November 6, 2005am    Lookout!   Mark 13:29-37  

By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church

   Have you ever wondered why the right-hand door mirror on your car says "Objects are closer than they appear"? The reason is that the mirror is convex, allowing a much wider angle of vision. We may borrow the words, though, and say that the second coming may be much closer that it appears!  -- Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).

   We decided to let our three-year-old son record the message for our home answering machine. The rehearsals went smoothly: "Mommy and Daddy can't come to the phone right now. If you'll leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, they'll get back to you as soon as possible."

   Then came the test. I pressed the record button and our son said sweetly, "Mommy and Daddy can't come to the phone right now. If you'll leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, they'll get back to you as soon as Jesus comes."  ---  John G. McFayden, Woodbridge, Virginia.  Christian Reader, "Kids of the Kingdom."

Scripture Text:  Mark 13:29 (NIV) Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 32 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert and pray! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It's 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. 35 "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: `Watch!'"

1.      Watch for the coming.  Be prepared.  Hear the warning and see the signs.  V. 30-31 says, Heaven and earth will pass away but not the coming of the Lord.  It is a sure thing.  It will come to pass.  Jesus is coming again.  Just read today’s headlines and see the signs.  Are you watching?  Are you ready? 

The May 1984 National Geographic showed through color photos and drawings the swift and terrible destruction that wiped out the Roman Cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in A.D. 79. The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil. They died amid volcanic ash and superheated gasses. Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate. It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible day.

   The saddest part is that these people did not have to die. Scientists confirm what ancient Roman writers record--weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion. Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption. If only they had been able to read and respond to Vesuvius's warning!

   There are similar "rumblings" in our world: warfare, earthquakes, the nuclear threat, economic woes, breakdown of the family and moral standards. While not exactly new, these things do point to a coming day of Judgment (Matt. 24). People need not be caught unprepared. God warns and provides an escape to those who will heed the rumblings.   -- Michael Bogart, Lemoore, California. Leadership, Vol. 6, no. 4.

2.      Watch by being prepared.  Second coming living.  Would you sell all that you have and go to the top of the mountain to look for the Lord?  Would it be better to continue to live for the Lord daily and showing others that we are ready?  We have our house in order.  Our lives are the proof that we are watching for the Lord. 

3.      Watch for yourself and family.  Are you ready?  Is your family ready?  Many prepare for coming retirement.  Many prepare for coming sickness, accidents, and death (life insurance or death insurance, why is it called life insurance and not death insurance?).  We have all sorts of insurance.  Most of us are insurance poor, but are you rich towards God?   Do you have seconding coming insurance?  Watching for the second coming begins with you.  If you are watching then you will be concerned for your family. 

4.      Watch for your neighbors.  Am I my brother’s keeper?   Why should we be concerned for others?  Why not just worry about our family and ourselves or as someone once said, us four and no more.   The nature of Christ is the concern he has shown for us and calls us to show for others.  It is the love of God that constrains us to care.  Our mission is to live our lives every day so that others can see Christ living in us. 

5.      Watch by sounding the warning.  Living for the Lord and His coming is our paramount importance for the one who believes that the Lord keeps his promises.  Living for the Lord means that we live for others.  Our life is given for others to believe and see that the Lord is coming again.  We are concerned because they were concerned for us.  Harvest Sunday is coming.  Will we be bringing in the harvest for the Lord?  Will others be saved by the life that we live?   We who know of the coming salvation of the Lord are commanded to sound the warning.  Do you care?  Do you care about yourself?  Then heed the warning in

Ezek 33:4 (NIV) then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. 5 Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.' 7 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, `O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself..

6.      Watch(Lookout) Because you and I are the Watchmen.

1Cor 11:23 (NIV) For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.