On the Ready for Christ's Return

Main Idea: Anticipate Christ’s return and serve His people, and you will be ready for your first face-to-face meeting with Him.

1. Anticipate Christ’s return.
   Matthew 16:28
2. Serve His people as a stewardship.
   Matthew 25:31-46

• Automated Transcription

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  Well, welcome if you are visiting with faith, Bible Church, if you've been here the last two or three months, I actually do work here. So if you're if you're new with us, we'd love to meet you. We are so profoundly grateful. We were trying to summarize on a walk on Friday like what our feeling was through our time in London in the UK. And it was just gratitude, gratitude for the opportunity to study, to see, to walk 500 miles. Yeah, there's, there's the glorious thing about the United States is you could get in your car and you could go where you want. We didn't drive for over two months, and you could drive, but through the city of London, 9 million people, the speed limit is 20. Like it's gonna take so you ride the bus or you ride the tube, and so grateful to get in, get in the truck and drive to church 15 minutes. Like there's so many things. We're so glad to be back with you. You especially have been on our hearts. We're thankful we kept getting word that people were praying for us, like we're having a great time. Thanks for praying. I mean, usually, like, we're praying for you, you know, like there's some big trial in your life, we're praying for you. We're praying for us to have a great time. And we had one. Your prayers were answered. I want to especially thank the elders who encouraged and supported the sabbatical. Lynn and I both just were so blessed. We're really excited to be back and serve all of you. We're we are refreshed and ready to go. I spent much of my time in the British Library. Rick Steves, the travel guru, says the British Library in London is one of the top 10 things to see in London. And I spent a couple of months there, and it was amazing. I was able to check out books from the 1500s to the present. So I think the oldest one was a hymnal the first time they translated Psalms from Latin or Greek into English, and it was one printed for King Henry the Eighth who didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it. But they put Psalms to meter. I held one of those. It wasn't his personal but it was that printing was just really amazing. And then on in. And so I got to look at old hymnals and prepare thinking about songs that the saints have sung about the Second Coming. That was my focus to talk about, to study the church and the doctrine of the End Times. And so I gathered lots of research, and you're going to just be inundated. You're going to be so tired of illustrations from London by Christmas, you'll be so tired. Aren't there any other countries, I don't know, beside the US? So I'm really excited that writing, projects, podcasts, teaching, and it's fitting, as I come back that we have a short series on the second coming of Christ. We're going to be I was studying that. We're going to look at that over the next four weeks. This week, we're going to look at Luke chapter 1235, through 48 as Jesus tells a parable for us to be ready. Next week, we're going to look at being delivered from the wrath to come. We're going to look at what we call the rapture, when our bodies are resurrected to meet our souls. And then we will look at the end of First Thessalonians four, about the final day of the Lord, when he takes back his planet. Those that's what we're coming into in these next, next coming weeks, stand with me for the reading of God's Word and find in the Gospels. Luke chapter 12, and I'm going to read 35 through 4812 35 through 48 Ian,
  
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  you all right, stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning. Be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks, Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake. When he comes truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them if he comes in the second watch or in the third and finds them awake. Blessed are those servants. But know this that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect be. Said, Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all? And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his master will set over his household to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, My master is delayed in coming and begins to beat the male and female servants and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of the servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and will put him with the unfaithful, and that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will will receive a severe beating, but the one who did not know and did what was deserved will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much is given of him, much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much they will demand the more. This is the word of the Lord God. We thank you that you still speak to us. You speak around the world and this morning, whether it's check and Marcus preaching, or our faithful brothers and sisters in London or in Spain, we are so thankful that you are working and your Word works. I pray that you would work it in us. You You have to empower what you command. Give your grace to do what you command, and then command us as you will. And from this passage, we are commanded to be ready. Give us the grace to hear, to mark it on our hearts, to learn and apply. I pray that you would be at work across our city. I pray that there would be a sense that you would bring upon our city of the return of Christ, of the coming judgment and of a new heavens and a new earth, and that you would provoke not only through our speech, but through churches across the city, whether whether it be South Hill Bible Church, or whether It be South Side Christian, I pray that there would be at work north, south, east, west in the churches to accurately proclaim the gospel of Christ and His return, and that we would be faithful and be ready now give us attentiveness to hear what you have to Say in Christ's name. Amen, you may be seated you one of the most influential figures social reformers. We call him, in the 1800s in the UK, was a man named Lord Shaftesbury. He's the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury. He was called the poor man's Earl. He helped abolish slavery. As a younger man with Wilberforce, he helped establish free education. There was this practice in London since people heated their homes with coal, there was a practice of apprenticing boys eight years old or so to be with a chimney sweep. But since they didn't check ages, very often, there would be a four year old boy who would be apprenticed to a chimney sweep, and they would shove a four year old boy up into the chimney so he could get to the narrow places and pull all of the creosote down. It's an abominable practice. Naturally, all these young boys got lung cancer and died early ages. And when shafts Berry and others found out about this, they sought to end the practice. Shafts Berry was known for three things. The first was a love for the gospel. He supported missions. He supported evangelical work. He loved, loved the gospel. The second he's he had tireless efforts to help the poor. And third is he. He was devoted to studying about the second coming of Christ. He was intrigued and fascinated and devoted about the topics of the End Times. It's been noted that the Christians who did most in the present life are those who made most of the life to come.
  
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  Those who did most in the present life are those who made most of the life to come. Few are positioned like shaft, but all can make a real impact in day to day life, an outsized impact punching over our weight, so to speak. Week, so I want to ask a question, are you ready for your face to face, meeting with Jesus Christ? Are you ready for your face to face, meeting with Jesus Christ? Nathan's powerful series through Zephaniah, talked about global judgment, the restoration of Israel and the nations that would be blessed under him. That was a broad look. He applied it to us personally throughout the series that he did in Luke chapter 12, Jesus emphasizes the other side of that same coin in personal judgment. And I picked chapter 12 because Jesus talks both about our death could be at any time or his return could be at any time. But just to give a flavor for this chapter, just follow a couple of verses. Jesus is talking about every person's personal judgment in His presence. 12, two, it says, Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed. There are no secret acts. Everything will be revealed and made known. Verse five, I will warn you whom to fear. Fear Him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. When you fear man, you should fear God. Verse eight, I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man, will also acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. Here he's talking about that final judgment, the parable of the rich man. Right, right in the middle of this somebody interrupts Jesus and says, make my brother share the inheritance with me. And Jesus tells a man a story of a man whose crops were fantastic. He built bigger barns to store the crops, and he had an early retirement to live at ease. And at the punch line, Jesus says, But God said to him, fool this night, your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be. Jesus makes over 50 separate references to the coming judgment in the gospels alone, and he's giving ample opportunity to receive his blessing and grace, not his punishment. Let me put the gospel of Jesus Christ into four simple phrases, and what you do with them determines whether you're ready for that face to face meeting. Christ came as promised, His promise from the Old Testament, and he came. Christ died as promised. Christ rose as promised, and Christ will return as promised. Those are the pillars of the gospel of Jesus. Christ. Jesus came to bear God's wrath for sin. He rose from the dead, and if you confess Him as Lord and Savior, you're going to be spared from the second from the judgment of the Second Coming. Instead, you'll be rewarded everything Jesus died to secure will be fully delivered at the Second Coming. The Christian longs for the second coming when Jesus closes out the book of Revelation. The last couple of verses, Jesus says, Behold, I am coming quickly. And the response is, amen, come Lord Jesus. If you are a believer in Christ, you want His return. You want it. The big idea is this, for this morning, as we look at this, to anticipate Christ's return and persevere in serving his people. And you will be blessed. You'll be prepared for your first face to face meeting with him. One of two things are going to happen, you're going to die and face him, or he's going to return and you're going to face him. Are you going to be ready? Jesus is teaching us how to be ready for his return. The parable breaks down very simply, anticipate his return and continue to serve his people until he returns. Let's just take it that's simply anticipate Christ's return. Those who will be most prepared will be those who are anticipating seeing him face to face. Jesus says this, stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning the dress. For action is bind up your robes. They wore robes, not pants, trousers, trousers. They're called in the UK. They had to tie up their robes. They had to be ready for action keep your lamps burning. Which would have been significant, you would have had an oil lamp before it's dark, is the time to fill it with oil, time to adjust the wick, time to trim it and light it. And as the sun sets and it gets dark, it's ready. He's saying, Be ready. You have work clothes, you have casual clothes, you wear pajamas, and maybe some of you should wear pajamas. Everybody would like that in your house. This, this statement is, keep your work clothes on. Keep your work clothes on. Be ready. It's a state of readiness. And he's telling a parable, and he continues be like men who are waiting for their master return from a wedding feast. Now the feast could take days. The return could be at any time, day or night, because of the light being on, the master is welcomed. Be people who are ready and welcoming to the Lord at His return. And it could be at the darkest of hours,
  
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  Jesus is going to tell us over and over throughout the Gospels, and the spirit is going to tell us over and over throughout the the New Testament, that the return of Christ is going to come at the darkest of human times, not at the brightest. So be like men who are ready for the dark hours to welcome Jesus back. Jesus will go away. Jesus will return. Could be a short time. It could be a long time. Now, notice every passage seems to have a surprise when I study it. Here is the one that has put me in awe. Verse verse 37 blessed that's that's happy, satisfied. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. You have to have a historical understanding of this, not an American understanding of this. I suspect the disciples and the Pharisees would have been shocked by a kind of statement like this, because this is not how slaves and masters work. That's the word he's using for the workers. Is the slave language. King Charles doesn't return home from Balmoral castle in the middle of the night with Camilla and have the servants open the door and immediately say to them, Hey, go get on your your dress clothes. Bring me my servant clothes. I'm going to make a feast for everybody. Set the table. In an hour, everything's going to be ready. Like that just doesn't happen. What do the servants do? Who welcome the king? They give him whatever he wants in the middle of the night, and they send him off to bed. And that's just a that's a poor example in our time. But this, this should, this should be mind boggling to you. What Jesus is saying is that when he returns and he finds faithful servants, he will continue to serve them. He came the first time as a as an infant in a poor family, he came the first time with a basin and a truck and a towel. He came the first time to betrayal and denial. He came the first time to fists and thorns. He came the first time to a cat of nine tails and a cross. Why did he do that? He
  
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  because he loved his sheep, and he gave his life up for them. He bore our wrath on the cross. No one ever loved like this, no one ever served like this. And Jesus says, Blessed are those who are waiting. Happy are those who are waiting. Because when he returns and he finds faithful people, he will continue to serve, if you're if you're a follower, and you follow of Jesus, you've committed to follow him, everything that you have done is only what's required of you. Yet when you see him, when you see love. Of face to face, he will treat us with special service. I mean, here's what you have to think about at Jesus' second coming, the goodness of God will be put on manifold display to those who have endured dark hours and have remained faithful in serving Him. He is good. The second thing you should notice is that this life, this time, is not the time of our rest, and I'm speaking of that in its ultimate spiritual sense and physical sense, our completeness, our wholeness, the end of of the curse of toil and sweat, because our rest, our heavenly rest, is in not a place but a person in Christ. And at the face to face meeting with Christ, you will embrace your rest in the person of Christ. Bible doesn't mean that we work 24/7 never taking physical rest. But what this is a call to is this is the time of labor. This is the time of serving. This is the time of anticipation for him, and when he comes, every tired moment you've ever spent doing His will will be replenished, replenished to the full and overflowing. This is the positive side to fight against the natural human tendency, which which is to find our rest, our heavenly rest, in something created. I set one afternoon and I read a sermon from John Owen that he preached to Parliament after a military victory, urging parliament to not grow complacent. I mean, can you imagine getting to preach to to Congress? That would be awesome. I have a few things I'd like to say. Listen to what he says. There is no one defect more evident in man than inconsistency and instability of mind. He turns from his unchangeable rest Christ to quiet and satiate his soul in changeable things. You have to refuse to let people be your heavenly rest. You have to refuse to let government be your heavenly rest. You have to refuse to let an election outcome be your heavenly rest. You have to refuse a friend or a family member becoming your heavenly rest. You have to refuse and stop expecting food to be your heavenly rest a drink to be your heavenly rest a drug, an escape to be your heavenly rest. You have to stop expecting rest from unlocking the next level of a video game, or getting the next bonus. The rest you're really looking for will come when you see Christ face to face. That's your rest. Jesus continues here in this talking about the late hour. The late hour, it could be if he comes in the second watch, it's 9pm to midnight, or in the third midnight to 3am that's very late in the evening, and he finds them awake. Blessed are those servants? I mean, they are. They are blessed. They're happy. Look what the master is going to do for them, even at the late hour. Jesus adds another metaphor in the middle of this. But know this that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect we're going to find the Apostle Paul picks up this theme multiple times when he teaches about the Second Coming, about the day of the Lord Jesus wants to drive home. It can happen at any moment. So you have to be on the ready. You have to be on the ready. You
  
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  one of the things when, when we traveled to London, safety girl, my wife, Linda, I am not Safety Man, she's safety girl. She learned about the prevalence of pick pocketing. You you'd get out of a tube station into. A train station, and there'd be this public announcement. Pick pocketers operate in this area. Mind your belongings. It's like, I mean, what you guys check in and check out. I mean, is there a clock? Are they on the clock? They operate in this area. We're in. We're out. What's going on here? Just Just a warning. We went through Piccadilly Circus, which is sort of the Times Square of London, and we were in the crowds. We're trying to find a place to eat, and you have to use your map app all the time, so we're sort of like Dead Ringers for visitors. And this guy comes up to me, and you know it's bad right away. And he says, You have a great looking beard. This is a scam. You know it instantly. And he has this paper that he wants me to donate money to this, you know, young aspiring business fund, and, and, no, thank you. No, thank you. And he's got his arm, and Linda's because it's really crowded, we're sort of single file. And he takes his arm off my shoulder, and he starts to pad for my wallet. And she sees it, so she just is behind me, just like go. She starts pushing me. She starts pushing me, and I feel her pushing me. And the guy's got his arm there, and he's acting really friendly. Ian, no, thank you. No. Thank you, no. Thank you. Finally, the guy peels off and she says to me, why didn't you go forward when I when I was pushing? You couldn't you feel me pushing? Oh, I could feel you pushing me. You would have run me into a blind guy with a cane right at me. I mean, that guy knew exactly how to set me up. You have to be ready. I did have my everything in the front pockets. We were ready. Didn't have anything stolen that day. Don't know about a data breach. That's another story. But Jesus makes this really easy to grasp. Point he's going to come, and it's going to be a surprise. You have to stay ready. You have to stay ready. He says, The Son of Man is coming at an hour. You do not expect of Old Testament passages. You need to be familiar with when we think of the End Times. You have to be familiar with Daniel chapter seven. Daniel 713, there is a picture of God the Father bringing up God the Son. He's called the Ancient of Days, bringing the Son of man, and he is going to Crown Him as King, and then Jesus will employ his saints as servants of the kingdom. That's from Daniel seven. Jesus is alluding to that great day of judgment and reward you have to be ready for this. This is a time for denying self, taking up crosses. In Matthew 1624, Jesus tells the disciples, unless you deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Me. You have no part with Me. But don't lose heart, because Jesus says this in verse 28 says, For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in glory and the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Christ. Will reward every sacrifice, not because you are a contractor waiting for payment, but because the king is gracious to his slaves. I can think of two ways that you get this anticipation. One, Ian was talking about it as he was working through Romans five about having scripture cards ready, or meditating on Scripture as part of your daily reading. It's really good as you read through the Scripture to say, What's God like, and then put in your mind one day, what you see God to be like in Scripture. You will see him in person. You will see love in person, holiness in person, power in person, wisdom in person. The second great way is through music. I read a lot of looked at a lot of hymns and hymnals, because music has a way of working its way into your memory, because it's captured with moving music. John gives us playlists like use those. They set you ready and and you know, if there is a person, a family member, that you haven't seen for a long time, you look forward to finally, either they they come off, they come out of security at the airport, or they step out of the car, or they come up to the front door. You know how when. When you have family or friends or visitors and you have little children, the little children, like hours before, are going to your blinds at the sides of the doors, ruining the blinds. Like are they here? Yet they're so excited. If you have little kids like this, they stand at the window looking for the person, and the person pulls up, and they're just giddy. It anticipate his coming. You'll be ready if you're anticipating his coming. Number two, you'll be ready if you're serving his people. Anticipate His coming. Serve his people. You'll be ready for that face to face meeting. If you're doing the master's work at His arrival, Peter asks a question, Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all there's 1000s of people are there according to the context? And Jesus doesn't answer the question in binary terms, that's for you or it's for them. Here's what he says. The Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise manager? Who's this for anyone who wants to be wise about the Second Coming, anyone who wants to be wise about the Second Coming, whom his master will set over his household to give them their portion of food at the proper time. From the creation, God himself has given to mankind a stewardship. You have a body. You have abilities. You have experiences. You have skills. They are a stewardship. They belong to God. All the stuff that you live with, the possessions that he gives you to utilize, they're all his. They're all a stewardship of his. How you steward for God and his glory is the constant attention of a saint. And if you are not his, he is giving you the same stewardship of body and abilities and experience and resources, but if you are selfishly using them for Your glory or for your purposes, you're going to be the servant who's going to be punished. Is this the time to ask this question? Have you cried out to God saying, Lord, I know you're Lord. I know I'm a guilty sinner. I know if I died tonight, I know if you came back today, I would have my guilt and my shame. Have you cried out to God and pled with him for forgiveness? This is a day for you to cry out, Lord, I'm a guilty sinner, but I believe you took my guilt. I believe you took my shame on the cross. I will serve you alone. I mean, listen to anyone who recognizes Jesus' lordship will be given a special responsibility now and special reward at His return. Jesus sets the stage like to Peter Ian, to put you Peter over much, and if you're a believer, he says, I'm putting you son, daughter over much. Be faithful till I return. He says, Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes here again? Is that that word blessed, fulfilled? Those who used what they have been given to serve others. And the parable, you have a lead servant, a manager. You have the rest of the household staff or slaves the lead needs to supply and distribute what everybody else needs to run the master's house. Effectively. It's a good picture of a local church. It's a good picture at any time for believers, they have things. Who are his people that you are called on to be faithful with three things come to mind.
  
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  First, there are the sheep that Jesus is gathering. John 1016, Jesus says this, I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are Jesus instrument to bring the gospel to the five minute circle around FBC, to your area of influence and work, recreation, your neighborhood, the. First people that you give the spiritual food to. You have a parable about food. The first people you give the spiritual food to. Category one here is the lost. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. But it's not a natural it's not an unnatural jump to go to the second one who else needs their portion of food. Jesus says this to Peter. Peter had denied Christ in a terrible time of weakness. Jesus restores him in John 21 Jesus asked this question of Peter three times, do you love me? Do you love me? And every time Peter says, yes. I mean, not as well as I'd like. I mean, you know my failures. What's Jesus' answer? Feed my sheep. Feed my sheep. The gospel truth needs to go to the unbeliever. Gospel truth needs to go to your family, to your friends, to your neighbors, to your fellow church members, to your growth group attenders, to us as we gather, whether it's in the foyer and fellowship or as we speak after a service, here, we need to feed the gospel truth to fellow believers. And the third one is to the weak, or lowly, the category we call it's the least of these. It's a phrase that Jesus uses to the least of these turn over to Matthew 2531 through 46 Nathan alluded to this great day of judgment when he preached out of Zephaniah. Matthew 25 I want you to hear the words of Jesus, as you and let it sink in. Here is the return of Christ. This is the culminating moment before he takes over the kingdom. This is when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him. Then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people from one another. As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, there's going to be people from the nations that are believers, there will be people from the nations that are unbelievers. He will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. God has a plan to bless you. If you have become a follower of Jesus, the King, he is given an inheritance. He has set it apart from the beginning of the world. Look what he says, For, I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me. Jesus isn't saying this is how you earn your way into the kingdom. It's going to be quite obvious from what Josh preached in Romans, by the mercies of God and the work of the gospel, we are motivated to good works. But this was what characterized people who were followers of the king. Then the righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will answer them truly. I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me, the least of these. One Sunday, we visited a Church in the financial district of London. We stopped at a coffee shop because we were a little bit early, and we finished our flat white and a croissant. I'm sure I didn't say that right? A dignified, middle aged woman came in with a very dirty, smelly homeless man. She bought him two coffees and a breakfast sandwich. She sat down with him, talked with him a little bit, learned his name, which happened to be Daniel. She prayed with for Daniel by name, which made me curious, because we were sitting close enough to hear it, and she prayed for him that he would know true, saving faith in the steadfast love of the Lord. She got up and she left, he says, Thank you, mom. God bless you. Well, we were getting up on our way church is about to start. We followed her to the same place, and she walks into the church we were about to attend. This is going to be a good church, I can tell you. It was a great service. She cared for the least of these. What about those who did not care for the least of these? Jump down to verse 45 then he will answer them saying, truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me, and these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Let's, let's start with the small circle. The small circle life. Your life is filled with 1000s of moments to die, to self, so that friends and family can carry on the mission, because Jesus has got a grand mission that we're part of, cleaning the toilet so someone else doesn't have to is definitely a death to self. Matching socks out of the dryer, planning the 7,000th meal for the family, doing the dishes before you're asked, or with joy when you're asked, that real right there, or with joy when you ask, when you're asked, watching what someone else wants to watch. Yes, I did watch the B girls in the hip hop competition because my wife thought that would be really fun. She watched the basketball game because she thought I would, I would really enjoy it. All, those are little opportunities for death to self. And every one of them will be rewarded by King Jesus at His return, every one of them done in faith, they will be rewarded and widen the circle, bringing up gospel conversations when you fear rejection, it's definitely dying to self, especially in the culture where everybody's got to love everything that I'm about, and then you realize they won't love what I'm about necessarily. Some will. That's how Jesus gathers people to Himself, serving in a Sunday school class, tithing to your church or giving toward missions when you could buy something grander for yourself, or treat yourself to some grander vacation, skipping a few meals, to fast and pray for missionaries. I want you to know if that's you be encouraged if you do the little things and you sacrifice the little things over and over, deny yourself every day the Lord sees, The Lord knows, volunteering at UGM or World Relief, or developing a discipleship relationship with an with an addict, The Lord sees, The Lord knows to help the stranger, the refugee, the poor, visiting prison. Back in our parable, turn back to chapter 12 in Luke, verse 44 Jesus says, Truly, I say to you, when he returns and he finds the steward faithful, He will set him over all his possessions, all his possessions. There's a greater stewardship to come. But if that servant says to himself, My master is delayed in coming, remember, there's two responses to the second coming of Christ, denial, it's not going to happen. Or anticipation. There's only two denial or anticipation. Here's what happens with denial. My master is delayed in coming. Well, I'm going to live for myself then. And he begins to beat the male and female servants, which is to take control, absolute control, using whatever means is necessary to have control, control is at the heart of this. And to eat and drink and get drunk, to please oneself is at the heart of this. That person lives in denial.
  
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  I am going to 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 unfaithful. This. This is the flesh that we can live in, where the non believer lives all the time. Baxter and saints everlasting rest. A number of us wrote that together this summer, says we exceedingly make the creature our rest. Is it not enough? Out that God's mercies and gifts are sweet, delights and refreshing helps on our way to heaven, will we also make them our heaven itself. This is what the unfaithful steward did. He made the king's household here on earth. He made this earth, Heaven itself, and then Jesus talks about degrees of punishment, degrees of responsibility. Says in that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what was deserved, a beating. Well received, a light beating. Jesus teaches this principle over and over. There are degrees of punishment and there are degrees of reward. The degrees of punish, of punishment are based on the degree of knowledge that you had. So I just want to say every child who is 17 or under, and you could be a child who's older, but if you don't trust Christ, and you have sat under the preaching of God's word, sitting right beside your mother or father for years and years, you will be accountable to a greater punishment. So I would plead with you, kids, this is not the time to push off Christ and say later, I got to have my fun. I got to have my world. I got to have my life. This is not the time to do that. And if you're visiting today, you're here today, or you've come back and you had a grandmother who faithfully prayed for you and taught you and brought you to Sunday school, and you heard those truths you're accountable for, what you heard, even if it was six decades ago. And I want to tell you today is the day you could cry out for forgiveness and salvation and be restored. And what I would say to you kids, and what I would say to you, adult, grown up, senior, haven't you wasted enough time already? Haven't you wasted enough time by the mercies of God, you could be brought into relationship and put into service? Are you ready for your face to face meeting with Jesus? It can happen two ways. You could die, or Christ could return. What will happen when you die? Hebrews 927. Says this, it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment second. Corinthians, 5858, through 10 talks about this. Verse 10 says, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. All, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. For the non Christian, when you die, your charges will be read out. Your soul will be brought to the presence of Christ. Your charges will be read out, and you will be put into the prison cell that we call hell until a final sentencing. Until a final sentencing hearing, your body will be resurrected to join in a and an eternal body and soul, and your charges will be read out to all creation. The end of Revelation, chapter 20, all creation will hear the charges read out to you, and you will be cast body and soul into the lake of fire. And I'm here today to tell you you do not have to face that day. That way, you do not have to face the Son of Man has come to give you life and to give you forgiveness, you could trust Jesus. Jesus has a better plan. Jesus is really good. What does it say in the parable that if you faithfully serve Him, even in the darkest hour, he will bless you and serve you for the believer at death, before the judgment seat of Christ. Christians will find out their souls. Will be brought to the presence of Christ. You will find out every sin Jesus died to forgive, every thought, every attitude, every word, every action. It will be on a long list and stamped. Will be a great stamp paid in full. It's the first time you're going to know what Jesus died, and you are going to cry out, hallelujah, what a savior. Everything on that list was forgiven by the blood of Christ, and a list of everything you've done, as imperfect as you are, everything you have done in faith will be rewarded. You will be put over many possessions if you're still alive at Christ's return. One person put it like this, and then shall come. The coming of all comings, which is the glorious coming of Christ, to take us to himself and make us sit with him, to judge the world as so many kings and judges of the world, and to be with him for ever,
  
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  those people who make most preparation for the life to come make the most impact in this world here because they are faithful to serve the master. Another of Lord shaftesbury's great achievement was reforming what they called lunatic asylums. If somebody had lunacy, it could have been schizophrenia or any of those kind of diagnosable things they would they would put them in essentially a prison, and often tie their hands over their head, leave them in their feces, you know, to writhe in their craziness and their pain. And he found out about it, and he and others made an end to this inhumane treatment of the least of these Shaftesbury died in 1885 he loved Scripture. He supported missions. He labored for the poor. He had a keen interest in the Second Coming, that is at the funeral possession as his body was carted through London, men and women lined the streets.
  
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  Said that Shaftsbury and his group was responsible for the free education of some 300,000 boys and girls before public education was made available, 1000s made placards. They hung across their chest with lines from Matthew 25 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. I was in prison and you visited me.
  
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  Those who make the most impact here on Earth are those that anticipate meeting Jesus face to face at His return as God promises grace, may He give us the grace to do this as he commands, Father, we pray that you would make our attitude, our our anticipation of your return, a great focus of life, and be faithful to serve you in The multiple ways you've called each of us to do that. I know many work very hard, and they labor hard. And I pray for those who might be guilt ridden because they always want to do more, Father, remind those among us of the rest that's to come. And I pray for those who have not yet called in your name for forgiveness that they would today come into your service Christ's name. We pray.

Dan Jarms

Dr. Dan Jarms is teaching pastor and team leader at Faith Bible Church in Spokane Washington, as well as associate dean at The Master's Seminary in Spokane. He has been married for over 30 years to Linda, and has three adult children. He earned his B.A. in English at the Master’s College, B.Ed. at Eastern Washington University, M.Div and D.Min in Expository Preaching at The Master’s Seminary. His other interests include NCAA basketball, woodworking, and art.

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