Lesson 20 OUTLINE

Matthew 24: 45-51

Luke 12: 42-48

I. Matthew 24:45-51. The essence of a faithful servant seems to be the ability to live in a continual state of preparedness. The faithful servant is able to keep their eyes focused on the long term certain return of the master, while at the same time not let anything side-tracking them from doing their job right now. This two level preparedness is summed up in Christ’s command to “stay alert.”

a. Peter asks Jesus whether what he is saying is meant for them, or if it is meant for other people?

i. ⁸Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. ⁹Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. (1 Peter 5:8-9 The Message)

b. V. 8, “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.”(NRSV)

c. Verse 9, “Resist him, be steadfast in your faith.” James 4 -- “Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and God will draw near to you.”

d. There are two equally foolish traps of unpreparedness that Christians fall into regarding Satan.

i. The first is not to believe in him at all, which leaves one defenseless in a world in which all evil is then attributed only to humans who make bad choices.

ii. The other error is to become over interested and preoccupied giving the devil too much power and not taking enough human responsibility.

e. “Stay Alert” don’t be fooled, Satan exists and wants lull you into letting down your guard. The master is taking so long to return – maybe he won’t come at all. Don’t worry…there is not need to be vigilant.

f. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:10-18

9. This is how we stay alert! Study this passage and you will know how to “Stay Alert.’

II. Knowing and doing the Master’s will. In addition to staying alert, the faithful and wise servant is supposed to know the master’s will and do.

a. “God has a wonderful plan for your life” has paralyzed as many Christians as it has helped.

b. I am not sure this idea is helpful.

i. Because in its logic we find a kind of fatalism that suggests that there is a plan A for my life and if I don’t get the message in time…then I will have to move on to plan B. And if I screw that up…which is likely (certain actually), I will have to move on to plan C or D.

ii. I would like to suggest that knowing and doing the Master’s will is not like some giant maze in which there is only one possible right exit.

c. The providence of God and our free will intermingle into the mystery which is our relationship with God. It is not so much a matter of our finding the perfect choice and making it as it is God redeeming our broken lives and making them useful.

d. It is in living this Holy Life that we find we become the wise and faithful servant.

III. Oregano and Crabgrass. 1 Peter 1: 14-16 As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am Holy; you be holy.”

a. “All of us have impulses from time to time to live a holy life – life lived as it should be, life true and good and beautiful, life lived for and in and by means of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. And then someone telephones with an invitation to the hockey game, or we notice that the salad needs oregano, or the crabgrass in the lawn suddenly becomes a pressing priority. We are distracted by the mundane and forfeit, for yet another time, the holy. Or so we assume. And then we find ourselves in the company of a writer or writers who penetrate the surface pieties and show us what the holy life is really like, that it is the hockey game and the oregano and the crabgrass that provide the raw material for holiness. Holiness is not being nice. A holy life isn’t a matter of men and women being polite with God, but of humans who accept and enter into God’s work of shaping salvation out of the unlikely material of our sin and ignorance, our ambition and waywardness – also our loves and aspirations and nobilities, but never by just smoothing over rough edges. Holiness is not polish.” From: Living the Message: Daily Reflections with Eugene Peterson

b. The story is told of Martin Luther that one day, while he was hoeing his garden, a friend came to visit and asked what he would do if he knew Christ was returning that very day. Luther is supposed to have answered; “I’d just keep on hoeing my garden.”

c. How do we know and do the Master’s will?

i. To live everyday, in the best way we know how. In a way that honors Christ and honors other human beings. To live a life of holiness with integrity and humbleness depending entirely on the grace of God.

ii. This way, no matter what our occupation, who we are married to or not married to, where we live, whether we drive a blue car or a red one all become secondary and amount to the same purpose…we are servants of the master…ready for his return.