Sermon title: Christology: Watching and Working for Jesus' Return

Sep 14, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Two Eyes Watching – Skyward Hope and Earthly Work

The Christian life requires dual focus: one eye fixed on Christ’s return, the other engaged in faithful labor. Like disciples staring at the sky after Jesus’ ascension, we risk becoming “no earthly good” if we neglect our mission. Yet ignoring Christ’s promised return leaves us unprepared, chasing earthly appetites. The tension demands balance – expectant waiting fuels purposeful living. Our lamps stay lit through active service while heads tilt upward. [51:00]

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
(Philippians 3:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly task feels disconnected from eternal hope? How could completing it today become an act of watching for Christ?

Day 2: Oil That Can’t Be Borrowed – The Unshareable Flame

The foolish virgins discovered some preparations can’t be borrowed – like oil for lamps at midnight. Spiritual readiness isn’t transferable: not inherited from parents, borrowed from pastors, or bought in crisis. Authentic faith burns through personal repentance, daily choices, and cultivated character. Like torchbearers in a wedding procession, we each carry the flame of a relationship no one else can tend. [01:00:11]

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
(Matthew 25:13, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you relied on others’ spiritual vitality instead of tending your own flame? What practical step fuels your lamp today?

Day 3: The Appetite That Never Says “Enough”

Paul warns of those whose “god is their appetite” – not just for food, but newer phones, faster cars, fuller calendars. Like Judas carrying money bags while missing miracles, we risk trading sacred presence for earthly cravings. The evil servant’s tragedy isn’t wild rebellion but small compromises that whisper, “More, now.” True watchfulness means savoring Christ as the meal that satisfies. [44:35]

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
(1 John 2:15, ESV)

Reflection: What “upgrade” or “next thing” quietly competes with your contentment in Christ? How might you fast from that appetite this week?

Day 4: When Delay Reveals the Heart

The bridesmaids all slept – but five awoke ready. Time tests true preparation. Like Costco shoppers abandoning full carts after fifteen minutes, we grow impatient with God’s timeline. Yet the waiting itself becomes grace: will delayed answers reveal patient trust or entitled demands? How we wait proves whom we worship. [57:58]

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
(2 Peter 3:9, ESV)

Reflection: What unanswered prayer or prolonged trial tempts you to doubt God’s timing? How might this delay deepen your dependence on Him?

Day 5: Midnight Knock at a Shut Door

Five virgins pounded doors shouting “Lord, Lord!” – close enough to smell the feast, too late to join. Their tragedy? Mistaking proximity for participation. Like churchgoers who know the songs but miss the Savior, they carried lamps without sustaining oil. Christ’s return isn’t about last-minute fixes but lifelong fidelity. The shut door reminds us: some preparations cannot be rushed. [01:02:06]

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 7:21, ESV)

Reflection: Does your spiritual life rely more on routines or relationship? What concrete choice today nurtures authentic connection with Christ?

Sermon Summary

Paul presses on toward the heavenly prize because Christ Jesus has first possessed him. Paul refuses to let his past sins, traumas, and failures define the direction of his life, because Jesus is where he is headed. The longing for home runs through all kinds of stories, and that longing points past safety, happiness, and familiar places to the home Christ will bring His people into when He returns.

Paul draws a hard line between those who truly follow Jesus and those who only go through the rituals. The evil servant may come to church, pray, give, and serve, but an outward connection to the Master does not mean the heart is under His authority. Judas carried the appearance of a disciple, saw the works of Jesus, and even handled the money, yet Judas wanted his own way instead of God’s way.

The evil servant reveals his heart through an appetite that is never satisfied, shameful things that become a god, and earthly living that keeps chasing power, privilege, prestige, and pleasure. Jesus’ delay does not give permission for wanton living. Jesus’ delay reveals whether a servant is watching for the Master or using the time to live however he wants.

Paul calls believers citizens of heaven who eagerly wait for the Savior. Jesus calls His people to keep watch because nobody knows the day or hour of His return. The picture is one eye looking up for Jesus to come back and one eye down here doing the Master’s work. The disciples could not simply stand staring into the sky after Jesus ascended, because Christ gave them work to do.

Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins shows that all ten expected the bridegroom, all ten waited, and all ten fell asleep during the delay. The difference came down to oil. The oil pictures preparations that cannot be borrowed, shared, transferred, or bought at the last minute: genuine repentance, authentic faith, a real relationship with Jesus, spiritual character, and acts of righteousness.

Jesus shuts the door after the ready virgins enter the wedding feast. The foolish virgins call Him “Lord,” but Jesus says, “I do not know you.” The call is not to panic over dates and times, but to testify, persevere, minister faithfully, respond in love, and bear spiritual fruit. Christ’s return should make today matter, because nobody wants to be ashamed of what he is doing when the Master comes.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus’ return reveals the heart. Jesus’ delay is not empty time. The evil servant treats the delay as freedom to serve appetite, shame, and earthly ambition, while the faithful servant keeps watch. Christ’s return exposes whether a life is actually pointed toward Him. [46:46]
2. Oil cannot be borrowed at midnight. The oil pictures the personal realities of faith that nobody else can hand over. Repentance, trust in Christ, spiritual character, and righteousness cannot be inherited from a family member or borrowed from a mature believer. Jesus knows those who truly know Him. [60:27]
3. Keep one eye up, one down. Jesus calls His people to eagerly expect His return without becoming useless on earth. Hope in heaven does not excuse withdrawal from ministry, love, or faithfulness. Waiting for Christ means working for the Master. [50:36]
4. Appetite makes a terrible god. The evil servant is never satisfied because every blessing becomes a reason to demand another blessing. Earthly things promise more, faster, bigger, and better, yet they cannot produce gratitude or rest. Christ calls the heart away from endless craving and toward faithful readiness. [44:52]
5. Faithfulness makes today eternally serious. Jesus may return tomorrow, in a hundred days, or long after a present generation is gone. The unknown timing turns ordinary decisions into matters of readiness. Spiritual fruit, loving responses, and faithful ministry become ways of living prepared for the Bridegroom.

## [66:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[35:10] - The Longing to Go Home
[37:47] - Jesus Will Bring His People Home
[38:42] - Pressing Toward the Heavenly Prize
[40:18] - Enemies of the Cross
[41:19] - The Warning of the Evil Servant
[43:41] - When Appetite Becomes a God
[47:15] - Learning to Wait for Christ
[50:15] - Citizens of Heaven Keep Watch
[52:20] - The Parable of the Ten Virgins
[53:37] - The Bridegroom and the Wedding Feast
[57:19] - The Delay of the Bridegroom
[59:47] - Oil That Cannot Be Shared
[62:06] - Lord, Lord, Open the Door
[63:20] - Five Ways to Keep Watch

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 25:1–13

Verse 1: “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.” [53:24]

Verse 2: “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” [53:32]

Verse 3: “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,” [53:37]

Verse 4: “but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” [53:43]

Verse 5: “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.” [57:22]

Verse 6: “But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’” [59:22]

Verse 7: “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.” [59:22]

Verse 8: “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’” [59:33]

Verse 9: “But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’” [59:33]

Verse 10: “And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” [01:01:29]

Verse 11: “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’” [01:01:49]

Verse 12: “But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” [01:02:34]

Verse 13: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” [01:02:58]

Observation questions

What details do the wise and foolish virgins have in common, and what specific preparation separates them?
What happens while the foolish virgins are trying to get oil, and what does the shut door communicate about the urgency of being ready? [01:01:29]
How does the passage show that expecting the bridegroom is not the same thing as being prepared for him? [01:02:03]
What are the three marks of those described as enemies of the cross: appetite, shameful things, and earthly thinking? [43:49]

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus describe people who call Him “Lord” but still hear, “I do not know you”? What does this reveal about the difference between outward religious activity and a real relationship with Christ? [01:02:26]
The oil cannot be borrowed when the bridegroom arrives. Why do genuine repentance, personal faith, spiritual character, and righteous living need to be personal rather than inherited from family, friends, or a church community? [01:00:03]
How does the bridegroom’s delay reveal what is truly important to a person? In what ways can delay expose either faithful waiting or a heart that wants to live without the Master’s authority? [42:22]
What does it mean for believers to be citizens of heaven while still having work to do on earth? How can eager expectation of Christ’s return lead to faithful service rather than withdrawal from everyday responsibilities? [50:36]

Application questions

Is there any area of life where outward Christian activity could be covering a heart that is not fully submitted to Jesus—such as private habits, attitudes, priorities, or relationships? What would honest repentance look like there? [42:06]
What appetite most often competes for your heart: comfort, money, recognition, technology, pleasure, control, or something else? How has that appetite made it harder to be thankful for what God has already given? [44:52]
If Christ returned during a normal week, are there particular moments or choices that would bring shame rather than joy? What is one practical change that could help bring that area under Christ’s authority? [59:12]
Whose faith have you been tempted to lean on—a parent’s, spouse’s, friend’s, or church’s faith? What would it look like this week to pursue Jesus personally through repentance, prayer, obedience, and trust? [01:00:13]
Keeping watch means having one eye looking for Christ’s return and one eye doing the Master’s work. Where might you be looking only “up,” avoiding useful service, or only “down,” becoming absorbed in earthly concerns? [50:48]
Which of these five practices needs the most attention right now: testifying about Christ, persevering in faith, ministering faithfully, responding in love, or bearing spiritual fruit? What is one specific opportunity to practice it this week? [01:03:49]
Think about a recent difficult conversation, disappointment, or frustration. Did you respond from love, bitterness, anger, envy, or jealousy? How could remembering Christ’s return shape the next response? [01:04:39]

Sermon Clips

30s

#ReadyAndWorking

“We all have a longing for home. All of us have a longing for Jesus to come back. May we be busy doing what the good servant is doing for the master, busy doing his work, waiting patiently for him to come back. Because if he comes back tomorrow, I don't wanna be ashamed of what I'm doing today. Amen. Alright? Amen. Church, let's pray. Lord, thank you for this morning.”

42s

#PersonalRepentance

“You know, that's an odd thing. Had to do some research on that. But it teaches us that there are certain kinds of preparations that cannot be shared or transferred. Certain kinds of preparations that we're gonna make that we can't share, and I can't transfer. You need a genuine personal relationship with Jesus. You can't have mine. Yeah. It has to be you. You can't say, well, you know, pastor Paul said, no. No. You need true repentance of your sins. You need to turn truly yourself.”

36s

#PreparedNotPleasure

“We must be prepared. We must be prepared. No matter how long it takes. This is why why this message is important for us. It's that it's that are we are we living for our appetites, or are we living for him to come back? Are are we are we living the party and the play, whatever that takes? Or are we living for him to return? Would you be ashamed if he caught you doing what you're doing in those moments? No, not now, Lord. Not now.”

41s

#HeartOverHypocrisy

“If if you wanna give a picture of that, think of Judas. Judas, Judas was one of the 12. Jesus, Judas walked with Jesus. Judas saw the paralyzed man healed. Jesus saw the man forgiven. Jesus, Judas was there when Jesus walked across the water and came into the boat when Peter almost sank. Judas was there when they fed the 5,000. Judas was there when they fed the 7,000. Judas was there. He was responsible for the money. In fact, he was there. But his heart was not there. Judas wanted it his way, not God's way. And the result, Judas betrayed Jesus.”

42s

#RejectEarthlyIdols

“Their god is earthly living. More personal power, more privileges, more prestige, more pleasures after pleasure. And so they look at the world. Remember I said hyperlinkat? They look at the world, and what do they see of the world? Here's another pleasure I can have. Here's another personal piece of power I can accomplish. Here's another and and they're that's their god constantly striving, never being satisfied, never looking. That's the evil servant. The evil servant pretends comes to church. The evil servant might even pray with you. The evil servant might do all kinds of things, but their heart is worshiping another god.”

23s

#TwoEyesOneMission

“So I made an illustration. You've got two eyes, right? Everybody might not be able to use both of them, but you've got two eyes. I want you to have one eye constantly looking up, watching for his return, and one eye down here doing the master's work. Kind of your cock eyed. That's okay. The doctor wouldn't approve it, but you've got two eyes.”

26s

#FollowDontPerform

“Because there are two types of people who say that they follow Jesus. Two types of Jesus people who say that they follow Jesus. There are those who actually follow him, and then there are those who go through the rituals of following him. Those who go through the rituals, those who who come to church on Sunday morning, those who give, those who serve, but their heart is not following after Jesus.”

33s

#WatchfulConfidence

“We do know that Jesus is going to return. We can be guaranteed of it. His timing is unknown, but as confident as I am, as the sun is going to set, I am confident that Jesus Christ is gonna return. Amen. Right? I am that confident in his return. When is he gonna return? I don't know. If he doesn't return for a hundred years, you know what they're gonna do? They're gonna bury me in the dirt, but they're gonna bury me face up so I can watch and wait for him to come.”

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