A FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. It should be the desire of every Christian to be a faithful and
wise servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
B. Let us carefully examine the Lord's teaching regarding servants
in Matt. 24:44-51.
I. FIRST, LET'S CONSIDER THE EVIL, UNPROFITABLE SERVANT. Matt.
24:47-49
A. He was presumptuous - He said in his heart, "...My master is
delaying his coming."
1. This servant was presumptuous in thinking that he had plenty
of time.
2. Satan causes people to think they have all the time in the
world to make things right with God.
a. This present moment is the right time to make oneself
acceptable to the Lord. 2 Cor. 6:2
B. He was abusive - "...And begins to beat his fellow servants..."
1. This can be applied to abusive actions of some who bite and
devour others. Gal. 5:15
a. It is certainly not the loving attitude taught by Christ.
2. Christians often forget they are on the same team, striving
toward the same cause and purpose.
a. Let us do our best to work together in love. 1 Pet.
1:22; 4:8; Col. 3:14
C. He began to walk in the ways of the world - "...Began to eat
and drink with the drunkards."
1. Many want to go in the way of the world: drinking parties,
cursing, committing fornication, and the like.
a. Regarding morals, our whole nation seems to be on a
rapid spiral downward.
2. God's view of a Christian turning back to the world, is like
a dog returning to his own vomit. 2 Pet. 2:20-22
D. The severe judgment of eternal damnation will be given to this
servant. Matt. 24:50-51
1. The judgment will be unexpected - when he least expects it.
2. The judgment will be severe - "will cut him in two." "On
whomever the stone falls, it will grind him to powder."
Matt. 21:44
3. The judgment will be the same as on other evil people -
"appoint him his portion with the hypocrites."
4. The judgment will be grievous and forever. - "There shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth" - The Lord often added,
"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
II. NEXT, CONSIDER WHAT JESUS TAUGHT REGARDING THE FAITHFUL AND WISE
SERVANT.
A. First of all, he has been appointed by his master. Matt.
24:45a
1. A wise and faithful servant realizes that His Master has
appointed him to be a servant.
a. When we choose to be servants by thus obeying the
Lord, the Lord Himself makes us His servants.
b. If we do not make this choice, we are servants of the
devil, slaves of sin. John 8:34-35; Rom. 6:16
c. We must be masters of ourselves to be servants of the
Lord.
d. It is a great honor to be a servant of the Lord.
B. His master made him ruler over his household to give them food
in due season. Matt. 24:45b
1. Adam Clark said regarding the term "due season" - He must
give the domestics - the sacred family, their food; and this
food must be such as to afford them true nourishment. This
must be done in its season! There are certain portions of
the bread of life which lose their effect by being
administered out of proper season, or to improper persons."
a. We all are to exhort one another (dispense the spiritual
food for the soul). Heb. 3:13; 1 Thess. 5:11; Eph. 4:16
(1) Becoming the first man to climb Mt. Everest
proved to be a dangerous adventure for Sir
Edmund Hillary. After scaling the mountain,
Hillary lost his footing on the way down. His
guide, Tenzing Norgay, held the line taut and kept
Hillary from falling by digging his axe into the ice.
Norgay later refused special credit for saving
Hillary's life by saying, "Mountain climbers always
help each other."
(2) Members of the body of Christ likewise "always
help each other." Gal. 5:13; 1 Pet. 4:10-11
C. Jesus said, "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he
comes, will find so doing." Matt. 24:46
1. Not knowing when the master was returning, he had to be
vigilant. He had to persevere in doing what was expected of
him.
2. The lesson here is the same as taught from that of the "door
keeper." Mark 13:33-37
3. Thus, the Lord, through His parables, taught us to be
vigilant and persevere in our service to Him. 1 Pet. 5:8;
Rom. 2:7-9; Heb. 10:35-39
D. Great reward will be given to the faithful servants -
"Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all
his goods." Matt. 24:47
1. Luke's account showed that the Lord of the faithful servant
will take the place of the servant himself. Luke 12:35-37
a. This means that if we remain faithful, the Lord will
receive us into heaven, and let us share in all of His
glorious blessings. Rev. 2:26-28; 3:21
2. Great honor and glory will be given to those who first learn
to serve in the lesser role.
a. For example, we need to be faithful in the simple basics
of Christianity - attendance, prayer, Bible study,
visiting, teaching.
b. Consider these examples:
(1) If your car started one out of three times, would
you consider it faithful?
(2) If your refrigerator quit a day now and then,
would you excuse it and say, "It works most of the
time"?
(3) If you miss a couple of mortgage payments each
year, are you faithful?
(4) If you showed up late for work once in a while or
just skipped a day now and then, does your
employer consider you faithful?
3. Our Lord's parables regarding servants teach faithful
service.
a. In a recent survey of 287 college students, nearly all of
them expressed a desire for greatness; yet, very few
perceived any connection between greatness and
service. Matt. 20:26-28
b. Jesus exemplified humble service by washing the
disciples' feet. John 13:13-15
Concl.
A. Consider, again, the Lord's own application: "Blessed is that
servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing."
B. The meaning of life is not how long we live, how famous we
become, or how rich we might be.
C. The author is unknown to this simple little poem:
You may be an ambassador to England or France;
You may like to gamble, or you might like to dance;
You may have beauty with long hair and curls;
You may have riches with long strings of pearls;
There is someone your service is geared toward,
Is it the devil, or is it the Lord?
D. In 1762, Charles Wesley (brother of John Wesley) wrote this
inspiring hymn:
A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify;
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.
To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage,
To do my Master's will!
Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thy-self rely,
Assured if I my trust betray,
I shall forever die.
E. Let us do our very best to be faithful and wise servants of the
Lord, Jesus Christ.