Live Ready: Christ Will Return! (Revision)

Matthew 24:36-25:30

Introduction

Introduction

[REPLACED] If you knew Jesus would return tomorrow, how would that change the way you live today?

That is an important question, because it reveals something about what we really believe about Christ’s return.

[REPLACED] As most of you know, my wife and I have a young daughter named Genevieve. There was a moment before she was born when I thought I still had plenty of time to get ready. I had the mindset of, “I can pack later.” We were supposed to go in and be induced, and I was just procrastinating on getting a few things finished up before then.

And then suddenly, time was up. Eliza comes down at like midnight the day she would be induced, and what was I doing? Sitting on the couch, eating straight from a jar of Nutella by the spoonful.

[REPLACED] That is a silly example, but it exposes a serious problem. Do we ever treat our relationship with Jesus the same way? Do we ever live like we have plenty of time before he returns? Or maybe, are we placing so much hope in his return being soon, that we are not prepared for the long haul?

We all fall short, and this is not about standing condemned tonight. The point is this: what are we aiming for as we wait for Jesus to come back? What are we doing to be prepared for him to come soon, but also to be prepared for a long winter of waiting? We will explore this throughout the text tonight.

Jesus gives us an answer to this is Matthew 24:44

Matthew 24:44 CSB

This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

This verse underpins everything we are going to look at tonight as we continue in the Olivet Discourse.

Main idea: We must live ready for Christ’s return and steward what he has given to us.

Open your Bibles to Matthew 24. We will finish out this chapter, and then cover a big chunk of chapter 25.

Since Jesus is coming soon, how do we live ready? Jesus lays out four clear principles in this text.

Follow along as I read from Matthew 24, beginning in verse 36:

Matthew 24:36–44 CSB

“Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son—except the Father alone. As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

1. Be alert, ready at any time for Christ’s return. - vv.24:36-44

Last week, we saw how Jesus spoke of the imminence of his return, and how the disciples (and even us as modern readers) can interpret certain events as signals of his return. But now, Jesus is making it clear that no one but the Father knows the exact day Jesus will return.

Right out of the gate, we have to address the potential complication here. How can Jesus be fully God, yet not know something that God the Father knows? When Jesus stepped into creation, taking on flesh and becoming the Word of God incarnate, he also took upon himself human limitations in accordance with that incarnation. Jesus is not denying his divinity here; he is speaking from the humility of his incarnate mission. The point is simple: the Father has not given us the date, so our job is readiness, not prediction. We can see this in Philippians 2:5-11, where Paul talks about Jesus’ self-emptying as he takes on humanity.

This is an important aspect of his ministry: to prepare his followers for a day they know is coming, but a day which they cannot know exactly.

He references the time of Noah, where people were living ordinary lives right up until judgment came. Jesus says his return will be like that. Immediate.

It will look ordinary. Two people will be at work. Two people will be in the same place. One will be ready and one will not. The issue is not whether life looks normal. The issue is whether we are prepared.

The reality is no different for us now than it was for them then. So Jesus warns the disciples, and by extension, warns us modern-day disciples to be alert! He is coming when we least expect it.

Friends, we need to take this to heart. In everything that we do, are we living expectantly for Christ to come at any moment? We cannot let ignorance of the day lead us into ambivalence at his return. We must be ready, because in an instant, Christ will come to separate those who lived in expectation of his return from those who have not.

We must be alert for his return. But not only that, we must also Be faithful servants.

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Matthew 24:45–51 CSB

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

2. Be faithful servants, expecting no delay in the Master’s return. - vv.24:45-51

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant...” Jesus asks. Who is it? He provides the answer, how nice of him: Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.

Jesus juxtaposes a faithful servant with a wicked servant. The faithful servant is prepared for his master to return, has been doing the work around the estate that was necessary to keep it ready. The wicked servant has been goofing off, mistreating the other servants, assuming his master is delayed. Assuming he has plenty of time to clean up and make the place ready.

The danger is for us too. Who here was given chores by their parents, either over the weekend or during the summer, with the expectation that they would be done by the time they got home? Now, show of hands, who chose not to do their chores sometimes?

They’d come home, but it’d be too late!

But, this is what we must remember with Jesus’ return; he has given us things to do, just like many of our parents did. The difference is that we do not know the time or day he will return. So instead of being goofy, immature kids, or instead of being wicked servants who squander their responsibilities, instead, we are to do what? Be faithful and wise, stewarding what God has entrusted to us.

How do we do that? What has God entrusted to us?

He has entrusted the gospel to us, spiritual gifts to us, resources like time and money. Paul’s letters to Timothy show us this to great effect.

1 Timothy 1:11 CSB

that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

Paul urges Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2 to find men and make disciples who can be entrusted with these same truths, and can then teach and entrust others.

Paul also talks about fighting the good fight, in 1 Timothy 6. Here, he urges Timothy to stay faithful and endure.

That means that we work hard for the glory of God in all things, whether work, service, family, studies: in all areas of life, Christians should disciplines ourselves for godliness, to borrow from Paul again.

Natalie shared earlier of how she felt an urgency. Who knows when God will return, or who knows when season will change? We have to be faithful with what we have now.

This is how we are to live, my friends. We do not know when he comes, and that not only means something for us as believers, but it means something for those around us who are lost. If Christ could come tomorrow, how many people in our lives would we try to share the gospel with?

Regardless of what events we see that may signal Christ’s return, we should always be alert and be faithful servants as we wait for the day he comes.

We must also Be steadfast in our faith.

Matthew 25:1–13 CSB

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’ “Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ “The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’ “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’ “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’ “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.

3. Be steadfast, storing up for Christ’s delay. -vv.25:1-13

In this parable, there are two types of young women: the ones who are wise and prepare for a delay of the groom’s return, and those who are foolish and falsely assume that he will arrive before they need more supplies.

At first glance, and probably second and third glance, this parable is confusing. Jesus just said that the wicked servant is the one who thinks the return of his master is far off. But here, the foolish maidens are the one who think the return of the groom is very soon. What is going on here?

We have to keep all of these stories in tension with the overarching theme of this Olivet Discourse. Jesus is emphasizing throughout all of his teaching here that regardless of the signs - which will be real and apparent - and regardless of our understanding of timing, the true return of Christ is unknowable.

This is the tension of Christ’s return. Hence this parable of the ten virgins. What we are to take from this story is that we must not be so convinced Jesus is coming soon that we no longer prepare for the long haul. We are to always work out our faith in a steadfast manner, and we cannot coast off of previous spiritual effort, or even the spiritual efforts of those around us.

The oil is a real, personal readiness that cannot be borrowed at the last minute. The Holy Spirit sustains us in our faith, but we must participate in that. Read the book of James! It is all about this idea. The Christian walk is so often described not as a sprint, but a long, endurance race.

Hebrews 12 says to run with endurance the race set before us. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 to be steadfast and immovable, knowing our labor is not in vain, and in chapter 16 he encourages us to be alert and stand firm in the faith. Paul says of himself in 2 Timothy 4:7

2 Timothy 4:7 CSB

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

We are to remain prepared in growing and refining our faith by the grace of God who empowers us to do so.

How many of us had friends who seemed to be on fire for Christ but ran out of oil? They did not see God do what they desired in the time they expected it to, or they grew weary of doing good, which Paul warns against in Galatians 6:9. Maybe they grew up in the church, but never developed their own ownership of the faith, and fell away. That happened to my best friend from high school. There is a good chance I may not be here today if it weren’t for him, but he himself has turned away. It is heartbreaking.

So how do we stay prepared? We arm ourselves with the Word of God. We store up his Word in our hearts that we might not sin against him. We expect to live long lives here on earth, and devote ourselves to growing in the fear and admonition of the Lord through intentional communion with him. We pray often, we serve others in need, we memorize and meditate on Scripture, we fast, we do life with one another. We must live our faith for ourselves. No one else can live it for you.

The foolish virgins did not stay ready. They were at first, but the delay caused them to lose their oil. And when they tried to get more, it was too late. We do not want to find ourselves in the same position.

And so it is that we must both be ready for Christ to come soon, and also be prepared for a long wait. Be steadfast in your faith, and take responsibility for your own readiness. And finally, steward wisely what Christ has entrusted to you.

Matthew 25:14–30 CSB

14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately 16 the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. 17 In the same way the man with two earned two more. 18 But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I’ve earned five more talents.’ 21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ 22 “The man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.’ 23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ 24 “The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 “His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, 27 then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money back with interest when I returned. 28 “ ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

4. Be a wise steward, remaining faithful with what Christ has given to you. -vv.25:14-30

It has often been said that we are to attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God.

We’ve already talked about the things the Lord has entrusted to us. And here, we see it reiterated that God has trusted each of us with something. The Lord doles out gifts and callings and talents and equippings differently, but he expects the same from all of us: faithful return to him.

So, he has given us each something to do as part of the church. What has God given to you? Are you using it for his glory, or are you merely burying it in the ground?

I say this not to condemn you, but to warn you. If your life is not marked by a devotion to God that seeks to serve him and return your life into his hands with whatever he sees fit for you to do, then what do you truly believe about the power and authority of God?

So often we labor over our callings, and this is a good thing to do! But what is more important is remember that God will give you gifts in accordance with the task he has set before you. Desires are a gift. Talents are a gift. He will equip you for what he wants you to do. Are you willing and ready to do it?

When Christ returns, he is not going to ask us if we had the right time and day. He will ask us what we have been doing. And this is something we will explore more as we close out the Olivet Discourse next week.

Conclusion

I just have a quick conclusion for us here. Remember:

Main idea: We must live ready for Christ’s return and steward what he has given to us.

Be alert, ready at any time for Christ’s return.

Be faithful servants, expecting no delay.

Be steadfast in your faith, preparing rightly for a delay.

Be a wise steward, remaining faithful with what God has given to you.

If you are a Christian, the first place to start for response to this is prayer.

Ask God to reveal to you how he desires for you to grow and serve him. Trust him with your life, and follow where he leads you.

Guys, we have an abundance of opportunities to serve throughout the church, and throughout our community. We will be learning more in the coming weeks about that from our missions pastor Ben, but be thinking how you can serve where there is need. Don’t wait, just jump in. Let’s continue to be faithful to share the gospel and make disciples.

If anyone here has not believed in Jesus for salvation and repented of their sins, let me encourage you… it is not too late. Now is the time. Throughout our text tonight, we have been warned that hell awaits those who do not follow Christ, who are not ready for his return, who do not love him and follow him and trust him as Lord and Savior. If you have any questions about this, please come talk to me. Do not leave doubting where you stand with Christ tonight.

Let us always seek to live ready for the inevitable yet potentially delayed return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s pray.