From Time To Time - Part Twenty Eight May 19, 2024 by: John Herbert | Series: From Time to Time Study Notes PDF Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Mt 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. As we resume the 'From Time to Time' series, we will continue to look at what the Scriptures say about the faithful and the unfaithful. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday May 19th 2024 From Time to Time – Part 28 1). Mt 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. We had seen last time, from the Lord’s words recorded in Matthew Chapter 12, that the Scriptures identify two groups of eternally saved individuals. Those who are with Christ and gather with Him and those who are against Christ and scatter abroad. And both groups appear within the context of having heard the Word of the Kingdom. And there is no middle ground. a). Those who are with Christ are those who are faithful. Those who have heard and received the Word of the Kingdom and as a result, exercise faith to the saving of the soul producing fruit. We can find these faithful Christians pictured through the type of those who gathered themselves to David at the cave of Adullam – 1 Sa 21:1 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. And we can also find them pictured through Ruth who gathered the grain purposefully left for her – Ru 2:15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. And, in the parable of the sower – Mt 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” And those Christians who are not with Him, are not seen in the type of David’s men at the cave of Adullam but would instead still be found in that pictured through the kingdom of Saul. These are the unfaithful who scatter abroad, whose works are done apart from faith, according to what seems right in their own eyes. And we can find them pictured through Orpah who began the journey to the House of Bread with Naomi and Ruth but turned back to her people and her gods – Ru 1:15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 2 Ti 4:10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica……….. And also, in the type shown through Esau – Heb 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. We should be clear in our understanding by now that the Scriptures as a whole, do not deal with issues concerning the saved and the unsaved, but with issues concerning faithfulness and unfaithfulness among those already in possession of spiritual life. Faithfulness or unfaithfulness with respect to hearing the Word of the Kingdom with a millennial inheritance in view. A Millennial inheritance that will be the possession of the faithful but withheld from the unfaithful. b). And we find ourselves now in the time when we are to organize our lives in faithful obedience to the Scriptures, focused on Christ’s coming Kingdom rather than focused on the things of the world, as we anticipate our imminent transition to the time of Judgment, when we will all be judged on one thing alone, our faithful obedience to the Scriptures in response to hearing the Word of the Kingdom – Mt 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. And those Christians in Rome who had heard the Word of the Kingdom but had not responded to it by having faith to the saving of the soul, who will appear with us at the Judgment Seat, are dealt with in the second half of Romans Chapter 1, providing an example that we should learn from – Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Vv16-17 provide a summary statement concerning those Christians in Rome who did have faith to the saving of the soul, those who gathered with Christ and the contrast begins to be drawn, beginning in v18, between them and the unfaithful. And the first thing we will note is that the unfaithful, both then and now, suppress, or hold back, the truth in unrighteousness. Although they know the truth, they choose to overlook it, causing them to become futile in their thoughts. Futile thoughts because they are governed by what seems right in their own eyes in order to placate their present desire, thoughts that in themselves can have no value with respect to the saving of the soul, thoughts that originate from the man of the flesh, not the man of the Spirit – Eph 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart……… And in doing this we can find a parallel between the unfaithful and the scoffers in 2 Peter – 2 Pe 3:5 For this they willfully forget…… And because of this, the unfaithful will receive the wrath of God at the Judgment Seat. As the Scripture says, ‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire’ – 1 Th 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, [at the Judgment Seat] but to obtain salvation [of the soul] through our Lord Jesus Christ……. We find this same distinction between the faithful and the unfaithful presented in the preceding two verses in - 1 Th 5:7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. In these verses from Thessalonians, we find the distinction is made between those of the night, still referring to Christians who have heard the Word of the Kingdom, who through their choices associate themselves with this present time of spiritual darkness and those of the Day, those who are looking for the future Day of Christ’s glory, the Seventh Day. A distinction that is made between those who ‘sleep’ and get ‘drunk’, at night, with both these terms used metaphorically, and those who are ‘sober’, who put on ‘the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.’ c). And with respect to the Christians in Rome, the faithful, who were not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, would correspond to those associated with the Day from 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 who will receive the salvation they hope for, and likewise the unfaithful, with those associated with the night, who will receive the wrath of God, the loss of their soul/life for the age to come. And the metaphor used by Paul in the Thessalonian verses of being drunk at night might well remind us of familiar verses from Ephesians – Eph 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be [continually] filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God. In Thessalonians we see the inescapable connection between ‘drunkenness’ and the spiritual darkness of this present age. And this same connection is also found in Ephesians, with these verses being the precursor to those describing the spiritual warfare – Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. In both Ephesians and Thessalonians then, being ‘drunk with wine’ must be understood beyond the letter of it. These verses are not about being drunk or drinking wine in a literal sense, but about that with which we choose to be filled during this time of spiritual darkness. There is that which the world has to offer, with which we can become intoxicated thereby losing sight of what awaits us at the Judgment Seat, and there is that which the Lord offers to us that will result in life for the age. 2). And the same contrast between the faithful and the unfaithful is revealed through the parables that the Lord gave, found in the Christian section of His discourse on the Mount of Olives – Mt 24:40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken [alongside Christ as His companion] and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken [alongside Christ as His companion] and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 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. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. These verses that detail the one taken and the one left, take us to the end of the matter, the division that will take place at Christ’s Judgment Seat. And these verses also provide the foundation on which our understanding of the end of the matter is to be based. These verses talk of Christ’s return at an hour no one knows. But when that time does come, when we all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, the faithful Christian will be taken alongside Christ as His companion, as His co-heir, but the unfaithful Christian will not. a). And there are some things that we will draw out from these verses that will be helpful for us. The two men and the two women are both engaged in ordinary activity, in the field and in the mill, they go to work every day and are engaged with all that comes with that. None of them then have it easy nor is anyone seen to have an advantage over the other. All have heard the Word of the Kingdom. And yet, according to the Scripture, there are those who did not ‘watch’, who did not take the proper care, and, using the metaphor of the thief, their ‘house’ is broken into, with that of value taken from them – Lk 8:18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” That taught here is clear. Although in terms of adding up the numbers based on the six thousand years of Man’s Day, we can know that the Lord’s return is imminent, we do not know the day or the hour when we will be called into His presence. But because we do not know we cannot become complacent or lethargic about it. We must not allow our ‘house’ to broken into because we become careless in our watchfulness and complacent about our preparation – Re 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. In the verses from Matthew 24 there is no detail given concerning why one of the two individuals remained watchful and was taken and the other became careless and was left, but the parable which follows begins to put these pieces together - Mt 24:45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food [literally ‘meat’] in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In these verses we see the Lord’s ‘household’, all Christians who are His household servants, those who will be taken and those who will be left. And those who are presently the Lord’s household servants, all of us, are represented in the parable by one servant, and this servant is commended for being faithful and wise in giving ‘meat’ in due season. With the use of the word ‘meat’ we are inevitably taken to those things surrounding an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of Christ and His Kingdom – Heb 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food [strong meat] belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. We are again dealing with those who have heard the Word of the Kingdom and have received an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of it, just like the faithful and unfaithful Christians in Rome. b). And as this parable adds to the one before it, we can clearly see that the man taken from the field and the woman taken from the mill to be a companion with Christ are seen in this parable as the faithful and wise servant who provided ‘meat’ for those in the Lord’s household ‘in due season’. The man and the woman who were not taken but left, are seen in the parable as the unfaithful and foolish servant who began to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards. The same word picture that we saw earlier in 1 Thessalonians and Ephesians. c). All the Lord’s household servants who have heard the Word of the Kingdom and received an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of it have the potential to be faithful and wise, but according to the parable this will not be the case. For those who continue to be faithful and wise the promise is that the Lord will make them ruler ‘over all His goods’. For that servant who becomes unfaithful however, just as we saw with the unfaithful Christians in Rome, the wrath of God awaits him, described in this parable as being ‘cut in two’ and given their ‘portion’ with the hypocrites. d). And the use of the word hypocrites in this context will cause us to go back to the previous Chapter in Matthew, Matthew Chapter 23, where the word is used eight times in succession to describe the scribes and Pharisees, along with seven ‘woes’ pronounced against them – Mt 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. In other words, then, the unfaithful Christian will receive the same condemnation at the Judgment Seat as the scribes and Pharisees of the Lord’s first Advent will receive in the wilderness of the peoples. And this is because they will have essentially done exactly the same thing, suppressed the truth in unrighteousness, in order to satisfy their dissipated, self-focused life. e). Now, we must also keep in mind that in this parable the Lord is dealing with the same individual household servant, not different servants. For each of us then, we have the choice to be faithful and wise as well as the choice to be ‘evil’, depending upon what we do with the Word of the Kingdom which we hear. f). And we will be careful in how we handle the servant who provided ‘meat’ to his fellow servants, as we do not want to lay this at the feet of the pastor/teachers only. And certainly not at the feet of those who have not heard the Word of the Kingdom. We will keep in mind that this series of parables within the context of Jesus’s teaching on the Mount of Olives, must be looked at as a whole, forming an overview of the subject being dealt with by Him, which is faithfulness and unfaithfulness among Christians who have heard the Word of the Kingdom. f). Within this context then, we may well call to mind familiar verses that present our own personal responsibility towards those who are seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness with us, our fellow servants – Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Whereas it is the stated purpose of the pastor/teacher to provide ‘meat’ to those in his care, we can also see that all of us individually, have the opportunity to provide ‘meat’ for one another as we gather together on a weekly basis. Just as we have seen in our last set of Scriptures. g). And from the parable, we see that the household servant began as faithful and wise, but something caused him to change, But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards…. The servant who was providing meat in due season, because he said in his heart, ‘My Master is delaying his coming’, became careless and complacent and stopped watching, and thereby ceased to give meat to his fellow servants. An action described in the parable as beating his fellow servants. And this beating of course is not to be taken literally but understood as a change in the servant’s action that was like a slap in the face for his fellow servants. h). Rather than being watchful, being sober, and wearing the helmet of the hope of salvation, he associated himself instead with the ‘drunkards’, the things of this world within the spiritual darkness of this age. He became unfaithful with respect to the Word of the Kingdom which he heard, embracing self-interest rather than the interest of his fellow servants focused upon the Kingdom – 1 Jn 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. This we will continue with next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed. From Time To Time - Part Twenty Eight May 19, 2024 Speaker: John Herbert Series: From Time to Time Category: Sunday Morning x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Mt 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. As we resume the 'From Time to Time' series, we will continue to look at what the Scriptures say about the faithful and the unfaithful. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday May 19th 2024 From Time to Time – Part 28 1). Mt 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. We had seen last time, from the Lord’s words recorded in Matthew Chapter 12, that the Scriptures identify two groups of eternally saved individuals. Those who are with Christ and gather with Him and those who are against Christ and scatter abroad. And both groups appear within the context of having heard the Word of the Kingdom. And there is no middle ground. a). Those who are with Christ are those who are faithful. Those who have heard and received the Word of the Kingdom and as a result, exercise faith to the saving of the soul producing fruit. We can find these faithful Christians pictured through the type of those who gathered themselves to David at the cave of Adullam – 1 Sa 21:1 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. And we can also find them pictured through Ruth who gathered the grain purposefully left for her – Ru 2:15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. And, in the parable of the sower – Mt 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” And those Christians who are not with Him, are not seen in the type of David’s men at the cave of Adullam but would instead still be found in that pictured through the kingdom of Saul. These are the unfaithful who scatter abroad, whose works are done apart from faith, according to what seems right in their own eyes. And we can find them pictured through Orpah who began the journey to the House of Bread with Naomi and Ruth but turned back to her people and her gods – Ru 1:15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 2 Ti 4:10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica……….. And also, in the type shown through Esau – Heb 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. We should be clear in our understanding by now that the Scriptures as a whole, do not deal with issues concerning the saved and the unsaved, but with issues concerning faithfulness and unfaithfulness among those already in possession of spiritual life. Faithfulness or unfaithfulness with respect to hearing the Word of the Kingdom with a millennial inheritance in view. A Millennial inheritance that will be the possession of the faithful but withheld from the unfaithful. b). And we find ourselves now in the time when we are to organize our lives in faithful obedience to the Scriptures, focused on Christ’s coming Kingdom rather than focused on the things of the world, as we anticipate our imminent transition to the time of Judgment, when we will all be judged on one thing alone, our faithful obedience to the Scriptures in response to hearing the Word of the Kingdom – Mt 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. And those Christians in Rome who had heard the Word of the Kingdom but had not responded to it by having faith to the saving of the soul, who will appear with us at the Judgment Seat, are dealt with in the second half of Romans Chapter 1, providing an example that we should learn from – Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Vv16-17 provide a summary statement concerning those Christians in Rome who did have faith to the saving of the soul, those who gathered with Christ and the contrast begins to be drawn, beginning in v18, between them and the unfaithful. And the first thing we will note is that the unfaithful, both then and now, suppress, or hold back, the truth in unrighteousness. Although they know the truth, they choose to overlook it, causing them to become futile in their thoughts. Futile thoughts because they are governed by what seems right in their own eyes in order to placate their present desire, thoughts that in themselves can have no value with respect to the saving of the soul, thoughts that originate from the man of the flesh, not the man of the Spirit – Eph 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart……… And in doing this we can find a parallel between the unfaithful and the scoffers in 2 Peter – 2 Pe 3:5 For this they willfully forget…… And because of this, the unfaithful will receive the wrath of God at the Judgment Seat. As the Scripture says, ‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire’ – 1 Th 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, [at the Judgment Seat] but to obtain salvation [of the soul] through our Lord Jesus Christ……. We find this same distinction between the faithful and the unfaithful presented in the preceding two verses in - 1 Th 5:7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. In these verses from Thessalonians, we find the distinction is made between those of the night, still referring to Christians who have heard the Word of the Kingdom, who through their choices associate themselves with this present time of spiritual darkness and those of the Day, those who are looking for the future Day of Christ’s glory, the Seventh Day. A distinction that is made between those who ‘sleep’ and get ‘drunk’, at night, with both these terms used metaphorically, and those who are ‘sober’, who put on ‘the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.’ c). And with respect to the Christians in Rome, the faithful, who were not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, would correspond to those associated with the Day from 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 who will receive the salvation they hope for, and likewise the unfaithful, with those associated with the night, who will receive the wrath of God, the loss of their soul/life for the age to come. And the metaphor used by Paul in the Thessalonian verses of being drunk at night might well remind us of familiar verses from Ephesians – Eph 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be [continually] filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God. In Thessalonians we see the inescapable connection between ‘drunkenness’ and the spiritual darkness of this present age. And this same connection is also found in Ephesians, with these verses being the precursor to those describing the spiritual warfare – Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. In both Ephesians and Thessalonians then, being ‘drunk with wine’ must be understood beyond the letter of it. These verses are not about being drunk or drinking wine in a literal sense, but about that with which we choose to be filled during this time of spiritual darkness. There is that which the world has to offer, with which we can become intoxicated thereby losing sight of what awaits us at the Judgment Seat, and there is that which the Lord offers to us that will result in life for the age. 2). And the same contrast between the faithful and the unfaithful is revealed through the parables that the Lord gave, found in the Christian section of His discourse on the Mount of Olives – Mt 24:40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken [alongside Christ as His companion] and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken [alongside Christ as His companion] and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 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. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. These verses that detail the one taken and the one left, take us to the end of the matter, the division that will take place at Christ’s Judgment Seat. And these verses also provide the foundation on which our understanding of the end of the matter is to be based. These verses talk of Christ’s return at an hour no one knows. But when that time does come, when we all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, the faithful Christian will be taken alongside Christ as His companion, as His co-heir, but the unfaithful Christian will not. a). And there are some things that we will draw out from these verses that will be helpful for us. The two men and the two women are both engaged in ordinary activity, in the field and in the mill, they go to work every day and are engaged with all that comes with that. None of them then have it easy nor is anyone seen to have an advantage over the other. All have heard the Word of the Kingdom. And yet, according to the Scripture, there are those who did not ‘watch’, who did not take the proper care, and, using the metaphor of the thief, their ‘house’ is broken into, with that of value taken from them – Lk 8:18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” That taught here is clear. Although in terms of adding up the numbers based on the six thousand years of Man’s Day, we can know that the Lord’s return is imminent, we do not know the day or the hour when we will be called into His presence. But because we do not know we cannot become complacent or lethargic about it. We must not allow our ‘house’ to broken into because we become careless in our watchfulness and complacent about our preparation – Re 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. In the verses from Matthew 24 there is no detail given concerning why one of the two individuals remained watchful and was taken and the other became careless and was left, but the parable which follows begins to put these pieces together - Mt 24:45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food [literally ‘meat’] in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In these verses we see the Lord’s ‘household’, all Christians who are His household servants, those who will be taken and those who will be left. And those who are presently the Lord’s household servants, all of us, are represented in the parable by one servant, and this servant is commended for being faithful and wise in giving ‘meat’ in due season. With the use of the word ‘meat’ we are inevitably taken to those things surrounding an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of Christ and His Kingdom – Heb 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food [strong meat] belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. We are again dealing with those who have heard the Word of the Kingdom and have received an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of it, just like the faithful and unfaithful Christians in Rome. b). And as this parable adds to the one before it, we can clearly see that the man taken from the field and the woman taken from the mill to be a companion with Christ are seen in this parable as the faithful and wise servant who provided ‘meat’ for those in the Lord’s household ‘in due season’. The man and the woman who were not taken but left, are seen in the parable as the unfaithful and foolish servant who began to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards. The same word picture that we saw earlier in 1 Thessalonians and Ephesians. c). All the Lord’s household servants who have heard the Word of the Kingdom and received an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of it have the potential to be faithful and wise, but according to the parable this will not be the case. For those who continue to be faithful and wise the promise is that the Lord will make them ruler ‘over all His goods’. For that servant who becomes unfaithful however, just as we saw with the unfaithful Christians in Rome, the wrath of God awaits him, described in this parable as being ‘cut in two’ and given their ‘portion’ with the hypocrites. d). And the use of the word hypocrites in this context will cause us to go back to the previous Chapter in Matthew, Matthew Chapter 23, where the word is used eight times in succession to describe the scribes and Pharisees, along with seven ‘woes’ pronounced against them – Mt 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. In other words, then, the unfaithful Christian will receive the same condemnation at the Judgment Seat as the scribes and Pharisees of the Lord’s first Advent will receive in the wilderness of the peoples. And this is because they will have essentially done exactly the same thing, suppressed the truth in unrighteousness, in order to satisfy their dissipated, self-focused life. e). Now, we must also keep in mind that in this parable the Lord is dealing with the same individual household servant, not different servants. For each of us then, we have the choice to be faithful and wise as well as the choice to be ‘evil’, depending upon what we do with the Word of the Kingdom which we hear. f). And we will be careful in how we handle the servant who provided ‘meat’ to his fellow servants, as we do not want to lay this at the feet of the pastor/teachers only. And certainly not at the feet of those who have not heard the Word of the Kingdom. We will keep in mind that this series of parables within the context of Jesus’s teaching on the Mount of Olives, must be looked at as a whole, forming an overview of the subject being dealt with by Him, which is faithfulness and unfaithfulness among Christians who have heard the Word of the Kingdom. f). Within this context then, we may well call to mind familiar verses that present our own personal responsibility towards those who are seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness with us, our fellow servants – Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Whereas it is the stated purpose of the pastor/teacher to provide ‘meat’ to those in his care, we can also see that all of us individually, have the opportunity to provide ‘meat’ for one another as we gather together on a weekly basis. Just as we have seen in our last set of Scriptures. g). And from the parable, we see that the household servant began as faithful and wise, but something caused him to change, But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards…. The servant who was providing meat in due season, because he said in his heart, ‘My Master is delaying his coming’, became careless and complacent and stopped watching, and thereby ceased to give meat to his fellow servants. An action described in the parable as beating his fellow servants. And this beating of course is not to be taken literally but understood as a change in the servant’s action that was like a slap in the face for his fellow servants. h). Rather than being watchful, being sober, and wearing the helmet of the hope of salvation, he associated himself instead with the ‘drunkards’, the things of this world within the spiritual darkness of this age. He became unfaithful with respect to the Word of the Kingdom which he heard, embracing self-interest rather than the interest of his fellow servants focused upon the Kingdom – 1 Jn 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. This we will continue with next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.