Thursday | December 10, 2020 |
Mark 14What Is Jesus Worth To You?
Pastor Nathan Hernandez
“3 And while He [Jesus] was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her…”
Growing up in church, I distinctly remember the only people who would show any sort of emotion during worship were always those in the first row, and it was always a line of girls in dresses or the standard “church garb”, singing along, laughing, and seemingly enjoying the worship. Looking around to every other row of seats was a major contrast, where all you’d see were people standing stoically, hands to their sides or in their pockets. The most you’d see out of THAT crowd would be the occasional clap-along. Maybe. These were people who, I would say, were genuine Christians, genuine believers in Jesus.
In the text of Mark 14 above, we see that there were people in the room who knew who Jesus was. It’s more than likely that they knew of the things that Jesus had been doing, maybe even seen some of those miracles themselves. There’s even commentary that says at this particular event, some of the disciples themselves were there, if not most of them; People who have devoted their lives to following Him, and have encountered with their very lives the power of Jesus.
Yet, in a room filled with people who knew Jesus and even knew that He was the Messiah they had been waiting for their whole lives…the only one who truly recognized what Jesus was truly worthy of was this woman who came with one of the most valuable things people of this time and region had, and despite its earthly value, she proceeded to just break it open and pour it out over Jesus with no shame or second thought… and the people scolded her for it.
True worship is willing to give everything
Church, when you see the true beauty of Jesus, when you see what He is truly worthy of… your worship of Him will look significantly different than that of the average believer. True worship is willing to give everything… to lay everything before Him no matter the cost; even the cost of your comfort, of “looking silly”, and the approval, opinions or thoughts of others. People will scold you for how you worship, and how you live for Him when it challenges them to reach higher than where they are at in their walk. However, don’t be shaken or allow that to hinder what you know Jesus is worthy of. He is for you, He fights for you, and longs for you to continue getting deeper revelations of who He is. He will honor your offering of extravagant worship.
“6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”AuthorPastor Nathan Hernandez
Thursday | December 03, 2020 |
Mark 13Mark 13:24-27 | THE RAPTURE ISN’T IN THE BIBLE...?
Pastor Nathan Hernandez
Mark 13:24 “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 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 out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven…35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming-in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Also found in: Matt. 24:29, Luke 21:25-28)
Growing up in the church, much of my questions concerning the end-times were met with uncertainty or confusing eschatology (theology of the end-times). The “Left Behind” movies and books were a staple in my household, and there was a heavy emphasis on making sure you were “always ready” for the Lord’s return, as it could happen “at any moment.” Therefore, most Christians I knew (including myself) lived in fear of the rapture and asked the Lord for forgiveness every night before bed JUST IN CASE He returned in the middle of the night.
I also recall a more recent time in which I started hearing many rumblings in the American Church claiming that the rapture is never actually mentioned in the Bible, and therefore belief in it should be seen as scoff-worthy (deserving of eye-rolls, sighs, LOLs, etc…). I began to notice that the issue of the end-times started becoming seen by many as non-essential or irrelevant, simply due to the fact that it is not needed in order to be saved, so therefore it really doesn’t matter or need to be studied. This is faulty thinking at best, and severely irresponsible of the Word at worst.
The Word “Rapture”
1 Thes. 4:17 says that those who are alive on the earth at the time of His return will be “caught up” with Christ in the clouds as He decends with the angels. The Latin translation for “caught up” is the word “Rapio” which is where we get the word…you guessed it: RAPTURE. That same concept of being “caught up” with Christ in the sky at His return is also found above in today’s reading of Mark 13 when it says “…he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds…”
When Will It Happen?
Jesus says concerning His Second-Coming “no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matt. 24:36) HOWEVER, both Jesus and Paul tell us many things that need to happen before Christ is to return. Below are some references and snippets of those verses that I encourage you to dig into for further study:
-Matt. 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days… 30 Then…they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 …and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
-Mark 13:24 …after that tribulation… then they will see the Son of Man coming… And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect…
-Luke 21:9 …for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.
-1 Cor. 15:51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
-1 Thes. 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God…17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
-1 Thes. 5:1 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night… 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore…let us watch and be sober.
-2 Thes. 2:1 …concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him… for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God…
My goal here is to show you that not only is the rapture surely and easily found in scripture, but to hopefully provide some clarity on what the Word tells us about the end-times, the rapture, and Jesus’ second-coming. The Word is rich in scriptures that tell us what we are to look for as we keep watch for that day! The Lord wants us to be attentive concerning the times and signs of His return! Although a good understanding of eschatology isn’t needed for Salvation, it is not only relevant, but encouraged by Jesus Himself and vital to the spiritual maturity of every believer.
AuthorPastor Nathan Hernandez
