The Second Coming Of Christ - Part 7: While We Wait For The Lord’s Return... Series

The Second Coming of Christ

Part 7: While We Wait for the Lord’s Return...

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 25:13-30; Luke 19:11-17

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared March 15, 2023)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 25:13. Most of you know that by now, it was only 2 or 3 days before the cross. In Matthew 23, Jesus was in the temple, and He very publicly condemned the scribes and Pharisees for stubbornly rejecting Him as the Messiah. The Lord also condemned them for their spiritual pride, corruption, lack of mercy, hypocrisy, and more.

*Then on the way out of the city, the disciples stopped to admire the temple. Matthew 24:1 says, "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple."

*It's understandable that the disciples were impressed by the temple, because Herod's temple in Jerusalem was a sight to behold. Work on the complex started before Jesus was born. Ten thousand skilled workmen were employed for the task. And ironically, the work was not entirely finished until 63 AD, only 7 years before the destruction of the entire temple.

*The actual temple building itself could have fit inside a baseball infield. But the large structures around the temple, like the storerooms, porticos and courts built by King Herod filled an area that could hold 25 football fields. This temple was built of white marble and covered with heavy plates of gold in front. Rising high above its marble-covered courts, the temple looked like a snow-covered mountain. (1)

*No wonder the Lord's disciples were impressed. But in vs. 2, "Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'''

*The disciples were probably in shock at what the Lord had prophesied about the temple. And vs. 3 tells us that "As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'''

*We have studied the Lord's answer for several weeks, looking at the sure truths, the warnings, the mysteries, the Old Testament background, the rapture of the Church, and the final fulfillment of His words. But as Jesus answered the disciples' questions about His second coming, He used parables to help them understand. Today we will study another of these parables, because it can help us be ready for the Lord's second coming. Let's get started by reading Matthew 25:13-30.

MESSAGE:

*In vs. 13, Jesus tells us to "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." Jesus is coming again! And it could be today. But what if it's not today? While we wait for the Lord’s return, we must be sure to answer four questions:

1. FIRST: WHAT GIFTS DO I HAVE FROM GOD?

*This question comes from the Lord's words in vs. 14-15. Here Jesus said:

14. . . "The kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

15. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey."

*Notice here that God gave some of His goods, (His possessions, His property) to all of His servants. They didn't all get the same amount, but all of them got something. And the Lord wants us to understand that He has also given some valuable gifts to us. God wants us to discover our potential, and when we do, we will learn we are worth more than we dreamed.

*One servant here received 5 talents, one received 2 talents, and another received one talent, "to each according to his own ability." This reminds us that God is not going to give us more than we can handle. And praise the Lord for that! But how much is a talent? -- Turns out, it's a lot. A. T. Robertson tells us that just one talent was equal to 6,000 days' pay for an average worker. By that measure, one talent was worth about 20 years of work! Two talents were worth 40 years of wages, and 5 talents were worth a hundred years of labor! (2)

*Christians: The Lord has put some very valuable things in our hands: Natural talents, abilities, and resources, plus spiritual gifts from His Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul talked about spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-8, and there he wrote:

6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;