Prepare
Like a Faithful and Wise Servant
Matthew
24:44-51, Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise
servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them
meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his
lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I
say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But
and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And
shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he
looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And
shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Theme:
Bible predictions should not inspire selfish behavior, wicked associations, our reservation--fears, nor merely pique our interest, but encourage active service to accomplish God’s will until He comes for us in
the Rapture.
Introduction:
By application, we must live in constant readiness for the abrupt, surprising return of Jesus Christ in the Rapture by faithfully fulfilling our assigned spiritual duties. Using this comparison of the faithful and evil servants, we are warned that while diligent stewards will be rewarded, unfaithful ones, who also reveal their worldly and abusive character, will face severe judgment and exclusion from the kingdom. This passage gives us two more ideas to be mindful of.
Message:
I. Respect The Dangers of Indifference (Matt. 24:48-49).
The
“evil servant” believes the
Lord is delayed and, as a result, choses worldliness, selfishness, and mishandlings
his fellow servants. Loosing focus, abusing authority, mistreating others,
self-serving, overindulgent, excessive force, godless associations, and sinful
living are temptations we must always refuse.
One thing we cannot
afford to be indifferent about is the pain, tears, and suffering of others. There
is not a person on earth today who is not hurting or needy in some way.
Everyone you and I know has a burden—a heartfelt need. Behind every plastic
smile there is a world of burdens that we struggle and strain to cover up. We
don’t want anyone to know our pain…we want to appear strong so that we don’t
cause others to stumble. Remember, every set of eyes you will ever gaze into
have shed hundreds of tears in secret when no one else but God was watching.
That lady who is always smiling at church will one day need a shoulder to cry
on. That guy who loves to laugh, cut up, and tell jokes will need encouraging
one day. Our world is in a state of emergency and the disease is “an overdose of hurts and burdens,” and
the medicine they need is someone unselfish enough to help when they hurt.
Someone to love them and reassure them of God’s great love for them!
o
Trials and temptations are the universal lot of us all, and only
Christ can give that measure of strength necessary to overcome them.
§
1 Cor. 10:13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common
to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear it.
§
Look to the Lord for that way of escape and the power to endure
until the temptation passes. Be assured He will never lead you into a scenario
that is more than you can deal with. His grace is sufficient for you and me.
o
Christians desperately need to be sensitive to the needs of others
and to help bear another’s burdens (Rom. 15:1). This is a repeated
instruction in the Word.
§
Gal 6:2, Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of
Christ.
§
1Thes 5:14, Now we exhort you,
brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the
weak, be patient toward all men.
§
Gal 5:13-14, For, brethren, ye have
been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh,
but by love serve one another. 14, For all the law is fulfilled in one word,
even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
o
Because we all face similar trials, we may be used of God to help
another overcome a challenge we have previously experienced ourselves. That is one reason why
God allows us to suffer hardships. We learn to accept His help, strength, and
comfort and as a result we can be of aid to someone else. (See 2 Cor. 1:3, 4.)
§ 2 Cor. 1:3-4, Blessed be
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; [4] Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,
that
we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the
comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
God Himself comforts us when life hurts, and He provides fellow comforters among the brethren as we receive His comfort through our personal trials. All of this says that God cares about what hurts you. Many of you know exactly what I mean when I say, “The pain can overwhelm us at times….” We can become confused, perplexed, and our souls ache beyond our ability to express…. We can become lost in our sorrows were it not for the sweet Savior, the Lord Jesus.
II. Take His Judgment Seriously (Matt. 24:50-51).
The
Master returns unexpectedly to punish the unfaithful servant. The phrase “cut him asunder” represents severe
judgment, separating him from the righteous and placing him with hypocrites,
where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth”
in Hell.
- When the King comes, He will
punish him and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites….”[3]
- Like the wicked people of
Noah’s day (vv. 37–39), he was unaware of the sudden coming judgment (v.
50). But the judgment will come and he will be dealt with as one would
deal with a hypocrite, which is precisely what an unfaithful servant is.
His separation will result in eternal judgment (weeping and gnashing of
teeth; cf. comments on 13:42) apart from his master. Likewise, the
judgment of the wicked at the Lord’s second coming will separate them
eternally from God.[4]
Will you be ready
when Jesus comes? He could come in the rapture at any moment now!
Rom 10:8-10, But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in
thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9,
That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. 10, For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
2 Cor 6:2, (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted,
and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
1. Acknowledge immediately that you
cannot save yourself no matter how diligently you may try.
2. Acknowledge that you deserve hell
for your sin just like the rest of all humanity. We could never earn him
dealing with us in mercy and grace.
3. Acknowledge that you need the
Lord Jesus to save you like the rest of us. It is Christ who died for our sin
in our stead, was buried, and rose again the third day as he predicted and the
scriptures foretold. Yes, Jesus is alive forevermore to save any one who calls
on Him in faith.
Another question
is, what would we change in our lives if we know He was coming in 10 minutes? As Believers we can rest assured that we will not go
through the Great Tribulation, but we will have some tribulation in our lives
as saints. John 16:33, These things I have spoken
unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Beloved, don’t
place your hope in the next administration, a person, nor a strong economy, put
it Jesus!
Jesus will faithfully and fairly judge the world in
the future! Matthew 16:26-27, For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for
his soul? [27] For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with
his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Jesus Christ has been given the authority to judge all the earth
(Rom 14:9-11; Phil 2:9-11). Although his judgment is already working in our lives,
there is a future, final judgment when Christ returns (Matt. 25:31-46) and
everyone’s life from the Tribulation Period will be reviewed and evaluated.
This will not be confined to unbelievers; Christians from the Tribulation
Period too will face a judgment. Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus
will look at how they handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities to
determine their eternal rewards. At the time of judgment, God will deliver the
righteous and condemn the wicked. We should not judge others' salvation; that
is God’s work.
Conclusion:
This passage refers to
Christ’s visible return to earth as Messiah-King, but the principle equally
applies to us anticipating the Rapture. “Many who profess to be Christians
show by their hostility toward God’s people and their fraternization with the
ungodly that they are not looking for Christ’s Return. For them it will mean
judgment and not blessing.”[5]
Indeed, our Lord finishes his lessons on the end times (the
Olivet Discourse), giving us practical insight on how to live during these last
days—not in fear, but in active service to execute God’s purpose.
It highlights that real preparation and readiness are the central
conditions of loyal service, not just hypothetical and theoretical knowledge of
end time events.
In addition, this kind of divine activity truly magnifies the grace of God! Really, we have NO REAL comprehension of the MERCY and GRACE of God until we first understand something about His GREAT WRATH (Rom. 11:22). When we see God govern Himself in this capacity, we should shout the praises of God for His great mercy and grace toward us undeserving sinners. Secondly, we should walk before God in the fear of the Lord our entire life!
Beloved, God is not obligated to give anyone a second chance to be saved in any age or dispensation. It was not obligation that made God seek to save any sinner in the first place! It was all a matter of His undeserved favor toward all of us as sinners deserving of Hell. WO! Unto them that reject the Savior, because one day they will face the wrath of an angry Judge! Ephes. 2:8, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For the faithful witness
and soul winner, we should ensure that our gospel presentation is clear, well
organized, understandable, and Spirit lead. I am not trying to
discourage you from witnessing I am trying to encourage you to be well prepared
as you fervently endeavor to share Christ through the gospel.
[1]
William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible
Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1297.
[2]
Louis A. Barbieri Jr., “Matthew,” in The
Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F.
Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 79.
[3]
William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible
Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1297.
[4]
Louis A. Barbieri Jr., “Matthew,” in The
Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F.
Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 79.
[5]
William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible
Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1297.
This passage refers to Christ’s visible return to earth as Messiah-King, but the principle equally applies to us anticipating the Rapture. https://maxevangel.blogspot.com/2026/02/prepare-like-faithful-and-wise-servant_9.html #Jesus #Accountable #Servant #Wise #Faithful #Judgment #King #MaxEvangel
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