Matt 24.44-51 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 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, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
These passages are the words spoken by Jesus in answer to the question his apostles asked, “tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” One part of the answer pertained to the destruction of the temple in 70AD. The other part of the answer pertains to His Second Coming, and the end of the age. Contrary to the “predictions” made by false teachers about knowing the day and time of Jesus’ return. Jesus said that The Only One Who knows when He will return is The Father. Until that time, we are called to watch and occupy. In other words, the number one priority today and every day is to be about our Father’s business. Nothing is to take precedence over the will and purposes of God for our lives.
In this teaching, Jesus reveals a sobering truth. He tells us that when He returns, we will either be found wise and faithful to Him, or lazy and preoccupied with myself and the things of the world. This is abundantly clear in His parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins and the parable of the seed on thorny ground. If seek ye first the kingdom of God is not my priority in life, then I am going to choked with the things of this life like the foolish virgins with no oil in my lamp. The foolish virgin appears to be the evil servant that says, my Lord delays His coming. What about the writer and reader of this blog this morning? In your plans and purposes for today, is seeking and pleasing The Lord Jesus your heart’s desire? Are you and I even remotely aware of the fact that Jesus could come at any moment? By giving us this prophecy and warning, Jesus is not trying try to “scare us into obedience”. He is encouraging us to live for something bigger than houses and money and hobbies. He is encouraging us to live our lives for Him and His glory.
Beloved, every single person in Christ has been endowed with natural and spiritual talents and resources. These have been given to us by God to bless others and bring glory to Him. Not only is God’s prophetic clock ticking, so is the clock of your time here on earth. This life is the only time we are given to invest in eternity. Spend your day wisely. Spend it graciously, for The Bridegroom is arriving sooner than we think.
