Learning Jesus | Week 33
Learning Jesus Week 33
Will He Find Faith on the Earth?
Key Word – FAITHful >> Central Passage – Matthew 25:14-46
As we learned, when the abomination of desolation occurs in the Temple, this marks the midpoint of the Tribulation, so Jesus’ Second Coming is near, and judgement unto reward or punishment is coming. In this week’s lesson, Jesus tells five parables to teach what will characterize believers and unbelievers living during the Tribulation. Their character will be revealed by their actions and their actions will either vindicate their faith or reveal their lack of faith.
Day 1
Background Information – In today’s reading, Jesus tells three short parables to teach what will characterize believers and what will characterize unbelievers during the Tribulation. Each parable highlights one attribute. The simple bulleted questions are designed to help you see the details that determine that attribute.
1. Mark 13:33-37 -- parable of the absent master
o What command does Jesus give four times in this parable? ______________________________
o Who is the man going on the journey? _________________ Who are the servants? ____________________
o What are all the options for when the man on the journey will return? ________________________________
o In this parable a believer is characterized by ________________ and an unbeliever by _________________.
2. Matthew 24:43-44 -- parable of the master of the house
o What must those experiencing the Tribulation “be” according to Jesus? __________________
o How is this different than being watchful, the attribute in the first parable?
o So a believer will be “ready” and an unbeliever will not be ready. What is the believer ready for?
3. Matthew 24:45-51 -- parable of the faithful and unfaithful servant
o Who is the faithful steward feeding? ___________________
o How often is he feeding them? ___________________
o What exactly is the wicked servant doing? _______________________________________________________
o How does the wicked servant justify his actions? ____________________________________________
o When will the master return? __________________________________________
o Why is not knowing his return only a problem for the wicked servant? _______________________________
o In this parable a believer is characterized by ________________ and an unbeliever by _________________
Mini Deep Think (Totally Optional)
§ The wicked servant will be put with the hypocrites. Unbelievers are hypocrites. How so?
§ Why is it fitting that hypocrites be cut into pieces and cast into the Lake of Fire?
Day 2
Background Information – This parable would be more easily understood by Jews during Jesus’ time when the bridegroom went to “fetch” his bride from her home to bring her to his. He would lavishly prepare a bedroom where the marriage would be consummated. When the groom returned to his home with his bride, a welcoming circle of virgins met them to accompany them to the celebratory feast. Note that oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:1-14), and the marriage feast is a symbol for the Messianic Kingdom.
Matthew 25:1-8 -- parable of the ten virgins
1. Ready or Not?
o What one thing does the wise virgin come ready with that the unwise virgin do not come ready with?
o What two actions do the unwise take when they realize they should have been ready with that one
thing?
2. The Results
o At the end of the parable where are the wise virgins and who are they with?
o Where are the unwise virgins and who are they with?
3. Peace
o What is interesting in this parable is that both the wise and the foolish virgins sleep and Jesus does not condemn them for sleeping. Why could the wise sleep in peace?
o If you are in Christ, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is your down payment, your promise that you are not outside the door now and never shall be. Enjoy a time of praise with God for the peace He houses within you.
Day 3 — Central Passage
Background Information – This parable, like the others in this lesson, highlights what characterizes the believer and the unbeliever during the Tribulation. In the parable of the ten virgins, we saw that the believer was prepared with oil when the groom arrived with his bride, and so she was allowed into the Marriage Feast, but the unbeliever did not have any oil and so the groom did not know her. The door to the Marriage Feast was closed to her. Today’s parable does not focus on spiritual preparedness but on spiritual service.
Matthew 25:14-30 – parable of the talents
I know that I already lost some of you because you’re scratching your head and thinking...”Didn’t we already read this parable?” We kinda did. Lesson 26: Day 5. But...we kinda didn’t. So, stop scratching your head and let’s use it so that we can be rewarded once again by discovering through study what an awesome Teacher we have.
1. The light peach color highlights the key differences in the two tellings of this parable. Review the differences and list them below.
Why does Jesus change the parable? The answer lies in the context of each telling of the parable:
In the first telling, Jesus shares this parable before the generation of Jews who see Him in the flesh and for their benefit. His disciples (servants) benefit from knowing that their service will result in eternal rewards and their lack of service will result in loss of rewards. The leaders of Israel who rejected Him (citizens/enemies) benefit by knowing their rejection of Him will result in eternal damnation.
In this second telling, Jesus is still speaking before this generation of Jews who see Him in the flesh but for the benefit of the generation of the Tribulation who never saw Him in the flesh but will see Him return bodily in His full glory very, very soon.
2. Believer (Matthew 25:14-23)
o Knowing this parable, what “talents” might a true believer -- who has the power of the Holy Spirit—be willing to risk to serve God during the Tribulation?
o It is always a risk to give resources, use your talents, use your spiritual gifts, sacrifice your reputation, and to lay down your body, but during the Tribulation, the risk is exponentially multiplied. Why would a believer take such a risk at this time?
Optional Memory Verses – His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:21
3. Unbeliever (Matthew 25:24-30)
o In contrast, what would someone -- who claims to know God but truly does not -- risk during this dark time?
o In the case of the worthless servant, what motivated his choice (vs24-25)?
o What does the unbeliever lose for failing to trust his master (vs28-30)?
Day 4
Background Information – We are going to resume reading our last parable that concludes Jesus’ Olivet Discourse tomorrow. This last parable is often misunderstood as teaching that we are saved by our works, so to prepare you to understand this parable’s true teaching, we are going to read from a book that explains the relationship between faith and works
The book of James was actually written by Jesus’ brother. We know from the gospels that Jesus’ brothers did not believe He was the Messiah, but after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to James, His biological brother. We do not know what they talked about, but we do know that James became a believer. Jesus’ resurrection vindicated to James that his Brother is the Messiah. Likewise, James writes in his book about vindicated faith. Read and be prepared to explain that James is not saying that faith plus works saves a person, but that works prove that a person is a true believer.
1. Read James 2:14-26. “I will show you my faith by my works.”
o What TYPE of works is James referencing (vs15-16)? To determine that, consider what motivates these works.
o Do demons perform these type of works?
o What works did the worthless servant in the parable of the talents (Day 4) have? None!
2. How does James contrast living and dead faith? Consider his illustrations of two people of faith, Abraham, a Jew, and Rahab, a Gentile.
3. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 the one who did nothing with his talent did not know God at all.
o What would your relationship with God look like if you believed your works fully or partially save you?
o How does your relationship with God look different than an unbeliever because you are saved through faith alone in Christ alone?
Day 5 — Central Passage
Background Information – Between the Tribulation and the Messianic Kingdom is a 75-day interval (Daniel 12:11-13). After His Second Coming, Jesus will sit upon the Throne of David, and the Gentiles who survived the Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon will be gathered. This parable affirms that in that interim, the Gentiles, often referred to in Scripture as the “nations,” will be judged. This judgement will occur in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:1-3) and will be based on how individual Gentiles treated Jesus’ brothers during the Tribulation. In this case the term “brothers” identifies those who, like Jesus, are Jewish. Matthew is the only gospel writer who includes this parable.
Read Matthew 25:31-46.
1. How will believing Gentiles (sheep) prove their faith is in Christ? During the Tribulation, Jews will be persecuted as they had never been persecuted before.
2. How will unbelieving Gentiles (goats) prove their faith is not in Christ?
Background Information – After the unbelieving Gentiles are killed, the believers will enter into the Messianic Kingdom, and they will repopulate the earth. The Church saints and the Tribulation saints will be given positions of authority over the nations in service to King Jesus who will rule for 1,000 years. This is part of the inheritance that Christ references in this parable.
3. Why is it logical that those who do not provide relief for persecuted Jews during the Tribulation lose their lives instead of entering the Messianic Kingdom?
REFLECTION Questions
What started the Olivet Discourse? Jesus told His disciples that the Temple they so admired would be leveled to the ground. This did not fit in with their timeline of end time events. In their mind, what happened next was that Jesus would sit on His throne. Here we are over two thousand years later, and that has not happened yet. Does that have any impact on God’s faithfulness to us? Or our faithfulness to Him?
1. What did Jesus predict that has happened already? Why should these events matter to you?
If you are in Christ, then you will see Jesus face to face for the first time either because you die or because Jesus returns to “fetch” His Bride, the Church in the event we call the Rapture. You will not experience the Tribulation, so all the details we learned about the Tribulation last week and this week in parables does not apply to you, right? Wrong!
2. With your group discuss what studying the end times events taught you about --
o Who is God? And what is He doing?
o Who are you? What should you be doing?
3. What did studying Jesus’ parables that draw a clear line between what characterizes a true believer versus what characterizes an unbeliever teach you about --
o Who is God? And what is He doing?
o Who are you? What should you be doing?
4. Pray for all current and future Church saints and all future Tribulation saints.
COMMUNITY GROUP TIME
• Discuss the Central Passage questions. (This week that is Matthew 25:14-46.)
• Open Share Time -- Allow time for each to share “starred” insights or questions from Days 1-5. Allow others to respond to the shared insight.
• Is anyone able to recite all or part of Matthew 25:21?
• Discuss Reflection Questions.
• Close in prayer.
God’s joy and strength to you, kpaulson@gracelaredo.org