27 November 2022
Jesus, Your coming king
Matthew 24:37-44
“No one knows
of that hour…”
Stir up Your
power O LORD, and come that by Y9our protection we may be rescued from the
threatening perils of our sin and saved by Your mighty deliverance; [1] Reigning
and returning LORD Jesus; bless Thy Word that we might trust in Thee -
Oh, the
Places you’ll go!” – Happens to be
the last book written and illustrated by children's author Dr. Seuss. A young
boy. Referred to simply as “you,” initiates the action of the story.
Dr. Seuss tells us “The Waiting Place” isn’t
fun for anyone. Here people wait for other people...For people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go. Or a bus to come. Or a plane to go. Or the mail to
come. Or the rain to go. Or the phone to ring. Or the snow to snow. Or
waiting around for a Yes or No....
Waiting…is a part of life. And no. It isn’t fun. In
life we wait. - For anything and everything. - Even second chances.
In Advent it seems as if the saying or slogan is “Ready, set, Wait!” Yet, vigilance is the price of preparation.
Be on your watch. The end will come according to the Father’s appointed hour.
Vigilance is needed. Because the return of Christ will
be unexpected for many living in this world.
It is a common failure among some people to ignore the signs of the
times of impending disaster.
It is confirmed at the time of an earthquake or
hurricane. Such events were well documented and demonstrated in the storms and
in forest fires in which people ling in the path of impending disaster were
warned repeatedly to evacuwate from the pressing present danger.
Yet, they would not heed the warnings and suffered
mi9serably as a result.
These victims. Didn’t think things could get that
bleak. They didn’t leave when they were supposed to. And then. It came to a
point when evacuation was impossible. There was no escape. At first, they would
not leave. Then they could not leave. Refusing
to heed the warnings. They suffer the consequences
of the disaster and storm.
Today Jesus teaches vigilance is the price of
preparedness.
1. There is a danger
of preoccupation – “For in the days before the flood, people
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah
entered the ark;” -V. 38
It was that critical difficult time. Absorbed and
engrossed with their own life there is no time to enquire concerning the
future.
For the people of Noah’s day, it was a case of
business as usual. They thought nothing. Of a possible flood. The warning signs
were all about. Noah would preach judgment.
The approaching flood. And continued to build the ark. His message fell on deaf ears. The people were preoccupied with the business of living.
In this world. There are people constantly thinking
about their future. They plan for retirement. They pre-arrange for their
funeral. They make provisions for financing their children or their
grandchildren’s education. – Planning. Investing. Saving for future events. Years
in the making. Yet. They fail to make provisions for their immortal soul.
Every stage of life has its own set of priorities and
purposes. Especially in Advent. There can be so many distract ions. Demanding
our attention. No wonder some persons this time of year have the attention span
of a demented squirrel!
Why all this concern? Why the investment of time? Because there are people living in our own
community “without a prayer” of tomorrow. Or of their future destiny. They are missing.
– Missing from fellowship. – Missing from a connection with Christ. –
Missing from spiritual union with the Savior. They are
on the outside looking in. – And they don’t even know it.
Make provisions for the eventual return of Christ.
Like Noah. Speak about the eventual return of Christ. And His visitation. Build and invest in ministry now. “Work while it is day. Night is coming. When no one can work.” – John 9:4
Work now. Make disciples for the Kingdom. For there
will come a time. When opportunities will cease. And their e will be no more
time. Or hours to work. But only night.
Transition: There is the danger of preoccupation of time. There
is also a danger in the danger of judgment.
2. Danger of
judgment – “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two
women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”
- Vv. 40, 41
One will be taken into glory. The other will face judgment. The one taken. Was
prepared for the Lord’s coming. The
other? it was too late. Their time of grace was wasted.
How many shattered lives? How many misspent years? attempted
to gain the whole world only to have lost their soul?
The coming day is not to be put off. What words can
more strongly describe the suddenness of our Savior’s coming! Men will be at
their respective businesses. Suddenly. The
Lord of glory will appear.
Women will be in their place of employment. But in
that moment. Every other work will be laid aside. And every heart will turn
inward and say, “It is the Lord! Am I prepared to meet him? Can I stand
before Him?”
And what, in fact, is the Day of Judgment to the whole
world, but the day of death to every one?
Thus, the Savior reminds us, “Watch
therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42
-KJV)
Transition: There is the danger of preoccupation. The danger of judgment. And the danger of the unexpected.
3. Danger of
unexpectedness – “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 left his house be broken into.” - V.43
A thief strikes when least expected. A Christian need
to live on the alert for Jesus’ coming. There needs to be a heightened
awareness. Christ could return at any moment. Or. His return may be
delayed. No one is certain of the day or
the hour. Pay attention!
Jesus reminds us that the time of His return is
unknown to men. “No one know about that
day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
– V.37
Those who spend their time attempting to predict the date are like those who spend their hours attempting to break the bank at Vegas. Yet, know this; the date in time has been fixed.
Thus, we live between two realities. The Savior’s
first and second Advent. He came in meekness to bear your sin. He will return
in glory. The reign as King. In the meantime. Keep your gaze heavenward. For
soon and very soon you shall see the King.
No comments:
Post a Comment