Lesson#51

THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #51
THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT (MAT 24:45-51)

• MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 3:14

• AS WE HAVE OBSERVED IN MAT 24, THE LORD IS COMING BACK SOON. IN LIGHT OF THAT TRUTH, WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING?
• MAT 24:42 TELLS US THAT WE DO NOT KNOW THE DAY OR THE HOUR.
• IN OUR LAST LESSON WE DISCUSSED ABOUT PREPARATION.
• WE SHOULD PREPARE JUST AS ONE WOULD PREPARE FOR THE EVENTUALITY OF A THIEF BREAKING INTO YOUR HOUSE.
• THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT (MAT 24:45-51)
• READ MAT 24:43-51 AND LUK 12:42-48 FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE.
• WHO DOES THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT REPRESENT? (45)
• THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT IS THE BELIEVER WHO IS FAITHFUL TO THE LORD.
• IN WHAT “HOUSEHOLD” DOES THE WISE SERVANT HAVE CHARGE? (45)
• THE WISE SERVANT IS IN CHARGE OF HIS OWN LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD IN WHICH HE FINDS HIMSELF.
• NOTICE IT SAYS THAT THE HOUSEHOLD IS GOD’S. (45)
• GOD HAS PUT US WHERE HE WANTS US TO BE. HE BRINGS PEOPLE ACROSS OUR PATH. HE BLESSES US WITH THE RESOURCES WE NEED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE WHOM HE BRINGS OUR WAY.
• WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PHRASE, “GIVING THEM FOOD IN DUE SEASON”? (45)
• GOD INTENDS FOR US TO MINISTER HIS LOVE BY MEETING THE NEEDS OF THOSE AROUND US IN OUR LITTLE WORLD.
• WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PHRASE, “RULER OVER ALL HIS GOODS”? (47)
• EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD BELONGS TO GOD, THE CREATOR. THE MORE FAITHFUL WE ARE TO USE WISELY WHAT HE HAS GIVEN US, THE MORE HE WILL GIVE US SUBSEQUENTLY.
• GOD GIVES NOTHING EASILY.
• YES, SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT OF GOD TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST AND HAVE FAITH IN HIM.
• HOWEVER, IN EVERYTHING ELSE, GOD EXPECTS US TO DO OUR PART.
• READ PHI 2:12-13
• NOTICE THE COMBINATION OF COOPERATION BETWEEN GOD AND MAN. GOD DOES HIS PART AND MAN DOES HIS PART.
• GOD PLACED PHYSICAL LAWS, LIKE GRAVITY, TO CONTROL THE WORLD AROUND US. HE ALSO PLACED SPIRITUAL LAWS INTO EXISTENCE.
• THE MORE WE LIVE BY AND COOPERATE WITH THESE LAWS WHETHER PHYSICAL OR SPIRITUAL, THE MORE BLESSED AND SUCCESSFUL WE WILL BE IN THIS WORLD.

• SOME SPIRITUAL LAWS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
• =1= THE LAW OF GREATNESS (MAT 18:2-4)
• GOD ELEVATES TO GREATNESS THE PERSON WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF TO SERVE OTHERS.
• =2= THE LAW OF USE (MAT 25:29)
• THE MORE YOU USE THE GIFTS, THE ABILITIES, AND THE RESOURCES THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU, THE MORE GIFTS, ABILITIES, AND RESOURCES HE WILL GIVE YOU SUBSEQUENTLY.
• =3= THE LAW OF PERSEVERANCE (MAT 7:7-11)
• THE MORE YOU STAY WITH GOD’S PROGRAM AND DO NOT GIVE UP, THE MORE SUCCESS YOU WILL SEE IN YOUR LIFE.
• =4= THE LAW OF RESPONSIBILITY (LUK 12:4-48)
• THE MORE BLESSINGS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU, THE MORE RESPONSIBLE YOU HAVE TO USE THEM WISELY FOR HIS GLORY. THE MORE AUTHORITY THAT GOD GIVES YOU OVER OTHERS, THE MORE ACCOUNTABLE YOU ARE TO GOD FOR HOW YOU USE THAT AUTHORITY.
• =5= THE LAW OF UNITY (MAT 18:19-20 JAM 1:6-8)
• THE MORE UNITY OF PURPOSE AND GOALS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOU WILL BE. THE MORE UNITY THERE IS WITHIN A GROUP OR AN ORAGNIZATION, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL IT WILL BE EITHER FOR GOD OR FOR SATAN. (THE BIBLICAL EXAMPLE: THE TOWER OF BABEL IN GEN 11:5-9)
• =6= THE LAW OF RECIPROCITY (GIVING AND RECEIVING / SOWING AND REAPING) (LUK 6:38)
• THE MORE YOU GIVE TO OTHERS, THE MORE OTHERS AND GOD WILL GIVE TO YOU. THE MORE YOU INVEST YOUR LIVES IN OTHER PEOPLE, THE MORE GOD WILL BLESS YOU.
• =7= THE LAW OF DOMINION (MAT 16:18)
• THE MORE YOU EXERCISE YOUR AUTHORITY AS A BELIEVER IN CHRIST, CLAIMING FROM SATAN IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE THOSE VICTORIES THAT CHRIST HAS WON ON THE CROSS, THE MORE YOU WILL EXPERIENCE MIRACLES IN YOUR LIFE. (EPH 6:12-18)

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• IN THE PARABLE, WHO IS THE “EVIL SERVANT” AND HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE HIM AND HIS ACTIVITIES? (48)
• THERE ARE TWO MAJOR INTERPRETATIONS IN ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION:
• #1 = SOME FEEL THAT THE EVIL SERVANT REPRESENTS UNBELIEVERS.
• HOWEVER, THE UNBELIEVER IS NEVER CONSIDERED A TRUE SERVANT OF GOD IN SCRIPTURE. INSTEAD THE UNBELIEVER SERVES SIN AND SATAN. (ROM 6:6)
• #2 = OTHERS FEEL THAT THE EVIL SERVANT IS THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN WHO EXHIBITS WORLDLY BEHAVIOR.
• THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN IS THE PERSON WHO HAS RECEIVED CHRIST INTO HIS HEART BUT HAS DONE NOTHING TO GROW AND MATURE IN HIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST. INSTEAD HE LIVES THE SAME WAY HE DID BEFORE HE WAS SAVED. YOU CANNOT TELL BY OUTWARD LIFESTYLE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN AND THE UNBELIEVER.
• WHAT IS THE REWARD OF THE EVIL SERVANT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? (51)
• THERE IS NO GOOD REWARD FOR THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN. HE HAS A POSITION WITH THE HYPOCRITES.
• THE PHRASE, “WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH”:
• THESE WORDS EXPRESS THE UTMOST DEGREE OF SHAME AND LOSS.
• THIS PHRASE IS ORIENTAL SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE THAT EXPRESSES PROFOUND REGRET.
• SOMETIMES THIS PHRASE IS USED IN REFERENCE TO THE REWARD OF UNBELIEVERS, AND OCCASIONALLY IT IS USED IN REFERENCE TO THE REWARD OF BELIEVERS.

• READ 1COR 3:9-15 THE JUDGMENT OF THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN:
• NOTICE THAT THE CARNAL BELIEVER SUFFERS LOSS, BUT HE IS SAVED AND INHERITS ETERNAL LIFE.
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
• JESUS CHRIST LINKS BELIEF TO BEHAVIOR. IF WE BELIEVE IN HIM, WE WILL WANT TO BE WISE SERVANTS, DOING GOD’S WILL AND PRODUCING FRUIT FOR HIS KINGDOM. THE FAITHFUL BELIEVER WILL USE EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS (MAT 25:1-13)
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT (MAT 24:45-51)
• THINK ABOUT YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE AND THE PROGRESS YOU HAVE MADE IN YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD DURING THIS PAST YEAR.
• IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU BEEN A WISE SERVANT?

• IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU BEEN AN UNWISE SERVANT?

• ASK THE LORD, IN PRAYER, TO HELP YOU TO BE MORE FAITHFUL TO HIM IN THE COMING YEAR, STRENGTHENING THOSE WAYS IN WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN WISE, AND CORRECTING THOSE WAYS IN WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN FOOLISH.

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS (MAT 25:1-13)
• KEEP IN MIND THE CONTEXT OF MAT 24 REGARDING THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD.
• READ MAT 25:1-13
• WHO DO THE TEN VIRGINS REPRESENT?

• WHO DO THE FIVE WISE VIRGINS REPRESENT?

• WHO DO THE FIVE FOOLISH VIRGINS REPRESENT?

• WHAT DO THE LAMPS REPRESENT?

• WHO IS THE BRIDEGROOM?

• WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OIL?

• WHAT DO THE VESSELS IN VERSE 4 REPRESENT?

• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?

• MEMORY VERSE: ROM 12:1 OR 2