Life Is Short, but Filled with New Discoveries (Matthew 24:45-51).Wednesday December 31, 2025
Intro:
The Olivet leaves no doubt that the Lord is coming. It also reveals that the time of His coming (in context, the second coming) is unknown, even to Him.
In both cases (Rapture and Second Coming) something very new would come into the world; each of which will move the eschatological needle to the end of time and the ultimate new beginning.
Rev 21:5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." [eternal state]
My emphasis today; a new year is upon us and New Year’s Day fills every one of us with the sentiment of new beginnings. New things often fill us with feeling and hope and wonder.
I will emphasize two things: the newness of life in Christ and the shortness of life in this world.
Texts:
Mat 24:45-51 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 "But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51 and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Mat 24:42 “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.”
Mat 25:3 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
In each parable there is judgment and new things for the faithful, watching, and ready who are serving the master.
Shortness of life.
In all three parables, the wicked slaves or the 5 unprepared virgins imagine they have time enough to get ready for the master, but they never do.
The new year is also a reminder of the fleeting nature of life in this world that cannot fulfill the heart of man. It is easy to forget that one day, you are going to die.
The evil slave in our parable sits back and becomes a spectator rather than involved in the workings of the house.
Luk 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14 But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15 Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." 16 And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' 18 "Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' 21 "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
The man was a fool because he thought his life would be longer and planned accordingly [not many years and not rich toward God].
The Lord told us the fool was rich on earth and not rich towards God.
Mat 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
2026 = this is the year you may meet your Lord and (soon enough) be judged by Him.
There is a judgment by the Lord of every believer’s deeds.
1Co 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.
2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Rom 14:10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
Eph 6:7-8 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord,
The new year should cause us to face the reality that we are moving on to an inevitable and unavoidable end - death, which will then find us standing before our Lord for judgement.
New things in life.
We do not have to wait for death or the Rapture to experience new things in life.
What makes life new in a very good way, many times a year, is maturing spiritually. As you mature spiritually, you behold more of the Lord more clearly. That which you see in Him is a new addition to your life.
Joh 14:23 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”
You will become the steward of that home.
2Co 5:14-15 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
The NT clearly teaches that the love from Christ produces the love for Christ.
1Jo 4:19 We love, because He first loved us.
It is love for Christ that is going to drive us to see more and more things about Him that will become new to us; or as Paul puts it, “constrains us” which word means to hold within bounds so as to manage or guide; direct, control.
2Co 5:16-18 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh (our flesh or theirs’s?); even though we have known Christ according to the flesh (His flesh or ours?), yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
“We recognize no one according to the flesh” - we cease making superficial, mechanical judgments about other people based on outward appearances.
The newness of life due to maturity is guaranteed to the humble believer who loves the Lord.
Conclusion:
Lifespan unknown, but the potential of discovering new, life-changing things, consistently.
Don’t be a spectator of the Christian life and not living it to the fullest.
What parts of your spiritual life were talk or thought but not action and doing in 2025?
If we were to do nothing in this world but to sit, look up, and wait; then we would not have any commandments or instructions. We have many and they are all set at a divine standard - the holiness of Christ and heaven.
We are all going to stand before our Lord for judgment, perhaps very soon. And we all have a brand-new life to explore. Let’s not be spectators in 2026, if we have been, but get into the game, the war, the drama, the comedy and tragedy that is God’s plan.
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