Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: SMTF
Program Code: SMTF000013
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00:35 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
00:38 Father, what a joy it is to be in Your presence. 00:42 There is no better place to be on planet earth. 00:46 And Father, what a joy it is also to have Your holy word. 00:51 We can't conceive of what it would be like 00:53 without the guidance of Your word in this trying times. 00:57 And we ask that as we study about "Living in Expectancy" 01:01 that Your Holy Spirit will help us see 01:05 that we're living on the brink of great events. 01:09 And that we need to prepare now 01:12 and every day for those events. 01:15 We thank You, Father, for the privilege of prayer. 01:18 We thank You for hearing and answering us. 01:21 For we ask it in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. 01:27 It's gonna be very difficult in our lecture today 01:30 to cover all of the material in simply one lecture. 01:34 Originally, when I put this series together 01:37 I had planned to present two parts to this lecture. 01:42 But unfortunately, it's not very good 01:45 to prepare a series with 15 lectures 01:48 with an odd number. 01:49 It's much better for different reasons 01:51 to have an even number. 01:53 And so what I decided was to synthesize 01:55 and summarize and present 01:58 "Living in Expectancy" in only one lecture. 02:02 Now allow me to give you a little bit of context 02:05 that'll help you understand where we're going 02:07 with what we're gonna study today. 02:09 Matthew 24 presents the signs of the coming of Jesus. 02:17 Then towards the end of the chapter, 02:19 after the signs are presented, 02:21 Jesus gives three analogies 02:25 to show the urgency of preparing for that great event, 02:32 for the close of probation of the coming of Jesus. 02:35 Those three analogies are the parable of victory, 02:39 you remember we studied whole lessonon 02:41 on the "Parable of the Fig Tree." 02:43 Secondly, He speaks about 02:45 the coming of the thief in the night. 02:48 And how he can surprise you when the thief comes. 02:51 And that's why we need to be ready. 02:53 And finally, the last analogy is 02:55 what happened in the days of Noah. 02:58 So after He presents the signs 03:01 and He gives three illustrations of the need to be prepared, 03:05 then He goes on to speak about how we can prepare 03:11 and what we need to do in the light of the signs 03:14 and in the light of the soon coming of Jesus. 03:18 Actually, He presents four parables 03:21 after giving the signs and the three analogies 03:25 and these parables are 03:28 the "Parable of the Faithful Servant," 03:30 that's the last portion of Matthew 24, 03:34 'The Parable of the Ten Virgins, 03:37 The Parable of the Talents 03:39 and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats." 03:44 Now I would like to begin reading at Matthew 24:45. 03:51 Matthew 24:45. 03:54 And actually before we go to verse 45, 03:57 why don't we just read beginning at verse 42. 04:00 Because we didn't study specifically these verses 04:03 when we discussed the coming of the thief in the night. 04:07 So let's just read them and I'll do this quickly. 04:10 "Watch therefore, for you do not know 04:13 what hour your Lord is coming." 04:16 What coming is that referring to, 04:18 in the light of what we've studied last time? 04:20 It's referring to the coming of Jesus to close, what? 04:25 To close the door of probation. 04:28 "But know this, that if the master of the house 04:31 had known what hour the thief would come, 04:35 he would have watched 04:37 and not allowed his house to be broken into. 04:41 Therefore you also be ready, 04:43 for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." 04:50 Now let's go to verse 45 and as we go along, 04:53 I'm going to interpret the symbols of this parable. 04:58 It says here in verse 45, 05:00 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant," 05:05 Now the faithful and wise servant here 05:09 represents the leaders of the church. 05:12 It represents the leadership of a church, 05:15 pastors, teachers, etcetera. 05:19 So it says "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, 05:23 whom his master--" Who is the master? 05:26 The master is Jesus Christ, that's right. 05:30 "Whom his master made ruler over his household," 05:34 what is his household? 05:36 His household is the church, that's right. 05:39 "To give them food," What does food represent? 05:43 It represents the word of God, 05:46 but notice it's not any old kind of food. 05:49 It's a special kind of food. 05:51 It continue saying to give them food, in what? 05:55 "in due season?" 05:57 In other words, food at the right time. 06:00 We call it present truth. 06:03 Do you know that every generation has present truth? 06:06 A truth that is special for that generation. 06:09 For example, in the days of Martin Luther, 06:11 it was "the just shall live by faith." 06:15 Justification by faith 06:16 because the church was caught up in works righteousness. 06:21 So God says the special mission for you, 06:23 Martin Luther, and Calvin, and Zwingli 06:25 is to restore the idea that we're saved by grace 06:29 through faith in Jesus Christ. 06:31 See the role of Martin Luther was not to restore the Sabbath 06:34 or the sanctuary truth, that would come later. 06:37 God has a present truth for every generation. 06:40 And so notice that we're told here 06:42 that the faithful and wise servant, 06:44 his master makes him rule over his household 06:46 which is the church so that the faithful 06:50 and wise servant gives food, 06:53 the right kind of food at the right time. 06:56 Then notice verse 46. 06:58 "Blessed is that servant whom his master, 07:02 when he comes, will find so doing." 07:06 What does that mean, so doing? 07:07 Doing what? Feeding the, what? 07:10 Feeding the church in the right time 07:15 with the right message. 07:17 So does God hold leaders 07:20 accountable for what they feed their congregations? 07:23 Absolutely. Notice verse 47. 07:26 "Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler 07:31 over all his goods." 07:34 But now notice the flip side of the coin. 07:37 "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 07:42 'My master is delaying his coming,'" 07:45 What does that referring to, delaying his coming? 07:48 That's the time that we're in now, right? 07:51 That's the time that our parents, 07:52 our grandparents and our great grandparents 07:55 have been preaching the second coming of Jesus 07:57 and it hasn't happened. 07:59 "And so the wicked servants says 08:01 my master is delaying his coming 08:04 and begins to beat his fellow servants, 08:07 and to eat and drink with the drunkards." 08:10 In other words, he gets all caught up in the world 08:12 and he lives like worldlings. 08:15 Verse 50, "The master of that servant will come on a day 08:19 when he is not looking for him," 08:22 What coming is that referring 08:23 to in the light of what we've studied last time? 08:26 It is speaking about the moment 08:27 when Jesus comes to close the door. 08:29 We'll have more to say about that a little bit later. 08:33 So it says, "The master of that servant will come on a day 08:36 when he is not looking for him 08:38 and at an hour that he is not aware of, 08:42 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion 08:47 with the hypocrites. 08:48 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 08:54 Who is Jesus warning here? 08:57 Well, He is warning the secular humanists. 09:01 He is warning the Buddhists, and the Hindu, and the Muslims. 09:06 Is that what Jesus is doing? 09:08 Who is Jesus talking about? 09:11 He is talking about those who profess His name, 09:17 who are the ones who are in danger of being 09:20 the wicked servants. 09:22 Not those who are outside in the world, 09:25 but those who belong to the covenant community, 09:28 those who claim to be followers or servants of Jesus Christ 09:33 because you notice that the servant 09:34 calls Jesus, what? Lord. 09:40 Do you remember that Matthew 24 began by Jesus saying, 09:44 "Make sure that no one deceives you" 09:47 and He's speaking to His disciples. 09:49 Make sure that no one deceives you. 09:52 In other words, the target of this teaching by Jesus 09:58 are His very own people, those who profess His name. 10:04 By the way did you notice here the expression 10:08 'weeping and gnashing of teeth'? 10:11 Did you notice also that they're called hypocrites, 10:13 the evil and wicked servant is called a hypocrite? 10:16 Do you know that every single time in the gospels 10:20 that Jesus uses the word hypocrite, 10:22 He is speaking about people who claim to serve God. 10:26 He called the Pharisees hypocrites very frequently. 10:30 Do you know also that every single time in the gospels 10:33 and you can check it out to see if it's true. 10:35 Every time in the gospels that you find the expression 10:38 'weeping and gnashing of teeth', it's referring to the Jews, 10:44 who claimed to be servants of God, 10:48 who claimed to be members of the covenant community. 10:53 In fact, in Matthew 15:7, 10:56 Jesus spoke about the Jewish leaders 10:59 and He said, these people serve me with their, what? 11:03 With their lips but their hearts are what? 11:08 Their hearts are far away from Me. 11:12 These are the same ones that Jesus said not everyone 11:15 who says to Me, "Lord, Lord!" 11:18 shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who, what? 11:21 Who does the will of my Father. 11:23 In other words, these are the ones who are hearers 11:26 but they are not, what? 11:27 They are not doers. 11:31 And by the way, it says in Matthew Chapter 7 11:34 that they can perform exorcisms and they can give prophecies 11:39 and they can perform miracles and yet, Jesus says, 11:44 "I don't know you, depart from Me, 11:47 you workers of lawlessness or of wickedness." 11:52 So who are the ones in danger? 11:54 The worldlings? No, the leaders of the church. 11:59 Notice this remarkable passage in volume 5 of the Testimonies, 12:03 page 101 and 102. 12:08 "The evil servant who said in his heart, 12:12 "My Lord delayeth His coming," 12:16 professed to be waiting for Christ." 12:20 He professed to be waiting for Christ. 12:23 "He was a "servant," and she put servant in quotation marks, 12:28 "outwardly devoted to the service of God 12:33 while at heart he had yielded to Satan. 12:38 He does not, like the scoffer, openly deny the truth, 12:44 but reveals in his life the sentiment of the heart 12:48 that the Lord's coming is delayed. 12:51 Presumption renders him careless of eternal interests." 12:55 See, presumption renders in, what? 12:58 Careless of eternal interests. 13:00 "He accepts the world's maxims 13:04 and conforms to its customs and practices." 13:08 Now it says, we're in this world, 13:10 the master is delaying his coming, 13:12 so we just have to kind of fit in. 13:16 And by the way he's talking about leaders, 13:18 pastors of the church. 13:21 She continue saying, "Selfishness, 13:24 worldly pride, and ambitions predominate. 13:31 Fearing that his brethren may stand higher than himself, 13:34 he begins to disparage their efforts 13:36 and impugn their motives. 13:38 Thus he smites his fellow servants." 13:41 By speaking badly of them, 13:42 remember he said that he would smite the servants. 13:45 "As he alienates himself from the people of God 13:48 he unites more and more with the ungodly. 13:53 He is found eating and drinking 'with the drunken," 13:57 and then she explains what that means. 13:59 "joining with worldlings and partaking of their spirit. 14:04 Thus he is lulled into a carnal security 14:08 and overcome by forgetfulness, indifference, and sloth. 14:14 The very beginning of the evil was a neglect of watchfulness." 14:18 Notice where the process begin? 14:20 "A neglect of watchfulness and secret prayer, 14:23 then came a neglect of other religious duties, 14:27 and thus the way was opened of all the sins that followed. 14:31 Every Christian will be assailed by the allurements of the world, 14:36 the clamors of the carnal nature, 14:38 and the direct temptations of Satan. 14:41 No one is safe. 14:43 No matter what our experience has been, 14:45 no matter how high our station, 14:47 we need to watch and pray continually. 14:50 We must be daily controlled by the Spirit of God 14:54 or we are controlled by Satan." 15:00 You know most of the Christians out there are teaching 15:03 that the end time conflict is going to be 15:06 between Christians and non Christians, 15:09 between the religious and the secular. 15:13 Well, the fact is that these parables we're gonna notice 15:16 are targeted to those who profess 15:18 to serve Jesus Christ, 15:20 those who profess to serve God. 15:23 And the final conflict as we've studied is not primarily 15:26 between the secular and the religious, 15:29 it's between two different types of religious people 15:34 who claim to serve God. 15:38 In fact, most of the Christian world, 15:40 because Jesus delays His coming becomes-- 15:44 they become comfortable with the world. 15:46 They adapt to the world, 15:48 to the temperature of the world. 15:50 They're expecting to be ruptured out of this world 15:53 before the great tribulation and therefore, 15:56 when the great tribulation comes, 15:57 when the hard times come, 16:00 not the easy times that we have now, 16:02 but when the hard times come, 16:04 they don't have a character 16:05 prepared to go through that terrible time of tribulation. 16:11 Now that's the first parable that Jesus gave. 16:13 Now we need to go to the second parable. 16:16 It's the famous parable of the ten virgins. 16:19 Who hasn't heard the parable of the ten virgins? 16:21 Of course, that parable is directed primarily to atheists. 16:27 You think? 16:29 Is that message primarily for atheists? 16:31 Well, then will anybody say that it's for Buddhists 16:34 or Hindus and Muslims? No. 16:37 It's directed towards whom? 16:39 God's people, who are the ones 16:41 that are in danger of being deceived 16:43 or falling away when they're persecuted, 16:46 not non Christians but Christians. 16:49 All of Matthew 24 is given for Christians. 16:52 The signs are to show Christians. 16:54 The analogies are so that they know 16:57 when Jesus is even at the door. 16:59 The parables are given saying, 17:00 listen in the light of what we've studied, 17:02 the signs and the analogies get ready. 17:05 Because if not, you will fall by the wayside. 17:09 Let's go to Matthew 25:1-13 17:13 and once again I will interpret as we go along in this parable. 17:18 "Then the kingdom of heaven 17:20 shall be likened to ten virgins," 17:22 the ten virgins represent Christians, 17:28 but there's two kinds of Christians, 17:30 we need to remember that, 17:31 but the ten virgins represent Christians. 17:34 Let me ask you, does the Bible speak about the church 17:36 as Christ's virgin. 17:38 It most certainly does. 17:39 You can read it for example, in Jeremiah 6:2. 17:44 You can read it in Revelation Chapter 14 17:46 speaking about that 144,000, 17:48 they are virgins the Bible says. 17:50 So in other words, the ten virgins represent Christians. 17:55 Now notice what he continue saying, 17:56 "who took their lamps," What does the lamp represent? 18:02 The lamp represents the Bible. 18:04 Thy word is what? 18:07 A lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. 18:10 So the lamp represents the Bible. 18:13 So do all of the Christians have the Bible? 18:15 Yes, according to this. 18:17 Now notice this, "and went out to meet the bridegroom." 18:21 Who is the bridegroom? 18:23 The bridegroom is Jesus. 18:26 By the way, are all of these claiming 18:28 to be followers of Jesus? 18:29 Why would they go out to meet the bridegroom 18:31 if they didn't believe in Jesus? 18:33 Notice verse 2, "Now five of them were wise," 18:37 these are true genuine Christians," 18:41 and five were foolish." 18:43 These are counterfeit, what? Christians. 18:47 They're like the wicked servants. 18:48 See, there's a good servant and there's an evil servant. 18:52 Here there is a good, what? 18:56 A good group of virgins and a bad group of virgins, 19:01 both of them are Christians. 19:03 But one group are true Christians, 19:04 the others are counterfeit Christians. 19:07 Notice verse 3. 19:09 "Those who were foolish took their lamps 19:12 and took no oil," Now I need to explain 19:15 that they did have oil in their lamps, 19:17 but they did not have an extra supply of oil. 19:21 We'll see that clearly in the parable a little bit later. 19:24 They had--all of them had oil in their lamps 19:27 because later on, even the foolish virgins are saying, 19:29 our lamps are what? Are going out. 19:33 So must they have had some oil? 19:35 Of course, they must have had oil in their lamps, 19:37 but they had no extra supply. 19:39 And what I sustain is 19:40 that the oil represents the Holy Spirit 19:43 that we received when we believed. 19:47 The extra supply of oil 19:50 is the outpouring of the latter rain 19:53 that we've been talking about the last several days. 19:58 It's what is gonna be received 19:59 at the very end of human history, 20:01 but if the early rain has not produced growth in your life, 20:05 if after you receive the early rain, 20:08 you died, the latter rain is not gonna help a plant that's dead. 20:13 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 20:15 Now, notice verse 3, 20:17 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil." 20:20 There is no extra supply of oil. 20:22 They had oil when they were converted 20:24 but they did not grow in grace 20:26 and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 20:28 Verse 4, "But the wise took oil," where? 20:32 "in their vessels." 20:34 So they have it in their lamp 20:36 and they also have an extra supply in their vessels. 20:38 Now let me ask you. 20:40 What does oil represent in scripture? 20:42 In scripture, oil represents the Holy Spirit. 20:45 Do you know why the Bible is powerful? 20:48 Because the Bible is a lamp, 20:50 but what gives the lamp light is the Holy Sprit. 20:54 That's why the Bible is called the "Sword of the Spirit." 20:58 See, because the word without the Spirit of God 21:01 is just like any other book, 21:03 but the word with the Spirit of God brings conviction. 21:07 Now notice what it continues saying in verse 5, 21:11 "But while the bridegroom was," what? 21:13 There we have the same idea delayed. 21:15 What is the delay? 21:17 Well, the delay is like 2,000 years old now. 21:21 Since Jesus went to heaven, He's been delayed. 21:25 And so it says, 21:26 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, 21:28 they all slumbered and slept." 21:30 Notice that all of them slumbered and slept. 21:32 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 21:34 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him!" 21:38 Now crunch time has come, right? 21:40 Now the time for an extra supply of oil is needed 21:43 in the darkness of the night. 21:46 Then verse 7 says, "Then all those virgins arose 21:50 and trimmed their lamps. 21:53 And the foolish said to the wise, 21:55 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'" 21:59 Did they have oil in their lamps? 22:01 Yes or no? Of course, they did. 22:03 They had the early rain experience. 22:05 They received the Spirit when they believed, 22:07 but they did not persevere, they did not grow. 22:10 Therefore the extra supply wasn't there 22:13 when they urgently needed it. 22:15 And so it says, "Give us some of your oil, 22:17 for our lamps are going out. 22:20 But the wise answered, saying, 22:21 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you, 22:25 but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves." 22:29 Let me ask you, can we give other people 22:32 the Holy Spirit? No. 22:35 They can only claim it for themselves. 22:37 I cannot give somebody else my own experience. 22:41 And now notice what it says in verse 10. 22:43 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came," 22:49 while they went to, what? To buy. 22:53 Do you know that Amos 8:11, 12 22:56 says that the day is coming 22:59 when people will go to the north and to the east, 23:03 and from sea to sea, seeking the word of God 23:08 and they shall not be able to find it, 23:12 because probation has what? Closed. 23:16 Now what is represented here by the coming of the bridegroom? 23:18 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came." 23:22 This coming of the bridegroom, folks, 23:23 is not the coming of Jesus to planet earth. 23:27 This is explained in Daniel Chapter 7 where it says, 23:30 that Jesus went on the clouds of heaven, where? 23:34 To the ancient of days to receive, what? The kingdom. 23:38 And you know how He determines, what His kingdom is? 23:42 He does an investigative judgment 23:44 to reveal to the universe who belong to His kingdom. 23:49 So this is talking about Jesus going to His Father in heaven 23:53 in order to reveal by opening the books who are His. 23:59 This is referring to the moment of the judgment in other words. 24:04 And now notice what He continue saying, 24:05 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, 24:08 and those who were ready went in with him to the," 24:12 what? "to the wedding." 24:15 Do you know that the wedding is not the second coming of Jesus, 24:17 Jesus doesn't come to marry His people 24:19 when He returns the second time. 24:21 He marries His people in absentia. 24:25 In other words, Jesus marries His people in heaven 24:27 while they are on earth, and you'll say now how is that? 24:30 I'm not gonna read it now but go to Luke 12:35, 36, 24:34 where Jesus says to His disciples, 24:36 you be like those good servants that are watching and waiting 24:40 for the master to return from the wedding, it says there. 24:44 By the way, you remember that parable in Matthew Chapter 22, 24:48 where the king comes to examine the garments of the guests 24:54 that he invited to the wedding? 24:57 What was found in there? 25:00 An individual who did not have the garment. 25:04 So I suppose that what that means is that 25:06 some people are gonna sneak into heaven. 25:10 And when they're up there, 25:11 Jesus is gonna check everybody's garment, say, 25:14 "Wait a minute, how did you get in here?" 25:15 No, of course, not. 25:17 The checking of the garments is what takes place, where? 25:20 In the judgment, in the heavenly sanctuary before Jesus comes. 25:25 That is the coming of the bridegroom to the father 25:28 to determine the subjects of His kingdom 25:30 by opening the books and revealing to the universe 25:33 who are genuine followers of Jesus 25:36 and who are the counterfeit followers of Jesus. 25:39 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 25:41 Now so it says, this is verse 10, 25:45 "And those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding." 25:49 By the way we go in, how? By faith. 25:54 Let me ask you, can we come to the stone of grace today? 25:57 The Apostle Paul says, 25:59 "Let us come boldly to the throne of grace." 26:00 Now what, do we have to take a rocket to go up there? 26:03 We've go to NASA? 26:06 Does it say in Hebrews, 26:07 that we can enter into the presence of Jesus by faith, 26:13 by His blood? Yes, it does. 26:15 But we don't enter personally. We enter, how? 26:17 In our thoughts and we follow Jesus 26:21 into the holy place to watch His work as High Priest 26:24 we seem Him going where, 26:27 into the most Holy place and we follow His work 26:30 that He's performing there. 26:31 In other words, we go into the wedding 26:34 not personally but by faith. 26:39 And so notice it says, 26:40 "And those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding 26:44 and the door was," what? "Shut." 26:47 What is the shutting of the door? 26:49 That's the second coming, right? 26:51 It's not the second coming because after the door is shut, 26:54 the foolish virgins still have time to go try and find oil. 26:59 If this was the second coming, 27:01 they would've all been destroyed, wiped out. 27:03 But they still have time to say, you know, the doors, 27:06 it has closed but maybe just maybe we can find oil. 27:10 But what has happened, the Holy Spirit has been, 27:12 what? Withdrawn. 27:15 There's no more oil 27:17 because the intercession of Jesus is, what? 27:20 Is finished into heavenly sanctuary. 27:23 Verse 11, "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 27:28 'Lord, Lord, open to us!" 27:30 You remember that expression 27:31 "Lord, Lord" in Matthew Chapter 7, 27:33 not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, 27:36 will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does, what? 27:38 He who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. 27:41 By the way these people perform miracles, 27:43 they perform exorcisms, 27:44 they prophesied in the name of Jesus. 27:49 They said Lord, Lord, if you read Matthew Chapter 7 27:53 but there's more. 27:55 "Afterward the other virgins." 27:58 Verse 11, "came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!" 28:02 But He answered and said, 28:04 "Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you." 28:07 Is that what we found in Matthew 7 also, 28:09 those who claim the name of Jesus, 28:11 did we do this in your name, 28:13 that in your name, these are believers. 28:17 And so it says, "But He answered and said, 28:20 "Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you." 28:23 And then He says, "Watch therefore, 28:25 for you know neither the day nor the hour 28:28 in which the Son of Man is coming." 28:31 The Son of Man is coming for, what? 28:33 To close, what? 28:35 According to the context, "Coming to close the door." 28:41 So what are we supposed to prepare for? 28:43 The second coming or the close of probation? 28:46 It's the close of probation, 28:47 because the Bible says we're gonna have to live 28:49 through the time of trouble 28:50 such as never has been seen in the history of the world. 28:53 We're gonna need an unshakable and unbreakable faith 28:56 and that faith is formed now, Jesus is saying while you wait, 29:00 pray, watch, occupy, invest, 29:04 work, reveal the character of Jesus, 29:06 do something while I'm gone 29:08 and then time will definitely go faster. 29:12 Now we need to go to our third parable, 29:14 "The Parable of the Talents." 29:17 And once again we're gonna go through this 29:19 and I'm going to interpret it as we go along. 29:21 The Parable of the Talents is found in Matthew 25:14-30. 29:26 Matthew 25:14-30. 29:30 It says here, "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man," 29:35 who do you think that man is? It's Jesus. 29:39 "Like a man traveling to a far country," 29:41 where is the far country? Heaven. 29:44 When did He travel to that far country? 29:47 When He went to heaven after His crucifixion 29:49 and His resurrection, right? 29:50 He went to a far country. 29:52 So it says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man 29:53 traveling to a far country, who called his own servants." 29:58 Did Jesus call servants? 30:02 Did Jesus call servants? Yes, He did. 30:04 What did He give them gifts 30:07 on the day of Pentecost? Oh, absolutely. 30:09 So it says, "Who called his own servants," 30:13 what are His servants? Church members, right? 30:17 "And delivered his goods," 30:19 do you know what the goods are? 30:20 The gifts of Holy Spirit. 30:23 Are you catching a picture here? 30:26 Jesus comes, He goes to heaven. 30:31 He calls His servants, the church members. 30:34 Gives them the gifts of Holy Spirit. 30:35 Verse 15, "And to one he gave five talents." 30:40 Are some people more gifted than others? 30:43 Sure. "To another two, and to another one." 30:50 So what determines whether you've got five, two, or one. 30:56 Notice, it says, "To each according to his own ability," 31:01 wouldn't be a--wouldn't it be a waste for Jesus 31:03 to give gifts to people 31:06 who did not have the ability to use those gifts? 31:09 That would be waste. 31:11 So Jesus knows what the capacities of each are. 31:13 So He says, "I'm gonna give you the gift 31:16 that you can use and you can develop 31:18 according to your ability." 31:22 To some He may-- apostles, others prophets, 31:25 others teachers, others evangelists, 31:27 those are the gifts. 31:29 And so it says, "And to one he gave five talents, 31:31 to another two, to another one 31:33 to each according to his own ability 31:35 and immediately he went on a journey." 31:38 There is the ascension. 31:40 "Then he who had received the five talents." 31:44 By the way talents are money. You are aware of that, right? 31:47 Talents in biblical terms were measurement of currency, money. 31:52 But the principle here is that He gave resources. 31:56 Financial, time, talents, as we call them abilities etcetera. 32:03 So it says in verse 17, "And likewise 32:06 he who had received two gained two more also. 32:09 But he who had received one went and dug into the ground, 32:14 and hid his Lord's money." 32:18 Is this a believer? Is he a believer? 32:21 He hides his Lord's money. So he claims Jesus as what? 32:25 As Lord, so this once again is a believer 32:28 who has received gifts from God. 32:30 Now usually we think that those who are in greatest danger 32:34 are the rich who receive many resources. 32:38 But in this parable you have the guy who received the least. 32:44 Who is the one who is in danger? 32:46 Notice verse 19. 32:49 It says, "After a long time, " what is that long time? 32:52 Do you notice in all these parables says what? 32:54 There is a delay, isn't there? 32:56 It's a long time between the first... 32:58 coming of Jesus and the second coming. 33:00 After a long time the Lord of those servants 33:03 came and settled accounts with them. 33:05 Do you know what the settling 33:06 of the accounts is in this parable? 33:08 It's a judgment. 33:12 What is determined in the judgment? 33:14 In the judgment what is determined 33:16 is what your reward is gonna be. 33:18 Jesus said, "Behold, I come quickly and my--" what? 33:23 "And my reward is with me." 33:26 Now if Jesus is gonna bring His reward, 33:28 He must have determined beforehand 33:30 what the reward was gonna be. 33:32 Are you with me or not? 33:34 That's why Revelation 14 says, 33:35 "He's gonna do a work of investigative judgment. 33:38 He's gonna examine the life of each one 33:39 to see what reward that individual deserves. 33:44 And so it says, verse 18, "But he who had received one 33:46 went and dug in the ground, and hid his Lord's money. 33:49 After a long time the Lord of those servants came 33:51 and settled accounts with them. 33:54 So he who had received five talents 33:55 came and brought five other talents, saying, 33:58 ''Lord, you delivered to me five talents, 34:00 look, I have gained five more talents besides them." 34:02 In other words I multiplied the resources 34:04 that You gave me and I multiplied them for You. 34:09 "His Lord said to him," Notice His Lord said to him, 34:12 "Well done, good and faithful servant, 34:15 you were faithful over a few things, 34:17 I will make you ruler over many things." 34:19 And now comes the second coming and the ascension to Jesus. 34:23 It says, "Enter into the joy of your Lord." 34:27 See first, He determines what his reward is 34:30 and then He says, "Enter into the joy of your Lord." 34:33 Verse 22, "He also who had received two talents 34:37 came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents, 34:40 look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' 34:43 His lord said to him, 34:44 'Well done, good and faithful servant, 34:46 you have been faithful over a few things, 34:48 I will make you ruler over many things.'" 34:50 And then He says, "Enter the joy of your Lord." 34:56 By the way, have you ever heard anybody in the church saying, 34:59 "I don't know how to do anything, 35:03 the Lord just passed me by." 35:07 Everybody in church has received a gift, 35:11 some less, some more. 35:15 But the more you get, the more accountable you are. 35:20 Because he who is faithful, who receives much must be 35:26 judged on the basis of what he received. 35:30 He who received little, God is not going to expect 35:32 an individual got one talent to produce ten. 35:38 Notice verse 24, "Then he who had received the one talent 35:43 came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man,'" 35:48 notice what view he had of Him. 35:50 "Reaping where you have not sown, 35:53 and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 35:58 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent." 36:02 Notice he knows, he says that your talent. 36:03 "Hid your talent in the ground. 36:05 Look, there you have what is yours." 36:10 Was this servant right in what he said? 36:13 You reap where you haven't sown. 36:15 The fact is who gave him the talent? 36:18 God did. 36:19 God gave him the talent that was a sowing 36:22 and therefore God expected him to do what? 36:25 To produce a harvest. Verse 26. 36:28 "But his Lord answered and said to him, 36:30 'You wicked and lazy servant,'" 36:35 And I need to add a little word here 36:37 which is really the sense of the passage. 36:42 "You wicked and lazy servant 36:45 if you knew that I reap where I have not sown." 36:48 See he is just basically arguing on the basis 36:50 of what the servant had said. 36:53 "If you knew that I reap where I have not sown 36:56 and gather where I have not scattered seed. 36:59 So you ought to have deposited my money" 37:03 so did the owner sow something? Oh, yes, he did. 37:09 "So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, 37:12 and at my coming 37:15 I would have received back my own with interest. 37:21 Therefore take the talent from him, 37:24 and give it to him who has ten talents." 37:27 Now why would the talent be taken from the one 37:29 and given to the one who had ten. 37:33 That's a good business principle. 37:36 If you for example, had an individual 37:41 to whom you gave $5,000 37:45 and in a couple of months, he duplicated it to 10,000. 37:49 And you had another individual that you gave 2,000 37:52 and he duplicated it to 4,000 to whom would you give 37:56 the money that the other guy wasted? 37:59 To the guy who produces the greatest dividends, right? 38:03 And so this is just sound business principles. 38:07 Verse 29, "For to everyone who has, more will be given," 38:13 that is to everyone who has what the original owner gave 38:16 plus multiplied it, more will be given. 38:20 "And he will have," what? 38:23 "Abundance, but from him who does not have," 38:25 that is who received the talent and didn't do anything with it. 38:29 "Even what he has will be," what? 38:32 "Will be taken away." 38:33 And now notice again verse 30, 38:36 "And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. 38:43 There will be," what? 38:46 "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 38:52 How does the parable end again? 38:54 It ends by speaking about this unprofitable servant 39:01 going to where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. 39:05 You know, some people use it they say, 39:07 "Well, see that shows that the wicked are gonna 39:10 suffer in hell forever and they're gonna weep 39:14 and they're gonna gnash their teeth." 39:15 You tell me where is the word forever used there? 39:19 It simply says that they're gonna weep 39:21 and gnash their teeth. 39:24 And it's not gonna be primarily because of the pain. 39:28 It's gonna be primarily because of the loss of the reward 39:33 that they could have received. 39:35 And by the way, I underline once again 39:37 that this expression every time that it's used in the gospels, 39:41 weeping and gnashing of teeth is used in connection 39:46 with those who claim to be servants of the true God. 39:50 It's used always of Jews, 39:52 it is not even once used to speak of the Gentiles. 39:56 So once again, who is in danger 39:59 of being an unprofitable servant? 40:02 Those who claim the name of Jesus Christ. 40:06 These parables are not targeted to the world. 40:09 In fact, the signs of Matthew 24 40:10 are not given for the world either. 40:13 The purpose of the signs is for God's people to see the signs. 40:16 Yeah, they can share with the world and say, 40:18 "Look at all the signs." 40:20 There is nothing wrong with that. 40:21 But the purpose of the signs is for God's people 40:24 to be able to see what's happening in the world 40:27 to know that Jesus is even at the doors 40:29 by the three analogies that are used, 40:31 so that they can then what? 40:33 They can be profitable servants. 40:35 They can prepare. They can use their talents. 40:37 They can pray and invest everything in the cause of God. 40:41 In other words, the parables are continuation of Matthew 24. 40:46 Unless you study the parables, you don't know 40:47 how to prepare for what Matthew 24 describes. 40:54 Now let's go to a very interesting story. 40:59 I'm not gonna turn in my Bible to it, 41:01 but I'm gonna give you the reference 41:03 Matthew Chapter 8, where the expression 41:05 wailing and gnashing of teeth is used. 41:08 Remember the story of a centurion 41:09 who had a servant who was sick? 41:13 And he asked Jesus to come and heal his servant. 41:18 And actually the centurion said, 41:21 "You know, you don't even have to come under my roof. 41:23 All you have to do is speak the word 41:25 and my servant will be healed." 41:29 Immediately after Jesus pronounces the word 41:33 and his servant is healed because He goes over 41:34 and discovers that a servant has been healed. 41:37 Jesus then pronounces some very interesting words. 41:39 He says in Matthew 8:11, 12, 41:43 "That many will come from the east and from the west, 41:47 and they will sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 41:51 at the table in the kingdom." 41:54 And then Jesus says something very sobering. 41:57 He says, "But the sons of the kingdom," who are those? 42:05 This guy was a Gentile. 42:07 The centurion was a Roman soldier. 42:11 He didn't claim to serve the true God. 42:14 He wasn't part of the communion community. 42:16 And yet Jesus is saying this guy is a real Jew 42:18 because He is gonna sit there at the table 42:20 with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 42:22 So a Gentile can be a Jew, we've already studied this. 42:26 But on the other hand, the Jews 42:29 who did not have this kind of faith, 42:33 Jesus says that the sons of the kingdom 42:37 will be caste out into the outer darkness 42:40 where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. 42:44 Interesting once again the idea 42:46 that there's gonna be a reversal of roles. 42:49 By the way, in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, 42:51 we find the same thing. 42:53 You know, some people try to use that story to say, 42:55 "How hot hell was gonna be? 42:57 And when people go to hell to burn, 42:59 that parable has nothing to do with that. 43:01 In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, 43:03 the rich man represents the Pharisees 43:07 and Lazarus represents the Gentiles. 43:12 And the Jews knew for sure that what was gonna happen, 43:16 was that, you know, when everything was set and done, 43:19 all of the Jews were gonna go to the bosom of Abraham. 43:21 And the Gentiles were gonna end up down there 43:24 where is the wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43:25 They're gonna be burning in the fires of hell. 43:29 Jesus reversed the story. 43:31 Jesus said, "Hey folks, it was the Gentile Lazarus 43:36 who ended up in the bosom of Abraham, 43:38 because he was Abraham's true child, 43:41 because he had the faith of Abraham. 43:43 But you the sons of the kingdom will end up 43:48 where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth, 43:50 because you professed to be My followers, 43:53 but you were really not My followers. 43:56 Now we need to go quickly to the last parable, 44:00 "The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats." 44:05 And this is speaking about practical religion. 44:11 And this parable deals with the sin of neglect. 44:15 In almost what we studied so far is, 44:17 the unfaithful servant didn't use his talents, right? 44:22 The unfaithful virgins, 44:25 they did not have an extra provision of oil. 44:29 The unprofitable servant, you know, he didn't feed 44:33 God's people in due season. 44:35 They didn't do certain things. 44:38 Now we're gonna talk about the sin of neglect. 44:42 Notice Matthew Chapter 25 and beginning with verse 31, 44:46 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, 44:48 and all the holy angels with him, 44:51 then he will sit on the throne of his glory." 44:55 By the way this--I don't have time to get into it, 44:57 but this is talking about something 44:58 that's going to happen after the millennium 45:00 Read Revelation 20:11-15, you will see the same scene. 45:06 "All the nations will be gathered before him." 45:08 When is that that Revelation says 45:09 that all the nations will be gathered before the Lord. 45:12 It's outside the holy city, right? 45:15 "And he will separate them one from another 45:17 as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats." 45:20 How many groups again? Two. 45:27 Are these two groups where the goats are the atheists 45:31 and the sheep are the Christians? No. 45:35 Verse 33, "And he will set the sheep 45:38 on his right hand, but the goats on the left." 45:40 By the way, in the Bible, 45:41 the left side is the sinister side. 45:45 In Spanish it's the word "siniestra" 45:47 where we get the word sinister from. 45:49 It's the negative side, the left side. 45:52 Judas was sitting at the left side of Jesus 45:55 at the communion table at the last supper. 45:58 "And he will set the sheep on his right hand, 46:00 but the goats on his left. 46:02 Then the king will say to those on his right hand, 46:06 "Come, you blessed of my Father, 46:08 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 46:10 from the foundation of the world.'" 46:16 Because you kept the Sabbath and you didn't eat pork 46:22 and you became a vegan. 46:26 You tithed, is that what he says. 46:29 Now, not that those things aren't important. 46:31 In other places in the Bible, those things are discussed. 46:34 But here we have a particular sin 46:37 which God's people are guilty. 46:39 It's not the sin of commission, it's the sin of omission. 46:43 We'll see that in a few moments. 46:45 So he says, "Come, blessed of my Father, 46:47 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 46:48 from the foundation of the world." 46:50 He says, "For I was hungry, and you gave me food. 46:53 I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. 46:56 I was a stranger, and you took me in. 46:58 I was naked, and you clothed me. 47:00 I was sick, and you visited me. 47:01 I was in prison, and you came to me." 47:05 In other words, you practice practical religion 47:09 where the rubber meets the road. 47:12 "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 47:14 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, 47:16 or thirsty and give you drink? 47:18 When did we see you a stranger 47:20 and take you in or naked and clothe you? 47:22 Or when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?'" 47:28 Lord, we lived in Clovis or in Fresno in the year 2007. 47:35 You went to heaven in the year '31 47:38 So how is that that we did this to you? 47:40 Verse 40, "And the King will answer and say to them, 47:43 'Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it 47:47 to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."' 47:51 Wow, now He turns to the other group. 47:57 Also Christians, but counterfeit Christians. 48:00 See the emphasis here is not that they mistreated people 48:03 and kicked people around, but they neglected to help them. 48:10 Verse 41, "Then he will also say to those on the left hand, 48:13 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire 48:17 prepared for the devil and his angels.'" 48:19 By the way, it says that the fire is everlasting 48:22 but it doesn't say that that the fire burns is everlasting. 48:27 You know why the fire is everlasting? 48:28 Because God is the consuming fire. 48:31 The glory of God is the consuming fire 48:33 according to the Bible. 48:34 And the glory of God is everlasting. 48:37 That's why the fire is everlasting. 48:39 But not what that fire burns is everlasting. 48:43 It doesn't say that they're gonna suffer forever. 48:45 It says that the fire is eternal, not them. 48:48 Are you with me or not? 48:51 And so it says, verse 41, 48:53 "Then he will also say to those on the left hand, 48:55 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire 48:57 prepared for the devil and his angels. 48:59 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, 49:03 I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 49:07 I was a stranger and you did not take me in, 49:10 naked and you did not clothe me, 49:12 sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 49:16 Then they also will answer Him saying, 49:18 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty 49:22 or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, 49:28 and did not minister to you?' 49:31 Then he will answer them, saying, 49:32 'Assuredly, I say to you, 49:35 and as much as you did not do it 49:38 to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 49:44 And these will go into everlasting punishment," 49:47 it doesn't say everlasting punishing. 49:50 The everlasting punishment 49:52 is that they seized to exist forever. 49:54 Not that they're going to be punished, and punished, 49:56 and punished and suffer forever. 49:59 The word is punishment, not punishing. 50:03 And so it says, "And these will go away 50:05 into everlasting punishment but the righteous into," what? 50:09 "Into everlasting life." 50:12 What is the contrast here? 50:15 The great sin of the goats is the sin of neglect. 50:20 Do you know that God is gonna hold us accountable 50:22 not only for the wrong things we did, 50:24 but for the right things we didn't do? 50:29 Practical religion, practical godliness 50:32 is what needs to take place 50:34 as we're waiting for the coming of Jesus. 50:36 So let's summarize what we should be doing 50:39 in preparation for the coming of Jesus. 50:41 The signs say that He's coming soon. 50:44 The analogy show that He's even at the door. 50:49 The parables tell us this is what you need 50:51 to be doing in the interim while you wait. 50:55 We need to be doing what the parables say. 50:57 Now let me synthesize. 50:59 First of all, we need to be investing 51:03 everything in God's kingdom. 51:05 There he has the parable that helps. 51:08 Notice what Ellen White says about Noah, 51:11 "All that he possessed, he invested in the ark. 51:14 Every blow struck upon the ark was a witness to the people." 51:20 So the first thing is to invest our resources 51:23 in the cause of God, 51:25 because only that which we invest will survive, 51:28 the destruction that is coming. 51:30 Everything else is gonna be burnt up. 51:31 Houses, cars, money, toys, 51:34 you name it, it's all gonna be gone. 51:36 But what we invested in the kingdom of Jesus 51:38 in the salvation of souls will shine through all eternity. 51:42 Second thing that Jesus said we're supposed to do, 51:44 time and again in Matthew 24 and 25 is watch. 51:50 That means to be alert, to be wakeful, 51:53 to pay attention, don't be indifferent, 51:55 don't be careless, don't go to sleep. 51:59 Because the thief might come when you're not expecting him. 52:03 So if you've locked your house a thousand nights, 52:07 lock it on night 1001, 52:10 don't become careless and indifferent and say, 52:11 "Oh, I don't need to watch tonight. 52:13 He hasn't come for a thousand days. 52:15 So I don't have to worry." 52:18 He comes at the moment 52:19 to close the door when we least what? 52:22 When we least expect it. 52:25 So we need to be always prepared. 52:28 Jesus also said that we ought to praise such as never before. 52:34 He says that in Mark 13:33 52:37 which is the parallel passage to Matthew 24. 52:40 So we're supposed to invest in the gods. 52:42 We're supposed to watch. We're supposed to pray. 52:46 Time and again in these chapters Jesus says, be ready. 52:52 Have your lamps trimmed. 52:55 Be awake. Be ready. 53:00 Because the Lord is gonna close the door 53:03 at a time when we least expect it. 53:08 Let me give you an illustration now-- 53:10 when my sister got old enough, 53:13 my mother took her to Wisconsin Academy. 53:15 We were living in Venezuela at that time. 53:18 And my mom said, "I'm coming back," 53:22 I don't remember of such and such a day, 53:24 "and so make sure you come and pick me up at the airport." 53:28 Okay, so, you know, we kind of let the house go. 53:35 They didn't worry about cleaning the house that much. 53:38 We know when she was coming. 53:40 Well, long behold, my mom surprised 53:44 that she came home two days early. 53:47 And when she got home, 53:49 she found the biggest pile of dishes 53:51 I think that she has seen in all of her life, 53:53 rivaling Mount Everest. 53:56 And house, a mess. 53:59 The carpet is not vacuumed. 54:00 She said, "This place is a disaster." 54:02 See we said, "We know when she's coming 54:05 and so we'll clean the house right before she comes." 54:09 But the fact is God wants us to be prepared now. 54:13 He wants us to be ready all the time. 54:15 Because He can close the door when we least what? 54:20 When we least expect it. 54:23 So we need to be ready 54:24 whether He comes this year or next year 54:27 or in five years or in ten years 54:29 or twenty years or hundred years. 54:31 We need to be ready at every moment praying, 54:35 working for Jesus, investing, helping other people, 54:39 practicing acts of practical godliness while we wait. 54:43 Jesus said, "Occupy until I come." 54:48 He said in the Gospel of Luke 19:13. 54:53 You know, I've traveled 54:55 extensively in the last several years. 54:59 In fact, since I started flying with American Airlines, 55:03 I've flown 1.8 million miles just in American Airlines. 55:09 I fly usually with them, but not exclusively, 55:11 sometimes the schedule and the price isn't right. 55:14 And so I traveled on other airlines. 55:16 But I remember one of the first times that I traveled, 55:20 I was going to Chile. 55:23 And I was going through Dallas. 55:25 I was gonna have two hour layover 55:26 and then I was gonna take-- catch the connection to Chile. 55:30 Oh, it just so happens 55:31 that they postpone the flight for ten hours. 55:35 And here I was in the airport at Dallas. 55:38 And what was I gonna do? 55:40 I didn't have any books to read. 55:43 At that time I was totally-- a total computer illiterate. 55:47 I didn't even have a computer. 55:49 I didn't take any of my materials to work on. 55:53 I had absolutely nothing to do at the airport. 55:57 And some of you probably have been at the Dallas Airport. 56:00 You know, there's four terminals there. 56:03 And you can walk-- 56:04 actually at that time there were only three, 56:06 you know, they just opened the fourth. 56:08 But, you know, there's just so many shops 56:10 that you can see in ten hours. 56:13 And so I remember twiddling my thumbs 56:15 and just walking, you know, looking in the windows 56:19 and then I would buy the newspaper 56:20 and I would read the newspaper and, you know, 56:22 from cover to cover and still time went by so slow. 56:28 Ever since that time I decided that whenever I travel, 56:31 I'm gonna take plenty of work. 56:33 And I take my computer and I take books to read 56:37 and I take plenty of paper to write on. 56:41 And now if I have a layover, 56:44 I'm able to plug in my computer and recharge it and work. 56:47 And you know what? 56:49 Time flies when I'm busy doing something. 56:55 That's what Jesus meant when He said, 56:57 "Occupy until I come." 57:01 The reason why His coming appears to be so far away 57:04 is because we're sitting down twiddling our thumbs 57:07 and we're not doing anything for Him. 57:09 We're not active, we're not occupied. 57:12 But if we're busy in the business of the Lord, 57:15 time would fly by a lot faster 57:19 and we would be bit closer to Him 57:21 and we would have a stronger relationship with Him. 57:24 And I pray to God that, that will be our experience. |
Revised 2014-12-17