Several years ago, there was
a truck driver who used to make the run from Vicksburg to Jackson,
Mississippi every day. Made that run back and forth.
Had to cross over the Pearl River. One night, he was making his
regular run from Vicksburg to Jackson. It was a torrential
downpour, just raining cats and dogs. He could barely see what was
going on, but he knew the road like the back of his hand, so
he just went along, driving down the road. Suddenly, when he came
to Pearl River, he plunged headlong into that river. The bridge was
gone. It was washed out. There's a
true story. His name was Rupert Lewis. He
managed to get out of his truck, get to shore, And all he could
think of was, I've got to warn folks. The bridge is out. The
bridge is out. I've got to warn folks. The bridge
is out. So he crawled up the banks, got back up on the highway. And of course, you can imagine
what he looked like, bloody, bruised, ragged, dirty, wet. He's waving to the folks, trying
to get them to stop. And nobody paid any attention. They'd swerve
around, go right ahead, plunge right off in the ravine, right
into the river. Nobody stopped. Finally, he got
someone to stop. But before the first person stopped
and paid any attention to what he had to say, there were two
trucks and ten cars in that river. Ten people were injured. Eight
were dead because nobody could pay any attention. Now you listen
to this picture. You're fixing to cross the river.
is going to take you from this world of time and sins where
everything is temporal and everything is perishing into
a world of eternity where you're going to meet God face to face
and you're going to be judged according to the standard of
strict righteousness, justice and truth. And you're going to
spend eternity somewhere in a world where everything is permanent. And the bridge is out. The bridge is out. You meet God without being robed
in the righteousness of his dear son. without being reconciled
to Jesus Christ as your Lord and King, without submitting
to his rule and his dominion. If you meet God without being
washed from your sins in the blood of Jesus Christ, you're
going to be damned forever. And it may be before you take
your next breath. No one knows just where. Nobody. You who are young, you
boy I got a life ahead of me. I got a few more days left. Your breath is in your nostrils
and God Almighty has appointed a day and the means by which
he's going to take it from you. Now turn with me to Mark chapter
13. Like Amos the prophet, I urge
you, prepare to meet thy God. When the Apostle Paul thought
of his approaching death because of his preaching the gospel,
he was going to be put to death, he said, I'm ready. The time
of my departure is at hand, I'm ready. Are you? Are you ready to leave this world?
Are you ready to go into eternity? Are you ready to meet the Lord
God? Here in Mark chapter 13, beginning at verse 31, we have
the last part of our Lord's Olivet Discourse. He says, Heaven and
earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. Now
look at verse 32. But of that day and hour knoweth
no man, no, not the angels which are in the son, but the father. Take ye heed, watch, and pray,
for you know not when the time is. For the son of man is as
a man taking a far journey, who left his house and gave authority
to his servants, and to every man his and commanded the porter
to watch. Watch ye, therefore, for you
know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at
midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning, lest, coming
suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say
unto all, Now the first thing we meet with
in this text is a promise to believe. Look at verse 31. Our Lord here actually makes
two promises. We would be wise to lay them
to heart. He says, first, heaven and earth
shall pass away. Don't mark anything on this earth
as being terribly valuable are terribly important. Don't mark
any relationship in this world as being permanent. Everything
here, everything you see, everything you can touch, everything you
can get your hands on, everything that that men labor for in this
world is perishing. We would be wise, as we look
over the fields of this world, to write the words destruction
over them all. Everything in this world is marked
and appointed of God Almighty for destruction. Do you understand
that? The heaven, this atmospheric
heaven, the earth, all God's creation. everything under the
curse, everything affected by and infected with the sin and
fall of our father Adam, everything that's been polluted by man and
polluted by Satan, everything in God's creation that man has
corrupted, everything must soon be destroyed. And it's not accidental. This is exactly according to
the purpose of God. Look at verse 24. But in those
days after the tribulation, after that tribulation, the sun shall
be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
in heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall
be shaken. No wonder the apostle Paul wrote
like this. We look not at things which are
seen, but at things which are not seen. For the things which
are seen are temporal. The things which are not seen
are eternal. Don't set your heart on things
that you can see. Set your heart on Him whom you
cannot see, who's received into the heavens for us. Turn to 2
Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3. In verse 10. Listen to how the
Holy Spirit describes that final climactic, cataclysmic judgment
of God upon the earth. The day of the Lord will come
as a thief in the night, without any warning, without any signs,
without any alarm to let you know he's coming. The day of
the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly, unprepared for
as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise. and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works that are therein
shall be burned up." Now what's he saying? He's saying everything
in creation, in the heavens, and in the earth, and all that
you've done in it, your houses, and your lands, and your businesses,
and your banks, and your money, and your property, and all your
works shall be burnt up. Verse 11, seeing them, having,
since that's the case, that all these things shall be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversations? Nothing here worth living for.
That's right, Bob. There's nothing here worth living
for. That's it. Nothing. looking for. We who believe ought
to be looking for, anticipating, and hastening unto the coming
day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat. Nevertheless,
we, according to his promise, look for a new heavens and new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that
you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found
of him in peace, without spot, blameless." Now listen carefully. We live in a world in which everything
is temporary and passing away. Everything. We're going to a world in which
everything is permanent and unchanging. Whatever hell is, by God it's forever. Whatever heaven is, it's forever. And our position, our standing,
our in that eternal day to which we are rapidly moving, shall
be determined entirely by our relationship to Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, right now. Right now. What are you saying,
pastor? I'm saying if you are washed
in Christ's blood and robed in his righteousness now, you'll
be clean forever, holy forever. If you trust Christ as your Savior
now, he'll be your Savior forever. If you're one with Christ now,
you shall be one with Christ in eternity. If you love Christ
now and are loved of Christ now, you shall love Christ and be
loved of Christ for all eternity. But if you meet Christ in judgment
as an unbeliever, you're going to be an unbeliever forever.
If you meet the Son of God as a rebel, you're going to be a
rebel forever. If you're unclean when you leave
this world, you will be unclean forever. If you are cursed and
damned when you go out to meet God, you're going to be cursed
and damned and hated of God for all eternity. Your only hope
then, for eternal life. Your only hope, and what a blessed
hope it is for eternal life, is the free, sovereign, saving
grace of God in Jesus Christ the Lord. I bid you, I bid you
call on Him for mercy. No, no, no, no. Don't call on
Him for mercy. Believe on Him for mercy. Trust
the Son of God. Trust Him. and obtain mercy and
favor in his sight. I was just reading this morning
that Esther, she was about to go into Ahasuerus without any,
without any right to go there. Contrary to the law, she said,
she said, if I perish, I perish. You're going to die anyhow. You
may as well die at the throne of mercy. And nobody ever Nobody
ever has. Go now to the Son of God, believe
on him, and live forever. Heaven and earth shall pass away. Will you? Will you? I tell you now, if
you do, you'll have nobody to blame but you. It'll be nobody's
fault but yours. In this world, you can get by
with justifying your ungodly behavior by saying, well, you
know, the way I was raised, my mom and dad were lunatics, so
I just expect me to be one. My mom and dad were drunks, just
expect me to be one. My mom and dad were wild folks,
just expect me to be wild. You can get by with that with
folks now. Folks, look here, no need to blame little Johnny
for what he does. Don't blame little Betty for
what she does, because it's not her fault. If you go to hell,
it'll be your fault. And I'm telling you right now
what you are and what you do is your fault. Nobody else's.
Nobody else's. Here's the Lord's second promise.
But my words shall not pass away. My words. You're holding them
in your lap. My words. So shall my word be
that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return to me, Lord,
but it shall accomplish that which I please. It shall prosper
in the thing whereto I send it. Forever, O Lord, is thy word
settled in heaven. The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever. Look in
Isaiah 46, Isaiah chapter 46. My words shall not pass away. The Lord God speaks here in Isaiah
46 and verse 9. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God and there
is none like me. Well, who is God? Who is God? He's the one who declares the
end from the beginning. Anything that you think about
worshipping that doesn't do that is not God, but just an idol.
He declares the end from the beginning. What does that mean?
He declares this is the way things are going to be, and then he
starts doing it. That's exactly what he means. From eternity,
he says this is what shall come to pass. And he sets out to do
it. But he don't. And from ancient
times, the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall
stand. I will do all my pleasure. The Lord wants to, the Lord desires,
the Lord tribuloni. I will do all my pleasure. Now if the God you worship doesn't
do all he wants to do with everybody, everywhere, at all times, you're
an idolater. You don't know God. God says,
I will do all my pleasure. Read on. Calling a ravenous bird
from the east, the man that executed my counsel from a far country.
How many times you have folks say to you when you talk about
God's sovereignty, He rules everywhere. They say, well, what if? What
if this gets in the way? What if that happens? What if
the other thing happens? God says, I can make a raven
become a butler to feed my servant. That's no problem to God. I've created the raven. I can
cause a pagan king who never knew my name, to come in and
deliver my people exactly according to my purpose. I can do that. That's no problem. I made him.
The king's heart's in the hands of the Lord. God says, I'll do
all my pleasure. Nothing gonna stand in my way.
Now read the next line. Yea, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass.
I've purposed it, I will also do it. Now our text here in Mark
13 31, as well as these other passages I've read to you, all
refer to the immutable, absolute certainty that God's word shall
be accomplished. His words of inspiration, every
word in this book stands. and shall be brought to pass
exactly according to God's word. His words of decree, that is
everything that God from eternity purposed to bring to pass, everything
that God predestined, that, all of that, and only that shall
be brought to pass in God's time. His words of doctrine, every
word of truth set forth in scripture stands forever. I've had folks
tell me all my life as a believer, since I was 16 years old, not
quite 17 years old when God saved me. Folks, your doctrine, that's
old doctrine. That's Curitan doctrine. That's
reform doctrine. That's this doctrine. You need
to read this book. It'll bring you up to date. I
plan to stay out of date. God's doctrine never needs to
be updated. His word never needs to be updated.
Somebody says, well, we need to update the Word. Some folks
a while back took all references to the blood out of the hymnal. Oh, that's just not good in our
day. Folks are too refined to know
God. That's right. That's exactly
right. God's words of grace stand forever. His words of promise
stand forever. And His words of wrath stand
forever. You see, he who is the omniscient
perfect, omnipotent, unchangeable God never needs to alter His
Word. Now, I have to. I have to at
all times. Now, there's some things about
which I'm kind of picky. You probably wouldn't suspect
that of me, but I'm a little picky about some things. If you
tell me you're going to do something, buddy, I expect it. If you get run over by a car
and you're in a body cast in traction, that's an excuse. Anything
short of that, not an excuse. And if I tell you I'm going to
do something, you can count on it. You can count on it. If I
tell you I'll be somewhere at six o'clock, I'll be there at
six o'clock. I'll be there unless it's just impossible for me to
get there. But you know what? Sometimes
it's impossible. I recall several years ago, Brother
Mahan and I were going to meet at Kelly Cyrus' house over in
Charleston, West Virginia, before a meeting. We were supposed to
go out and have supper, and the time came for us to be there.
Well, I'm a half hour early, always. Always a half hour early.
I got to be a half hour late, and Henry said, we better call.
Something's happened. Something's happened. He'd be
here. He'd be here. But something happened. I couldn't
keep my word. Because see, I don't control
everybody as much as I'd like to. I don't control everything
as much as I might wish I did. Things are just beyond my reach,
beyond my power, beyond my abilities. Nothing. Nobody is beyond God's
reach, God's power, and God's ability. His word never changes. Now then, here's a problem to
face. Look at verse 32. But of that day and that hour,
he said, and my word stands, this world will pass away. Heaven
and earth shall pass away, my word stands. But of the day and
hour when heaven and earth shall pass away, of the day and hour
when Christ shall come again, of the day and hour when judgment
shall be set, of that day and hour knoweth no man. Now that's not too hard for me
to figure out. No, not even the angel. That's
another story, they're pretty smart. Angels are free to do
lots of things we're not free to do. But since the angels don't
know, surely no man knows. But here's the problem. Not the
angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. If the Lord Jesus Christ is himself
God the equal in all things, and one with the Father and the
Spirit, as the scriptures universally declare that he is, and as the
gospel of God's grace certainly necessitates that he is, as the
doctrine of the Trinity demands that he must be. If he is God
all-wise, all-knowing, omniscient, before whom he declares that
darkness is light, from whom nothing can be hid, then how
can it be possible that he is ignorant of the day and hour
of his second advent? Now if that problem has ever
confronted you as a problem, you haven't read the thing and
thought about it yet. That's a pretty big problem.
Rustle lights jump on at all times. You have a rustle light
come knocking at your door tomorrow morning, I'll guarantee you if
you'll let it get out two words, they'll refer to this passage
of Scripture. He doesn't know the day of his hour when he's
coming so he must not be God. But really it's not a problem
at all. Compare scripture with scripture.
But rather this is simply a demonstration of the fact that Jesus Christ
is exactly who and what he said he was. Fully God and fully man. As fully and really and truly
God as if he were not a man, and as fully, really, and truly
man as if he were not God. Now let me show you what I'm
talking about. As a man, our Savior was no more
omniscient than he was omnipotent and omnipresent. He wasn't, he's
a man. He's a man. huckster out in Oklahoma, old
Roberts, he said he saw a 90-foot Jesus. That's too little to be
a God and too big to be a man. Oh no, no, no, no. What are you
talking about? His body is just limited. His
body couldn't be in two places at one time. His body's not omnipresent. His body's not omnipotent. He
couldn't pick up two tons. No. He's just a man. A real man,
but just a man. A holy man, but just a man. A
perfect man, but just a man. Neither was he omniscient as
a man. In the four Gospels, sometimes
our Savior speaks of himself as a man, as he does in this
text. And sometimes he speaks of himself
as God, to demonstrate that he is both God and man completely
in one person. When he thirsted, it wasn't God
who got thirsty, but a man. When he was hungry, it wasn't
God who was hungry, but a man. When he was tempted, it wasn't
God who was tempted, but a man. When our Lord Jesus got tired
and had to rest, it wasn't God who got tired and had to rest,
but a man. Jesus Christ the man. When our Lord Jesus came to his
disciples and said, he said, our friend Lazarus sleepeth. Nobody had told him Lazarus died.
He had just gotten the message that Lazarus was sick. But now
he says to his disciples, our friend Lazarus sleepeth. He knew that, not as a man, but
as God, omniscient. And he spoke thus, as God, omniscient. When he came, however, to Bethany
He asked Martha, where have you laid him? Well, if he knew while he was
out of town that Lazarus had died, certainly he knew where
they had laid him as God. But he asked the question as
a man. He says, where have you laid him? That he as a man may
be informed as to where they laid him. You understand what
I'm saying? Here our Savior speaks not as God the second person
of the Trinity, God the Son, but he speaks as the Son of Man. And he says the Son of Man knows
not the day nor the hour of his coming. Now let me see if I can
make application of this text. The old preachers used to say
I'll try to improve it or improve upon it, making application of
it to us, giving it some shoe leather. Number one, he who is
our Redeemer is and must of necessity be both God and man. He's got to be a real man and
he's got to be perfectly God. Otherwise his suffering and death
would do no man any good. And if it were not God, his suffering
and death would be of no merit and efficacy to atone for our
sins and make us righteous beforehand. Number two, learn this and learn
it well. No one knows when the Lord Jesus
is coming again. Now, the language of scripture
is as plain as the nose on your face. And yet, people have since
the beginning of the of this gospel age. Ever since our Lord
went back to glory, folks have been predicting when He's going
to come again. I mean, it's going on generation after generation
after generation after generation. The fact is, no one knows or
even has a hint of an idea when the Lord Jesus is coming again
and when the end of the world will be. Not only do the scriptures tell
us emphatically that we do not know and cannot know, but here
is glaring proof. If Jesus Christ, the man who
knew the scriptures and understood the scriptures better than any
man, did not know the day and hour of his appearance, you ain't
likely to find out. Well, we discovered a chart. If it's there, he would have
known it. Well, we discovered a timetable. If it was there,
he would have discovered it. Well, we've seen some secret
things that have just come to light now. No man, not the angels
in heaven, not even the Son of Man knows. Well, why do you say
that? Just so you won't pay any attention
to those idiots who think they know. Nobody knows when he's
coming, and no one knows when Christ is coming to take him
out of this world to meet God in judgment. I find it utterly amazing. There is but a step between me
and death, David said, but most folks don't believe I have a friend. I've seen this
happen so many times. I have a friend down in Louisiana.
Happened while Darwin and Kathy were living down there. Her boy
was driving down the road. Early one morning, somebody coming
down the road the other way, come back from fishing. Boat
came unhooked from the trailer. Boat, trailer, and all came across
the median, got airborne, went right through the windshield
of the car, and pinned him. to the seat of the car he's driving.
What happened? His number's up. That's exactly what happened.
And God Almighty has appointed a day when your number's up.
And you're going to meet God. And after this, the judgment.
A man knows where. Are you ready? Are you prepared
to meet the living God? Now then, look what our Lord
tells us in the latter part of this thing. He gives us a post
to keep. He tells us to do three things.
He says, watch, watch, and pray. Watch, pray, and work for Christ's
sake. Amen.