
5that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—
7so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
------
God of justice and peace,
from the heavens you rain down mercy and kindness,
that all on earth may stand in awe and wonder before your marvelous deeds.
Raise our heads in expectation, that we may yearn for the coming day of the Lord
and stand without blame before your Son, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever. -- Amen.
1