Sermon Tone Analysis

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This morning we are picking back up in our study of the Gospel of Mark.
If you’re new to MCF, it would be good for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking a book of the Bible and then walking through it from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what it is saying in our lives today.
With that said, we are currently walking through the Gospel of Mark.
A book that is meant to teach us who Jesus is, what he came to do, and what it means to follow him.
Today as we come back to our study, we are picking back up in .
If you weren’t with us last week, is a unique chapter in this Gospel.
Primarily because it is what we call an apocalyptic chapter.
Meaning, everything that Jesus has to say in this chapter has to do with the end of life as we know it on planet earth.
In other words, it’s a chapter about the end of the world.
And as we learned last week, this chapter is based on a statement Jesus makes in verse 1.
It happens as Jesus and the disciples are walking out of the Temple.
And it’s in this moment, as the the disciples marvel and comment on the beauty of the temple, that Jesus makes a a shocking statement.
Jesus says there is a day coming soon when the temple will be destroyed.
And as we learned last week, that was an apocalyptic statement.
Because for the Jews of that day, the destruction of the temple would have been a cataclysmic event that would have caused many to think, “The end is here.”
It would be no different today if all of a sudden we woke up on a Sunday morning and all our churches had been destroyed.
For many Christinas, we would think the end was upon us.
But when the disciples ask Jesus to explain what he means, Jesus doesn’t begin by giving them the details of how this will take place.
Instead, he begins by warning them not to be deceived.
Why this warning?
Because as we learned last week, when it comes to end of the world stories and teaching, it’s easy to get deceived.
So, before Jesus answers the question, he cautions them not to be deceived by what might appear to be end time signs, but are not.
And this is important for us as well, because as we wait for Jesus’s return, we to need to know what events are the signs of his return and what events are not.
So, what did Jesus say not to be deceived by?
So, what did Jesus say not to be deceived by?
First, Jesus says don’t be deceived by false teachers or teaching.
In other words, if somebody says it’s the end of the world or they are claiming something about the end of the world, then we need to make sure it lines up with what the Bible says.
If it doesn’t line up, Jesus says don’t listen to them.
Don’t be deceived.
Second, Jesus says don’t be deceived by the natural chaos that a sin stained world has created.
Examples of this would be wars, rumors of wars, and natural disasters.
As we said last week, wars and natural disasters have plagued the planet for thousands of years.
They are the result of the chaos sin has created in the world.
They will continue until Jesus returns.
So, Jesus says don’t be alarmed when a Volcano erupts in Hawaii.
Don’t be surprised when an earthquake destroys an area.
It’s nothing new.
Because the truth is, it’s easy to do that.
Just last week I saw a Pastor post on facebook say the volcanic eruption in Hawaii was the beginning of the end of the United States.
And that it was going to create a tsunami that will wipe out the West coast because of the sin of California.
So, there you go.
That’s why Jesus says, “Don’t be deceived.
It’s just another volcanic eruption.
They’ve been happening for centuries.”
So, with that foundation laid, you might think Jesus is ready to shed light on when the end is coming and how it will come.
But he’s not quite there.
Because Jesus has one more caution to give us before he gives us end time details.
But he’s not quite there.
Because Jesus has one more caution to give us before he gets to the answer.
Because not only does he want us to avoid being deceived,Jesus also wants us to be aware of some certainties and some challenges Christians will face as the end approaches.
Challenges that don’t represent the end of the world, but instead are part of the journey towards the end.
Think of it like this.
If you’re driving down the road, and you see a sign that says “Sharp curve ahead”, what does that tell you?
Does it mean the road is about to end? No. What it’s indicating is the road is about to change and it’s going to affect your journey.
It’s going to require you to be more cautious.
It’s a warning so you don’t go off the road.
That’s the kind of caution Jesus is about to give us.
He wants us to understand that as his disciples, there will challenges that come up in your life that are just part of the journey.
But he wants to give us a heads up so we don’t get caught off guard.
Because the truth is, it’s not fun to be caught off guard, is it?
Because the truth is, it’s not fun to be caught off guard, is it?
We know this based on what Jesus says next.
Beginning in verse 9 Jesus says, “But be on your guard...” (ESV)
So, before we get to far into the passage, and in order to give us some framework to work with, I want to begin by asking you a question:
Question - How many of you have ever been caught off guard by something?
You know, something happened that you weren’t ready for.
Maybe you got some news you weren’t expecting.
Maybe somebody showed up at your house unexpected.
Or how about this, have you ever been surprised, troubled, or even startled by something you didn’t see coming?
Maybe you got a bill you weren’t expecting.
Maybe somebody pulled out in front of you going down the highway.
Maybe you came around a corner and somebody scared you.
I know its’ hard to believe, but when I was a kid one of my favorite past times was to come up with ways to surprise and scare my younger brother.
I liked to catch him off guard.
For example, when my brother was little he was scared to sleep by himself, so he would always want to sleep in my room.
And if he whined enough about it, my mom would let him.
Used to drive me nuts.
So, one night, to teach him a lesson, I tied a string to my closet door, and while he was laying there in my bed, I started to pull the closet door open.
He never slept in my room again.
Probably one of my best scares came one night right before he went to bed.
My plan was, while he was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, that I would sneak in his room, and hide between the the wall and his bed.
And then jump up and scare him after he got in bed.
Funny, right?
So, while he was in the bathroom, I snuck in, and a few minutes later, he came in, shut the door, turned off the light, and got in bed.
But to be honest, at that point, I started feeling kinda bad because I knew it was really going to scare him.
I mean, after all, he is my little brother.
So, I decided, instead of scaring him, I would just quietly let him know I was there.
Real soft like.
But, before I could do that, he rolled over, and his eyes locked onto my eyes, and a look of terror came over his face, as I whispered, “Ben”.
And in that moment, you would have thought a snake bit him.
He came out of the bed screaming bloody murder.
Next thing I know my parents are in the room, and as you can imagine, I was in big trouble.
I guess you could say I caught my brother off guard.
As we come back to this morning, Jesus doesn’t want us to get caught off guard.
Instead, he wants to put all the cards on the table so we can be aware.
The question then is, “For what?
What does Jesus want us to be on guard for?
What does he want us to be prepared for so that we aren’t surprised, startled, or troubled?”
That’s a great question.
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