Well Done

Bottom line

It is not enough to know that the end is near; you need to prepare for it

Opening Line

I need the kids to come to the front this morning.

Introduction

Hey kiddos. Do mom and dad ever ask you to help out around the house? Do they ever ask you to pick up your toys? Does anyone here have to clean their room? What are some other things mom and dad might as you to do? Or is there anything they tell you not to do?

OK, so if mom and dad ask you to clean up your toys and you don’t do it, what happens? Do you get in trouble? Why do you get into trouble? Because they asked you to do something and you didn’t do it, right? Did you know that if you love someone, you will obey them when they ask you to do something?

Ok so let’s take it up a level. What if it is not mom and dad asking you to do something, but what if a police officer asks you to do something, or stop doing something? What happens if you don’t listen to them? You might go to jail. Probably not you, but an adult might go to jail, or get a ticket, or get a fine. If you don’t listen to a police officer, you get in even more trouble right?

What happens if God asks you to do something, and you don’t do it? If God tells you to do something, you should probably do it, right?

Awesome, thanks kiddos. You can go to the back and keep coloring.

Main Point

From the mouth of babes, church. Even our children understand that if God tells you to do something, or not to do something, you really should do it. Which brings us to the next part of our series. The first two sermons, we looked at the signs of the end that are happening now. Last week we looked at the signs you need to be watching for.

This week, and into next week, Jesus is going to lay out how you prepare for the end.

Why it matters

See what Jesus comes back and establishes his kingdom here on earth, there is going to be a time of judgment. The New Testament says that everyone is going to give an account, both the believer and the unbeliever.

There is an important contextual note that I need to point out. Jesus isn’t talking to the crowds in Matthew 24 and 25. Remember, chapter 24 starts out with Jesus going to the mount of Olives, and the disciples talking to him privately. Jesus is talking to his followers, warning them that they need to be ready.

Remember, being a disciple means you are becoming more and more like Christ. In the parables Jesus is going to use this morning, he talks about servants. Servants simply do as they are told, which means the underlying theme of this morning’s message is obedience.

James 1:22 NLT

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

It is not enough to simply know the truth; you have to put it into practice.

Scripture

Matthew 24:42–44 NLT

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

This is simply a build off where we left off last week. You don’t know the hour or the day, you are just told to be ready.

I remember when I was youth pastor I was preaching this passage, and we had a family in the church with 6 kids at the time. I said, “Do you think that a thief is going to try to rob this house at supper time when the platoon of children are armed with knives and forks?” No, he’s going to come when you least expect it. So Jesus is encouraging the disciples to be sure to be ready at all times. Don’t let your guard down.

Matthew 24:45–51 NLT

“A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Faithful vs Evil Servant

So this is first parable to use the image of a servant. In both scenarios, the master has left the servant in charge; he has clearly been told what he is supposed to do. Though it doesn’t say it, in both scenarios the master returns unexpectedly. It’s not like the the faithful servant got a little extra insight that the evil one didn’t get.

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However, for the faithful servant, it doesn’t matter if the master takes days or months to return. He has been faithfully fulfilling everything the master put before him. He is caring for his fellow servants; he is faithful and doing a good job. What happens? The master finds him hard at work and he receives a reward for his faithfulness.

By contrast, the evil servant is abusive, partying, and getting drunk. He is abusing the privilege and the freedom he has been given. When the master shows up and catches him the in the act, he is punished for his unfaithfulness.

Let me ask you, church. If the evil servant knew when the master was coming, do you think the story plays out differently? “Oh crap, the master is going to be home tomorrow! Time to clean everything up and make sure everyone is happy before I get caught!”

I believe this is part of the reason you are not told when Jesus will return. The unknown requires faithful obedience of you in every scenario. The parable should create a little concern, because you don’t want to be the servant caught doing the things you shouldn’t be doing. I find it intersting that Jesus says this servant is drinking and partying, and I can’t help but wonder how many people who claim to be believers are going to be doing just that on that day. They’re going to be living their best life to the complete disregard to the intructions Jesus gave us.

Matthew 25:1–13 NLT

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

The 10 Bridesmaids

So a little cultural context. In the days of Jesus, when a wedding was announced, the people would be given a day. It could be morning, noon, or night, no one knows, just that it is going to happen on this day. The bride would eagerly await in her home until the groom arrived to pick her up, and then a procession of people would frantically gather to escort them to the ceremony.

Zach and Paige, I don’t recommend this approach, especially as the guy that is doing the ceremony. A little more structure and definite time would be nice, ok?

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So these bridesmaids are waiting outside anxiously for the moment the groom arrives. But only 5 of them have oil. Why do they have oil? In case he is delayed in his coming. They are excited for the arrival, but they are ready to wait as long as they have to.

Now key part here. All of them fall asleep. I point this out because I don’t want anyone in the church getting sleepless nights thinking you are going to sleep through the return of Christ. Don’t worry, it won’t happen.

The actual image that Jesus is trying to communicate is how some will run out of steam as they wait. Some believers will grow impatient in their waiting for the return of Christ and turn to evil, like the servant. Some will simply fall asleep spiritually and stop being about the Father’s work. Their fire will go out, and they will miss out.

Jesus said it himself in Matthew 7. He says that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will be saved.

Matthew 25:14–30 NLT

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Three Servants

Just for fun, I did a little number crunching. Each bag of silver is actually what is called a talent. A talent would equate to 75 pounds of silver. So, each bag that the master is handing is valued at $122,792.59 CAD. So, the first guy was given about $614,000, the second guy got $246,000 dollars, and the third got $122,792. So the master is doing well for himself, doling out over a million dollars to his servants.

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The important thing isn’t the amount of money, I simply share that because I think it is easy for us in the 21st century to miss just how much money Jesus is talking about. Jesus says that the master gives to each one according to his abilities. That means that this wasn’t a competition, and the expectations weren’t unrealistic. The master knows his servants and what they are capable of. The important thing is that each on is faithful to do what he is capable of doing.

The trap for many nowadays is to play the comparison game. Why didn’t I get the same amount as that guy? Is he or she somehow better than me? He got five talents and I got stuck with one. If isn’t about how many talents you get, it is what you do with it.

If I’m honest, I can often fall into this trap when it comes to ministry. I was talking to a pastor a while ago, and they were telling me how they have too many musicians, they don’t know what to do with them. Send them my way. I would like more musicians. Why are they having so much success?

When you and I stand before our master and give an account of everything he entrusted to us, it won’t matter what the person next to us accomplished. All that matters is if you are faithful with what you have. Did you use the gifts that God has given you to advance his kingdom? Did you share your story with others so they could find hope in Christ? You won’t be judged on what you didn’t have, but one what God has given you.

The problem is some will squander what God has given them. They bury it away so no one can see it. The light of Christ that shines through them gets put under a bowl so it won’t be noticed.

God doesn’t give you gifts so you can put it on the shelf of life and it can collect dust. He gives you gifts, talents, and desires so that you can use them, grow them, and have an impact with them.

“But I don’t want to make a mistake.” or “What if I fail?” If you don’t try, you will never learn. You’ll never grow, you’ll never become who God has called you to be, and you won’t accomplish what he has called you to accomplish.

Transition to Application

I appreciate that the original text says talent. I’m not sure that many of you can relate to be given a bag of silver, but I’m sure each can appreciate that God have given you talents. The talents and abilities you have are just the beginning of all the good things God has entrusted to you.

Main To Do

Whether you have a lot or little, the goal is the same. To stand before Jesus, your master, your Lord and Savior, and hear these words:

Matthew 25:21 NLT

“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

Why it matters

Life isn’t about living for the praises of people, but the praise of one Person. The world may hate you, say all kinds of awful things about you, but there is only one opinion that should matter, and that is Jesus’.

So in light of the fact that time is short, in trying to make the most of the time you have, are there any course corrections you need to make in order to hear those beautiful words of the Savior? This morning, some are going to enter the waters of baptism and make a commitment to live for Christ for the rest of their days. Maybe you need to ask Jesus to be your Lord for the first time. Maybe you need to ask him to be Lord again because life hasn’t quite gone the way you planned.

Closing Line

Wherever you may be, what can you do today to ensure that one day, whenever it may be, you hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

What are some practical ways you can express obedience to God in your daily life?

What does it mean to you to hear 'Well done, good and faithful servant' someday?

In what areas of your life do you feel the need to prepare better for the return of Christ?

How does knowing the importance of being a faithful servant affect your perspective on your responsibilities?

What talents or gifts do you believe God has entrusted to you, and how are you using them for His kingdom?

How can we support one another in being ready for Christ's return?

What are some distractions in your life that may hinder you from being ready for what God calls you to do?