Blessed Are Those Servants

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Introduction: The servant must understand his relationship to His Lord. The Lord is the master of the house and He rules it without challenge. The servant exists for the needs and service of the Lord. John 13:16 states, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”

One could become a servant in several ways:

• He could be born into the household – we are born again (Ecclesiastes 2:7)

• He could be purchased – we are bought with a price (1Corinthians 7:23)

• He could be won in war – we have been won in battle by the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 4:8)

I.         THE ROLE OF THE SERVANTS 

A.      To Wait for the Return of their Lord (12:36) 

1.       The servant waits on His master (Psalm 123:2)

More Work Demands More Waiting – “The more work, the more need of waiting upon God; the doing of God’s will would then, instead of exhausting, be our meat and drink, nourishment and refreshment and strength.” –from Waiting on God by Andrew Murray (p.87)

2.       The servants waits for the coming of His master (1Corinthians 1:7; 1Thessalonians 1:10; 2Thessalonians 3:5) 

B.      To Watch the House while He is Away (12:37) 

1.       He watches because of his ignorance (Matthew 24:42; Luke 12:39-40)

2.       He watches by the practice of prayer (Matthew 27:41; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; 1Peter 4:7)

Watch and Pray – When one cleric came up on General Stonewall Jackson in the woods during the U. S. Civil War, he thought he was insane. “He had come upon the general…walking back and forth, muttering incoherently to himself. When Dr. William Brown visited Jackson at the Centreville encampment, he inadvertently learned the reason for his fellow minister’s conclusion. Jackson was in the midst of another, long conversation about faith when he suddenly told Brown, ‘I find that it greatly helps me in fixing my mind and quickening my devotions to give articulate utterance to my prayers, and hence I am in the habit of going off into the woods, where I can be alone and speak audibly to myself the prayers I would pour out to my God.’ He then added with unintended humor, ‘I was at first annoyed that I was compelled to keep my eyes open to avoid running against the trees and stumps; but upon investigating the matter I do not find that the Scriptures require us to close our eyes in prayer, and the exercise has proven to me very delightful and profitable.’” –from Stonewall Jackson by James I. Robertson, Jr. (p.275).  

3.       He watches by refusing to sleep (1Thessalonians 5:6-8; 1Corinthians 16:13; 1Timothy 4:5; Revelation 3:2) 

II.      THE READINESS OF THE SERVANTS 

A.      To Have their Loins Girded (12:35) 

1.       To be fully clothed and ready to act at a moment’s notice (Exodus 12:11)

2.       We gird our loins by living righteously (Isaiah 11:5)

3.       We gird our loins by having a ready mind (1Peter 1:13; 5:2) 

B.      To Keep their Lights Burning (12:35) 

1.       To let out light shine before men (Matthew 5:16)

2.       To shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15-16) 

III.   THE RESOLVE OF THE SERVANTS 

A.      To be Patient through the Night (v.38) 

1.       No matter how dark the night (Matthew 25:6)

2.       No matter how long it takes 

B.      To be Prompt at His Coming (v.36) 

1.       To be listening for His coming

2.       To not be ashamed at His coming (1John 2:28) 

IV.   THE REWARD OF THOSE SERVANTS 

A.      The Praise of their Lord (12:37, 38) 

1.       Blessed are those servants

2.       A good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21) 

B.      The Provision of their Lord (12:37) 

1.       The Lord will sit the servants down to meat (Revelation 19:7-9)

2.       The Lord will come and serve His servants (Revelation 3:20) 

Conclusion: He Gave It Up For God – Dwight L. Moody had the talents and ambition to become a man of fortune. Even after accepting Christ as His Saviour and serving Him seriously, he continued working his secular job and could have continued as a Christian businessman. However, when assured of God’s call on him to full-time service, he wasted no time. “Without informing anyone but his landlady, he gave up his Michigan Avenue room and board accommodations. He kept his whereabouts and lifestyle secretive because he wanted no one to know or feel pity for him. He apparently dined on cheese and crackers and took an occasional meal in a cheap restaurant. He also slept on benches in various hideaways, eventually taking a small room in a makeshift YMCA facility where he did some janitorial work and slept on chairs lined up under the staircase.” –from A Passion for Souls: The Life of D. L. Moody by Lyle W. Dorsett.