5
Keep Serving Faithfully
Question 1:
When have you seen a “never quit” attitude on display?
THE POINT
Serve Christ faithfully as you wait for His return.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
The clock said 13:19 in the third quarter, and the Houston Oilers were so far ahead of the Buffalo Bills (35-3) that the fans began streaming out of the stadium. It was January 3, 1993, in Buffalo, New York, so why stick around and watch your team get trounced, especially when the weather was chilly and rainy?
But the game was not over. Had those crushed Bills fans stuck it out, they would’ve seen something quite amazing. In less than seven minutes, the Bills had scored 27 points, coming within four points of the Oilers. But the game was still not over. A tie put them in overtime, and the Buffalo Bills ended the game winning 41-38.1
As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” On that cold day in January, a lot of Bills fans had given up on their team, but had they remained faithful and stuck it out, they would’ve seen one of the greatest comebacks in football.
For followers of Christ, “It ain’t over till it’s over” applies to the return of Christ. We are called to serve Him—and continue serving Him—until He calls us home.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Matthew 24:42-44
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Verse 42 is the central turning point in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse. The message is clear: people living prior to Christ’s return must be ready for His coming. “Keep watch” is a present imperative in the Greek, which means we are commanded to be continually alert. It’s a call for continual expectancy.
The reason we are to be alert is because, “you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Christ essentially repeats the truth of the uncertain timing of the Lord’s coming we read earlier in verse 36. Jesus also said He will return, “at an hour when you do not expect him.” This is a way of saying that not only will Christ return at a time that is concealed from us, but it will also be at a time that seems least likely. It’s like the adage, “When you least expect it, expect it.”
Question 2:
What are the dangers of not being alert to Christ’s return?
To get this picture right, we must remember that the alert position of the Christian is not the watching of terror-stricken fear and nervous apprehension. It’s the alert watching of joyous expectation for the coming of the One we love and serve. The phrase your Lord is significant. It draws attention to the fact that we don’t belong to ourselves. Rather, it’s our Master and Creator who will return. When we follow Jesus, we acknowledge that He is Lord (Rom. 10:9). We are His. He is in charge.
Jesus compared His return to a thief in the night. A thief doesn’t send a letter saying when he is stopping by to rob a house. His principal weapon is surprise. Therefore, a homeowner who has valuables in his house must maintain a constant vigil. Jesus was referring to that “surprise” element when He compared His return to a thief’s arrival. Just like the burglar, Jesus will not advertise the time of His arrival. Of course, that would be the extent of Christ’s similarity to a thief.
All of us must practice vigilance in our spiritual lives. If we are taken by surprise, it’s not because God hasn’t warned us; it’s because of our own negligence. Believers have less excuse for carelessness than “the owner of the house” Jesus described, who hadn’t been forewarned. We know Christ is coming; we just don’t know when.
“The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Jesus often used the phrase the Son of Man to refer to Himself; the self-designation identified Him as God’s Messiah. When Jesus used this title, He was assigning a prophecy from Daniel 7:13-14 to Himself.
Daniel saw “the son of man” as one who is divine. Daniel also prophesied that the son of man would come suddenly to earth. We see this is Jesus, who was now referring to His return in a sudden, unexpected moment.
Matthew 24:45-47
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”
Being alert and ready for the return of Christ calls for faithfulness. Christ used the familiar household imagery of a master and servant to capture the disciples’ attention on the importance of remaining faithful to what God has called us to do. A good servant is one who remains faithful, and as Christ followers, we are His servants. When we acknowledge Jesus as Lord, we recognize that we belong to Him. We are His servants; therefore, we are obligated to serve Him in every way.
The picture of the wise and faithful servant illustrates the principle that we always should be ready for His return. That readiness includes our faithfulness to be found doing what we are called to do at the time of Christ’s return. The believer’s life, breath, energy, and gifts are things entrusted to us by God to be used in His service.
The servant in this parable is no ordinary one. Often a well-to-do household had a servant who was a manager. Part of what God entrusts to us is the “stewardship” of others’ lives and the responsibility to selflessly love others. Christ called us to be faithful with whatever He has entrusted to us. A wise servant of Christ always sees obedience as his primary duty.
Engage
JUST DESSERTS
When certain people experience results corresponding to their deeds, we say they received their “just desserts.” Draw a line from items in the first column to results in the second column that might be “just desserts.”
Describe why it is important to maintain faithfulness while anticipating Christ’s return:
__________________________________________
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”
The master is certain to return at some point. A wise servant maintains the character of readiness and faithfulness to his tasks. As a result, the master will entrust His faithful servant with all His possessions because the servant was faithful with some of His possessions. A little later in this discourse, Jesus would deliver the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30). Whether we think we’ve been given much or little, we are to use what He has given us for the sake of His kingdom.
Question 3:
Whom would you describe as a faithful and wise servant?
Matthew 24:48-51
48 “But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The faithful servant is now contrasted to the wicked servant. While the faithful servant aimed to be ready for the master’s return, the wicked servant took his chances, assuming the master would come later. A wicked servant would think, “My master is staying away a long time.” Such thinking emboldened the servant to act selfishly toward others. Such a person “then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards” (v. 49). Since he thinks his master will be gone for a while, he feels free to indulge himself in any way he desires.
Question 4:
What does it look like to live for self instead of for Christ?
Surely such an evil servant would plan to clean up his life at the last minute before his master returns. But this risky move is dangerous and could easily result in the servant being trapped. This will be the sad case for far too many at the return of Christ. The evil servant is a servant in name only. He ignores his master’s instructions and assumes the rights of authority for himself. We are all called to obey and serve God, but the wicked servant likely is a picture of an unbeliever who refuses to take seriously the call to follow, obey, and serve. Though such people are unbelievers, they are accountable to Christ for the stewardship of time, gifts, and opportunities God has given.
That the wicked servant is not a true believer is underscored by Christ assigning this servant to judgment in verse 51. While the word hell is not used in this verse, the concept is present. The images picture severe judgment. Matthew described this judgment as “a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Hell is an uncomfortable subject, but we cannot deny its place in God’s Word. We must acknowledge that judgment, condemnation, and punishment await those outside of a relationship with Christ. With that acknowledgment, though, should come a desire and motivation to point people to Christ. As His servants, one of our tasks is to proclaim the gospel and point unsaved people to the hope, grace, and salvation found only in Christ. Let’s do that while we can because none of us knows exactly when Christ will return.
Question 5:
How can our group help one another prepare for Christ’s return?
LIVE IT OUT
We are to serve Christ faithfully as we wait for His return. Choose one of the following applications:
Pray. Commit to pray specifically and regularly for a ministry in your church or your city that shares the gospel and serves people in the name of Christ. Pray for the Lord to open doors and hearts to bring people for Christ (Col. 4:3).
Read. In addition to your time in God’s Word, read a great Christian book on ministry or missions. The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman or Radical by David Platt are good suggestions. Books like this can expand your thinking and give you greater vision for impacting the world for Christ.
Share. Identify one person that you would like prayerfully to befriend and share the gospel with this month. Pray yourself what Paul prayed in prison: “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19).
We don’t have a clock to look at or quarters to divide history or our lives by. So we must remain vigilant every day until Christ returns to take us home. Let’s be faithful.
6
Stay Prepared and Ready
THE POINT
Grow in Christ as you wait for His return.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
When I was a teenager, I worked at a fast-food restaurant in a mall. The owner often left teenagers alone to run the store at night. The main thing he asked was for someone to always be near the cash register, which I faithfully did. After all, we knew the boss could stop by anytime unannounced.
One slow night I was working with two other teenagers who were in the back laughing hilariously. They called out for me to join them, but I persistently kept telling them no—and they persistently kept calling to me. Finally, I sheepishly left my post at the register and went in the back. Literally seconds later the boss came in. I quickly darted back to the front, but it was clear the boss was not happy.
I was not at my post, which meant I was not prepared for the boss’s arrival. The same can be true in our spiritual lives. We are to live our lives so that when Christ returns, we will be unashamed before Him (1 John 2:28). In Matthew 25, Jesus used a parable to show us how to be prepared.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Matthew 25:1-5
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.”
The parable of the ten virgins is one of several parables Jesus used to describe what the kingdom of heaven will be like. (See also Matt. 13.) The kingdom of heaven is the state of things under the gospel and under the reign of God. It is God’s current reign over the lives of redeemed people that will become fully realized in His ultimate reign over all the earth.
The cultural background of this parable concerns Jewish wedding customs of the first century. Before a couple was married, they went through a period of betrothal. They were not fully married yet, but they were viewed as husband and wife. After about a year of a couple’s binding betrothal, the groom went to the bride’s home to bring her to his home for a seven-day feast. The groom didn’t do this alone. He was accompanied by a wedding party that escorted the couple to the bridegroom’s home. In Jesus’ parable, the wedding party included ten virgins. The virgins are young women of marriageable age. Here, the word virgin is used not so much to highlight their virginity or lack of sexual experience but to highlight their relationship to the bride.
Question 2:
How would you describe a person who’s prepared for Christ’s return?
A central part of Jesus’ parable involves lamps. Part of the bridesmaids’ responsibility was to light the path for the processional. To keep the lamps lit, one needed a good supply of oil. Since the wedding was typically an evening ceremony, people would know that you needed to bring extra oil for your lamp.
The bridesmaids in Jesus’ parable were divided into two groups, and which group they were in depended on their level of preparation. The level of their preparation classed them as either “wise” or “foolish.”
The foolish virgins truly seemed to want to go to the wedding celebration; however, they didn’t respect the groom enough to think about the necessary preparations involved. On the other hand, the wise virgins show what a life of faith should look like. They have the opposite mindset of foolish virgins in that they thought ahead with clarity.
Jesus told this parable in the context of His teaching about His second coming, so we can see that the bridegroom represents Christ. The wise virgins reflect true believers. The foolish virgins reflect those who may profess a belief in Jesus, but they have not prepared for the end of life by seeking a real relationship with Christ.
The “twist” in Jesus’ parable came “The bridegroom was a long time in coming.” This may refer to the stretch of history between Christ’s first coming and His return. Christ wanted His followers to wait patiently for His return but also to be prepared for the unexpected.
The delay of the bridegroom led to the bridesmaids falling asleep. We shouldn’t read this detail with a negative connotation. Jesus included no condemnation of their sleeping. After all, it was nighttime. In fact, the wise virgins could rest because they were fully prepared. It’s the foolish virgins who shouldn’t have slept until they were fully prepared.
Matthew 25:6-9
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ”
“At midnight,” most people are deep in sleep. Since the bridegroom came at such a late, unexpected hour, it reinforces the principle that Christ’s return will be a surprise.
All ten bridesmaids were called out to meet the groom. It was during this time that the foolish virgins realized they hadn’t prepared adequately for this moment. After they “trimmed their lamps,” they had to add more oil to keep them lit.
The story is unfortunate because the foolish virgins knew they didn’t have extra oil. They had just not been concerned enough to take the necessary steps to avoid their predicament. No specific reason was given for their negligence, but their negligence in this matter was foolish. Now they had run out of time; it was too late to prepare. Nevertheless, the foolish virgins tried unsuccessfully to light their torches. The dry, ragged cloths would merely smolder as soon they were lit. You can sense the panic setting in as the foolish bridesmaids begin to beg the wise virgins, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.” Understandably, the wise virgins had brought enough oil for their own lamps, but they had no oil to spare or share.
Being prepared to meet Christ when He returns is an individual matter. That preparedness cannot be transferred or shared. Parents do their best to prepare their kids for adulthood. They help them, provide for them, teach them, and encourage them—but they cannot do their living for them. We cannot make choices for them.
Lack of spiritual preparation has eternal consequences. People tend to put preparation for other things above their spiritual lives. Many prepare well for their careers, their finances, and their relationships, yet they ignore spiritual things. It’s the individual’s response to the call of Christ that will determine his or her eternal future. No one has a second chance after Christ comes back (or one dies). The time is now.
Question 3:
What causes some people not to be prepared for Christ’s return?
Matthew 25:10-13
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
Everyone likes a happy ending to a story. Unfortunately, this parable has an abrupt and sad ending. When the foolish bridesmaids left to go buy more oil, “the bridegroom arrived.”
The door was shut and remained shut even to these bridesmaids who were initially a part of the wedding party because their lack of preparation was a grave insult to the bride and groom. The virgins were most likely friends of the family who had been honored by the opportunity to serve in the wedding party. The problem was that the five foolish virgins did not return that honor.
Question 4:
What are the consequences of putting off preparation for Christ’s return?
The shut door pictures unbelievers being shut out of the kingdom of God. Many people assume that if you are not too horrible a person, you’ll go to heaven when you die. Their assumption is that most people will get into heaven, but the Bible is clear: those who don’t know Christ won’t enter God’s kingdom.
As the foolish virgins begged for entrance, they called out, “Lord, Lord.” This was a forced attempt to show intimacy that did not exist. Sometimes we use words to imply a depth of relationship that is not actually there.
The foolish virgins were firmly denied entrance. The groom was about to say something that wasn’t up for negotiation. What was non-negotiable was the reality of the groom’s relationship with these five foolish virgins: “I don’t know you”
Since the time of entrance had passed, the master wouldn’t be changing his mind. Once Christ returns (or we experience physical death), we will have no last-minute attempts to make things right with God. The Christian, though, is to stay continually awake, constantly keeping watch. Let’s walk with Him, fully prepared and watching for the return of the One who loves us.
Question 5:
What can we do as a group to increase our sense of urgency as we await Christ’s return?
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BE PREPARED
Create a personal “top ten” list by numbering the following actions in order of priority according to your personal plan for being prepared for Jesus’ return:
____ Study the Scripture ____ Be sure of salvation
____ Treat other people justly ____ Witness for Christ
____ Live ethically ____ Serve Christ by serving people
____ Worship corporately ____ Support the church financially
____ Pray fervently ____ Be on mission for Jesus
Note additional actions you would add to this list:
“The Christian who has stopped repenting has stopped growing.”
A. W. PINK
LIVE IT OUT
We are to grow in Christ as we wait for His return. Choose one of the following applications:
Check your salvation. Think about your salvation experience. Do you have assurance that you know God personally? What are you trusting in for your salvation? Prayerfully read 2 Corinthians 13:5 as you consider if you truly have a relationship with Christ.
Be on guard. Discipline your mind to accept that God knows your future . . . and that His knowledge of that is sufficient. Listen to no one who would lead you astray.
Strengthen your faith. Target an area in your own spiritual life that needs more attention. Maybe it’s a limp prayer life. Possibly it’s a fear of sharing the gospel. Whatever it may be for you, prepare to grow in that area in the days ahead by praying specifically for a breakthrough. Ask God to teach you how to say no to that sin and yes to Him.
It’s one thing to be caught unaware by your earthly boss, but it’s another thing altogether when we’re talking about the Lord of the universe. Let’s be prepared as we await Christ’s return!
Teacher Notes:
Click Play to Watch
Jesus closes out our 6-week study today with an
expectation of those that follow Him – He says that while we wait, we are to be
faithful and wise in our service to the Lord and to those who fall within our
sphere of influence and for whom we have accountability. We are to serve Him
fully prepared and ready to be received by Him when He comes.
Matthew 24:42-51
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not
know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of
the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have
kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must
be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect
him.”
Stay alert and ready for the return of Christ.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,
whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them
their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master
finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you; he will put him in
charge of all his possessions.”
Remain faithful to what God has called you to
do.
48 “But suppose that servant is wicked and says
to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to
beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of
that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour, he
is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the
hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Don’t live for yourself while you wait for
Jesus’ return.
The Setting: Matthew 24–25 is a single unit as
one of the five discourses that are part of the structure of Matthew’s Gospel.
Nevertheless, the discourse falls into two parts. Verses 24:1-41 are prophetic;
Jesus foretells some details concerning judgment, including the fall of
Jerusalem (AD 70) and His return. In 24:43–25:46, Jesus instructed His
disciples on being prepared for His coming and the final judgment. For some
Bible teachers, 24:42 concludes the first section; for others it begins the
second section, and for yet others verse 42 is transitional, the turning point
in the discourse. In any case, the message of verse 42 applies to both
sections. Jesus will return, even though we don’t know exactly when. Hence, we
need to be in a state of constant readiness.
Jesus told a series of parables to reinforce
the message of expectation and preparedness. The verses for this session
include two of those parables. One little parable (v. 43) is about taking
precautions against a thief who comes without warning. It is a call to
watchfulness or constant vigilance. The second, longer parable (vv. 45-51)
describes what readiness means in practical terms. It consists of two
hypothetical scenes describing two alternatives a servant could take toward an
assignment given to him by the master of the house and the consequences that
would come from the approach the servant chose to take. One approach was to be
a model of faithfulness during his master’s absence. The other was to be a
person characterized by evil, disobedience, and irresponsibility. The servant
didn’t know when the owner would return. So, would he choose to live with
expectancy toward his return or would he ignore it? The former is the way to
blessing; the latter leads to punishment and rejection. The message is intended
to encourage us to serve Christ faithfully while we wait for His return.
What choices can we make now to be ready for
Christ’s return?
What are some differences between a faithful
life and a prideful life?
A lot of people place their faith in Christ,
but never take the time to deepen their faith or enhance their walk with
Christ. Following Jesus, though, is a lifelong journey of growing in Christ,
one that we never fully complete in this life. Even when we sense the return of
Christ might be imminent, we are to continue pursuing growth in Christ. We
prepare ourselves for His return by faithfully and continually deepening our
relationship with Him.
Matthew 25:1-13
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be
like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their
lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in
jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.”
Prepare for Christ’s return.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed
their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil;
our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for
both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for
yourselves.’”
Preparing for Christ’s return is every person’s
responsibility.
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the
oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the
wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord,
Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell
you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the
day or the hour.”
The time for our preparation is limited.
Living with the End in Mind
This is a fascinating topic and well worth our time and consideration, but at the end of it all, what do we do with this information? Jesus didn’t tell us about the future in Matthew 24–25 simply so we would know what’s going to happen. He spoke these prophecies so that it will inform how we live in the present.
Knowing that Jesus will return and do it at a
time we do not expect should motivate us to make every day count for the
kingdom of God.
Study the prophecies and let
the reality that “your days are numbered” speak into how you live today. Some questions to reflect on at the end of the day:
As I went about my work/tasks/errands today,
did I do it in a way that honors God?
Did I reflect Christ to those I encountered,
even in the briefest of encounters?
Did I take advantage of any opportunities God
gave me to be a witness?
Did I take advantage of any opportunities God
gave me to encourage someone to a closer walk with Christ?
Christ is coming. Let’s live with that end in
mind!
