Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

The Olivet Discourse was given first to the disciples, but it's intended for us all. 

V11... Jesus warns that believers being brought to trial is a "when," not an "if." Satan’s strategy for persecuting the church often involves weaponizing the state and legal systems against believers, just as was done to Jesus and to Paul. When you are on trial, it's the Holy Spirit who speaks through you, so don't worry! Don't be anxious about things. God knows we worry even when there's nothing bad happening yet. Matthew 6: don't do that! Tomorrow has enough worry of its own.

When you're arrested and brought to trial, don't be anxious. Because the Holy Spirit will be with us. He will never leave us or forsake us!

The Holy Spirit gives us peace and truth. He acts as a helper, seals us for our inheritance, intercedes in weakness, provides power for testimony, and produces sanctifying fruit (love, joy, peace, self-control).

We come to church to stir each other up to good works! That's the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:24... If you belong to him, you crucify the flesh. You must learn to say no to yourself! "I will not let my flesh rule the day." We must live by His Spirit! 

Early Christians were considered insurrectionists. Polycarp exalted Christ in his torture to death! When it's impossible to carry on, the Holy Spirit will step in; he can provide profound eloquence, peace and faithfulness, even in the face of imminent death.

v12...

"And brother will deliver brother over to death..." It's not just courts; family will turn against family.

The darkness hates the light with an unimaginable intensity. 

Jesus says we must expect trouble. Luke 14: Count the cost before you become a Christian! You must vastly prefer Jesus even to his own family, his own life! 

V13...

You'll be hated for his namesake. They're hating Christ in you. But endure to the end and you will be saved!

Don't confuse hatred toward you because of your own failings with hatred toward you because of Jesus! Don't be a contentious person. Own up to your failures in this. Even if you're not being contentious, Satan will send contentious people to you to compromise your witness... don't take the bait! 

Your job: be a faithful witness. 1 Peter 3:13. You belong to Jesus, and Satan can't have you. But he can try to make you useless! He'll send fool after fool your way. He wants to take your testimony away from you. And we are to fiercely guard it! Jesus is preparing us to be treated unfairly but not lose our testimony. 

He says the one who endures to the end will be saved. Sometimes all we can do is survive! And this is all he's asking for. 

To abide is to simply stay put, and hold up what's been put on you! Keep the faith to the end, and you'll be in Heaven. 

We are covered in his grace, even when we act in the flesh. We're not the ones who can keep our relationship with the Lord together! God is the author and perfecter of our faith! The Spirit conforms us into the image of the Son. 

Just because we have the Holy Spirit doesn't mean we'll be perfect. Even Peter sinned grossly as a Christian. He's still saved. So are you. We're not going to be perfect; we must simply remain in Him.

The Spirit makes our sins odious to us. God does not require perfection from us. But we must keep the faith and endure to the end, trusting in Him as our Savior.

Just make it to the end.

To see if you're saved, see if you're following him. It's about where you are right now. If you're enduring to the end, you will be saved!

The verses of Mark 1:1-31 are not written or taught sequentially; they form a chiasm, an A-B-C-B'-A'-style structure... (though here it's an ABCDEFE'D'C'B'A'!) In the Olivet Discourse, v1-9 establish themes. v10 is the center of the chiasm (so it's the central thought), and in v11-31 Jesus works back through the themes of v1-9, and he expands upon them.

v11... The government can be weaponized against the Church. This is Satan's plan.

It's a good idea for the Church to work toward two ends: making our government Christian, and making our government small. Revelation shows us the evils of an overgrown Antichrist government. The bigger the government becomes, the greater persecution we can expect.

The Holy Spirit can speak through you in times of trial! A special provision for those brought to trial for their faith.

v12... The persecution will divide families, brother delivering his brother to death, father delivering child... but endure to the end and you will be saved! Luke 21: by your endurance, you will gain your lives.

John 8:31: Abide in my Word and you're truly mine. We must endure to the end!

1 John 2:18ff: if people had truly been Christians, they wouldn't have left. We must endure to the end!

The term "backslidden Christian"... sometimes the backslidden never slide back. Just because we once had an emotional experience of Jesus doesn't mean we're saved. If we "give our life to the Lord" and then live like a child of hell, we are not saved. We must endure to the end! We must walk with Jesus, abide in Him!

God's mercy is deep, and Heaven will be filled with people who lived messy lives. But the simple existence of a prior experience with God is not a basis for confidence in salvation!

Someone who's walked away from the Lord doesn't need to hear that they're just "backslidden"... they need to hear that they're in danger of missing Heaven! They need to come to Christ and abide in him! Live as a believer, forsaking not the assembly, getting baptized, obeying His commands and living to please Him.

2 Peter 2:20ff: it would be better to have never known Jesus, than to have turned away after knowing Him! Much is required from him to whom much has been given. We must endure to the end! And to those in our lives who have walked away, we need to come to them and warn them that Heaven is for those following Jesus, and they're not following Him!

The one who endures to the end will be saved!

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Mark 13:7-10

Destruction of temple is similar to the second coming of Jesus, and similar to the end of days. 

Olivet Discourse is used as a marker of end times eschatology. Premillenial pre-tribulation, amillennial, etc. 

Around 180 AD, Victoraneus and Irenaeus were both pre-millennial.

Our church tends to be premillenial and pre-tribulational. That said, Jesus can come anytime He wants (anytime the Father sends Him!)

Is the Church going to be around for all the end times events in Revelation? Not necessarily. We don't know the specific time. We're just called to be ready! Jesus himself doesn't even know. 

Even though Jesus loves his bride, he doesn't want us to assume life will be easy. Famine, plague, and more must happen.

So our job is not to understand exactly what God is doing, but to trust Him to do it. Just be ready. 

V7...

Before the fall of Jerusalem, false Christs are going to come to power, but don't be alarmed. Don't be alarmists! Be strong and courageous, not anxious! Don't be ruled by fear. Consistently fearful people are easily manipulated and make foolish decisions. We know God! We should be measured, composed, and strong. Don't blow your witness. Let the world see the peace today cannot be taken from you! God is utterly sovereign and in control!

V8...

Bad stuff is coming, and it's only the beginning of the process. The fall of Jerusalem was this beginning. 

How do we prepare? 

V9...

But be on guard. You'll be badly persecuted, and you are to stand and bear witness. Why would God allow this kind of mistreatment? To bear witness before our persecutors! Some in high places. It's an opportunity to share Jesus. 

He calls us to be of clear mind, exhibiting self-control. God is willing and able! No need to panic and serve ourselves. Thank God he came for selfish monsters like us who are prone to hysteria! The Holy Spirit can help you to be a faithful witness to the truth of who He is!

If we exhibit this fearful alarmist state, we should ask God to mature us. Live in the light! Use your words for light! Watch what you let into your mind! 

Whatever is honorable, lovely, good... think on these things! Meditate on and consume the light of Christ! 

V10...

Proclaim the Gospel to all nations! Especially in the presence of a false gospel, during tribulation, famine, persecution, political upheaval, sickness... Proclaim the Gospel! 

"Proclaim" means to herald. A herald was a messenger from the king. He only says exactly what the King tells him to say. This a picture of the believer with the Bible! We proclaim the message of the King!

Whatever comes, our mission stays the same: proclaim the Word to all nations!

A little clarity...

What is the Gospel?

Mark 1:1ff...

If your faith is in Jesus, the Gospel is the good news! You are a herald! 

Mark lays out that Jesus is the one the entire Old Testament was building to! He is the son of God, with the full authority of the Father. He gave us peace with the Father, though we deserve death! His death appeases the wrath of God toward us.

Jesus says you belong to the King. As such, we obey and follow the King. Our Kingdom is at war with the kingdom of darkness. We can't receive the Lord apart from the Holy Spirit. He saved us from certain destruction! 

We must repent and turn from false shepherds and ideologies. Smash the false idols! That usually means smash... yourself. You are a sinner in bed of a Savior! 

Mark ends with the resurrection of Jesus! In that act, he defeated Satan, sin and death!

So why are you terrified?!

When Satan attacks you, accuses you... Jesus claims your as his own. Sin has no more power over you! Even in death, you'll live eternally! This is the Good News: if you kill me, I'll be in Heaven! Come join me!

Wars and rumors of wars are according to God's plan; they signify that history is progressing, but do not mean the end is immediately at hand.

Earthquakes, famines, and global conflicts are the "beginning of birth pains." This terminology implies that while trials will increase in both frequency and intensity, they'll ultimately result in a glorious outcome (like a birth): the return of Jesus Christ and the start of new life!

The Olivet Discourse addresses multiple timelines simultaneously: the destruction of the physical temple in 70 AD, the second coming of the Lord, and the end of all things.

The destruction of the temple in 70 AD marked the end of the old covenant order (meeting God at a physical temple) and the official transition to the new order (meeting God in the church).

v9... We're warned to be on guard, as we'll face persecution from both religious and secular authorities, including being delivered to councils, beaten in synagogues, and brought before governors and kings.

Historical and modern persecution against Christians is often framed by authorities as criminal behavior, subversion against the state, or hate speech. A maligning of their character, rather than a direct attack on faith (examples would be early Christians being accused of cannibalism due to the Eucharist; modern believers being arrested for silent prayer near clinics).

The purpose of being brought before hostile judges and authorities is to use the trial as a platform to testify of the Lord Jesus Christ!

v10... the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations before the end. This was partially fulfilled within the Roman Empire during Paul's ministry. The Bible says it will one day come to pass completely!

That's the end of today's passage... now a note on some End Times stuff, specifically the Great Tribulation. The phrase applies to the specific eschatological period in Revelation (the 70th week of Daniel), but it is also used biblically to describe historical periods of intense suffering.

Christians have endured extreme seasons of "great tribulation" throughout history, such as first-century Roman persecution, 1930s Soviet purges of the Orthodox clergy, and ongoing modern persecution in Nigeria. Lots of people throughout history have thought their time period was the start of the end times. The Bible itself recounts times of "great tribulation" in Acts 7:11 and Matthew 24:21. How do we know if our tribulation is the Great Tribulation? (We don't!)

Because the exact timing of Christ's return is unknown (God can come back whenever He wants!), the believer's primary mandate is not to calculate end-times timelines, but to:

- Remain faithful through these events!

- Preach the gospel in season and out of season!

...and stay awake!

Wars and rumors of wars are according to God's plan; they signify that history is progressing, but do not mean the end is immediately at hand.

Earthquakes, famines, and global conflicts are the "beginning of birth pains." This terminology implies that while trials will increase in both frequency and intensity, they'll ultimately result in a glorious outcome (like a birth): the return of Jesus Christ and the start of new life!

The Olivet Discourse addresses multiple timelines simultaneously: the destruction of the physical temple in 70 AD, the second coming of the Lord, and the end of all things.

The destruction of the temple in 70 AD marked the end of the old covenant order (meeting God at a physical temple) and the official transition to the new order (meeting God in the church).

v9... We're warned to be on guard, as we'll face persecution from both religious and secular authorities, including being delivered to councils, beaten in synagogues, and brought before governors and kings.

Historical and modern persecution against Christians is often framed by authorities as criminal behavior, subversion against the state, or hate speech. A maligning of their character, rather than a direct attack on faith (examples would be early Christians being accused of cannibalism due to the Eucharist; modern believers being arrested for silent prayer near clinics).

The purpose of being brought before hostile judges and authorities is to use the trial as a platform to testify of the Lord Jesus Christ!

v10... the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations before the end. This was partially fulfilled within the Roman Empire during Paul's ministry. The Bible says it will one day come to pass completely!

That's the end of today's passage... now a note on some End Times stuff, specifically the Great Tribulation. The phrase applies to the specific eschatological period in Revelation (the 70th week of Daniel), but it is also used biblically to describe historical periods of intense suffering.

Christians have endured extreme seasons of "great tribulation" throughout history, such as first-century Roman persecution, 1930s Soviet purges of the Orthodox clergy, and ongoing modern persecution in Nigeria. Lots of people throughout history have thought their time period was the start of the end times. The Bible itself recounts times of "great tribulation" in Acts 7:11 and Matthew 24:21. How do we know if our tribulation is the Great Tribulation? (We don't!)

Because the exact timing of Christ's return is unknown (God can come back whenever He wants!), the believer's primary mandate is not to calculate end-times timelines, but to:

- Remain faithful through these events!

- Preach the gospel in season and out of season!

...and stay awake!

The first subject of the Olivet Discourse is a warning about coming liars and deceivers. Also the first sign of the end of times.

There's coming a final false shepherd, an antichrist.

We're sieging the kingdom of darkness. So we go to the the of the earth and make disciples of all nations!

Early America built colleges, universities, orphanages, hospitals, beautiful church buildings, all for future generations! And we should do the same. We must be all in for the glory of God, and have lots of kids to fill the Kingdom! Build beyond our noses. 

God has called us to be faithful, so we do it for His glory.

None of this will be easy. We'll meet a lot of opposition, and a lot of liars. Many antichrists will come in his name before the final antichrist.

To pick out what is false we must first have an understanding of what is true! The best preparation is clear teaching of good theology that's faithful to the word of God! This will help us withstand the coming siege of false doctrine. 

The true glory of a church is not found in its physical beauty, worship teams, or programs, but in its serious, uncompromising study of God's Word.

Believers must genuinely love their enemies and those of other faiths (atheists, Muslims, cult members) without validating their false, destructive ideologies. Moral neutrality does not exist; this is active spiritual warfare.

False shepherds flee from danger, avoid the local church, and appeal to carnal, temporary desires without the cross...

But Jesus is the Good Shepherd who enters through the gate, calls His sheep intimately by name, and lays down His life for them! His sheep recognize His voice and flee from strangers.

The command to "see" or "be on guard" is in the present tense, demanding a persistent, daily commitment to watchfulness, remaining in God's Word for the sake of oneself and one's family!

The Olivet Discourse addresses multiple timelines simultaneously: the fall of Jerusalem, the coming of the Lord in power, and the end of all things.

Eschatological views (the study of the end times) should not be a source of division or a rigid test of fellowship. A spirit of charity is needed when encountering different perspectives, such as Preterism or Postmillennialism.

Apocalyptic literature, much like parables, is complex, and specifically designed to obscure certain things within specific narratives and language. So let's not divide over it!

There are two common errors when interpreting the Olivet Discourse:

 1. Forcing every event solely into the first century (Full Preterism), claiming that everything in the Book of Revelation was fulfilled by the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.

 2. Completely ignoring the first-century historical context and the actual destruction of the temple.

The most immediate context for the Olivet Discourse is the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.

Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple around 30 AD, roughly 40 years before it actually happened.

The synoptic gospels recorded and distributed this prophecy to the early church (in places like Alexandria and Ephesus) around 60 AD. The church possessed the written warning a full decade before the temple fell!

The first specific warning of the end times is the arrival of false messiahs.

This warning of false messiahs saw immediate, historical fulfillment in the first century and beyond...

 - Theudas and Judas the Galilean gathered followers (recorded in Acts 5).

 - Manahem acted as a messianic figure in 66 AD.

 - Simon Bar Giora proclaimed himself king of Jerusalem, hid on the Temple Mount during the 70 AD siege, and later emerged in a purple cloak before being captured and executed in Rome.

 - Simon Bar Kokhba led a massive Jewish revolt in 132 AD under the guise of being the Messiah.

There have been modern pretenders as well, and it'll continue all the way to the antichrist.

Desperation creates vulnerability. Weary of Roman oppression, the Jewish people were desperate for a deliverer, making them quick to embrace ambitious false shepherds who offered hope.

The prophecy of false messiahs is not limited to the fall of Jerusalem; it continues throughout history and culminates ultimately in the Antichrist and the false prophet detailed in the Book of Revelation.

Jesus did not come as a political zealot or revolutionary to destroy Rome, but as the true King, offering salvation!

Jesus is going to leave Jerusalem, and gives a lengthy discourse, the Olivet Discourse, on Mt. Olivet.

"Now, not yet"... future destruction of the temple... Disciples want to know when! Matthew says the disciples came to him privately to ask when it will be destroyed and when He will come in power. And the end of the age... When will the Kingdom of heaven come in fullness?

Mt Olivet is where Jesus will return to strike down the nations and establish his Kingdom.

Vindication... Of all of Jesus' teachings, why do we need so much info about the destruction of the temple? Because though the resurrection is the sign for the believer (it's the key to the Gospel message), the destruction of the temple is the sign for the unbeliever. The destruction of the temple is the vindication of Jesus as true prophet and Savior. 

v1... The Jewish leadership is horribly corrupt, and the disciples comment on how beautiful the stones of the temple are!

If God's name isn't lifted up, it's all for nothing. 

1Sam16:6... Samuel gets fooled in the same way. Don't look on appearance... The Lord looks at the heart! God sees not as man sees. He's not tricked.

...Make sure you get your heart right before the Lord. Lose your pride, hypocrisy, lovelessness, jealousy, indifference. This is why we pause before communion! We lay ourselves bare before God. Confess our hidden things, things only he sees. 

v2-v4... It's coming down. The disciples ask, when?

God's presence resides in the temple in the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 10, God says he will leave the temple. 

The leadership wants to kill God (Jesus) when he visits the temple. This is why it must come down.  

Without God in the temple, there is only chaos. 

Today in our country, we've been so blessed by God. And our country responded by kicking him out in 1963. A country without God can only descend into chaos! With God out, Satan and Baal have moved in. The sexual revolution, abortion.

A country's laws are simply legislated morality. Our laws have largely been godly in the past, but that's been changing. And without God, there is only chaos. Things are ripe for destruction. We need the presence of the Lord!

If the teachings of Christ were considered inarguable, how different would our laws and our society be? Our political campaigns and speeches?

Kicking God out of the temple can only bring chaos... And the temple will be burned to the ground. Kick God out of church? It's happened in a lot of places. Nothing but destruction and chaos. It's a theme throughout all of Scripture. 

Bring the Lord of glory into your life. Seek him while he may still be found! He brings order to chaos, always. Share Jesus with people! Why would we kick him out? He's the Prince of Peace! Bring him into your marriage, your family!

Mark 13:1-4... part one of the Olivet Discourse

Mark’s Gospel typically emphasizes what Jesus does rather than what He says, but here the narrative pauses for the longest continuous teaching section in this Gospel.

Peter (whose accounts Mark recorded) clearly impressed upon Mark the immense importance of this teaching, ensuring it was recorded in bulk.

In verses 1-2, as Jesus leaves the temple, the disciples marvel at the magnificent stones and buildings.

We have to recognize the profound irony here: Jesus had just declared the temple a "den of robbers" the day before. The disciples are entirely missing the spiritual reality, distracted by an exterior that is visually beautiful, while the inside is spiritually bankrupt.

Jesus responds that not one stone will be left upon another. This perfectly fulfills the Old Testament imagery of Leviticus 14 regarding a house infected with persistent mold (a biblical picture of sin):

 - Day 1: The priest inspects the house. (Jesus enters the temple and simply looks around).

 - Day 2: The priest cleanses the affected areas. (Jesus flips the tables, drives out the money changers, and halts the sacrifices).

 - Day 3: If the mold returns, the house must be completely torn down, stones and timber, and taken to an unclean place. (Jesus returns, the religious leaders firmly oppose Him, proving the "mold" is persistent—the house must come down).

Religious hypocrisy is the sin most despised by God. Despite high attendance and impressive architecture, the temple leadership was corrupt and godless.

Sitting on the Mount of Olives (a posture of teaching and authority), Jesus looks back at the city. This directly mirrors 2 Samuel 15, where David, the rejected king, leaves Jerusalem weeping via the Mount of Olives. Jesus, the true Son of David, is likewise rejected by the city and leaves the exact same way.

Mark specifically names Peter, James, John, and Andrew asking Jesus questions privately. We only see these four specifically grouped this way back in Mark 1 at their calling. Their calling marked the beginning of a new movement; naming them here signals another massive shift—the end of the old covenant system and the birth of a new era.

The disciples ask when these things will happen and what the sign will be. Similarly, in Daniel 12, Daniel asks how long until the end of the wonders. But unlike Daniel, who was given a timeline far in the future, Jesus tells these disciples that their own generation will see these things unfold.

Looking at the entire structure of Mark 13, we can observe a chiasm (an A-B-C-B-A - style structure) that points to a specific central theme:

The outer layers contrast the falling temple stones with the eternal nature of God's Word.

Moving inward, we see parallels of false Christs leading people astray, the beginning of birth pains versus shortened days, and being delivered over to tribunals versus betrayals by family.

At the very center of this structure (verse 10) is the main thrust: The gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.

As we wait for the Master's sudden return, not knowing the day or the hour, our primary directive is to stay awake and faithfully proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth!

Introduction to the two cities: In Genesis we see a "Tale of Two Cities." The entire story of the Bible is about two competing civilizations: the City of Man (originating with Cain) and the City of God (flowing through Abel, Abraham, Noah, and the righteous line).

Marriage and God’s character (Genesis 2): Creation is God’s self-revelation, and marriage is a profound picture of our relationship with Him. Just as Adam was told to leave his father to hold fast to his wife, Jesus (the second Adam) left His Father to join Himself to us, His bride.

The vocation of Eden: The Garden of Eden was God’s throne and sanctuary on earth. Our original vocation was to guard God's throne and act as gardeners, spreading His paradise across the earth. We see this principle of creation and cultivation continually throughout scripture.

The Two Religions (Cain and Abel):

 - Abel’s offering: Abel acted as a priest/worship leader in the garden. He understood that forgiveness required blood, so he offered a lamb. His messy, bloody altar was a direct picture of Jesus Christ, salvation, and redemption.

 - Cain’s offering: Cain brought a false religion of works. He brought an ornate, elegant offering of vegetables, believing he could prove to God that he was good enough for heaven.

 - The difference: Christianity is the only religion where God comes down to man! Every other religion is man trying to work his way up to God (Cain's way).

The city of man today: When rejected, Cain committed the first murder. He produced a violent society, which is the society we currently live in. We see the spirit of Cain and rebellion everywhere in our culture today. Mankind inherently wants to play God, harbors vengeance, and resents authority. A glaring example is abortion, which operates as a dark sacrament saying, "Your body is given for me."

The purpose of thorns: God allows thorns (afflictions, trials, difficult people) in our lives to mature us. Affliction is God's sheepdog used to bring wandering sheep back. The greatest crop we can grow in this life is a relationship with God.

The ark as salvation (Genesis 6): Because of humanity's continuous evil, God brought judgment but provided the Ark. The Ark is a wooden instrument of salvation that acts as a coffin for our old selves. Just as Noah was shut into the Ark by God and safely brought through the waters of judgment into a new world, we are shut into Christ (baptism/resurrection).

The ultimate destiny: We're currently living in the spiritual Babylon (Revelation 17), a society drunk on rebellion. However, we are actively building and looking toward the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21). We are homesick for a restored Eden where God will wipe away every tear, and we will finally see His face!