Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Watch Out! (Part 5)

Bryan Schneider · January 13, 2024

Mark 13:33-37

sharonrpc.org/sermons/watch-out-part-5

Summary

Jesus repeatedly commands every disciple to watch, remain vigilant, and pray because no creature knows when the returning Master will come.
Readiness focuses not on calculating a date but on faithful service in the duties Christ has presently assigned.
Watchfulness reaches the inward life (affections, thoughts, pleasures, and motives) as well as marriages, families, work, speech, money, time, homes, bodies, and minds.
Christ owns the church and every gift entrusted to his servants; leaders and members are stewards who will answer to him for care, mercy, and use of authority.
Jesus' parables expose abusive leadership, unprepared profession, buried gifts, and neglected mercy while commending servants ready to welcome their Lord.
Believers stay awake through prayer and the ordinary means of grace, encouraging one another as children of light whose hope is salvation through Christ rather than wrath.

If Christ returned suddenly, would he find me faithfully carrying out the work he has assigned or spiritually asleep?
What affection, thought, pleasure, or private habit most needs vigilant examination before the Lord?
Where has a marriage, family, work, or church responsibility slipped into careless autopilot?
Am I using money, time, home, speech, body, and mind as a steward for God's glory and my neighbor's good?
Do I think of Christ as a good Master whose return I welcome, or as a harsh master from whom I hide my gifts?
Which neglected person in need could I serve as an act of love toward Jesus himself?
How do prayer, worship, Scripture, sacrament, and fellow believers help me remain awake and hopeful?

Watchfulness: Sustained spiritual attention to Christ, one's heart, assigned duties, and the certainty of the Lord's return.
Vigilance: Alert readiness that refuses moral and spiritual autopilot while waiting for the Master.
Stewardship: Faithful management of authority, relationships, abilities, time, possessions, and opportunities that belong ultimately to Christ.
Ordinary means of grace: The Word, sacraments, and prayer through which Christ ordinarily nourishes and strengthens his people.
Day of the Lord: The unexpected return of Jesus Christ in judgment and salvation, which Scripture compares to a thief arriving at night.
Children of light: Believers appointed to salvation in Christ whose identity is expressed through sober, faithful, and encouraging lives.