Matthew 24:36-51

 

Today we are continuing to read Jesus’ answers to the questions His disciples gave Him after leaving the temple and walking through the city of Jerusalem. Let’s recap just a little and recall the setting. Jesus and His disciples were sitting on the Mount of Olives, having just left the city of Jerusalem for the night, during the week of Passover. They were more than likely headed to Bethany where they were staying the night. This would have been a good resting place. While leaving the city, Jesus had told the disciples that the temple and the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. They had some time to think about what Jesus had said and had come up with two questions:

 

1) When was the destruction of the temple going to happen?

2) What sort of signs would appear to let them know Jesus was going to take over and lead them to the end of the age? 

 

We have discussed Jesus’ answer to the first question. The destruction of the temple would happen before their generation passed away. He was spot on because the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. 

 

Today’s Scripture contains Jesus’ response to their second question, What sort of signs would appear to let them know Jesus was going to take over and lead them to the end of the age? 

 

This is where we get the belief that Jesus is coming back. And as Christians, we should not only believe that Jesus will return, in the flesh, but we should be ready. Jesus even describes for us what being ready looks like. 

Here’s the kicker. 

We have no idea when He’ll return. 

No one knows, not Jesus, not the angels, no one but the Father knows when Jesus will return. Being ready for Jesus’ return means we remain faithful, especially in the time in-between. 

Much easier said than done. 

I think Jesus was aware of the difficulty because He will go on in great detail to not only describe what life will be like, but He also provides comparisons and parables to demonstrate how to and 

how not to be ready and faithful. 

 

Jesus begins with stating it would be like the days of Noah. This is how He describes it. Life was going along as normal, people were eating and drinking. They were planning to live for a while as they will be planning weddings. There seemed to be no imminent urgency. 

Or was there? 

There was this crazy guy and his family that had built an ark in the middle of the desert, preparing for a flood. 

Who from the human point of view, looked ridiculous. 

I can see why Jesus would use Noah as an example. 

 

To reiterate His point Jesus goes on with another illustration of some being taken away and some being left by describing two natural events, men working in a field and women grinding with a hand mill. Like in the time of Noah, those that are faithful will be taken and those who don’t believe and are not vigilant, will die.  

 

Check in time…. Did you notice in these situations no one had any time to “repent” or discuss whether they wanted to change their mind. It’s like the pop-quiz your teacher would spring on you to see if you had been doing your homework or keeping up with the reading. 

What Jesus was telling His disciples was their salvation, their entrance into eternity had to be decided in this life. It’s obvious by this example that although Jesus’ death on the cross has the ability to save everyone, not everyone is going to choose to accept it and be ready. 

 

Jesus’ instructions continue with the words, 

“Therefore, keep watch.” What are we to be watching for? The day the Lord will come. 

 

Jesus provides the scenario of someone not knowing the time the thief would come to rob him. Thieves are successful when they use the element of surprise. If the house owner knows when the thief is coming, the homeowner doesn’t have to be watchful. 

 

Being watchful and vigilant and living in the in-between is difficult. 

Especially in today’s society because we live with a microwave mentality. When we want something we are accustomed to getting it, “now,” or “immediately.” No more having to wait sixty minutes for a baked potato. I can have one in 6 minutes. We have lost the ability to wait, patiently to be ready and to remain faithful.

 

In our next verse, verse 45, Jesus describes who is the faithful and wise servant. According to these verses, to follow Jesus means to be His servant, to be like Him in reaching out to those around us and demonstrating His likeness so that others will see His love and desire to follow Him as well. Jesus tells us that the master puts His servants in charge of His possessions. 

 

Check in time… let’s bring this down to a personal level. When I look around this room I see a variety of personalities, gifts, and talents. 

We are all in different phases of our lives and when we leave this building we will all come in contact with a variety of different people. We also have a variety of social economic strata represented here today. That is how the body of Christ works. Wherever you find yourself today, this week, in your phase of life, 

is what God has given you and 

put you in charge of. 

Use what you have to live out the Sermon on the Mount. Use what you have to demonstrate the two commands Jesus gave, to love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor, and by sharing the hope that is within you. 

By doing so, you will be found “ready.” 

 

Jesus goes on to describe the opposite in verse 48. This is the description of what happens when we forget about our first love and we get caught up in the in-between. 

We begin to live more like those in the world around us than the Savior who came to save us. 

When does compromise begin? 

It takes work and diligence to remain faithful to Jesus in a wicked world. We have influences bombarding us every day to think or do things that the world thinks are the “right” things to do. We so easily join into things we are told aren’t that bad only to discover when something horrible happens and wonder where did things go wrong?

 

Life starts to get us down. We get tired and then apathy sinks in. We stop reading God’s Word and listening to Godly things. We stop seeing God’s hand in the things we do and drift away. We become apathetic to the truth that God is returning. We forget God said to be ready and faithful. 

 

Dependability of our being faithful and ready hinges on our expectancy of Christ’s return. John tells us this in 1 John 3: 2-3,

 

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

All who have this hope, what is the hope? 

 

Hope defined by our culture is, I’m going to buy a lottery ticket and I hope I’ll win a million dollars. You have just enough hope to spend $1, because there is the minute chance you might win, and that’s about as much hope as you’re willing to invest in. Deep down inside, you know the chances of winning is nil, but you’ll give it a chance. What’s a dollar?

Many Christians have that same type of hope, they have just enough faith to say, I do, just in case, but I am not actually sure that anything is going to be different or that Jesus is really coming back, at least not in my lifetime. 

 

Here we are told what real hope is from the Christian perspective. Real hope is trusting in the knowledge that Christ is who He said He is and I look forward to the day that I will be with Him and like Him. 

 

Check in time…

If you are living frustrated as a Christian and you are not seeing any progress in your life I would venture to say it is connected to a misplaced expectancy. You haven’t allowed the promise of Christ’s return to captivate your heart. 

 

If we were to believe that Jesus would return today, right now, what would you need to do to be ready?

I suspect many of us in this room would be wondering if things might not go so well. The question is…

When the creator of the universe appears, will you be ready to give an account for that which He has given you responsibility for? Each one of us who have chosen to follow Jesus have all been given a part to play in declaring the truth through what we say and what we do. 

 

And here is why some of us may not be ready. Some of us have been living through struggles the world has provided, whether it’s a prolonged illness, not being able to find a job, months of struggling financially… whatever prayer we have placed before God and He just doesn’t seem to hear us or answer, and we have become discouraged. We become weary, we stop being faithful, we are no longer ready. That’s when Satan wins. In the depths of discouragement. 

 

Jesus knew this would happen. He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, knowing what would occur in a couple of days, knowing that His disciples would become discouraged, disillusioned, and walk away. He sees each of us as we pray and pray and begin to wonder what Christianity is all about. 

 

It is the hope of Jesus’ return, the belief that it is going to happen, that creates faithful living and encourages us to be ready. What is amazing, is you don’t have to have an abundance of hope, it only takes a spark, the size of a mustard seed that is required. 

 

It is my hope that each of us today rekindles our hope of Jesus’ return and then we take that hope and share it with those around us.