JESUS IS COMING!
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:44-51 NKJV
Be ready! Jesus is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Jesus does not tell us about the day of His return so we can calculate or predict the day and the hour, but so that we can be prepared. Jesus wants us to act as if we were each moment expecting his return. Jesus places great emphasis on being ready. He tells us that we will have absolutely no forewarning of His coming – it will be at an hour we do not expect Him – so it is imperative that we live our lives with the sober and acute awareness that it will be sudden – so sudden that we will have no time to “fix” or change anything. Therefore we must live “ready” everyday. Are you ready for Jesus to come today?
The faithful and wise servant
In due season means: at the proper time. This was the office of a steward, which was often filled by a slave who had shown himself to be trustworthy and faithful. His duty was to be a general superintendent over the affairs of the family, dispersing food and supplies at the appropriate time. We are all God’s servants and are responsible to Him to obey Him and carry out His instructions. Ministers, in particular, are given responsibilities which accompany their calling. They are responsible to feed and take care of the household of God – the body of Christ.
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28 NKJV
“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 NKJV
Ministers are to teach the people God’s word and get them filled with the Spirit of God – inside and outside the church. They are to pray with and for them and kindly and firmly lead them in the ways of righteousness. Out of respect for the Master, they are responsible to obey God in all things, be personally submitted to Him and to lead by example. Knowing that Jesus’ return will be sudden and unexpected should motivate us always to be personally prepared to face Him and give an account for our lives and actions. The Lord will surely bless, reward and promote His servants who love Him, love people and honor Him by their obedience.
The evil servant
An irresponsible servant has no respect for his Master. He cares nothing for others and spends his time indulging himself, yielding to his flesh and carnality. God calls the servant evil, who abuses his authority. Some even start out with good intentions, but over time they get tired of serving and take advantage of their position of authority and they start to treat others badly, either through neglect or direct abuse. It is a sad day when ministers begin to identify more with the world than the church. Instead of drinking the new wine, they drink the world’s wine. Instead of manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, they manifest the works of the flesh. They live like unbelievers; they are faithless, covetous, ambitious and/or lovers of pleasure.
The Lord does not only find out what we are doing when He shows up – He is watching every move we make and every thought we think. He not only sees what we do, but He sees our intent; our heart. Some have made the mistake of developing a false sense of security based on their precise calculations of events. These servants obviously do not expect the Master to return anytime soon. They are deceived by the devil into forgetting that they are accountable to God and that He will judge their works and reward or punish accordingly. There is severe punishment for an evil servant. “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” is a phrase used to describe despair. It will not be well for the evil servant and there will be no excuses that will save him from his punishment. Those who choose the world for their portion in this life will have hell for their portion in the next.
We have no idea when our time on earth will be up – whether we die or see Jesus’ return. Our Lord’s coming will be happy to those who are found ready, but terrible to those who are not! God’s coming judgment is as certain as Jesus’ return to earth. When He comes, we will have no time to suddenly try to fix things. We are not to live irresponsibly — we are not to just sit and wait and do nothing; we are not to be self-serving, running after worldly pleasures; or using the Lord’s tarrying as an excuse not to do the work of building His kingdom. Jesus told us to be ready and so we should always live ready and be ready for His return. It has nothing to do with the date He is coming; it has to do with occupying until He comes and doing our part out of our absolute respect for Him as Lord and Master. When the Lord comes, may He find us walking in love and being a blessing to others and pointing them always to Him!