“THE SECOND COMING – ARE WE READY?”
LUKE 12:35-48
I. Introduction
We are an impatient people. We want what we want and we want it now. Few of us enjoy waiting in a line regardless of whether it’s in a fast-food restaurant or at an airport security checkpoint. Waiting for anything can be frustrating, can’t it? But waiting can also teach us patience and discipline. The military knows that because waiting is actually built in to training. Anyone who has been in military service knows that “hurry-up and wait” is a regular aspect of the daily torture you endured in basic training.
Here’s an example. When I was in boot camp, reveille was at 0430 (4:30 am). You had fifteen minutes to be in uniform and assemble outside to march to the galley (the mess hall). It was all, “Hurry, hurry, faster, faster, and move it, move it!” – all delivered in loud and somewhat colorful language. Once outside, we would “double time” (run) to the galley only to arrive and find that the doors didn’t open until 0600 (6:00 am). But no problem – you would simply stand at rigid attention until they did. “Hurry up and wait!”
That’s the way every day began. Nobody liked it, but it was all part of molding immature kids into disciplined soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen. It had a purpose. Nobody liked it, but it was a daily reminder that patience, learning to wait for what we wanted, was a part of training for the military as well as maturing as a person.
But today our culture doesn’t seem to put much value in waiting for anything. One of the main reasons credit cards have become so popular over the last fifty years is that people can get what they want now. The days of taking the time and effort to save for something have all but vanished. Some people still do that, but most don’t. “Save now, buy later,” has become “Buy now, pay later.”
What’s happened to patience? Well, why would anyone have patience for anything when the desire of the heart is for instant gratification? Christians are influenced by this more than we care to admit. But Scripture points us in a different direction. When it comes to waiting, believers are called to be patient. There are numerous examples of this in what’s often known as the “faith chapter,” Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:1-2
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 For by it (faith) the men of old (OT saints) gained approval (were saved).
The writer of Hebrews goes on to name sixteen individuals who believed what God had said about their Messiah, the Christ, and who waited patiently for Him to appear. The list begins with Abel and ends with Samuel. But then the writer goes on. He speaks of the prophets and the countless men and women who were tortured and killed for their faith.
Hebrews 11:39
39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised…
They all waited for the Messiah, the promise of God. Their wait was much longer than they expected. In fact, they were still waiting when they died.
Jesus has called upon us to wait in faith too. Just as the OT saints patiently waited for the coming of their Messiah, you and I are called to patiently wait for His Second Coming. Our patience is a demonstration of our faith. As Hebrews 11:6a says, “…without faith it is impossible to please (God)…” He has promised to come for us, and just as He came the first time, He will come again. He said, “…if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself…(John 14:3a).”
So the fact is established. Are we ready for His appearing? That’s the question that bub-bles up out of the pages of Scripture this morning. The church has been waiting for two thousand years. So what? Does a long interval of time, as we count time, alter a divine promise? What if we die before He comes? So what? Does that change His promise?
Faith and patience just naturally go together. If you have faith in Him and His Word, you will be patient. If you are patiently awaiting Jesus’ return, you are in fact, demonstrating your faith. Look again at Hebrews 11:39. “…all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised…” Think about that this morning as we look into Luke’s gospel and hear Jesus tell us to be ready.
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II. Review
In recent weeks we’ve seen Jesus deal with the rich fool. The rich fool focused his entire life on accumulating the wealth of the world. Finally, when he had acquired so much, he had to build larger barns in order to store all his goods. But God said that the rich fool would die, and while he had laid up treasures on earth, he had laid up nothing in heaven. So God said to him, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared (Luke 12:20)?”
Jesus told His disciples (and by extension, us) not to worry about the things of this world because God has promised to give us everything we need in this life. We aren’t to worry about things like food, clothing, and shelter. God knows we need them so He will pro-vide them. After all, He’s already given us eternal life. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).” Therefore, we are to expend our efforts preparing for the life to come and lay aside our worries about this one. That is to say, we are commanded to live our lives in exactly the opposite manner as the rich fool lived his.
It’s really all about Christian stewardship. We are called to make good use of our money, our possessions, our allotted time, and they very lives we now live in this world.
We are waiting to meet Jesus when He comes for us in the Rapture, or we are waiting to meet Him the moment of our passing from this life. Either way, we are waiting; and He has called us to be ready for that meeting.
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III. Text
This is what today’s text is about. Are we waiting in faith and obedience? Are we ready?
*Luke 12:35-48 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
35 “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight.
36 “And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.
37 “Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
38 “Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “And be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
40 “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
41 And Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to every-one else as well?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?
43 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
44 “Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
45 “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes,
48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flog-ging, will receive but few. And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Since we have been called to wait, it behooves us to know how to wait, doesn’t it?
In vv. 35-40 Jesus emphasizes the need for our readiness. He does so in what is often called the Parable of the Expectant Steward (sometimes called the Watchful Servant).
*Luke 12:35-36
35 “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight.
36 “And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.”
Many of the large summer homes on Geneva Lake are kept in constant readiness for the arrival of their owners. They are staffed by people who must be ready to receive them and their guests at any moment. Kitchens and bars are always stocked, lawns and gar-dens are always groomed, and piers, boats, and everything else the owners may need or want must be available when they arrive. The staffs are ready and the “lights are on.”
That gives you an idea of what Jesus is calling for in v. 35. As His servants you and I are called to be ready, because He may call us without prior warning. We may not have time to “get dressed” and turn on the lights. Some of the older translations say that the ser-vant’s waist should be girded. The idea was that their long robes needed to be tucked in-to their belts so that the servants could work.
The USCG’s motto is “Semper Paratus” (always ready). The Coast Guard, the police, fire fighters, and EMTs are just some of the people who are always ready. They spend much of their time in training and preparation for being ready, don’t they? In v. 36 Jesus says that when the master appears his servants are not to be surprised. The message for you and me is to prepare ourselves now for the Lord’s return.
*Luke 12:37-38
37 “Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.”
38 “Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.”
The second and third watches refer to the middle of the night, that time when we would not normally expect a knock on our door. But no matter what time an owner of one of the mansions on the lake appears at the door, he expects his staff to be ready to serve him.
So the last thing the servants would expect is that the owner would come in, roll up his sleeves, and begin to wait on them. That’s not what the master comes for, is it? No, the master comes to enjoy the fruit of his labors and to be served by his employees.
But in Jesus’ parable He says that those servants who have been expectant, watchful, and faithful stewards will be served by Him. He will wait on them! How astounding is that? Yet isn’t that exactly what Jesus did when He went to the cross? In fact, before He was arrested, Jesus told His disciples, “I am among you as the one who serves (Luke 22:27b).”
Think of it! The God of all creation serving us! But that’s what He says. When Jesus takes us home, whether it’s the Rapture of the church or our individual passing from this life, His faithful ones will be served by Him. What a magnificent and humbling truth!
This is confirmed in v. 38 where Jesus tells us that those faithful servants will be blessed. I think the reason this is so amazing to us is that we tend to think of serving as the oppo-site of leading, and leading as the opposite of serving. But within the body of Christ, this is not the case at all. Within the body of Christ, leading is serving.
If Jeff or Tim or I ever forget that God called to serve the body, we will have forgotten our duty as elders. Shepherds are called to lead sheep, not drive cattle. This is a truth that far too many in church leadership have either forgotten or never knew.
*Mark 10:42-45
42 And calling (His disciples) to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.
43 “But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;
44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.
45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
So in the context of today’s passage in Luke, Jesus serving us, His sheep, is not a contra-diction at all. Our culture doesn’t understand this, but serving others is not in the least bit demeaning. The fact is that serving others is honorable.
If Jesus’ serving when He came the first time was honorable (and it was), then why would He not serve His faithful servants the second time He comes? Isn’t that precisely what He is saying in Luke 12:37? “Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
Consider this: Jesus said that He would have His obedient and faithful servants to dinner and that He would serve them, and they (we) will be called His friends.
John 15:12-15
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
14 “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.
15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his mas-ter is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
Here is a lesson for us. I offer it in the form of a question. If it is not demeaning for Christ to serve us, how can it possibly be demeaning for us to serve each other?
Now take one more look at Luke 12:38. Jesus’ promise is that He is coming back and doing so when we least expect it. The implication is that it will be later than we hope. History has shown this to be true. It’s been nearly two thousand years since He ascended into heaven. You know how the cynics and skeptics have treated this fact.
*2 Peter 3:3-4; 8-9
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fa-thers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is pa-
tient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repent-ance.
God doesn’t count time the way you and I count it. That’s what Peter is telling us in v. 8. How long has Jesus been gone in “eternal time”? Has it been two thousand years? Or has it been two days? Or has it been a mere moment? I don’t know. I don’t even know what “eternal time” means. But I do know this: “…the Lord is not slow about His pro-mise, as some count slowness…” Jesus said He is coming back. Are you ready?
*Luke 12:39-40
39 “And be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
40 “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
Does a bank only protect itself from robberies when the banker knows the robbers are coming? Of course not! Banks do their best to protect themselves all the time. It’s the same with our homes and our families. We do that because we know that the burglar comes when he thinks our guard is down, not when he sees us watching for him. The application couldn’t be clearer, could it? If you expect Jesus at any moment, you’ll not be caught with your guard down when He comes. You’ll be prepared for Him.
Don’t forget this doesn’t only apply to the Rapture of the church, which will come “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…(1 Corinthians 15:52a).” It also applies to our individual lives. We could be called home before we take another breath.
Are we ready? Remember that Jesus’ disciples were present but He was speaking to large crowds of people. By the time He said, “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect,” He really had His disciples’ attention.
*Luke 12:41
41 And Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to every-one else as well?”
Peter was concerned. Was Jesus saying that even among the Lord’s disciples there were some who would fail to be ready for His appearing? Jesus doesn’t give Peter a direct answer. Instead, He teaches a second parable. This is sometimes called the Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Stewards.
In vv. 42-48 Jesus teaches that when He comes, He’ll judge us based on what we did with what He’ given us. It isn’t how much you have; it’s what you do with what you have.
*Luke 12:42-44
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?
43 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
44 “Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”
This can be a difficult passage to interpret rightly, but there are a few points upon which most commentators and expositors seem to agree.
• The reward of a faithful steward will be for being a faithful steward.
• The reward of a faithful steward is to continue his stewardship in eternity, albeit with greater responsibilities than in this life.
• The reward of a faithful steward will be based on him doing now what he will be doing later.
Some believe Jesus chose not to give Peter a direct answer to his question, “Are You addressing this parable to us, or everyone else as well?” because He wanted Peter and the others to think through their answer. So let’s think it through ourselves.
In this parable the master has many servants. When he is about to leave on a journey, he places his most faithful and trusted servant in charge of his home and his other servants as well. In this capacity the trusted servant not only supervises the work but also sees to the needs of the other servants. This is the servant Jesus describes in Luke 12:42.
Some say that as Jesus gave this parable to His disciples the application is only for them, and by extension, to all ministers and pastors. They may be right. But, then again, they may not be right. Ask yourself this: Does the duty of faithfulness apply only to pastors, or does it apply to elders, deacons, teachers, parents; in fact, to all believers? Isn’t doing what the Master has called us to do the responsibility of each and every Christian?
So in v. 43 Jesus says that when the master returns, the one who is doing what the master has called him to do will be blessed. And in v. 44 Jesus tells us what that blessing will be. The work we do here will be ours to do in eternity. Have you thought about that?
William Hendriksen, a well-known Bible teacher and seminary professor asks, “Does not Christ’s promise also imply the assignment of specific tasks in the life hereafter, each task a matter of pure delight and satisfaction, and each in harmony with the individua-lity of the person for whom it is marked out?” That’s something to ponder, isn’t it?
I really don’t think we can fully appreciate the wonder of the faithful steward’s blessing until we see and compare what’s in store for the unfaithful steward. Jesus continues…
*Luke 12:45-46
45 “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.”
With regard to the Second Coming this unfaithful steward has the same attitude as that of the person described by Peter in 2 Peter 3:4. “Where is the promise of His coming?” It’s the mindset that says, “It’ll be so long before he returns. We have all sorts of time to eat, drink, and be merry. We can do what we’re supposed to do later. In the meantime, let’s just have some fun.” Such a person turns his back on the task(s) given him and plunges headlong in worldliness. And then, when he least expects it, his master returns.
There is no need to explain the meaning and application of this to anyone, is there? So the questions before you and before me this morning are simple ones.
• Are you and I faithful or unfaithful servants?
• Are you and I faithful stewards in the use of the gifts that we have been given?
• Are you and I engaged in the tasks that God has called us to perform in this life?
There is no way around it. Luke 12:46 says in no uncertain terms – If you profess Christ, if you claim to be one of His, but you deliberately and consistently live your life as if the Lord is never coming back, you’re only fooling yourself. You may be religious, but you aren’t saved. You may be religious, but you’ve not repented. You’ve not changed your mind about who Jesus really is and believed the Word of God.
Listen, Jesus is “pulling no punches” in these verses. He’s plainly and simply laying it on the line. In vv. 45-46 He isn’t speaking about true believers. We know that because we know that true believers will never be “…cut to pieces and assigned a place with the unbelievers (v. 46b).” On the contrary, when Jesus returns you already know what He will say to the ones who have truly served Him: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21, 23)
In the last two verses of this morning’s passage Jesus tells us something else that should really be obvious. Just as there will be degrees of reward in heaven, so too will there be degrees of punishment in hell.
I cannot begin to explain how that will work, but it doesn’t matter that I can’t explain it. Scripture plainly teaches it. Perfect justice is just that – perfect! And just as Christians will be rewarded based on the quality of their service since they were justified by faith, so too will unbelievers be judged and consequently punished based on the depth and extent of the evil in their lives.
*Luke 12:47-48
47 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes,
48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flog-ging, will receive but few. And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
John MacArthur sums up the truth of these two verses. The following comment is taken directly from the notes in his Study Bible. “The degree of punishment is commensurate with the extent to with the unfaithful behavior was willful. Note that ignorance is nonetheless no excuse (v. 48). That there will be varying degrees of punishment in hell is clearly taught in Matthew 10:15, 11:22-24; Mark 6:11, and Hebrews 10:29.”
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IV. Conclusion
Where do we stand this morning? Are we faithful servants or are we trying to fool our-selves? This is serious business. Peter recognized the gravity of Jesus’ teaching on this subject, and it is my sincere prayer that all of us recognize it as well.
Are you and I ready for Jesus’ return? Regardless of whether we meet Him in the air at the Rapture, or we step into His presence when He calls us home, He is coming soon. How do you feel about that? Are you ready?
It’s been said that, “Your attitude toward Jesus’ Second Coming is the direct result of your response to the first.” The fact is that true believers love His appearing.
*2 Timothy 4:8
8 In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
~ Pray ~