46 - Matthew 24:47

’Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.’ -Matthew 24:47. That is, an earthly master, having committed the charge of his household to one of his dependants in whom he has confidence, and returning at a moment when he is not expected, obtains satisfactory evidence that the steward has been faithful to his trust, and will consequently feel that he is now perfectly safe in committing to him the entire charge of his property. He was a good while absent, and the steward had ample opportunity of gratifying his selfish inclinations, indulging his passions, domineering over his servants, and, in a word, forgetting his accountability. It was the delay and the uncertainty of his lord’s return that constituted the severity of the trial, and made it so thorough. And so our Lord teaches that similarly the faith and constancy and devotedness of his disciples are to be tested in the severest manner possible, namely, by the uncertainty in which they shall be placed regarding the time of his return. They shall not be encouraged, no, not even the first Christians, to entertain the idea that there is to be a long delay before the coming of Christ, that the second advent is reserved for a future generation. They are to wait for the Son of God from heaven. This is to be the attitude of the Church throughout all the phases of her history. Of course the longer the delay shall prove to be, and the greater the number of centuries into which the Christian era shall grow, the greater will be the temptation to lose sight of that promised advent, and to live without any reference to it, and the more satisfactory will be the test in the case of those who continue in a state of preparedness unto the end. As the parable is stated in Luke 12:1-59., it was elicited in this form by a question of Peter’s, who asked whether the warning given had reference to the apostles or only to others. The faithful and wise servant gives heed to this warning as addressed to himself. But the unfaithful and selfish servant gives over expecting his master, and lives as though he had a personal right to the enjoyment of the good things committed to his trust, and to the authority placed within his reach. Have we not here a prophetic intimation of that extraordinary breach of trust that was subsequently to be seen on the part of some who style themselves successors of Peter, and claim to be vicars of Christ, and heads of the universal Church? who, as lords over God’s heritage, withhold the Scriptures, the direct instructions of God, from the people, and order all things with reference to their own aggrandizement, and decree from time to time new dogmas which it is perdition for any one to deny, though he may utterly neglect the inspired word of God and be held faithful: who horribly sacrifice the spiritual interests of the millions who constitute their household, and who stigmatize as apostates from the truth all who take the word of God as their guiding light, and refuse to give their consciences and their judgments to the keeping of a priest. The faithful and wise servant is he who is always in such a state of preparedness for his Lord’s coming, that the words, ’Lo, the Master is come and calleth for thee,’ will cause him not the least confusion or dismay. But how is this perpetual consciousness of "no condemnation" obtained? Simply by the abiding consciousness of the Lord’s spiritual presence; by living always under his eye; by being led of the Holy Spirit; by faith in the blood which cleanseth us from all sin. When Christ comes there shall come no more truth than there is now with us; "my word shall judge them at the last day," says Christ - that is, the word which is now with us; it is not because of the transgression of any word yet unrevealed, that men are to be condemned; the word is nigh thee, even in thy heart and in thy mouth. There are servants who do their work well enough while the master is present, but who, as soon as his back is turned, please themselves. And there are others whose highest pleasure is to do their master’s will, and do it in his absence as though he were really present. We call the first sort of service eye-service. The true Christian knows nothing of this. He walks by faith, as seeing him who is invisible. He seeks daily and hourly fellowship with Christ. He in whose heart Christ is abiding by faith is the one who is truly prepared for the Lord’s advent, and who shall not be ashamed at his coming.

Alas for those who profess to be looking for Christ’s advent, and who are not whole-heartedly seeking the revelation of Christ in themselves. The Christ that is in the word is the Christ that is to come; the name of him whom John saw upon the white horse (Revelation 19:1-21.) was The Word of God; and as we seek him in the word, we hasten unto the day of the Lord. Any other way is simply the way of self-deception and the way of ruin. He whose intense and paramount desire it is that there may be through him the fullest manifestation of Christ possible, to those with whom he has intercourse, he is that faithful and wise servant whom the Lord shall pronounce blessed at his coming, and advance to a position of the highest trust. To all preachers of the Gospel whom my word of exhortation may reach, I would affectionately and solemnly say: Are you preaching the very Gospel that Christ has given, or are you accommodating it to your own ideas of things? Do you conceive that you possess a liberty of choosing among the doctrines of the Bible those for which you have affinity, and neglecting others’? For instance, do you tell men what Christ tells us about the punishment of the world to come, the wrath of God, the fire unquenchable, the never-dying worm? Do you give prominence to that great and all-important truth that except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God? Do you make mention of Satan, the prince of this world, as Christ did? Do you teach that without faith in Christ’s blood there is no remission of sins? Is there any part of the Gospel of which you are ashamed, and which you deny a place in your preaching? Do you seek to glorify Christ by improving him? If so, and if you go about your work with a wise understanding of what the spirit of the age requires, you shall have the praise of many, they will listen with pleasure to your flattering and comforting words, but know that the day of Christ’s coming will be to you a day of confusion and dismay. His coming is not more certain than that his word shall judge men at that day, that very word which you are mangling and garnishing. Oh, see to it that that word, that very word, and only that word is given by you to men. Beware how you extenuate aught, or set down aught. It is not your Christ that is wanted, but Christ’s Christ.