Episode Transcript
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, go therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Welcome to go teach all nations, bringing you Christ's teachings through australian and international speakers. And here is today's presenter, Pastor Robert Stankovic.
For the last three presentations, we looked at why Jesus is returning. We looked at how will Jesus return? We looked at when will Jesus return? And now my big question is, what else did Jesus say, as Pastor Jeff was alluring to in regards to how will we prepare for Jesus soon return? And what does the Bible say? And what did Jesus say? In fact, when we look at Matthew 24, we focused on that last weekend, a whole weekend on Matthew 24 with Pastor Justin Mormon. Today I'm going to look a little bit about Matthew 25, the next chapter.
Did you know that Jesus message to the disciples about, lord, tell us, when will these things be? And then he says, watch that you don't be deceived, and watch and all of these things. And then he continues the conversation. It's not another day that he met with them.
It was the same conversation from Matthew 24 to Matthew 25. And we're going to have a look at that in just a moment. So the question is, for us, two questions.
How will we be living? How will God's people be living and doing life just before the return of Jesus? And two, what shall we be doing? In fact, as the Bible says in Luke 1913, Jesus said, until I come, be busy, occupy till I come. What, in fact, does Jesus want us to occupy ourselves with? And but first I want to share with you, how is it that we should not be occupying ourselves? Are we preoccupying ourselves with things in this world, with the cares and pleasures of this world? The Bible says, watch out or look out, be careful. In fact, these very same words Jesus said about the deceptions around the world, about the one world government and all these other things, and yet he still says this watch out.
Don't let your what? Hearts. Don't let your hearts be dulled. What's the word? Dulled.
Watered down, numb. Losing that what we looked at Sabbath school lesson this morning, longing for God. Psalms 84 says, I long for you.
Yes, my whole being longs for you. Boom. Don't let that be dulled.
Don't let that be dulled by the carousing and drunkenness and by the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware. Remember, we also studied about how Jesus will appear unexpectedly, like a thief in the night it's not that his coming is going to be sudden and surprising.
It's because our heart has been caught off guard, because our hearts are set on the cares and the pleasures and the riches of this world like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times.
It says, watch your heart. Watch your heart and pray that you might be what? Informed enough to know what's going to happen in the last days? Is that what it says? No, it doesn't. Jesus mentioned briefly in Matthew 24.
But he makes a greater emphasis in the preparation, more than the prophecies of what's going to be happening in the last days. Because if I have all knowledge and know all prophecies but have not love, it is nothing. It means nothing.
I'm just an informed sinner. That's it. Pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the son of man.
One John says, do not love this world, nor the things it offers you. These are the things that God says. Don't let this preoccupy your life today.
For when you love the world, you do not have the love of the father in you. There's something about when we put our attention and our affection on the cares and pleasures and riches of this world that it somehow dulls our spiritual energies and perceptions and desires for God and for eternity. And even to love people selflessly.
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away.
Is the world fading away? It is whether you believe in climate change or not. Because the Bible does say that he will destroy those who have destroyed the earth. For me, that's some sort of environmental crisis.
This world is fading away along with everything that people crave. People are craving for things. People are craving for property.
People are craving for investments. People are craving for academic achievements. I'm not saying all of these things are bad, but it's a different craving to the one that David says, lord, I long for you.
I thirst for you. You can't be craving for the things of this world and thirsting for God at the same breath. You can't.
The heart will be taken one way or the other. You cannot love the world and love God at the same time. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
What is it that pleases God? What is it that pleases God? We're going to have a brief look in Matthew chapter 25. Now, you remember the parable that Jesus talks about. Seeds falling in four different places.
Falls on the stony ground, falls on the wayside where the earth is compacted. Seed doesn't take root. It's planted and sown on thorny bushes, and then eventually it's planted on where good soil that's fertilised, that's nourished, and it receives the word and it grows and blossoms and flourishes successfully.
But here it says, in the seed that fell among the thorns. But all too quickly, the message is crowded out. They hear the word of God, but somehow the message is crowded out by the what? The worries of this life and the lure of wealth and the desire for other things.
So no fruit is produced. If there's something that God wants to do in our lives is to produce lasting, eternal fruit, we're going to have a look at that in Matthew 25. So how should we be living? Just before Jesus returns to second, Peter three says, talks about the day of the Lord will come as a thief, and the earth will burn with fervent heat and fires and all of that.
And then in verse eleven, it says, since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, so let's stop there. Since everything, what's everything? The economic market, the beautiful mountains we've hiked up, the houses we built, the money we've stowed under the table, under the bed. Well, there's not going to be much to stow under when it's going cashless, is it? Don't know where you're going to stow.
Numbers, digital numbers. When we know that everything is going to be destroyed, that means there's nothing left that we can take to heaven with us other than what's on our backs. Even then, God's going to put some sort of heavenly apparel or clothing.
I'm not sure what that's going to look like. What holy and godly lives you should be living, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. Do you know? By how we live as individuals, by how we live as families, by how we live as a church here in Bunbury, by how we live as God's people all around the world is affecting the return of Jesus.
Did you know that? Have you ever thought to think that maybe we're still here is because we have been lured and lulled into to false security of the things of this world? Yes, we need a job. We need to pay our bills. We need to find a greater purpose than to pay our bills.
Because you get up in the morning you do your job, you come back to home, have dinner, go to bed, wake up in the morning, another job. A day, day in, day out. But what is God wanting us to do in that day? How it is it want us to think and feel and approach life and people the same as everyone else? Or maybe with a greater sense of purpose and a greater reason.
On that day, he will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt. With da da da, he reminds us, hey, while we need to prepare our hearts for the return of Jesus, let's not get so caught up. Just remember all those fine clothes you wear, that beautiful home you've built.
It's going to burn to ashes and I can't wait. Not that I'm going to burn a nice house down, but I look forward to seeing Jesus. Everything else appears as nothing in comparison to knowing and having Jesus and being with him for eternity.
And having Jesus live with us on this new earth for eternity, it's not worth losing that over a few things. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and the new earth. He has promised a world filled with God's righteousness.
Instead, Romans says, clothe yourselves with what? The presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. You know, the only thing we can take with us to heaven is our relationship with God.
Because of us living in the presence of Jesus in this world, when I'm at my job, when I'm with my spouse, when I'm with my kids, when wherever I am, I am carrying the presence of God with me. And when Jesus comes back, that's where we will integrate that relationship with him for eternity. That's all we can take with us, nothing else.
And it helps us, makes us think how we should choose and decide in how we make priorities and what's important and what isn't. And James, one gives a bit of an alluring idea. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the father means caring for orphans and widows in the distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Two things. God wants us to live a life of active service. It doesn't mean always welfare, but serving the needs of people, whether it's physical, emotional, community, whatever it is, to build hope and encourage them to know Jesus.
If God can use us in our workplace with that, that's the idea of when this gospel is preached to all the world, then what? Then the end will come. Because everything else before that, as Justin told us, Pastor Justin told us last week. Everything else is, ah, but this is not the end.
Ah, but there is still more to come. Ah, but there is. But the only finality is the finishing of God's work.
And God says, when this work is done, then I will come back and take you to be with myself. God says to us, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in Goddesse.
And when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. God doesn't want us to conform our lifestyle, our desires around the things of this world. He wants us to mould and shape our life around the principles of God's kingdom of love and grace.
That was everything that Jesus lived for and worked for and died for and is coming back for. The way Jesus ministered is the way God's people will be ministering just before Jesus returns. And we're going to see that in Matthew chapter 25.
So I'm not going to read all of those. I'm just going to just link up things and thoughts to that chapter because I want you to do homework today. This weekend I read Matthew 25.
There's a trilogy of parables, the parable of the ten bridesmaids, the parable of the talents and the parable of the sheep and goats. And for those that have not maybe read it, it's about ten bridesmaids getting ready for the great wedding feast that Jesus is about to come back as the groom to bring his bride, his church back home with him. And he says that all ten of them suddenly fell asleep.
It's like they were lulled into some sort of a stupor that they didn't discern the times in which they were living in and the nearness of the return of Jesus. You see, these weren't non religious people. These were not non christian people.
These were God's people. And all of them, and without going through all the symbols and everything, all of them were reading the word. All of them had some oil in their lamp to feed that lamp so that they can shine the light of God's grace in their life.
But somehow, after some time, they fell asleep. And when they did wake up to the what's happening around the world and the nearness of his return, some woke up without any oil in their lamp. And those who are asleep still have faint flicker of light.
And they had extra oil and they began to keep refilling. And the ones that didn't have oil, they said, please, give me some of your experience, give me your faith. I need the love that's in your heart.
Please give it to me. What did they do? Here, have it. They said, no, we can't give it to you.
Sounds pretty selfish, doesn't it? You can't give an experience you don't experience yourself. You can't have faith if it hasn't been challenged to trust God more. You can't have love if you haven't been tempted and challenged to hold a grudge and love your enemies unless you've experienced the grace of God in your life.
And it's unfortunate. I'm not saying that half the people, half of God's people are going to be lost and half are going to be saved. It's an illustration of those that have made themselves ready for his return and those who haven't.
It's just two groups. There's no percentage ratio here. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.
Yeah. And I want to be a part of that. Do you want to be a part of that? Absolutely.
It's a daily walk with our God. Let's not allow our work, let's not allow our investments to steal our hearts, to steal our joy, to steal our peace with goddess. And then there's another parable.
There's another parable. And so the first parable is about watching our hearts waiting for the return of Jesus and working. And part of that work is reflected in another parable because waiting and working go hand in hand.
You don't sit there and say, I am saved by God's grace and I'm just waiting for Jesus to return and be passive in our walk with God. Because when God pours his love into our hearts and it overflows, where does it go? It's got to overflow into the lives of others. Otherwise we lose what we have and we become dry and barren and low.
And it talks about a parable and he says, the kingdom of heaven is like a king that went away and he left his three servants, and he gave one servant five talents, and he gave another one two talents, and he gave another one one talent, whatever that is, whatever talent or gift God has put into your life, it's not about who's got more or who's better. That's not what it's about. It's about your heart and what you put into it with all your heart.
If I only have one talent, I'm happy with that. There's less responsibility, less expectation. And then, and then, and then he goes away.
And the guy with the five, he goes and invests it. I'm talking about eternal investment. We're not talking about business here.
This is an illustration. He invests it. And what does he get in return? When the king comes back, he doubles his profits and there are ten.
And then he goes to the one with the two. So what did you do with your two? I went and invested it. And he's four, thank you, good and faithful servant.
And he goes to the one and he said, I gave you one. What did you do with that? He says, well, you know, I thought, you know, I had this perception that, you know, you, the king, are a little bit of a hard king. And I just wanted to be sure that I don't lose the one that I have.
So I buried it. And what does God say? The king say to him, you, unfaithful, wicked servant, takes that one and gives it to the one with ten. Go and invest it and build my kingdom.
That is the watchfulness, that is the waiting, that is the work that God wants for his people. And then he comes with oops. And then he comes with the last one, the last parable.
And he talks about the sheep and the goats. And then the king goes away and he comes back. And the king asked them, when I was hungry.
When I was hungry, you gave me food to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me water to drink. When I was in prison, you visited me.
When I was, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And the good and faithful servant, the sheep say, when, lord, when were you hungry and when were you thirsty, and when were you naked and when were you in prison? I says, well, whatever you've done to the least of these people, the outcasts and those who are on the peripherals of life, and you have blessed them and you have nourished them and fed them, you have added value to their lives. It's like you've done it to me.
And then he says to the unfaithful servant, Lord, when did we. When did you, like he said to them, you unfaithful, wicked people, whatever you haven't done to the least of these, you haven't done it to me. And so in these three parables, he brings out some beautiful things.
And so Ephesians five says, so be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. So not only does he want us to wait, not only want us to watch and work, he wants us to live wisely.
And wisely is about all of these things. Put together. It's not just waiting for a period of time and then watching for a period of time and then working for a period of time.
It's all three in the one. While we are waiting, what are we doing? How are we living? How are we watching that the cares and pleasures and treasures of this world doesn't steal my heart from that goal, that prize, that eternal kingdom. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Another version says, redeem the time for the days are evil. Make the most of every opportunity. Don't waste time in losing out on building God's kingdom.
Because in the end, what was it that lasts forever? Our relationship with God. If that is the case, if we can't bring anything with us, you know what? I can't even. I will miss it.
I can't even bring this printed bible to heaven. But you know what? I'm praying it's in my heart. And when I go to heaven, I'll take it with me.
But, you know, I've marked so much stuff in here. And Jason will tell you that he found my Bible once and he says, man, this is a colouring book. Every time I went through a different experience in my journey in life, I would almost mark the same verse ten different ways to the point I almost can't read the verse.
Ten different experiences from one verse. And I thought, I'm gonna miss you, bro. But it's all what it stands for.
Your word. Have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you? Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. We all know what God wants us to do.
The problem is our willingness and our level of commitment and passion for God's kingdom. That's the problem. We wrestle in our cravings.
We either crave God or we crave for the things of this world. God uses the word, he uses prayer. He uses worship and fellowship.
He uses the capacity to serve God because of all these things. Psalms 9012 is really good about wisdom. Living a wise life.
Teach us to realise the brevity of life so that we may grow in wisdom. How do you not grow in wisdom? Just get caught up in the things of this world. Because we don't realise how short, how fragile, how limited this world is and that this world is coming to an end.
But our end is in Jesus, not in the fires of hell, but in the fires of his presence. The very same brightness of his coming will burn the wicked. The same brightness will illuminate the faces of God's people.
Same thing different experience, because living in the presence of God made all the difference each day. Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.
And all the more as you see the day approaching. The closer we come to the return of Jesus, the more we will be proactive and intentional in saying, Lord, what shall I do with my heart? Lord, what shall I do with my hand? Lord, what shall I do with my head, with my thoughts, with my plans, with my activities? How can I serve you, God, and prepare souls for your kingdom? So that's what it's all about. Simple, isn't it? It's not a complicated programme, it's just the complication of temptations, things that draw our attention and heart away from him.
Don't be preoccupied with the things of this world, but occupy with things that last for eternity. How will we invest for eternity with our time, with our talents and with our treasures? Each of those things is a gift from God. It doesn't belong to me.
If I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and the spirit dwells in my heart and the love and grace of Jesus drives me in my life, what am I doing with my time and talents and treasures? How am I intentionally, prayerfully investing those things that God has given to me to double and triple, 30 fold, 60 fold, 100 fold for the kingdom of heaven? You know, one day we're going to be in heaven, one day we're going to be in heaven and we're not going to ask, we're not going to look around and say, where is my Bible? I probably will. It's probably charcoal down back on earth. But I'm glad I used it enough to help me build my life with Christ.
I'm not going to look around and say, where is that third property investment that, no, it didn't fit. No, didn't get here. I'm just going to look around.
We're all going to be looking around and saying, wow, where did all this sea of glass of people come from? And someone's going to tap you on the shoulder, says, rob, do you remember me? No. You look familiar. He says, will you remember several years ago, you said something, you just passed me along the street and you said something that made me really think, and it set me on a journey of looking for God.
Or you helped me, you served me with this, or you helped me with that, or you encouraged me with this and I says, I'm here, I'm here. I didn't have much, but now I've got everything. That's all that's going to matter one day.
Nothing else will matter. My gym membership will. Goodbye.
I'm going to be fit for eternity as long as I'm going to have a heart attack between now and then. Although I enjoy the spa more than the gym. Sorry, I.
But you know, God's word says that he's given us this beautiful emblems of the bread and the wine as well as the feet washing. And he says, I want you to do this for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup. And of course he washed the disciples feet because he wants us to remember that at the basis of love is humility.
And at the basis of love is humility. At the basis of humility is love. You can't have one without the other.
Because love is not selfish, love is not proud. Love doesn't boast in things. Love is selfless.
And the very thing that Jesus could have done to celebrate and do something big and grand, he just knelt down, took off a piece of cloth from his side and began to wash the disciples feet. That is what's going to get us into the kingdom. That attitude of humility that stimulates us to love selflessly and think of others, esteem others better than ourselves.
When we understand our identity in Christ, when we repent of our sins, when we walk with God day by day, we will proclaim the Lord's death as we every now and then, as often as you can proclaim the Lord's death till he returns. Why? Because in death Christ rose from the grave and it's that hope that we have when he returns, we will rise from our graves and those who have loved his appearing. When Jesus gave up his all, he gained everything for us.
When we give up our all, we will gain everything for others, for the kingdom. Is that a sacrifice? Absolutely. Because we wrestle with our flesh daily.
God wants us to abide in the spirit and we need to ask, Lord, what do you want me to do each day? Remember, what do you want me to say to this person? What do you want me to not say to this person? We need wisdom to win souls for his kingdom and be ready for his return.
This message was made available by the Bunbury Seventh-day Adventist Church. For more resources like this, visit their YouTube page. Bunbury SDA.
This programme has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia radio.
