A Bad Name
Luke 12:45-46
But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
It is called thank you for giving Christ a bad name. For these actions can Christ now be spoken ill of among the Gentiles. Here does Romans 2:24 not allow you to rationalize your actions any ways you choose. You may try to convince or explain them away. You may even try to tell me this verse means something else altogether. But when you must stand before God, I highly doubt he will be giving anyone a gold star for that, much less a well done good and faithful servant. See, I do not know about you. But God does not say such about just anybody. So often believers would like to focus on the grace of God. Sure, it is a fearful, wonderful thing. It is responsible for putting the servant of God in his house, certainly. Out of all the other places you could be whether dead or in prison or strung out on the streets, God fitted you to be in his house. Yet how many of you know that the grace of God does not excuse the behaviors found in the opening text. Remember, such behaviors are those of antichrist according to John. Now I know some of you would like to object. So, whose then are they if not of Christ. For if they were of him, would he not have already approved of them. So why then must he condemn his upon his return. It is not for no reason that he has saved us, put is in his house, having made us serve him.
So, then you and I ought to be his peculiar people. Nor should the peculiar be because of those disorders found in the text, yet still in God's house. Such is a strange sight indeed for sore eyes or no. I once heard a story of a rather funny, old-fashioned man whose sole prized possession in life was a single white feather. So prized it was that he would rather die than let his plume, as he called it, touch the ground. How much more will not Christ defend his own name. He came all the way from Heaven's glory to earth. The virgins of Song of Solomon trust in him for his name is as oil poured forth. All he has ever done has been for the sake of his name. It tells who he is. He changes not as Scripture says, it being impossible for God to lie. So why then do his blood-bought people do so every day. Is it that some take his name so lightly or do others merely forget his grace. No matter the reason, the response is the same. Whether a spirit of antichrist or no, his down name determines what he shall do. How gracious God is that he gave even Jezebel and her children also time to repent.
The space of God bordered by the grace of God is a lovely thing indeed. Such is the same afforded his servants as seen in the text. See, as at first the delay of the master's coming. Yet the errant servant's response still is the same. Their reasons for such are due to the delayed coming which the Lord wishes for their own correction. So, Revelation 2:21-23 speaks of the space as well that follows in place of delay. Now this I know for sure that those who come to him will be in no wise cast out. I am not going to speculate just how he will work this matter out. For it is his house, is it not. We too are but his servants and the guests of the same. For this reason, is the name of the Lord a strong tower to which the righteous run to for safety. It seems none other will do. But I pray that when he comes, he may find you in shelter, safe in the house.