Always Ready ~ Luke 12:35-40

January 24, 2016 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson
Intro: If I ever get the opportunity to visit London, there is one event I absolutely want to see, i.e., the changing
of the Queens Guards at Buckingham Palace. Theres the normal reason of all the pomp and circumstance, but I want to go there for another reason, and that is to watch the undistracted expressions on the
face of the guards as tourists take pictures and as jokesters try to make them laugh. I think that would be as
much fun to watch as anything. Despite all the ceremony surrounding the guards, they are actually operational soldiers tasked with guarding the Palace; their job is to be always ready, despite by distractions, to
guard the royal palace.
If you can keep that single-minded, undistracted focus of the guards in mind, you have something of a
context for understanding what Jesus will be driving home to his disciples in the passage before us.
Even though at this place in the Gospel of Luke Jesus is wildly popular among the common people, he
is perhaps just months away from entering Jerusalem where he will be arrested, tortured, and finally
crucified. He knows that he will go and lay down his life like a sacrificially lamb to take away the sins
of the world (cf. John 1:29). He is communicating these things to his disciples, but even though they hear
his words, theyre not understanding what hes saying because in their minds, Messiahs dont die. They
conquer.
Nevertheless, Jesus has to prepare them for whats coming up, and in the text before us, we get one of
the first glimpses of the truth that Jesus will actually go away and one day return. Of course, they
had absolutely no category for this. They didnt know what we now know: that after his crucifixion and
resurrection, Jesus will return to heaven and will one day return to usher in the kingdom of God.
Question: What should be the focus of the follower of Jesus in the here and now, between the resurrection of Jesus and his eventual return?
Always Ready ~ Luke 12:35-40
Context: Jesus has just told his disciples that his God and Father is absolutely thrilled to give them the
kingdomthis coming revolution in which God completely rescues this world from its sin and
brokenness setting everything to right. He wants them focused on this coming revolution, and this is what
Jesus says next.
35 Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 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 and knocks.
1. Word-picture #1: Live like a faithful and expectant servant. Imagine a master who comes home from a
wedding feast, and the watchmen are ready for him, no matter how long it takes him to return.
2. Ready and waiting. Dressed for action = girding the loins. Keeping the lights on. Constant readiness.
37 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.
1. Blessed? Why? Jesus says they are blessed b/c of what the master does next.
2. Unexpected twist: The master of the house actually serves the servants! Unthinkable! What master in his
right mind would make himself nothing taking the form of a servant (cf. Phil. 2:5-7)?
Dramatically acted out his servants heart when he washed the feet of the disciples (cf. John 13).

- Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, but he also is the Servant of servants. Exalted
majesty combined with unparalleled humility.
- Mark 10:45, For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many.
In the Gospels, Jesus describes the kingdom of God as an unbelievable feast filled with the best
wines and richest foods (Luke 14:12ff; Matt. 22; cf. Isa. 25:6). You can begin to understand why Jesus
wants to see his followers not simply waiting, but longing with great anticipation for his return.
38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!
1. Clear teaching: Live in such a way that we are ready for his return at any moment. They are blessed
that Jesus finds us ready for his return, because then the celebration begins.
2. A great word of encouragement, but Jesus also gives a warning as well in another word-picture.
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what what hour the thief was coming,
he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is
coming at an hour you do not expect.
1. Word-picture #2: Live like an alert and prepared homeowner.
2. The apostles echoed this specific teaching in their writings
1 Thessalonians 5:2-4, While people are saying, There is peace and security, then destruction will come
upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in
darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
3. Kent Hughes tells of the 19th century Scottish preacher, Robert Murray McCheyne, who would always
ask his fellow ministers, Do you think the Lord is coming tonight? to which the answer was usually
No. He would then respond by quoting vs. 40, The Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect
him.
Obj: Even if I wanted to live like this, there have been ~750,000 days since the Resurrection of Jesus.
Isnt it statistically unlikely that he will return today? Hughes says, We live 750,000 days closer to the
return, and indeed, Christs return will always be on a statistically improbable day, when the world doesnt
expect him.
2 Pet. 3:10 (NIV), But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand
years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some
understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come
to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
The Point: like a thief comes at an unexpected hour, so will the LJX return as an unexpected hour.
4. WCF 33:1, God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to
whom all power and judgment has been given by the Father. In that day.all people who have ever lived
on earth appear before the judgment seat of Christ in order to give an account of their thoughts, words, and
deeds, and to receive judgment according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
33:3, As Christ would have us to absolutely convinced that there will be a day of judgment, both to deter
all men from sin and to give a greater consolation to the godly in their adversity, so will he have that day
unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, may always be watchfulbecause they do

not know at what hour the Lord will comeand may always be prepared to say, Come, Lord Jesus.
Come quickly. Amen.

So, why does Luke record this account for us in his historical biography of Jesus?
Whether you meet Jesus when he returns or when you leave this world, Jesus stands at the end of
history for every individual.
And you and I are called to be awake and ready to live in light of the return of the King.
Main Idea: To be always ready for the return of Christ means living for him with an undistracted life.
Illustration: Christian & Faithful in Vanity Fair, where everything offered to them was meaningless.
Implications: How do we know if we are ready? We are ready when.
1. we trust in the Lord Jesus.
The summons of the Gospel is to call to turn back to God by believing in his Son, for God so loved
the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
The most important application for anyone is to take the step of placing your trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ as the King of kings, Lord of lords, Servant of servants, and Saviour of sinners.
2. we live for the Lord Jesus
2 Cor. 5:14-15, For the love of Christ compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and
he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and
was raised again.
To live for Jesus transforms everything.from the way we love our family to the way we view our
neighbourhoods. It transforms our work b/c we work as if Jesus were our employer and it makes us the
best, most trustworthy employees.
Jesus said that life can be boiled down to two things: Loving God with everything youve got, and your
neighbour as yourself.
3. we long for the Lord Jesus
Titus 2:11-14 (NIV), For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us
to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives in this
present age, while we wait for the blessed hopethe appearing of the glory of our great God and
Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us
Rev. 22:20, He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Ps. 16:11, in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
NCC, may you always be ready for the return of Christ by living for him with an undistracted life.