Life Alert

And the bottom line, we are called
to keep watching. We are called to keep looking,
to keep studying, to keep walking with Christ for these things. If you noticed, if you were impressed
several weeks ago when we made it through that great amount
of detail, you’re going to be even more impressed today if we make
it. Because there really are five illustrations that Jesus
provides for watchfulness. Five that we’re going to look
at. Matthew provides several additional
ones with even some greater implications. But we’re going to take a stab
at these illustrations that all teach essentially the same lesson.
Keep watching. Keep on the alert. Keep looking.
Some people have the tendency, as the Olivet Discourse draws
to a close, to just kind of park all of those things in the future
generation, whoever’s going to actually be here, you know, when
the tribulation takes place, when the Lord returns. And there
is a tendency to become complacent and kind of push everything out
to the future. One pastor warned this way. He
said, Christ’s appeal here is quite clearly meant for all believers
of all ages. The teaching is as pertinent
to those who wait While he delays, that would be us, as it will
be for those who witness his sudden coming, perhaps us, the
latter half of this Olivet Discourse, he goes on to say, is a potent
and focused appeal for one thing. Preparedness. We are called to
preparedness. We are called to be ready, to
be prepared, for the Lord’s return. And as he closes, he says every
statement and every parable from this point to the very end is
about readiness. Be ready for Christ. Be ready
because Christ is coming at a time you do not know, as that last
line of the hymn so clearly said. If you would take out your bulletins,
I’ve suggested we’re going to at least make an attempt at looking
at all five of those illustrations. And I call them illustrations.
Certainly they are scripture itself, but Jesus uses these
five stories in some cases, parables and others, exhortations just
plainly in other sections. He uses them all to give us the
same message. And the message is alertness.
If you look at the first one from the Gospel of Luke, and
we jump right in this morning. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter
21, in verse 29, Jesus said this, Then he told them a parable.
Behold, the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as they put
forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer
is now near. So you also, when you see these
things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. Truly,
I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all
things take place. Heaven and Earth will pass away.
But my words will never pass away. Now, Matthew tells a records
a parallel account, Mark as well, and we pick up a little bit of
detail along the way from them. But essentially, it is Luke that
I want to use to carry us through this little parable that Jesus
tells at the culmination of what we learned of was the tribulation. That’s what has been the bulk
of The teaching throughout the Olivet discourse is a time of
trouble, a time of difficulty, a time of great uncertainty. And as we have seen, a time that
is somewhat controversial in consideration has produced no
little discussion. But the apostles were merely
curious at Christ’s words that the temple was going to be destroyed.
And they coupled a whole bunch of things together. Christ’s
return, the end of the age, the destruction of the temple, and
they wondered when those things would be. And that has been the
teaching in the course of that teaching. Jesus has said, look,
the temple is going to be destroyed. That much was treated very moderately. The bulk of the time was spent
discussing the difficulties of the end time, particularly the
difficulties on the church, on Christ’s people. Hard things are going to come.
But there are going to be opportunities, opportunities to proclaim Christ,
and there will be those that come to Christ. Jesus goes on to say. that as
this time, as the preaching of the Word draws to a close, so
does the end of the age. Jesus says the only way that
we can get through it all, the only way that we are going to
please Christ, the only way that we are going to be effective
for Christ is to continue to be watchful. But we’re not the
only ones that are urged towards watchfulness. And I think that
as you see these unfold, the final words say that what he
says to one, he says to all. We are all urged to be on the
alert. We are all urged to be watchful,
not just the apostles. of Jesus day, not just those
saints that come to faith during the tribulation, not just the
Christians who are looking up and waiting on Christ. We are
all urged to alertness. Look back again at the little
parable that Jesus tells. He told them a parable. Behold,
the fig tree and all the trees. There were some and there is
always a tendency that the fig tree has been used in Scripture
before as a symbol of Israel. But that doesn’t mean that every
time the fig tree comes up in Scripture that you take it as
a symbol of Israel itself. What Jesus was referring to here
really had very little to do with Israel, per se. When he
told them the parable of the fig tree, it was really quite
simple. As soon as they put forth leaves. Matthew adds a little
bit of a detail when its branch has already become tender and
then it puts forth leaves. We’ve, we lived in California.
We, you know, I had customers that had fig trees in their yard.
It is a, it’s a very quick leafing tree, very soft wooded. If you are a tree person, very
soft wood. And it is designed, it is a fruit
machine. It suddenly leaves out and within
weeks is producing fruit. The illustration that Jesus is
making here is that, look, anybody who has lived in those areas,
anybody who has seen a fig tree leaf out knows that summer is
near, knows that the cold days have passed, that no fig tree
in its right mind would put forth leaves too early. That’s basically
the illustration. that if you can look on agriculture
and tell that what a leafing of a particular tree species
means for the weather, then you are astute enough to be able
to determine the signs of the end of the age. That is what
he has been talking about. That is the context. And that
is really the simple meaning of this parable. By the way, also, when Matthew
literally says he uses the definite article and says the fig tree.
And Jesus wasn’t pointing up the hill to a particular fig
tree when that particular fig tree leaves out, then you’ll
know. He was merely talking about the fig tree as a generality
and all the more reason that we take this as a simple illustration
of agriculture. That when the fig tree leaves
out, you know that summer is near and in like manner, in like
manner. So you also, verse thirty one,
when you see these things happening, what things? All the things that
he’s been talking about from the very beginning of his answer,
from the very beginning, when they asked him the questions
there back in verse five of Luke. When the apostles came and asked
him about the temple and Jesus began to answer and talked about
wars and talked about earthquakes and talked about signs and talked
about the persecution of the church and talked about false
teachers and false Christs, all of those, when you see these
signs, he wasn’t zeroing in on any particular thing, rather,
He was pointing now back. He was stepping back and talking
about the second coming that they had brought up. Recognize
that the kingdom of God is near. That’s what they asked about.
They asked about the kingdom. And Jesus says, recognize if
you want to sign. Take a lesson from agriculture,
just as sure as you can read the leaves popping out on a tree,
you as God’s people, can recognize that the kingdom of God is near.
Matthew makes it even more graphic. Matthew says he is near right
at the door. I suppose my. My slip and fall
the other day should teach me some lessons. I have two jokes,
I think, maybe more. One is that I pretend that I’m
slipping and flail my arms wildly. I’ve done it near the Grand Canyon.
I’ve done it on ice, all kinds of places. I’ve used my little
slapstick humor to gain cheap laughter. And for anybody who’s
come to our dinner, there’s another little joke that I play when
I have the chance to open the door and greet those coming for
dinner, I act in stunned surprise to see them and then watch them
holding the salad, wondering if they’ve come on the right
night. It’s great fun. But there is one guest. That
will come to the door one day that we won’t do that with. There is a guest who Matthew
records says that he is right at the door. When you can discern
these signs, he’s there. He’s right there. The kingdom
of God is so near that literally he is on the other side of the
door. It’s an incredible illustration. As one described it, the branch
of the fig tree becomes soft and tender because of the sap
that is swelling within it. Soon this branch is generating
leaves. And in a very similar way, when
the things mentioned, signs in the sun and the moon and the
stars take place, believers then living must recognize that the
Kingdom of God in its final manifestation is at the very door. It is the kingdom that is in
view. It is the kingdom that’s been
in view the whole time. Jesus wasn’t focused on the temple
and the destruction of the temple. Jesus is focused on the coming
kingdom. And he says, here is the final
sign. Read the signs, read the signs
of the time. And he uses this analogy of the
observation of the material realm to call them just to just a simple
understanding. As one said, the general duty
of which these words teach is very plain. We are to carefully
observe the public events of the times in which we live. We
are not to be absorbed in political events. We are not to turn profits
ourselves, but we are to study diligently the signs of the times. And granted, sometimes political
winds are harbingers of some of these things. He’s not saying
don’t pay any attention to it. Just don’t become fixated. Don’t
put your hope there. Look at verse 32. How sure are
we about these words? How confident can we be about
reading the signs of the times? Jesus says, truly, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away until all these things take
place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will
not pass away. Do you know what Jesus does there
with His words? He just says that His words square
with God’s Word. They are God’s Word. The grass
withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 48. Jesus says that my
words are God’s words. They are one in the same. They
are both eternal. They are of the same quality.
And just as sure as you can trust God’s word, you can trust my
word that these things will come to pass. First Peter records
it this way for all flesh is like grass, all its glory is
like the flower of grass. The grass withers, the flower
falls off. But the word of the Lord endures
forever. And Jesus says this is the word
of the Lord. This is the word of the Lord.
This generation will not pass away until all these things take
place. And you say, oh, we have a problem. Because you say, what does this
mean, this generation? What does this generation mean?
Because if he’s talking to the apostles, you know, at the very
most, how many more years could we get out of these apostles
of varying age? Maybe 40 max. That’s about the
length of a generation. They all died. Certainly the destruction of
the temple in 80, 70 preceded some of them, not all. But they
were all contemporaries of that event, and if that event was
the end of the age or if that event was the be all end all,
then. Perhaps those words could said to be true. But the basic
meaning of generation, as one pointed out, is family or descent,
those who descend from a common ancestor. We’ve used it. It’s
used in scripture to denote race, a common people, people of a
common characteristic. And so. And I and bear with me,
I’m going to hear about this one. Sometimes when I get into
all this detail and all the various opinions and thoughts, then I,
you know, somebody eventually takes me aside and says, you
know, did you not have your coffee or what was it? Let me just give
you some of the thoughts that people entertained with regards
to these words, this generation. And J.C. Ryle does an excellent
job with this. If you want to go deeper, J.C.
Ryle in any of the Gospels, he treats this and it’s good stuff. J.C. Ryle broke it out into seven
basic different positions. He said, some think that this
generation means heaven and earth and the whole frame of creation.
I have no idea what that even means. Some people think that
this generation, secondly, means the whole race of mankind. But
both of those are so bland, there’s almost no significance at all.
What does that mean? This generation? Jesus seemed
to be indicating a particular thing. And it’s our duty to find
out what that is referring to this morning. Third option that
J.C. Ryle, see, it’s not so bad. We’re
already at number three. Some people thought that this
generation means this order of things, this, if you will, dispensation. This order of things and that
our Lord meant to teach that the present dispensation was
the last one that they were already in the last time. It’s interesting,
but it doesn’t do anything for me. The fourth option that he provided
gets even more fascinating, he said, some think that this generation
means simply the present generation of men who were living when the
Lord was speaking and that that is the one that creates some
issues. Because if you take that to be literal and the 70 A.D. takes place, then really 70 A.D. has to be the be all end all
date. One problem with that is obviously
it wasn’t the case since now we’re 2000 years removed from
that generation and the Lord still has not returned. One speaking of this option said
this cannot well mean anything but the generation living when
these words were spoken. That’s the view. Another said
it this way, it denotes those living at that time, the contemporaries,
the ones that Jesus was talking to. And that remains a serious option. When Jesus says this generation,
one of the logical ways to understand it would mean this generation,
you men that I’m talking to here in this little circle gathered
on a hill overlooking Jerusalem. But there are some obvious problems
that I’ve already pointed out. Ryle points to a fifth option.
He said some think this generation means the faithful believers. The company of Christ’s disciples
and that the general sense is that Christ shall always have
a believing people, even at the awful tribulation at the end
of the time. It’s true and it’s interesting, but it fails to
capture the point of this generation. What is this generation? And
it would be stretching the understanding of the word far too, much too
far for that to have that meaning. Ryle offers a sixth. See, aren’t
we just blistering along here? Sixth option. The soundest, he
says, and this is J.C. Ryle. The soundest and most satisfactory
opinion, to my mind, is that which makes this generation mean
the Jewish nation. They had been spoken of as such
by our Lord in this prophecy, their captivity and scattering
had been plainly predicted. Matthew 11, 16 uses it in the
same way. What shall I compare this generation? Matthew 12, 39, 23, 36 all speak
of this generation referring to a collective group of Jewish
people. And that remains an interesting
option. It’s interesting to note, too,
that J.C. Ryle, who is not a dispensationalist
per se, and even William Hendrickson, who is not a dispensationalist
by any stretch, both took this view. William Hendrickson said
this generation, namely the Jewish people, will not cease to exist
until all these things which Jesus predicts have happened.
And he cites Deuteronomy 32, 5, 32, 20 and others where likewise
that word is used generation to speak of the people of God,
the Jews. But there is a seventh option. Don’t you wish you had those
little vote things, you know, we could tabulate your votes.
It doesn’t work that way. Number seven. He says something
this generation should have been rendered the same generation.
And that it signifies the same generation which sees the beginning
of the signs of my second advent will also see the end of them
and my appearing. And guess which one I take? Because
I adjusted the order, that’s absolutely the one that I take.
I take it to mean and there may be there certainly will be Jews
who are part of that generation. But I don’t think that you can
isolate that generation to a particular people because there is that
time element that Jesus is so focused upon. He’s talking about
a people at a particular time, and I think they will be Jews,
And Christians, those saved during the tribulation time. And I do
think that it points to those who begin to see those things.
And as they see them start, they will watch them to the finish.
There are a number of people who took this position. One said it this way, it seems
best to preserve the natural meaning of generation as denoting
the people alive at a given time. and accept the view that the
reference is to that future, turbulent, wicked generation
that will see the actual beginning of those eschatological events.
Now, not all of them are wicked. He’s talking about the people
caught up in that time. Another said it this way, Christ
is saying that the generation alive when the true labor pains
begin will be the same generation that sees the delivery. Did you
get his point? It’s this generation. This generation
is going to watch it from start to finish. These things, when they happen,
they’re not going to stretch across multi-generations. They’re not going to go on for
hundreds and thousands of years. When those signs, when the sap
is full in the branch of the tree, when those signs are detectable
to those who are watching, Then that generation is going to watch
it unfold right before their eyes. So when is that? I don’t know. And you know what? Neither do the angels. And you
know what? Neither does Jesus. Matthew adds this little note.
And I love this little note. This little note spares us from
so much trouble and so many knuckleheads that are out there, all with
their views on this issue. Matthew 24, 36 says, but of that
day and hour, no one knows. Not even the angels of heaven
nor the sun, but the father alone and how you can get anybody who
predicts the date as soon as you set a date. You can wipe
your calendar clean, make all the plans you want on that day
because Jesus isn’t coming back then. One pastor said it this way,
with such firm detail and detailed prophecies of the end of the
age, it seems natural to most of us to look for the date. And
through the centuries, there have never been lacking those
who felt it was possible to work out the date. But this saying
of Jesus shuts out the whole human race from the knowledge
in question. We don’t know when. We can discern
the signs of the times. We can say that we think we see
things happening, but we can’t set a date. So what does alertness mean?
Jesus has called us to alertness, right? That’s how the whole thing
starts. That’s the purpose of all of
these parables. Be alert, be ready, be watchful.
What does it mean? What does it look like in this
context? It means reading the signs of Christ’s pending return.
Watch for persecution. Watch for these things. Watch
for the preached word. Watch, watch for those extensions
into every the furthest corner of the world. Watch. First and
foremost, watch. But there’s another element to
alertness and there’s another parable. And if you would go
to the next, which is from Matthew’s gospel, where alertness is urged
not only by the parable of the fig tree, but by the example
of dullness in Noah’s day. You see, alertness just doesn’t
come natural. In fact, it is it runs counter
to. Our nature. Matthew 24, verse
37 says it this way, For the coming of the Son of Man will
be just like the days of Noah. How so? Flood? No. For as in the days before the
flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage
until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they did not understand
until the flood came and took them all away. So will the coming
of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in
the field, one will be taken and one will be left. Two women
will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will
be left. Illustration is absolutely simple. And it’s not the first
time that Jesus has used this illustration. If he would, if
you’re in the Gospel of Luke, flip back to chapter 17. He says that the coming of the
Son of Man, Christ’s return to earth is going to be just like
the days of Noah. How so? It is going to be absolutely
sudden. There have been warnings, there’s
been preaching, there’s been opportunities, and when the day
comes, it’s over in an instant. Look at verse 17 or chapter 17.
I’m looking at verse 26. Jesus used this illustration
before. About the same thing. He said,
and just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will also
be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating, they were
drinking, they were marrying, they were given in marriage.
And you say, see, they were sinners. That’s not at all what it’s talking
about. Unless eating is a sin. I don’t
even take it to mean that they were eating unto gluttony, they
were just going about their daily activities, right? They were
eating. They were drinking. They were
marrying. Nothing wrong with that. Right.
They were being given in marriage until the day that Noah entered
the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. I mean, how
would you like to pay the poor gal that planned a wedding that
day? You know, the rain starts. It’s never rained before. And
all of a sudden her wedding day. Right. That’s the illustration
that they were going along pretending that everything continues just
as it was from the beginning of time. It was the same as happened in
the days of Lot. They were eating, they were drinking,
they were buying, selling, they were planting, they were building.
But on that day, Lot went out from Sodom and it rained fire
and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. By the way,
I think it was two weeks ago now. Abraham deserves a lot of
credit, but I gave Abraham credit for this particular element. And I don’t even know how I did
it. It wasn’t in my notes, but I referred to the fact that Abraham’s
righteous soul was tormented. It was lots righteous soul. It
was tormented. Anyway, Jesus goes on to say
it will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, the one who was in the housetop, same illustrations
that are used here. In Luke’s gospel. Turn back,
if you would, to Luke 21 and Luke 21, verse 38, we pick up. But pardon me, you don’t even
have Matthew’s gospel. Turn back your bulletin, because
that’s where Matthew’s. Passages in Matthew, chapter
24, verse 38, listen to it, it’s an echo of what Jesus already
said in Luke 17, for as in those days before the flood, they were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until
the day that Noah entered the ark. And they did not understand
until the flood came and took them all away. So will the coming
of the son of man be. It’s the suddenness of it all.
It’s the fact that they were totally unprepared. They were
unspiritual. And because of that, they were
not watchful. The people in Noah’s day were dull. And they couldn’t
take to heart, because they were so spiritually dull, they wouldn’t
take to heart the warnings that Noah had given. Over and over
again, he called out And over and over again, the very building
of the ark. I don’t know how long we’re not
even told in Scripture how long it took to build the ark. But
I mean, if you get those plans, how long is it going to take
you? Right. You get my point. Here’s Noah building this ark
the entire time. It’s a testimony the entire time
he’s putting together this boat. It’s a testimony that one day
this boat is going to be lifted off by water. and it’s going
to be full of people. Will you be in it? That’s essentially
what the testimony was. And over and over again, for
however long it took to build that boat, and I take it to mean
that Noah used not supernatural means. He just used the standard
tools of the day and muscle and blood and sweat and tears. It
took a long time to build the ark is my understanding. And
the entire time that he was building, They had their fingers in their
ears. They were ignoring the signs. They were ignoring his
message. They were ignoring the preaching that that arc was. One pastor echoed it with this,
he said, Mankind generally will be wholly given up to material
enjoyment. There’s nothing wrong with eating
and drinking, but life is more than that, isn’t it? The certainty
of death does not give seriousness to life. So long as the time
of death is uncertain and possibly distant, even the prospect of
death within a comparatively short time does not always detach
people from the cares and pleasures of the world. The particular
point is not that the generation that was swept away by the flood
was exceptionally wicked, none of the occupations mentioned
are sinful, but that it was so absorbed in its worldly pursuits
that it paid no attention to the solemn warnings. Well, it
was exceptionally wicked. Let’s be clear about it. It’s
exactly why God flooded the earth, right? God was going to wipe
out everything, and He found one man, one family that He would
spare. His point is that they were spiritually
dull, the people of His day. They just would not listen. And
it was the suddenness. It’s the absolute suddenness.
And that’s where you get this thing. And some people have attributed
this scene to the rapture. You know, the two men are working
in the field. Boom, one’s gone. Poof. I don’t take that at all. I think the scene is not talking
about the rapture at all. I think it’s talking about the
suddenness with which God’s judgment is going to come. There will
be two men in the field. One will be taken. One will be
left. Two women grinding at the mill. One will be taken. One
will be left. When the final day comes, Every
all opportunity. There are no second chances at
that point. There are no do overs, no mulligans. The door is shut.
The Lord is here and it’s over. So what does alertness mean?
What do we gain from this passage with regard to this alertness
to which we’re called? We’ve already learned that alertness
means reading the signs of Christ’s pending return, and we ought
to be watchful. We ought to be observing the
day in which we live. We ought to be reading Scripture
and understanding Scripture. But what do we learn from this
particular passage? I would say that alertness means
a humble yield yieldedness to God and his word, a spiritual
sharpness that which the people of Noah’s day lacked. Thirdly,
there’s a third illustration. And the third illustration comes
back again from Luke’s gospel. Luke, Chapter 21, verse 34, The
third illustration is very simple as well. Be on guard so that
your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness
and the worries of life and that that day will not come upon you
suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all those
who dwell on the face of the earth. Keep alert at all times,
praying that you might have strength to escape all these things that
are about to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.
He just says be on guard. That’s military language. Stand
ready. Be alert. Be ready. Don’t let
any surprises happen. And he talks about those things
that tend to dull our hearts and minds. Dissipation. Just
frittering away our time. Just kind of wasting away, meandering
through life. drunkenness, no way to spend
the life not as a Christian, the worries of life, spending
our time where it ought not be, caught up in fears and thoughts
that might not ever happen. And because we’re so preoccupied
with all this other mundane, silly stuff of life, all of a
sudden it comes on us like a trap. These are the pitfalls of life.
These are the traps. And so Jesus says, keep on the
alert, praying at all times that you might have strength to escape
all these things. We don’t presume to think as
Christians that we just choose a different life. We plead with
God, don’t we? Haven’t you pleaded with God,
some of you, to be removed from some of these very things? Haven’t
you pleaded with God that he would make you no longer just meandering through life, that
he would take you out of this drunken stupor, that he would
take you out of this foolish and wasteful life. Haven’t most
of us been saved out of that very thing? And it’s always by
grace. And he says you better pray for
the strength. I mean, if you haven’t been saved out of that,
you better thank God for the strength that you have by His
grace. And that when you do that, look
at what he says in verse 36, praying that you might have strength
to escape all these things that are about to take place and to
stand before the Son of Man. How many are ready for that? I mean, wouldn’t you want at
the very minimum, don’t you want one last quick quiet time if
you hear the trumpets? Are you going to fall on your
knees? Aren’t you going to say, oh man, and do quick inventory of
your life? You better believe it. And so
you look at this and you say, what does alertness mean? What
does alertness look like? It means reading the signs of
Christ’s pending return. It means a humble yieldedness
to God and His Word. But it also means a disciplined,
focused, prayerful, God honoring life. We are called to be prayerful. We are called to keep our appetites
in check. We are called to a sober mindedness,
a seriousness about life. We are called to a heavenly perspective. There is a fourth illustration
on alertness, and it’s a short one, really short. Alertness
is urged not only by the parable, the fig tree, the example of
dullness and Noah’s day by the distracting nature of life’s
traps, but by the simile of the thief’s surprise. Look at this
little thing. It’s not quite a parable. It’s
just a little metaphor, a little simile. Verse 42, and I’ll hear
it from the English people at the end about the difference
between similes and metaphors. I’ll have counsel in the hall,
he says, therefore, be on the alert for you do not know the
day which your Lord is coming that much. We’ve heard it right.
Be on the alert. Be on the alert. Be ready. Be
on the alert. We know that. Be sure of this, that if the
head of the house had known what time of night the thief was coming,
He would he would have been on the alert and would not allow
his house to been broken into. I mean, it’s almost silly, isn’t
it? It’s such a simple illustration. Yeah, no kidding. If I had known
that three weeks ago some kids were going to come to my truck,
which was unlocked and rifle through it looking for good stuff,
I would have locked my truck. Pretty simple. Why didn’t I lock
my truck? That’s the point. Beyond the
alert, you don’t know when the thieves are coming and you don’t
know when Christ is returning. And so we should be ready. We
are called to readiness. If people knew when thieves would
come, they would lock their house and put an alarm and probably
sit inside with their favorite weapon. The problem is, is many people
are tempted to this disobedient, slothful lifestyle Just presumptuous
thinking that, well, Jesus isn’t coming back for a long time.
I got time for that last, you know, quick, quiet time. If I
do hear trumpets. We’re called to live a sanctified,
God ready life, right? In the awareness of the coming
day, we are called to what one called spiritual and moral circumspection. carefulness about our lives where
thought is required and readiness is expected. We’re called to
that. Matthew says in verse forty three,
be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known what
time the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert.
He would not have allowed his house to be broken into. The burglar doesn’t leave a message.
You know, I’m going to be there a week from Tuesday at about
830 at night, right? I mean, it’s just it’s such a
simple illustration. And so what do we gain from this? What do we gain? Alertness means
not only reading the signs of Christ’s pending return. And
a humble yieldedness to God and his word in a disciplined, focused,
prayerful, God honoring life. But alertness means an unassuming,
cautious life. Not presuming upon God, not taking
everything for granted. Believing that just as we saying. God, it may be today. It may
be noonday fair. It may be just this afternoon
that Jesus comes back and are we ready? And there’s a fifth illustration.
And we close. And that is the simile of the
master’s return. And what a great way to wrap this series and this
passage today up. It is the parable of the master’s
return. Look, it’s from Mark’s gospel, Mark 13, there at the
bottom of your bulletin. Take heed and keep on the alert
for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It
is like a man away on a journey. Who, upon leaving his house and
putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task,
And also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. I mean,
how many times have we heard this? Therefore, be on the alert,
for you do not know when the master of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows or in
the morning, in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you, I say to all. Be on the alert. It’s the fourth
time in March gospel. The mark records Jesus as urging
this spiritual watchfulness and between all of the Gospels synthesized
together. It’s like a refrain, isn’t it?
Be on the alert. Be on the alert. Be on the alert.
It’s a different illustration entirely than Matthew’s. Matthew
told you to be on the alert about a burglar that’s coming. You
don’t know when, but he’s coming. This is a play on Christ’s return
itself. It pictures a master of a house
going away. This is the house sitter parable. Right, it’s house sitters taking
care of your house, and it says that you don’t you don’t know
when they’re coming back. You don’t know when the master
is coming back, but he’s coming. And that’s what Jesus says. Be
on the alert. No wonder Jesus says, what I
say to you, I say to all. That’s why I say you can’t pin
these down to one particular sphere and say it was to the
apostles that he was speaking or it was to the Jews. The apostles listening to Jesus
needed to watch and be on the alert. The Jewish nation and
in Christ Church living in the days of the approaching A.D. 70 calamity needed to watch and
be on the alert because it clearly is in focus. The centuries of
the church since waiting for her rapture out of this world
has ever needed to watch and be on the alert. The reconstituted
nation of Israel waiting for fulfillment of God’s promises
needs to watch and be on the alert. The people of God living
in the last days need to watch. And be on the alert. Those who
come to Christ during the tribulation, waiting for Christ’s final return,
have all the need in the world to watch and be on the alert.
And this people of God. You have need to watch and be
on the alert, what does it mean? What does that alertness look
like? It is not only reading the signs of Christ’s pending
return, a yieldedness to God and his word, A disciplined,
focused, prayerful, God-honoring life, an unassuming, cautious
life. And what we get from this passage? Alertness means developing a
life that is pleasing to God, ready for eternal display. I watched some kids the other
day playing freeze tag. Remember that? I can’t imagine
playing it now. I would be frozen, all right.
But they were playing freeze tag and I suddenly got this image. That when the Lord comes down,
that’s who you are. That’s who you are. You’re frozen
for eternity, in a sense. Who you are when the Lord returns
is who you are. The question is, who are you
going to be? Are you going to be ready? One Puritan said, this is a point
which our blessed master frequently pressed upon our notice. We hardly
ever find him dwelling on the second advent without adding
an injunction to watch. He knows the sleepiness of our
nature, he knows how soon we forget the most solemn subjects
and religion. He knows how unceasingly Saber
labors, Satan labors to obscure the glorious doctrine of his
coming again. He arms us with hard searching exhortations to
keep awake if we would not be ruined forevermore. Let’s pray. Our Father God, we know the temptation
to fall slumber and to be dull and just to meander through life.
Grant us the grace to wake up. To wake up and watch and wait. We thank You and we praise You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen. Yeah.