Watching Over Jesus' House

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is...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!” (Mark 13:32-33, 35-37 NKJV).

 

Jan Paron | April 19, 2015

 

        Mark 13:32-33, 35-37 comes from Jesus’ discourse at Mt. Olivet called the Little or Markan Apocalypse. He spoke to His disciples about things to come in the future, in particular being watchful over His house.

        Our body (or house) really is Jesus’ house. Jesus owns it. He purchased the deed for it at a high price as the slain Lamb at Calvary--God Himself in flesh, revealed as Jesus in redemption and God’s highest name. When Jesus ascended, He promised to send His Spirit, which He later outpoured on the Day of Pentecost. For those baptized in water and Spirit (with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues), their body is a temple of the Holy Spirit--the dwelling place of the living God (1 Cor 6:19-20).

        Watch in the context of Mark 13:32-37 means to be attentive and ready. Jesus used the term in its command form to watch His house—be attentive and ready--over it until His second coming. The act of watching applies to His disciples then and to us now. We have no idea when Jesus--the Master--will return to claim what He owns (v. 35), but we don’t want Jesus to find us asleep on the job when He returns unannounced (v. 36).

Sleeping on the Job
 

        Recently, I got caught sleeping on the job at my house. With the advent of spring, I didn’t watch for unwanted visitors—none other than ants. Sure enough, an army of them invaded my house. They just about carried off my catfish one evening!

        Homeowners follow some basic principles of readiness to prevent ant infestation. They plug up the holes in the house so ants cannot enter; erase the ants’ former pathways with bleach; confuse the ants with vinegar or cinnamon solution; and season the house with salt as an ant barrier. Similarly, Christ’s disciples must follow spiritual priorities until the Homeowner of the house returns. Remember our house is His house. As the servants of His house, we want to be ready for His return. We want to watch, for now is the time of salvation. Here’s how we watch:

Watching His House

 
Discern God's Truth: Plug Up the Spiritual Holes

 

        Discern His truth, heed for the power of understanding God’s Word. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 13:11 (NLT) reminded the saints to awake from their sleep, “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.” Then, he told them how in verse 12: “Let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
 

        You cannot see truth in the natural, only in the spiritual with the mind of Christ, which comes from the Spirit of God. First Corinthians 2: 10, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” Sometimes, we don’t know the holes in our house’s foundation where the ants come in, so we spray insecticide everywhere. However, the Holy Ghost will reveal our holes--the deeds of darkness--and strategically awaken us to God’s righteousness. Watch, for now is the time of salvation.
 



Repent: Erase Former Pathways

        Repent. We can compare sins in our head to ants in our home. If we don’t get rid of them all, they keep coming back with an greater number. Think of the strongman that spoils the house, none other than Satan himself. The strongman influences how we make our decisions and opens the door to worldly temptation. Jesus’s atoning work on the Cross, bound the strongman for our overcoming of sin.

        Completely erase all former pathways everyday to remove sin. Matthew 13:45 (ESV) tells what happens when we don’t. That unclean spirit returns to the house where it was, and “takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

        Die daily to all sin through sorrowful repentance. Just as bleach erases evidence of an ant’s pathway to its former destination, God’s forgives our sin and removes its pathway upon our repentance. Watch, for now is the time of salvation.



Confuse the Enemy: Use Your Spiritual Weapons of Warfare

        In the last days, we must take authority in the Name of Jesus over the powers of darkness to bring ourselves, people, governments, countries, nations, kingdoms into divine alignment. Scripture in 1 Pet 5:8, says to be “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Take heed! Send the enemy packing. Don’t let him stay in your house! Be a crack shot in the spiritual realm. God gave us spiritual weapons of warfare that confuse the enemy—Satan--during our attack: prayer, fasting, and praise.

        Prayer. Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion in Matt 26:40-41, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. He went to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” When you watch and pray, you stay on the lookout for temptation entering into your house. Pray the promises of God. Pray the Word of God. Our prayer helps us withstand temptation; as well as stand in God’s promises and purposes. “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Pet 4:7 NKJV).

        Fasting. Fasting creates watchfulness by through emptying of oneself, piercing the flesh; worshipping, and restoring or deepening fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. Paul persevered on watch for Jesus’ glory and His beloved Church in 2 Cor 11:17, “in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness."

        Prayer and fasting together, form a powerful spiritual duo. We battle on our knees as watchmen on the wall. The addition of fasting fuels our prayer and enhances the focus of our watch. It kills unbelief and brings answers to prayer. Jesus acknowledged the power of prayer and fasting in Matt 17:21 (NKJV): “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” In these perilous times, prayer and fasting will hold an even greater importance for Believers as we watch over His house. As Jesus said in Matt 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (KJV).

        Praise. Praise changes the focus from battle to victory. When Gideon and his band of three hundred blew their shofars, they demonstrated the power of the Lord and panicked the enemy: “the Lord set every man’s sword against his companion through the whole camp...All the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled" (Judg 7:19­--22). So make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Honor His name. Make His praise glorious! (Ps 66:1-4) Watch in a perpetual state of worship! Confuse the enemy! Watch for now is the time of salvation.


 

Season With Salt: Be a Barrier to Ungodliness

        When you commit to Jesus Christ you become salt to the earth. Matthew 5:13 relates Jesus' remarks of the importance of salt as Christ followers. The Message version says, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.”

        We have to keep replenishing the salt line around Jesus’ house; otherwise, it loses its potency. Did you know that ants will not travel across a salted path? Salt’s drying properties dehydrate their bodies. But, salt becomes useless from repeated exposures to the elements, intermixing with soil. You have to throw the salt away because it no longer repels ants. The savory salt in us as Believers in Christ magnifies the grace of God. It seasons our lifestyle and promotes the spread of the Gospel to the nations, putting up a barrier to the ungodliness of the world. We must keep our salt fresh. Watch for now is the time of salvation.

 

Be Ye Also Ready

          “Be ye also ready!” Don’t spend all your time trying to figure out when He’ll return, but concentrate on readying His house and preparing for His return. “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!” (Matt 13:35-37). Watch for now is the time of salvation.
 

           And, if you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, won’t you make that commitment today? Make your house, His house. Watch for today is the day of salvation

 

                                              People Get Ready -- Covered by Aretha Franklin