Introduction:
Since I Don’t Know the Exact Timing of the Second Coming... (Matt 24:36-51)
- I must stop trying to figure out What Only God Knows . (Matthew 24:36)
Deuteronomy 29:29 - The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
- I must stay awake and Be Ready . (Matthew 24:37-44)
Ephesians 5:14 - for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
- I must be faithful in carrying out My Assigned Tasks . (Matthew 24:45-51)
John 14:15 - "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
John 15:10 - "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love."
John 15:14 - "You are my friends if you do what I command you."
Luke 6:46 - "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?"
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
-
01:07-01:37
Alright as you turn to Matthew chapter 24 verses 36 through 51. I want to conduct a quick poll Raise your hand if you are a planner you like to know your schedule ahead of time at the schedule your day week or month All right now raise your hand if you're more of a go-with-the-flow type of person isn't mine surprise I don't understand you people at all. I wish I could be relaxed and laid-back like you but I just can't. You know what common expression you'll never hear come out of my mouth? Surprise me.
01:37-01:42
I don't want to be surprised. If you want to ruin my birthday, throw me a surprise party.
01:43-01:45
Now don't do that just to ruin my birthday, please.
01:46-01:59
If I'm invited to hang out with my friends, I want to know where we're going, what we're doing, and how long we'll be there. If I hear any of this, we'll see where the night takes us, nonsense. The night's taking me back to my couch at home.
02:00-02:06
But do you know what all of us can agree on regardless of our personality types?
02:06-02:17
None of us are big fans of the time windows that we are given by contractors The dreaded internet providers or delivery services, you know what I'm talking about, right?
02:18-02:29
You order a fridge from Lowe's and they say hey, we'll be there tomorrow from 8 a.m. To 12 p.m Then they show up at 7 a.m. While you're still rocking your pajamas and brushing your teeth and it's really, really awkward.
02:29-02:33
Or Comcast or Verizon says, "Yeah, we'll come fix your internet connection.
02:34-02:41
We're coming on Monday from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m." Isn't that obnoxious?
02:42-02:47
That's an entire date to reschedule to make sure you're home, hoping that the guy will actually show up.
02:48-02:50
4.30 hits and they're still not there.
02:51-02:53
You get a call, "Oh, I'm so sorry.
02:53-02:58
Our guy's caught up in another call." It always seems like they have one guy who's working for them, by the way.
02:58-03:03
And he can't be there again until next Monday from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
03:03-03:08
It's like, ah, he's gonna pull your hair out in frustration as you're stuck in this Groundhog's Day scenario.
03:10-03:22
And these time windows can be really frustrating because even the most relaxed among us wanna have some level of control over our schedules and not be bound by someone else's timetable.
03:23-03:28
Well, we're in the middle of our latest series, intentional hope, what are we waiting for?
03:28-03:42
Over this past month, we've been working through Matthew 24 in which Jesus clearly lays out the signs of his two-stage second coming, the rapture of his church, and his glorious reappearing following the tribulation.
03:44-03:49
We have to understand that God doesn't cater to the control freaks in the room.
03:49-03:57
He hasn't catered to the over planners of this world by giving exact dates and precise timestamps for these glorious events.
03:57-04:08
You can't flip through these chapters in Matthew or go to the book of Revelation and expect to find statements like, the rapture will happen on June 10th, 2027 at 5.56 PM.
04:09-04:17
Or Jesus will come back visibly from heaven to set up his kingdom on July 30th, 2034 at 11.47 AM.
04:18-04:23
Instead, the Lord gives time windows when these things will take place.
04:23-04:27
And he expects us to trust him with the exact details.
04:28-04:36
God doesn't take a poll, like I just did a few minutes ago, or put out a suggestion box for us to stop with our opinions and preferences.
04:36-04:43
He has a plan, and he is going to stick to it regardless of what you think or what I think.
04:44-04:53
And unlike Lowe's, Comcast, or Verizon, these divine timetables are not given because our God is unsure of when these things will happen.
04:54-05:05
He's not hedging his bets or giving himself some wiggle room just in case his perfect and inspired timetables will play out exactly as he predicted and promised.
05:06-05:11
There is a 0% chance of God showing up too early or too late.
05:11-05:15
He is going to arrive exactly on schedule.
05:16-05:20
So this morning, we're gonna dig into Matthew 24, verses 36 through 51.
05:21-05:33
And I hope that the teachings of Jesus about these divine time windows will increase our trust in him, our dedication to him, and our obedient efforts for him.
05:34-05:35
So let's spend a moment in prayer.
05:36-05:40
I ask that you pray for me, that I will faithfully represent what Christ has to say.
05:41-05:46
And I will pray for you, that you will diligently listen and apply what you learn.
05:49-05:50
Father, we thank you for your word.
05:52-05:53
We thank you for this time.
05:53-05:55
We have to come together as your people to hear it proclaimed.
05:57-06:06
Lord, I pray that I would be faithful in preaching your word and everyone sitting here today would be faithful in receiving it and submitting to it.
06:07-06:09
We thank you in advance for what you are going to do.
06:10-06:12
In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, amen.
06:14-06:19
So before we dig into the text this morning, I want to make an important clarification to avoid any confusion.
06:20-06:34
As Jesus is teaching in these verses, he is specifically speaking to the timing of the second phase of his coming, his visible and physical return, which will happen at the very end of the seven-year tribulation.
06:35-06:42
And men and women who come to Christ during that time period will have a general idea of when he is coming back.
06:42-06:46
But they will not be able to circle a specific day on the calendar.
06:46-06:54
They won't be able to pull out their smartphones and put on the reminder or put on an alarm and that will go off right when Jesus comes back.
06:56-07:02
In light of this reality, Jesus offers three important warnings to those living during the time of the tribulation.
07:03-07:07
I don't want all the Christians in the room to tune out and think, well, I guess this sermon isn't for me.
07:07-07:08
I'm not gonna be here.
07:08-07:13
I'll either be in heaven because I died, or I'll be in heaven because I was raptured away.
07:13-07:14
Time to tune out.
07:14-07:21
Well, don't pull out your comfy neck pillows just yet, or start daydreaming about what's for lunch at Pantera Bread, as Pastor Jeff calls it.
07:22-07:31
These three warnings also relate to followers of Christ now, as we await the blessed hope of the rapture.
07:31-07:40
Jesus offers general principles for living in anticipation of the second coming that we cannot afford to miss out on right now.
07:41-07:48
So on your outline, since I don't know the exact timing of the second coming, I must stop trying to figure out what only God knows.
07:49-07:53
I must stop trying to figure out what only God knows.
07:56-08:00
And Jesus kicks off this section with something that throws a lot of people off.
08:00-08:12
He says, "But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, "not even the angels of heaven, nor the son, "but the Father only." You may be thinking, "Wait a minute, Taylor.
08:12-08:13
"How is that possible?
08:14-08:30
"How could Jesus possibly not know "when his return will be?" Well, to understand this verse, we first have to understand the truth that Jesus willingly limited himself when he came to this world and took on a human nature.
08:31-08:45
Jesus knows all things, but during his earthly life and ministry, He chose not to access some of his divine and sovereign knowledge, even though it was constantly within his reach and he could grab a hold of it whenever he wanted to.
08:46-08:49
To be clear, Jesus never became less than God.
08:49-08:51
He never lost his divine power.
08:51-08:55
Jesus was and is fully God and fully man.
08:56-08:57
Well, how does this all work?
08:58-09:01
Are you ready for the most profound answer you'll ever hear?
09:02-09:03
I have no idea.
09:03-09:05
I really don't know.
09:05-09:08
There is an element of mystery here that we have to accept.
09:09-09:17
We have to understand that our puny and limited brains, even the smartest among us, cannot wrap our heads around this.
09:19-09:24
You'd be expecting my two-year-old daughter to understand the complexities of advanced calculus.
09:25-09:31
Sure, she can count to 20 in the cutest and most adorable way imaginable, but that's basically the limit.
09:31-10:51
Anything beyond that in the math department big stretch for Emmy. Do you know what a bigger stretch is? The creation expecting to know all that there is to know about the Creator. I love what Deuteronomy 29 29 says about this. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. You have to be okay with not being that smart. You have to be okay with not knowing everything and having all the answers. God is God and you are not. As we read scripture it is very clear that the Lord doesn't give us any more information than what we need to know in order to lead a faithful and godly existence in this life. That's it. And this is certainly true when it comes to the end times. In verse 36, Jesus clearly and emphatically teaches that no mere human being, no angel can possibly know that day and hour when he will return. It's a complete waste of time and effort to even try. That day and hour is a secret thing that belongs to our God and to Him alone.
10:53-11:06
Sadly, so many pastors, so many theologians, so many Christian writers have completely embarrassed themselves by trying to guess and predict the exact year and even date of the rapture.
11:08-11:23
A former NASA engineer and Bible teacher named Edgar Wiseman wrote a book in 1988 called "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 and it sold over 4.5 million copies.
11:24-11:26
And listen to what he actually said about this.
11:27-11:30
Only if the Bible is in error, am I wrong.
11:33-11:35
That's a bold statement, isn't that the bold strategy?
11:35-11:36
How did that work out for him?
11:37-11:43
Well, since that was 36 years ago and all the Christians are still here, I would say it didn't go very well for him.
11:44-11:46
But Wiseman didn't apologize for repent.
11:46-11:49
He doubled down, dug in his heels and wrote another book.
11:50-11:53
89 reasons why he's coming back in 1989.
11:54-11:56
How did that go for him?
11:56-11:57
Again, not so great.
11:58-12:00
So he took a few years off to work on this gem.
12:01-12:08
23 reasons why a pre-tribulational rapture looks like it will occur on Rosh Hashanah 1993.
12:10-12:12
He kind of pulls back a bit.
12:12-12:14
It looks like, I'm not saying it's definitely gonna happen.
12:15-12:15
It looks like.
12:16-12:21
Despite this super cool title, this book didn't sell well for very obvious reasons.
12:22-12:23
Who remembers Harold Camping?
12:24-12:25
Anybody remember him?
12:25-12:25
Nobody?
12:25-12:26
All right, Darla.
12:26-12:27
Darla remembers.
12:27-12:35
He was a radio evangelist and teacher who wrongly predicted the timing of the rapture five different times.
12:36-12:39
You'd think after the second failed attempt, both these guys would be like, you know what?
12:39-12:40
I'm throwing in the towel.
12:40-12:41
I really stink at this.
12:42-12:43
I have a 0% batting average right now.
12:45-12:50
but there's always men and women coming out of the woodwork to predict what only God knows.
12:51-12:54
And these predictors can seem so knowledgeable.
12:54-12:55
They can seem so intelligent.
12:55-12:58
They can seem so credible and convincing.
12:58-13:03
They point to hidden numerology that they discovered after years of study.
13:03-13:10
They somehow unlock the original Hebrew and Greek of specific verses that no one has ever figured out before.
13:12-13:17
By the way, that's a really big red flag that should trigger your false and teaching antenna right off the bat.
13:18-13:31
You're telling me that some random guy in 2024 has figured out the real meaning of a biblical text that no one has understood or heard of before in 2000 years of church history.
13:31-13:34
That is sketchiness of the highest order.
13:35-13:37
Let me give you some free Bible advice.
13:38-13:43
When it comes to the Bible, if someone is trying to teach you something that is new, it ain't true.
13:44-13:45
Say that with me.
13:45-13:47
If it's new, it ain't true.
13:47-13:49
If it's new, it ain't true.
13:50-14:04
We serve an eternal God who has written an unchanging book that is filled with ancient truths that cannot and should not be rebooted or retooled to fit our own modern interpretations and opinions.
14:05-14:11
But it's so tempting to think that we can grab ahold of such important information on our own.
14:11-14:17
But ultimately, this is an appeal to our sinful egos, to our fallen flesh.
14:19-14:26
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't trying to access secret information and become like God what got Adam in even trouble in the first place?
14:27-14:31
Maybe we should avoid walking in their footsteps when it comes to the word of God.
14:32-14:40
As Pastor Jeff has taught us many times, so many Christians fall for such ridiculous and goofy unbiblical teaching.
14:40-14:45
in every area of theology, but especially when it comes to eschatology, the end times.
14:46-14:55
Don't be fooled when you come across a charming teacher who is trying to teach you something that clearly contradicts the word of God.
14:56-14:58
We have to be discerning.
14:58-15:10
We have to be able to discern what is true and what is a lie, what is godly and what is demonic, what is Christ exalting and what is self exalting.
15:11-15:20
Please stick to what God has clearly revealed in His Word, rather than going off on a wild goose chase after information that is none of your business.
15:23-15:34
Since I don't know the exact timing of the second coming, secondly, I must stay awake and be ready. I must stay awake and be ready.
15:38-15:40
Let's read verses 37 through 39.
15:42-15:45
"For as for the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
15:46-15:54
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark.
15:54-15:57
And they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away.
15:58-16:09
So will be the coming of the Son of Man." So as Jesus points us forward to the end, He also points us backwards to the beginning of our Bibles.
16:10-16:17
And He compares the time of the tribulation and His visible return to the story of Noah and the events of the flood.
16:18-16:22
During that time in human history, the world was like the Wild West.
16:23-16:41
Listen to how it's described in Genesis 6-5, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thought of his heart was only on evil continually." So God commands Noah to build an ark so that he and his family can escape the wrath to come.
16:42-16:54
And as he built this ark for many, many, many, many decades, you have to think that people would stop by to ask, "Hey, what are you doing?" And then whenever he told them, they would mock him for it.
16:54-17:02
In 2 Peter, we're told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, which means that he was warning his neighbors of what was coming.
17:03-17:05
But nobody listened to his warnings.
17:06-17:09
Instead, they had a business-as-usual attitude.
17:10-17:16
Stuff our faces, get drunk, get married, have kids, let's just keep on keeping on.
17:16-17:20
They laughed at the idea of divine judgment.
17:21-17:24
That there is a coming reckoning for their evil deeds.
17:25-17:32
And despite their sinful unbelief, the rains finally came and all these wicked men and women were washed away.
17:34-17:37
Did we really lose sight of how terrifying the flood must have been?
17:37-17:40
Because we all have the cutesy version stuck in our minds, right?
17:41-17:50
All those kids books where no one in this family are really happy, all the animals are smiling, there's a giraffe with a big smile sticking its head out the porthole of the ark, right?
17:50-17:53
but they don't show the carnage that happened before.
17:53-18:01
As the storms rage and the floodwaters rose, you don't see the bodies that must have been floating as the ark passed by.
18:01-18:03
This is a horrifying scene.
18:05-18:13
And Jesus tells us that a similar day of judgment is coming down the pike in verses 40 through 41.
18:13-18:14
Let's read that together.
18:15-18:16
"Then two men will be in the field.
18:17-18:18
"One will be taken and one will be left.
18:19-18:28
"Two women will be grinding at the mill, "one will be taken and one left." Many try to apply these verses to the rapture.
18:29-18:33
You know, one believer will be taken into heaven while the unbeliever will be left on the earth.
18:34-18:43
But if you pay attention to the context, if you pay attention to what Jesus is actually saying, the rapture is not in focus in this particular passage.
18:44-18:51
Jesus isn't talking about being taken away from judgment, He's talking about being taken away for judgment.
18:52-18:59
Similar to the time of the flood, the period of the tribulation will be a time of rampant wickedness, idolatry and destruction.
19:00-19:10
Like in the days of Noah, many men and women will experience warnings and signs of the coming judgment, but they will close their eyes to it and believe their own sinful delusions instead.
19:11-19:29
And on that day of Jesus' glorious appearing, Those who hate him and resist him will be taken away, will be swept away to experience eternal judgment, while those who love him and serve him will be left to experience the eternal joys of his kingdom.
19:31-19:35
You know, thankfully, Jesus doesn't just say, "Hey, yeah, it's gonna be rough.
19:35-19:45
Good luck with that." He gives two words of warning, two commands to avoid judgment in verses 42 through 44.
19:45-19:51
Jesus says, "Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know what day your Lord is coming.
19:52-20:26
But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake. It would not have left his house to be broken into. Therefore, you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." So what are the commands of Jesus in these verses to stay awake and to be ready. Stay awake and be ready. And to reinforce these commands, he moves on from the flood analogy and goes to the thief analogy.
20:27-21:16
You know, I'm not a law enforcement expert by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe I should check with some of our police officers who are members here, but thieves aren't exactly known for giving people a complimentary heads up before they break into their house, right? That's pretty common knowledge, right? I think so. You can't expect to find a note like this on your door in your mailbox. To whom this may concern, I advise you to be absent from your home on the evening of May 5th, 2024, as I'll be climbing into the side window by the hedges to steal all of your high-ticket items and any loose cash I see lying around. I hope it doesn't inconvenience you too greatly. Your friendly neighborhood burglar. Bye You as the homeowner have to be vigilant and prepared for a home break-in because you have no idea when it could happen.
21:17-21:22
Buy an alarm system, get a big dog that barks at suspicious noises, have a plan for home defense.
21:23-21:28
Don't be caught off guard and found in a deep sleep when the worst happens or you will regret it.
21:30-21:36
During my sophomore year at Geneva College, I had to enroll in a pretty boring philosophy class that met at 8 a.m. in the morning.
21:36-21:44
And waking up before 8 a.m. in college It seems like it's like 3 a.m. right now. It's like 8 a.m. That sounds like the lap of luxury that I haven't experienced. I've had kids.
21:46-21:52
But this class also had assigned seating and I was assigned to sit right in front of the professor so I couldn't get away with anything.
21:53-22:00
And on top of all that, the class was really hot and humid, which none of us can relate to going to this church, right? Having a room that's hot and humid.
22:02-23:14
Also, this professor had a really boring and monotone voice and the topic wasn't exactly Thrilling and there was just one particular morning. I just couldn't I just couldn't stay awake My eyelids were so heavy. My head was bobbing up and down up and down. But again, he's right there I can't fall asleep. So I try every single trick in the book. I slap my face. I'm pinching myself and it's not working I had a big bruise on my leg. I forget why I'm gonna start pushing down on that as hard as I could Like stay awake It was extremely difficult to stay awake in an environment that was set up perfectly for me to nap And I was thinking this past week that staying awake and on guard is So difficult in a culture that is tirelessly trying to lull us to sleep so that we don't pay attention to what's happening around us Satan is doing a great job of keeping people comfy in their sinful slumber so that they do not wake up to their own brokenness and to the eternity that is awaiting them if they continue to reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
23:15-23:40
So many pop the sleeping pills of Satan's attractive lies. They listen to the soothed ambient noises of me-centered worldly teaching. They plug their ears and try to ignore the voice of reason, the voice of their guilty conscience, and the truth of God's word, they are content to be asleep and stay asleep because they don't want to face the emptiness within their own soul.
23:41-23:43
They don't want to think about eternity.
23:44-23:45
It's too overwhelming.
23:45-23:46
It is too terrifying.
23:49-23:53
And I would be a negligent pastor if I didn't ask, is this true of you?
23:55-24:00
Are you spiritually asleep right now in numbing yourself with the things of this world?
24:00-24:05
Are you completely unprepared for the day of judgment that is coming?
24:05-24:08
Are you totally unready for eternity?
24:10-24:15
I know this is morbid, but if you were to die today, are you confident about where you would end up?
24:16-24:17
Heaven or hell?
24:18-24:21
You can't roll the dice on forever and just hope for the best.
24:22-24:24
You are not guaranteed a long life.
24:25-24:29
You are not guaranteed next year, next week, tomorrow.
24:29-24:32
You're not even guaranteed the next minute or second.
24:34-24:46
A pastor once wrote, "The most dangerous of all delusions is that there is plenty of time." This is why the Bible is so emphatic that today is the day of salvation.
24:47-24:49
Not tomorrow, not when your schedule clears up.
24:49-24:52
No, right this very second, right now.
24:54-24:58
Prepare yourself for eternity by making the most important decision of your life.
24:59-25:05
Repent, turn away from your sin, and turn towards Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.
25:06-25:14
He is ready and willing to forgive you of your many sins if you simply come to Him in humility and submission.
25:15-25:35
Instead of snoring away, snoozing away in ignorance and rebellion, listen to what the Apostle Paul has to say in Ephesians 5, 14, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." You don't have to live in the darkness of your sin a moment longer.
25:36-25:40
You don't have to endure the eternal evening of separation from God.
25:41-25:50
You can wake up to a new day, to a new life in Jesus Christ that is filled with the light of his glory, his goodness, and his grace.
25:52-26:01
Finally, since I don't know the exact timing of the second coming, I must be faithful in carrying out my assigned tasks.
26:04-26:07
I must be faithful in carrying out my assigned tasks.
26:10-26:12
Let's read verses 45 through 51.
26:13-26:21
Jesus says, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant "whom his master has set over his household "to give them their food at the proper time?
26:22-26:26
"Blessed is that servant whom his master will find "so doing when he comes.
26:26-26:30
"Truly I say to you, "he will set him over all his possessions.
26:31-26:49
"But if that wicked servant says to himself, "my master is delayed and begins to beat his fellow servants "and eats and drinks with drunkards, "the master of that servant 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 put him with the hypocrites.
26:50-26:54
In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
26:55-26:59
So Jesus moves on to his final analogy of this section.
26:59-27:06
He puts you as the listener in the place of a slave who's been put in charge of the master's house.
27:07-27:13
It's your responsibility to make sure that everyone is well-fed and taken care of.
27:13-27:14
But there's a catch.
27:15-27:20
You have no idea when the master is coming back to check on you and to check on your work.
27:22-27:24
And there are two responses to this situation.
27:25-27:35
You can take this charge seriously because you know your master is a serious person and you have no idea when he's coming back, so you do exactly what he told you to do.
27:36-27:40
Or you can think to yourself, ah, my master's such a lazy jerk.
27:40-27:44
There's no way he's coming back anytime soon, so I'm gonna do things my way and have fun.
27:45-27:51
And this presumption leads to getting drunk with your friends and abusing your fellow servants.
27:52-28:00
And you convince yourself, it'll all be fine because I can get things back on track right before my master walks through the door.
28:01-28:02
I'll have enough time.
28:04-28:12
And these two wildly different responses lead to two wildly different destinations, blessing and damnation.
28:13-28:23
The faithful servant represents genuine believers who obediently complete their assigned task out of reverence and respect for their master.
28:24-28:35
While the wicked servant stands in for unbelievers who consistently refuse to submit to the master and foolishly believe that he's not coming back anytime soon.
28:37-28:43
And sadly, many wicked servants wrongly assume that they are faithful servants.
28:44-29:01
They may say if they love Jesus Christ, but there is no evidence of this love and how they treat other people and how they speak and how they act and how they react and how they spend their time and their money, involvement in the body of Christ at the lowest rung of their list of priorities.
29:02-29:05
They'll say things like, who has time to attend a worship service on a weekly basis?
29:06-29:08
Who has the time to volunteer consistently?
29:09-29:14
Why should I give my money to a church that seems like it's doing just fine without me?
29:15-29:19
Bible reading is a negotiable instead of a non-negotiable.
29:19-29:23
Prayer is a last resort and not a first stop.
29:23-29:29
Selflessly serving others rarely comes before selflessly serving myself.
29:32-29:36
The pursuit of holiness takes a backseat to the pursuit of pleasure.
29:37-29:41
In their minds, evangelism is for those super uber Christians, not for regular Christians like me.
29:43-29:47
Instead of making disciples, they make excuses.
29:49-30:05
At this point you may be thinking, "Ah, Taylor, I don't know about all this. This sounds really legalistic. It sounds like you're saying that we are saved by our good deeds and our obedience and not the grace of Christ. I'm actually not saying that at all. And let me explain what I am saying with this everyday example.
30:06-30:13
Imagine with me that over this next week, my wife has this list of chores that she wants me to complete, and I don't do a single one of them.
30:14-30:17
She says, "Taylor, can you please take out the trash?" I don't do it.
30:17-30:20
"Taylor, will you please empty the dishwasher "before I get home?
30:20-30:22
"That would be a big blessing." I don't do it.
30:23-30:25
"Taylor, there's a bunch of burned out light bulbs "around the house.
30:25-30:29
"Will you please go to Lowe's and change those out soon?" Eh, I don't do it.
30:29-30:31
Or she calls me, "Taylor, I can't get out "of this work meeting.
30:32-30:33
Please go pick up Sam from school.
30:34-30:35
That would really help me.
30:35-30:37
Eh, I don't feel like it today.
30:37-30:38
And not today.
30:41-30:43
Would Kate feel very loved at the end of this week?
30:44-30:46
Oh, but you're missing a key piece of information.
30:47-30:51
Every single time I don't follow through, I tell her how much she means to me.
30:51-30:53
I tell her how much I love her.
30:54-30:55
Isn't that good enough?
30:56-30:57
Won't she feel loved?
31:00-31:05
You can talk a big game as much as you want, but if you don't back up your words and your actions, your words are meaningless.
31:07-31:13
I prove the genuine nature of my love for my wife with my actions as well as my words.
31:14-31:30
In a similar way, the distinguishing feature of a genuine love for Christ is a genuine love for obeying his word, a genuine desire to follow his instructions to the letter and not to procrastinate, a genuine heart for his kingdom and his mission.
31:31-31:35
And if you don't believe me, believe the words of our Lord throughout the gospels.
31:36-31:39
John 14, 15, if you love me, you will keep my commandments.
31:39-31:44
John 15, 10, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.
31:45-31:50
John 15, 14, you are my friends if you do what I command you.
31:51-31:56
Luke 6, 46, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you.
31:58-32:00
Could Jesus be any clearer?
32:01-32:04
I'm gonna make it as simple as possible.
32:04-32:11
If you don't care very much about following Jesus' commands, then you don't care very much about Jesus at all.
32:13-32:21
If living in obedience to your heavenly master isn't on your radar, then it's very likely that Jesus isn't your master in the first place.
32:23-32:28
We are not saved by our obedience, but we are saved to obedience.
32:28-32:35
We are not saved by our faithfulness to the Lord, but we are saved to be faithful to the Lord.
32:38-32:44
Who's ever heard someone say, "Don't be so heavenly mind that you're of no earthly good." Who's ever heard that?
32:44-32:50
In other words, get your head out of the clouds, stop thinking so much about heaven, float back down to earth and be of use here.
32:51-32:52
What do we think about that statement?
32:53-32:54
Thumbs up or thumbs down?
32:55-32:57
It's a massive thumbs down for me.
32:57-33:02
I hate that statement and it makes me cringe every single time that I hear it.
33:02-33:13
You know, I've been in full-time ministry for almost 10 years now, and I have yet to meet the person who is so infatuated with the blessings and promises of heaven that they make no eternal impact now.
33:14-33:18
I've actually encountered the exact opposite a countless number of times.
33:19-33:23
People who are so earthly minded of no heavenly good.
33:25-33:30
People who are so fixated on the here and now, they don't even stop to consider the there and then.
33:32-33:33
What about you?
33:34-33:39
Are you so earthly minded that you're of no heavenly good?
33:40-33:54
Or is the reality of the second coming motivating you to trust the Lord right now, to stay awake and be ready right now, to be faithful to his word and to make disciples right now.
33:56-34:05
In both stages of his second coming, our Lord is returning at a time we do not know, at a time we do not expect.
34:06-34:09
You have no idea when these things will happen.
34:11-34:28
I hope and pray this undeniable truth will jolt us out of our lazy habits and will free us from the distractions that so often hold us back from being who God has called us to be and doing what He has commanded us to do.
34:29-34:30
Let's pray.
34:32-34:52
Father, we come to you and we admit that so often we can fall asleep in this life, that we can be lazy, that we can forget that we're here for a reason, that we are here to honor and glorify you by telling others about Christ, about making disciples.
34:52-34:54
Lord, that is why we're still here.
34:56-35:12
I pray that that mission would fill our minds and be at the front of our brains, Lord, that as we go about school, as we go about work, as we go about raising our kids, as we go about all the things that we do in life, that the purpose is to glorify you by making disciples.
35:15-35:19
And Lord, help us not to think, "Ah, I bet Jesus isn't coming back for a while.
35:19-35:27
"I can do what I want." Instead, Lord, let us believe that Jesus is coming soon, that we would do what He wants us to do.
35:29-35:40
I lift up every single person in this room where I pray for those who do not know you, that today would be the day of salvation, that they'd wake up from their sleep and come alive in Christ.
35:41-35:49
And for the rest of us, Lord, please shock us out of our complacency and get us ready for the awesome mission that you've entrusted to us.
35:50-35:53
We pray all this in the name of Jesus, amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read Matthew 24:36-51
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
Why do so many people try to guess/figure out the exact date/time of the rapture? Why is this unwise and unhelpful?
What does it look like to “stay awake” and “be ready” in light of the second coming of Christ? How do you see yourself falling asleep spiritually right now?
What tasks has the Lord assigned to us that we must be diligent in carrying out before He returns?
Breakout
Pray for one another.


