Introduction
We should be ready and eager for Christs return. To those who eagerly await it will be a huge blessing. To those who reject the gospel He will come when they are not expecting and there will be judgment.
We are exhorted to be faithful. Be prepared for His return and be faithful till the end. Our full and final salvation. He rules and governs His church from heaven until He comes again. Then He will separate the sheep from the goats: Mat 25:34,46. Peter isn’t expecting any absence. They are thinking only kingdom glory. They aren’t expecting a long delay or suffering and persecution.
V42 – who is that faithful and wise servant? This is an action. We must be doing and we will be blessed. We must take what God has given us.
1 – The faithful and wise servant is one who faithfully serves God until His return. This highlights the importance of obedience. Jesus is comparing Christians to servants.
What the apostles said and wrote is the Word of God not the Word of men. To fail to recognize that what 1 Corinthians 14:38 – preaching and teaching is important so that the Word of God be taught and the gospel be faithfully preached until He returns. Faithfulness is doing…
43 “Blessed [is] that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes
Verses about doing:
Luke 6:48-49 (NKJV) 48 “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 “But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Luke 8:18 (NKJV) “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.”
Luke 6:46 (NKJV) “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Titus 3:14 (NKJV) And let our [people] also learn to maintain good works, to [meet] urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.
This is not for justification but as a fruit of faith. These works aren’t done to save ourselves.
2 – V45 The grave danger of unfaithfulness and/or false professions.
At the final judgement Jesus will assign all unbelievers to hell. There are many who think they are Christian because they said a prayer or go to church and even some may be sincere but they don’t believe.
We must be very careful of this increasing tendency to compromise to get along with the world.
3 – V48 the greater a mans gifts the greater his guilt.
Even those who don’t hear the gospel are accountable to God. All men will give an account.
But for those who have knowledge of the truth and teach they will have a stricture punishment.
James 3:1 (NKJV) My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
2 Peter 2:21 (NKJV) For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known [it,] to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Repent and believe the Gospel.
Luke 12:35-48 (NKJV) 35 “Let your waist be girded and [your] lamps burning; 36 “and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 “Blessed [are] those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down [to eat,] and will come and serve them. 38 “And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find [them] so, blessed are those servants. 39 “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. 40 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” 41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable [only] to us, or to all [people?]” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom [his] master will make ruler over his household, to give [them their] portion of food in due season? 43 “Blessed [is] that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 “Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 45 “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for [him,] and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint [him] his portion with the unbelievers. 47 “And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare [himself] or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes.] 48 “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.