PITP #10

Watch therefore, for you know not what hour the Lord does come. But know this, that if the good man 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. Therefore, be ye also ready. For in such an hour that you think not, the Son of Man comes.

After nine weeks in the prophets, the question is no longer "Is God speaking?" but "Are we listening — and how then shall we live?"

Ending the Series Where the Lord Wanted Us

For the last nine weeks we have gone through the major and minor prophets — primarily Old Testament, but also New Testament prophetic passages — considering the days in which we are living. This is not without precedent. As we read the scriptures, we see that the words of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah were read and understood by people in their own time, who looked at the events around them and recognized that God was speaking.

We saw this clearly a couple of weeks ago in Joel's prophecy. He spoke of an invasion of locusts that was a current event in his day, and then God revealed that another invading army — a human army — would come and destroy the nation, though God ultimately promised to spare His people. There are passages of Scripture that relate to what is happening in the world, and as we look at our world today, we see God's word coming to pass. We read repeatedly, "He who has an ear, let him hear." The real question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are listening.

Tonight is our last study in this series, Profiting in the Prophets. Next week we begin 1 Timothy and the pastoral epistles — words Paul wrote to men who perceived themselves to be living in the last days. I believe the Lord has a message for us there as well.

The Olivet Discourse and the Inspected Lamb

Tonight we come to a passage spoken by Jesus, titled the Olivet Discourse because it took place on the Mount of Olives. In Matthew 22 and 23, Jesus is being examined by the leadership of Israel, because He is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world — the perfect, spotless Lamb the Passover foretold.

The Passover lamb was selected on the 10th day of Nisan, brought into the house and inspected for four days, then sacrificed on the 14th. So Jesus came into Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan, and for the next four days He is inspected. The chief priests question Him. The Sadducees ask about the resurrection. The Herodians ask about taxation. The scribes ask about the law. Every single time, Jesus is proven spotless and blameless. Even Pilate says, "I find no fault in this man," and Herod can find nothing wrong with Him.

After Matthew 23, having pronounced eight woes upon the hypocrites — "blind guides" — Jesus prepares to leave Jerusalem. His disciples, no doubt trying to loosen the tension, point to the great stones and beautiful temple. Jesus says, "Not one stone shall be left upon another." To a Jewish mind, that was the end of the world. So they came to Him sitting on the Mount of Olives — as rabbis would sit and disciples would gather at their feet — and asked Him these very important questions in Matthew 24:3.

How Then Should We Live?

Over the last nine weeks we have considered those questions and the answers Scripture gives about the signs of the times and the Lord's coming. Tonight we come to the application of it all. As the Lord has revealed what He will do before He does it, we must ask what that means for us.

The apostle Peter heard Jesus speak of these things, and in 2 Peter 3 he says:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

People have long said, "Where is the Lord?" Peter tells us He is not lazy or slack — He is longsuffering, not wanting anyone to perish in hell for eternity. Then:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night... Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conduct and godliness?

What a question. With the recognition that God has a set plan He will accomplish, how then should we live? Peter exhorts us to press on, to keep walking with Him in peace, blameless and holy. Now, our holiness is not the result of our own works but of Christ in us, the hope of glory. Yet we have a real responsibility, especially in light of the coming day.

I have made it a clear point not to set dates — I do not believe we have scriptural basis for that — but we have been given clear outlines regarding the times, the seasons, and the things leading up to His return. And this prophetic word should have an effect in our lives.

A Comfort and an Exhortation

The first effect is comfort. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul says God's prophetic word comforts those who are saved, because we recognize that though we go through difficulty, trials, tribulation, and persecution, this is not all there is. That should put a big smile on every face.

But the prophetic promise is also a great exhortation, as we see at the end of Matthew 24 and into Matthew 25. There are four things to consider tonight.

First: Watch (Matthew 24:42-51)

The first is summed up in the first word: watch. "Watch therefore" — and anytime we find a "therefore," we must consider what came before. The context is all the prophetic utterance Jesus gives on the Mount of Olives. Because we do not know the specific hour, we must watch. As Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5, we are children of the light, not of darkness that we should be taken unaware. If the good man of the house had known the watch the thief would come, he would have watched and not let his house be broken into. Therefore, be ready.

God is on the move, and the body of Christ needs to wake up and be watching. The sad fact is that many in the church are asleep — the seven letters of Revelation reveal those who are lukewarm and not recognizing that what is happening in the world lines up with what God said. We may not grasp every aspect — there are passages I read and simply say, "I don't know what that means, let's move on" — but God has prophetically outlined a general picture of what is to come, and He continues to unfold it. He told Daniel to seal up the book until knowledge be increased, and I believe we are living in those days.

Then Jesus asks: "Who then is a faithful and wise servant?" Anytime Jesus asks a question, we should perk up. How many of us want to be counted as faithful and wise servants and hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant"? The wise servant is the one doing what his Master commissioned him to do. When the Lord returns — and He will — will He find us doing what He commissioned?

The True Commission of the Church

What is that commission? Matthew 28: make disciples. We are not called to make converts; we are called to make disciples, and that takes investment on every one of our parts. That work does not save us, but it is involved in bringing salvation to others.

Many in the church today have lost sight of this. The great commission is not "go into all the world and spread democracy." It is not "go and feed the poor" or "ease suffering." Those things are byproducts of loving our neighbor as we are commanded, but they are not the prime mission. The primary mission given to the whole body of Christ — not just pastors and leaders — is to go and make disciples. You will be counted a faithful and wise servant if, when the Lord returns, He finds you doing what He commissioned.

But Jesus also describes the evil servant who says in his heart, "My Lord delays His coming," and begins to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken. The Lord will come in a day and hour he is not aware, and will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus reveals a real place of everlasting torment and outer darkness, where the worm dies not. I do not fully comprehend it, nor do I ever want to find out. Hell is not a place to party with your friends — that is one of the enemy's lies. It is a fearful place created for Satan and his angels, never intended for man, but men find themselves there by their own choosing. I would not wish it upon even my worst enemy.

The Danger of Saying "He Delays His Coming"

Notice what leads this servant there: he says, "My Lord delays His coming." There is a group today called preterists who believe all prophecy — Old and New Testament — is already fulfilled and that the Lord is not going to return, that we are now in the middle of the millennium. But the millennium is a time when Jesus rules and reigns and enforces righteousness. As I look around and watch the news, I do not see righteousness — so I do not think we are living in that time.

Partial preterists believe everything was fulfilled by 70 AD except the second coming. That is good, but they have belittled everything else Scripture says. We look forward to the soon return of our Lord. When we lose sight of His imminent return, we begin to lose sight of the need to walk in holiness. If you forget that He is coming back, there seems to be no need to be holy, and you become lax and lazy — love grows cold, and you begin to deal with your neighbor in unloving ways.

Second: Wait (Matthew 25:1-13)

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

The foolish took no oil; the wise took oil in their vessels. Throughout Scripture, oil is associated with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." These five foolish virgins had no oil — they were not ready when the bridegroom came.

We are the bride of Christ, waiting for the bridegroom. In the Jewish wedding, there was betrothal, then about a year of engagement during which the bridegroom prepared a place for his bride. Then, often in the middle of the night, the father would tell the groom, "Now go get your bride." Jesus said in John 14, "In my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you." He has been preparing this place for a long time. It took Him only six days to create this world, and there are beautiful places even on this fallen earth — I have a feeling the place He's preparing is far nicer.

While the bridegroom tarried, all ten slumbered and slept. But the wise were waiting, expectant. At midnight came the cry, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh." The foolish said, "Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out." But you cannot give the Holy Spirit you have to someone else; they must ask the Lord for themselves. As Jesus said in Luke 11, the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

The wise answered, "Go rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." This echoes Revelation 3, where Jesus tells the lukewarm Laodiceans, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire." You cannot rely on your spouse's faith or your parents' faith — even missionary parents will not be enough on the day of Christ Jesus. You must ask the Lord for His indwelling Holy Spirit.

While they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and the door was shut. They cried, "Lord, Lord, open to us," but He answered, "I know you not." This is the same cry Jesus describes in Matthew 7: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven... Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?... And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you." The wise man builds his house on the rock and stands; the foolish builds on sand and falls. One of the scariest things is that there will be many who have a lamp and an appearance of godliness but do not know the power of the Spirit. "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour."

Third: Work (Matthew 25:14-30)

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one — "to every man according to his ability." God is no respecter of persons, and He gives no one more than they can handle. The man with five gained five more; the man with two gained two more. But the man with one dug a hole and hid his lord's money.

After a long time — underline long — the lord returned and squared accounts. There is a day of reckoning. To the one with five and the one with two alike, he said, "Well done, good and faithful servant... enter thou into the joy of thy lord." The second servant did not receive as much, nor produce as large a return, yet he received the same blessing because he was faithful.

But the one with one talent said, "I knew that thou art a hard man... and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent." There are people who know God has strict commands and fear Him, but that fear never moves into faith, and that faith never moves into action. James tells us even the demons believe and tremble, and that faith without works is dead. The lord called this servant "wicked and slothful" and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. So in light of the prophetic promise, we must be watching, waiting, and now working.

Fourth: Because He Is Watching (Matthew 25:31-46)

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory... and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.

He sets the sheep on His right and the goats on His left, and says to the sheep, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." He has been working on this kingdom since the foundation of the world. Why does He bless them? "I was hungry, and ye gave me meat... thirsty, and ye gave me drink... a stranger, and ye took me in... naked, and ye clothed me... sick, and ye visited me... in prison, and ye came unto me." When the righteous ask when they did these things, He answers, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

This may sound like works salvation, but notice something interesting: Jesus does not say, "You kept the Sabbath, you obeyed your parents, you did not murder or commit adultery." He does not mention the Ten Commandments. Instead He speaks of feeding, clothing, welcoming, and visiting — the fulfillments of the law of love. The first and greatest commandment is to love God; the second is to love your neighbor. And "I was in prison, and ye visited me" speaks of one who loved not only their neighbor but their enemy — proof of faith toward God worked out in the fruit of the Spirit, the first of which is love.

These individuals were not saved by these works, but the works revealed that they were saved. James says, "Show me thy faith... and I will show thee my faith by my works." They had received the Spirit of God — the oil in their lamps — and the fruit of the Spirit flowed out as they fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, and tended the sick.

Then to those on the left He says, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Why? "I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat..." "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." These go into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.

Watching, Waiting, and Working

Yes, this is a fearful passage, and some may tremble. That is not entirely bad, because the prophetic word is both comfort and exhortation. As we see God's prophetic plan coming to pass, we must be watching, waiting, and working — because He is watching, and He will return. Many in the world say, "Where is the sign of His coming?" But may we not lose heart in well-doing, "for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Some faint and fall away, and the love of many grows cold. But God is watching, and there is a day of reckoning coming. When we look at the wicked, we can trust Him: "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord."

How then ought we to live? We should strive to walk in holiness and righteousness as the Spirit works in us — for "it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." I do not think it is a coincidence that over the last several months, teacher after teacher who has stood at this pulpit — Pastor Josh, Pastor Todd, Pastor Eric — has landed on Romans 12. I believe God is speaking to this church:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...

And one chapter later, Romans 13:11: "Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand... let us put on the armour of light... put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."

The Lord is going to come again, and when He comes, may He find us watching, waiting, and working — fulfilling the commission He has called us to — because He is watching and will return with rewards. Oh Lord, come quickly. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You so much that You have not left us ignorant, but have clearly revealed in the pages of Your word what You are doing. You have told us things that are going to come to pass before they come to pass — one of the great proofs that this text is divine, that it came from an Author outside of time. Lord, I pray we would take careful note of Your word and be those looking up, because our redemption draws nigh. In light of all we have looked at over the last ten weeks, work in us to be those who are watching, waiting, and working — fulfilling the commission to bring the gospel into all the world.

But God, I also pray You would work in us to be a loving and compassionate people, reaching out with a cup of cold water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, visiting the sick and those in prison and those dying. When the love of many is growing cold, may we be those who love, declaring Your praises not only by our words but by our actions. We look forward to Your soon return; the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Even so, Lord Jesus, come — and may You find us with oil in our lamps and our wicks trimmed and ready when the call of the bridegroom comes. We pray it in Jesus' name, and all God's people said, Amen.