Well, now we have the privilege of giving our attention to the study of God's Word. If you'll take your Bibles and turn with me to the end of Matthew chapter 24, we're going to seek to complete our study of this great chapter this morning by looking at verses 32 to 51. If you've been with us for the last few weeks, you know that we've been talking about the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the age. And Jesus has said a number of things to His disciples on this order, but most particularly, He is focused on the fact that the consummation of the age will bring with it judgment. And that's very much where we left off last week. He will send forth His angels and with a great trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other. but it is judgment for the rest of the world. Today, as we come to the end of Matthew 24, Jesus is going to most particularly instruct His disciples on how to be ready for that coming of the end. And I've entitled this morning's message, Are You Ready for Christ's Return? Are you ready for the end of the world? Are you ready for Judgment Day? Today, that's very much Jesus' message and His point, and it's going to continue to be His point all the way through Matthew chapter 25. And I dare say we all have a sense of an experience of what it means to have been caught unready for something. Sometimes back east, I spent the first 30, what was it, 33, 34, how long did we live in Ohio? Most of the, all of our initial lives into our early 30s. And there are times when you get caught without an umbrella. Now here, that means you might get sunburned. In Ohio, it means you might get soaked. There are also times that we perhaps have all experienced growing up when our parents left the house and left us in charge and told us they were going to be gone for the evening or gone for a few days or whatever, and they come back before we thought they were going to come back and we get caught unawares and we're in trouble. Or they come back and everything is shipshape and the way it ought to be and we get commended and praised. I suspect there are days that given so many of you work out at the base, I suspect that there have been days when it just seems like it's exactly the day that you slept in a little too late and you left work early the day before and didn't quite finish the project you were supposed to have done or the report you were supposed to have done. And of course, it would be the one day that the general or the commander or the senator or president or whoever shows up on the base, and that happens to be the one day you were a little late coming in and you're not in your dress blues or whatever, and you just get caught unawares. Well, how can you be prepared for Christ's coming and not be caught unawares? See, all of those experiences, and some of them were meaningful. Maybe it cost you a promotion. Maybe you got chewed out by your boss. Maybe you got grounded by your parents. All of those are little drops in the bucket of the ocean that is the tsunami that's coming when Christ returns in judgment. And there was a way to be prepared for each of those events, right? So that you didn't get in trouble. But would you agree with me that it's far more important to be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ because of the magnitude of the judgment that is involved there? Jesus turns the corner now in Matthew 24, starting in verses 32 and going to verse 51, and really all the way into Matthew 25, and begins to instruct His disciples not so much on what's going to happen, but how to be prepared for what's going to happen. How to be prepared for the return of Christ and the end of the age. Just to set the context for you afresh, remember that Jesus has left Jerusalem. It is the second half of the Passion Week, and Jesus has been received as the Messiah with everyone saying, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, acknowledging him with their voices as Messiah, but not recognizing his authority as Messiah. And as a result, he's even been despite the fact that he went in and cleansed the temple and did miracles and taught. Nevertheless, the religious leaders have united against him and he pronounces a woes or judgments against them and then exits from the temple mount, saying in Matthew 23, verses 37 to 39, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. So behold, your house is being left to you desolate. For I say to you, from now on you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." In other words, until you genuinely say it and mean it and really recognize me for who I am, you're not going to see me again. And the only other time they see him is when they reject him and crucify him. And it's only disciples who see the resurrected Christ. It's only those who are truly believers that see the resurrected Jesus Christ. And that's the way it's going to continue to be until the consummation of redemptive history when Christ returns. And leaving the temple and heading out of the off the temple mountain, down the stairs and across the Kidron Valley and up to the Mount of Olives, the disciples walking out are amazed at the structure and they're overwhelmed by the the beauty and the majesty of this great temple structure and everything else. And they pointed out to Jesus and he says, You see all these things truly, I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another which will not be torn down. And when he gets over to the Mount of Olives, he sits down and the disciples come to him privately and they say, tell us, when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And the rest of Matthew 24 and 25 is Jesus's answer to that question. What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? In the verses 4 to 14, he tells them what it won't be. And that's all those kinds of things that you might think it would be. People claiming to be Christ, wars, rumors of wars, pestilence, famine, earthquakes, tragedies, the persecution of God's people. False prophets. lawlessness increasing, the world going to hell in a handbasket. You would think that all of those things would be the signs that the times have come to a close. And Jesus says, nope, these are just birth pangs. These are just the signs that you're living in a sin, curse, fallen world leading up to the coming of the kingdom and judgment. You want to know what the sign is of my coming and of the end of the age? It's the sign Daniel wrote about. when the abomination of desolation, starting at verse 15, is set up in the holy place. And we showed you last week, that happens right in the middle of the tribulation. When you see that, you know it's time. And at the conclusion of that time, Matthew 24, verse 29, immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will what? Mourn. Why? Because their judgment has come. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. This is Revelation 19. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet. They will gather together as elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other and bring in judgment for all the rest. See, that's the end of the age. That's the beginning of the millennial kingdom. That's the beginning of the establishment of God's kingdom and the judgment of all the rest of the world at that point. Now, how do you be ready for that? Jesus gives us two words. They're not exactly the words Jesus uses, but I think they're the two words that best summarize the text that sits in front of us. What does it take to be ready for the for the return of Jesus Christ? What does it take to be ready for the end of the age, for Judgment Day? Two words. You need to be vigilant and faithful. Vigilant and faithful. You need vigilance and faithfulness to be prepared. For the consummation of the age. We'll look at each of these in turn. The first one is in verses 32 to 44 vigilance. You need to be vigilant to be prepared for the consummation of the age. You need to be vigilant to be prepared for the day of the coming of Christ to establish his kingdom. And from a very practical standpoint, that's what Jesus gets to when he starts in verse 32 by saying, learn the parable from the fig tree. The word learn here is actually the the term for discipleship type learning. Manzano, it's a it's not just learn in the sense of head knowledge. It's learn from a practical application standpoint. He has moved from teaching them about what is not the signs of the consummation of the age and what is the signs of the consummation of the age. And he has moved now to the practical ramifications and implications for for you as believers and how to live in light of this. Learn the parable from the fig tree. Now, we all know what a parable is. It's an earthly illustration that is told from everyday life that everybody knows and understands and experiences, that is then related to teach a spiritual or a biblical truth. In this case, it is the parable of the fig tree, and that parable is given in the rest of the text. He says, learn the parable, this illustration I'm giving you that you recognize from everyday life, and relate it to what I've just been teaching you. Now, learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender, it puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near right at the door. You need to be vigilant. You need to be alert. You need to be ready. You need to be attentive. You need to be living in such a way that you're alert and able to recognize that you're accountable to God. And when he comes back, you need to be ready. Fig trees, by the way, we've talked about these back in Matthew 21. Fig trees are common fruit trees in Israel. We even saw some of them when we were there a few weeks ago. They are fruit bearing trees that grow easily in the fertile lands of Israel. Figs are gathered and either eaten fresh or dried. They can be made into cakes or even wine in some cases. Some people even use figs as sweetener. The leaves themselves are substantial enough to be woven into baskets or dishes or even umbrellas, believe it or not. And interestingly, the fig tree is the very first fruit tree mentioned by name in the Bible. And do you know where? Genesis three, it was the fig tree that our greatest grandparents took off leaves and sowed loin coverings for themselves because the leaves are substantial. Now, that relates to what we're talking about here, because fig trees, interestingly enough, fig trees, unlike like back back east, you know, cherry blossoms. Have you ever been to Washington, D.C.? I was there one spring and I'm driving along the Potomac. And you want to talk about kind of an interesting experience. I don't know if I've ever shared this with you, but I remember going there for a business trip. And my wife will tell you without my phone today, I could get lost in a shoebox if I'm behind the wheel of the car. But I'm driving along the Potomac. And I went across the river, and I'm going down this one street. And I got stopped at a stoplight, and it was like, I don't remember, one work day. And I look at the street sign to try to figure out where I am, and it said Pennsylvania Avenue. I went, wait a minute. I know where that is. And I look down one side, and there's the White House. And I look down the other side, and there's the Capitol building. But what was just as impressive as that, as I was driving along the Potomac, there were all those fruit blossoms, all those cherry blossoms. See, that's the way a lot of fruit trees work. See, they get green, and then they have the blossoms, and then the blossoms turn into fruit. Fig trees don't work that way. fig trees, the fruit comes out first and the blossom is inside the fruit. And it actually takes a hornet of some kind or a wasp. I think it's a wasp that that goes in and pollinates. It goes into the fruit and pollinates it. So it's not until later that it turns green and then the leaves come out, which incidentally is like what we were talking about back in Matthew 21. That's why Jesus cursed the fig tree. not because the leaves came out early, but because there was no fruit on it. And it would be OK to have no fruit out of season. But when you have leaves, that means you're barren and not producing fruit. And you should be. Here, he says, you know what? Learn this lesson from this everyday lesson from fig trees. When you see leaves on a fig tree, what's that tell you? Summertime. You know, not all trees lose their leaves. I think I said that right. Not all trees lose their leaves. Try saying that three times fast. Back east, all the trees drop their leaves. So the sign of fall is when the leaves change colors and all fall off. And you know it's winter when the trees are barren. And Jesus may well have used that as an illustration if the weather in Israel was anything like it was in Ohio. But the weather in Israel is very much like here. And, you know, not all trees lose their leaves in a place like this, right? But the fig tree, it loses its leaves and you can tell it's summertime when those leaves are green. Be paying attention because you'll be able to see there are signs. He just gave the signs, right? So learn to let this is a practical lesson for you guys to take away from what I've just taught you. Be vigilant. Recognize that he is near right at the door. You might even translate it and probably better translate it. It is near right at the door. It referring to I mean, it's the same thing. It's either referring to he the son of man or it the end of the age. And I think it is more appropriate here. In any case, what he goes on to say in verse thirty four is Truly I say to you. And you remember the word truly is the Greek word amen. That comes from the Hebrew word amen. We get our word amen from this. It literally means truly, assuredly, emphatically. It is the most absolute way to affirm something. That's why we say amen at the end of a prayer. That's why we all echo amen after somebody prays on behalf of us. We're affirming our agreement with that prayer and those requests. It's not just the magical incantation or just a word you're saying. It means something. And this is, by the way, in some places people get a little carried away with it. But this is why in lots of churches, when the preacher makes a really good point that everybody agrees with, the congregation will say, Amen. Right? And sometimes preachers use it as a means to inspire themselves or the congregation to listen. Can I get an amen? Right? And the amen is affirming that you agree with what has just been said. What is different about Jesus and everybody else is He doesn't wait for nor need anyone else to affirm what He is saying as true or that people agree with it. Because He's God and speaking directly on behalf of the Father, when He says something, He says the Amen beforehand. And that's a demonstration of emphatic divine authority. This is absolutely true, and this is going to be important as we look at what's said here. Truly, I say to you, a man with absolute certainty, I affirm this 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. Now, this is one of the most difficult interpretive issues, frankly, in this chapter and maybe in these two chapters, perhaps beyond. And that is because of the way that Jesus says, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Now, what do you think is the problem with Jesus saying this generation will not pass away? Well, if this generation means the people that are alive at Jesus's time, if it means the people alive in that day, And he was talking about the abomination of desolation being set up in the holy place. And he was talking about the consummation of the age and his return and judgment of the wicked and the establishment of the kingdom, like what we've just gone through. If that's what he means, guess what? Unless there's somebody hidden away we don't know about, there's nobody alive today that was part of that generation. Now, This is why liberal scholars say, well, that's exactly what Jesus said and that's exactly what Jesus meant. But this is just yet another proof that Jesus wasn't really God and he was just wrong. Now to be. I don't even know how to describe to try to be patient here. I honestly have no ability to understand how somebody can be comfortable affirming that and still place hope for eternity on Jesus and who He is and what the Bible says about Him. If you don't believe that Jesus is God and He speaks the truth, particularly in a statement where He starts the statement with, truly I say to you, if that doesn't mean it's absolutely true, Period. And this is from God. If he's just wrong or or he was hopeful, but it didn't play out. He affirmed it as absolutely certain. I don't know how you what the point of believing in a Jesus that makes absolute certain statements and and is and proves to be wrong. I don't know what the point of believing in a Jesus like that is. But that's really your view of Jesus. Why bother? Why bother? So I would completely reject that view for those obvious reasons. So that means that I'm going to be looking for a way to understand this. That is true. Does that make sense? So let's take a look at some of our options. One option that has been suggested is that the word generation, the Greek term that is used, Lexically, or by word definition, it can refer not just to a generation, that is the people live together in a certain time frame. It can refer instead to a generation in the sense of an ethnic nation or origin or to a like a race or a nation. And if that's the case, and there are some who hold this position, They will say generation means the generation of Israelites or the generation that is specifically referring to ultimately those that are part of the nation of Israel. in which case what Jesus is really saying is the Jews will not go out of existence and it and it fits that he could be making a statement like this because he just said the temple is going to be wiped out and he just said everybody's going to be against them and and indeed in 70 AD they do go out of existence as a nation so what he's making here is a promise that even though all these judgments are going to come against God's people because they rejected their Messiah. Nevertheless, there will not be an end to God's people, Israel or to the Jewish people, because he still has a purpose for them in his program. That's possible. The real problem with it is that though that word generation can mean that, That's a rare meaning, and it really is different than the way Jesus uses the term generation throughout Matthew's Gospel. He always is referring to the generation of the day. Now, that's what has led some very creatively and quite possibly to understand this generation, referring indeed to the people in Jesus' day, But he says all these things will come to pass. Not this generation won't pass away until all these things take place. And he's relating it to the beginnings of all these things, not ultimately the consummation. Right. Not the the some will try to make the the abomination of desolation equate to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, et cetera. And so they'll say, When you look at Matthew 24 verses 4 to 14, those things did start right away, right? There have been wars and rumors of wars that started in that day. There's the destruction of the temple that happened to that generation. There is persecution that came against The disciples, verse 9, they will deliver you to tribulation. They will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. All those things did happen and did start right from the beginning of the apostolic age. And that's very possible. My problem with this, though, still is when you see Jesus say all these things, to me, it's really hard not to see all these things being all of the things he talked about, not just the things in the first half of what he was talking about. So now we're left with that conundrum. How can all these things come about during this generation? I think the simplest and most satisfying answer and the answer that I would hold to is this. When he says this generation, which generation is he talking about? The one that is alive at the time that the tribulation begins. That generation, you say, well, then why doesn't he say that generation? Because he's going to tell you in the next verse. In verse 36 of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the son, but the father alone. He says this generation referring to the one that's going to be present when all these things take place. This generate and what that means is it's going to be a very short time, which, by the way, fits with what he said before, unless those days had been shortened. Remember, he just said that last week. Well, technically, a few verses ago, but. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Why doesn't he say that generation? Because it could be this generation. And even the sun doesn't know specifically which generation it relates to. And it pushes to that sense of imminency. It continues to affirm the need for every generation to be ready because it could come during any generation. And once the things start, It's all going to play out exactly like I've said. And that matches why he emphatically says, truly, I say to you, this is exactly the way it's going to play out. And this generation that's alive in that day will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth are going to pass away, which, by the way, is the consummation of redemptive history. Revelation 20. But my words will not pass away. But of that day and of that hour, no one knows. Not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Some people have a problem with this idea that how can Jesus as the Son not know something? I mean, isn't He God? Isn't God omniscient? How can God be omniscient and not know something? The most obvious answer to this is you just need to understand the nature of the incarnation itself. This is not a revelation from Jesus that he isn't God, that he doesn't have divine authority or divine attributes or divine powers. It's simply an affirmation that in his humanity he has become fully human with all the limitations associated with it. And this is consistent with what we see in the rest of the Bible. John chapter one, the word became what flesh and dwelt among us. Philippians chapter two. Jesus did not regard equality with God, something to be held on to. He didn't have to maintain his position and his ability to function in a capacity equal with God, but he made himself nothing. taking upon himself the form of a servant and being made in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a what? As a man. He became fully human. He was still God, but he took upon himself the full limitations of what it meant to be human. This is why Luke tells us in Luke chapter two that he He learned how to, well, first of all, he was conceived in the womb of a virgin. He was born an infant boy and laid in a manger. Why? Because he was fully human and he started as an infant, which means he had to learn how to walk and how to talk. And Luke chapter 2 tells us he even had to learn how to have relationships with other people. He had to learn Scripture. He had to learn how to communicate. He even had to learn how to have a relationship with God. He grew in stature and in wisdom and in knowledge and favor with God and with men. He was fully human. He was God with all the limitations of humanity. And I don't think there's any passage I can go to to better show you what this looks like than Luke chapter 8. So keep your finger in Matthew 24 and look at Luke chapter 8 with me. We'll pick up in verse 40. Jesus returns, that is from curing the demoniac in the country of the Gerasenes. And we've been there now and seen that. It's really amazing how close all these places are. But in any case, as Jesus returned from there, the people welcomed him, for they had been waiting for him. And by the way, on the opposite sides of the shore, particularly if you go up to any of the mountains around there, there are so many places that you can see straight across the other side of the Sea of Galilee. You can see the cities and villages. You could see people gathered in these places. We were at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. We could see Capernaum. We could see Magna. It was neat. In any case, you can see the lights of the buildings in the evening. It's awesome. It's all one big area. It's kind of like the Antelope Valley with a big lake in the middle. Only not Lake L.A., but you see what I'm saying. There came a man named Jairus. He was an official of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus' feet and began to implore Him to come to his house. because he had an only daughter about 12 years old and she was dying. But as he went, the crowds were pressing against him. Now, you ever been to a ball game? When when it comes halftime, what does everybody do at halftime? They all get up and they make a mad dash for where the restrooms ever ever been to the opening of of Star Wars or some movie, what do you have? You just have that big line, and then as soon as the doors open, what do you have? That press of people trying to go in and get the best seats. What happens on Black Friday? For me, I sleep in, I do a little homework, I study for Sunday, and I enjoy not being in the masses. Some of you, though, are in line as soon as the doors open. There's that crush of people all running back to that saving the extra 50 bucks on a TV or whatever, right? OK, look, that's the picture we have of the popularity of Jesus in his ministry. The crowds are so pushing in on him that, you know, as he's moving along, everybody's moving along. They're just all rubbing shoulders, bouncing into each other. And they're on their way where? To Jairus's house so that Jesus can do a miracle for his daughter. And notice here's the key. Verse 43, a woman who had a hemorrhage for 12 years and couldn't be healed by anyone. She came up behind him, touched the fringe of his cloak and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Now, we don't need to get into the details here, except that she was sick and she believed if she touched him, she would be healed. So she touched the edge of his garment and immediately she's healed. And just think of this is the press of the crowd, right? And Jesus said, Who's the one who touched me? Who touched me? Now, can you think of the absurdity of this for just a second? Who touched you? This is why I love Peter. Peter speaks for all of us, doesn't he? That's what while they were all denying it, everybody said, I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I didn't do it. Peter says, Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on you. Everybody touched you. How can you ask who touched you? What? Jesus said someone did touch me, for I was aware that power had gone out from me. Now, some people want to say Jesus just asked this question knowing full well who it was because he's omniscient and was just waiting for her to admit it. From my perspective, that makes Jesus a liar. What Jesus just said was I didn't know who did it. I was aware that power went out from me. All I know is a miracle just happened because power went out for me. I can tell the Holy Spirit just did something now who touched me. And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before him and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well go in peace. What does that show you? The Holy Spirit of God, the third member of the Trinity, did a miracle through Jesus without Jesus' immediate knowledge until it happened. How does that make sense? I'll tell you how it makes sense. This is what Messiah means. This is what the Anointed One means. Jesus is God, but He's encased in the full limitations of humanity. He doesn't do any miracles until the till the changing of the water and the wine into wine at the wedding of Cana. Why? Because it's not until then that he's been baptized by the spirit after the baptism of John. That's the significance of the spirit coming down upon him. This is exactly why Jesus says to the religious leaders who are accusing him of casting out demons and doing miracles by the power of Beelzebub, by the power of Satan. You know what he says to them? You can do whatever you want to the Son of Man, and you can be forgiven. But who you're sinning against now is the Holy Spirit, because it's the power of the Holy Spirit that's doing these things. You're committing blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. You're speaking against the Holy Spirit. This isn't the second member of the Trinity acting. This is the power of the third member of the Trinity, and that's what you're speaking against. You want to know why Jesus can say, I don't know the day or the hour? Because in his humanity, he doesn't know. God has not revealed this to men. Well, what about now? Does Jesus know now? See, Tim's not here today. So that's what he would ask. So on behalf of Tim, let me go ahead and ask that for him. Well, what about now? Does he know now? Well, where is he now? He's at the right hand of the Father. Does he know now? Yes. Yes, he knows exactly now. In fact, it's pretty clear in Revelation 1, 2, and 3, that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ to His church through the Apostle John. And that revelation includes the way the future is going to play out. Jesus knows everything about the future in detail. He's back in glory. He's fully manifested in the glory of His person now. I just think there are so many practical implications of this if you just think about it. I know this is a little beyond the context of Matthew 24, but if you bear with me, every time I contemplate how far down Jesus stepped off his throne in glory and into humanity so that he could die for me. I am blown away. I am blown away that the creator of the universe would take upon himself all the limitations of humanity so that he could suffer and die in my place so I could be reconciled to him and to the father. I don't know what to say to that. It just expands the sacrificial death of Christ beyond the moment of suffering to include the entirety of the humiliation of taking upon himself human limitations. And then you can extrapolate that into living with sinful human beings all the time. You ever have somebody that's just a mean person and they're not very much fun to hang around with? You ever know anybody like that? Or have anybody like that in your life? They're just a really sour person. They're just a hateful person. They're just a complaining person. And yet, that's the way. And the more like Christ you are, the more different you live from everybody else, and the more obvious that becomes, and the more you just have to work to repave with good. And Jesus lived with us. He lived with us for 33 years, and the only reason He did it was so He could die for us. And once He had, He ascended back to the right hand of the Father, and He's going to come again. He's going to come again and save His people, and He's going to judge the world. Now, how do you get ready for that? Back to Matthew 24. You need to be vigilant. Learn from the fig tree to be able to recognize the signs that the time is near. But as far as the day and hour goes, no one knows with certainty, not even the angels of heaven, not the Son, but the Father alone. Why? Verse 37, because the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. Well, what were the days of Noah like? We all remember what's stated in the beginning of Genesis chapter 6. This is Genesis 6 to 8. You remember the beginning of Genesis chapter 6. God looks at everybody and he says, everybody is only doing what is evil constantly. I'm grieved that I made man, so I'm going to wipe him out. But Noah walked with God. So he gave Noah 100 years to build an ark. And what Peter tells us in 2 Peter 2 is that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. You know what that means? For the hundred years it took him to build the ark, the box that he and his family were preserved in during the deluge, during the flood. For a hundred years, he built that ark. For a hundred years, he warned that judgment is coming. And for a hundred years, nobody what? Listened. Just as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. So will the coming of the son of man be? You know, it's really interesting. Jesus doesn't say they were sending it up. Jesus doesn't say they were worshiping idols or false gods or you know what Jesus says. Right up until the day that Noah entered the ark, what were they doing? Everyday stuff. They were eating and drinking. They were marrying and being given in marriage. Is there anything wrong with eating and drinking? By the way, that doesn't mean they were they were having drunken festivals. And it doesn't mean that they were multiplying. Why? It's just everyday stuff. You know, the only thing they were concerned about, you know, what grieved God the most? is there's only one person walking with him. Only one person on the planet that wanted a relationship with him. Now, you maybe can include the rest of his household, but the Bible doesn't even say that. The Bible says Noah walked with God. That's it. So you can expand it if you want, but it's still just a household. Nobody else walked with God. Nobody else wanted a relationship with God. You know what everybody else wanted? Their lives for themselves. And they just kept living for themselves. And you know what? That's most people in this world today. They're just living for themselves. Eating and drinking. Marrying and giving in marriage. Going to work and coming home. Playing on the weekends and the evenings. Dedicated to their hobbies and their passions and their interests. Enjoying their friends. Involved in the chats. Updating their Facebook. Anyone still use Facebook, right? Or Twittering or whatever, right? They're into their sports teams. Some of that's okay, right? Right, Ruben? Listen, all they're concerned about is their life for themselves. And when judgment came, they all got caught, what? Unawares. They all got caught by surprise. When the Son of Man comes, it'll be just like the days of Noah. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they didn't understand, they didn't realize, they didn't wake up until the flood came and took them all away. The coming of the Son of Man is going to be just like that. Just like that. That's why you need to learn the parable of the fig tree. If you don't know Christ today, learn the lesson judgments coming. Don't be like everybody else in the days of Noah and just ignore it. Don't just assume you're going to live forever. Just don't just assume that that the judgment will never come. It's going to come. Surely, if Christ came the first time, he's going to come a second time. Surely, as he died for us and rose again the first time, he's going to judge the living and the dead the second time. Look at verses 40 and 41. There will be two men in the field. One will be taken, the other will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and the other will be left. You know what this says? When judgment comes, people that are going to be about their daily lives, one's going to get taken and the other's going to be left. It's interesting. When we were in Israel here a few weeks ago, This hand mill, or grinding at the mill, we actually, actually two of the ladies that were part of our group, you weren't one of them, were you, that used the mill? Okay, so the hand mill, I bet you wish we had one of those, don't you? So I can just see you and Gina. But anyways, so basically what this grinding mill is, they take a stone about the size of this pulpit and they shape it into a cone, okay? And it stands about, I think it was about knee high. So there's this stone that's carved out to a nice stone that's a cone, and then there's kind of like a big bowl stone with an opening at the bottom, and they sit it right over that cone. So it kind of looks like a juicer. You know what I'm talking about? One of those little plastic juicers with the thumb in the middle. lemon on there and you turn it or your orange or whatever to get the juice. Okay, so when you put the two pieces together that's what it looks like. Then you put your grain in the top and then you have a woman on each side of that mill. It's about this big around and they just grab it and turn that heavy stone. I think it was about 50 pound stone. You just turn it, and it's the other girl's turn, and turn it, and the other girl's turn. And then you lift it, and all the powder comes out, and then you put more... Can you imagine? Aren't you glad you can go down to Costco and buy a bag of flour? Okay? You know what Jesus is saying here? Two guys are going to be out working in a field, just doing their job, just like they always do. One's going to get taken, the other's going to get left. Two ladies are going to be there doing their job, just working their job. One's going to get taken, the other's going to get left. It's interesting to me that the commentators get into a big argument. Does taken mean taken in judgment? Or does left mean left behind to face judgment? Well, and then some want to tie it to the rapture. Well, it doesn't mean the rapture because they're talking about judgment. We're talking about like in the days of Noah when judgment comes. We're not talking about the pre-tribulational rapture. We're talking about judgment. And because the previous verse said that just as in the days of Noah, in those days before the flood, they're eating and drinking and marrying, giving in marriage. They didn't understand until the flood came and did what? Took them away. Took them away in what? judgment. So I think taking them away best fits the context here. If you would like to say instead, it agrees back with verse 31. It's a little farther away, but it's still the same point. Back in verse 31, Jesus said the son will send forth his angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds. So those that are taken are gathered by the angels as elect and the rest face judgment. In either case, whichever group is which, does it really matter? Does it? The bottom line is, those who are ready are saved. Those who are not are judged. Period. You know what the point is? Nobody escapes. That's why verse 42, Jesus says, Be what? On the alert. Be vigilant. Be awake. Be watchful. Why? Because you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Be sure of this. If the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, you know what he would have done? He would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason, you also must be what? Ready for the Son of Man is coming in an hour when you do not expect is a good way to translate that. When you do not think he will. Listen, judgment's coming. That's Jesus's point. And remember, it's his disciples, it's the 12 that are with him right now. And who's included in 12? Peter, James, John, Matthew. Right. And who else? Judas judgments coming. Wake up. Realize the eternal significance of the decisions that you're making. Realize that life does have consequences and expectation. and understand there is a time in the future when Jesus is going to come and hold everybody accountable. And from that point, there's no going back. Your eternity is fixed. By the way, even if he doesn't come, even if this generation that experiences all these things Jesus has been talking about, even if this generation is not our generation, which, by the way, it could be, based on what I've seen in Israel and their readiness to start the temple worship and everything else and the political situation. It sure looks to me like it could line up pretty quick. But even if it doesn't, you do realize there's no guarantee you'll be here tomorrow. There is no guarantee I'll be here tomorrow. The question is. If you were to face the Lord Jesus Christ, if you were to die tonight, and you are to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready to meet Him? Because the way you live this life and the decisions you're making in this life and whether you commit yourself to Him or not in this life is going to have eternal consequences. The Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will or do not expect. You know what the first thing that's required to be ready for the coming Son of Man, for the coming of the consummation of this age. It's vigilance. And number two, it's faithfulness. Faithfulness to live this life as an act of worship to God. And this holds for all of us, believer and unbeliever alike. This is an accountability issue. This is a sin issue, but it isn't just a sin issue. You understand God doesn't just condemn people for sin, that the sins that you commit that are transgressions. He also holds us eternally accountable for the sins of omission. For the failure to do what he expects us rightly to do as our creator. Your life has been given to you as a responsibility before God. Verse 45, Jesus says, Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master has put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Now, notice, this is another parable, there's another illustration, OK? Who is the faithful and sensible slave? Faithful meaning what? Dependable, trustworthy, faithful. Who is the faithful and sensible slave? Sensible meaning prudent, wise, not just intelligent, but thoughtful and the one that considers what's at hand and makes the right choice. You ever buy a car and have buyer's remorse and go, wow, I can't believe I just signed up for that car payment and I bought a lemon. Right? Or I can't believe I just, ever buy a video or a game or article of clothing or, I hate to move from preaching to meddling here, but you ever buy a purse or a pair of shoes and immediately when you buy it you wish, oh that was a waste of money, ever been there? Yeah. And you realize, boy, that was pretty. That wasn't very sensible. That wasn't very wise. That was a pretty dumb decision. OK, you want to know the servant that is dependable or faithful and the servant who is wise, making good decisions. Who is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master has put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? You know what this means? He gave this servant responsibility to take care of all of his other servants. I'll tell you who he is. He's the one that recognizes his responsibility and is faithful to it. Blessed is the slave whom his master finds doing so when he comes back. Truly, I say to you, he'll put him in charge of all of his possessions. You know what up in the enviable state of of approval is the servant that his master put him in charge of the household and when is taking care of the food of the household, making sure everybody's taken care of and fed when his master comes back and found out he did a good, faithful job with that. Guess what he's going to do next time he goes away? He's going to put him in charge of everything because he's proven to be dependable, reliable and wise. But. If that evil slave says in his heart, my master isn't coming back for a long time, and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards, he begins to take advantage of his position and uses it to please himself. The master of that slave will come on a day when he doesn't expect and at an hour in which he doesn't know, and he will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now, just so we're clear here, People always think that Jesus is just lovey-dovey and He had only kind words to say. Jesus had only true words to say. And no one spoke more about eternal condemnation or hell or divine wrath in the whole New Testament than Jesus did. And you know what He says here? That master that comes back and finds this slave, verse 51, will cut him in pieces. The Greek word is dichotomeo. You know what a dichotomy is? or to dichotomize something. It means to cut something in half. That's literally what that word means. That master will come back and cut that servant in half. It's pretty vivid language, isn't it? Oh, I guess Jesus isn't so lovey-dovey after all. No, no. Jesus is righteous. Jesus is God. You need to understand. God has given you your life. as a stewardship. And I don't care who you are. I don't care if you're Christian or not. If you're a Christian, I hope you recognize it. I hope that Romans 12 speaks volumes to you that the proper motivation for living the Christian life is not a fear of condemnation or punishment or divine discipline. It is rather to live a life of worship in appreciation of the no condemnation status that you enjoy. I hope that what Paul says in the second half of Ephesians, where he says that that based on who you are, this is how you ought to live. And included in that is not just the put off, put on process, but also making the most of the time because the days are evil. Recognizing your life and every day that you live is a gift from God that you're responsible for. that all the time you have, all the treasure you've been given, all the talents that you have. So many times people go, oh, well, he can do more than me or she's so much more blessed than me or whatever. You know what? It doesn't matter what God has given to anybody else. He's not holding you responsible or accountable for any of that. Do you know what he's holding you accountable for? Everything he's given you. Every hour of your day. Every breath of your life. Every skill, every ability, every opportunity he gives to you to share Christ with somebody else or to to to show kindness, to be merciful, to forgive, to love, to laugh, to enjoy. Listen, the Christian life is not a life that's characterized by sadness and nothing else. The Christian life should be a life characterized by joy, even in the midst of sorrow and suffering, because there's a purpose, there's a reason, and you know it. Now, that reason may not be discernible from an earthly perspective. Job's the perfect example. Job had no idea what's going on in heaven, but he kept worshiping God, right? The only time he gets into trouble is when he says, God, I need an answer as to why. You have been given your life. You have been given your abilities. You have been given your resources, all as a gift from God. You know what? You know how to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ? Make the most of all of it for His glory, not just your earthly happiness. I've heard it said many times. I've echoed it to my son repeatedly. With great power comes great responsibility. Now, I don't know, I may have learned that from a Captain America comic book or something, I don't know, or Superman or whatever. But the principle has rung true in my heart as far back as I can remember. With great power comes great responsibility. With great knowledge comes great responsibility. With great blessings comes great responsibility. You are blessed to live in God's creation. Do you acknowledge Him in accordance with the way He says to acknowledge Him? Or are you just living your life for Him? Because I tell you this, When Christ returns, it's going to be just like in the days of Noah. People are going to be marrying and giving in marriage, eating and drinking and living for themselves. Oh, yes, there's going to be a host following the forces of darkness that are trying to destroy God's people. And Christ will shut them down the moment he returns. If you continue to study through the New Testament, you'll see there's about a month after that, before the kingdom is established, as the rest who have not bowed the knee to Christ and acknowledged Him are gathered together and condemned for it." You know something? You, as a believer, need to make the best of your life for Christ and His glory that you can. And you know why. Christ died for you. If you really know what that means and appreciate that, then you want to what? Live for Him. And if you have not acknowledged Jesus for who He is and recognized His rightful sovereignty over you and over your life, my friend, one day you will. One day you will. And when you prove to be unfaithful, you prove to be one who not only sinned against God in thought, word and deed, but also proved to be one who never acknowledged God as the one who gave you everything. You will eternally answer for it. And from that point, there is no turning back, no second opportunity. In fact, The expression Jesus closes this passage off with is. The master will cut that servant in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, with those who are we're just playing. And in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is the most common way that Jesus describes eternal punishment throughout the whole of Matthew's gospel. Weeping and gnashing of teeth, weeping and gnashing of teeth, weeping and gnashing of teeth. What does that mean? It means crying because there's sorrow and pain and horror and wrath and judgment and gnashing of teeth because it hurts. And because it never lets up. Are you ready for Christ's return? If you want to be ready, there are two things you need vigilance and faithfulness. You need to wake up and be alert and recognize that he can come at any time. And then when he does, you're going to be accountable to him eternally for it and the way you're living your life and whether you've given it to him. And you need to be faithful. You need to be living this life for him, even as believers. I mean, this is the point that that both Peter and second Peter three makes, as well as John and first John two twenty eight to three three, I think it is where John says, You need to be living in such a way that you will be unashamed at His coming. That's a verse that has rung true in my heart for years. If Jesus were to show up in your house at 2 o'clock this afternoon, would you be unashamed in what you're doing or the conversation you're having? If Jesus showed up at 6 o'clock in the morning tomorrow, would you be unashamed at His coming? Are you ready to meet Him? If you were to breathe your last tomorrow, choking on a hot dog or something at lunch, would you be ready for Jesus that is coming? Would you be ready to stand before Him and answer? That's the lesson of Matthew 24 for us today. Let's pray. Father, thank You for this day. Thank You for every day You've given to us. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for us to make it possible for us to be reconciled to You. And I just pray you'll open every one of our eyes up to the truth that you are God and we are not. And you are God of our lives, whether we acknowledge it or not. For those of us who know you, who have been granted a new heart and the indwelling ministry of your Holy Spirit, help us indeed to continue to pursue holiness and to continue to live our lives as an act of worship to you, sacrificially for your glory. And for those who do not know you, Lord, please rip the scales from their eyes and the calluses from their hearts and grant them eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to believe so that you might be glorified more through their salvation than you would be through their eternal condemnation. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.