Matthew chapters 24– the Olivet Discourse - can be quite a scary passage of scripture.
The background to both chapters 24 and 25 actually begins in the previous three chapters. Jesus has entered Jerusalem for the last time. He’s cleansed the temple of the moneychangers, cursed the fig tree for its unfruitfulness, and upset the religious leaders, who question his authority. He’s let the people of Israel know they’re facing judgement! He hasn’t made many friends this time!
Then, in chapter 24, we find Jesus leaving the temple for the last time. The disciples don’t have a clue how big this moment really is, because, like tourists, they’re so busy admiring the marvellous buildings of the temple. They’re still thinking that as Messiah, Jesus, will soon be kicking the Romans out and restoring the Jewish kingdom! Jesus tells them (24:2), 'There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down'. They’re shocked! "What, you mean the Romans will still be here?"
Later we see them come to him and ask, 'When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?' (24:3).
There are really three things here but they are all one in the disciples' mind.
Jesus then answers some of their questions.
Some people think the words in chapter 24 are mainly about Jesus’ second coming at the end of the age. Others believe that the scriptures are mainly about the destruction of the Jerusalem and the temple, which happened in AD70 at the hands of the Roman general Titus. There has been a lot of controversy over these verses over the years, and some has even been used by atheists to try and prove that Jesus was a false prophet.
We must never forget that the bible is relevant to Christians in all ages, so His words had to have been as relevant to his disciples then, as they were to Christians 300 years later, and as they are to us now! The key to a right understanding of Jesus’ words is having a right view of the future.
The parables that Jesus uses in both chapters effectively deal with two attitudes that all of us need to have: readiness, and faithfulness. We need to be ready for what lies ahead – at all times – because we don’t know when he will come, and – we don’t know exactly how he will come! But we do know that when he comes, it will be in victory. He will be coming as the all-conquering King.
Let us go to our text for this morning chapter 24 (42-51), where Jesus is speaking specifically about his second coming:
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For some weeks now I have been thinking about faith, and about how we as Christians practice our faith. When we think about faith, and of being faithful, Christians very often think in terms of their salvation and in terms of attending church, bible reading, prayer and good works. These are good things, so don’t get me wrong, but they are not the only things we need to consider when we talk about faithfulness. When Jesus talks about the faithful servant he speaks of him being faithful in feeding the household. It’s feeding the household both spiritually and naturally. Faithfulness is a continuous lifestyle. It’s expressed in husbands loving their wives, parents training their children, working hard in their workplaces, and doing everything wholeheartedly as unto the Lord. It’s expressed in not compromising with sin and temptation, in encouraging and exhorting brothers and sisters in the Lord, and not murmuring and gossiping behind each other’s backs. It involves working hard with our hands and minding our own business.
Remember, we are being watched! Family, friends, co-workers, employees – they’ve all heard of your faith and they watch to see how it plays out. You are also being watched by the angelic host, both good and bad! And it’s often not the big things that trip you up, it’s the little foxes that spoil the vines. Faithfulness is not something you can put on like a coat, when you need it! Faithfulness is developed over time!
For many people, Christianity is more of a cultural thing than a commitment of the heart. It’s related to their background and upbringing, and not as a result of a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This has resulted in a ‘faith’ which appears to be very wide, but is actually not very deep! This has resulted in a mobile community, ready to move on at the first sign of disagreement.
So, why does this happen in churches? Why do we have such disparity in commitment of brothers and sisters in the church? Well, there are some obvious reasons:
· Some people who come to church have never actually been born again; they’re not saved – they don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord.
· Others have drifted into sin, and this has resulted in their spiritual lives becoming unfruitful and profitless. Solomon is a classic example of this.
But, there are some less obvious ones too:
· Many have separated their secular lives from that of the ‘sacred’. Faith is relegated to what happens on Sundays. During the week, the cares of this world (the secular) weigh them down so much that they can’t even think about faith anymore. Their thinking has become dulled. When they get to the end of the week, they go to church to try and ‘recover’! The Lord’s day becomes the last day of the week. It should be the launching pad for every week, so that we go into each day having been undergirded by what happened last Sunday. · Other believers struggle, believing that they don’t measure up. They think it’s like sitting exams and getting a high pass-mark. They watch other Christians who seem to be so much stronger, and so much more spiritual, and they feel they’ll never get there. It seems an impossible task. Many just give up trying! But I want to tell you that your faithfulness is not measured by the faithfulness of others. It is measured by your obedience to apply what you have received. Like the 5 virgins who were not ready for the groom, you can’t borrow faithfulness from other Christians!
Jesus’ illustration of the master and his servants in our passage for today, is very clear about the need for those of us who profess to be Christian, to be found faithful – in all our ways - to the end.
The ‘Master’ – who is Jesus in effect – will only find two types of servants when he comes:
· The faithful and wise, and
· The wicked.
But who is Jesus referring to when he speaks about the wicked servant? I think he’s referring to two types of person we often find in the church:
· an 'imitation-Christian' who turns out to be not saved after all and so goes to hell.
· a genuine Christian, but one who has been fruitless and unprofitable. This is the person who has confessed with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in his heart that God raised him from the dead,.. But, he then sat back, comfortable that he’s going to heaven anyway, and neglected to ‘work out his salvation with fear and trembling”(Phil.2:12). His work is regarded as “wood, hay and straw”, which will be revealed by fire. Paul says that this kind of work will be burned up in the fiery test! “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.(1 Cor 3:15) John says He may be 'hurt by the second death' (Rev 2:11) which is the lake of fire. He won’t lose his justification, but he’ll come through smoking like a volcano!
The parables in these chapters are addressed to disciples and they are to be taken seriously by disciples, as well as by everyone else. Jesus is not talking about unbelievers here. Christians will be regarded as either faithful and wise, or wicked! You don’t get saved by doing good works for God! Your good works don’t save you! So, when Paul says “anyone’s work” he’s referring to the works done in the body as a saved person!
The parable of the ten virgins, which is about being ready for the second coming of Jesus, is also a model for every other kind of readiness.
We have to be ready for any way in which Jesus' second coming might be anticipated. It includes such things as
· readiness for God's judgement – which may come in this life (1 Cor 11:30 – Paul says“That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.);
· being ready for him to intervene in our lives at any point? Losing a job, having to move..?
· being ready for answered prayer? Because, he sometimes answers our prayers in ways different to what we expect. Zechariah wasn’t ready for the angel Gabriel’s news and it resulted in punishment. (temporary, but still scary!)
· Being ready for unexpected revival? Are you ready to see this town turned on its head? People confessing sin, paying back stolen money?
· Being ready for Jesus to appear upon the clouds of heaven? The early church was!
When Jesus (the master) comes he brings blessing and punishment. Jesus then goes on to say what lies in store for the wise, faithful servant, and the wicked servant.
· For the faithful and wise servant, there awaits blessings and stewardship over all the Lord’s possessions. 'Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions' (Matt.24:46-47)
The New Testament often refers to these blessings from God as ‘inheritance’ or ‘reward’. If it happens in this life, it’ll mean spending more time in his presence, and getting to carry more responsibilities for him. to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.' (Matt.25:29)
· For the wicked servant, there awaits only punishment and shame. Jesus said: “the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(Matt 24:50-51). John said that we should “abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” (1 John 2:28).
Notice that Jesus doesn’t say these wicked servants will be treated as hypocrites; they will be put with the hypocrites, which in this context are the scribes and Pharisees. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (Matt 25:29)
But, it shouldn’t terrify you – if you are faithful and are ready. Only extreme rebellion leads to loss of the rewards of God.
In Jesus’ parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14…), he makes it clear that we will only be accountable for being faithful to what we have been given. God, like the master in Jesus’ parable, calls us and shows us what we need to do. Then we get on and do it. Each of us grows in our faith in accordance with the revelation we receive and apply in our lives, and this happens on a day-by-day basis. Faithfulness is directly linked to application or obedience. It doesn’t matter how slow this may seem, as long as you’re moving forward. Any Comrades runner will confirm this! But, unlike the Comrades this is not a race within a given time period. There is no gun signaling the end, so if you don’t make it in time, you’re not a loser. No, this is about finishing strong!
So, whether we have received a lot or a little, what matters is what we have done with what we received. The mightiest preacher of God’s word, and the humblest newly-born-again Christian will both be judged according to their faithfulness – their obedience to their calling in Christ.
Just think of that thief on the cross next to Jesus. He was ready, and he was faithful – and he hardly knew our Lord. He was guaranteed entrance to paradise!
Just think of the old widow who gave her two copper coins to the treasury. She was faithful in that she gave everything she had!
Think of Zaccheus the tax collector. He offered to pay back all he’d stolen seven times. He was found faithful.
People like these “… all died in faith” as Hebrews 11 says. The writer says: “…God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:13-16).
Do you realise that, in a sense, your faithfulness could see your name in Hebrews 11? You could be included in the company of the faithful!
And then there is Solomon – he wasn’t faithful! He had so much, and he squandered it! He doesn’t appear in Hebrews 11.
When we all eventually stand before the judgement seat of Christ, we will not be doing so as unbelievers. They’ll be in hell. If we have come to Christ, believed on Him in our hearts and confessed our faith, we are genuinely saved. And, as a result, we can have assurance of our salvation. It is not our justification that will be judged by our Lord, for that has already been dealt with at the Cross. What will be judged is our faithfulness.
It doesn’t matter if he has given us ten talents, or just one talent. What matters is what we do with what we have been given. Whatever God has given us He wants back — like the master of those servants, with interest! So the parable encourages us to press on with achieving something for God.
What does this mean?
Well, I’d like to suggest that your end-times view will directly impact on how you live your life in the present. If you never think about what it means to be ready – about what it means to be faithful – at any time that Jesus may come into your life, it will affect the way you live. Your life will just be crowded with the things of this world, and weighed down with dissipation. “eating and drinking with drunkards” If, however, you see yourself as part of a victorious army, marching in the company of a conquering King, then nothing that lies ahead will deter you. You will always be found at your post. Everything you do will be wholehearted.
So, don't become a lazy, negative Christian. Every one of you has something which is meant to be used for God. It may be influence or money. It might be knowledge or giftedness in speaking for God. It might be intellect. It could be a gift in getting on well with people. It might be leadership.
And, don’t withdraw from the fellowship with other believers. You need to hear me on this folks, - there are effectively three things you need to hold in balance in your walk with Jesus, if you want to walk like him: your Quality time in his word, your Quality time in prayer and your Quality time in fellowship.
You need all three if you want to grow in grace to maturity, and into the fullness of Christ. Just think about it!
· You can spend hours and hours in the word, but if you never interact with brothers and sisters to apply that word, you will become unfruitful and profitless.
· You can spend hours and hours in prayer, but if your ‘word’-life is poor, how do you know that you will praying that God’s will be done.
· You can spend whole days at church and in fellowship. You may be ‘almal se pel’ but your lifestyle will not match up if it’s not balanced by time in the word and in prayer.
If you’re reading your bible regularly, and taking your life before God in prayer, and fellowshipping with like-minded brothers and sisters, you will find that you will grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord, and your outward-life will be transformed, fruitful and profitable. You will actually be growing in victory!
And, if you’re setting the pace in your workplace, and in your home, you will be showing the world – the world you inhabit - a lifestyle that is not only successful, in spite of setbacks, but is filled with joy too!
So, examine your life. Which kind of Christian are you?
If you need to make some changes in your life, then don’t delay – make them now. If you need to repent, do it today. And then look forward to the coming of the Lord – in every way he may come - with a sense of great expectation and joy.
My encouragement therefore is this: whatever you have received from God in your walk with him, no matter how inconsequential it may seem to you, is never wasted or lost if you are obedient – if you are faithful, to apply it in and through your life.
Jesus is not looking for perfect little angels. Who could ever be ready in that way? But Jesus wants faithfulness. And, there is a reward for faithfulness. Well done, good and faithful servant, you will hear him say. The reward is new responsibilities, in this day and age. The reward is enjoying the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to a greater degree than before.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 25:29). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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