By Chuck Williams
Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan
Focal Passage: Matthew 24:42-51
The story is told of three apprentice demons who came before Satan to report to him about their work on earth. The first demon said, “I will tell people there is no God.” Satan said, “That will not delude them for they know there is a God.” The second said, “I will tell them there is no hell.” Satan replied, “You will deceive no one that way. Men know there is a hell for sin.” The third said, “I will tell them there is no hurry.” Satan then said, “Yes, that is the answer, you will have great success.”
Rather than being lazy, God said:
(1) Be vigilant. In days past, who was the most important person to guard the towns and cities? It would have to be the watchmen. They were to be alert, vigilant, and observant to any attacks. Today we have watchmen to alert us, and they are the “home security system.”
The coming of the Lord compels us to be on the lookout for His return.
Chuck Williams
The key to this vigilance is focus. Today’s world provides an enormous amount of distractions. Most are innocent in and of themselves, but others are meant to divert our focus away from the Lord and His coming.
The more focused we are on His return, the more clear our thinking will be. One of the ways to stay focused is to keep God’s Word near to your heart, and often on your mind. Prophecies about His return are found in the Pentateuch, Psalms and the Prophets. In the New Testament the Second Coming is a dominant theme.
(2) Be Prepared. When is the best time to be prepared for a storm? Answer — before it comes. When’s the best time to buy auto insurance? Before the wreck. Buy life insurance? Duh, before you die.
To be prepared spiritually is half the victory. To not be prepared is to live in the days of doubt. People who are ‘hope soers’ live a life of insecurity. Being unprepared is like leaving keys in the car, the front door of the house unlocked, or using the same password over and over. The spiritually minded person stays alert. Why? Because when He returns that will be the last opportunity.
Many have the unprepared casual approach which says, “I’ll get my act together when I start seeing the signs. I’m going to live my life my way until then.” While that person will not lose their salvation, they will lose their reward.
(3) Be Steadfast. A person who is steadfast is dependable, trustworthy and faithful. Some people have the reputation of being dependable, as in: “You can depend on them to not be dependable.” We have been called to be faithful as He is faithful.
The person who is unfaithful is the wicked servant in verse 48. When the Lord returns and sees that his servant has lived wickedly it will be too late for him.
So what are we to do? Vigilance, preparedness and steadfastness are key words for making hardcore readiness for the Lord’s return. The watching of the Christian is not out of terror-filled fear; it is the eager expectation for the coming glory and joy. B&R