12-03-2023
December 3, 2023

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December 3rd – Hope - Purple
Reading: Isiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Message: Mark 13:24-37
Sermon Title: Waiting with Hope.

Goals when we deal with Prophecy.

  1. Clarity – Clear about terms and the different views
  2. Unity – We are on the same team even if we disagree.
  3. Charity – Hold your views loosely and be open to change.
  4. What is the truth proposition – What is the point being communicated.

Terms Defined:

Prophecy
An oral, divine message mediated through an individual that is directed at a person or people group and intended to elicit a specific response.

Types of Prophecy
The two major categories of divine message are:
1. Prediction, or the foretelling of future events
2. Admonition, which can be either accusatory or exhortatory

ESCHATOLOGY
The study of the end times, including death, the intermediate state, the afterlife, judgment, the millennium, heaven, and hell. Also refers to the time of Jesus’ second coming. The word eschatology comes from a combination of Greek words meaning “the study of last things.”

Premillennial
The theological position that Christ will return prior to a thousand-year earthly reign characterized by a utopian peace.

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Postmillennial
The theological position that Christ will return after the millennium. The work of the gospel on earth is thought to lead to the utopian resolution of social ills and the achievement of millennial peace prior to Christ’s return.

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Amillennial
The theological position that there will be no 1,000-year earthly reign of Christ after his second coming. It suggests that references to a millennium for the period between Christ’s ascension and second coming are figurative.

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Context:
Mark 13

Mark 13:24-27 LSB
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, 25 AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, AND THE POWERS THAT ARE IN THE HEAVENS will be shaken. 26 “And then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. 27 “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
“THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, 25 AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, AND THE POWERS THAT ARE IN THE HEAVENS will be shaken.”

1. Why do we have hope? Because God is in .

Mark 13:28-31 LSB
28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, [right] at the door. 30 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

2. Why do we have hope? Because God’s Word is .

Mark 13:32-34 LSB
32 “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father [alone]. 33 “See to it, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the [appointed] time will come. 34 “[It is] like a man away on a journey, [who], leaving his house and giving authority to his slaves–each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay awake.

3. Why do we have hope? Because God has given His to us to proclaim the Gospel.

Mark 13:35-37 LSB
35 “Therefore, stay awake–for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning– 36 lest he come suddenly and find you sleeping. 37 “And what I say to you I say to all, ‘Stay awake!’”

4. Why do we have hope? Because Jesus is soon.

What are the things we do agree on?

  1. A future bodily return of Christ.
  2. A real kingdom.
  3. The bodily resurrection of the saints.
  4. A perfect eternity coming.

We are called to be watchful.

We are called to be faithful.

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