Waiting Well
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Welcome
Today, we’re looking at & .
Last week Jesus gave some vivid detail regarding the end times and how it will be har and there will be trouble.
And his main point was that we need to PAY attention to what God has said!
Because the point isn’t for us to get distracted by the details,
but for us to recognize that Jesus is coming back again and
when he does it will look different than it does now…
or it did when Jesus was speaking to his listeners.
Now, we see Jesus being humble but when he returns, he’s returning in POWER and GLORY.
That’s our setting. With that in mind, if you’re able, please stand with me for the reading of God’s Word!
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.
Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,
the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know
and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
matthew 24:36
matthew 25:1-16
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
The big idea of this passage is: “Blessed are those who are faithful.”
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
In this life there is uncertainty… there is conflict, there is pain… Humanity has rebelled against God and it has caused a fracturing… a brokenness exists in people and in the WORLD.
As a result, there are many times in this life where we have to wait… the in-between times… the times between struggle and victory.
These are the moments when the end isn’t clear, not at least in the short-term.
Now, as Christians, we know there is hope for those who are in God — we spoke about that last week… that was Jesus’ point.
Jesus was saying, “I am coming again & then I will come in POWER and GLORY.”
This is encouraging… we know where we’re headed… we know the end is good.
But today, we’re focusing on the short-term… I know, as a Christian, my ultimate end is good… but what about today & what about tomorrow?
The big idea of this passage is: “Blessed are those who are faithful.”
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
No one knows the day and the hour. (vs. 24:36-44)
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
So last week, Jesus was talking about the end times and the trouble that godly people will have to endure towards the end.
But the main point Jesus was making was to PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT GOD HAS SAID...
In this passage, it’s almost as if Jesus is making it clear what he is not saying...
Jesus has not told us WHEN the end will come
Jesus has not told us exactly how all this will go about… there have been things he has alluded to and there have been images he’s made reference to… but we don’t know exactly how this will go down… So he courages us to remain humble and patient!
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
Reminds me of:
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 31:31
There are things we are not going to know and that is part of God’s good and sovereign plan.
The Bible doesn't’ read like a scientific textbook… there is still mystery.
Because we are not God.
Our understanding is limited.
If we know that, it should help us focus on what matters… Jesus is essentially saying, don’t focus on what doesn’t matter… don’t focus on what you have no control over!
Don’t be the guy trying to predict the end of the world, that’s not the point!
The Bible doesn’t tell us that… Plus, it’s not the point!
The point is to remain prepared, to pay attention, to not get distracted away from God!
This leads to our next point… and this is big idea of this passage is: “Blessed are those who are faithful.”
Who then is the faithful and wise servant? (vs. 24:45-51)
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
matthew 24:
What is faithfulness?
faithfulness: The doctrine that God will always do what he has said and fulfill what he has promised.
So if we’re faithful, it means we do what we say we will do… we follow through… we are consistent.
Jesus
Jesus point:
Is not to know everything. It’s not about being good at everything. It’s not even about achieving a bunch of things...
Jesus says that all of this is really rooted in faithfulness. Faithfulness is what Jesus is aimed at here.
In the end, what matters is faithfulness.
[EXAMPLE] Relational Soul (book) story
Professional climber… one of the best… dedicates his success to his family, he does it all for them
He’s often gone (away from his family) climbing… dies on a climb… and is remembered for all his accomplishments
Question: I wonder if his kids would have rather had his dad’s accomplishments or his dad’s presence?
The reason I use that example is that sometimes we get focused on what we’re doing for God… or what what we’re accomplishing or learning that we forget what THE POINT OF WHAT WE’RE DOING ACTUALLY IS!!!
Faithfulness is more than about using the right words… faithfulness is about relationship, desire… I want God and that’s where my focus resides.
At the end of the day, God doesn’t want your accomplishments, he wants your heart!
A parable about the foolish and the wise. (vs. 25:1-13)
Parable of the wise and the fool.
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Jesus tells his listeners to stay alert, reminds them that their aim should be to remain faithful… and then tells them a story (like he often does)
The bridegroom is Jesus and the bride is Jesus’ church.
So Jesus isn’t necessarily telling them anything new… but he us further articulating what he has already said! He doesn’t want them to miss what he is trying to tell them!
Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
matthew 25:11
The prayer here is that we do not become a distracted church…
A distracted church is a church that diverts its focus away from the gospel and onto other things.
A distracted church might even be doing really good things… but “good” without a gospel focus, with a centeredness on Jesus will not end well.
The primary responsibility of the church has always been to help cultivate a deeper love for God by remembering the GOSPEL and repenting of our sin!
So here’s the deal… the moment we stop remembering the gospel and we quit repenting of our sin, we become a false church… we enter into the error Jesus is warning against in this passage.
The things we must also take a notice of is the severity of the consequences.
the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know
and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
When we neglect to acknowledge truth, life disintegrates… instead of flourishing, there is chaos.
This isn’t just about following rules, it’s about being in touch with what is real.
If God exists, and God made everything… God is creator, God is over everything.
Therefore, being in relationship with God is being in relationship with what is real.
Therefore, neglecting God will result in the breakdown of all that is good and real.
The big idea of this passage is: “Blessed are those who are faithful.”
This is why the big idea of this passage is: “Blessed are those who are faithful.”
APPLICTION:
Considering this is my last sermon as your lead pastor, I was grateful that it so happened to be on this day with this passage.
I haven’t done everything perfectly, certainly not.
I am not the best pastor, by any stretch.
I’ve made mistakes.
But by God’s grace, my hope is that my ministry as a staff pastor at Veritas could be classified as one of faithfulness… and that is my hope for my life… that is my prayer for you and for our church!
We are living in a time where many well known Christian leaders are publicly renouncing there faith in God.
We live in an odd time, marked by a chaotic view of morality as everyone is now in charge of their own truth! I believe this will only lead us to more pain and confusion.
And I pray, that we remain faithful to Jesus and to His truth!
Blessed are those who are faithful
Reality is this will certainly not always be easy
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Christian, Jesus is teaching us that we have a bright future… despite what the present circumstances are… despite what difficulty may be awaiting you tomorrow… a day is coming when all injustice and pain will be made right.
Our responsibility is not to change the world…
Our responsibility is to remain faithful! If God uses us in public and amazing ways, that is up to him.
But our ultimate calling, the most courageous thing we can do it to remain faithful to Jesus’ gospel!
By remembering God’s truth and repenting of our sin, my prayer is that we remain faithful (that we endure, that we flourish)!
Application:
Communion:
L: In the night in which he was betrayed, Our lord Jesus took bread,He gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.Do this for the remembrance of me.
L: Again, after supper,He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying; this cup is The new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.Do this for the remembrance of me. Silent Reflection – to prepare our hearts toCome to the Lords table
L: Jesus' death brings us life and this meal reminds us that we are fed by Jesus and forgiven because of Jesus.
C: We rejoice that You have died, have risen, and are now with the Father advocating for us. Amen.
L: With our money, time, and talent we give generously, knowing that through Your Son, Jesus, You have generously given to us.
C: We rejoice that You have given everything and we joyfully give everything back to Your care. Amen.
L: If you believe Jesus died to forgive you your sins you are welcome to come,
L: Come for all is ready
Benediction:
May you find rest and comfort in the Glory of God, in His promises to us, and in the Glory of Christ, our Savior. Walk now in that rest, and in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.