Matthew 24:31-25:46 - Skip Heitzig

[Music] welcome to expound our weekly worship and verse by verse study of the Bible our goal is to expand your knowledge of the truth of God by explaining the Word of God in a way that is interactive enjoyable and congregational we call this a textual community let's rejoice and learn God's Word in an interactive and enjoyable new way let's pray lord I do thank you tonight I'm thankful for your children I'm thankful for your people this flock who gather weekly sometimes a couple different times during the week and they do it out of love love for you love for your word love for friends and family to gather with them the body of Christ we're thankful that you have given to us your mind your heart your will and the pages of Holy Scripture we believe it to be your word and we pray that it would speak to us that we would be informed about it inspired by it and motivated to live it all of us face different circumstances all of us face challenges we're here also in part because we declare you are able to take us from this place to work in our lives and to fix anything to do anything to heal anyone to work in every situation we simply now submit to your sovereign hand in Jesus name Amen in verse 31 of Matthew chapter 24 we left off in verse 30 and I'm going to go back a couple verses in a moment but the reason I'm holding this trumpet this shofar this ram's horn is it says he will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of the heaven to the other and I just brought this because we often read scripture and we read into the scripture our own experiences you think of a brass or a silver trumpet er but the trumpet in the ancient times was a ram's horn and the ram's horn the trumpet that was blown was often too well for different reasons when Kings were appointed the shofar the trumpet was blown the King has come he is being announced for his ordination his anointing ceremony when the people were called to gather together often for war the shofar was blown and there were different blasts of the trumpet to signal those different events when the great festivals were announced the public feasts for Israel to gather the shofar was blown we have been dealing with the Olivet discourse that is Jesus own teaching about his second coming from the Mount of Olives that comprises Matthew chapter 24 and 25 put that down now I'm not going to blow it I'm not an angel but I take you back to verse 29 for the context of last week you know I'm always a little too ambitious I think I'm going to finish a chapter before I begin it then preachers can get carried away sometimes and get deeper and drill and dig a little bit deeper on a text and then the time runs out so I left off in verse 30 I take you back to verse 29 in the context of what we dealt with last week we are now at the end of the Tribulation Period in in verse 29 jesus speaks immediately after the tribulation of those days the Sun will be darkened the moon will not give its light the Stars will fall from heaven the powers of the heavens will be shaken then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and he will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other the question in these verses become who are the elect and to answer that question I'll just say it's a little more complicated than you might think you just think well they're just Christians that's the elect sometimes the scripture uses the term to refer to the Jews sometimes it uses it to refer to all believers I think it's safe to say that we're dealing here at the end of the age the culmination now of earthly history that it refers to all believers of all times that are gathered together this is the time of the end this is ushering in the millennial reign of Jesus Christ Jesus spoke about the tribulation and the Great Tribulation now we hinted last time that it's going to be a bad time jesus said it's going to be the worst time Daniel said that as well that it will be an unparalleled time of tribulation in human history nothing has happened like it before now in case you're thinking well how bad could it be I mean it's bad now every time in history is bad we have wars we have rumors of wars we have earthquakes we have famines we have pestilences the things that we read about but when you turn to the book of Revelation you get all of that on steroids you get all of that turned up to ten it's all of that to the max and I wrote down just a sampling of the book of Revelation what it speaks about will happen during that time now you'll understand why why it's called the Great Tribulation there's three series of judgments you know that there are seven seals that usher in seven trumpet judgments that usher in seven bold judgments that is something poured out upon the earth and according to Revelation chapter six there's going to be an unparalleled series of wars human slaughter worldwide famine worldwide inflation so much so the people will ask that mountains to fall upon them that's just the beginning then there are the seven trumpet judgments in Revelation eight hail and fire from the sky rivers and springs polluted and poisoned the grass of the earth much of it being burned up revelation nine the bottomless pit is open revelation 12 horns hordes of demons cover the earth then there's the seven bowl judgments revelation 16 malignant sores upon mankind water sources again poisoned the Sun scorches people on the earth and hail comes down from heaven in some cases 125 pound hailstones you think it's bad when Texas has a hailstorm ain't seen nothing yet Revelation 16 international conflict that eventually bring in a coalition of nation that will fight in the mother of all battles that is why it's called the Great Tribulation so if you say well how bad could it be can be that bad and that's how bad it will be this is now after that Christ comes before the Millennial Kingdom is set up verse thirty-two now hear this parable from the fig tree when it's branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves you know that summer is near so you also when you see all of these things know that it is near at the doors assuredly I say to you this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place heaven and earth will pass away remember that whatever you are saving up for to purchase this is its future not saying don't get it just keep it in mind you know the Lord has always had a sense of humor with me when I was younger and I would save up or something new and cool and I couldn't wait to get it seemed that the Lord wanted me to know that everything I was purchasing this new possession be it a guitar or a camera or whatever thing it was that it wasn't gonna last so if it was a guitar somebody would borrow it it got a ding in it in the first week brand-new surfboard first day out hole in it a new camera didn't have the strap on right hit the cement got a little ding it worked but it was like everything I owned was like Jacob after wrestling with the angel had always walked with a limp or a hole or a crack heaven and earth will pass away but my words will by no means pass away Jesus gives us here a series of parables a series of warning parables and this is the parable of the fig tree what does the fig tree mean what is it referred to well there's a number of possibilities number one some interpreted as the nation of Israel and they look back to 1948 when Israel came into the land and we established as the nation and they say that the generation that sees that fig tree re gathering of Israel that will be the final generation the problem I have with that interpretation is simply that would be so obscure to the disciples it wouldn't even merit Jesus giving that to them it's a possibility but that's the counter number too some people say well since the word generation is the Greek word Ganesha which means race as well as generation it could simply mean that God has made a covenant with the Jewish people and they're not going to be obliterated they're gonna survive throughout history even up to the end times because God has a plan for them a third possibility is that we just take it as a straightforward illustration of what you see happening now gives you an indication of what is coming next let me explain in the parallel account of Matthew 24 in the Gospel of Luke that's Luke chapter 21 jesus said this look at the fig tree and all the trees so he included other tree species besides the fig and he said when you see it bringing forth leaves you know that summer is near so what Jesus I think is saying my opinion on this interpretation isn't necessarily 1948 to regather of the Jews that generation or even the race of Israel I think he's simply saying I've given you a list of signs indicators and this is the assurance that when you have the winter of tribulation that is you know that the springtime of blessing and the summer will follow just like the fig tree when it gets leaves and all of the other trees are gonna bring forth fruit they're going from one season to the next it's a straightforward saying of there's hope at the end of this hard period of human history but of that day verse 36 and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven but my father only but as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be for as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the Ark and did not know until the flood came and took them all away so also will the coming of the Son of Man be now go back to verse 36 and notice the phrase that day but of that day and that hour no one knows what day is he talking about well what day has he been talking about let me let me ask it to you this way and see if you know the answer to it all the Jesus has been discussing in Matthew 24 is given a title in the Old Testament that is used over and over again by the prophets and is called the day of the Lord the day of the Lord isn't a 24-hour day it's a period of time that will unfold many events in this case the ultimate final judgments were God the Lord intervenes in human history that's the day of the Lord of that day and the hour that is the beginning of the day no one knows not even the angels in heaven but my father only the day of the Lord I believe this is my theology this is my eschatology I can't speak for all of you this is what I believe the Bible clearly says the day of the Lord that final period on earth known in Daniel as Daniels 70th week that's seven-year period that day of the Lord will begin with the rapture of the church that's my belief you can send me stuff in the mail and email and say but you got to read this book and what about that but I've read them all that's what I strongly believe the scripture teaches when that day will begin by that event of the rapture no one knows now every now and then somebody will forget this is in the Bible and say I know and I am absolutely amazed at how many Christians are duped by these would-be prophets I remember clearly in 1988 that some of your snickering because you know where I'm going with this there was a little booklet put out called 88 reasons why Jesus was going to return on Rosh Hashanah in 1988 remember that book anybody remember that okay then you guys are just like too young I'm preaching to the wrong crowd and it circulated some 300,000 copies were given free by Edgar wise NAT he's the guy that wrote it an ex NASA engineer and prophecy but he gave 88 reasons why Jesus would be coming back and the rapture of the church was going to happen September 11th 12 thirteenth's right around there 1988 I read it I dismissed it other people in this church read it and insisted that I warn people that Jesus is coming I said I've already warned people that Jesus is coming no no you can't warn them generally you have to warn them that he's coming then I said they should be as ready now as they would be as if he were coming tomorrow but they're not I said well I am and I'll tell you what I'll bring that book out again on September 12th or 13th or 14th once the if we're still here I'll take it out again and give it a second look before I throw it in the trash but he knew and so many people thought that was it and he's not the only one there have been so many throughout history that just swore they knew the date of that day and that hour knows no one not even the angels in heaven but my father only but as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be it's an interesting parallel that Jesus equates that his coming would be similar to the days of Noah now if you remember your Bible back in Genesis 6 there are certain indicators that are tip-offs remember 1 there was a population increase men began to multiply it says on the face of the earth and scientists have done tremendous Studies on what they figure the population was at the time of the flood I won't bore you with that you can chase that down in neurone there's 7 billion people on the planet by 2050 they figure 21 22 billion people now just think of how hard it is now to sustain life with the people on the earth there's a tremendous increase in population it's estimated that 1/2 to 3/4 of all the people who ever lived in history are alive right now number 2 there was an increase in wickedness remember in Genesis 6 it says the sons of God took the daughters of men and went into them and had offspring that became Giants men of renown and that's when God said my spirit will not always strive with man there was an increase of violence the Bible says that God saw the hearts of men that the thoughts of the intents of their heart were wicked continually so there are certain things that were in the time of Noah that Jesus said will be preceding his coming markedly so a fourth trait about the days of Noah it was a time of unheeded preaching 120 years Noah preached to a world who didn't want to hear the message and the floods came and they were all destroyed except for eight well it looked ridiculous he he was building a boat in Iraq inland Iraq he's out there building a boat building about saying the floods coming the floods coming it would be like putting a yacht factory in Gallup just wouldn't make sense to people and they didn't listen to it until it was too late and they realized God's judgment had fallen for us in the days before the flood they were eating drinking marrying giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the Ark and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away so also will the coming of the Son of Man be now watch this then two will be in the field one will be taken the other left two women will be grinding at the mill one will be taken the other left it's my strong belief based upon the context that it's not referring to being taken in the rapture but taken away in judgment because it says in verse 39 they did not know until the flood came and took them all away in the very next verse then two will be in the field one will be taken the other left I think the point is that the judgment will come and it will be too late now granted because I know there are various interpretations of lots of scriptures it could refer to being taken away in the rapture if you factor in verse 38 because yes the flood came upon the world but Noah was lifted up off the earth in a boat he was saved the point or at least one of the sub points Jesus is making is that when God judges he always makes a difference between the righteous and the wicked and he knows how to make that difference that was the point Peter in his epistle used when he used the flood as an example of judgment and God knows how to differentiate between righteous people and wicked people two women will be grinding at the mill one will be taken and the other left watch therefore for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming no one knows what will trigger that chain quickly that brings in the rapture of the church that ushers in the day of the Lord that is followed by the abomination of desolation in the middle of the seven-year period that culminates in the Battle of Armageddon and the return of Christ nobody knows that but know this okay we don't know that but but know this that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you do not expect here's the principle the Bible's revelation of the world's consummation should bring godly motivation you see there's something that you know as a Christian you know what's coming the world doesn't know this is coming and if you tell them they go off whatever they don't believe it like it was in the days of Noah right they dismiss it but you know better Paul said in first Corinthians 2 the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit it's foolishness to him but the spiritual man said Paul understands all things he gets it you see what people out there don't see I hope you see it I read an interesting little article on the eye of the eagle said skip early this is your this is your background nighttime reading huh fascinating that an eagle's eye has eight times the amount of visual cells per cubic centimeter than the human eye what that means is an eagle can be flying 600 feet above the earth and spot an object the size of a dime in six inches of grass he has that visual acuity don't you wish you had that he could spot a three inch fish jumping five miles away from the air he can see or she can see depending on if it's a mr. or mrs. Eagle what other creatures can't see you and I can see by prophetic Scripture what no one else is seeing therefore if anybody ought to be ready and involved and passionate in our living it ought to be us therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming in an hour you do not expect who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his master made ruler over his household to give them food in due season blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing surely I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods but if that evil servant says in his heart my master is delaying his coming and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him at an hour when he is not aware of and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth how do you get ready for Jesus coming number one get saved get saved if you trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on your behalf on Calvary's cross that He shed his blood and he received by an act of your faith that act and that Savior as your Savior and your Lord you believe in your heart that's where you begin you get saved the passion of my life has been teaching the Bible and as Paul the Apostle compelling men and women to come to Christ you see I had a brother that I witnessed to who said I'll think about that later those are the last words I heard a week later I heard he died instantly in a motorcycle wreck that has haunted me for years yesterday I did a funeral of a dear brother a dear friend who was saved ready interestingly though he died suddenly he just fell over dead next week I have three more funerals one from a of a teenager and his father another of a woman who is 98 years old you just never know when your time is up but you can be ready for any event including death or the coming of the Lord but first of all getting saved it's sad but true I heard there's a tombstone somewhere that says here lies an atheist all dressed up but no place to go well that's not true there is a place for him to go or her to go as well as anyone who believes just not the same place eternity is very real it's not to be toyed with get saved number two get busy start growing in the Lord Peter said grow in the Grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ never be content with where you're at now today tonight in your Christian walk what else can I learn how else could the Lord work in me you know jesus told his disciples go and make disciples of all nations he didn't say go make converts of all nations we get so excited when people come forward and get saved I do too when they make that initial commitment that is just the beginning disciple them grow get saved get busy number three get active don't sit around and watch other people in the church serve you have gifts and talents get active involve yourself with other people I had a friend I knew I'm not really well but I knew him rather well he was pretty famous musician in the day in Christian circles years ago he was becoming pretty popular and pretty famous he was just sort of getting bored you know I play here and I play there and kind of going through the circuit and he was sinking into a depression and he went to the assistant pastor of our church where I was in California the assistant pastors name was romaine he was a Marine Sergeant ex-marine sergeant and so Eric went to him and he told him you know I play everywhere for the Lord and I'm just this you know this life is this and life is that and romaine said Eric you need to wake up you are so self-absorbed and here's the cure for the next week every day I want you to go to an old folks home and spend time with them and see how you might help them and see what their needs are Eric came back a week later with a smile on his face having helped someone who had greater needs than he had seeing their suffering seeing their plight seeing their condition and he just little by little wanted to help them help snap him out of it sometimes we are just so selfish and self focused that if we look too there's and how we might bless and minister to others it puts a new passion in us get saved get active get busy first one chapter 25 I think we're making great time you're looking at the end of the chapter going no way let's just see then he's continuing this is all the same sermon on the mount of olives then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom okay we're now obviously in this parable dealing with a Jewish wedding okay a Jewish wedding was very different than a wedding today today people date they get engaged they planned the ceremony they get married they go off to a honeymoon not in those days number one there were three phases to the Jewish wedding and this background will help you understand the parable number one there was the engagement the engagement was done when the children were quite young just little children it was not done by the boy and the girl it was done by the father and the father the father of the bride the father in the groom made a contract made a deal a gift was given the children had no contact or say in the matter at all they would find out later who they would be marrying so they would learn early that love is a commitment not a feeling second phase was the betrothal period which happened about a year before the actual wedding feast itself about a year before the wedding feast the young man and the young woman to be married entered into a contract and said vows to each other during the betrothal just like marriage vows they would have no physical contact for a year they would say the vows to each other and once they said the vows and they entered that phase of betrothal which could last up to a years I said they could not separate unless they filed a legal divorce in fact if let's say the man died during that betrothal period she was called a widow who is a virgin that's a biblical phrase you'll find if you ever wonder what does that mean it's somebody who has betrothed whose husband-to-be died and she is now a widow who is a virgin during that year the idea of it was it would give him time to get a house to get his fields plowed and to be able to show that he could provide for the wife he was taking in number three and this is the background of the parable was the wedding feast itself now the wedding feast involved everybody in the small town everybody in the community the groom and his groomsmen would whenever they were ready go over to the bride's house she was ready her attendance should be ready the bridesmaids and there they would begin by a parade from her house through the longest route possible of that town back to the groom's house why the longest route possible so that everybody in town could say congratulations matzah tov and maybe throw out a coin or two you get a little bit more if you go through all the houses sort of like trick or treat when you were a kid once they got to the groom's house that's when the festivities began and there was no honeymoon for the first week get this there was a feast for a week the couple didn't consummate the marriage they had an open house and a feast for seven days up to one whole week people would come in congratulate them they would you know hug and have meals and they would do that for seven days finally after seven days the best man the groomsmen the friend of the bridegroom would take the hand at the groom in a hand of the bride and place them together and everyone would leave it was the first time they were alone together everyone would leave hopefully enough Sanath get out of town get out of this house and they would consummate the marriage and they would share their lives together now on that parade from the house of the bride to the house of the groom it was often done at night so torches were lit and a torch it says lamps but the word is torch better translated from the Greek and it was a long stick on the top was like a metal mesh wire mesh apparatus cloth stuffed inside olive oil soaked in that cloth and they would light it up and that would light up the night sky so they could go from one end of town to the other then the attendants would also with the torches women included have little flasks of olive oil so when that lamp would start to dim they'd pour more oil in it and the flame would be renewed that's the background of what you're about to read then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened unto ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom now five of them were wise and five were foolish the were foolish is morose we get the word from it stupid the word wise is from the moss in Greek it means it speaks of the brain somebody who is attentive mentally with it and together mentally somebody who assesses the situation correctly because you never know when the groom's gonna come so you just want to be ready that's a wise person plans ahead five or why's five were foolish those who were morose took their lamps and took no oil with them well that's dumb but the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps but while the bridegroom was delayed they all slumbered and slept and at midnight a cry was heard behold the bridegroom is coming go out and meet him okay so this is sort of unusual right it is kind of late midnight is when most people do sleep so this guy is really late but the point Jesus is making is he's not coming back at the second coming right away remember they expected the disciples expected you remember from last week that Jesus was going to set up his kingdom win then immediately it's going to be a while boys at midnight an unlikely hour then verse 7 all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said to the wise give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out but the wise answered saying no unless there should not be enough for us and you but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves well at midnight nobody's open the stores are closed and while they went to buy the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with them to the wedding and the door was shut afterward the other virgins came also saying Lord Lord opened to us but he answered he said assuredly I say to you I do not know you watch therefore that's the same message a warning parable watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming be righteous be ready be responsible that's the lesson be righteous be ready be responsible now just a word on the number 10 there's ten virgins five wise five foolish ten seems to be a big deal in Judaism for some reason I know there's a reason I just don't know it and I'm sure I'll probably get an email saying I know it okay anyway it took ten Jewish men in a city before you could start a synagogue that was the minimum number of men required that is why when Paul goes to Philip I and there's Lydia and the women they're down by the river there's no synagogue there's not ten Jewish men in that town there's only a few who were gathered together so they would gather together always in a river because River was considered living water flowing water and that's where they could do their dippings and their baptisms in the mikveh of the river so you need a ten men for a synagogue also Jewish law required the minimum of ten men to have a Passover and ten seems to be the appropriate number for a wedding in ancient times but the point is be righteous be ready be responsible here you have wise and foolish the foolish or the stupid were those who knew something was coming but were unprepared oh yeah they got the garment so they looked apart they got the torch so they kind of look like they're ready for the part but they don't have anything to light it with there's no oil so they're unprepared they're unprepared for what is coming like so many people who profess to be waiting for the Lord but they don't live like it they'd fallen asleep they sort of dozed now one hand it's it's understandable I mean talk about being ready Jesus hasn't returned it's been 2,000 years I'm imagine your whole life you can't live on your tiptoes your whole life you mean let you have to make decisions you have to pay mortgages you have to drive cars you have to raise children etc so you know you can't just wear your pajamas and stay in your house sing singing the Lord is going to return life has to go on so because life goes on many just sort of doze off and forget and they're unprepared and eventually by the way they live shows that they're foolish and not wise one of the things that has always concerned me and I really wish it would concern churches across this nation is that just because people go to a church and bring a Christian book and no Christian songs doesn't mean that they're all wise bridesmaids there are myriads of churches filled with unprepared unrepentant unsaved people oh yeah I've heard that oh yeah I know that those all go and it just becomes a conditioned tradition for them to go through it's not real they're doze they're sleeping and they will be caught many will be caught it's interesting that five are dumb now I'm not going to suggest from this parable that that Jesus giving some a mathematical equation that in every assembly of people who are professing believers that half of them are unsaved but it's just interesting that half are wise and half or not obviously it concerns the Lord that there's a significant number of people who profess to follow him who are really not ready for him that's concerning I wish it would concern more people verse 10 noticed this and while they went to buy their out looking for oil the bridegroom came now stop right there there are two ancient versions of Scripture that we need to apply and compare when is the Syriac version the other is the Vulgate the latin vulgate and both of those versions where it says the the bridegroom came they say the bridegroom came with the bride which fits the prophetic model in other words the rapture of the church will take place the bride the church will be in heaven there will be the marriage supper of the Lamb and the bride will come the bride groom will come Jesus the bridegroom will come with us his bride back to the earth for the second coming that fits the prophetic model beautifully so that's an important translation to consider and while he went to they went to buy the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut afterwards the other virgins came also saying Lord Lord open to us but he said assuredly I say to you I do not know you watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming there are some things that you've just can't leave to the last minute and one of them is dealing with eternal things spiritual things you can't like put that off any longer if you put off a decision for Christ you are in his words moronic it's dumb you're playing against the odds because you don't know you could drop dead tomorrow take it from someone who does a lot of funerals be ready don't put off certain things and one of them is spiritual things if you sat down in a classroom to take a test you'd be foolish if you didn't prepare for the test until it was passed out oh yeah a test okay I got to get myself ready too late you can't put that off the other lesson is that there's certain things that can't be borrowed oil hey man I know every oil can I borrow some years no I'm I won't have enough for me it's my oil this is from my lamp it's corresponding this amount to what I need for tonight's march through town you can't borrow someone else's relationship to the Lord well I think I'm okay my mother is a believer my father is a believer or a preacher or my grandfather you need your own relationship with Christ you can't borrow anybody else's oil now we get to another parable the parable of the talents let's see how far we get for the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them and to one he gave five talents to another two to another one to each according to his own ability and immediately he went on a journey now you hear the word talent and you think of it in in an English definition of capability and since the word ability is used in the sentence you think talent is I'm talented or I'm not talented I can play the guitar or I can't play the guitar a talent was a measurement of weight and significant a talent of silver or gold could be worth up to 20 years wages for a working person 3 gave 5 and then 2 and then 1 then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another 5 and likewise he who had received 2 gained two more also but he received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lords money after a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them so he who had received five talents came and brought the other five talents saying Lord you delivered me five talents look I've gained five more talents besides them his Lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you were faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord he also who had received the two talents came and said Lord you delivered to me two talents look I've gained two more talents besides them his Lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you've been faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord then he who had received the one talent came and said lord I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown in other words taking what doesn't belong to you and gathering where you have not scattered seed now stop right there that is this guy's assessment of the master doesn't mean that's how the master was that's just what he said he was now I find this to be incongruous because if this guy really believed his master was a hard man and did reap where he did not so that would give him even more not to be lazy and slothful because otherwise if I'm lazy and slothful I'm really in trouble but this was his excuse well I just know you're a hard dude and I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground look there you have what is yours his Lord answered and said to him you wicked and lazy servant you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed you also ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest therefore take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents one way to see this this is money the talent is a measurement of weight and it's inferred here as money but you could look at talents as your opportunity to invest what the Lord has given to you in terms of resources time talent treasure and investing your life and those resources for the sake of the kingdom of God are you really using what God is entrusted to you to expand the kingdom of God it's our privilege to multiply the provision that the Lord has given to us and God rewards according to faithfulness so you're a unique individual and you as an individual have certain opportunities certain gifts of the Holy Spirit in us as a member of the body of Christ you have a certain amount of monetary treasure to contribute to the body of Christ and for the work of the kingdom all of that wrap together is your opportunity to produce upon the provision that God has entrusted to you get saved get busy get active that message keep coming over and over again now you and I are different and you and the person next to you is different you are uniquely crafted by God and you have certain contributions that I don't have you are needed and just like a human body the body of Christ the church operates at different levels but everyone must be faithful and God will reward according to your faithfulness can I just say you can thank God that your human body doesn't act like most churches act members in the body of Christ who aren't content with what God has gifted them or given them or called them to be and using that investing that in the kingdom what if your human body was like much of the church what if for example your foot this foot wanted to go one way and this one wanted to go another way you'd have a real difficult time getting anywhere what if your lungs said you know what nobody sees me I don't like this place of not being seen you know the eyes get all the glory I want more exposure you don't have infection what if that little master gland in the brain the pituitary said I'm trapped inside the sella turcica connected to the infundibulum I don't like this little space in here so crowded I don't want to be in the endocrine system anymore and secrete stuff you'd be dead every single element every single part of your body plays a unique part and contributes to the whole body and since we are Christ's representatives on earth and he has entrusted us with talents opportunities gifts treasures get saved I'm speaking to people probably mostly who are get busy get active for to everyone who has verse 29 more will be given to he who hat and he will have abundance but from him who does not have even what he has will be taken away and cast into cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth it would seem that in this parable the unprofitable servant is the poser believer he proves that he doesn't have saving faith by the way he acted with his master when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him then he will sit on the throne of his glory and all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats and he will set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on his left then the king will say to those on his right hand come you blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gave me food I was thirsty and you gave me drink I was a stranger and you took me in I was naked and you clothed me I was sick and you visited me I was in prison and you came to me and before we quickly finish this up unfortunately this section has been lifted out of context by some who tried to show that salvation comes by works or maintaining your salvation is by works and somebody that I love very deeply was a great musician but an error over this one issue and that was a man by the name of Keith Greene who used to talk about this a lot and press this a lot and in the early years so legalistic tried to show that you need to maintain by your works the salvation given to you or you lose it that is not the context of this we go on and we see the righteous will answer him saying Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink when did we see you a stranger take you in or naked and clothe you when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you and the king will answer and say to them assuredly I say to you in as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me and he will say to those on the left depart from me you accursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels for I was hungry and you gave me no food I was thirsty and you gave me no drink I was a stranger and you did not take me in naked and you did not clothe me sick and in prison and you did not visit me and they will also answer him saying Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you and he will answer them saying assuredly I say to you in as much as you did not do it to the least of these you did not do it to me really quickly most people most theologians most Bible commentators don't you love that word commentators and some taters are more common than others those who give us Bible commentaries will all agree that this is dealing with the second coming of Jesus Christ but they don't agree on the nature of this judgment I will tell you this this is not the great white throne judgment the great white throne judgment takes place after the Millennium it's only for unbelievers it's the lake of fire and it's called the second death I'm not going to explain these terms I'm just enclosing going to share them hoping that some of you know what they are amillennialists those who don't believe in a literal millennium post millennialist both think this is the general endtime judgment for all people I do not I do not because first of all there's no mention of resurrection that must be there before that takes place and because the subjects who are being judged seemed to be the ones who are alive when Jesus comes back at a second coming so the way it seems to me is that this is a judgment on the nations of the earth at the time of the second coming end of the tribulation and they're judged on their treatment of whom Jesus calls his brethren which I believe are the Jewish people the Jews the Jewish nation Israel Paul spoke about my brethren same terminology spoke about Jewish ethnically Jewish people he had a heart for them in the Tribulation Period many Jews we talked last week will come to they will be sealed but there will be such a wave of anti-semitism according to revelation 12 that will sweep through the world many Gentile nations will persecute Israel but some Gentile nations will bless and be kind to them and Jesus will have a judgment for those nations and probably since he's giving it out to individuals rulers of those nations who set the policies during that time in dealing with his brethren the Jews I think it's the judgment of the nations look at verse 41 now let's look at verse 46 and close it off and these will go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into eternal life now look at verse 41 as we close notice what he says then he will also say to those on the left hand depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for whom the devil and his angels please mark that God didn't make hell for people now people will go there a lot of people will go there I'll even be bold to say most people will go there Jesus talked about the narrow gate and very few he said enter there in why does the gate that leads to destruction and many most enter therein but God never made help for people he made it to be inhabited by the devil and his angels as a place of torment for those spiritual beings however God has given you and I volition the power of free choice and if a person refuses to follow Christ refuses God's plan for their life and decides rather to follow the devil God will let them follow the devil even to the devil's final destination which is help and that is your choice and I wish more authors would write about the rest of the story when it comes to near death experiences remember all the stories of yeah man it was like a bright white light and I felt so warm and you know what I've been like a horrible person my whole life but it's all good yeah those books make the press but you don't hear the rest of the story one cardiologist by the name of Morris Rawlings a cardiologist who attended many people who were dying in the emergency room had a different story and wrote a different book he wrote a book called beyond death's door he experienced the deaths of hundreds of patients he says whose hearts stopped suddenly and changed his idea about eternity in his book he writes I am thoroughly convinced that there is life after death and that there are at least as many people going to hell as going to heaven he says at one time he was an unbeliever but now with this he's convinced the turning point in my own concepts occurred when a patient experienced cardiac arrest and dropped dead right in front right in front of me in my office of course that alone didn't change my thinking but the fact that this 48 year old was screaming I'm in hell keep me out of hell each time you responded to resuscitation efforts did cause me some concern he has a knack for the understatement he wrote about 50% of the received 50% of the revived persons told of having gone to a place of great darkness filled with grotesque moaning and writhing bodies crying out to be rescued from this place with overwhelming feelings of eerie nightmarish terror he addresses in his book why aren't these stories being reported he answers because people are too embarrassed to admit them and doctors are too embarrassed to make inquiries into such matters but nobody can afford to ignore these reports I'm convinced there is a hell and we must conduct ourselves in such a way as to avoid being sent there at all costs now get saved get busy get active but if you don't know Jesus Christ tonight and if you're gonna be like the foolish young woman who says oh yes the Lord yes I'm kind of waiting for the Lord's all good and you haven't made preparation by letting the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses your life your sin you are foolish indeed as we close I'm gonna give you an opportunity to change that let's stand and we'll pray together our Father we've covered a lot of ground a lot of real estate in Matthew a lot of parables but that recurring theme of Jesus the Lord Himself over and over again there's things we don't know about the future there's that date we cannot figure out or pinpoint you've given us general warning signs but we don't exactly know when but we know enough to get saved to get busy and to get active I pray for those who may be gathered here tonight who are toying with their lives they've come to church they're checking it out yeah they'll listen to the preacher boy a little longer they'll listen to the music but they themselves have not made a genuine heart change to Jesus Christ they've never admitted that inner sinner they've never turned to Christ they've never asked Jesus to wash them of their sins they're not saved they're not ready they're living in a foolish condition there are others who are here tonight who remember back when some experienced they had the warm feeling that talking to God maybe even a commitment to you that was seemingly authentic at the time but that has passed and today they're not walking with you at all and they're isolated and alone and rightly worried about the future make a covenant with them Lord tonight here right now enter into that covenant where you're their Savior and they come as a sinner vulnerable and open before you confessing who they are and asking you to heal them [Music] as we sing this final song if that describes you if you've never received the Lord personally don't care what church you were raised in don't care if you were raised in this church like godly parents or grandparents you might be a nice person a wonderful person a well-educated person a well-meaning person you search your heart and you ask him I saved if I died tonight would I go to heaven do I know Jesus or if you've walked away from him if you haven't been following him and you need to come back to him as we sing this song quickly get it from where you're standing balcony in this living room floor in the overflow room right here with the families you get up and come as we sing we sing a new pop will make provision we write up in the prior to Jesus I surrender to him I freely do [Music] I will and trust him in his presence day yeah [Music] man [Music] to being my maths it's a go [Music] you heard preaching before the people in Noah's time heard preaching year after year only eight were saved many are called few are chosen will you be one of the elect that he has chosen will you cooperate with his calling in your life his sovereign call in your life his claim on you you can be forgiven of anything you've ever done oh but dude I'm really bad you might say there's two truths that I know I am a great sinner and Jesus is a great Savior he'll be your Savior if you let him but only if you let him anyone else will wait for you but come quickly come now this is your night God's calling you get up from the back or the middle or the balcony or the front and come to Christ let him be your Savior in your master you come as we sing [Music] hello to Jesus I surrender lord I give myself to hoody [Music] me winds are no and power by placing four becoming surrender your life [Music] [Music] my eyes Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] okay really quickly now I'm gonna pray for you with you guys I'm gonna lead you in a prayer I'm gonna ask you to pray this prayer out loud after me from your heart to the Lord this is you in prayer giving the Lord the pink slip the control of your life damn ready let's pray lord I give you my life I admit I'm a sinner please forgive me I believe in Jesus I believe he died on the cross and that he rose from the dead that he shed his blood for my sin I turn from my sin I turned to you as my savior in Jesus name Amen [Applause]

Channel: Calvary Church with Skip Heitzig

Views: 9,895

Rating: 4.5652175 out of 5

Keywords: Calvary, Albuquerque, Skip, Heitzig, Sermon, Matthew, Calvary Church, Shofar, Rams horn, Olivet Discourse, second coming, rapture, judgment, end times, warning parables, hell, Amillennialists, Great White Throne, Sheep and Goats, Talents, Ten Virgins, Wise Servant, Days of Noah, Heaven, Armageddon

Id: bXQTPK3DwiI

Length: 68min 31sec (4111 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 11 2018