Living in Light of the Coming of the King

Here's my transcript of this sermon...

Sermon Bishop Michael Stead
Matthew 24:29-51

We always put up our Christmas tree on the weekend of the first Sunday in advent. So our Christmas tree went up yesterday. I invented this rule as a restraint on my wife Felicity who absolutely loves Christmas and would put up the tree sometime in October if I let her.

Historically however the season of advent is not principally or even primarily about looking forward to Christmas; it's about looking forward to the coming of the King. His second coming.

The word advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means coming. It occurs three times in today's passage. Verses 27,37 and 39. Each time, in the phrase the coming of the son of man .And the coming here is referring to Jesus second coming.

The four weeks of advent are a good time for us to refocus in the frenetic activity in the lead up to Christmas as we prepare again to celebrate the first coming of Jesus. Advent reminds us that Jesus is coming again. Not this time in the obscurity and squalor of a stable in Bethlehem but in all his heavenly glory.

And that's the message in the passage I've chosen for today. The set reading for the first Sunday in Advent and it's the passage where Jesus tells us how we should be living now, in light of the fact that he is coming again.

Today's passage is part of Jesus' response to two questions that his disciples asked. The passage Jesus had just told them that the temple in Jerusalem was going to be destroyed and, somewhat astounded, the disciples asked him two questions:

• When will these things happen?
• And what is the sign of your coming again at the end of the age?

The key to understanding the entirity of Matthew 24 and 25 is to recognise that when Jesus is talking about these things, he's talking specifically about the timeline up to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem which occurred in 70AD. And when he's talking about the sign of his coming at the end of the age, he's talking about a different time period.

You'll see on the sermon outline that the passage oscillates backwards and forwards. So in verses 25 to 28, Jesus is talking about these things. Verses 29 to 31 about his coming. Verses 32 to 35, it's back to these things and then from verse 36 onwards, it's his coming again.

People have got into all kinds of confusion over the years because they haven't made the distinction. For example, in verse 34 Jesus says "I tell you the truth this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened". And it's a little bit unfortunate that in the English, all these things sounds exactly like Jesus talking about everything. No he's not, he's talking about these things which is the first question -  what  is going to happen that's going to lead up to the destruction of the temple in 70AD.

Look carefully at what Jesus actually says in verse 34. People have mistakenly assumed that Jesus got it wrong because he's saying his second coming would be within the life span of this generation. Because he says in verse 34 "I tell you the truth this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened"

That's not what Jesus is actually saying. It is that these things, the destruction of the temple, will take place within the life span of this generation which is actually what happened. Many of the disciples were still alive in 78D.

With that in mind, look back at the prior verse 33. Jesus says "Even so when you see these things you know that it is right at the door.  When you say all these things, that is the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, then you know that it is right at the door. What is it? Look back to verses 30 and 31. It is the coming of the Son of Man in great power and glory together his elect from the four winds. What Jesus is telling his disciples is 'once you've seen the temple destroyed you know that his second coming is right at the door'.

This is Jesus' way of telling us that his second coming is imminent. That doesn't necessarily mean that it is immediate. If something is imminent it means that it can happen at anytime. There are no more pre-conditions that need to be met before something can occur. If you were a Christian in say 50AD, you knew that Jesus was not coming back that day or the next because Jesus has told you is something that has to happen first. And that something, the destruction of the temple, has not yet happened.

But once we get to 70 AD and beyond, all of that changes. Jesus' return is now imminent. It could happen at any moment or, as Jesus puts it, it is right at the door. To pick up the phrase from Isaiah too, it means that we are now in the last days.

When I use that kind of language it sounds alarmist. We've been in the last days everyday ever since 70AD but that's the point, at any point in time from that point onwards, Jesus could have come back. It's clear that Jesus can't have intended the alternative, that is to be predicting that his second coming would have occured in 70AD, because of what Jesus says next in verse 36. No one knows about that day or hour. Not even the angels in heaven or the son but only the father.During his earthly ministry Jesus did not know the timing of his second coming and so therefore cannot possibly have been predicting it's timing in verse 34.

So why is Jesus telling his disciples this? Why is it important for them to know about the fact that he is coming back and he is coming back at anytime?

Jesus explains the implications of the unknowability of the timing of his second coming by giving a series of examples that stretch across across Matthew 24 and 25. His second coming will be unexpected like the flood in the days of Noah or like a thief in the night that, verses, 36 to 44. His second coming will be like a servant being surprised by the return of a long absent master, versus 45 to 51. It is like awaiting a celebration where the bridegroom is delayed, Matthew 25 verses 1 to 13, which of course is the theme that's running right through the cantata that we're celebrating this morning. And finally it is like a man who goes on a long journey and entrusts his property to a servant while he is gone, Matthew 25 versus 14 to 30.

Jesus has given these four examples to his disciples because they all make a very similar point about the timing of his second coming. That it's unknown, that it will catch people unawares. Interestingly however each of the examples offers a different perspective on the timing. For example there is no expectation of a return in the first example. In the second, the master comes back earlier than the servant expects. In the third, the bridegroom is later than expected and in the fourth, the master goes away for a long time and the servants have no idea when he will be coming back.

Taken together, these four examples suggest that whatever you are expecting about the timing of the return of Jesus the timing probably won't be what you expect .

So what are we supposed to do with the knowledge that Jesus is coming back and that we can't know when? Well for one thing, it means that we need to be ready when he comes.  That's the point that Jesus makes in the first set of examples, versus 37 to 44. In verse 37, Jesus says it's as it was in the days of Noah. So it will be, at the coming of the son of man.

In Noah's day the people around him were oblivious to what was coming. For a long long time that generation took absolutely no notice of Noah and his ark and they went on about their lives. As it says in verse 38, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. They were completely oblivious to, perhaps willfully blind, to the fact that God was about to bring judgement on the earth. And it remained that way, no one caring, until it was too late. Verse 39, "the flood came and took them all away".

Jesus' point is that for some people it will be like that when he returns. Even though the warning has been given some people will take no notice and just carry on their lives regardless. The day is coming when Jesus will return to judge the earth and when he appears that day will catch some people unawares and unprepared.

When that day comes, it will be the end of history as we know it. It's not like there's an opportunity, after he comes, to get your house in order, to fix things up between you and God. When he comes that's it. At that point humanity will be divided. Jesus describes this in verses 40 and 41. Two men will be in the field, one taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a handmill. One will be taken and the other left.

From these verses some Christians have used the language of the rapture to describe what is happening at this point and the idea that the the Christians are the ones who are being mysteriously taken away, vacuumed up to heaven as it were. And suddenly all the non-Christians will just be left standing around wondering what has happened.

That's probably not what Jesus is talking about here because of what he's just said in the previous verses. In verse 39 in particular, about the flood. Did you notice that when he described the flood it was the ungodly who were taken away. "The flood came and took them all away". Now Jesus uses the same word to parallel between his second coming and the flood in Noah's day. So it's reasonable to assume therefore that the ones who are taken at the coming of the Son of Man are taken in judgement.

But but either way the point remains. Once Jesus comes back, at that moment humanity will be divided into those who are ready and prepared and looking as keen followers of the king and those who are not.

What happens to you on that day - what happens to me - will depend on whether we are ready to greet our king. When he comes, those who have willingly submitted to Jesus the king will be gathered to his Kingdom. those who have not will be taken in judgement. Jesus' point is that since we do not know when he's coming,  we have to be prepared.

Now the next example makes a similar point. Jesus coming will be as unexpected as a thief in the night. Can you imagine if you got a little postcard, kind of like those Australia post non delivery notices except that this card said something like "Last night I attempted to break into your house but you were at home. I will next be in your area tomorrow night and will re-attempt a break in then. Thank you in advance for your cooperation".

Life doesn't work like that does it?  But the whole point is that thieves don't tell us when they are coming to rob us and therefore we need to be vigilant at all times.  I make a point of locking my doors every night, not because I know that there is a thief coming but because I don't know whether thieves will be in the area that night. Likewise God hasn't told us when Jesus is coming back because he wants us, verse 42, to keep watch at all times. Or verse 44, to be ready at all times.

So this question this passage is posing is this. If Jesus were to return tonight, would you be ready to meet him?

Well, not only must we keep watch but we must also keep working while we wait for Jesus. That's the point of the example in verses 45 to 51. In these verses, Jesus tells a mini parable about the faithful and the wicked servant. The faithful and wise servant is the one who keeps on doing what his master wants even when the master is away for a long time. That way, when the master returns he finds a servant who has been doing his business. The application of the parable is pretty clear isn't it? Anyone who calls Jesus as their Lord are servants of king Jesus so when Jesus returns is he going to find us about his business doing what he has instructed us to do. Or will he find us taking it easy, serving ourselves and our own interests?

The point is we don't know when the master will return so we need to be faithfully serving at all times so that we are found faithful when he comes.

My wife keeps threatening to buy me a T-shirt that says "Jesus is coming look busy". That's precisely not  what would Jesus want! That is just making a show. When we know what is just around the corner we've gotta be busy all the time. The wicked servant is wicked because he's got tired of doing his masters work. You notice he wasn't wicked at the beginning but because the masters been along time, he slacks off. He was told by his the master to feed the other servants but instead he beats the other servants and feeds his face. He feasts and drinks with the drunkards.

Jesus has called us to be his servants and that actually means doing stuff. We are literally his hands and his feet. We are his his mouthpiece to the world. He called us to serve the world in love, to speak to the world in love and to share the food of the Gospel with a hungry world. We've been commissioned to go out into the world to make disciples of all nations. When our master comes, will he find us having done this or will he find us having been self indulgent?

We should be asking ourselves the question - "When my master returns, will Jesus find me doing the work that is called me to do?"

The parable of the talents in the next chapter makes a very similar point. When our master returns will we hear the words "well done good and faithful servant". Or will the master say to us "throw the worthless servant outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 24 is Jesus challenge to us to be living everyday in the imminent expectation of his return. He could be coming back at anytime. We've been in the last days ever since 70AD.

These two examples posed two questions for each of us. When Jesus comes:

• Will I personally be ready to meet my Lord,
• and when he comes will he find me a faithful servant working for him? 

Matthew 24 challenges us to live now in the light of the coming of our king.

Let us pray. Lord Jesus we thank you for this reminder that you are coming again, Father. We pray that as your servants, we would be found faithful at that day. That we would be prepared for your coming and taken with you to share your heavenly joy.