We'll Work 'til Jesus Comes

Introduction:

May of you here today can probably remember singing the old hymn “We’ll Work ‘til Jesus Comes.” It’s a wonderful hymn that goes like this:

O land of rest, for thee I sigh! When will the moment come When I shall lay my armor by And dwell in peace at home?

Refrain:

We’ll work till Jesus comes, We’ll work till Jesus comes, We’ll work till Jesus comes, And we’ll be gathered home.

We’ll work till Jesus comes, We’ll work till Jesus comes, We’ll work till Jesus comes, And we’ll be gathered home.

I looked up this hymn to try to get a little background on when it was written, but very little is known about it. Some people believe it was an early American folk song and some have attributed it to Elizabeth Mills in 1837.

Regardless the words should be taken to heart by every believer. Today, we are going to talk about what every believer should be doing until the Lord comes.

Read . Pray.

1. An Action to Take

A. Be Expecting Christ’s to Return (vv. 35-37)

A person in the ancient Middle East would most likely be wearing long flowing robes. In order to get any work done, they would have to gird up their robes and tuck them into their belt so they could move more freely. The illustration here is meant to help us realize that we need to get rid of the hindrances in our lives to serving Christ and get to work until He comes. That work is sharing the message of the gospel and serving people in the love of Christ.

Likewise, a servant was also expected to have a torch lit and ready for when the master returned. They would meet him with the torches to light the way back to the house. This meant that they needed to be alert. They had to be watching for his return.

Do we wait expectantly for Jesus to return? What would look different in our lives if we really thought Jesus would come back at any moment? It would change our priorities. It would change our behaviors. It would cause us to have a greater sense of urgency when sharing the gospel with people.

B. Be Found Obedient when Christ Returns (vv. 41-43)

We use the word steward a lot, and just this Wednesday we talked about this word. The word usually is used when referring to finances, but a steward was actually a servant or slave that was born into a household and was trusted by the master with all of the management of the affairs of his house. The steward had the authority to back business transactions on behalf of the master and was responsible for feeding the other servants and caring for them.

We are all called to be stewards in God’s household. We have been given a certain amount of time, talent, and resources to use for the Master. We are to use them for His benefit and not our own. We are to be faithful with the little that He has entrusted us with, and we will be given greater rewards to manage in the future.

2. A Reward to Receive (vv. 37, 45)

Rather than it being a matter of us simply doing what we should be doing anyways, Christ reverses the expectation of a servant and a master. Christ serves us when He returns. This is a picture, I believe, of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in . We will eat together with the Master in Heaven in a grand celebration of His return for His bride!

3. A Warning to Heed (vv. 38-40; 46-48)

The final punishment given will be commensurate with the extent to which the person was willful in his disobedience; however, ignorance is not an excuse for disobedience. This means there are varying degrees of punishment in hell.

Conclusion:

This morning, would you listen to Jesus? There is a action to take, there is a reward to receive, and there is a warning to heed. It is important that we listen carefully to what Jesus says!