READY OR NOT (2): TO BE READY, YOU HAVE TO GET READY

(Luke 12:35-48)
Intro Several years ago the CT State Police were required to put on chains
when it snowed. One trooper failed to do so and ended up in a skid that
flipped the car onto its roof. A caller reported, Well, he seems okay, but you
better get someone out here quick. Hes standing on the car putting chains
on the tires! He was just a little late, not ready! That is what Jesus is urging
in this passage. Hes coming again. Be ready. Too late to put chains on then.
This follows on the heels of His warnings about greed and anxiety. Those are
red flags showing were not ready -- focused on the wrong things. Stonewall
Jackson was a devout believer, but kind of quirky, absent-minded prof prior to
the CW. But following his early brilliant, daring campaign in the Shenandoah,
one contemporary wrote: "No one would have thought one year ago that
Jacksons fame would be spread the wide world over as one of the greatest
captains. He may well be fearless, as he is ready to meet his God; his lamp is
burning, and he waits for the bridegroom." When were ready to meet Jesus
any time, anxiety vanishes. Be ready! Thats what Jesus is urging.
So, how do we do that? In vv. 35-40 He urges that we Wait Expectantly. And
in vv. 41-48 He urges that we Work Earnestly. Both waiting and working are
part of being ready. There are 4 elements to waiting expectantly.
Assurance of His Coming This passage revolves on v. 40. 2 key things.
First, the Son of Man is coming. The world may mock all it wants, but Peter
says they forget 1,000 years is like a day to the Lord! What is huge delay to us
is a couple of minutes to Him. The great proof that He is coming again is
that He came the first time. He fulfilled scores of OT prophecies to the letter
and there is no reason to doubt that He will do so again in the same way
(Acts 1:11) as the disciples saw Him go. The doubts of scoffers never slowed
Him down before and it will not then either. Hes coming again!
Astonishment of His Coming -- 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of
Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Thousands have thought they
had it figured out. None has been right. None ever will be right. Nothing
prevented Jesus return in Paul and Peters time and nothing prevents Him
now. But the timetable is His. It will be when least expected, not when most
expected. Many will be astonished. To not be we must live ready! So, v. 40
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has set the tone be ready. Now to further develop this theme, we will go
back to v. 35 to develop how we do that wait expectantly by:
Anticipation of His Coming 3 things we to in anticipation!
A. Be Unencumbered
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Stay dressed for action. Literally this reads, Gird up your loins. It was a
common expression in Jesus time. Everyone wore long, flowing robes or
togas. Often they hung loose for comfort. But that made work difficult. So,
when they labored, they tucked their togas into a belt to keep the long, flowing
garment out of the way. Thats the picture: Stay dressed for action.
What action does He have in mind? Service for the King who is coming. Jesus
elaborates on this point by parable in Lu 19:12 He said therefore, A nobleman
went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return (thats
picturing Jesus returning to the Father). 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave
them ten minas, and said to them, Engage in business until I come. Were to
be about His business until He returns. It is not our own concerns that are
primarily to occupy us, but His. It is not our own kingdom we are to seek, but
His. It is not our agenda, but His. We cant do that if were too entangled in
the affairs of this life. Sure we must make a living. Sure we must engage our
culture. But also, we must hold this life loosely. Its not the end game. This
life is just the means to a much greater end!
Paul tells Timothy in II Tim 2:4, Share in suffering as a good soldier of
Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to
please the one who enlisted him. Thats Jesus point. This world isnt home
anymore. Phil 3:20, But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Priorities have changed and we need to make
sure we dont have too many loose ends in this life keeping us from engaging
in the mission God for which God created us.
I was saddened watching the Academy Awards last year. Here were people
whose whole life was focused on getting a little gold statue to put on the
fireplace. Life is all about seeing and being seen and looking glamorous. Host
Ellen Degeneres commented at one point, Im not saying movies
are the most important thing in the world, because we
all know the most important thing in the world is
youth. It was a joke, but when you saw what some had done
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to look young, it wasnt funny. All they have is now. How

desperate it must feel to see it slipping away, first slowly but
with greater speed every year. How fortunate for those who
know Christ to know this is not all there is. Youth is not the
end all, because there is more to come.
Listen, were in a foreign country, awaiting our King who is
invading soon. His priorities must be our priorities, not those
of this world. Its so easy to get distracted with things, toys,
hobbies and habits not bad in themselves, but
devastating if they shove Christ aside. A real and present
danger.
During the CW this was Pres Lincolns constant struggle. His
many generals demanded tons of supplies. Lincoln did his
best, but he knew the Union was in danger of losing the war
slowed by its abundance of supplies. The enemy moved
twice as far with half as much. Lincoln wrote McClellan in
1862, this expanding and piling up of impedimenta,
has been, so far, almost our ruin, and will be our final
ruin if it is not abandoned. Things changed when Grant
and Sherman got into command. Sherman abandoned
supplies altogether when he made his march to the sea living
entirely off the land. It broke the Confederacys back. They
finally learned what Stonewall Jackson always knew: The
road to glory cannot be attended with much baggage.
We must travel light! Minimize payments. Keep things
simple. John Wesley used to say, "Money never stays with me. It would
burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it
should find its way into my heart." Note what Jesus says just before Stay
dressed for action. V. 34, For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also. Hold things loosely. Thats the point. Wesley earned a fortune from
book royalties, but he determined to die leaving nothing behind, and he did,
having given away thousands of dollars before they found their way into his
heart. So we might well ask, How is our heart? Are we dressed for action
is our treasure here and now or is it laid up in heaven? Be unencumbered.
B. Be Enlightened
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V. 35: Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning. So, what does
keep your lamps burning mean? Well, light in the Bible represents
knowledge or truth. What Jesus is saying by keep your lamps burning is
know the truth and live the truth. You are now children of light, not children
of darkness, so live like it. Jesus is due any time, so live according to truth. Do
what is right. Be holy as your Father is holy. Dont let the light go out and
return to your old selfish lifestyle. Not even for a moment. Live in the light.
God didnt tell us things about the 2nd coming so we could speculate on timing
and obsess on details. Its great to study prophetic details but they are
intended to motivate holy living, not as an ego trip. There is no better
commentary on keep your lamps burning than Rom 13:11 Besides this you
know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For
salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far
gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put
on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies
and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling
and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for
the flesh, to gratify its desires. Thats pretty clear, isnt it? Obey God.
I caught this message as a child. I didnt know all the details I learned later
about Christs 2nd coming, but I knew He could come at any time. I didnt
want Him to find me doing something wrong. As I got older and Jesus didnt
come, it got easier and easier to lose that motivation. We get sophisticated,
dont we? We anticipate tomorrow will be like today and so forth. Yes Jesus
is coming sometime, but its out there. It ceases to be part of our motivation to
holy living. Know whats happened? Our lamp has gone out.
When we were in Edinburgh we came across the statue of a terrier named
Bobby. Bobby belonged to John Gray who worked for the Edinburgh Police as
a night watchman. When he died he was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard and
Bobby became famous for sitting at his masters gravesite awaiting his return
for the rest of his life all 14 years of it! A statue was erected in his honor
when he died in 1872. Would it change our lives if we lived in that same
expectation of Jesus return? Thats what it means to keep our lamp lit.
C. Be Expectant
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and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the
wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes
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and knocks. What is the message? Expect His return any time. Marriage
feasts in those days could last from a day to a week. Someone might return
any time. You didnt know. Faithful servants were ready to open the door at
once. There would be no, Wait a minute while I hide these magazines or
turn this show off or clean up the place. True believers live like Hes
coming next minute, ready to open the door at a moments notice. He doesnt
have to get ready; he is ready. Jesus doesnt say, Get ready; He says, Be
ready. Stay ready! Have sins confessed up to the minute, living a holy life,
willing to be caught at any moment in whatever you are doing.
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the
thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into.
Different illustration same point. Thieves dont send calling cards. They
come when least expected. So the only way to counter them is to be on guard
all the time. Be ready all the time. Believers live with one foot in time and
the other in eternity. Its great because even if Jesus never comes in our
lifetime, it means we are ready to die. Live expecting the Lords return at any
moment and you are ready to live and ready to die. All bases covered.
C. S. Lewis describes the 2nd coming this way: When the author walks onto
the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade, all right; but what is the
good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural
universe melting away like a dream and something else comes crashing in?
This time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it
will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It
will be too late then to choose your side. That will not be the time for
choosing; It will be the time when we discover which side we really have
chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our
chance to choose the right side. To be ready then, you must get ready now.
IV.

Aftershock of His Coming

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Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.
Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at
table, and he will come and serve them. Heres an astounding verse -almost incomprehensible. Think about it! Who is the master
coming back in this parable? It is Jesus, of course. And so far
the parable follows local custom. The faithful servants wait
expectantly to welcome the Master on his return. But then
Jesus totally departs from anything anyone would expect.
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Totally. Youd expect the servants to feed the master and get
him to bed. Jesus depicts the absolute opposite. It is the
master who dresses himself in as a servant, sits the
servants down to dinner and then he serves them
himself. Its an incredible picture which is why the devout
German Bible scholar Bengel regarded this as the
greatest promise in all Gods Word.
To feel get the impact of this, check Rev 19: 11 Then I saw heaven
opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a
flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written
that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and
the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of
heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white
horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the
nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress
of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh
he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. The passage goes on
to describe how He quickly rounds up the Anti-Christ and all His enemies.
Then Matt 25:31 picks up: 31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and
all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him
will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Judgment follows. The lost
are cast with Satan and his angels into hell. This is Jesus in the fullness of
His power and glory and majesty. This coming is not the humble baby in a
manger prepared to suffer utter humiliation to pay the penalty for our sins.
This is the conquering, powerful King of kings and Lord of lords coming in
judgment to rid the world of sin and set everything right by the power of His
Word.
And having done all that, He will dress himself for service and have them
(faithful believers) recline at table, and he will come and serve them. How
humbling! Well wish we had served Him better. Will it be a literal banquet? I
dont know. It is described that way, as the marriage supper of the lamb, in
Rev. 19. Whatever it is, it will exceed any expectations we ever had. It will
fulfill Psa 126:1-3, When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were
like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our
tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, The Lord has
done great things for them. 3 The Lord has done great things for us; we are
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glad. What a shock to find our unworthy selves being served by the King
Himself. If we really believed this it would change our lives.
Conc -- Jesus is coming, Beloved. Itll be too late to put the chains on the car
then. You have to get ready now to be ready then! I heard Vin Skully one
time tell a story about former big-league infielder Gene Freese: "He once got
back to the hotel after a night on the town, dialed the front desk and asked
for a 7 am wake-up call. The operator said, You just missed it. Jesus is
coming again, Beloved. Dont miss it! Very soon we will all meet Him either
in death or in His coming. So we must be ready. We must not be so bogged
down with the things of this life that we fail to be ready for the next. If we are
to be ready then, we must get ready now. How? By receiving Him as Lord and
Savior if youve never done that. And if He is your Lord, live expecting that
you will see Him soon because believe me, you will. Lets pray.