Opening Questions and Prayer
When is a time you procrastinated and paid a price for it?
What are some reasons people procrastinate?
What are some ways people procrastinate with their faith?
Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as you study His Word.
Read Matthew 24:45
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
Who is Jesus telling this parable to?
See Matthew 24:3- 3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
Why are the disciples interested in the end times?
After Jesus’ death, how is He expecting His disciples to be faithful?
How would you define faithful?
Who are people in your life that are faithful and have helped point you to Jesus?
What are some responsibilities the Lord has given you?
How are you faithful in those duties?
What is one thing you could do this week to be faithful in those things?
Read Matthew 24:46-47
46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
What reward is Jesus referring to?
What are some ways you can be faithful to the Lord on a daily basis?
What are some ways you’ve seen the Lord reward faithfulness?
How does the Lord reward faithfulness now, but also in the future?
Read Matthew 24:48-49
48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?
Why does Jesus bring up the evil servant?
What are some differences between the faithful servant and the evil servant?
Why does the evil servant think he has time to do what he wants?
How can you make sure you aren’t procrastinating when it comes to living your life for Jesus?
What spiritual practices (Bible study, prayer, journaling, etc.) are you thinking about starting but haven’t yet?
What can you do today to take a step towards doing that?
Read Matthew 24:50-51
50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
How did the master respond to the evil servant?
By being so graphic, what does Jesus want His disciples to understand?
When it comes to Jesus’ return, why do we sometimes not take it as seriously as we should?
What is something you can do this week to live with the end in mind?
Memorize it!
Matthew 24:46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
Closing thoughts and prayer
Being faithful to the end isn’t easy. Jesus is warning the disciples with this parable that they will be tempted to slack off a bit and think they have time to take it easy. Don’t fall into this trap! Be faithful everyday. Walk with the Lord daily.
Pray that the Lord would give you strength to be faithful. Ask Him to show you the areas of your life that you are procrastinating in. End your time praying for someone who needs to know Jesus. Ask the Lord to give you the opportunity to share with them this week about His wonderful, never ending, always and forever Love!