This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions. Hi, this is Pastor Tom Holiday, and we're
continuing our study in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 13 this week, Day 1, verses
1 to 4 of this chapter that's about the final things in this world, the final
things that we all have to look forward to. Now, let me just begin by reviewing
the events of Jesus' final week that we've been looking at together the last few
chapters.

Remember, on Sunday, Jesus comes into Jerusalem triumphantly. On Monday, He
comes in and He cleans out the temple. So on one day, He comes in as the king.

On another day, He comes in as the priest cleaning out the temple. And then He
comes in on Tuesday as the prophet. And we've been the last few chapters looking
at Jesus' teaching.

And here in Mark 13, He is the prophet who foretells some things that are to
come. He talks in these verses about His second coming. So let me ask you from
the very beginning, how do you feel about the second coming of Jesus Christ?

Do you feel an attitude of apathy or anticipation or anxiety? Apathy,
anticipation or anxiety? Some people live in anxious fear of the second coming.

It all sounds so strange, so scary that they feel like, "I don't even want to
think about this. " The majority of believers that I talk to today are fairly
apathetic about the second coming. They're just sort of indifferent to it.

"Oh, I know it's going to happen, but I've got to worry about today. " We know
that it's something that will happen, but it doesn't have much meaning for our
life today. As we study what Jesus had to say about the end times in these
verses in this chapter, my goal is simple.

To help those of us who are indifferent to become inspired and to lead those of
us who live in fear of the second coming to live in anticipation of the second
coming. Because hope is the message of the second coming of Christ. If you don't
feel hope as we study these truths, you've missed the main point entirely.

Let me ask you this. Do you watch a basketball game any differently if you've
recorded it and you already know the score? If your team won, and why would you
watch a game that you knew your team had lost?

If your team won and you were watching the game to see how it played out, you
don't have any anxiety about the outcome. You just enjoy watching how the
victory is won. As believers in Jesus Christ, I can tell you this for certain.

Our team wins. We're just watching God's victory play itself out. And that is
the truth that has the power to inspire the way that you and I live every day of
our lives.

You see, as Jesus talks about the second coming in these verses, we're going to
see that attitude is all important as we look forward to the second coming, as
we look toward the second coming. The Bible is extremely clear about the
attitude that we need to begin with. If I want to fully understand what God is
saying about the end of times, the attitude I need to begin with is not worry,
but worship.

Worship. I keep my eyes on God. I keep my eyes on Christ.

And then I find myself being filled with hope as I study these truths. Now with
all of that in mind, let me read you what begins this chapter, Mark chapter 13,
our introduction to what Jesus has to say. Mark 13, one to four.

As he, Jesus, was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look,
teacher, what massive stones, what magnificent buildings. Do you see all these
great buildings? " replied Jesus.

"Not one stone here will be left on another. Everyone will be thrown down. " As
Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James,
John, and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us when will these things happen?

And what will be the sign that they're all about to be fulfilled? " Just in this
introduction, we see some things that make you begin to think. It begins with
the disciples of Jesus.

They're walking out of the temple and they look and say, "Look, what a
magnificent structure. " And it was. They say, "What magnificent stones.

" We know from history that the foundation stones of that temple were 40 feet by
12 feet by 18 feet, hewn out of one solid stone. We know that the entrance to
this temple, it was over a bridge that had some stones that were 24 feet in
length, cut out. The bridge itself was 225 feet above the Tyropoian Valley and
it had a 354 foot span and was 50 feet wide.

This was an incredible bridge. So, of course, the disciples looked at this and
said, "Look at this. " As you finished this bridge, you came to the royal porch.

A double row of pillars was on this porch. All of these pillars were 37 and a
half feet high and each one of them was cut out of a solid block of marble. This
temple was an amazing structure.

The front was covered with heavy plates of gold. Some stones in the front were
67 and a half feet long, seven and a half feet high and nine feet in breadth.
And Jesus looks at this and here's what the disciples say and he says, "Look at
this that you see.

Not one stone will be left on another. It will be all torn down. " Now that got
the disciples' attention.

It's like you're standing looking at Mount Rushmore and somebody behind you
says, "See this? It will be smooth as glass by next week. " When will this
happen, was the disciples' natural question.

Not here, but a little bit later, they're sitting on the Mount of Olives. The
Mount of Olives was a cross from Jerusalem. It's the mountain that's a little
bit above the temple area.

So they're sitting across from the temple, a little bit above, looking down on
the temple. And in that situation, the disciples asked Jesus Christ, "When is
this going to happen? You've just said all the stones are going to be tossed
down.

When is this going to happen? " And Jesus gives them an answer. And in his
answer, what we're so interested in about his answer, he really wasn't.

And what we tend to ignore about his answer was his major emphasis. We're
interested in the facts. When exactly is it going to happen?

Jesus is interested in our hearts. What is your attitude toward what's going to
happen in this world? Now Jesus did not ignore the events.

We're going to see that as we walk through this chapter. But his emphasis is on
our preparation for and our response to those events. And when you look at what
Jesus teaches us about the second coming this week, about the events that are to
come, you're going to see, we're going to see together that the underlying
timeless principle to Jesus' words about his return is found in one word.

It's in the word hope. As much as we talk about the time and events of the
second coming, and you might have heard a lot of talk about that, the Bible
emphasizes the application of this truth into our lives. It is a sin to study
the second coming looking only for timetables.

The message of hope has to make an impact on the way that you and I live. Now
this week we're going to look at both. We're going to look at Jesus as he
foretells the future.

But we're also going to look at Jesus as he teaches us about how you and I
should respond. And we're going to focus on how you and I should respond. I
asked at the beginning, what is your attitude as you look towards the second
coming of Christ?

Is it an attitude of anxiety? Is it an attitude of anticipation? Is it an
attitude of apathy?

As we talk to the Lord for a few minutes together right now, let's ask him to
affect the attitude of our hearts. Jesus Christ, we turn to you right now, and
we realize that you and you alone can change our hearts. When we hear about
uncertainty in the future, we want to put our hope in circumstances, and so the
uncertainty of the circumstances makes us feel like we could lose hope.

But Jesus, we realize there is no hope to be found in circumstances. Hope is
found in you. And when the circumstances of life are shaky, whether it's in
these end times events as we're reading about now, or whether it's in the daily
events of my life, how my finances are going, how my job is going, how my family
is going, when the circumstances of my life are shaky, Lord, help me to remember
that I can put hope in you.

In fact, help me to remember that that's a reminder that I can't put hope in
circumstances. They don't last, but your hope lasts. Your hope lasts now all the
way into eternity.

So I choose right now, this day, to put hope in you. I want my heart to trust in
you and have hope in you like never before. And I pray that instead of an
attitude of anxiety or apathy towards the fact that you're coming again, that
there would be this anticipation in my heart, Jesus, that you love me and that
you want us to be together forever.

You are looking forward to that day with hope. Help me to look forward to that
day with certain hope. I ask this, Jesus, in your name.

Amen. Join us tomorrow. We're going to hear Jesus talking about the beginning of
birth pangs that foreshadow God's plan for this world.