Ready for the Return?
Matthew 24:36-51
November 25, 2012
Well last week, we finally saw it, “The Glorious Return”
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days Scripture tells us that “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”
And certainly by the time the Lord returns,
His elect will be more than ready to for Him.
After 3 ½ years of the most intense tribulation the world has ever seen,
God’s children will most certainly welcome the return of their King.
The tragedy is, however, that not everyone will be ready for His return.
Not everyone will be prepared.
And knowing this is what causes Jesus now
To move into the application portion of this sermon.
The first 35 verses of this chapter were all explanatory.
There He gave us the “when” & “what” details
Of His return and the end of the age.
Now we get into the exhortation portion of the sermon.
From here on out we learn what we should do with the information given.
And the first thing Jesus focuses on by way of exhortation is VIGILANCE (or readiness)
And He really wastes no time making that point.
For no sooner does Jesus announce the imminence of His return, than does He says this:
(36) “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”
And this verse has been proven true over and over in our lifetime
And throughout the history of the world.
The disciples wanted to know exactly “when”,
But Jesus says, “I cannot give you a date”
WHY?
Because, even He, did not know the date.
And of course this was all part of God’s divine plan.
DOES ANYONE ELSE IN HERE STRUGGLE WITH PROCRASTINATION?
I certainly do.
If I have 3 weeks to write a sermon, it will take me 3 weeks to write it.
If I have 3 hours to write a sermon, it will take me 3 hours to write it.
As much as I hate it, I’m really more of a last minute kind of guy.
So I fully understand why the Lord thought I didn’t need to know the date.
If He were to have said, “My return will be November 26, 2012”
Then I would have probably waited until today before I did anything.
The Lord knew what He was doing by keeping this day a secret.
And what He actually accomplishes is making today much more urgent.
And that is really the emphasis of Jesus’ exhortation here.
He wants you to understand the necessity of readiness.
In this text He gives three characteristics of His return,
And all three scream to the fact that preparation for His return
Does not begin on the day that the sun goes dark.
Preparation for His return begins now.
His Return will be:
#1 SUDDEN LIKE THE FLOOD
Matthew 24:37-42
It really doesn’t get any clearer than that:
“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.”
Now certainly this alludes to the sudden manner in which the rains came and destroyed the earth. In fact Jesus alludes to that in verse 39.
But that isn’t the only similarity.
“the coming of the Son of Man will be just like THE DAYS OF NOAH”
In other words, the mentality in Noah’s day will reappear in the final days.
Genesis 6:5-8 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”
Noah’s day was a vile day.
• All man could think about was wickedness continually.
• They ran head first into depravity.
Well that will certainly characterize life during the end times as well.
Jesus already told us:
Matthew 24:12 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”
This day will be like the “days of Noah”
Specifically:
(38) “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,”
And there we see the implication that it wasn’t just wickedness,
But also people who were preoccupied.
Here we have a people who are focused on the wrong things.
• Now obviously there is nothing wrong with “eating” or “drinking”
• There is nothing wrong with “marrying” or “giving in marriage”.
The problem is that this is all these people were focused on.
They had elevated these things to be
The most important things in their life and they shouldn’t be.
At this time men should be even more focused on eternal things,
But they aren’t.
It is like in Isaiah’s day, when Isaiah was prophesying the coming Babylonian destruction.
Isaiah 22:5 “For the Lord GOD of hosts has a day of panic, subjugation and confusion In the valley of vision, A breaking down of walls And a crying to the mountain.”
With news like that, you’d think the people
Would be a little more focused on their spiritual lives.
But no:
Isaiah 22:12-14 “Therefore in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.” But the LORD of hosts revealed Himself to me, “Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you Until you die,” says the Lord GOD of hosts.”
Here were people who were totally oblivious
To the spiritual realities going on around them.
That is the same as it will be in the last days.
Men will be preoccupied with the things that or lesser importance.
Remember even when Jesus was calling men to salvation and entrance into the kingdom?
Luke 14:15-24 “When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ “Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ “Another one said, ‘ I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ “And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ “And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. ‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.'”
That is the same mentality.
It wasn’t that things like buying land or getting married or working oxen is a bad thing,
It’s just that it isn’t nearly as important as something like entering the kingdom, or catching the ark, or being ready for the Lord’s return.
And the point is that if you are so preoccupied with those things
Then you will not be ready when the Lord returns.
His return will be sudden.
(39) “and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
The reason they didn’t understand
Is because they weren’t paying attention.
Noah had been a preacher of righteousness for over 100 years,
But was roundly ignored.
Those people were what we call – WORDLY
And this is an important thing to understand.
Often times when we talk about worldliness
We tend to think of immorality or wickedness.
But that isn’t the only kind of worldliness there is.
Worldliness is just a preoccupation or fascination with the world.
It can be a job or a relationship or certain possessions
or goals or investments or money or hobbies, etc.
Those things may not be bad in and of themselves,
But they were never meant to have the priority in your life.
And at the time of the second coming,
Those things will have caused people to be unprepared.
(40-42) “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”
That statement is often associated with the rapture,
But that is not what Jesus is talking about.
The illustration of the flood tells us
That those who are taken were taken in judgment.
(the flood took them away)
And that is the point here.
People were preoccupied with worldly things.
• Working “in the field”
• “grinding at the mill”
Those things are wrong – God even commands work, but they were so preoccupied with world that they weren’t ready for the return of the Lord.
And that is why Jesus says, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”
And point is obvious.
Being too preoccupied with the world
Can cause you not to be prepared.
And that is why we get warnings in Scripture like the one from John
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
So, the return of Jesus will be SUDDEN LIKE THE FLOOD and therefore it is important that we not be worldly and fail to prepare for it.
Sudden Like the Flood
#2 SURPRISING LIKE A THIEF
Matthew 24:43-44
And here Jesus’ illustration is unmistakable as well.
“if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.”
This is the classic illustration of a burglar.
Now Jesus is certainly not comparable to a thief, except in one way.
Neither will come when you expect them.
A thief understands that his biggest asset is the element of surprise.
If he can come when you are unprepared for him,
He has a better shot of success.
So a thief waits until you don’t expect it.
Well, that accurately characterizes the return of Christ as well.
He will come like a thief in the night.
And the warning of Jesus is that if you knew when the thief was coming, you’d be ready for him.
And so it is with Jesus.
If you know He’s coming, then you had better be ready.
(44) “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
Now the first illustration was a warning to the worldly,
But this is a warning to the lazy.
This is a person who is just too lazy to stay alert.
It sort of reminds of the night in the garden
Matthew 26:36-41 “Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
They were too lazy to keep watch and were thus caught unprepared.
Laziness is a dangerous habit to fall into.
I remember as a kid, we worked every day with my dad,
Usually doing something with the horses.
And every morning he would wake you up by turning on your light
And quoting Proverbs to you.
Proverbs 6:6-11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest” — Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.”
Now that has to do with physical labor, but the application is easily made.
Being lazy and ill-prepared
Won’t serve you any better on the day of the Lord’s return.
You must be disciplined,
You must make sure you are ready for Him.
You must make sure you are prepared.
WELL WHAT DOES BEING PREPARED LOOK LIKE?
Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”
Preparation includes things like holiness and righteousness.
Certainly this also implies salvation.
Today when people want to protect themselves from a thief
They do so with locks, or alarms.
The idea being that they plan ahead for a thief before he comes.
But when a thief starts coming through your window
It’s too late then for a lock.
So it is with the Lord’s return.
• It’s too late to start living holy when you see Him split the sky.
• It’s too late to start seeking righteousness on the day He returns.
You have to prepare yourself ahead of time.
The reason some don’t is because they are worldly.
The reason others don’t is because they are lazy.
And so they find themselves in that day unaware.
You don’t prepare in that day, you prepare now.
2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”
So the return of the Lord will be sudden like the flood and it will be surprising like a thief.
#3 SEVERE LIKE AN ANGRY MASTER
Matthew 24:45-51
Now you will notice that Jesus here uses a question.
“Who then is the faithful and sensible slave..?”
It is an appeal not only to faithfulness,
But also to using your head.
Don’t be foolish in regard to the return of the Lord.
And the illustration here is of a master who goes on a journey
And leaves a slave in charge of feeding his household.
And the initial implication is a positive one.
(45-47) “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”
This was certainly not an uncommon practice,
Especially of a wealthy man.
He would go on a journey and would leave one of his trusted hired hands
To make sure that the affairs of the household were taken care of.
Jesus used this same imagery with His disciples
In regard to preaching the truths of the kingdom.
Matthew 13:51-52 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
The same implication here.
When the master leaves he expects that slave whom he left in charge
To be faithful to do his job.
And if that slave does, when the master returns
The master will be so pleased with him
That he will increase his level of responsibility.
In fact Jesus says that slave will be “Blessed”
But there is a flip side to this story as well.
(48-51) “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Here is a slave that did just the opposite of what was expected.
He didn’t provide for the household.
He didn’t take care of business.
• Instead he “beat his fellow slaves”
• And he began to “eat and drink with drunkards”
Suppose you hired a person to come
And watch your kids while you went to Lubbock.
• Now when you come home and find the house in order and the kids
bathed and fed and all in bed, you’d be pleased and more apt to call
that baby-sitter again.
• But you came home and found your kids had been beaten and
were all bruised and bloodied, and the baby-sitter was passed
out drunk on the couch, you’d be a little upset.
So is Jesus.
And the punishment is obvious.
(50-51) “the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Now again we notice the element of surprise.
“at an hour which he does not know”
But we also see here the SEVERITY of the consequences.
“will cut him in pieces”
AND HERE IS THE ISSUE.
“assign him a place with the hypocrites” were there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
And so here we get a warning not the worldly, or to the lazy,
But to the PHONY
Because of what this guy did the master realized
That this man was not all he proclaimed himself to be.
In fact, did you notice WHY this man did what he did?
(48) “But if that evil slave says in his hear, ‘My master is not coming for a long time.’”
He wasn’t concerned about pleasing the master,
He was only concerned about pleasing himself.
On the outside he signed up for the same responsibility as the genuine slave, but his actions proved that he was a fraud.
And his punishment for such a crime was severe.
In fact, Luke’s gospel tells us that his punishment is the most severe.
Luke 12:42-48 “And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave 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 assign him a place with the unbelievers. “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
All of the disobedient receive lashes,
But the hypocrite who knew better gets the most.
And the obvious point here is that the return of Christ
Brings with it severity.
• If you fail to prepare yourself because you love the world…
• If you fail to prepare yourself because you are lazy…
• If you fail to prepare yourself because you are a phony…
Then you should know you made a horrible decision,
Because we aren’t dealing with minor circumstances here.
Failure to be ready for the return of the Lord
Is a mistake of monumental proportion.
AND YOU UNDERSTAND JESUS’ POINT.
Be ready
Now, based on this text I can tell you what readiness does not look like.
1) WORDLINESS is not readiness.
Being preoccupied with the things of this world
Will not help you be ready for the return of the Lord.
2) LAZINESS is not readiness.
A failure to take care of the things that need to be taken care of
Will not help you be ready for the return of the Lord.
3) PHONINESS is not readiness.
Just going through the motions externally may fool the master today,
But it won’t fool him on the day when your works are judged.
See, on that day you will either have been faithful or not
And it will be too late then to fix it.
If you walk in your house and find
Those bruised kids and that drunk baby-sitter.
And all of a sudden that babysitter jumps up
And starts picking up trash and drawing bath water for the kids.
At that point, it is too late.
And so it will be at the return of the Lord.
The implication is that you prepare yourself now.
• You do so by focusing more on His kingdom than the things of this world.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
• You do so by waking up and being alert and preparing yourself for what He wants to see when He returns.
• You do so by doing the job He left you here to do.
The point is you get ready today, not on that day.
You cannot wait until the end to prepare yourself for His coming.
Start today.
• Be faithful today.
• Be alert today.
• Be prepared today.
2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”
