WATCHING FOR CHRIST'S COMING
Charles H. Spurgeon
Work, and wait, and Watch!
Our Lord bids us watch for Him. That is the marrow of the text: "Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching" (Luke 12:37).
Now, what is this watching? Not wishing to use my own words, I thought that I would call your attention to the context. The first essential part of this watching is that we are not to be taken up with present things. You remember that the 22nd verse is about not taking thought what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; you are not to be absorbed in that. You who are Christians are not to live the fleshly, selfish life that asks, "What shall I eat and drink? How can I store up my goods? How can I get food and raiment here?" You are something more than dumb, driven cattle that must think of hay and water. You have immortal spirits. Rise to the dignity of your immortality. Begin to think of the kingdom, the kingdom so soon to come, the kingdom which your father has given you, and which, therefore, you must certainly inherit, the kingdom which Christ has prepared for you and for which He is making you kings and priests unto God, that you may reign with Him forever and ever.
Oh, be not earthbound! Do not cast your anchor here in these troubled waters. Build not your nest in any of these trees; they are all marked for the ax, and are coming down; and your nest will come down, too, if you build here. Set your affection on things above:
Up where eternal ages roll,
Where solid pleasures never die,
And fruits eternal feast the soul.
There project your thoughts and your anxieties, and have no care about the things that pertain to this life. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Reading further down, in the 35th verse, you will notice that watching implies keeping ourselves in serviceable condition: "Let your loins be girded about." In those days they wore flowing robes, which were always getting in their way. They could not walk without being tripped up; if a man had a piece of work on hand he tucked in his robe under his girdle, tied his girdle tightly, and got ready for his task. Today we might say to roll up your shirt sleeves and prepare for work. That is the way to wait for the Lord-ready for service, that, when He comes, He may never find you idle.
I called to see a sister one morning; and when I called she was cleaning the front steps with some whitening, and she said, "Oh, my dear pastor, I am sorry that you should call upon me just now! I would not have had you see me like this on any account." I answered, "That is how I like to see you-busy at work. I should not like to have come in and caught you talking to your neighbor over the back paling. That would not have pleased me at all. May your Lord, when He comes, find you just so, doing your duty!" You see exactly what is meant; you are to be engaged about those vocations to which God has called you. You are to be doing it all out of love to Christ, and as service for Him. Oh, that we might watch in that style, with our loins girded about! Work, and wait, and watch! Can you put those three things together? Work, and wait, and watch! This is what your Master asks of you.
And next, He would have us wait with our lights burning. If the Master comes home late, let us sit up late for Him. It is not for us to go to bed till He comes home. Have the lights all trimmed; have His chamber well lit up; have the entrance hall ready for His approach. When the King comes, have your torches flaming, that you may go out to meet the royal Bridegroom, and escort Him to His home. If we are to watch for the Lord, as we ought, it must be with lamps burning. Are you making your light to shine among men? Do you think that your conduct and character are an example that will do your neighbor good, and are you trying to teach others the way of salvation? Some professors are like dark lanterns or candles under a bushel. May we never be such! May we stand with our lamps trimmed, and our lights burning, and we ourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord; not walking in darkness, nor concealing our light, but letting it shine brightly! That is the way to watch for Christ, with your girdle tight about you because you are ready for work, and your lamp flaming out with brightness because you are anxious to illuminate the dark world in which you live.
To put it plainly, watching for the coming of the Lord means acting just as if He were to come. I saw, in the orphanage schoolroom, that little motto, "What would Jesus do?" That is a very splendid motto for our whole life, "What would Jesus do in such a case?" Do just that. Another good motto is, "What would Jesus think of me if He were to come?" There are some places into which a Christian could not go, for he would not like his Master to find him there. There are some conditions of angry temper, of pride, petulance, or spiritual sloth, in which you would not like to be if you felt that the Master was coming. Suppose an angel's wing should brush your cheek just as you have spoken some unkind word, and a voice should say, "Your Master is coming"; you would tremble, I am sure, to meet Him in such a condition.
Oh, beloved, let us try every morning to get up as if that were the morning in which Christ would come; and when we go to bed at night may we lie down with this thought, "Perhaps I shall be awakened by the ringing out of the silver trumpet heralding His coming. Before the sun arises, I may be startled from my dreams by the greatest of all cries, "The Lord is come! The Lord is come!" What a check, what an incentive, what a bridle, what a spur, such thoughts as these would be to us! Take this for the guide of your whole life. Act as if Jesus would come during the act in which you are engaged; and if you would not wish to be caught in that act by the coming of the Lord, let it not be your act.
From: Triumphs of Faith
Used by permission
Charles H. Spurgeon
Work, and wait, and Watch!
Our Lord bids us watch for Him. That is the marrow of the text: "Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching" (Luke 12:37).
Now, what is this watching? Not wishing to use my own words, I thought that I would call your attention to the context. The first essential part of this watching is that we are not to be taken up with present things. You remember that the 22nd verse is about not taking thought what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; you are not to be absorbed in that. You who are Christians are not to live the fleshly, selfish life that asks, "What shall I eat and drink? How can I store up my goods? How can I get food and raiment here?" You are something more than dumb, driven cattle that must think of hay and water. You have immortal spirits. Rise to the dignity of your immortality. Begin to think of the kingdom, the kingdom so soon to come, the kingdom which your father has given you, and which, therefore, you must certainly inherit, the kingdom which Christ has prepared for you and for which He is making you kings and priests unto God, that you may reign with Him forever and ever.
Oh, be not earthbound! Do not cast your anchor here in these troubled waters. Build not your nest in any of these trees; they are all marked for the ax, and are coming down; and your nest will come down, too, if you build here. Set your affection on things above:
Up where eternal ages roll,
Where solid pleasures never die,
And fruits eternal feast the soul.
There project your thoughts and your anxieties, and have no care about the things that pertain to this life. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Reading further down, in the 35th verse, you will notice that watching implies keeping ourselves in serviceable condition: "Let your loins be girded about." In those days they wore flowing robes, which were always getting in their way. They could not walk without being tripped up; if a man had a piece of work on hand he tucked in his robe under his girdle, tied his girdle tightly, and got ready for his task. Today we might say to roll up your shirt sleeves and prepare for work. That is the way to wait for the Lord-ready for service, that, when He comes, He may never find you idle.
I called to see a sister one morning; and when I called she was cleaning the front steps with some whitening, and she said, "Oh, my dear pastor, I am sorry that you should call upon me just now! I would not have had you see me like this on any account." I answered, "That is how I like to see you-busy at work. I should not like to have come in and caught you talking to your neighbor over the back paling. That would not have pleased me at all. May your Lord, when He comes, find you just so, doing your duty!" You see exactly what is meant; you are to be engaged about those vocations to which God has called you. You are to be doing it all out of love to Christ, and as service for Him. Oh, that we might watch in that style, with our loins girded about! Work, and wait, and watch! Can you put those three things together? Work, and wait, and watch! This is what your Master asks of you.
And next, He would have us wait with our lights burning. If the Master comes home late, let us sit up late for Him. It is not for us to go to bed till He comes home. Have the lights all trimmed; have His chamber well lit up; have the entrance hall ready for His approach. When the King comes, have your torches flaming, that you may go out to meet the royal Bridegroom, and escort Him to His home. If we are to watch for the Lord, as we ought, it must be with lamps burning. Are you making your light to shine among men? Do you think that your conduct and character are an example that will do your neighbor good, and are you trying to teach others the way of salvation? Some professors are like dark lanterns or candles under a bushel. May we never be such! May we stand with our lamps trimmed, and our lights burning, and we ourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord; not walking in darkness, nor concealing our light, but letting it shine brightly! That is the way to watch for Christ, with your girdle tight about you because you are ready for work, and your lamp flaming out with brightness because you are anxious to illuminate the dark world in which you live.
To put it plainly, watching for the coming of the Lord means acting just as if He were to come. I saw, in the orphanage schoolroom, that little motto, "What would Jesus do?" That is a very splendid motto for our whole life, "What would Jesus do in such a case?" Do just that. Another good motto is, "What would Jesus think of me if He were to come?" There are some places into which a Christian could not go, for he would not like his Master to find him there. There are some conditions of angry temper, of pride, petulance, or spiritual sloth, in which you would not like to be if you felt that the Master was coming. Suppose an angel's wing should brush your cheek just as you have spoken some unkind word, and a voice should say, "Your Master is coming"; you would tremble, I am sure, to meet Him in such a condition.
Oh, beloved, let us try every morning to get up as if that were the morning in which Christ would come; and when we go to bed at night may we lie down with this thought, "Perhaps I shall be awakened by the ringing out of the silver trumpet heralding His coming. Before the sun arises, I may be startled from my dreams by the greatest of all cries, "The Lord is come! The Lord is come!" What a check, what an incentive, what a bridle, what a spur, such thoughts as these would be to us! Take this for the guide of your whole life. Act as if Jesus would come during the act in which you are engaged; and if you would not wish to be caught in that act by the coming of the Lord, let it not be your act.
From: Triumphs of Faith
Used by permission