- [Preacher] When the son of man returns
it will be like it was a Noah's day.
In those days before the flood,
the people were enjoying banquets
and parties and weddings right up to the time
Noah entered his boat.
People didn't realize what was going to happen
until the flood came and swept them all away.
That is the way it will be when the son of man comes.
Two men will be working together in the field,
one will be taken, the other left.
Two women will be grinding flour at the mill,
one will be taken, the other left.
So you too must keep watch,
for you don't know what day your Lord is coming.
Understand this,
if a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming,
he would keep watch
and not permit his house to be broken into.
You also must be ready all the time,
for the son of man will come when least expected.
A faithful sensible servant
is one to whom the master can give the responsibility
of managing his household servants,
and feeding them.
If the master returns
and finds that the servant has done a good job,
there will be a reward.
I tell you the truth,
the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
But what if the servant is evil
and thinks, "My master won't be back for a while".
And he begins beating the other servants, partying,
and getting drunk.
The master will return unannounced and unexpected,
and he will cut the servant to pieces
and assign him a place with the hypocrites.
In that place there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth
Matthew 24:37 through 51,
in the remainder of this sermon
Jesus goes on to three parables,
which are the wise virgins whose lamps were still burning
when the bridegroom came?
The foolish bridesmaids whose lamps had gone out
and the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.
They had gone away to try to get some oil,
but they had missed the bridegroom's arrival,
and thus were unable to attend the wedding.
Then he moved on to the parable of the talents,
in which some people received 10 talents, others five,
and then someone received one.
The master left and returned asking,
"Now what have you done with the talents I've left with you?
"I've got another 10", the man with 10 said.
"I've got another five", the man with five said.
"I haven't done anything about it",
said the man who had one.
"I buried it because I know you're a hard man
who reaps where he hasn't sown
and wants payment from me".
What a horrible thing to say.
We look at what Jesus said
and what the master said to him after that.
The final passage is not a parable,
but rather a straightforward prediction
involving an analogy of sheep and goats.
He finished that parable with dividing nations, everybody,
and telling them why he divided them.
Because those who are on his left hand
are those who ignored Christ and Christians.
Insofar as they didn't help the least of these,
his brothers, they were doing it not to him.
But to the people on his right he said,
"You saw Christ in my brother,
and in as much as you did it to the least of these,
my brethren, you did it to me".
He is not dividing people into these who did philanthropy,
and those who didn't.
The key is the meaning of the word brethren.
When Christ said brethren
he always meant his own followers.
Go and tell my brethren that I have risen from the dead.
In the teaching of Jesus,
brethren is a key word.
It means those who follow me.
He is simply saying, "Whatever you have done to Christians,
or not done for them was done to me
or for me or not for me".
Their attitude toward Christ is revealed
by their attitude toward Christians,
and that is the principle on which they are divided.
Now, let us consider all that we have seen in the passage.
First, there is a warning that nobody has God's diary,
that not even Jesus knew the date of his return.
Angels didn't know it,
and no man knew it.
We should have a healthy ignorance
of the date of his return.
Near the time as we watch for the signs,
we will know.
Mark 13:32,
"No one knows about the day or hour,
not even the angels in heaven nor the son,
but only the father".
Did you know, this that one phrase appeared
in all three parables,
the parable of the home,
the parable of the virgins
and the parable of the talents.
The householder was a long time returning,
the bride groom was a long time coming,
and the person who gave the talents
was gone for a long time.
He's looking for your faithfulness
when he was away for a long time.
That's what he wants.
He will say, "well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of your Lord".
Objectives of the end time church.
In the book of Proverbs,
we are warned that where there is no vision,
the people cast off restraint.
Proverbs 19:18, NIV, or Perish,
King James Version.
There are two main objectives of the entire church.
God has an view as he brings about
the restoration of the church.
Let's look first at God's purpose
to restore unity to the church
or bring the church into unity.
The church has a task to complete
before Jesus can come back.
Matthew 24:14 reads,
"And this gospel of the kingdom
will be preached in the whole world
as a testimony to nations,
and then the end will come".
All four gospels conclude
with this commission to the apostles,
and through them to the church universal.
Disciples are to be made from every nation.
It is God's desire and intention to have within his family,
humans from every tribe and language,
and people and nation.
Revelation 5:9, 7:9
Revelation 5:9,
"And they sang a new song saying
you are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals because you were slain.
And with your blood, you purchased for God,
persons from every tribe and language,
and people and nation.
Revelation 7:9,
"After this, I looked
and there before me was a great multitude
that no one could count from every nation,
tribe people and language standing before the throne
and before the lamb.
They were wearing white robes
and were holding Palm branches in their hands".
Let us examine the great commission
of Jesus Christ who his disciples
after his resurrection.
Jesus came and spoke to them, the disciples saying,
then Jesus came to them and said,
'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,
therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the father,
and of the son and of the holy spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age".
Matthew 28:18 through 20,
there is a critical word here.
Therefore, we must never ignore the word therefore,
when we find it in scripture,
when you find the "Therefore" in the Bible,
you need to ask what it's there for.
Jesus says, "All authority has been given to me,
go therefore".
Why "Therefore"?
The authority was given by God,
the father to Jesus, the son
after his death and resurrection.
Jesus in turn here transmits
that authority to the disciples.
In other words, he is saying,
"All authority was given to me.
Now, you go and exercise that authority on my behalf".
The authority is vested in my name,
as you go in my name and you have my authority.
Authority is only effective when it is exercised,
a man can have authority and never use it.
And nobody would ever know that he had that authority,
so it is with the authority Jesus Christ has given us.
It is given to us,
but it is only useful if we use it.
The only way the world will acknowledge
the authority given to Jesus Christ
as a result of his death and resurrection is for us,
his followers, to exercise it on his behalf.
Otherwise, the world is unaware
of what Jesus has accomplished.
It does not know that the father
has committed all authority to the son.
Only through our obedience to the commission of Jesus
can the world ever be brought face to face
with the fact that there is a king.
A king of Kings and the Lord of Lords,
whose name is Jesus,
and all authority is given to him.
We are accountable for demonstrating this to the world.
As we obey Jesus has order and carry his message,
and to validate it with the spiritual signs he promised
and testify to his own authority
in the word he has committed to us.
There was one other reason why he says,
"All authority is given to me, go therefore",
as a result go there for.
there are several areas
where traveling is extremely difficult.
There are governments on the planet
that oppose or refuse to preach the gospel.
Today, there are many locked doors,
but Jesus responds,
"If you will go and follow me,
remember that I have the authority.
If you speak to me about it,
I'll open those closed doors for you.
I'll find a path where there isn't one.
I will make it possible for you to follow me
if you are willing to do so".
The church is safety
and progress are dependent on bold, optimistic outreach.
That means not being afraid,
not focusing solely on survival,
and not hiding in a cave with some hoarded groceries.
Bold constructive outreach
and obedience to the Lord is the path to safety and success.
When we view the harvest from God's standpoint,
we see that the initiative
in world affairs is what the church.
Seldom do god's people seem to realize that.
The initiative is not about politicians,
scientists, or military commanders,
but about the people of God, the church.
God will never allow the initiative
to pass into other hands while the church is here
as the representative of his son, Jesus Christ.
The second task is the unity in the church.
We must have the right relationship with the ministries,
the authorities that Jesus establishes in his church.
This will set us in the right relationship
with our fellow believers.
We will then speak the truth and love,
and as we speak the truth and love
under discipline and authority,
we will cease to be spiritually dull infants.
We are growing up into Christ.
He is always the ultimate objective.
We become members of this whole body which is fitted
and held together by what every joint supplies,
where every individual part does its proper job.
As a result,
the body naturally grows of its own inner resources in life.
It achieves the building up of itself and love.
- [Narrator] In closing, our question for the day,
what's a favorite faith memory you have from your childhood.