Division. It’s
more than a type of mathematics problem.
It’s more than one step in the process of homiletics. It’s not just a group of soldiers. It’s a separation of a larger whole. In God’s economy, He uses division to
multiply. If you recall in the book of
Acts, persecution broke out in Jerusalem. This divided the disciples and multiplied the
church. As believers fled the
persecution, they spread the Gospel message throughout the world! Division.
Some of us live in divided families: believers and non-believers. Are you prepared for division? How will you be divided out? The judgment is
coming. Are you ready? In today’s devotional, we are going to look
at three illustrations: Jesus speaks
parables about virgins, entrusted wealth, sheep and goats.
When you are finished reading this, I want you to walk
away knowing that While we wait for
Christ’s return, we should be growing in relationship with Him and actively serving
Him, so we are ready when He comes to judge.
These words were spoken by Jesus on the Mount of
Olives. The whole speech given at this
time and location is collectively called the Olivet Discourse. Let’s continue studying. We have three divisions today:
1.The Wise and Foolish Virgins (Mt 25:1-13)
2.Wealth Entrusted to Two Good and Faithful Servants and
One Wicked, Lazy Servant (Mt 25:14-30)
3.The Sheep and the Goats (Mt 25:31-46)
Let’s pray.
Holy God, open our
hearts and minds to the Truth today.
Speak to us about where we stand in each of these stories, alerting us
to where You want us to be and how to get there. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Off we go!
Read Matthew
25:1-13.
Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. The primary message of this parable is
watchfulness. These virgins symbolize the
professing church at the time of the second coming of Christ (the Bridegroom). Five are called wise, five are called
foolish. What defines this division of whether
they are wise or foolish? Oil. The wise virgins brought oil to keep their
lamps burning. Oil is symbolic of the Holy
Spirit. #Got oil? So, five have the Holy Spirit, five don’t. But they’re all waiting for the Bridegroom. So…all ten virgins appear to be followers of Jesus Christ, but only half of them actually have the Holy Spirit. Only half of them are really His followers!
So, how can we know we have the oil? How can we know if we’re filled with the Holy
Spirit? You absolutely can have
assurance of your salvation! No doubts
at all! BSF has a little booklet called “Am
I Sure?” It contains many Scriptures for
you to look up that will guide you through steps to assurance of salvation. Sign up for BSF at bsfinternational.org for
access to this and other wonderful BSF resources. For the sake of brevity for this devotional,
I ask you to turn to Galatians 5:23-24 and read. Where are you seeing manifestations of this
spiritual fruit in your life? The fruit
of the Spirit will be evident in the lives of Jesus’ followers.
An additional thought on this passage: the five wise
virgins didn’t have oil to spare to give the five foolish virgins. Others cannot enter heaven on the basis of
your belief! Everyone will stand before
Jesus on their own. And a question that
I pray will encourage you: do you prioritize time with God studying the
Scriptures and praying every day?
Pursuing Jesus in your private preparation is a good sign that you are
saved and preparing for His return. Doing
this every day insures a steady flow of Holy Spirit oil in your life! Do you make confession of sin part of your
daily prayer time? Awareness of sin is
huge when it comes to assurance of salvation!
Do you repent of that sin? Repentance is huge! How might you become more disciplined to
spend time with Jesus each day? How
might you become more aware of your sin?
Principle 1: God’s people must be prepared for Christ’s
return at any time.
Application 1.
What will you do about areas of your spiritual life where you are not as well
prepared as you could be? Are you truly
hearing from Christ as you study His Word and obeying what He says? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? How do you know? Are there supernatural manifestations of His
fruit in your life? Which fruit is most
evident? Which fruit is least
evident? How will you pray for God to
develop that fruit in you?
Let’s look at a second parable about division.
Read Matthew
25:14-30.
The parable of the faithful servants and the lazy servant
is about diligence and faithfulness in the use of resources given to us by God. We’re talking about works, here, not earning
our salvation through works. This can’t
be done. Salvation comes by grace
through faith alone in Christ alone.
This parable is about using what God has given you. We see in verse 15 that God gave resources in
accordance with each servant’s ability!
Those who have been given much, from them, much will be expected! Those who have been given less, less will be
expected, but there are expectations just the same. James, the brother of Jesus, writes, in the
book of the Bible bearing his name, “In the same
way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But
someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will
show you my faith by my deeds.” (James 2:17-18)
What does “showing your faith by your deeds” look like in
your life? What talents and abilities
has God blessed you with? How are you
using those gifts and talents to point to Christ? Before you claim to have received nothing
from God, let me challenge you with this: He has given you every breath and
heartbeat. What are you doing with each
one? Other areas of gifting that you may
not think to include in your list of blessings: time, money, health, intellect,
strength, senses, memory, influence, privileges. Can you think of more blessings you can
leverage for Christ’s kingdom and the spread of the Gospel? Take a few moments and make a list of areas
where you can serve Him and others that you may have never considered before.
We see the faithful servants DOUBLED their gold. As we invest, our investment will grow, and
we will have an abundance to give back to Jesus! The wicked, lazy servant buried his gold. He didn’t even put the gold in the bank, a
sure investment, so it would earn interest.
He was too lazy to be bothered to go to the bank. He did nothing. Faith without works is dead. What resources are you burying? What is keeping you from utilizing the
resources God has given you? Heed this
warning: Don’t be satisfied with calling yourself a Christian, but doing
nothing for Jesus. The Master did come
back to settle accounts and judged what each servant produced. He took the resource away from the lazy
servant and cast him out! Jesus is
coming back and He will judge what we have done with what He has given us to
serve Him. What will you present to Him when
He returns?
Principle 2: God’s people use what resources He gives them
wisely.
Application 2.
What prevents you from using God’s resources to their fullest potential? What talents and abilities has He given you,
and how are you using those talents and abilities to serve Jesus? What would motivate you to serve Him, if you’re
not already? Have you discovered that
stepping out in faith to serve God actually grows your faith? Has God seen your faithfulness with a few
things and rewarded you with greater responsibility?
Alright, one more teaching from Jesus from the Mount of
Olives to bring us to the finish line for today.
Read Matthew 25:31-46.
This passage pictures Judgment Day. All nations will stand before King
Jesus. He will separate all people as a
shepherd separates sheep from goats. The
sheep represent Christ’s people, believers, who are invited into their Master’s
happiness because they pass the test.
The goats represent those distant from Jesus who will go to eternal
punishment. The dividing line is simple:
how did we treat Jesus? When He was
hungry, did we feed Him? Thirsty, give
Him a drink? When He was a stranger, did
we invite Him in? Naked, clothe
Him? Sick and in prison, visit Him?
The “sheep” and “goats” have a similar question: when did
we (not) do this? What a beautiful
answer Jesus gives: “whatever you did (or did not do) for one of the least of
these brothers or sisters of mine, you did (or did not do) for me.” Jesus takes the treatment of His own very
seriously. If you think about it, it makes
sense that Jesus would attribute our treatment to Himself since we bear His
Spirit inside of us.
This final judgment of the whole world will not be based
solely on belief, but will also take into account how we acted upon that
belief. And specifically how we treat
others. Have you ever won over a
non-believer because of your treatment of them?
Have you at least earned the right to speak the Truth of God and
Scripture to a non-believer because they saw the consistent godliness in your
character?
Principle 3: God’s people care for the needs of others.
Application 3.
How can you prepare to meet the needs of others? How are your actions a reflection of what’s
in your heart? Where will you be on
Judgment Day: on Jesus’ right with the “sheep” or on His left with the “goats”? What needs to change in your heart or mind to
make sure you are with the “sheep”? When
you read this passage, did any names or faces pop into your mind? How might you love them into the
kingdom? Where do you think your loved
ones are? What might you say or do to
love them into the “sheep” camp? May I
suggest starting with prayer.
Division is inevitable.
You will either be a wise or foolish virgin. You will have the Holy Spirit, or you won’t. You will either be a faithful servant or a
wicked servant. You will have vibrant
and active faith, or faith that is dead for lack of works. You will either be a sheep or a goat. You will have been a blessing to Jesus by
blessing His people or not. Which
division are you in? How do you
know? Are you seeking Jesus daily in
Bible study and prayer? Are you using
the talents and abilities God gave you to serve Him and advance the
kingdom? Are you looking upon everyone
you encounter as belonging to Christ (or potentially belonging to Him), and
treating everyone as if they were the Lord, Himself? Scripture is clear on which is better in each
of these scenarios. Evaluate yourself
right now. Where do you stand? Where do you want to be standing? Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, I
pray that each one reading this would have assurance of their salvation, or
conviction of their lack. That You would
encourage us to spend time with You daily.
And that the closer we get, the more aware we would be of our sin so we
can confess and repent. I pray we would
use every talent so we have nothing to spare that will testify we held something
back from You. Teach us to treat others
with Your love, so we encourage believers and love non-believers straight into
Your arms. Speak to our hearts, now,
about where we stand in these divisions and ignite our hearts, minds, hands and
feet to be Your sheep. In Jesus’
precious name. Amen.
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