The Gospel of Matthew Study Help (Matthew 24:42-51)

Jesus’ Private ministry

Questions on this study

1. What was the special day that Jesus mentioned in the Olivet Discourse?
2. When will believers receive their new glorified body?
3. When is the spirit of the believer made perfect?
4. What should the attitude of the believer be concerning the rapture of the church?
5. How did Jesus use the example of a man keeping watch over his home in reference to the rapture?
6. What is the final and most crucial reason why the timing of the rapture remains a mystery?
7. What are the two things’ believers will be receiving at the rapture of the church?
8. What is the purpose of the “judgment seat of Christ?”
9. Upon what is the assignment the Lord gives each believer primarily based.
10. What are the things hidden in darkness that Jesus talks about?
11. What is more important than how successful we are in our service to the Lord?
12. What does “My Spirit will not always strive with man….” (Genisis 6:3) mean?
13. What does it mean to be prepared for the second coming of the Lord?

Introduction

We now have reached the halfway point in our study of the Olivet Discourse, and it has been very informative. Jesus outlined the signs and the significant events associated with the destruction of the Jewish Temple and gave signs of the end of the age; the end of the age is related to the rapture of the church. Then He shared the events of the tribulation leading up to His second coming to earth. The final thing we studied in our previous study was the special day Jesus mentioned, the rapture of the church. There are three main topics concerning the church’s rapture: First, we talked about the circumstance that characterized that day. Second, we looked at how that day will come. Today we consider the third section, which is the day’s purpose.

               The rapture is an exciting time when we believers will receive a new glorified body designed to last throughout eternity. In the previous study, we looked at the passage where the Apostle Paul gave us some details about receiving that new body:

               “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory,” 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.

Paul explained that those who are alive at the rapture would be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and the dead are also resurrected incorruptible to receive a new glorified body. Paul said that the old body was corrupted with sin and could not enter the kingdom of Heaven. At this time, every trace of iniquity shall be eliminated, and we shall be perfect in body, soul, and spirit. The spirit was already made perfect at the point of redemption. That is where the Holy Spirit indwells each believer and protects until the soul and body are also redeemed at the church’s rapture.

We may wonder about all the drama connected to the rapture of the church; we will be further enlightened as we proceed into the following verses:

Matthew 24:42-44, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43But 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. 44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

Jesus shows in the verses above what the attitude of believers should be; we are to be alert and watching at all times for the second coming of the Lord. The Greek is translated as a command given to a watchman or guard to stay awake and be watchful. It is easy to be lulled by the world and life activities and be asleep concerning those things toward God. Jesus sounds the alarm concerning His second coming that it could happen at any moment, and we can’t afford to let our guard down even for a moment.

Jesus uses the example of a man keeping watch over his home; if he knew when the thief was coming, he would be awake and waiting. How would you respond if you knew the thief was coming at a particular time? Would you buy a guard dog, load your weapon, call 911, etc.? The question is, how ready are we for the return of Jesus? How would you live if you knew that today was your last day? That is precisely how we should live each day as we look for the coming of the Lord; it means living each day of our life with great care to honor the Lord in everything we do with the great anticipation of His imminent return. Expecting Christ to return at any time should motivate us to live a faithful life that glorifies the Lord.

Many will be caught asleep because Jesus says His coming will be an hour when it is least expected. Those who have tried to predict a particular day for the return of Christ guaranteed that it would not be that day. We, therefore, are to live each day as if that were the day Jesus was coming. If you happen to be an unbeliever reading this today, let it be a warning that there is no guarantee that you can put off salvation for a while; better do it now than to be left behind when Jesus returns because it could happen with the twinkling of the eye. If you are a believer thinking you can wait a while to get serious about your service to the Lord, you might be fooling yourself. We must not be like the unwatchful homeowner caught off guard when the thief came; we must be diligently watching and waiting and fully prepared to meet the Lord.

The following verses lead us to consider the final and most crucial reason why the timing of the rapture remains a mystery: We must be prepared to protect those things precious to us:

Matthew 24:45-51, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing.47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming; 49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In the time of Jesus, slavery was common; God did not uphold slavery; He allowed it just as he will allows us to sin today even though it is certainly not His will or right for us. There was a relationship of servants to their Masters that Jesus often uses as to the type of relationship His followers should have with Him, which is dedication. Jesus is our Master, and we are indeed His servants. In Jesus’ days on earth, enslaved people had duties that they were expected to perform under the Master’s authority. Some were placed in a position of power and had other slaves under their rule. When the Master went away on a trip, the slaves were to continue to do their duty just as if the Master was present. The slaves never knew when the Master might return, so they fulfilled their responsibilities lest they be found idle when he suddenly appeared unannounced. The slaves re awarded according to how diligently they performed their work when the Master was away.

In verse 46, we see the Master awarding his servants: “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” Sometimes slaves became disobedient, as we see in verses 48-50: “But and if that evil servant says in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The point of this parable is that those in the church who are diligently serving the Lord while He is away will be rewarded when He returns. Some so-called church members are in name only, and they are the hypocrites who shall receive their just reward, cast into hell where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

               When the church’s rapture occurs, we will receive a new glorified body, but we also will receive our rewards based on how faithful we were in our duties to the Lord while He was away. In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, we read: “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” It is not our place to judge others for what they do or do not do, because we have enough to do to be sure we are right with the Lord. When Jesus returns, He will shed light on those things which were hidden in darkness and reveal what the true motives of His servants were, and then those who deserve praise will receive it, and those who were slack in their service will be acknowledged for that which they have done to the loss of rewards.

           There will be a judgment of believers when Jesus returns called the judgment seat of Christ: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad,” 2 Corinthians 5:10.

First, this is not a judgment to determine salvation or if we go to Heaven. The way of salvation is made clear in the Bible, and it is through faith and by the grace of God. Once we confess Jesus for whom He is, the Lord, and believe He died to save us from our sins and was resurrected from the dead on the third day, that seals our salvation forever. The judgment seat of Christ is not a time, as some may assume, to determine if the works that we have done are worthy of salvation. Salvation is not based on the premise of good works but on the shed blood of Jesus Christ. No one can earn what is by grace alone.

Secondly, the judgment planned for believers is for rewards. Jesus will consider what type of work we have done during our life on earth, and then prizes will be given accordingly based on whether what was done is good or bad. “Good and bad,” is not referring to our sins; it relates to the quality of our service. So, what constitutes quality service? In the parable of verses 45-51, Jesus sets the standard: A mission was assigned to each servant to be performed while the Master was away. The servants did not choose their mission; it was given to them individually. When the Master returned, the servants were awarded according to how consistently they did what was assigned. When we stand before Christ on that day, we will receive our rewards based on how dedicated we were in doing those things entrusted to us. If you don’t know what Jesus’ mission for you is, you are unlikely to be found doing it.

We learn of God’s mission when we do what we already know to do and pray for God’s leading on what we have yet to learn. After we pray for enlightenment, we step out in some direction, trusting God to steer us to the right place. Paul is an example of someone who started out not fully knowing God’s will, and as time went by, God revealed to him that he was appointed to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

Our assignment is primarily based on the Spiritual Gifts that we received when we were saved. Each person gets a gift or gifts, some teachers, some pastors, some evangelists, some the gift of service to serve others, some with the gift of giving, etc. The sad part is that many are not aware of their Spiritual gift/gifts. Therefore, how can they be building rewards for their service? We need to be motivated to study Scripture to find out what our gift or gifts are. Books have been written about Spiritual Gifts to help us determine them.

In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul said Jesus’ judgment would determine by the service we do hidden from the view others, things hidden in darkness. Hidden are the prayers we send up for others, never to be known by them, that are among the things Jesus will consider when handing out rewards, and others do not see those things we do that; our giving to the Lord’s cause is an example. Paul also said our motives would be taken into consideration. For example, do we give out of love or is it just an obligation.

Another consideration that may bother us is whether we have been a success at what we have done; it is not the results of our service to the Lord that Jesus will judge; it is not how well we succeed; it is the will of our heart to be faithful in what we do. The outcome of what we do is of the Lord. Here is an example. When we share the gospel with someone, our responsibility ends there. That does not mean we should only share the gospel one time with a particular person; it means that the results depend on God in two ways. First, if the Holy Spirit gives the invitation of salvation, and second, if the invitation is issued, whether or not it is accepted or rejected by the hearer.

Putting salvation off is never a good idea, for the Scripture says, “My Spirit will not always strive with man….” Genisis 6:3. That does not mean that God decides not to save someone; it means that a person has decided to reject salvation, and therefore, God does not waste any time with them. According to statistics, 95% of those over 30 years of age have either decided to reject salvation or have died before they got around to it. The hearts of many have been hardened to the point that they are not at all interested in salvation: Ephesians 4:18-19, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

We read in1 Corinthians 3:5 what results in salvation: “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?” Notice that Paul and Apollos shared the gospel, but God gave to every man, meaning it was God who gave the invitation. Then, notice 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul said, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” God is the one who does the saving based on a person’s decision to respond to His invitation.

The point is that Jesus is the one who judges our obedience and our effort, plus the intentions of our heart, not results or success. Whether our mission succeeds or fails, God still gives the rewards for our actions based on the attitude of our hearts. The only way we lose our rewards is by refusing to serve or having the wrong motive for serving, which are both common among believers.

When I was in school, there was always the chance there would be a pop quiz, so to be rewarded with a good grade, I always had to be prepared. That is true of the rapture. We never know when it will occur, so we must always be looking for it and prepared for it. This attitude will assure that we are found doing the Lord’s will when He returns. By using the spiritual gift or gifts God has given you and serving God and others all around you is what it means to be prepared. We must not put off our service to the Lord for now is the accepted time to be busy, anticipating the coming of the Lord.