HE'S WATCHING YOU

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND

What is tragic in the Church of today is that most of its members in general and its leaders, in particular have overlooked and or downplayed the seriousness of being a servant in the kingdom of God. It may be due to the fact that many ascribe to the belief that to be “out of sight” is to be “out of mind”. That is, the dangerous tendency, to forget what you can not see.

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Out of Sight, out of Mind

In his dramatic critique of American culture, Philip Slater, in The Pursuit of Loneliness, reminds us we are living in the period of the “toilet assumption,” namely, that when something disappears or is no longer visible, we think we are rid of it. This is true with the race situation, with the poor, with the environment. If somehow we can keep them out of sight, we feel that the battle is won.

But, let me be abundantly clear about it from the very start today, no one is ever out of the sight, nor of the mind of the all seeing God with which we must give an account. The psalmist reminds us of this truth in

Psalm 139:1–18 NASB95

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

Knowledge of this fact ought to be the motivating power behind every servant; That although the Master is absent temporally, he will return again and call us into account for our stewardship.

Psalm 139 NASB95

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

Contextual Consideration

In the text lifted for our consideration, the Lord Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem. Having just exited the temple, the disciples admire it for its beauty and grandeur. Jesus, bursts their bubbles by declaring that the temple would be destroyed along with all its glory. The disciples are left mesmerized at the prospect of this terrible prediction and asks the Lord “when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age (vv.1-3)?” Jesus goes through a litany of events that will proceed that impending hour; all of which could make them want “to holler and throw up both their hands”. He finally tells them that “no one knows, but the Father alone” ().

Matthew 24:36 NASB95

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Therein lies the crux of the issue today: Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth, died on an old rugged cross, was laid in a borrowed tomb, rose from the dead early on the third day, seen by many witness and then was taken up out of their sight ().

Acts 1:9 NASB95

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

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I am convinced this afternoon that the Lord was trying to teach his disciples then as well as his disciples today that although his return may not be immediate, it is nevertheless imminent. What did I just say? I said He may not come when you want Him; but, He is always on time. Notice, if you will, that in the midst of all that is going on around them, the servant is to keep on serving. They are to be on alert (42), they are to keep their charge (45), and they are to live expectantly (50). All of this while the Lord is out of sight.

WHEN THE CAT IS AWAY, THE MOUSE WILL PLAY

We may as well be real; people have a bad habit of trying to get away with whatever they can. The old saying has it that “when the cat is away the mouse will play.” This suggests that people don’t usually do what they are suppose to do without being monitored. Greater Community, you find yourselves in a precarious predicament at this present hour: you are without pastoral leadership in the midst of a very unstable world. I believe that now, more than ever before, the admonishment of the apostle Paul is applicable:

Philippians 2:12–13 NASB95

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12–13 NASB95

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

The Leadership Expectations

The faithful servant does not subscribe to the "out of sight, out of mind philosophy but focuses on 1) what a faithful servant looks like, 2) what a faithful servant does, and 3) what a faithful servant knows.

I. A faithful servant looks (42-44) - Alert and working - Be aware of the potential for an enemy attack; a break in by a thief.

II. A faithful servant does - Carries out his or her charges and duties (45-47): feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned...

Amazing Grace—366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions 14. A Charge to Keep I Have

A charge to keep I have—a God to glorify, who gave His Son my soul to save and fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill—O may it all my pow’rs engage to do my Master’s will!

Arm me with jealous care, as in Thy sight to live; and O Thy servant, Lord, prepare a strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray, and on Thyself rely; and let me ne’er my trust betray, but press to realms on high

III. The Faithful Servant knows that God is always watching. The text seems to suggest that the Master will know how the servants behaved when he suddenly catches them in the act after his being gone for so long. I want suggest that he had been watching all along, he had been hoping that many would have grown up and matured during his absence. Certainly, the disciples knew that the eye of the Lord is in every place beholding the good and the evil.

Conclusion

God rewards faithful servants - “Well done”