A servant of the Lord can be an evil servant, yet of the Lord. We don't want to believe it, but it's true. So many profess to belong to the Lord, the evil servant professes to belong to the Lord. The evil servant however is believing in his heart that Christ is delayed in His return. BECAUSE the evil servant believes inwardly, perhaps even secretly, that Christ isn't coming anytime soon- the evil servant of the Lord lives their life towards their lusts, their appetites, their sinful, self-serving ways.
Truly if you BELIEVE that Christ could come tomorrow… what? Wait… don’t all those prophecies need to be fulfilled yet? Yes, they do. The thing is, a lot of those prophecies yet to be fulfilled will only be fulfilled AFTER probation is closed- and the just will remain just and the unjust will remain unjust. IF a person is waiting for ANYTHING, and I do mean ANYTHING, before they get serious about the Lord's return, then they are an evil servant. When we wait before choosing the Lord, before choosing to believe that He will be coming soon, that waiting is our lack of faith. We cannot live as if our Savior is NOT returning tomorrow. Yes, I said tomorrow once more. Do I believe He will return tomorrow- a huge part of me says, no. That huge part says no because I have it in my head that certain things have to take place. HOWEVER, I long for His return to be tomorrow, and for me to be wrong about the things that need to take place. I pray for forgiveness, I do NOT want to be an evil servant and think in any way that the Lord is delaying His return!
Truly, what is the difference between believing our Savior IS returning tomorrow, and comprehending tomorrow could be our last day due to our death? Being ready always, always without exception- being a good servant of the Lord's.
When the people saw the stars falling from heavens in an unprecedented manner, and in a manner they've not fallen since- they believed Christ's coming was near, even at the door, they readied themselves as best they could because they were so sure it could be any moment.
The problem with waiting for signs to take place BEFORE believing Christ's return is settling into a state of lulled behavior with your mind slipping into the murky territory of the signs being delayed and therefore- Christ is delaying His return. It's a very slippery slope to take.
In 1890 as they believed in the imminent return of Christ not long after the stars fell, the sun went dark and the moon wouldn't give its light, they weren't thinking about the times of the Gentiles being fulfilled, as spoken about in Luke 21:24. They didn't say, well, we still have to wait for this to take place, and that to take place, and yes, this other thing hasn't happened yet either.
GOD wants us to be ready NOW for Christ's return at ANY moment!
So, I say again, truly, if you believe that Christ could come tomorrow, are you living a life that reveals that you are a servant of the Lord's, a good servant, not an evil servant. A good servant who is prepared and wanting others to be prepared. Or does your life reveal you are living for this world and all its ways?
We need to examine ourselves, our own motives, our own beliefs, our own actions. Are we among those who are of the world so that we cannot be distinguished from all others? Is Christ's return on our lips always? If not, why not?
The evil servant of the Lord's, believes they are of the Lord in truth. To all outward appearances they are still a servant of the Lord- and the evil they keep in their hearts is hidden so that they are leading others down the wrong path, the evil path. Their followers are using the example of the evil servant thinking it's the right example because it's from the Lord's servant. They aren't considering for a moment that there are evil servants of the Lord whose subtle evil seduces many from God. God gives us all we need to be discerning, to know truth from lies, evil from good, but we need to heed the Holy Spirit when we are shown that even a seemingly beloved servant of God could be an evil servant of God.
Jesus is coming very, very soon! We are on the precipice of eternity!
Let's LIVE this truth!
All by the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST! NOW AND FOREVER!!!!!!! Amen!
(Excerpt)
EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW XXIV 24 (((Written in 1890 - remember when reading the excerpt 131 years have passed since it was written. History does matter.))))
THE EVIL SERVANT
VERSES 48-51: "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the 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, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
What the evil servant says and does shows most dearly the position and work of the faithful and wise servant. The reason why the evil servant says, "My Lord delayeth his coming," is that the faithful servant is proclaiming the coming of his lord. The evil servant smites the faithful servant, because he teaches the speedy coming of his lord. The faithful servant, true to his commission to preach the "gospel of the kingdom" to a fallen church and a scoffing world, toils on, and the evil servant smites on. One is laying up treasure in heaven, and is preparing to go home to his eternal reward, while the other is calling down upon his head the displeasure of the high and holy One, and is getting ready to receive the unmingled cup of the fury of the Lord. The faithful servant is turning some to righteousness, to shine forever as stars in his crown of glory, while the evil servant pursues his downward course and work of death, making the bitter cup of woe which awaits him still more bitter. But the separating day is coming. The Lord will come, and cut asunder the evil servant, and appoint him his portion with the lost. In the general wailing and gnashing of teeth, with hypocrites he will receive the portion due him for his works.
That this application is correct is shown by the words of the Saviour in the closing part of this chapter. Both parties are professedly "servants" of God. The "evil servant" says, "My lord delayeth "his coming." But when, because of his unfaithfulness because of his refusal to heed the instructions and. warnings of his lord, and of his ill-treatment of his fellow-servant who is sounding the alarm, the lord shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, it will avail him nothing that he has called the lord his lord; that he has been looked up to as a leader of the flock. They have the duty laid upon them, as servants, to give meat in due season; to sound the alarm; to proclaim the message of the advent near, even at the doors. But they are "evil servants," recreant to the trust committed to them, unmindful of the "sure word of prophecy." They do not want to think, nor to have the people think, of the Lord's coming. All scriptures which speak of that day call for watchfulness, diligence, and earnest zeal to be prepared to meet him. But these are worldlyminded, selfish servants. They love their ease; they cry, "Peace and safety," when sudden destruction is impending. 1 Thess. 5:1-3.
They love to slumber; they say, to-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant." Isa. 56:10-12. They join the idle throng in singing, "There's a good time coming." In the words of the Saviour, they "eat and drink with the drunken," "walking after their own lusts." The sociable, the festival, the fair, the supper for feasting–these have attractions for them which their selfishness cannot resist. By these is piety dethroned; zeal is extinguished; cross-bearing and self-denying become distasteful graces; to hunger and thirst after righteousness is a burden; the "form of godliness" is retained, but "the power thereof" is gone. What a condition for a servant of God to be found in when his Master appears! And yet this is a fitting description of the mass of feasting professors who turn away with scorn from the unwelcome thought of the Lord's near coming. How different the lot of those who bear the cross, and give the household of faith meat due season! "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."
We invite the attention of the reader to the following list of points made plain in our examination of this chapter:–
1. The Saviour gave definite and plain signs which are to precede his coming.
2. He told the effect which these things would produce. See Joel 2:1 and other prophecies.
3. He said that by these signs we might know when his coming is near, even at the doors.
4. And the language is stronger than that of permission or the expression of ability to know. It is imperative; we are commanded and required to know when it is near.
5. The signs are so easy to understand that we may know when it is near, just as we may know that summer is near when the trees put forth their leaves.
6. That we are commanded and required to know is confirmed by the illustration of the time of Noah.
(1) Noah knew the time that the flood was near.
(2) He preached its coming.
(3) He prepared for the event.
(4) It was fatal to all those who did not (would not) know the time. "So shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
7. The Saviour says it will in like manner be a fatal error on the part of those who do not know when the Son of man is coming. But this could not be so
(1) if we could not know the time, or
(2) if it makes no difference whether we know or do not.
All this teaches us that the doctrine of the second advent is A PRACTICAL DOCTRINE… (End Excerpt)
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