Watching for the Lord’s coming is not a passive exercise in date-setting or speculation. It is the active, ongoing work of guarding the spiritual treasure entrusted to us—the true gospel of Christ. The Lord’s warning about His coming “as a thief” is not a threat to the believer, but a summons to vigilance. He calls us to be the goodman of the house, alert and discerning, so that our house is not broken into and our treasure not stolen.
"But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up."
(Matthew 24:43)
The Lord’s analogy is clear: those who watch and guard their treasure will not be caught off guard at His coming. For the world, His return will be sudden, like a thief in the night. But for those who are awake—children of the day—He will not come as a thief. We will not be surprised or left scrambling. Instead, we will be translated into His presence, our treasure intact, our house unbroken.
But this vigilance is not merely about personal anticipation. It is about guarding the gospel itself. Why? Because there are real thieves—spiritual thieves—who seek to rob us. The Lord Himself distinguishes between His own coming and the work of thieves. He is not a thief; He is the true Shepherd and the Door of the sheep. The thieves are those who come before Him, who enter the sheepfold by climbing up some other way, not by Christ Himself.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."
(John 10:1)
When we believed, we received a treasure—the unsearchable riches of Christ, justification by faith, and our inheritance as sons. Now, we are stewards, charged with guarding this treasure. The threat is not hypothetical. Spiritual thieves and robbers work by speaking—by introducing messages that bypass Christ as the Door. They present a way that is not through Him. Some speak of themselves, inserting their own authority or experience between you and the Lord. Others offer law, philosophy, or mystical secrets as alternate paths to spiritual success. Still others present a Jesus who is incomplete—whose finished work is subtly undermined or whose person is not the Christ of the Scriptures.
These are not minor errors. If you accept their message, you do not merely lose a sense of peace or assurance; you forfeit the very treasure of the gospel. You are led away from Christ Himself, from the sufficiency of His finished work, from your standing as a justified son and heir. The house is broken into, and the treasure is plundered. This is not a secondary matter—it is salvific. To allow thieves access is to risk everything.
But the Lord also gives a promise: “The sheep did not hear them.” True believers, those who are Christ’s, do not ultimately follow the voice of strangers. God preserves His own. Yet this does not absolve us of responsibility. We are called to discernment—to test what we hear, to measure every teaching by the gospel of Christ and the reality of His finished work. Watching, then, is not mere anticipation; it is active fidelity to the truth.
If we neglect this call—if we do not watch and guard our treasure—the result is spiritual deception and loss. The house is broken into, and what is most precious is stolen. But if we watch, if we guard the gospel with discernment and fidelity, we remain prepared for the Lord’s return, our treasure secure, our inheritance unspoiled.
This is the dividing line: Will you guard what has been entrusted to you, or will you allow thieves to enter and rob you of Christ Himself? The call is clear, and the stakes are absolute. Watching equals guarding. To watch is to keep your eyes on Christ, to refuse every voice that would draw you away, and to stand fast in the liberty and sonship that is yours by the finished work of the cross.
Next: To Discern
