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Matthew 24:29-51 ESV
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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 loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
I. SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE ARE SIGNS (29-31)
A. Before the return of Jesus, the cosmos will fall apart and it will be terrifying. (Luke 21:25-26)
B. We will know Jesus is back for sure when we see Him in the sky.
C. Jesus will return & be seen for the first time in full glory. The earth will mourn its sinfulness. (Rev 6:12-17, Zech 12:10)
D. Before judging the earth, Jesus will call those who are His to join Him in the sky.
II. DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE LOOKING FOR SIGNS (32-35)
A. Don’t sit around doing nothing. Live well in light of His coming.
B. From first sign to return of Jesus will not be a long time.
III. NO ONE KNOWS WHEN (36-41)
A. No one but the Father knows when Jesus will return. Even Jesus, the man did not know.
B. Jesus’ return will catch unbelievers off guard.
IV. GOD’S GOOD GIFT OF NOT TELLING US WHEN (42-44)
A. Not knowing when keeps us vigilant and from getting lazy.
B. It keeps us from putting off salvation and knowing real joy.
V. WICKED OR FAITHFUL SERVANT (45-51)
A. Jesus has left us, as His servants, in charge until His return. He expects us to be about His work. (Acts 1:1, 8)
B. The faithful servant is busy doing the work Jesus left them to do.
C. The wicked servant abuses the gifts of Jesus in His absence.
VI. CANT BORROW YOUR WAY INTO HEAVEN
A. Not everyone who looks like they are prepared for the return of Jesus is actually prepared for the return of Jesus.
B. Can’t borrow what you need for Heaven from others. If you empty of what is needed when Jesus returns it is too late to get it.
APPLICATION:
1. We prepare for the return of Jesus by trusting solely upon the Gospel.
2. We prepare for the return of Jesus by doing the work He left us to do until He gets back.