Live in expectancy that Jesus will fulfill all his promises

By Dean Collins

There are so many things that I really want to know:

How did Yale beat Auburn in the first round of March Madness?

With so many great players on their roster how have the Atlanta Braves only won two World Series rings since 1995?

Is there life on other planets?

 I could go on and on, but knowing the answers to most of these questions doesn’t really change anything. It would just be fun to know.

 There are other questions that would be really helpful to know, I think. If you knew what the stock market was going to do in the next month or year, it would certainly give you more confidence in where you would or wouldn’t invest your money! If you knew exactly how long you were going to live, it would also help you know exactly how much money you needed to save for retirement.

 In reading the gospels we learn that people asked Jesus a lot of questions. Jesus also asked his listeners many things. As we approach the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the disciples were very curious about how things would work out in the end. In Mark 13, for example, the disciples are very interested in Jesus giving them more details on his comment about the temple and Jerusalem being destroyed. While I doubt they fully understood what Jesus was saying, in A.D. 70 the siege of Jerusalem brought wide destruction to the temple and the city. The Apostle John would have been the only apostle alive during the destruction. He likely finished his gospel and wrote Revelation after Jerusalem fell.

 There is one thing that the disciples, the early Christians, and you and I would love to know. There have been many books written about it, with all sorts of crazy theories and interpretations presented, trying to figure out exactly when Jesus will return to finish the work of the renewal and restoration of all things.

 While we would love to know when, we can remember what Jesus said and follow his instructions. Here is his teaching on when he will return:

 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” 

 No matter what anyone tells you in a Bible study, a sermon, an article, or a book, we should remember what Jesus said: no one knows. But Jesus also told his disciples to be alert and keep awake. We are to live in expectancy that Jesus will fulfill all his promises, including that he will come back and put things in the order he and the Father planned since the beginning of time.

 In the last four verses of Mark 13, Jesus said and repeated these instructions: Be on guard, keep awake. Stay awake. Stay awake. Jesus was not calling us to pull the college all-nighter, where you try and cram all of your studying into one night for the test the next morning. Jesus called us to live in confidence that he will come and lead us into the fully renewed earth where we will live in perfect peace and unity with God, with each other, and with nature.

 We must also remember that while we watch and wait we are to live with confidence that Jesus is with us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are to live, walk, and work by the spirit of God so that the presence of God will be seen in us and lead others to faith in the Christ who has saved us. In other words, we watch and wait for God to show up in our daily lives now, even as we watch and wait for his final return.

 Lately I have watched several World War II movies and series, along with some documentaries. During the war, soldiers and their loved ones wrote many letters to each other during their long time of separation. Listening to those letters being read now, I am reminded of the kind of expectancy we are to have when waiting for Jesus to return. Those who sent and received these letters during the war truly believed that they were loved by the sender of the letter and that the sender and the recipient truly believed the loved one would return. 

 Those who were separated during the war had hopes, dreams, and love that bonded them together, yet they could not control their outcomes. But with the return of Jesus, we know that he can and will control the final outcome. Just as he delivered on his promised resurrection from death, we can be sure he will come again. He loves us completely, and we know that he is coming again to unite with his bride, the Church. 

 Father, waiting is so hard. Yet we have seen you time and time again deliver on your promises. We thank you for giving us your Spirit to live in us and bring us assurance of your life in us now, even as we wait for your final return. Just as you asked, we will stay awake each day in anticipation that you will return, and while we wait we will allow your life and light to shine through us so that others may come to you and experience your love and mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Mark 13:32-37 ESV

Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash
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