JESUS’ IMMINENT RETURN - Are you ready?
Mohan C Thomas
Matthew 24:42-51
42
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49
And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
I. Concern about Suddenness (42-44) Lord give emphasis to the suddenness of His arrival and to be watchful for you don’t know the time.
42
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
A. Uncertain
1. ‘Ye know not the hour’. If the hour is known there is no problem, there is defenitely an uncertainty about the time. If the house owner knew the time, he would protect the house and the household.
2. ‘Such an hour as ye think not’. The arrival of the Lord is not at an hour we think.
B. Unknown
1. As a thief. He comes exactly as a thief. No body knows about the time of a burglary. In this case it is defenite that He will come, but the time is unknown.
2. Unexpected. His arrival will be at an unexpected time.
3. ‘Such an hour as ye think not’. The hour is unknown.
II. Concern about Stewardship (45-47)
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
A. Faithful
1. 1 Cor. 4:2, “Moreover it is required in
stewards, that a man be found faithful”
B. Wise
1. Parable in Matthew 7
24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
2. Planned and invested for the future. Our preparations should be planned and like a best investment made for the future as the person who purchased land after seeing the treasure.
C. Blessed. Those who are really wise shall be blessed and rewarded.
1. Reward (vs. 47)
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
2. Matthew 25:21, “His lord said unto him,
Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord”
III. Concern about Sin (48-51)
48
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49
And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The thinking of the evil is always negative. He convinces himself and says Lord is delaying and tries to take advantage of the situation. But he shall be caught red handed.
A. Unfaithful. The servant is proved unfaithful from lhis own words. A faithful servant cannot igrore the orders of his lord.
1. Disobedient. The servant is again proved disobediant to his master. Disobediance is equal to rebellion and idolatory and gives hell.
B. Unwise. He proves to be unwise in his words as well as deeds.
1. Abusive to self and others. His action proves not only abusive to others but in turn to himself.
2. Presumptuous about Lord’s return. He is unmindful about Lord’s return. He is thinking everything can be set right by the time of lord’s return. But his calculation fails him.
C. Punished. The ultimate result is punishment of the servant who is unfaithful, unwise and disobediant and there is no chance of his getting mercy.
1. ‘cut him asunder’ – The punishment is foretold and there is no relaxation whatsoever it is and gets the severe punishement.
2. Public shame ‘portion with hypocrites’. He has been put to public shame and his portion is as of hypocrites, though he was a believer at a time.
3. Intense guilt ‘weeping, gnashing’. The ultimate stage is weeping and gnashing of teeth, for his own tragedy.
The time is at hand and his return is imminent.
God Bless you!
