Servant King – Week 20 – Disciples are Watchful

The parallel passages of the Olivet Discourse  Mt. 24:6-25:46 & Luke 21:9-38.

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

Massive stones – some weighed one hundred tons or more – largest stones in the pyramids are 2 1/2 tons.

Magnificent buildings – marble and gold covered buildings.  35 acre complex.

Jews believed that it was the dwelling place of God.  Indestructible until the end of time.

2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

This is accomplished in AD 70.

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately,

4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

The way to defeat deception is to be watchful.  Fear and Faith are incompatible.

9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.

God is going to put His disciples into situations and give his people opportunities to be His witnesses in places and times that will be difficult, scary and out of our comfort zone.  He is going to give influence with people we may never have imagined.  It is God’s work.

10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

This is incredible.  The purpose of these divine appointment is so that the Gospel can be preached.  What is the Gospel?

Last year I preached a series of lessons on Gospel Fluency.  If you missed that go back and listen.

But look at what He says.  Do not worry beforehand what to say.  We do this all the time.  We try and script out everything.  We want to make sure we have all the answers before we ever step out and start doing it.  But Jesus says the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say.

This requires 3 things.  A relationship with the Holy Spirit through Christ, I knowledge of His word, and a watchful attitude of listening to the the voice of the Holy Spirit listening for His leading of what to say.

12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

John 10:27-28 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, He has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

Jesus has answered the first question. when will these things happen?  Now he goes on to answer the second question.  what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?

24 “But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;

25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.

34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.

36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Watchfulness suggests a preparedness in order to avoid being taken unaware by an enemy( Psalm 127 ). It involves fighting carelessness to reach a desired goal( Prov 8:34 ; see Neh 4:9 ; 7:3 ). In the New Testament three basic emphases are found: (1) be prepared for the Lord’s return; (2) be on guard against temptation; and (3) struggle in prayer.

Vigilant watchfulness demands alertness and detachment from earthly pleasures and activities.

Vigilant watchfulness for the Lord’s return enables the disciples to battle temptation.

The actions of watchfulness and prayer are indissolubly united. Prayer is an act of vigilance and vigilance a consequence of prayer ( Eph 6:18-19 ). Vigilant watchfulness is a manifestation of genuine spiritual life. It keeps the church faithful in avoiding being lulled into false security.

Beyond that believers must wake from their sleep to prepare for the consummation of their salvation ( Rom 13:11-14 ).

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