Dave Kuntz, an elder at North Church, preached yesterday. It was a very practical sermon. As I sat listening to it, I was thinking to myself, "There are so many people that could use this insight for situations that they currently find themselves in." So I decided to write this blog summarizing what Dave led us to last night.

You can listen to the sermon here

The sermon come from Mark 13:1-13. Jesus is teaching here what scholars call the "Olivette Discourse", he is on the Mount of Olives as he teaches it. This is the last intentional teaching that Jesus will do and he teaching his disciples. We can take application for us as we live in this age. Jesus is giving us practical things to live in a world where evil exists.

Dave brought out 7 imperatives or directives Jesus gave to his disciples that we can apply to us. Here they are::

1. See things eternally/properly- in verse 2 Jesus says that no stone will be left unturned. We were not meant to live in this fallen world, restoration is coming, but for now it is hard. Keep your mind focused on the eternal.

2. Don't be led astray- in the midst of this crazy world confusion can reign about what we are to do and where we are to go. Stay focused on Jesus and what purposes he has given you. The mind can be misleading, trust in Jesus and what he has done in you.

3. Don't be alarmed- verse 7 says bad stuff is going to be happening all around. He says wars and rumors of wars. This has been happening since the beginning of time. People in this world just can't get along. From wars to interpersonal relationships. It will happen, do not let it paralyze you.

4. Be on your guard- This is a great point Dave made. Guard does not mean that we are to try to prevent bad things. Dave said, "You can't prevent evil but you can be prepared for it." Dave also quoted K Edward Copeland, "If God is God, and he is; if truth is truth, and it is; then evil is never capable of a perfect plan. Every lie has an end."

5. Proclaim the gospel- We are to share this news of our sin and Jesus acceptance of us and his death on the cross in the contexts where God has placed us. I also think that we are to continually proclaim to gospel to ourselves.

6. Don't be anxious- This one comes from verse 11. When you encounter hardship, understand that God is in control. Hardship is coming to make us even more keenly aware that God is God.

7. Endure- Dave ran in the Chicago marathon a couple of weeks ago. His wife, Danielle, wanted to be there at the 20th and 25th miles because she knew that was the hardest part of the race for Dave. She said, "I want to be there when it is hardest for you." Just like Dave, we are running a race. Just like Danielle, Jesus is there when it is hardest. The only difference is that Jesus endured the physical pain of the beatings and the cross, the emotional pain of being abandoned by his friends and the spiritual pain of being forsaken by God as he carried the sin the world. Jesus has endured so that we can too.

Take heart and run your race!