833 Matt.25.1-13 Hanging in for the Long Haul
Hanging in for the Long Haul • Sermon • Submitted
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A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it, I'm having a really good time just as I am”
Hanging in for the Long Haul
Hanging in for the Long Haul
Date: 26-05-19 833 Echuca
A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it, I'm having a really good time just as I am”
Q. I wonder how many people take this line of thinking?
- People are deluded by the fact that we live in a world that is filled with what is called “common grace”
- Common grace is the goodness of God manifested upon all people regardless of whether they hate Him or love Him
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- People assume that what we have now – an orderly world that is filled with awe & wonder; of beauty & colour; of variety & contrast; with the rain & all such other benefits, that this is the norm
- But it is not – it is far from the norm
- If we had no sun, life would not exist – it would be minus 273 degrees
- Besides that, there would be no light – darkness is the norm
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- This is a huge problem for atheists
- They have been living the life of God’s common goodness & grace & take for granted these things because they assume it’s the norm
- Interestingly, hell is a place where the common grace & goodness of God is not
- It is devoid of God & the goodness He showers on all people without distinction
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- Jesus described, on occasion, hell as the place called Gehenna
—28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
- Gehenna was the valley on the sth side of Jerusalem
- It was the place the wicked offered their children in sacrifice to pagan gods
- It gained the reputation of unholiness, vileness & of judgement
- Due to this reason, it is not surprising that, by the 1st century it had become the rubbish dump of Jerusalem where they would throw all their waste & scraps
- To keep it down, it would burn night & day to consume the garbage
- Scavenging animals, including dogs & vultures would frequent the place looking for animal scraps & carcasses to feed on
- The stench of this place was terrible – as you experience with most dumps – especially when they never had equipment to bury the rotten
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- This is not a nice place, but what is clear is that this place is the norm for a place without God
- Without God the world is utterly full of disorder & chaos
—2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
- Formless & void can also be translated: “waste & emptiness”
- Darkness, waste & emptiness – that’s what you have
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- For those people who have not made their mind up about Jesus, I hope they appreciate, that the stakes have never been higher for them
- For those Christians living for themselves, I hope they realise that Jesus is not some soppy, emotional character with such a bleeding heart, that does not care how they live
- I hope we will see that being prepared for the coming of Jesus means being loyal & faithful to Jesus – till the end
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1. The Parables
1. The Parables
- The parable of the virgins is seated along with 2 other parables that all speak to the same issue – which is in being prepared for the coming of Christ
- There is a preceding parable, however, which speaks to their 1st century situation
- The Fig tree – when its leaves get tender you know summer is coming
- When His apostles & disciples see the signs leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem (AD70), then they are to know that its disaster is near
- But when Jesus comes, they are to be aware that there are no signs to be observed, because when He comes, everything will be happening the same as always
- People will continue to marry & be given in marriage etc. etc.
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- No one knows the day nor the hour of Jesus’ return, not even Jesus
- It will happen in the twinkling of the eye
- In fact, two men will be out in the field, one will be taken the other left
- Two women grinding at the mill – going about usual daily tasks – one will be taken, the other will be left
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- You could translate that into modern day terms
- Two men or women at work, one will be taken, the other will be left
- Or, two doing the housework – ironing, washing etc.. One will be taken, the other will be left
- It will happen so quickly, you won’t even have time to go to the bathroom
- SO forget about any possible opportunity if you want to hedge your bets that you could repent & believe at the coming of Christ
- It’s finished, it’s over – when you see Jesus, you are seeing the closing of the curtain
- Shows over people – no chances are given – the day of grace is over
- One glance at Him – first look - & like Lot’s wife who turned to salt, there was no opportunity to turn
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- The 3 parables on the return of Christ, therefore, are…
a. Parable of the Thief ()
a. Parable of the Thief ()
- The point of this parable is that you do not know when a thief will break into your house
- Of course, it is a piece of cake to be ready for a thief – all you have to do is be up, dressed, have the lights on & have already phoned the police
- Easy-pisie – but we know, that it doesn’t work like that
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- The thief always comes at a time when you are not prepared
- When you are not home, or when you are fast asleep
- So, the sensible servant of the Lord is the one who is living his life, faithfully serving his master, even while his master is not watching or is not in proximity to Him – he’s always alert to His master’s wishes
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- You can reflect on this, whether you are an employer or employee
- No employer likes an employee that only works when the employer is present to keep a check on him
- They like the worker who faithfully works whether he is present or not
- So, says Jesus, you will not have time to make yourself ready, when He turns up to find whether or not you are busy doing His business
b. Parable of the Talents ()
b. Parable of the Talents ()
- This parable talks about the things of the kingdom that God entrusts to His people
Q. Will they make the most use of kingdom priorities OR will they be lazy & be concerned, primarily, with their own kingdom (self issues)?
- This challenge comes with the negative assessment from Jesus
—26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.
- The two negatives there – wicked & lazy – speaks to a self-serving person who is not interested in His master’s business, but only in his own
- Two Scriptures will help us with this
—20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
—33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
- The end result of this servant is that he is thrown into the outer darkness where there is weeping & gnashing of teeth
- That, of course, speaks to the prospect of missing out because the person was not truly following Jesus in life, but following his own course
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- Conversely, the person who is more interested in the Master’s business, than his own, will receive these words.…
—23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
- These are parables, illustrations, to drive home the fact that loyalty & faithfulness are not abstract ideas, but real virtues that determine, in the end, whether one will receive the crown of righteousness
c. Parable of the Virgins ()
c. Parable of the Virgins ()
- As we look at the parable of the virgins, one thing comes through very clearly
- In this illustration, the young maidens, who were the attendants of the bride, were either wise or foolish
- Wise, as in allowing for & preparing for, perhaps, a long wait for the arrival of the bridegroom
- Or, foolish, as in giving no thought, or preparation for what might be required if such a wait was necessary
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- Now, this goes to the heart of a person who is contemplating surrendering their life to Christ
Q. Is it a knee jerk reaction in order to calm a nagging conscience?
Q. Is it an insurance policy to prevent me having to face hell?
- Those motivations certainly help us turn to Christ & there is nothing wrong with them, except, that if there is no thought to what true discipleship means, then you have a problem
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- A few weeks ago, I said that you need to be careful in how you present Christ to people & I used the phrase…
“What you win them with, you win them too”
- If you win them with easy-believism, where the gate is wide & the way is broad, then you are setting them up for trouble
- You might score “bottoms on seats” but have you done them any good service?
- For when the going gets tough - & the Christian life is tough – they will, with time, fade away
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- This also goes to the heart of the danger of winning a person to Christ using emotional manipulation rather than appealing to their mind
- Of course, the emotions are important & can move a person to open their mind, however, if the use of emotional moments are overkill, then you will win a person just for the moment or moments
- When the long haul is required, you will find that the seed had not been planted in good soil at all, & either they are withered by the sun, chocked by the weeds, or taken captive by the evil one
—27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
2. Being Prepared for the Long Haul
2. Being Prepared for the Long Haul
- The wedding procession was carried out with music, merriment & a time of rejoicing as the bridal party travels on their way through the streets, to the wedding feast
- One stop needed to be made, however, and that was to collect the bride & her maids from her home
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- The bride & her maids would know the approximate time of the groom’s appearing, but not the exact time & so she & her bridesmaids would have to wait vigilantly in anticipation
- When the groom approached the bride’s home, his arrival would be announced with a loud shout
- The bride & her maids would then join the groom and his party & together they would continue the procession to the home of the groom’s father, for the wedding feast
- The marriage feast would take place, ending in the bride & groom retiring to consummate the marriage
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- The point here is that 5 of the bridesmaids were foolish & didn't anticipate that the bridegroom & his party, could come late
- So they were unprepared & didn't bring spare oil for their lamps
- When the bridegroom arrived they all made their lamps ready, but the foolish ones realised that their lamps were fading
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- While they were on their way to get more oil, the wedding party all went in, to the time of feasting & the door was shut
- When the foolish virgins arrived & asked admission, the lord of the house said, “I do not know you”
- This is not a callous rejection of those who want to be in the kingdom, but a rejection of those whose priorities were elsewhere
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
- Notice in this parable, that one cannot help the other – the wise virgins cannot help the foolish ones
- Each will have to stand on their own two feet
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- It warns us that certain things cannot be borrowed
- A man cannot borrow a character; He cannot live off the spiritual capital of his parents or others; He cannot loan a relationship with Jesus Christ
- He must own these things himself!
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- Being ready is not about watching the skies for Jesus’ return, so that somehow if you don't spot the Lord, you miss out
- No! It is all about being ready, by serving Christ now in a fit & proper way – being about His business
- It is about living righteously, morally & ethically in the sinful world, in which we live
- We do not want to be ashamed when He comes
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There is a fable which tells of three apprentice devils who were coming to this earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about their plans to tempt and ruin men. The first said, “ I will tell them there is no God.” Satan said, “ That will not delude many, for they know that there is a God.” The second said - & let me “Shorten” it, “ I will tell men there is no hell.” Satan answered, “ You will deceive no one that way; men know even now that there is a hell for sin.” The third said, “ I will tell men there is no hurry.” “Go,” said Satan, “ and you will ruin them by the thousand.”
- William Barclay says that the most dangerous day in a man’s life is when he learns that there is such a word as tomorrow.
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Q. If Jesus came right now, would He be ready to receive you?
- Imagine, Mum or Dad come in & wake you up & tell you to go straight to the car because you are all going to church right now
- You'd say, “I, ...I can't go to church yet, I'm not ready”!
- “My breath smells, I'm in my pyjamas, my hairs a mess, I haven't done my face – Come on, I haven't made myself cute yet”!
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- You can imagine how you'd feel if that happened
- How much worse would it be if you did not make preparation for the day of the Lord's return
- The problem for half of these young ladies is that they expected the bridegroom to come early & were not WISE enough to anticipate that he may have been delayed
- When the bridegroom finally came, it was too late for them to do anything about it
- They go & get the oil they need, go to the home of the bridegroom’s father & knock on the door to get access & they are denied
- The classic response we find is that “I don’t know you”
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- This poem was written by the poet Tennyson & is based on the parable of the 10 virgins
- It is a poem sung to Queen Guinevere after she had too late discovered the cost of sin with Sir Lancelot
Late, late so late! and dark the night and chill!
Late, late so late! but we can enter still.
Too late, too late! ye cannot enter now.
No light had we; for that we do repent;
And learning this, the bridegroom will relent.
Too late, too late! ye cannot enter now.
No light: so late! and dark and chill the night!
O let us in, that we may find the light!
Too late, too late: ye cannot enter now.
Have we not heard the bridegroom is so sweet?
O let us in, tho’ late, to kiss his feet!
No, no, too late! ye cannot enter now.”
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- I have seen many zealots that are “on fire” for the Lord
- After a time, where are these people
- They burn themselves out & burn off others
- Their families suffer, their reputation & testimony suffers, the Gospel of Christ suffers
- The non-Christian world has a field day with ridicule & scorn for the one who has judged them harshly & yet ended up being no different from them at all
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- Preparation involves living the Christian life now
- Students who think they don't need to study until examination day will fail
- A man who hasn't acquired the needed skills as a carpenter, cannot arrive on the day he builds a house & expect to pick the skills up on the spot – we must start preparation for Christ's coming now
- Jesus reiterates the theme over & over
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
(, , ; )
- Determine to become Christian & live as a disciple of Christ everyday