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Welcome to day five, our last day of looking through Matthew 24. I know in many
ways we've rushed through this chapter and just had to hit sort of the tops of
the trees, but I hope it's helped you to do the three things we're talking
about. Don't let your hope be misplaced.

Don't let yourself be deceived and be alert to the fact that Jesus is coming
again. Now when we talk about this sense of anticipation, Jesus coming again, I
know for a lot of believers that I talk to, there's a sense of struggle with
that. And one of the reasons is for many of us we live in a world where things
are pretty good.

You may live in a country where you have enough food. You may live in a place
where you have a nice house and you have a nice family and you're looking
forward to a son or daughter being married in a few years and you have some
grandkids. You want to see them grow up.

And so for you, there is a lot of joy in this world. When you think, well, Jesus
is coming again, he's going to put a halt to some of that. But the truth of the
matter is those things that we think we have hope in in this world, they're just
a mere reflection of the eternal hope we're going to have, the eternal family
that we're going to have, the eternal joy that we're going to have.

So don't let the measure of joy that he gives you in this world keep you from
looking forward to the overwhelming flood of joy that he's going to give you for
all eternity. Don't let the small bite-sized candy bar that he gives you in this
world keep you from looking forward to the gigantic, like football-sized,
field-sized candy bar that you can eat when you get to heaven without having to
worry about it. Now, that's true for some of us.

We've got some measure of good in this world. But for most believers down
through history, this truth of the second coming has been their lifeblood. Some
of you listening to this right now, you live in persecution.

You live without any hope in this world. The only thing you have to hang on to,
the only rope on the edge of that cliff, is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
And it is a rope that's worth hanging on to.

Because it's the only thing that's going to last. So Jesus says, "Be alert to
the fact that I am coming again. " He's going to give us, in the last part of
chapter 24 and all of chapter 25, he's going to give us seven different pictures
of the fact that you and I can be alert to his return.

When Jesus wants to emphasize something, he tells a story about it. Here he
tells seven stories about it. Eight, if you count the fig tree that we talked
about yesterday.

He is serious about us understanding this. So let's walk through these stories
at the end of this chapter. He tells three stories at the end of this chapter
about how he will return.

He says, "First, it's going to be like it was in the days of Noah. Second, it's
going to be like two men in the field. Third, it's going to be like a thief in
the night.

" First, he says, "It's going to be like the days of Noah. " Verses 37 to 39.
"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark. And they knew
nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

" The people of Noah's day, they didn't know. The world, Jesus says, is going to
be thinking business as usual until these final signs happen. Don't wait for
something unusual to begin being ready for the fact, begin anticipating the fact
that he is coming again.

It could be at any moment, he says. Second picture he gives is of two men in the
field, or two women who are grinding at a mill. Verses 40 to 42.

"Two men will be in the field, one will be taken, the other left. Two women will
be grinding with a hand mill, one will be taken, and the other left. Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

" Some people think these verses are about the rapture of Jesus, because Jesus
is talking primarily about his visible return here. These could also talk about
the visible return of Jesus. Because in both cases, Jesus is going to take the
elect to be with him in some way.

And Jesus says you're not going to know the day. And he says everyone's not
going to be prepared. One's going to be taken, another one's going to be left.

Don't wait for someone to announce the day before you start getting prepared,
he's saying. The final picture he gives here is the most familiar one to many of
us. The thief and the night.

In verses 43 to 44, Jesus taught, "But understand this, if the owner of the
house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept
watch, and he would not let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready,
because the Son of Man will come in an hour when you do not expect him. " He's
saying here very clearly that being alert, being aware, means recognizing I'm
not going to know the hour.

He says if you knew the hour a thief was coming, you'd never get robbed, you
don't know the hour. And he's saying if you have to know the hour I'm coming, if
you have to know the exact time to be ready, you've missed the point. Always be
ready, he's saying.

Always be ready. Now in these three stories, there are a couple of important
truths about how you and I need to be alert. First, the time of Jesus' return is
unexpected.

And second, the time of Jesus' return is unknown. First it's unexpected. So
don't wait for some feeling of expectation to come upon you to get ready.

Jesus has already told you, "Expect it, it's coming. " Now does the fact that
his return is unexpected tell you anything? Although we might be able to see the
signs, we won't know the exact time.

It's going to be a wonderful surprise. It's very important to understand that
because it's unexpected does not mean it's scary. Some people think unexpected
means somebody jumping out from behind a corner and scaring you.

No, Jesus is not coming to scare us, he's coming to save us. He's coming to save
us. And the only people who need to be nervous about Jesus' coming are those who
are not prepared.

They haven't prepared their hearts by asking him into their hearts, by beginning
a relationship with him. That's how you get prepared, that's how you get ready.
His return is unexpected.

And second, the time of his return is unknown. As we saw yesterday, Jesus
doesn't even know the day or the hour. So don't wait for some proof in history
or what's happening in Israel or some chart that proves it to you.

It's unknown. It could happen at any moment. Now these first three examples we
just looked at, first three stories, they point to the need to be alert.

You have to be alert because it's unexpected, it's unknown. The next four
stories we're going to look at, first one is at the end of this chapter and the
other three are in the next chapter, they point out how to be alert. We're going
to look at the first today and the other three in chapter 25 this next week.

These tell us what our attitude should be. And the first of these four that talk
about our attitudes is this parable of the faithful steward in verses 45 to 51.
Jesus tells the story, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the
master has put in charge of the servants of his household to give them the food
at their proper time?

It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he
returns. " I tell you the truth. He will put him in charge of all his
possessions.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, "My master is staying
away a long time. " And he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat
and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he
does not expect him and an hour he is not aware of and he'll cut him to pieces
and assign him a place with the hypocrites where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.

Jesus is very serious here. He says, "Watch your life. Watch your faith.

Watch your heart, knowing that he will return. " Don't look up at the sky
thinking he's going to return someday and just wait. Instead, he says you need
to be doing what he's called you to do until he returns.

Do a great job of taking care of all that he's giving you to do, knowing that
he's going to return. That's what you do. Now, there are some who are wicked, he
says, who think, "Oh, he's not going to return because he hasn't returned for
2,000 years, he's never going to return.

So I can live my life any way that I want and maybe when I'm 60, 70, 80 years
old then I'll ask Christ into my life and all will be fine. " That is massively,
massively dangerous to your spiritual health, your spiritual faith because you
don't know when he's going to return. It's also, by the way, ruining your life
here.

The most joyous life here is the life of following Jesus. And Jesus says here
there is great reward for doing the master's work as you wait for his return and
there's great judgment for ignoring the master's work. Now, what's the master's
work?

Well, the number one thing that Jesus asks us to do, the number one thing you
and I are to do in order to be ready is put our faith in him. That's where it
starts. All the other work that you do, the things that you do, those grow out
of putting your faith in him.

They're a result of putting your faith in him. So we're not talking about making
yourself fit for heaven by doing good works. We're talking about Jesus making
you fit for heaven.

And then he's got some work for you to do as you're waiting for his return. So
as we pray today, I want to invite you, if you've never said to Jesus, "Jesus
Christ, I want a relationship with you. I want to be ready," tell him right now.

Just say, "Jesus, I want to be ready for your return. I don't want to wait one
more day to begin a relationship with you. And so I ask you to forgive the wrong
things I've done.

I ask you to begin to lead and guide my life. Forgive me for putting this off.
Forgive me for the pride of thinking that somehow the timing should be mine.

The timing of my life, the timing of this world, the timing of eternity, it's
all in your hands. And so I humbly bring myself to you and I give my heart, my
life to you. Jesus, I want to enjoy eternity with you beginning right now.

So I want to ask you to come into my life and I want to begin a relationship
with you today. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Join us next week.

We're going to be looking at the parables, the stories of the ten virgin
bridesmaids, the ten talents, and also of the separation of the sheep and goats.
These are all stories that give you an eternal perspective on everyday life.