Luke 12:36-38
Life Is Being Ready for God
Jesus was still on the road to Jerusalem. In \\#Luke 12:1\\, He was
surrounded with a great crowd of people so He taught. First and
foremost, He taught the disciples and the theme of His teaching was
that "life is not things" \\#Luke 12:13-35\\. But in verse \\#36\\,
Jesus’ teaching turned to the topic of what life is. Life is
serving Jesus until He returns. Along those thoughts, Jesus gave
three parables and four thoughts.
I. \\#Luke 12:36-38\\ We Must Be Ready WHENEVER Jesus Returns.
A. The question of when Jesus will return is a WHENEVER question.
1. While the Bible does describe the conditions that will
exist when Jesus returns, it makes no suggestion of a
time whatsoever.
2. Every few years someone will set a date.
Matt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only.
B. This short parable is based on the aftermath of a Jewish
wedding.
1. We know something about Jewish weddings from
\\#Matt 25:1-13\\, the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
2. Among things we know about a Jewish wedding is that the
clock goes out the wedding.
3. The wedding started whenever the groom arrived. Everyone
had to be ready and to watch for him.
4. This parable dealt with the couple’s return from the
wedding.
Luke 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that
wait for their lord, when he will return from the
wedding….
C. Notice that the groom is returning WITH his bride.
1. If there was ever a time when a servant wanted to make his
master look good, it would be the night he returned with
his new bride.
2. But with travel and communications being what they were,
the servants would not know exactly when the new couple
would arrive.
3. So they waited, even if the return was delayed into the
second or even the third watches of the night \\#38\\.
D. Friend, we don’t know WHEN Jesus will return.
1. I think this section is primarily directed to the Jews
and to the Jewish return of Jesus.
a. It is not dealing with when Jesus comes to GET His
bride but when Jesus comes WITH His bride to set up
His kingdom).
b. It is interesting that this parable points to a later
coming rather than an earlier one, i.e. the second
and third watches.
c. The Jewish watch had three night watches (6PM to 10PM,
10PM to 2AM, 2AM to 6AM). Rome had four (6PM to 9,
9PM to 12AM, 12AM to 3AM, 3AM to 6AM). Either way,
it is LATE.
2. But it has application to the church.
a. When it comes to the church, Jesus could have already
come. Nothing has or does prevent Jesus’ coming.
b. But the longer His delay, the more difficult it may
be to have faith in His coming.
c. Don’t let God’s delay create the devil’s doubt.
E. The second parable goes with the first.
1. It is just one verse.
2. It adds just one thought. (Next point)
II. \\#Luke 12:39-40\\ We must Be Ready Whenever Jesus Returns
Luke 12:39 And this know, that if the goodman of
the house had known what hour the thief would
come, he would have watched, and not have
suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of
man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
A. This verse suggests that we have an enemy attempting to both
break-in and to steal.
1. We are the goodmen.
2. The enemy is the devil.
3. He desires to break into our spiritual walk with Christ.
4. His goal is to steal our rewards.
B. The short parable suggests that our only defense is to watch.
1. No weapon is given to cast out the enemy.
2. The goal is not to cast out the devil once he gets inside.
3. The goal is to keep him from getting inside.
C. What is Christ calling us to do?
1. Watch, guard, our spiritual lives.
2. Stay close to Christ.
3. As we said earlier, STAND READY AND BURN BRIGHTLY.
Luke 12:35 Let your loins be girded about, and
your lights burning;
III. \\#Luke 12:41-48\\ We Must Be Ready Whoever We Are
A. We have noticed that Jesus was directing what He taught FIRST
to the disciples.
1. THEY noticed it too.
2. So Peter asked Jesus, "Who is this teaching for?"
Luke 12:41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord,
speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to
all?
B. Jesus’ answer was that His teaching is for anyone who wants
to be faithful and wise.
Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that
faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall
make ruler over his household, to give them
their portion of meat in due season?
1. Jesus answered Peter’s question with a question, meaning
the answer is obvious.
2. The teaching may have been first to the disciples but it
was not exclusive to the disciples.
3. Every truth in the Bible, whether directed to us or not,
has application for us.
C. Concerning this parable, let me be frank.
1. Those who believe that you can lose your salvation use
this parable to support that belief.
a. As I have said before, there are a few Bible passages
that if they were all we had, I might believe that
you could lose your salvation too.
b. But they are NOT all we have and the preponderance of
Scripture make it clear that we cannot lose our
salvation.
2. So what does the parable teach for certain? It teaches
that those who are not ready when Jesus returns will be
punished.
Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his
lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither
did according to his will, shall be beaten with
many stripes.
a. That in itself is a difficult truth to digest in our
age of grace.
b. First I would say that it is not be TO us. I will
explain in a moment.
c. Second I would say, why take a chance. Live like God
wants!
3. But again, how would I explain that Jesus spoke of "HIS"
servants being appointed with the unbelievers?
Luke 12:46 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.
a. I believe the servant is not referring to the
individual Christian but to the nation of Israel and
their LAST chance to be saved.
b. Four thoughts:
(1) Israel is God’s servant and was called so in the
Scripture. In fact, as Jesus was teaching,
Israel was still the servant of God.
Isa 41:8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob
whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
(2) We remember that Jesus was preparing the
disciples for their work as apostles once Jesus
departs.
(a) Who were they going to minister to first?
The Jews
(b) What was one of the first issues they would
have to deal with?
i. Of course first is the gospel.
ii. But they were also going to have to
deal with the Jewish rejection of
Jesus as the Christ and the Jews being
set aside as God’s servants.
(c) What might Jesus be teaching them here?
That if those called to be God’s servants
(the Jews) do not do the service of their
Lord, the Lord will punish them just like
He will punish the lost.
(d) Why would God punish the unfaithful Jew like
a lost person? Because the unfaithful Jew
would BE a lost person.
(3) In the earlier parable, Jesus did not telll the
disciples and the crowd that they were the
bride, but the servants that should be ready
when He comes with His Bride!
Luke 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that
wait for their lord, when he will return from
the wedding….
(a) In the New Testament, Jesus is often
referred to as the Groom and the CHURCH
is His Bride.
(b) This was the same way John the Baptist
referred to himself.
John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the
bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly
because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy
therefore is fulfilled.
(c) John was not part of the church. He would
be the friend of the Groom and the bride.
(d) Jesus knew that Israel would reject Him. He
was telling Israel that their last chance
was to be ready when He and His bride
return!
(4) \\#54-59\\ Notice that Jesus turned to speak
(rebuke) directly to the people of Israel after
that.
(a) \\#56\\ He said that they could not discern
the time.
(b) \\#58-59\\ And that they better work NOW to
deliver themselves from the adversary.
(c) Could it be that their adversary would be
God and Jesus was telling them their last
chance would be to trust Christ before He
came with His bride?
IV. \\#Luke 12:49-53\\ To Be Ready, Expect Family Opposition.
A. Jesus told the disciples that His coming would divide the
world not join it together.
1. Jesus described the division as a "fire."
Luke 12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth;
and what will I, if it be already kindled?
2. A fire describes passion and destruction.
3. The effects of Christ’s coming will be fervent and deadly.
B. That division will work itself all the way down into the home,
separating the closest bonds.
Luke 12:52 For from henceforth there shall be
five in one house divided, three against two,
and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son,
and the son against the father; the mother
against the daughter, and the daughter against
the mother; the mother in law against her
daughter in law, and the daughter in law against
her mother in law.
C. You and I need to understand that this deadly division is a
sign of Jesus’ return as much as the homosexuality of Lot’s
day or the violence of Noah’s.
1. This seems to be one of the forgotten signs of Jesus’
coming.
2. The homes that Jesus was speaking of are our homes.
3. If you judge that your home could not be so divided then
perhaps the return of Jesus is still a time off yet for
this is one of the signs.
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