Matt 24:36-51 “Jesus, the Lord of History: Part 3”
INTRO: Friends, we are working our way through the gospel of Matthew together. Matthew was an eye-witness of Jesus and one of his apostles. This is historical account which helps us to see that Jesus is the promised Messiah that Israel has been waiting and longing for. Jesus is the promised son of King David who is the true king of God’s people. Jesus is the savior who saves his people from their sins and estrangement from God. Jesus is the son of Abraham who causes all the nations of the earth to be blessed. Jesus is the teacher who tells us authoritatively what God is like and how we ought to live. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us: truly human and truly God.
We’ve seen that Jesus’ ministry of preaching and healing transformed lives and left people in awe at his words. But he was not received by everyone: the Jewish religious leaders who opposed him and sought to do away with him. The very individuals who were supposed to be pointing others to the truth and encouraging others to embrace God’s Messiah were instead denying the truth and leading people away from Jesus, the one true source of life. Jesus warned that because of their evil and unrepentant hearts that God’s judgment was coming upon Jerusalem, unless they repented. And this destruction would be devastating. In the context of this prediction, Jesus disciples asked about when it would take place and when he would return. The section we are in today is answering this question. For the last two weeks we have seen Jesus mainly address the destruction of the temple. Now we see Jesus address the question about when he would return in glory and bring an end to history as we know it. That is what we look at today.
READ/PRAY
Today we see Jesus teach about the future and about two ways of waiting for his return. We can hear Jesus’ warnings and be like a faithful and wise servant who does his master’s work while he patiently waits for the return of Christ. Or we can make light of Jesus’ warning to our own peril. All of us are waiting for the return of Christ, but it is a question of how we will wait. Jesus leads us here into the way of wisdom as we wait.
A PRINCIPLE GIVEN (36): JESUS WILL RETURN ONE DAY, BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHEN
-Jesus gives the principle here: “that day” refers to the “coming of the Son of Man” (37, 39, 44). One day Jesus Christ will return as a reigning Christ who usher in Judgment and the end of history.
–NO ONE KNOWS THAT DAY AND HOUR : Not angels, not anybody. It will take place, but no knows when. Only God.
APP: If someone tells you they know when Jesus is coming back, you can tell them they are wrong.
OBJECTION: How could Jesus not know the hour? I thought he was God and God knows all things.
ANSWER: Christology: hypostatic union: Jesus is TRULY human and TRULY God two natures in one person. As a human, Scripture says that “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52), but as God we see that Jesus also had the omniscient knowledge of God (John 2:25). There are places in Scripture which speak about Jesus that can only refer to his human nature: “he grew and became strong” (Luk 2:40); “he was about 30 years old” (Luk 3:23); he was thirsty (John 19:28). But others make plain that he is truly God: Jesus forgives other people’s sin (Matt 9:2); Jesus is eternal “before Abraham was, I am” (John 5:8); Jesus is God (John 1:1).
–SOLUTION—Jesus did not know when he would return in his human nature, but he did in his divine nature.
–OBJECTION—How is that possible? –ANSWER—We do not know, it is a mystery (like God is 1 being in 3 persons).
–BEST RESPONSE: Marvel that God the Son would take on human nature to save us.
PRINCIPLE “that Jesus will return at unknown time” ELABORATED AND INSTRUCTION GIVEN 37-51
THE RETURN OF JESUS WILL BE LIKE THE FLOOD CAME IN THE DAYS OF NOAH (37-39)
TELL STORY OF NOAH’S FLOOD AND READ Genesis 6:5-8, 11-14, 17-19 (Historicity of Noah’s flood assumed.)
-People were completely caught off guard by the flood: “eating…drinking…marrying…given in marriage” (38) and they “were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away” (39)
-Jesus’ return will be like this: people will be completely surprised by it (37, 39)
-People will be at the factory, or office cubicle or in school, etc. They’ll be getting married and making plans.
THE RETURN OF JESUS WILL SEPARATE BELIEVERS FROM UNBELIEVERS (40-41)
Jesus teaches in these verses the reality of separation when he returns, a separation of those who know him as their savior and those who don’t. Both people might have the same job, but a different eternal destiny (we’ll see this in greater depth in 25:31-46).
-“one taken and one left” I believe refers back to 24:31 is reference of believing being gathered it.
-Not everyone will go to heaven, close friends and coworkers and even some who attend church will taken or left.
OBJECTION: But I could never be happy in heaven if my family member or friend were not there.
ANSWER: –Heaven—the new earth—would not be heavenly if there were sin present.
–Scripture says that God will “wipe away every tear” (Rev 21:4).
–Also, we will be purified to agree with the just judgment of God on the wicked. We will affirm with Abraham in Genesis 18:25 “the judge of all the earth shall do right” in sending some to hell.
–Also, anyone who goes to hell has chosen this path. Romans 1:24 “God gave them up to their lusts.”
APP: Not everyone will go to heaven. Heaven is not however you define it to be. There will be a separation at the end of history and for some it will be utterly tragic.
THE RETURN OF JESUS WILL BE LIKE A THIEF BREAKING INTO A HOME (42-44)
Jesus gives another imagery to make the same point as the Noah example—his return will be unexpected, just like when a thief breaks into a home is unexpected. (an “hour you do not expect” 44)
-RIGHT POSTURE: “stay awake” (42), “be ready” (44).
– What does it look like to have a posture of readiness for the return of Jesus? We’ll see in the imagery of faithful and wise servant.
A PARABLE ABOUT TWO KINDS OF SERVANTS WHO WAIT FOR THE RETURN OF MASTER (45-51)
Jesus gives a parable to help us see two kinds of ways of waiting for Jesus to return.
–TALE of two kinds of servants. Each one is put in charge of work while the master is away.
-SERVANT #1 (45-47). He is faithful even when the master is away, and faithful when his master returns.
-“faithful”=doing what is asked of him; “wise”=this is actually the path of goodness and wisdom and not foolishness.
-Desirable Results “blessed” (46-47): The Lord will set him over all his possessions.
-The promise of rewards of some kind.
APP: For the Christian, this is to be our attitude: faithful service to God as we await the return of Jesus Christ. We don’t know when Jesus will return, but we’ll faithfully serve him, preach the gospel, and wait. We know he is coming back.
PROBLEM—SIN dulls us into disobedience and unbelief in God’s Word. Something creeps in and begins to take greater importance in our life, instead of the hope of Jesus’ return we hope for something else to happen in our life (job, relationship, an experience). We want to faithfully serve and wait, but are daily tempted with unbelief and sin. The wait is so long, we begin to doubt.
JESUS—Jesus perfectly served God and was faithful in all the ways he served (Heb 3:5-6). His family thought he was insane, the religious leaders worked against him. But he was faithful and went to the cross to save us from our faithlessness and unbelief. All who trust in Jesus are given his righteousness and brought into the family of God. We’re also given the Holy Spirit to help us.
BELIEVER, LOOK TO JESUS AS YOU WAIT: Jesus is calling us to walk by faith and serve him as we wait, so remember that our serving and waiting is NOT in vain. He will return, our faithful obedience is worth it. He has made us his own, a new creation, so we can faithfully serve him as we wait. He is there to help us in our weakness.
-The GOSPEL CHANGES HOW WE WAIT. At the cross we see that Jesus conquer sin and death. We see his matchless love and grace. So as we serve him, we know that he is a gracious master. And it is a joy to serve, because it is love for Him.
-SERVANT #2 (48-51). –This servant is “wicked” (48):
-Why is he “wicked”? Because he is not faithful in the work he has been called to do and has chosen the path of unbelief.
“he says to himself, ‘my master is delayed.’”—He arrogantly assumes the master is not coming back soon.
“and begins to beat his fellow servants…drink with drunkards” (49)—He does what is evil, and is faithless in his work.
WICKEDNESS OF SIN: God has called us to love Him and walk in his ways. It is a WICKED thing to reject God’s legitimate authority. A refusal to believe and walk in God’s ways is WICKED. God has shown us what is right and good for us, but in sin we WICKEDLY refuse to obey or follow him. UNBELIEF in Jesus is also WICKED, because we’re commanded to believe. It is not a neutral choice, but a moral decision: “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John 3:23)
–There will be an unexpected return of the master and bring judgment (50-51).
-There will be a judgment: “will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites” (51)
-Place of the hypocrites: “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (51)
-This is the language of HELL. A place of eternal torment for all who are not reconciled to God.
APP: Consider this sober question: Is your life like the faithful servant or this wicked servant? Have you embraced a proud unbelief in your heart against God, doubting the truth of His word or His return? Is your life marked by unrepentant sin—sin that you do not flee from but give into in your heart or life? Or, are you seeking to faithfully serve Jesus, the Master, with your life? Have you fully trusted in him for salvation from sin and forgiveness?
If, after answering these questions, you realize that really you are like the wicked servant, you need to hear a warning from this passage: there does not await a hope for you after death, but a “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” God will bring in justice and will assign many, even regular church goers, to a terrible place called hell.
OBJECTION: Isn’t is fearmongering to speak about hell and warn people of it?
ANSWER: Is it fearmongering for a mechanic to warn you that you car is going to break down on the road when it really is about to break down? Is it fearmongering for a doctor to warn you of cancer when your tests come back positive? Is it fearmongering to warn of a true danger when it lies ahead? NO, it is not. And so we soberly warn you today.
GOSPEL: If in your heart you see that you really like the wicked servant, then there is good news: Jesus died for the wicked. Rom 5:6-8. Only Jesus can save us from hell. But he is not merely a “get-out-hell-for-free card.” When a person becomes a Christian they discover that God is the prize—a prize better than anything this world can offer. What makes hell so horrible is that a person is cut off from the gracious presence of God. What makes heaven and the new earth so wonderful is that a person is free to enjoy God deeply and continue to behold and wonder at God throughout eternity. If Jesus is simply a “get-out-of-hell-for-free card” to you, then I would suggest you probably are not a Christian. A Christian is someone who sees the evil of their sin and the greatness of their need for Christ and who trusts in Christ as the person who died for their sins. A Christian sees the goodness of Jesus and delights in him. If don’t desire him in your heart or believe in him in your heart yet, flee to him ask for faith. Tell him you to believe, you to be his.
For all who come to Jesus you see the absolute goodness of person. He is all you need. And these are the lyrics of our next hymn.
