Matthew 24
Jesus predicts destruction of the Temple verse 1- 2
And Jesus went out – and departed from the temple
and HIS disciples came to HIM for to show HIM the buildings of the temple
And Jesus said to them – See you not all these things?
Verily I say to you
There shall not be left here one stone upon another
that shall not be thrown down
Disciples want a sign from Jesus verse 3
And as HE sat on the mount of Olives
the disciples came to HIM privately – saying
Tell us – when shall these things be?
and what shall be the sign of YOUR coming
and of the end of the world?
Jesus tells of false prophets coming verse 4- 8
Jesus answered and said unto them – Take heed that no man deceive you
FOR many shall come in MY name saying – I am Christ
and shall deceive many
AND you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars
see that you be not troubled
FOR all these things must come to pass
BUT the end is not yet
FOR nation shall rise against nation – and kingdom against kingdom
and there shall be famines – pestilences – earthquakes
in divers places
All these are the beginning of sorrows
Jesus warns of persecution verse 9- 14
THEN shall they deliver you up to be afflicted – and shall kill you
and you shall be hated of all nations for MY name’s sake
And then shall many be offended – and shall betray one another
and shall hate one another
and many false prophets shall rise – and shall deceive many
and because iniquity shall abound
the love of many shall wax cold
BUT he that shall endure to the end – the same shall be saved
AND this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness
to all nations – AND THEN shall the end come
Jesus reminds them of Daniel’s prophecy verse 15- 22
WHEN you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation
spoken of by Daniel the prophet – stand in the holy place
(whoso read – let him understand)
THEN let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains
let him which is on the housetop not come down to take
any thing out of his house
NEITHER let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes
AND WOE to them that are with child
and to them that give suck in those days
BUT pray you that your flight be not in the winter – neither on the Sabbath day
FOR then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time
no – nor ever shall be
AND except those days should be shortened – there should no flesh be saved
BUT for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened
Jesus reminded them of false Messiahs verse 23- 25
THEN if any man shall say to you
LO – here is Christ or there – believe it not
FOR there shall arise false Christs and false prophets
and shall show GREAT SIGNS and WONDERS
insomuch that – IF it were possible
they shall deceive the very elect
BEHOLD I have told you before
Jesus told lies would be given verse 26- 28
WHEREFORE if they shall say to you
BEHOLD – he is in the desert – go not forth
BEHOLD – he is in the secret chambers – believe it not
FOR as the lightning comes out of the east
and shines even unto the west
SO shall also the coming of the Son of man be
FOR wheresoever the carcase is – there will the eagles be gathered together
Gathering of the chosen verse 29- 31
Immediately after the TRIBULATION of those days shall the sun be darkened
and the moon shall not give her light – and the stars shall fall from heaven
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken
And THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven
and THEN shall all the tribes of the earth mourn
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with POWER and GREAT GLORY
And HE shall send HIS angels with a GREAT SOUND of a trumpet
and they shall gather together HIS elect from the four winds
from one end of heaven to the other
Lesson from fig tree verse 32- 35
Now learn a parable of the fig tree
When his branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves
you know that summer is nigh
SO likewise you – when you shall see all these things
know that it is near – even at the doors
Verily I say to you
This generation shall not pass
till all these things be fulfilled
Heaven and earth shall pass away
BUT MY words shall not pass away
Father only one who knows verse 36
BUT of that day and hour knows no man – no – NOT the angels of heaven
BUT MY Father only
Days of Noah return verse 37- 39
BUT as the days of Noah were – SO shall also the coming of the Son of man be
FOR as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking
marrying and giving in marriage
UNTIL the day that Noah entered into the ark
AND knew not until the flood came – AND took them away
SO shall also the coming of the Son of man be
Chosen will be taken verse 40- 41
THEN shall two be in the field – the one shall be taken – and the other left
two women shall be grinding at the mill – the one shall be taken
and the other left
Watchfulness necessary verse 42- 44
Watch therefore – FOR you know not what hour your Lord does come
BUT know this – that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch
the thief would come – he would have watched
and would not have suffered his house to be broken up
THEREFORE be you also READY
FOR in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes
Example of good and evil servants verse 45- 51
WHO then is a faithful and wise servant
whom his lord hath made ruler over his household
to give them meat in due season?
Blessed is that servant – whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing
Verily I say unto you
That he shall make him ruler over all his goods
BUT and IF that evil servant shall say in his heart
My lord delays his come
and shall begin to smite his fellow servants
and to eat and drink with the drunken
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him
and in an hour that he is not aware of – and shall cut him asunder
and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (26 “love” [agape] means charity, affection, benevolence, fellowship meal, affection or dear)
DEVOTION: Jesus is answering the disciples question regarding what is going to happen in the future. They want some signs. Jesus gives them an explanation of what is going to happen before the Great Tribulation.
A couple of things HE mentions are found in this verse. Remember that only the Father knows the day and the hour before HIS return. We sometimes get caught up in the facts that we think we can figure out the day and the hour and that causes real problems. We have had people predict the end of the world. They are all false prophets. Some are involved in the cults. The problem is that some of them are involved in so called Biblical churches. They are on Christian radio and many believe them and sell all that they have to support these individuals. Then when the date is wrong and it always will be they think the LORD was wrong. That is never the truth. Do not follow false prophets. Jesus stated that NO ONE knows and HE is God.
However, we can see that things are happening around us. We don’t know the day or the hour so we need to keep busy serving the LORD until we can serve no more.
Jesus informs them that “iniquity will abound” and it seems like we are living in a nation where this is true. We have babies being aborted because people are selfish and don’t want to be burdened with children. Remember God calls children a blessing. We have people who don’t want God in the schools or witnesses for the LORD on the streets and because of God taken out of society we have people running around killing everyone they can. We had a man locally that liked to kill and so he killed a couple of firemen and wounded some others. We have individuals killing children in mass in many countries including America. People ask why and the reason is that they don’t want any morals and so everyone can do as they please. We have people who believe that there are no absolutes so anything goes. A society where everyone can do what is right in their own eyes just like during the time of the Judges. Sin has abounded.
The second fact HE states is that “love of many shall wax cold” and this is true today as well. Even in the church we find that we have a majority of people who don’t show charity to one another. They look for faults in everyone but themselves. They feel good if they can criticize others instead of encouraging them. Our charity to each other has waxed cold except in those places where the name of Jesus is honored.
CHALLENGE: Be part of the group that works with the Holy Spirit to decrease sin in their lives and in the process encourage others to do the same.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (2347 “tribulation” [thlipsis] means affliction, distress, an oppressive state of physical, mental, social, or economic adversity, trouble, hard circumstances, or suffering.)
DEVOTION: Sometimes we look at our circumstances and think that it couldn’t get any worse. Yet we know that it could. Each day brings its own trouble into our life. Sometimes we give in to temptation. Sometimes things happen to us that we have no control over. Sometimes things go well and we wonder why. That is all part of life. The Bible teaches that “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Here we find that there is a time period coming that has never been and will never be again. It is a time when there will be greater anguish or tribulation than the world has ever seen. Remember the world has seen a worldwide flood that only eight people survived but this is going to be even worse.
It is a time of judgment of the world that will affect everyone who is still living. During this time period there will still be those who are called “elect.” Remember that there are three groups of “elect” talked about in the Bible. There are Old Testament saints, New Testament saints and Tribulation saints. This verse is talking about the time period when the Tribulation saints are alive.
So what we are going through at present is not the worst that the world is going to see but it seems like it. There is nothing new under the sun. Minor tribulation is common. We need to realize this and ask the LORD’S help to face these times of trials and show the joy of the LORD through it all.
CHALLENGE: We need to thank the LORD for the blessed hope of eternity in heaven. Our trials only last for a short time.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 42 Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (1127 “watch” [gregoreuo] means give strict attention to, be cautious, be active, take heed or be vigilant.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is giving instruction to HIS disciples. During the instructions HE informs them that no one knows the day or hour of HIS return but the Father. The angels in heaven don’t know the day or hour.
Jesus gives the disciples some signs of HIS second coming. This is the second time the trumpet will sound. There will be false messiahs. There will be false prophets. There will be wars and rumors of wars. Some of these false messiahs might even try to fool the elect of God during the Tribulation time period. They won’t succeed but they will try.
Jesus wants HIS disciples to keep working. HE wants them to be faithful to their calling. HE wants them to be wise and good servants. No matter how long it takes.
One of the problems we have today is many people seem to want to predict the day and hour. Many cults have predicted days and hours. When it doesn’t happen, they make up a story to prove themselves right. There are some in the church who have predicted days and it has not happened. They were deceived and they deceive many. We have some who teach that it happened back in the first century. The disciple, John, wrote the book of Revelation about the year 90 A.D. and he thought it was still future.
We need to take heed to what we believe regarding the end times. What Jesus said in the verses previous to this one has not happened as of yet. It is going to happen after the church is taken out of the world and the 144,000 witnesses walk on the earth. There are three types of saint who are elect in the Word of God. There are Old Testament saints. Secondly, there are the elect in the church age. Finally, there are those who are elect during the Tribulation period. These are the ones who might be deceived by the false messiahs.
Our responsibility is to be active until HE comes. We are to be vigilant. We can look at the “signs of the times” and say that the LORD is coming soon. BUT more important than looking at the “signs of the times” is to be active in our service for the LORD while we still have breath in our bodies. Are we using our God-given gifts in the local church? Are we witnessing to the world about our great God who can predict the future and is in control of our daily lives? Are we teaching other Christians to encourage each other? Are we being an encouragement to those we know in the LORD? We don’t know the day or hour of the LORD’S return but we should be busy doing HIS work while we are waiting.
CHALLENGE: Encourage someone today to be faithful in the use of their gift for the LORD. Encourage to never retire from their service to the LORD. Too many are sitting in the pews wasting their God-given gift. We are to work until we go home to HIM.
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: 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (5273 “hypocrites” [hupokrites] means an actor, stage player, pretender, a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives, impious person, or duplicitous.)
DEVOTION: Remember that Jesus teaches more about hell than about heaven. HE is warning HIS disciples that there is going to be a time period after the church is taken out of the world that will last for eternity.
This time period could be a good time period for those who are willing to become followers of the LORD during the Great Tribulation. There will be a large group but not a majority even when this time period is the worst in human history. The followers of the LORD will find their name written in the book of life. They will spend eternity with the LORD.
The second group will face a place where all hypocrites go to spend eternity. It will go to a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. What would cause such a reaction? It is a place where there will be suffering. It is a place that the rich man who mistreated Lazarus went and wanted Abraham to warn his brothers that such a place existed. Abraham said that they had the Word of God to inform them of such a place but he still wanted Abraham to send someone. Abraham said that even if someone came back from the dead they wouldn’t believe them. It is sad but true.
We warn people each Sunday in our Biblical Churches that this place exists but people just think they have so much more time to make a decision to follow Christ. They are wrong.
CHALLENGE: Today is the day if you are not a genuine follower of Christ.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Pray verse 20
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Temple verse 1
Sabbath day verse 20
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Gospel of the kingdom verse 14
Daniel – the prophet verse 15
Noah – the ark verse 37-39
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Father only one to know day and hour verse 36
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man,
Messiah
Jesus verse 1, 2, 4
Christ verse 5, 23, 24
Son of man verse 27, 30, 37, 39, 44
Parable of fig tree verse 32
Jesus words will not pass away verse 35
Coming of the Son of man verse 39- 51
Hour that they are not aware
Lord verse 42, 48
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Good angels sent to gather elect verse 31
Angels in heaven verse 36
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Hear of wars and rumors of wars verse 6
Nation against nation verse 7
Kingdom against kingdom verse 7
Gospel preached to all the world verse 14
Tribes of the earth verse 30
Noah verse 37- 39
Goodman of the house verse 43
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Deceive verse 4, 5, 11, 24
Afflict believers verse 9
Kill believers verse 9
Hate believers verse 9, 10
Offend verse 10
Betray verse 10
False prophets verse 11, 24
Iniquity verse 12
Love wax cold verse 12
Abomination of desolation verse 15
False Christ verse 23, 24
False signs and wonders verse 24
Thief verse 43
Evil servant verse 48
Smite fellow servants verse 49
Drunken verse 49
Hypocrites verse 51
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Come to Jesus privately verse 3
Not troubled verse 6
Afflicted verse 9
Endurance verse 13
Saved verse 13, 22
Gospel of the kingdom verse 14
Preached verse 14
Witness verse 14
Understand verse 15
Pray verse 20
Elect verse 22, 24, 31
Learn verse 32
Watch verse 42
Ready verse 44
Faithful and wise servant verse 45, 47
Lord finds him doing
Be made ruler over all goods
Blessed verse 46
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Temple verse 1
Jesus told disciples the temple destroyed in future verse2
Mount of Olives verse 3
Daniel the prophet verse 15
Judaea verse 16
Days of Noah verse 37
Church (New Testament people of God)
Disciples verse 1, 3
He that endures to the end will be saved verse 13
Last Things (Future Events)
Sign of your coming verse 3- 22
Many will shall come and say
I am Christ and deceive many
Hear of wars and rumors of wars
Nation shall rise against nation
kingdom against kingdom
Famines
Pestilences
Earthquakes
Christians will be delivered up to be
afflicted and killed
hated of all nations
Many will betray one another
Many will hate one another
Many false prophets -deceive
Iniquity will abound
Love of many will wax cold
Gospel will be preached in
all the world
Abomination of desolation
spoken of by Daniel
Flee to the mountains
Woe to those with children
Days shortened
End of the world verse 3, 14
Great Tribulation verse 21, 29
Son of man coming verse 27, 30, 39, 48
Lightning coming out of east and
shining even to the west
Nature affected verse 29
Sun darkened
Moon shall not give her light
Stars shall fall from heaven
Powers of heavens shall be shaken
Gather HIS elect verse 31
Need to be ready verse 44
Weeping and gnashing of teeth verse 51
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QUOTES regarding passage
24:45–51. The coming of the Lord will be a test of servants. As the master in Jesus’ story entrusted all his possessions to his servant, so God has entrusted the care of all things in this earth to His servants. The responses of the servants are indications of their inward conditions. The Lord wants to find His servants, like the first steward, faithfully carrying out His will (vv. 45–46). Such a servant will be rewarded for his faithful service when the Lord returns (v. 47). But a servant who fails to carry out his stewardship will be judged severely. Such a servant, concluding that his master was not returning for a long time, took advantage of others (he beat his fellow servants) and lived wickedly (eating and drinking with drunkards). Like the wicked people of Noah’s day (vv. 37–39), he was unaware of the sudden coming judgment (v. 50). But the judgment will come and he will be dealt with as one would deal with a hypocrite, which is precisely what an unfaithful servant is. His separation will result in eternal judgment (weeping and gnashing of teeth; cf. comments on 13:42) apart from his master. Likewise the judgment of the wicked at the Lord’s second coming will separate them eternally from God. (Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 79). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Obedient and disobedient servants (vv. 45–51). God’s people on earth are called a household (Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19). God has put servants over each household to feed the members. This suggests to us the local church family with its spiritual leaders. The purpose of spiritual leadership is that the leaders feed the people, not that the people feed the leaders! The Apostle Peter caught this truth and emphasized it in his first letter (1 Peter 5:1–4).
It is a serious thing to be a pastor or other officer in a local church. We must take care that our motives are right and that we serve Christ and His people in love. Both in word and deed, we must lead the family in the right way (Heb. 13:7–8). The members of the family should submit to spiritual leadership, because one day both people and leaders will face the Judgment Seat of Christ (Heb. 13:17).
The servant’s task is not to be popular, but to be obedient. He must feed the family the food that it needs, when it needs it. He should bring out of his “spiritual cupboard” things new and old (Matt. 13:52). Some Bible teachers, in their search for something new and exciting, forget the nutrition of the old truths of the Word. But other ministers are so wrapped up in the old that they fail to discover the new insights and new applications of the old truths. The new grows out of the old, and the old is made more meaningful by the new.
If the spiritual leader is obediently doing his job when the Lord returns, he shall be rewarded. But if that leader is not doing his job when the Lord returns, he will be dealt with in a severe way. I prefer to translate Matthew 24:51: “And shall punish him severely and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.” (Even in that day of despotic rule, it would be unthinkable for a master to cut his servant in half.) The whole picture is one of pain and loss. This does not suggest punitive measures at the Judgment Seat of Christ, because there we will have glorified bodies. But it does suggest loss of reward and loss of opportunity.
Jesus did not amplify the truth here, but from other Scriptures we learn that one reward for obedient service will be ministry in the kingdom that He will establish on earth (Luke 19:11ff). The reward for obedient service is the capacity for greater service. Not to have a place of ministry in His kingdom would, to me, be a tremendous loss.
What caused this servant’s downfall? Something went wrong in his heart: He ceased to expect his Lord to return (Matt. 24:48). He lived like the world and mistreated his fellow servants. Whenever God’s servants cannot work together, it is often because somebody has forgotten that the Lord will return. Looking for His appearing, and loving His appearing, should motivate us to be faithful and loving (1 Thes. 2:19–20; 1 John 2:28). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 91). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Matthew 24:36–51, Jesus continues the parabolic and paraenetic (or hortatory) emphasis that began in 24:32. This passage has three parts, the first stressing that the time of Jesus’ return is unknowable (24:36–42), the second that disciples must be ready for an unexpected appearance of Jesus (24:43–44), and the third that disciples must faithfully obey their master until he returns (24:45–51). The first part draws an analogy between the days of Noah and the last days (cf. 2 Pet 3:3–7), warning against a preoccupation with daily life that does not take imminent divine judgment into account. Instead, alertness is necessary (24:42). The second part speaks parabolically of a homeowner who does not know that his home is about to be burglarized. The disciples are implicitly told not to emulate the homeowner but to be prepared for the unexpected return of Jesus (24:44). The third part continues the parabolic imagery with the master of a household entrusting his slave with a duty to perform during his absence. Two hypothetical scenarios are laid out, the first involving a good slave who is rewarded for his faithfulness (24:47), the second an evil slave whose profligate behavior warrants the master’s wrath (24:50–51). This imagery warns disciples not to deceive themselves into a sinful lifestyle with the notion that Jesus will not return for a long time. All three parts of the passage stress the necessity of Jesus’ followers being alert, prepared, and busy with their master’s business until his return. Matthew 25 will continue with this parabolic and paraenetic emphasis.
The teaching that Jesus’ return will be unexpected exposes the folly of those whose eschatological alertness rises and falls with the latest news from around the world. There are those “dispensensationalists,” whose notion of prophecy leads them into a constant scrutiny of world events, especially the latest events in the Middle East, in a near frantic search of supposed prophetic fulfillments that signal the end of the world. Those of this ilk evidently are under the impression that thieves attempt to burglarize homes when the owners are at home with all the lights and the electronic alarm turned on. Their voices wax and wane in direct proportion to the degree of tension between Israel and the Palestinians. But according to Jesus, moments of increased world tensions would be less likely to portend Christ’s return than moments of relative prosperity and tranquility (1 Thess 5:1–3). In any event, the disciples of Jesus must constantly be about the master’s business, vigilantly awaiting his return. The correctness of one’s eschatology is ultimately a matter of one’s ethics, not one’s speculation.
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Eschatology. One detail of this passage has come in for extended discussion among evangelicals of a futurist bent. This is the language of separation—in which one is taken and another left at the coming of Jesus (24:40–42). Those who hold to the theory of a pre-tribulational rapture of the church, distinct from the return of Jesus to the earth after the tribulation (24:29), debate whether 24:40–42 speaks of the rapture taking believers from the earth and leaving unbelievers. The difficulty in coming to a conclusion on this matter is twofold. First, Jesus did not speak here in terms that approximate the distinction between a pre-tribulational rapture and a post-tribulational coming to the earth, as Paul arguably does (compare 1 Thess 4:13–18 with 2 Thess 1:6–10). Second, the language of one being taken and another left is ambiguous. On the analogy of the flood of Noah, those taken were swept away by the flood, and those who were left were protected in the ark (24:38–39; cf. 13:41). But the imagery of 24:31 seems to involve the taking or gathering of God’s chosen ones, not those about to be judged (cf. 3:12). The better part of wisdom on this question is to regard it as an unanswerable diversion from the message of the passage, which is to stress alertness (24:42–44; Carson 1984:509). Ironically, it is possible in cases like this for exegesis to degenerate into a pedantry that distracts the student from the teaching of the passage. Intellectual debate over the intricacies of a text must not occur at the expense of obedience to its ethical directives. (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (p. 322). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.)
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It is a great responsibility to be put in trust with any measure of divine truth. What is given is not for our own information alone but to be passed on to others. “It is required in stewards,that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). Those to whom the Lord has made known His purpose and counsels are therefore called upon to act as good stewards of the manifold grace of God, sharing with the household of faith the spiritual food for their encouragement and edification. The servant who fulfils his responsibilities along this line will be duly rewarded in the day of manifestation. But if any attempt to trifle with the truth, putting far off the coming of the Master, and live selfishly, manifesting a haughty, over-bearing spirit, they will have to face the Judge at an unexpected hour, and will be given their portion with the hypocrites. Such a false servant is of course not a true child of God at all, but he will be judged nevertheless according to the profession he has made. It is a very serious thing to use one’s knowledge of the truth of God for selfish enrichment, with no real concern for those to whose needs one is called to minister.
All service is to be in view of the coming again of the King when His faithful servants will have their places appointed in the kingdom according to the measure of their devotedness during the day of testimony. (Ironside, H. A. (1948). Expository notes on the Gospel of Matthew. (p. 326). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 51. And shall cut him asunder, &c.] The Persic version renders it, he shall separate him from himself: he shall separate soul and body by death; he shall take away all his gifts and talents from him; and remove him from his place and office, and from the church of God, and communion of the saints, and out of this world. Some think the allusion is to the cutting up of the sacrifices, and dividing them into pieces; and the sense is, that this wicked servant should have no share in the sacrifice of Christ; but should fall himself a victim to divine justice, and be used as sacrifices were; or, in other words, be severely punished for his sins; though the allusion seems rather to be to the manner of punishing treacherous and unfaithful persons, by dismembering them, cutting them in pieces, or in two: and so the Arabic version renders it, he shall cut him in the middle: this was certainly a way of putting persons to death; though some say it was not known to the Jews; but the following instances shew the contrary. Mention is made of some that were sawn asunder, Heb. 11:37 and the Jews say, that Isaiah was sawn asunder by Manasseh; and such a kind of death is spoken of in the Targumc; where it is said, that “the priests went before Mordecai, and proclaimed, saying, whoever does not salute, or wish prosperity to Mordecai, and to the Jews, הדמין יתעביד, he shall be cut into pieces, and his house be made a dunghill.” And elsewhere it is said of a wicked man, that they put him upon a carpenter’s block, and מנסריﬦ בו, sawed him asunder; and he cried out, woe, woe, woe, that I have provoked my Creator. This was also a punishment used among the Heathens, as Gataker, and others out of Heathen writers, have shewn. It must not here be understood literally, that this wicked servant should be put to such a corporeal death; but that he should be punished in the severest manner, and should be the object of the fierce wrath and sore displeasure of God; and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. Luke says, with the unbelievers: very likely both phrases were used by Christ; intimating, that such as make a profession of him, and have only a form of godliness, without the power of it, and are wicked and hypocritical men, will share the same fate with those that believe not; and the portion of these is the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; see Rev. 21:8 or all such persons are intended, who put on the mask of religion, and do not answer to the character they bear: and are unfaithful to the trust reposed in them, and therefore will be made examples of righteous judgment, and have their part in the lowest hell: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth: see the note on ch. 13:42. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 1, pp. 300–301). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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This man proves himself to be no true servant at all. Jesus described him as “that evil servant” (24:48). The word translated “evil” here is kakos, which means “depraved, bad in nature.” The wicked servant is a man with a vicious disposition. He has no conviction about the coming of the Lord. He abuses his authority; he abuses those under him; he finds his fellowship with drunkards. The Lord’s coming will take him completely by surprise. He will end up at the great white throne and he will be sent with the hypocrites to the place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In spite of all his pretensions of being a Christian, he has never been saved at all. (Phillips, J. (2014). Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary (Mt 24:48–51). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch.)
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FROM MY READING:
This fundamental redefinition of the American political landscape requires Christians to think carefully about their political responsibility. Make no mistake; we cannot avoid that responsibility. Even refusing to vote is itself a vote because it privileges those who do vote and increases the value of each ballot. In truth, we bear a political responsibility that cannot be dismissed or delegated to others. Every Christian must be ready to responsibly steward his or her vote at the polls. (Albert Mohler)
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Old Testament WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe
Andrew Murray said that humility is not thinking meanly of ourselves but simply not thinking of ourselves at all. (p. 124)
Absalom was popular, what today we would call a celebrity, but he had no character and used people to accomplish his own selfish purposes. (p. 125)
Humility is the “soul” in which all the other Christian graces must grow and bear fruit, while pride is the “soul” that produces the noxious weeds of sin. (p. 125)
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TOZERSPEAKS (Volume Two) by A. W. Tozer
Actually, it has taken some people a long time to discover that the faith of Christ offers no buttons to push for quick service. The new order must wait for the Lord’s own time – and that is too much for the man in a hurry. (p. 497)
If the rich man enters the kingdom of God with difficulty, then it is logical to conclude that a society having the highest percentage of well-to-do persons in it will have the lowest percentage of Christians, all things else being equal. (p. 497)
Today, professing Christians are on the defensive, trying to prove things that a previous generation never doubted. We have allowed unbelievers to get us in a corner and have given them the advantage by permitting them to choose the time and place of encounter. (p. 500
Samuel Davies
Samuel Davies (1724-1761, the man who succeeded Jonathan Edwards as president of Princeton and described by no less than Martyn Lloyd-Jones as one of America’s greatest preachers, said of family worship:
If you love your children; if you would bring down the blessings of heaven upon your families: if you would have your children make their houses the receptacles of religion when they set up in life for themselves; if you would have religion survive in this place, and be conveyed from age to age; if you would deliver your own souls – I bessech, I entreat, I charge you to begin and continue the worship of God in your families from this day to the close of your lives….. Consider family religion not merely as a duty imposed by authority, but as your greatest privilege granted by divine grace. (p. 36, Family Worship by Donald S. Whitney)
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Faith must never be regarded as an end in and of itself. The important thing about faith is that it is faith in God, that it leads to God, that it leads to a relationship with God. We must concentrate not on faith but on the God who deals with men and women through faith. That distinction is crucial. (p. 216)
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Many believe in what is called the universal fatherhood of God. But that view is not true. It is dangerous to believe that we can go to God whenever we like and get whatever we want. (p. 216)
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Our Lord himself told Jews who were persecuting HIM and trying to trap HIM, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do” (John 8:44. “If God were your Father,” HE said, “You would love ME” (John 8:44). There is the distinction. (p. 217)
(A Merciful and Faithful High Priest by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Marie writes (IL): Marriage isn’t for the faint at heart; it’s not always pretty. That part about for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, are in the vows for a reason! It’s Happily Married Week😍 If your spouse is still your best friend, works extremely hard, has been with you through triumphs and tragedies, loves you when you’re at your best and worst, is who you’re proud to be married to, copy and paste this with the year you were married.
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Take care that your actions do not wound another Christian.
INSIGHT
There is an inseparable link between Christ and the church. In Acts 9:4 Jesus appears to Saul on the road to Damascus and asks, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Yet Saul had not persecuted Jesus; he had never even seen Jesus. However, because he was persecuting the church, Jesus rebuked Saul for persecuting Him. Again in 1 Corinthians 8 Paul teaches that if we sin against our brothers in Christ-wounding their consciences when they are weak-we sin against Christ. We must be cautious with our words and actions. (Quiet Walk)
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Prayer for Peter and James
“Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.” (Acts 12:1-2)
Verse 2 of our text rather casually records what may have been one of the lowest points of apostolic time. James was killed with the sword—James, one of the only three disciples in Christ’s inner circle. He was one of only three to witness the resurrection of the synagogue ruler’s daughter (Luke 8:51-55); one of three to catch a glimpse of Christ’s glory at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2); and one of only four to sit with Christ on the Mount of Olives and learn of the future (Mark 13:3-4). In Gethsemane, after their last supper together, Christ allowed him, along with Peter and John, to witness His agony in a special way (Mark 14:32-34).
He was highly trained by Christ Himself, and the fledgling church could ill afford to lose his leadership. But suddenly he was arrested and slain! A tragedy it would seem to lose such a leader. Think what James might have accomplished had he lived longer, much as Peter and John did. Could it be, however, that his martyrdom was a blessing in disguise? Certainly God allowed this to happen, but for what purpose?
The answer may be found in the verses following our text. Peter had been taken prisoner and was to be executed the next morning (Acts 12:6). However, the church had learned a lesson. No prayer for James is recorded, but for Peter, “prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5), and Peter was miraculously freed by an angel and joined the prayer meeting.
What would have happened had the believers prayed for James as they did for Peter? Of course, that question has no definite answer, but prayer such as was offered for Peter followed the apostles and early church leaders in their work from that time on. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
We have all heard the saying, “Trust the science”, as politicians and educators are continually debating the merits of their perspective of facts. As facts and figures flow through the classroom and the media, often there is tension because of a difference in points of view. The facts are difficult to discern in all the rhetoric.
Solomon understood the complexity of life and all the aspects that his subjects were exposed to as they lived in his kingdom. He concludes this book of wisdom with a recounting of his purpose and goal for the readers. He desired to instruct and reaffirm the ultimate source of their authority as God and His word. His teachings were meant to instruct others through careful research and clear, systematic education in the words of truth (v.9).
These words of the wise were to be goads (prods) used to stimulate growth and well-driven nails to stabilize and solidify values and standards. The words of the past scholars were given by one Shepherd (God) and His word was to be what they hung their lives upon. Verse 12 may sound negative at first glance but is intended to keep the priority of study focused. Other areas of study (many books) become wearisome, but Solomon urges his readers to keep God’s teachings a priority.
The concluding emphasis of Solomon’s book stands upon the fact we should not test God’s truth by man’s suppositions but instead examine man’s hypothesis by the truth of God’s Word. Our final textbook is the Bible, and the Holy Spirit is our teacher (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:12-15; 1 John 2:26-27). Fear God, keep His commandments and remember God sees everything! G. Campbell Morgan writes, “Man in his entirety, must begin with God; the whole of man, the fear of God.”
Perhaps you are like Solomon and are trying to understand life “under the sun” and all you are seeing is fragmentation and chaos. The confusion and anarchy, man’s education and partial truths all leading to the conclusion of “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (v.8). Yet when he added God’s point of view, everything became focused. The fragments became connected, and the picture crystallized into clarity. If man wants to have wholeness, they must begin with Jesus Christ. Let us develop an expanding relationship through consistent reading and sharing God’s word.
With an Expectant hope, Pastor Miller
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