Jesus was urging us to be watchful vol. 2

JESUS WAS URGING US TO BE WATCHFUL VOL. 2
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 12:35-4035 “Be dressedready for serviceand
keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waitingfor
their master to return from a wedding banquet, so
that when he comes and knocks they can immediately
open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those
servants whose master finds them watching when he
comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve,
will have them reclineat the table and will come and
wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants
whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the
middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But
understandthis: If the owner of the house had known
at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have
let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be
ready, becausethe Son of Man will come at an hour
when you do not expect him.”

Luke: Be Ready
Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan on September12, 2010
Luke 12:35-48
Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III
If you have your Bibles I’d invite you to turn with me to the gospelof Luke, to
the twelfth chapter. We’re working
our way through this gospeltogether.
The lasttwo Lord’s Days we have lookedat sections ofLuke chapter12
that dealt with the overarching subjectof covetousness, a pervasive and
perennial temptation and sin and we have seenJesus address that particular
temptation in a very direct and personally applicable way.
Today, Jesus turns His attention, beginning in verse 35 of Luke chapter 12, to
a
different topic. And He’s addressing
the issue of how we live daily as His disciples.
He’s especiallyconcernedthat His disciples would live in such a way
that they are ready for His return.

And He is particularly interestedthat His disciples would be goodshepherds
of
His sheepand that His people would live lives of mutual service, that they
would care about one another, that they would be spending their lives not for
themselves, not looking out for number one, as it were, but always, constantly,
looking out into the family of Godand living for their brothers and sisters and
seeking the best interest, spiritually speaking, oftheir brothers and sisters.
This is something of which you saw in Galatians chapter5.
Life in the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, is a life of freedom, but that
life of freedom is a life of self-renunciationwhere we seek to serve the best
interests of one another. We not
only love our neighbor in general, but we especiallylove and care for and
invest in the well-being of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
And so don’t you love the phrase from the hymn that we sing — “A life of
self-renouncing love is one of liberty.”
That’s the kind of freedom that Paul was talking about in Galatians 5 and
it’s something of what Jesus is addressing here in Luke chapter 12.
But let’s pray and ask for God’s blessing as we read His Word and hear it
proclaimed. Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, this is Your
Word. We ask that You would open our
eyes to behold wonderful things in it.
Especiallywe ask today that You would hold Your Word up before us as
Your royal law and show us ourselves, Lord.
Show us our sin. Show us our
own concessionto temptation, the particular ways in which we are out of
accord
with Your perfect will. And then
show us Your salvation. Point us to
the Savior. Point us to our Redeemer
and our Deliverer and to the hope that He offers to us in the Gospel.
We ask that You would do this in Jesus’name.
Amen.
This is God’s Word. Hear it.
From Luke chapter 12 beginning in verse 35:
“’Stay dressedfor
actionand keepyour lamps burning, 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.

Blessedare those servants whom the masterfinds awake whenhe 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.
If he comes in the secondwatch, or in the third, and finds them awake,
blessedare those servants! 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.
You also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do
not expect.’
Petersaid, ‘Lord,
are You telling this parable for us or for all?’
And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom this
master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the
proper time? Blessedis that servant
whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
But if that servantsays to himself, ‘My masteris delayedin coming,’
and begins to beatthe male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get
drunk, the masterof that servant 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 put him with
the

unfaithful. And that servant who
knew his master’s will but did not get ready or actaccording to his will, will
receive a severe beating. But the
one who did not know, and did what deserveda beating, will receive a light
beating. Everyone to whom much was
given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted
much,
they will demand the more.’”
Amen, and thus ends this reading of God’s holy, inspired, and inerrant Word.
May He write its eternal truth upon all our hearts.
So, how’s it going for you? How’s
life? Good!
When you think about your life, just to yourself, and you make assessment
of how you’re spending your time, where you’re spending your money, where
your
focus is, where your energy is, what you really, really want, what do your
answers to those questions tell you about your readiness for the Lord’s
coming
and your loyalty to Him? That’s the
issue that Jesus is raising in this passagewith His disciples.
When He says to them here, “Be ready,” He’s not asking them to become
engagedin end-time prognostication.

In the 19th century amongstAmerican evangelicals andsome British
evangelicals, it became very popular to go to these passagesin the New
Testamentwhere Jesus told His people to “Be ready” and to attempt to do
sort of
a prophetic version of the Bible code and discoverthe timing of the return of
Jesus Christ so that the response to Jesus’exhortation, “Be ready,” was to
somehow try and figure out when it was exactlythat Jesus was going to come
again. That could not be further
from what Jesus wantedin response to His exhortation to “Be ready.”
And you see it very clearly in this passage.
In this passage, “Be ready,” “Keepwatch,” “Be awake,”is not an exhortation
to
Christians to try and divine the signs of the time and determine whether the
coming of Christ is soonerrather than later or to specificallyknow what hour
or day He is returning. The
exhortations here in this passageclearlyare designedto move us to live in a
particular way. Furthermore, Jesus
makes it crystalclearthat no one does or will know when He is coming.
Just look at the passageitself.
In this passage, Jesusgives a series ofpictures of what it means to be
ready and you see four of them in the first few verses that we read.

Look at verse 35 — “Stay dressedfor action.”
Now that’s a very vivid word picture and it comes from the practice of
the ancientNearEast, typically men, as one of their main garments would
have a
long, flowing robe. Now it’s a
little hard to run in one of those, so when you’re getting ready to run, a man
hikes that up, wraps the long part around his waist, and ties it tightly.
That’s where the Biblicalphrase, “girding your loins,” comes from.
And then he’s ready to run.
Well there’s Jesus saying, “Be ready.”
What does that mean? Stay
dressedfor action; be ready to spring into action.
It’s not a word about trying to divine when exactly He’s coming.
It’s about whether you’re living in readiness to serve Him.
He even uses the language ofbeing dressedto serve of Himself later on.
Be dressedto serve — it’s talking about an attitude that pervades the
way that you approach life, that you’re always ready to be serving the
purposes
of Jesus in this world.
And then in the next part of verse 35 He uses this picture — “Keep your
lamps
burning.” Now in Jesus’day, when

the sun went down it was dark. There
were no street lights. There were no
automobiles with halogenheadlights.
There were no electric lights indoors, so if you were going to have any light in
that world you had to be prepared.
You had to be prepared for the right lamps and you had to have plenty of oil
for
those lamps. You had to have your
wicks trimmed and you needed to be ready to go.
And so when He says, “Keepyour lamps burning,” He is talking about an
attitude of life which is prepared to serve.
And then He changes the picture again.
Look at verse 36 — “Be like men who are waiting for their master to come
home from the wedding feast.” So
these people are expectantly waiting for the head of the house to come back
from
the wedding feastso that the minute that he comes into the courtyard they are
ready to spring to the door and welcome him home.
All of these are pictures not of trying to divine in the future when
Jesus is returning, but living in such a waynow so that whenever He returns
we
are ready for that return. And it
continues on into two blessings that He gives you in the next couple of verses.

There are two blessings that are pronounced in verse 37 and verse 38.
In verse 37 He says, “Blessedare those servants whom the masterfinds
awake whenhe comes.” So we’re told,
here’s another way that you’re ready — you’re awake,you’re not asleepat
the
switch, you’re not asleepat the wheel, you’re awake, you’re ready for Him.
The way that you’re living has made you ready for His return.
And then this blessing comes in verse 38 — “If he comes in the second
watchor in the third” — even if He comes in the middle of the night when
other
folks are asleep, you’re ready.
I. Warnings to the leaders.
But how are you ready? What does
readiness mean in this passage?
Readiness, inthis passage, means, especiallyfor pastors and
elders, a mindset, an attitude, and a practice of always looking out for the
well-being of the flock. And for
one another, it means a mindset and an outlook in which we are bent to do the
will of Jesus, that it is our greatconcernin life to live in such a wayto

glorify Him, to live in such a way that we are going His will.
We see that very clearlyin the passage.
You notice that Peterasks one of those questions that teachers often
hear from students. You know, the
teacheris in the middle of what he or she thinks is a brilliant and inspiring
lecture, and the hand goes up on the third row in the back, and the student
says, “Excuse me, is this going to be on the test?”
(laughter) And you die
inside! You
thought you had them on the edge of their
seats and all they want to know is, “Is this going to be on the test?”
Well, Peter, the hand goes up in the middle of these stories about being
ready and he says, “Um, Jesus, justa quick word of clarification — Do I need
to
be listening to this?” That’s what
Peterbasicallysays. He says, “Are
You saying this for us, are You saying this for the benefit of Your inner circle
of disciples, or are You saying this for all?
You know, is this something that You want us to learn or is this just
something that You’re generallysaying for everyone?”
And Jesus does not answerPeter’s question.
I think that is probably a mercy for Peter.
If Jesus had answeredthat question directly it wouldn’t have gone well

for Peter.
But notice, Jesus is interesting in the wayHe responds.
A lot of times, when you ask Jesus a question, how does He respond?
He responds by asking you another question.
Usually that means that your question wasn’t so goodso He’s going to
give you anotherquestion that really is goodthat you need to think about.
Other times, when Jesus is askeda question, He answers by not answering
your question but saying something else that only looks tangentially relatedto
what you have just asked. Butwatch
how Jesus answersquestions because the way that He answers questions
always
points you to the truth that He thinks that you need to know.
And if He thinks you need to know it, you need to know it.
So look at what Jesus says in response to Peter’s question.
“Who then is the faithful and wise manager?”
Okay, He’s going to tell you who it is who’s ready.
So if Jesus is going to tell you now what it means to be ready, we ought
to be all ears.
Who is the one who’s ready?

Here’s what He says. He’s the
one who does what?
He’s the one, when the householder
goes away, he gives to the household their food at the proper time.
Now you understand that’s an answerto Peter’s question.
Jesus is saying to Peter, “Peter, I’m going to go away, and in the hands
of you disciples I’m going to leave My sheep.
And while I’m away, here’s what I want you to do.
I want you to feed My sheep.
I want you to feed them the Word of God.
I want you to give them the means of grace.
I want you to care for their souls.
I don’t want you to use them; I want you to serve them.
I want you to always be thinking about them.
I always want you to be thinking about their spiritual wellbeing.
I don’t want you to get rich off of them.
I don’t want you to take advantage of them.
I want you to live your life in such a way that you’re feeding them,
you’re shepherding them, you’re serving them, you are looking out for their
wellbeing. That’s what it means for
you, Peter, to be ready.”

And you see, the application of that comes home very, very directly to all
those
of us who are pastors and elders especiallybecause that’s what we’re calledto
do. We’re called all the time,
whether we are fulltime pastors or whether we are elders who have other
mouths
to feed and other jobs to work and other concerns to take care of — we may
be
doctors or we may be schoolteachers orwe may work for the city or the state
or
the county or we may be in business or real-estate — but whatever we are, as
elders and pastors, as teaching elders and ruling elders, we must live in such a
way that it is a prime concernto seek the wellbeing of this flock in our lives.
Congregation, youcan pray for your pastors and elders that we do this,
that we live in such a way that our prime concernis that this flock will be fed
and takencare of, nourished with the Word of God, protectedfrom wolves
that
would come in and seek to pick off the sheep, seeking outthe wellbeing of
people who are lonely and isolated, who need help and encouragementin the
trials and tribulations of life, that is to be job one for us.
And Jesus very clearly in this passagesays,“WhenI come, the way that the
servant fares that I’ve left to take care of My flock, will depend on how good a
job he’s done.” And He uses very

strong, striking language.
But you know it’s not different from language that’s used elsewhere inthe
New
Testament, is it? Turn with me to
the book of Hebrews to chapter 13.
In Hebrews chapter13, and if you’re looking at the ESV, this is literally the
last page of Hebrews in your edition of the New Testament.
Hebrews 13 verse 17 — the author of Hebrews is giving an exhortation to
the congregationto obey your leaders and to submit to those whom the Lord
has
put over you, and then he says these words – Hebrews 13:17 — “for they are
keeping watchover your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”
In other words, the author of Hebrews is saying, on the last day, those
pastors and elders are going to stand hand in hand before the judgment
throne of
God and they will give an accountas to whether they have lived their lives in
such a way that it was their prime concernthat the flock of Godwas fed the
Word of God, was protectedfrom spiritual wolves, was servedin their hour of
need, was shepherdedin their spiritual life.
And that’s something, elders, that we need to bear in mind all the time.
There will be a day when we will give an accountfor this flock, and we
want to live in such a way that no matter when Jesus comes, we are doing
what He

told us to do – we are serving this flock the Word of God, we’re shepherding
and
encouraging, we’re guiding and protecting, we’re doing the things that He
said
for us to do.
II. Warning to the people.
But this passage is not just for the disciples and it’s not just for pastors and
elders. It is for all of us, and you
see that at the very end of the passage.
Look at verse 48. Half way
through verse 48 Jesus says this, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him
much
will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will
demand the
more.” Jesus is establishing a
principle there and now we see why He didn’t answerPeter’s question
directly
because Jesuswas both speaking to the disciples and for all.
In other words, He had a specific messagein these stories for His
disciples and all those other pastor/elders who were going to be given the
charge to shepherd the flock of God.

And that messagewas — I want you to be ready, and this is the way I want
you to
be ready — feed My sheep; make sure they get the pure milk of the Word;
make
sure they are fed with the rich meat of the Word of God; protect them from
the
wolves;shepherd their souls; while the world is only caring about what they
can
get out of those sheep, you be concernedto serve those sheepand to help those
sheepand to build them up and encourage them in their time of need.
That’s what Jesus was saying to the disciples.
That’s what Jesus was saying to pastors and elders, but He was also
speaking for us all. And the “forus
all” is this — “to whom much is given, much is required.”
Now how then are we all to be ready like Jesus says in this passage?
Well, it is very, very clearhow that is to be done.
It is by not looking out for ourselves, but by being concernedfor the
wellbeing of one another. Notice how
He describes the bad servant in this passage.
Look at verse 45 — My master is delayed; he starts to beatthe other
servants;he starts to eat and drink; he hogs the food; he hogs the wine to
himself to the point that he gets fat and drunk — and what does Jesus say?
The master’s going to come when that servant’s not expecting it and he’s

going to “cut him to pieces.”
So what are we calledto do?
We are called, in the localcongregation,
to live a life of self-renouncing love towards one another.
We are to be self-giving towards one another.
Yes, we’re to love our neighbors and that includes everyone – believers
and unbelievers alike — but especiallyin the context of the congregation, we
are to live a life of others-serving, self-renouncing love.
Now, let me just pause and say, in specific application to our communicants –
our communicants, some of you are very young, early teenagers,students;you
made a professionof faith and you’ve communed in this church for the first
time
only a few months or years ago — Jesus calls us to be ready, not by what we
say,
not by what we saywe believe, but by what we do.
Listen to the language that Jesus uses in this passage.
Verse 47, He’s speaking of a servant who knew his master’s will but
didn’t do it. Listen to what He says
— “He did not get ready,” verse 47 “oract according to his will.”

Do you see what Jesus is saying?
What’s going to be the basis on
which we are judged when the Lord comes?
Did we do what He said?
Did we do what He said? It’s
exactly the language you get in the GreatCommission.
Turn with me to Matthew chapter 28.
Mostof you know this passageby heart, but just look at Jesus’words there.
As He tells His disciples how to make disciples, He says this — verse 20
— “teaching them,” Matthew 28 verse 20 “teaching them to observe all that I
have
commanded you.” Now notice, He
doesn’t say, “Teachthem to know all that I have commanded you; teachthem
to
memorize all that I have commanded you,” but what?
“Teachthem
to do what I have commanded
you; teachthem to live out the things that have commanded you; teachthem
to
observe all that I have commanded you.”

And so who are the people who are
faithful servants in the localcongregation?
They’re the people who
are doing what Jesus told them to do.
They are actually living out in their lives His command.
And in this passageit is especiallynot living for yourself but living
for one another’s wellbeing in the flock so that we’re looking out for one
another.
Now young people, that is a huge, huge challenge, because you’re thinking
about
all sorts of things. You’re thinking
about not being thought of as a nerd.
You’re thinking about having the right friends.
You’re thinking about doing well in school.
Maybe you’re thinking about being popular.
But are you, young people who have professedfaith in Jesus Christ, are
you living in such a way that you are actually showing love to one another, or
are you just thinking about yourself?
Do you ever sit around and think about, “You know, there’s somebody in my
own youth group who is incredibly lonely.
How am I ministering to him?
How am I serving her?” Or

congregationat large — you’re so happy and satisfiedbecause you’ve gota
group
of goodfriends that love you and they love Jesus and you come to church
every
Sunday and it’s greatto see them and you getto see them sometimes during
the
week but you’re not thinking about people with great, greatproblems and
great,
greatobstacles andgreat, greatloneliness in this very congregation.
Jesus says, “WhenI come, faithful servants are going to be ready.
And the way that they’re ready is they’re going to be living lives that
are all about serving one another, looking out for one another.”
Self-renouncing love, other-focusedservice — that’s liberty, that’s
freedom. A life of self-renouncing
love – that is liberty. Do we live
life like that or is our life filled up with a lot of other stuff?
So I ask you again, how’s it going for you?
Or here’s how I really wanted to start the sermonoff today.
I wanted to say, I wanted to call this sermon“Are You Ready?”
(laughter) Now usually when
you hear those words you hear them through a megaphone and you are
thinking

about other things! But that’s
actually a greatillustration!
Here’s what I want to challenge you.
Every time you hear those words for the restof your life, “Are you ready?”
you
hear Jesus asking youa question — “Are you ready for Me to come?
Are you living so that when I come I find you encouraging one another,
loving one another, serving one another, helping one another, making sure
that
we’re not just living for the weekendbut that we’re living for the Lord,
encouraging one another that there is more to this life than food and clothing
and houses and wealth and prominence and position and fame and all this
other
stuff that clutters up our life?”
Life is about knowing Christ and sharing Christ and seeing people grow in
grace
and being built up from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and
seeing
people come to faith in Christ and seeing people that didn’t have a people now
have a family. You know, our Women
in the Church are celebrating a theme this year of our congregationas a
family.
Well this is how a family lives.

It cares about one another.
It doesn’t just think about the individual.
And so I ask you — are you ready? If
Jesus says to you, “Are you ready?
Are you living like you’re ready for Me to come again?” — every one of us
needs
to ask that question. By God’s
grace, may He enable us to answerit with integrity, “Yes, Lord, we’re living
to
serve You. We’re living to serve
Your flock. We’re living to serve
Your Gospel.” But if you can answer
it that way you can only answerit that way by grace becauseby nature we’re
selfish. By nature we’re thinking
about ourselves. It’s only the grace
of the Gospelthat can liberate you to live for other people.
May He help you do that.
Let’s pray.
Lord, thank You for Your Word.

Thank You for this flock. I
thank You for so many people who do show this kind of love in our very
midst.
It moves me to tears sometimes to see these people love one another, but
we know we have a long way to go.
We’re selfish by nature, we’re sinful to the core, we’re insecure, we’re
prideful, we’re fixed on our own agendas, we miss the big picture all the time,
and we so need to hear these words from Jesus — “Are you ready?
Are you ready for Me to come?
Are you doing what I left you here to do?
Are you serving My people?
Are you obeying My will?” Lord,
speak to us, deeply into our hearts today.
We want to be, we want to be servants, like the goodservants who are
going to be blessedwho are describedin this passage.
And so we ask You for forgiveness andwe ask You for grace.
And we ask that, by the Spirit, You would work the Gospelso deep into
our heart that the Gospelchanges our lives and changes our priorities and
changes our attitudes and changes the way that we live towards one another
so
that we are a constantly Christ-serving, other-focused, body of believers, a
true family, bent on doing one thing — the will of the One who savedus.
Do this Lord. And we know

Lord that if You do it, it will be an absolute manifestationof Your reality and
Your grace and Your power. We ask
this in Jesus’name. Amen.
Now take your hymnals and turn with me to number 567.
This is a prayer and it’s also sort of a self-exhortationfor us to do
exactly what Jesus is talking about in this passage.
Let’s sing it to God’s praise.
Receive now a blessing from the One who promises to bless the faithful
servant
when He comes. Grace,mercy, and
peace to you from God our Fatherand the Lord Jesus the Christ.
Amen.
DON FORTNER
“CHRIST WILL GIRD HIMSELF AND SERVE US!”
Text: Luke 12:35-40
Subject: Waiting for the Savior

Date: Sunday Evening—November3, 2002
Tape # X-29a
Readings: Larry Brown & Bobbie Estes
Introduction:
“When He calls us home to heaven,
At His table we’ll sit down.
Christ will gird Himself and serve us
With sweetmanna all around!”
“Christ will gird Himself and serve us”—Canthat be true? Indeed it is!
“CHRIST WILL GIRD HIMSELF AND SERVE US!” That is the title of my

message. Justroll that thought around in your heart.—“Christwill gird
himself and serve us!” That is what he has promised in Luke 12:37.
The Lord Jesus has just told us, “Where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also” (v. 34). He has been urging us to set our hearts upon eternity, to
setour hearts upon things above, to seek the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, notthe perishing things clay. He assures us that our Fatherin
heaven knows and will supply all our needs, that it is our Father’s good
pleasure to give us the kingdom. Then, he tells us plainly, “Where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Thatis the backdropfor our text
(Luke 12:35-40). Our Lord is continuing with the same theme. His objectis to
setour hearts on heaven.
Proposition:In this passage,our greatSaviorturns our hearts and minds
heavenwardby telling us what we may rightfully expect in eternity, when our
Father gives us his kingdom.
(Luke 12:35-40) "Letyour loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
(36) And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will
return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open
unto him immediately. (37)Blessedare those servants, whom the lord when he
cometh shall find watching:verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself,

and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. (38)
And if he shall come in the secondwatch, or come in the third watch, and find
them so, blessedare those servants. (39)And this know, that if the goodman of
the house had knownwhat hour the thief would come, he would have
watched, and not have suffered his house to be brokenthrough. (40) Be ye
therefore ready also:for the Sonof man comethat an hour when ye think
not."
These are needful, instructive lessons. MayGodthe Holy Spirit graciously
inscribe them upon our hearts.
I. CHRIST IS OUR MASTER, AND WE ARE HIS SERVANTS (vv. 35-36).
That is true of us all. Like it or not the Son of God is your Lord and Master.
Sooneror later you will bow to him and acknowledgehim as such. But he is
your Lord and mine. And we are his servants. We may be loyal, faithful,
obedient servants, or rebellious servants;but we are his servants. As such, it is
our responsibility to serve him. In verses 35 and 36 he admonishes us to serve
him.

I am calling for you who are yet rebels to our Masterto ceasefrom your
rebellion and bow to Christ’s dominion. And I am calling for you who are his,
as I call for my own soul, to everbe dressedand ready for the Master.
(Luke 12:35-36) "Letyour loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
(36) And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will
return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open
unto him immediately."
The New International Version reads—"35Bedressedreadyfor service and
keepyour lamps burning, 36like men waiting for their masterto return from
a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks theycan immediately
open the door for him.
The Amplified Version gives this translation—35”Keepyour loins girded and
your lamps burning, 36And be like men who are waiting for their masterto
return home from the marriage feast, so that when he returns from the
wedding and comes and knocks, theymay open to him immediately.”

In these two verses our Lord tells us how we are to serve him.
A. If we would serve the Lord, we must wearthe dress of his servants.—We
must be dressed.
When our Lord says, “Let your loins be girded about,” the words might be
translated, “Be dressedand ready for service.” The only way we can be
dressedfor God is to be dressedby God with the garments of salvation, the
righteousness ofChrist imputed to us.—We must be dressedby God. Yet, we
must dress ourselves.—OnlyGodcan give us the righteousness ofChrist. Yet,
we must put on Christ by faith.
(Ecclesiastes 9:8) "Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no
ointment."

(Isaiah 52:1) "Awake,awake;put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy
beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforththere shall no
more come into thee the uncircumcisedand the unclean."
(Isaiah 61:10) "I will greatlyrejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in
my God; for he hath clothedme with the garments of salvation, he hath
coveredme with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom deckethhimself
with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."
(Zechariah 3:1-5) "And he showedme Joshua the high priest standing before
the angelof the LORD, and Satanstanding at his right hand to resist him. (2)
And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan;even the
LORD that hath chosenJerusalemrebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked
out of the fire? (3) Now Joshua was clothedwith filthy garments, and stood
before the angel. (4) And he answeredand spake unto those that stoodbefore
him, saying, Take awaythe filthy garments from him. And unto him he said,
Behold, I have causedthine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee
with change of raiment. (5) And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his
head. So they seta fair mitre upon his head, and clothedhim with garments.
And the angel of the LORD stood by."

(Luke 16:22) "And it came to pass, that the beggardied, and was carried by
the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried."
B. As the servants of Christ, we are here called to a state of constant
readiness.
(Luke 12:35) "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;"
1. Our loins must be girded about. We are not left to guess what this means.
The Scriptures tell us plainly how our loins are to be girded.
(Ephesians 6:14) "Standtherefore, having your loins girt about with truth,
and having on the breastplate of righteousness."

(1 Peter1:13) "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope
to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelationof
Jesus Christ."
All God’s people were the girdle of truth, finding strength in the gospel,
holding it fast unto the end. We gird up the loins of our minds with grace,
pure, free, sovereigngrace, looking to Christ alone for all things. Our Lord
appears to be pointing us back to Exodus 12 and the first passoverfeast. What
a picture of faith that was.
(Exodus 12:11) "And thus shall ye eatit; with your loins girded, your shoes
on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste:it is the
LORD'S passover."
2. Having our loins girded with the gospel, our Masterhere tells us that we
must ever have our lights burning.

The word “lights” refers to portable lights, lights that are carried in our
hands. It refers to our professionof faith in Christ. Our Lord’s instruction
here is a condensedform of his instruction in the parable of the ten virgins.
He is saying, make certain that you have in your lamp the oil of life, the oil of
grace, the Holy Spirit.—A professionof faith without the possessionofgrace
is as useless as a lamp without oil.
“The allusion is to persons waiting at a wedding in the night, with torches and
flambeaus in their hands.”—JohnGill
The first thing, then, is this—Christ is our Master, and we are his servants.
We are responsible to be his faithful servants. You and I who profess faith in
him profess to be his servants. Let us make certainthat his righteousnessand
grace are ours. Here’s the secondthing I want you to see…
II. THOUGH OUR MASTER HAS LEFT US HERE FOR A WHILE TO
SERVE HIM, HE IS COMING AGAIN (V. 36).

(Luke 12:36) "And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when
he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they
may open unto him immediately."
We are servants in waiting. The Lord Jesus, as the greatBridegroomof his
Church, has gone out to glory to prepare a place for his Bride, to make ready
all things for the greatMarriage Supper of the Lamb. Soon, he will return
from the wedding (from those final preparations for the nuptial feast, to take
his Bride unto himself.
He calls for us as his servants to be in a state of constantexpectation, looking
for our Master’s glorious appearing, and doing everything with an eye to that
greatday when he shall come knocking atthe door.—Whenthe Son of God
comes knocking, letus ever be ready to open the door immediately.
· Knocking in Visitations of Grace by His Word and by His Spirit.

· Knocking in The Hour of Deathby His Providence.
· Knocking in His Glorious SecondAdvent by the Trump of God.
When Christ has, by the preaching of the Gospel, and the power of his grace,
espousedall his electunto himself, he will descendfrom heaven, and take his
Bride to himself. We shall then be calledto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb,
and enter with him into the nuptial chamber, and be forever with him. He will
bring us into his banqueting house and hang the banner of his love over us!
III. Be sure you get this, third, fact. Get it. Remember it. Don’t forgetit. And
laugh at any pretence by any man that contradicts it.—NO ONE KNOWS,
OR CAN KNOW, WHEN THE MASTER SHALL RETURN (vv. 38-40).
(Luke 12:38-40) "And if he shall come in the secondwatch, or come in the
third watch, and find them so, blessedare those servants. (39) And this know,
that if the goodman of the house had knownwhat 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."

· Christ is coming (Rev. 1:7).
· He will appearas a thief in the night, at a time when no one expects him.
· Therefore, we are to be constantly watching for him, serving him on the
tiptoe of faith.
(1 Thessalonians4:13-18) "ButI would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, evenso
them also which sleepin Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say
unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto
the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16)Forthe
Lord himself shall descendfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
(17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up togetherwith
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
(1 Corinthians 15:51-58) "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52)In a moment, in the twinkling of an

eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raisedincorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) Forthis corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (54) So when
this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put
on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death
is swallowedup in victory. (55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory? (56)The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
(57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. (58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord."
IV. Now, look at verse 37, and hang onto your seat. This is our Master’s
promise to every sinner washedin his blood, robed in the garments of
salvation, waiting on and watching for him—“CHRIST WILL GIRD
HIMSELF AND SERVE US!”
“When He calls us home to heaven,
At His table we’ll sit down.
Christ will gird Himself and serve us

With sweetmanna all around!”
(Luke 12:37) "Blessedare those servants, whom the lord when he cometh
shall find watching:verily I sayunto you, that he shall gird himself, and make
them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them."
NIV—37”Itwill be goodfor those servants whose masterfinds them watching
when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have
them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.”
AMP—37”Blessed(happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are those servants
whom the master finds awake andalert and watching when he comes. Truly I
say to you, he will gird himself and have them recline at table and will come
and serve them!”
I am sure that I don’t understand all that I know about what is here revealed
by our Master;but I’ll just tell you what I know and trust God the Holy Spirit
to give us understanding concerning it.

A. I know this—Believers are men and women who are waiting on, serving,
and looking for Christ our Master, our Lord and King, to return.
(Titus 2:11-14) "Forthe grace ofGod that bringeth salvationhath appeared
to all men, (12) Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; (13) Looking
for that blessedhope, and the glorious appearing of the greatGod and our
Saviour Jesus Christ; (14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeemus
from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works."
B. I know this, too—Whenthe Lord Jesus comes again, we shallbe blessed,
happy, joyful, delighted beyond imagination, so gloriously and fully blessed
that we shall forever be the envy of all the world that now despises us.
(Romans 8:18) "ForI reckonthat the sufferings of this presenttime are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealedin us."

(1 Corinthians 2:9) "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him."
(Ephesians 2:7) "That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches
of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
(1 John 3:1-2) "Behold, what manner of love the Fatherhath bestowedupon
us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knowethus
not, because it knew him not. (2) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
C. And I know this—The Lord Jesus Christ, our Master, our King, our
Savior, our God will cause us to recline, rest, and sit down at his table with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and will serve us in all the greatness ofhis glory.

What a statement! What an astounding prospect!What a mystery! I have
read of examples in history in which a Masterhighly honored his servants,
giving them greatgifts in appreciationfor their service, evenadopting them as
their children. But I have found no parallel to this in history. Never was there
a Masterwho servedhis servants!But our Masterhere declares that he shall
serve us in Glory Land!—He will serve us without measure or limitation,
delighting for us to have and enjoy all that he has, all that he enjoys, and all
that he is! There is no degree of honor, glory, happiness, and bliss that the
Lord Jesus Christ will withhold fro us in eternity.—“Christshall gird himself
and serve us!”
· He always has served us—As Our CovenantSurety!
· He served us while he was on the earth—As Our Divine Substitute!
(Luke 22:27) "Forwhether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that
serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that
serveth."

(John 13:4-5) "He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a
towel, and girded himself. (5) After that he poureth water into a basin, and
beganto washthe disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towelwherewith
he was girded."
· He is serving us now—As Our Advocate, King, and High Priest!
· He shall serve us forever!
(Luke 22:18) "ForI sayunto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until
the kingdom of God shall come."
(Isaiah 25:6) "And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all
people a feastof fat things, a feastof wines on the lees, offat things full of
marrow, of wines on the lees well refined."

(Revelation7:17) "Forthe Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed
them, and shall leadthem unto living fountains of waters:and God shall wipe
awayall tears from their eyes."
Christ is that Servant who refuses to go out free, who refuses to quit serving!
(1 Corinthians 15:24-28) "Thencometh the end, when he shall have delivered
up the kingdom to God, even the Father;when he shall have put down all rule
and all authority and power. (25) For he must reign, till he hath put all
enemies under his feet. (26) The lastenemy that shall be destroyed is death.
(27) Forhe hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are
put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things
under him. (28) And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the
Son also himself be subjectunto him that put all things under him, that God
may be all in all."
Then, and only then, will we begin to “comprehendwith all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and know the love of Christ that
passethknowledge, andbe filled with all the fulness of God!”

DevotionalHours with the Bible, Volume 5: Chapter 33 - Watchfulness
By J.R. Miller
Luke 12:35-48
Our Lord often taught the lessonof watchfulness. The duty is one which
cannot too frequently be impressed. We are all apt to grow negligent
concerning things which we do overand over, day after day, through many
years. We need to have our thoughts often calledto the duty of unceasing
watchfulness in service, instant readiness foranything that may come.
The lessonopens with a wise counsel:"Be dressedready for service and
keepyour lamps burning." These figures suggestreadiness forinstant and
intense action. The loose garments must be kept drawn up and tied, so that
without a moment's delay we may be ready for the march, and may not be
impeded in our journey. The lamps must be kept always burning, so that
wheneverthe Mastermay come, we shall be ready to rise and go with Him. A
characteristic phrase more than once reappearing in Paul's epistles is, "I am
ready." Every Christian should hold himself ready at a moment's notice to do
anything or go anywhere at the bidding of his Master.
Men looking for their absent master, waiting for his return--is the figure
used to illustrate the waiting of the Christian for his Lord. No promise of
Christ's was given more often, or repeatedmore impressively, than that He
will come again. The time of the return--is indefinite and unknown; but of the

fact that He will come--there is not the slightestdoubt. His coming is always
imminent--any hour He may come. These truths are presentedin the parable
we are now studying. The masteris away, and his servants are left in charge
of his house. When he will come back, tonight or a month hence, they do not
know. But they are so to conduct themselves that, at whatevermoment he may
return--they will not be confused, and he will not be disappointed.
It is high honor which the Mastershows to the servants whom He finds
faithful. "It will be goodfor those servants whose masterfinds them watching
when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have
them recline at the table and will come and wait on them." No honor could
ever be higher than this--that the mastershould bid his servants sit at the
table, while he himself takes the servant's place and waits on them. Yet this is
just what Jesus will do for His faithful ones, at the heavenly feast. He did it,
indeed, at the Last Supper, when He washedHis disciples'feet. He said also to
them, "I am among you--as he who serves" (Luke 22:27). We cannot
understand this--but we know that heavenholds for us surprises of
blessednessfarbeyond our highest dreams. The picture suggeststo us also--
the dignity and nobleness of service. We may think it menial and degrading to
serve--but in Christ's kingdom those who serve--are the highest. Love always
serves, and love is divine.
Christ soughtto make it very plain to His people--that the time of His
coming to them cannot be known. He may come in the secondwatch, or in the
third watch, or in the dawning of the morning. The value of this uncertainty
as a factor in life--is to press the duty of incessantwatchfulness."Ifthe good
man of the house had known in what hour the thief would come, he would
have watched, and not have left his house to be broken through." Of course.
But that is just what men cannot know--whenthe thief will come. Thieves do
not send, beforehand, a notice of the hour when they intend to break into a
man's house. They come when the master of the house is leastlikely to be

watching. So Christ will come as a thief in the night. This means that His
coming in the lastdays will be entirely unexpected and will be a surprise!
The greatlessonimpressedin this passage, is the duty of readiness for the
coming of Christ. While the words had specialreference to the greatand final
return of Christ to the world--the lessonapplies to every coming of Christ. We
never can foretell any future, even the nearestto us. We never know what
may happen in the next hour. We should so live--that any moment of our days
and nights we may be ready for any coming of Christ, ready for any duty that
may be most suddenly given to us; or ready to die if the callto go home should
come to us.
What does this mean? Forone thing, it means that we must be at peace
with God, reconciledto Him. It means that we must be faithfully following
Christ, doing our work day by day, hour by hour--as it is given to us. One who
is not saved--is not ready for Christ's coming. DEATH is a coming of Christ to
men, for it ends their probation and ushers them into the presence ofGod. No
one is prepared for death--who has not acceptedChrist as Savior, and is not
living in Him.
There is a beatitude in our lessonwhich we should take into our lives.
"Blessedis that servant whom the master finds so doing--when he returns."
"So doing"--how doing? Doing his work with fidelity. If a man went awayand
left a servantin charge ofa certain piece of work, fixing no time for his
returning, what should the servant do in the master's absence? Sitin the
doorwayand watchto see his return? That is not the kind of watching that
will please his master. He wants his servant to attend to the duties assigned
him--and desires to find him, on his return, not idly gazing out at the window-

-but busy at his work!The way to be ready for Christ's coming, whenever and
in whatever wayHe may come--is not to sit down in idleness and watch for
His appearance--butto keepat one's tasks with unceasing diligence, so that
when He comes He may find our work all finished!
Again and againis repeatedthe warning to those who are unfaithful. "The
master of that servantwill come on a day when he does not expecthim and at
an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assignhim a place
with the unbelievers!" There are severalthings said about this servant. For
one thing, he is unbelieving. "My masteris taking a long time in coming." As
a result of his unbelief he is unfaithful to his duties and to the trust reposedin
him. Then, besides unfaithfulness in duty, he is unjust to his fellow servants.
He becomes selfish, grasping, domineering, and cruel. Then in his own moral
habits he becomes debased. He is found eating, drinking, and drunken.
The punishment of the unfaithful and evil servant is statedclearly in the
last verses, "He will cut him to pieces and assignhim a place with the
unbelievers. That servant who knows his master's will and does not getready
or does not do what his masterwants will be beaten with many blows!"
It is a fearful thing to disregard life's solemnresponsibilities. We should
compare these two pictures--the faithful and the unfaithful servant--and know
positively which one of the two is our own portrait.
Back to J.R. Miller index.

JOHN GILL
Verse 35
Let your loins be girded about,.... With the girdle of truth, Ephesians 6:14
keeping close to the doctrines of the Gospel, abiding faithfully by them, even
unto death: the allusion is either to the eating of the first passover, Exodus
12:11 or rather to servants, who, in these easterncountries, wore long
garments; and therefore, when in business, used to gatherthem up, and gird
them about them, that they might perform their service with greaterstrength,
more ease, quickerdispatch, and less hinderance: the phrase denotes
readiness for business:
and your lights burning. The Vulgate Latin versionadds, "in your hands";
meaning torches that were held in the hand: and may designeither the
Scriptures of truth, which were to be a light or lamp unto them, guiding and
directing them in the ministration of the Gospel;or the lamps of profession,
which should be kept clearand bright, and goodworks, becoming them, that
should so shine before men, that all may see them, and glorify God. The
allusion is to persons waiting at a wedding in the night, with torches and
flambeaus in their hands.
Verse 36
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord,.... Who either was at
a wedding, or was the bridegroom himself; so be ye in a readiness, waiting for
the coming of Christ, the bridegroom of the church:
when he will return from the wedding, The Syriac versionrenders it, "from
the house of feasting";from any entertainment, or from the marriage feast, or
rather the marriage itself, to the bride chamber: so when Christ has, by the
preaching of the Gospel, and the powerof his grace, espousedall his elect, he
will descendfrom heaven, and take them to himself; they shall then be called

to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and enter with him into the nuptial
chamber, and be for everwith him:
that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately; and
let him in without any delay, as soonas ever he comes to the door; and at the
first knock, openit to him at once, having light, and being in a posture of
readiness, and in constantexpectationof him: so such who have believed in
Christ, and have been faithful to his cause and interest, and have held fastthe
professionof their faith without wavering, when Christ shall either come and
knock at their doors by death, or shall come to judgment, and sound the
alarm of it, they shall be ready to obey the summons with the greatest
cheerfulness, and meet him with the utmost pleasure.
Verse 37
Blessedare those servants whom the Lord,.... The Syriac, Arabic, and
Ethiopic versions read, "their Lord", the master of them, or the Lord Jesus
Christ:
when he comethshall find watching: for him, and not asleep. The Ethiopic
version reads, "so doing, and watching";girding up their loins, trimming
their lamps, and waiting for their Lord's coming: such servants are happy,
they will appearto be in the favour of their master, who will take notice of
them and show some marks of respectto them; as Christ will to all his good
and faithful servants, wheneverhe comes, whetherat death, or at judgment;
and who will be happy then, being found so doing, and found in him:
verily I say unto you that he shall gird himself; not that Christ shall really do
this, or appearin the form of a servant; but that he shall readily, cheerfully,
and at once introduce his servants into his joy, and make them partakers ofall
the glories ofthe other world:

and make them to sit down to meat; at his table in his kingdom; see Matthew
8:11
and will come forth and serve them; with food, yea, will feedthem himself,
and lead them to fountains of living water, Revelation7:17 The Arabic version
renders it, "he shall stand to minister unto them": the phrase is expressive of
the posture of a servant; who, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, is ‫,ךלוה‬ "walking",
and who goes round about the table, whilst others sitF20:some think there is
allusion in the words to a custom used at some feasts, particularly at the feasts
in honour of Saturn, in which servants changedclothes with their masters,
and satat their tables, and their masters served themF21.
Verse 38
And if he shall come in the secondwatch,.... Of the night, that is, after nine
o'clock, orany time betweennine or twelve;for the secondwatchwas from
nine o'clock till twelve; and this was coming early from an entertainment, or a
wedding, which were commonly kept in the night, and late;
or come in the third watch, or after twelve o'clock, orany time betweentwelve
and three; for the third watch was from twelve o'clock to three, which was
late; See Gill on Matthew 14:25 The Persic versionreads, "in the second, or
third part of the night"; and the Ethiopic version, "in the secondor third
hour of the night";
and find them so. The Arabic version adds, "doing";as above described, with
their loins girt, lights burning, and they watching for their Lord's coming:

blessedare those servants; since they shall be used and treated as before
related.
Verse 39
And this know,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "this only know";only take
notice of this one thing, and it may be of some use to direct you in your
conduct how to behave during the absence ofyour Lord, until the time he
shall come again:
that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come;
that is, if the owner, or masterof the house, whose the goods in the house are,
could by any means know what time of the night the thief would come to
break into his house, in order to plunder it, and carry off his goods:
he would have watched;either he himself in person, or he would have set a
watchabout his house, or in it:
and not have suffered his house to be broken through; either the door to be
broken up, or the wall to be dug through, but by a guard about it, or within it,
would have prevented such a design. And so in like manner, could it be known
in what time Christ would come, either to the destruction of Jerusalem, or at
death, or to judgment, every thoughtful, prudent man that should know it,
would be upon his guard, that he might not be surprised with it; and though
the precise time could not be known, yet inasmuch as the thing itself is certain,
it became all the servants of Christ to be watching for it; See Gill on Matthew
24:43.
Verse 40

Be ye therefore ready also,.... Nothabitually, but actually, in the exercise of
grace, and the discharge of duty, with loins girt, and lights burning. This may
be understood either of a readiness to meet the Lord in the way of his
judgments, and particularly the destruction of Jerusalem, which was to be in
a few years;or of a preparation for death, and the lastjudgment, which lies in
the righteousnessofChrist imputed, and his grace imparted: and to have a
comfortable view of the one, and a gracious experience ofthe other, as they
will engage to the performance of goodworks, to which such are ready; so
they make meet for the coming of Christ, be it in what way, and whensoeverit
will: and the rather, a concernshould be had for such a preparation, because
of the following reason,
for the son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not; in either of the above
ways;See Gill on Matthew 24:44.
LOWELL JOHNSON
READY OR NOT – HE'S COMING
Luke 12:35-40
In 1980, in the State of Washington, geologistintenselywatchedtheir
seismographs as everyindicator revealedthat Mount Saint Helen's, a nearby
volcanic mountain, was in danger of eruption. Some five miles north of Mount
Saint Helen's, on the edge of Spirit Lake, lived a very crusty old character
named Harry R. Truman, who had operated the Mount Saint Helen's lodge

for 52 years. (This is not Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United
States, who also lived during the same time.)
Rangers warnedHarry R. Truman to leave the area, telling him that the
volcano was about to erupt. He refused. His neighbors beggedhim to go with
them. His sister even calledand made her plea, but he ignored the warning
saying, “You couldn't pull me out with a mule team. That Mountain is a part
of Truman and Truman is part of that Mountain.”
On May 18, 1980, Harry Truman gotup, prepared his breakfast, and fed his
sixteen cats, as he did every morning. At 8:31 A.M., the mountain exploded
with a force 500 times greaterthan the nuclear bomb that leveled Hiroshima!
Everything was flattened within 150 square miles. A wall of mud and ash
some 50 feet high, buried Harry's cabin, his cats, and his body. He was 84
years old.
That's the tragic story of a man who refusedto listen to the warnings of what
was to come.
I wonder how many here are like Harry. You have a different name, you live
in a different place, you live in a different way, but you are ignoring the
warnings for your soul. Something is going to happen that you need to be
prepared for. The Lord Jesus is going to rapture or catch-awayHis saints.
The indicators all point to an event that is going to take place soon.
It is an absolute factthat the Bible clearly teaches thatour Lord is going to
return. Some 380 time in the New Testamentwe are told that Jesus is coming
again. That means that in the New Testamentone out of every 25 verses deals
with our Lord's return.

Luke tells us in Acts 1:11 that “this same Jesus, which is takenup from you
into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seenHim go into
Heaven.”
• I Thessalonians4:16
• We shall see the King some day!
In these six verses we have read together, three times it says, “WhenHe will
return,” – Luke 12:36;“when He cometh,” – Luke 12:36; “forthe Son of Man
cometh,” – Luke 12:40.
Note Luke 12:36: “Let your loins be girted about …” “and your light burning
…” Luke 12:36, “Waitfor the Lord;” Luke 12:37, “find watching;” Luke
12:40, “be ye ready.”
Four things I want to point out:
I. The Moment of His Coming
“When is Jesus coming?”
I don't know, (and neither do you); but look at Luke 12:38 “If He come in the
secondwatch… or the third watch” of the night. The Jews divided their night

into four watches ofthree hours each: 6:00 P.M. To 9:00 P.M.;9:00 P.M. To
12 midnight; 12 midnight to 3:00 A.M.; and 3:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M.
This is Luke's way of telling us, the time of His coming is unknown to us, but I
can tell you this, He's Coming!
But let me ask you a question, and I want you to be honest. I don't want a pre-
wired or “churchy” answer:How many of you really, really, really believe
Jesus is coming today! I didn't say how many of you think He Could come
today or Might come today, but how many of you think Jesus IS coming
today? The last part of Luke 12:40 says that it will be “atan hour when you
think not.” So, this would be a good day for Him to come.
Jesus wantedHis disciples to understand what God the Fatherhad planned.
• Jesus had come into the world according to God's plan.
• He would soongo to Jerusalemand die according to God's plan.
• Jesus would be raised from the dead and ascendback to Heaven according
to God's plan.
• According to God's plan, Jesus would save all who placedtheir faith in Him.
There is more. God plans to send His Son back to this earth one more time.
This is known as the SecondComing. It is going to happen~

II. The Manner of His Coming
There is a wealthof truth here, but the bottom line is: Jesus is saying, “Be
Rapture Ready.”
A. Stay Preparedand Readyand Faithful Luke 12:35
“Keepyour loins girded and your lights burning.”
Men in Jesus'day would “gird up their loins.” They wore long robes and they
would need to tuck the bottom of their robe in their belt so they would not trip
over their robe when they workedor had to run. The long robe was a
hindrance that would trip them up and slow them down.
“Your light burning” meant to always be prepared.
Notice in Luke 12:36 Jesus likenedHis return to a wedding – the Bridegroom
receiving His Bride with greatjoy. Forthe Lord, receiving His Bride will be
greatjoy. It will be the delight of His heart to receive His Bride unto Himself.
The more ready we are for His return, the greaterHis joy.
2 Corinthians 7:1

Luke 12:39 says the Bride is to be as watchful and prepared for the
Bridegroomas a homeownerwould be for a thief who would break into the
home. A thief comes unexpectedly and unannounced. Jesus is saying to be
ready for His return at all times. So, StayPrepared, Ready, and Faithful.
B. The Bible says His Coming will be Suddenly, Speedily, and Surprisingly.
First Corinthians 15:52 says His coming will be “in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye.” Notthe blinking of an eye, but the twinkling of the eye –
the amount of time it takes forthe eye to respond to light – and that's one
thousand times fasterthan the blinking of the eye. That's pretty fast, but it's
going to be fasterthan that. He said, “IN A MOMENT OF THE
TWINKLING OF AN EYE.”
Listen: It is our responsibility to keepourselves ready for His return.
Hebrews 10:37 says, “He shall come, and will not tarry.”
John writes in Revelation22:20:“Evenso, come, Lord Jesus!”
III. The Mystery of His Coming Luke 12:37
If that's not the most overwhelming thing in Scripture, it's certainly one of the
most. “He shall gird Himself … and serve them.”

I've never seenanything in God's Word more amazing than that. If it had
said, “WhenJesus comes, WE shallgird ourselves and WE shall serve HIM,”
that would have made absolute perfectsense. But that's not what it says. It
says, “WhenHe comes, HE shall gird Himself and serve US!” I don't even
know what that means! But I know this, when Jesus comes again, as we love
Him and honor Him, He is going to love and honor us back.
I stand amazed in the presence ofJesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean.
IV. The Mandate of His Coming
Jesus says we are to watch and be ready. To watch means to be ready so as
not to be takenby surprise.
Well, how canI be ready?
First, You Needto be Saved.
Aren't you glad you're saved?!
Savedby His power divine.
Savedto new life sublime.

Life now is sweetand my joy is complete,
For I'm Saved – Saved– Saved.
And if you’re not saved, you are not ready.
Second, Be Spirit Filled.
Being Spirit-filled means Jesus is in charge of your life.
Third, You Ought to be Serving Him.
Serve the Lord with gladness,
In all your works and ways.
PETER PETT
Verse 35
“Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning,”
The parable begins with a description of what is required of the Lord’s
servants. In modern terms we would say that they have to have their sleeves
rolled up and the lights switched on so that they can go about their tasks with

all their might. They have to be like those swotting up in the week before their
examinations, concentrating all their attention and effort on it.
‘Your loins girded.’ The long robes they wore hindered work, and so they had
to be gatheredup and tucked in their belts. ‘Your lamps burning.’ Their
lamps for which they were responsible all had to be continually refilled with
oil and their wicks tended so as to give off a bright flame. In a large household
this could be quite a task in itself.
Verses 35-38
The First Parable - The Servants in Readiness (12:35-38).
In this parable Jesus is dealing with the responsibility that all who claim to be
His servants have for the whole world (the lord’s house), although those who
originally heard it probably thought in terms of the people of Israel. The
emphasis is on the responsibility of those who are put in position of authority
by Him, whether high or low. The crowds and the Phariseesprobably in fact
saw in it just a pointer to the need to be faithful in serving God. (The beauty
of parables is that eachgathered from them the message appropriate for
them). But to the disciples He is indicating that eachis responsible for the
service that is committed to him or her in readiness for His return. All are to
be involved from the highest to the lowest.
Verses 35-40
What The Attitude Of His Disciples Should Be (12:35-40).
The parable that follows confirms that Jesus will have been previously laying
out the backgroundto them (we know so little of the much that He taught

them). He had certainly told them that He would die, and rise again(Luke
9:22; Luke 9:31; Luke 9:44; Luke 12:8 assumes it), and as Mark makes clear
it was a lessonrepeateda number of times (Mark 8:31; Mark 9:12; Mark
9:31; Mark 10:45. Note how the verbs demonstrate that it was constant
teaching). And we need not doubt that He had equally constantly repeatedto
them that He would return again (Luke 9:26). Furthermore every parable
that He gave, like the one that follows, was a reminder of these facts, for
without these facts such parables had a limited meaning.
So they had no real grounds for not appreciating what was to come. And
possibly in theory they had taken much of it in. But it was not as something
that was going to affectthem here and now. Forthey were innocently
complacent, and were totally shockedwhenit did happen. It was like theology
is to all too many. Something to be brought out at religious moments, but not
relevant to their daily lives.
Here Jesus seeksto make it relevant. ForHe portrays a situation when He will
have gone away, and urges them that when that happens it will be necessary
for them to remember that one day He will return unexpectedly. So these
parables, while having individual messagesto give, were also another way of
bringing home to them the fact of His impending departure. Their aim was to
make them continually think in terms of eternity (Luke 12:1-10)and to be
‘straight’ in their thinking, free from Satan’s attempts to keepthe world in
distortion and ignorance (Luke 13:10-17). Theyexplained why they should
live as he had calledon them to do (Luke 12:22-34).
The Parables ofthe Servants and the Thief, And The Warning Of His
Unexpected Coming.

The first parable is about an important man who goes to a friend’s wedding
feast, leaving his servants at home, so that they can keepall ready for his
return. And like all goodservants they are to awaithis return and are not to
sleepuntil he has returned. It is then followedby a parable about a thief who
comes when a householderis not expecting it.
Analysis.
a “Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning” (Luke 12:35).
b “And be you yourselves like to men looking for their lord, when he shall
return from the marriage feast, that, when he comes and knocks, they may
open to him straight away” (Luke 12:36).
c “Blessedare those servants, whom the lord when he comes will find
watching” (Luke 12:37 a).
d “Truly I sayto you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to
food, and will come and serve them” (Luke 12:37 b).
c “And if he shall come in the secondwatch, and if in the third, and find them
so, blessedare those servants” (Luke 12:38).
b “But know this, that if the master of the house had knownin what hour the
thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be
broken through” (Luke 12:39).

a “You be also ready, for in an hour that you think not the Sonof man comes”
(Luke 12:40).
Note that in ‘a’ they are to be working hard in readiness, and in the parallel
they are to be ready. In ‘b’ they should be watching for their lord, and in the
parallel the master of the house should have watchedfor burglars. In ‘c’ the
servants are blessedif they are found watching, and in the parallel the same
applies. In ‘d’, and centrally The Lord will rewardHis faithful servants at
Messiah’s table.
Verse 36
“And be you yourselves like to men looking for their lord, when he shall
return from the marriage feast, that, when he comes and knocks, they may
open to him straight away.”
And the servants themselves had to be like men who were waiting for the
return of their lord who could arrive at any moment. He had gone to a
marriage feast(which would be of uncertain length), but all must be ready for
his return, and when he did arrive and knock things had to be in such a state
of readiness that they could open the door immediately. The picture is one of
conscientiousness, bustle and preparation, and of all efforts being expended in
one direction only, readiness fortheir lord’s return so that everything was
perfect in the household when he came.
Verse 37
“Truly I sayto you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to food,
and will come and serve them.”

Indeed they will be so blessedthat they will receive far more than they could
ever have anticipated. It will become a specialServant’s Day. The lord himself
will tuck in his robes and sit them down at his table, and will himself come
and serve them.
It is one of the quirks of human nature that through the ages important men
have had ‘servants’days’ when preciselythis was done. For one short day (or
part of a day) the servants were satat table and the masters and their families
served them. (They then made up for it over the remainder of the year). In
this case it was to be a specialday as a rewardfor their hard work and
loyalty, and for their being ready. But this time it would be the Master
Himself Who would serve them. Once againJesus gets overthe point that the
greatestare those who serve. Menand women would expect Him to come in
order to sit at the head of the table and lord it over all. But even in His glory,
He would come as One Who had come to serve. Note that it is this act that
definitely identifies Whom the lord of the house represents, the greatServant
of the Lord.
Verse 38
“And if he shall come in the secondwatch, and if in the third, and find them
so, blessedare those servants.”
And they must be in a state of readiness wheneverhe returns, whether in the
secondwatchor the third. The Jews had three ‘watches’to the night (as
againstthe Romans with four), at which point guards would be changed, and
new sentries posted. And the night was thought of in terms of those three
periods of watching. Thus the idea is that they should be ready all night. (No
servant could go to bed until the lord had returned from the wedding feast).

Note the ‘second’and ‘third’. Compare Luke 13:32. It denotes the passageof
time to a final conclusion. It could be soonor it could be long. For the night
indicates the whole period of time until the consummation. While there is the
idea of imminence (they do not know when he will come)there is no thought
of his necessarysooncoming. It may wellnot be until the end of the third
watchjust before morning. Indeed it is a warning that His coming may not be
as soonas they expected.
And blessedwould be those servants who proved their loyalty and faithfulness
by being ready every watch of the night.
The Significance ofthe Parable.
Jesus mainly preachedHis parables openly before all, the crowds, the
disciples and the Pharisees, andthey had a messagefor all. That is why one
Gospelwriter can see a parable as directed at the one of these, while another
might see it as directed at another. Both are right. They were directed at all
three, but with a significant messagefor each, for while not all followedJesus
directly, all claimed to be serving God.
The main idea behind the parable is that of loyal service, hard work and
readiness. To many of His listeners who were not ‘in the know’, whether
Pharisee orof the generalcrowd, that is preciselywhat it would have
conveyed.
Its lessons couldtherefore be seenas follows:

1). To the crowds and the Pharisees itwould indicate that men and women
had to live in the light of God’s requirements. They had to live loyally and
industriously like servants waiting for their lord’s return from a wedding, not
an uncommon occurrence. In the Old Testamentthe favour or otherwise of
God was regularly connectedwith brides and bridegrooms (Isaiah 62:5;
Jeremiah7:34; Jeremiah 16:9; Jeremiah25:10; Jeremiah33:11; Joel2:16).
And the result would be that one day God would reward them in His day of
blessing. These were ideas ofwhich the Pharisees wouldheartily have
approved. Jesus probably hoped that some of them might even notice the
detail of the parable and come and ask about it.
2). Some may have gone further. They may also have thought in terms of the
coming of the Messiah. Godhad promised His Messiahand that one day He
would come. So they might have seenit as indicating that they must keepin
readiness for that event, and that then they would have their part in the
Messianic banquet. Many Phariseeswouldagree with this too. His parable
thus had very much a present application for the Phariseesand the crowds
even though they did not know of His secondcoming.
3). To those disciples who had been observant of Jesus teaching and knew that
He was the MessiahofGod, and that He was to die and rise again, it should
have meant more (it certainly would do later). They were intended to
recognise thatit was confirmation of the fact that He would be leaving them
but that He would then return. Thus it was not only an indication that they
must be diligent in service (and it was that) but it was also reminding them
that He must shortly leave them and that when He did go they must not cease
their work of proclaiming the Kingly Rule of God but must continue it
faithfully until His return whateverhappened. And they must do it without
restraint so that when He did return all would be in readiness.

They would also recognisethe symbolism of the night of waiting which
revealeda world in darkness, andthe permanent lights which represented the
witness of God’s people to the world which had to be kept shining. Compare
Luke 8:16; Luke 11:33-36 and see Luke 12:3 where what is in the dark will be
brought to the light of God.
4). But once the death and resurrectionhad takenplace the parable would
gather new meaning, againa meaning intended by Jesus Who at this time
fully knew the significance ofHis death and resurrection. Forthen all who
became His would know that Jesus had risen and been enthroned in Heaven,
and that one day in accordance withHis promises He would return. Thus they
would see that they had to labour diligently, ever ready for His return, and yet
at the same time recognise thatthey had no idea how long it would be before
He returned. (‘If he shall come in the secondwatch, and if in the third’). For
they would recognise that the end of the third watchindicated an unending
length of time, only limited by the consummation of which no man knew the
date, not even Jesus (Mark 13:32).
And for them too it would promise to those who were faithful and
hardworking, and who kept their light of witness and life shining brightly
(Luke 8:16; Luke 11:33-36;Matthew 5:16), that they would be blessedin that
day and sit down at His table and He would serve them. They would enjoy the
Messianic feast. Theywould enjoy the glory of Heaven. (Not for the Gentiles
any hang ups about the land. Their eyes were firmly fixed on Heaven). They
would drink wine with Him under His Father’s Kingly Rule (Luke 22:18;
Luke 22:30).
They would also note the fact that He would serve them. This emphasisedthe
fact that He Himself was the Servant of the Lord (Luke 3:22; Luke 9:35; Luke
22:27;Isaiah 53;Mark 10:45), and that to be in service was to be in the
highest position in the kingdom. By it He would revealHimself as their Lord.

For under the Kingly Rule of Godservice and humility are the evidences of
royalty (Luke 22:26-27). Sadlyit was the part of the parable that many forgot.
So far from this parable as given being irrelevant to the crowds it indicates
the genius of Jesus in containing a relevant messageforall, from which all
would benefit, a deepermessage forthose who would privately ask concerning
its truth, and a further messageforthose who would follow after.
Verse 39
The SecondParable - The Thief Breaking In (12:39).
“But know this, that if the master of the house had knownin what hour the
thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be
broken through.”
The secondillustration is of the arrival of a thief. No one knows when it will
happen, for if they did they would be in readiness and it would not happen.
‘Brokenthrough.’ The thief would enter a house by breaking through the
mud walls of a typical Palestinianhouse. Again the point is that the only hope
of avoiding it is to be in constant readiness. Buthere there is the added
thought that for this man who was not in readiness, the Son of Man’s arrival
will have the same unpleasantness as that which is experiencedby the advent
of a thief. The man has been caught out and the results will not be pleasant.
He is one who has not been keeping in mind the Lord’s coming at all.
This parable gives us the warning that we must not read too much into every
detail of parables. We are hardly to see a thief as a picture of Jesus in any
other way than because he comes unexpectedly, and because his coming is
unpleasant for the householderinvolved because he is not ready.

Verse 40
“You be also ready, for in an hour that you think not the Sonof man comes.”
The lessonofboth parables is then made clear. All are to be ready because the
Son of Man will come in the very hour that He is not expected. Many in the
crowdwould be thinking in terms of the coming Messiah. Others might have
gatheredthat Jesus was the Sonof Man and have been puzzled. They may
have related it to the wayin which He keptarriving and then departing. But
the disciples should have recognise that it had a deeper meaning, for they had
been informed of His soonDeparture and resurrection, while the early church
would apply it totally to the secondcoming.
JOHN STEVENSON
THE READINESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
LUKE 12:35-59
Have you ever had visitors drop by unexpectedly? Perhaps there were dirty
dishes in the kitchen or the laundry was out or the ironing board was in the
middle of the living room. In our household, when we know that visitors are
coming, it causesus to straightenup the house to a state of readiness.

The point that Jesus is going to make in this passageis that there are visitors
coming. Because ofthis, we are to live lives of readiness.
THE PARABLE OF THE WATCHFUL SLAVES
"Be dressedin readiness, and keepyour 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.
Blessedare those slaves whomthe master shall find on the alert when he
comes;truly I sayto you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them
recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 37 Whether he comes
in the secondwatch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessedare those
slaves. (Luke 12:35-38).
This passagebeginwith a command to be dressedin readiness. The
thundering diction of the King James Version is closerto the Greek text --
"Let your loins be girded about..."
Men in that day wore long, flowing robes. When they wanted to get some
work done, they would tuck these robes into a belt around their waistso that
they would not getin the way. Todaywe would say, "Let your sleevesbe
rolled up."

The Service of the Master:"...truly I sayto you, that he will gird himself to
serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them"
(Luke 12:37).
Notice what the master does on behalf of the faithful slaves. He takes the place
of a servant. The master takes on the clothing of the servant and has the
servant sit at the table and then the master waits on the servant. He has the
right to demand that we wait upon him and serve him. But he does not use
that right. Insteadhe becomes the servant.
Do you remember what Jesus did on the night of the Last Supper? He took
the role of a servant, washing the feetof the disciples. He was demonstrating
the role that He would soonbe playing on the cross as He washedawayour
sins.
Max Lucado calls you to imagine what it would be like if there is a knock at
your door tomorrow and you go to open it and severalmen are standing there
in business suits. They show you their identification cards indicating that they
are White House Staff.
They hand you an envelope. In it, written on expensive-looking stationaryis a
letter - an invitation. It is an invitation to dinner at the White House.
On the appointed day, a plane takes you to Washington. A limousine meets
you at the airport and takes you to the White House. There you are met by
more black suits and ushered into the presidential dining room. You sit in the
dining room amidst all of the splendor of the residence.
And then, in comes the president. He is just the way you have seenhim on
television(perhaps a bit shorter). The square jaw, the flashing eyes, the blue

suit, the apron. The apron. The president is wearing an apron and he begins
to serve you dinner.
Sounds a little far-fetched? The most exalted VIP in the nation serving a
meal? Not really. He says, "This is My body," as he breaks the bread.
You thought that is was just...
a ritual.
an observance.
a memorial of something that happened wayback then.
It is much more. It is a meal that He has with us. We serve a King who has put
on an apron. Think about that the next time you go to the Lord’s Table.
An Unexpected Return: "Whetherhe comes in the secondwatch, or even in
the third, and finds them so, blessedare those slaves" (Luke 12:38).
The Romans divided eachnight into four watches (The Jews divided them
into three watches, Judges 7:19). BothMatthew and Mark utilize the Roman
system (Matthew 14:25; Mark 13:35)and it is likely that Luke does the same.
The important point is that we do not know when Christ is going to return.
We are assuredthat it will take us by surprise. People who speculate onthe
nearness orremoteness of the date of His return are lessons onfutility. What
is important is that you always be ready. This brings us to the next parable.

THE PARABLE OF THE THIEF
"And be sure of this, that if the head of the house had knownat what hour the
thief was coming, he would not have allowedhis 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." (Luke 12:39-40).
This secondparable is directly related to the one that preceded it. Both of
these parables make a point of an unexpected visit.
Luke 12:35-38
Luke 12:39-40
Watchful slaves waiting for the coming of a Masterfrom the Wedding Feast
The watchful Head of the House waiting for the coming of the Thief
A Joyful Occasion
A Sorrowful Occasion
The slaves do not know exactly when the Masteris coming

The Head of the House does not know when the Thief is coming
Thieves do not make reservations or RSVP’s. The nature of the work of a
thief is that he gives no forewarning. If he did, then you would be ready with
the police.
The main point of this parable is the unexpectedness ofthe coming of the
Lord. He is going to come with the unexpectedness ofa thief in the night. This
assertionis repeated throughout the New Testament(Matthew 24:42-44;1
Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter3:10).
Our Lord’s Surprise Visits
By OswaldChambers
You also be ready… —Luke 12:40
A Christian worker’s greatestneedis a readiness to face Jesus Christ at any
and every turn. This is not easy, no matter what our experience has been. This
battle is not againstsin, difficulties, or circumstances,but againstbeing so
absorbedin our service to Jesus Christ that we are not ready to face Jesus
Himself at every turn. The greatestneedis not facing our beliefs or doctrines,
or even facing the question of whether or not we are of any use to Him, but
the need is to face Him.
Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we leastexpect
Him, and always in the most illogicalsituations. The only waya servant can

remain true to God is to be ready for the Lord’s surprise visits. This readiness
will not be brought about by service, but through intense spiritual reality,
expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This sense of expectationwill give our
life the attitude of childlike wonder He wants it to have. If we are going to be
ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious. In other words, we
must stop using religion as if it were some kind of a lofty lifestyle— we must
be spiritually real.
If you are avoiding the call of the religious thinking of today’s world, and
instead are “looking unto Jesus”(Hebrews 12:2), setting your heart on what
He wants, and thinking His thoughts, you will be consideredimpractical and a
daydreamer. But when He suddenly appears in the work of the heat of the
day, you will be the only one who is ready. You should trust no one, and even
ignore the finest saint on earth if he blocks your sight of Jesus Christ.
By OswaldChambers
Men Looking for Their Lord
By G. Campbell Morgan
Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; and be ye
yourselves like unto men looking for their Lord. Luke 12:35, 36
Every man has some conceptionof life as a whole, a conceptionwhich
affects all his attitudes and activities, even though at times unconsciouslyto
himself. This is illustrated by the different figures of which we make use when

speaking oflife as a whole. We liken it to a race, to a voyage, to a pilgrimage,
to a quest, to a warfare;and in every case a complete conceptionis presented
to the mind by the figure of speech. Under the figure of a race we think not
merely of the track along which men run, but of the goalwhich they desire to
reach. Under the figure of a voyage we think not merely of the seas whichmen
cross, but of the harbor which they fain would make. Under the figure of a
pilgrimage we think not merely of the pathway which winds through the
valleys and over the mountains, but of that city, the habitation which men fain
would reach. Under the figure of a quest we think not merely of the diligent
painstaking search, but of that glad hour when what is sought for is found.
Under the figure of a warfare we think not merely of the clashof conflict, but
of the crowning joy of the ultimate victory.
In every case,moreover, the ultimate is the inspiration of the immediate.
Men run in order to win. Men are careful concerning the navigation of their
passagein order that they may reachthe harbor. Men are earnestin their
prosecutionof the pilgrimage, that they may finally come to the city of their
desire. The diligence of the quest is inspired by the passionate desire to find
what is sought. All the earnestnessofthe conflict is born of the passionfor
victory.
Every man, I repeat, has some conceptionof life. He may not express it
figuratively; indeed he may never have formulated it for himself; perhaps he
has never talkedabout it, never thought of it, on the surface of his thinking;
and yet underneath that surface thinking he has some conceptionof what his
life means to him. To some men life would seemto be a day of business, the
goalof which is the amassing of wealth. To others life would seemto be one
constantopportunity for pleasure, the intervals being filled with strenuous
work in order to secure that pleasure. Whateverhis conceptionof life may be,
it determines the conduct of a man and affects all his relationships in this
world. Conduct based on conceptioncreates character, anda man will
conform in characterto what he makes his conceptionof life.

In this word of Jesus He reveals the true conceptionof life in the case of
those who have yielded themselves to Him. It is the Christian conception, that
is, the conceptionof the followerof the Christ, of whateverman has seenHis
beauty and heard His call, and responding to both, has passedunder His
direction, and shares in all the values of His redeeming work. According to
our Lord's teaching, that man becomes in all the activities of his life, in all his
relationships with his fellow men, in all the conduct of the passing days, a man
looking for his Lord.
This conceptionis altogethertoo largely lostsight of by Christian men
today. When Dr. Denney wrote his volume on the Thessalonianepistles he
said some things that are very worthy of consideration. He declared that the
bloom of beauty on apostolic Christianity was createdby the upward look, by
the factthat those early Christians did most certainly live, looking for the
Lord. He went further and declaredthat where that expectantattitude is lost,
the upward look abandoned, while there may remain very much of Christian
strength, that bloom is lost. I believe all that to be most true and most
important. Therefore I have turned this evening to this subject, and I shall ask
you to meditate with me the conceptionof life which our Lord suggests;the
attitudes of life which will result from such a conception, and the character
which response to the conceptionwill invariably produce.
First, then, what is this conceptionof life? Life becomes, according to this
view, a period the duration of which, long or short no man knows, a period
ending not with death but with the coming of the Lord Himself. According to
this view, in that moment when a man yields himself to the Lord Jesus Christ,
the boundaries of his life are changedfor him. The boundaries of life to the
man not yielded to the Christ are his birth and his death; that man looks back

through the years to the day of his birth, the day of beginning; and he looks on
speculatively, wonderingly, tremblingly toward the day of death; life is
bounded for him by the day of birth and the day of death. To the Christian
man the boundaries are altered. The boundary of his life begins with his first
meeting with Jesus. In the hour when the Lord comes to him, in the hour of
the Lord's first advent to his personal experience, life begins. The other
boundary is the moment when the Lord shall come to him again, gathering
him to be with Himself. All that is expressedby Paul in that one brief and
wonderful word, "To me to live is Christ." Those are the words of a man who
had lostcount of all except that in his life which was Christ-conditioned. He
said, in effect, after three and thirty years of personalcomradeship with the
Lord, Life beganfor me when Jesus apprehended me, "to me to live is
Christ," He is the origin of my life. Before that first meeting with Christ I had
other experiences, otherambitions, other values; but things that were gain I
count loss, I blot them out, I cancelthem; they are of no value. Life began for
me, said the apostle in effect, when above the brightness of the sun, the Lord
shone upon me and possessedmy life. What is the other boundary of life for
this man? According to his own writing in that same autobiographical
Chapter, it is the hour in which He shall fashion anew the body of our
humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of His glory. To all
Christian men life's boundaries have thus been changed. Said the same
apostle to the ThessalonianChristians, "Ye turned to God from idols"--such
was the beginning--"to serve the living and true God"--suchwas the process--
"and to wait for His Son from heaven"--suchis the consummation. The
coming of Jesus to the soul is the beginning of the Christian life, and it is to be
consummated by His coming again.
This means that the goalof the life of the individual Christian is always
out of sight. Finality is never reached, ambition is never fully realized in these
passing days. It means that all other hopes are subservientto this one glorious
hope of the coming of the Lord Himself, of looking into His face, ofbeing
changedinto His likeness.Thatis to be the hour of supreme, perfect
satisfactionin the experience of the Christian man. The man thus looking and
waiting for the Lord is willing that every other hope should not be realized if

but the interference shall be that of the glad hour of the Advent of the Master.
The man waiting for his Lord recognizedthe largerhope in all the smaller;
and the smaller hopes are forevermore conditioned by the larger. Every man
here is living in the expectationof some event towardwhich he is moving in
the ordinary course of things in his own life; looking for the day of
graduation, looking for the day when he shall commence the stern work of
life, looking for the day when after the process ofeffort he shall have arrived
at a place of power. Such hopes are the very inspirations of conduct. But the
Christian man, while having all such hopes, has as the supreme, the ultimate,
the profoundest hope, the coming of the Lord; and all these lesserhopes are
conditioned by that supreme hope. The truly Christian man will have no
desire in his heart to postpone the coming of the Lord that he may reachsome
other goal;he will be perfectly ready, willing, glad, to know that every other
goaltoward which he properly runs is lost, canceled, becausethe Lord
Himself will greethim.
This conceptionof life means that all fear is checked, corrected, hushed to
rest. The man who lives waiting for the coming of the Lord will know nothing
of panic in the midst of catastrophe, willknow nothing of despairin the hour
of apparent defeat. The glory of that certainAdvent of the King will
transfigure all the sackcloth, illuminate every hour of bereavement, irradiate
with glory every dark cloud that sweeps acrossthe life. The man who lives
forever waiting for the Lord, looking for Him, is the man in whom fear never
gains the mastery. Fearwill assailthe soul, for so are we fashioned; fear will
threaten the courage, forso are we made; but when fear arises, then the
upward look and the eagerexpectationwill check the fear and cancelit so that
the soulis againfilled with new courage.
Yet I pray you observe that the ideal is this: if the goalis out of sight and
finality cannever be reachedfor this man until he see his Master,
nevertheless, the goalreached, the hope realized, the fearforever ended, these
things are always close athand. In the midst of the most strenuous running

the goalis expectedimmediately. In the hour when fears threaten the soul,
hope is victorious because atonce the Lord may appear.
The Christian life is not a race the end of which is seen, nor a course of
probationary preparation the length of which is known. The end of the
Christian life to the Christian soul, according to the Lord's conception, is
always the next step.
"Menlooking for their Lord." This is a return to first principles, the life
dependent on the unseen. In the terms of the abiding values of the incarnation,
that is the true view of life, that it is forevermore linked to the unseen and
waits the disturbance of God. The life that is never disturbed is the life that is
always prepared to be disturbed. The life that is always disturbed is the life
that is seeking neverto be disturbed. When a man's life is poised toward
eternity and God; when a man understands that God has a plan for his life
and is leading, guiding him, and may at any moment change the direction,
thwart the purpose, recallthe order, issue new commands, then that man
finds profound peace and content, and with loins girt about, and lamps
trimmed and burning he is ready for the commanding word, undisturbed
because forever waiting to be disturbed. So in the terms and value of the
incarnation that masterprinciple of life is made real and personal to the
Christian soul. As the God Whom no man hath seenat any time came into
observationby the way of incarnation, so ere He passedfrom the earthly
scene He left this word with the sons of men: Expect Me again. I shall return,
I shall come againin My glory. Live as though expecting Me.
In the forty days betweenthe resurrectionand the ascensionour Lord
trained His disciples to this conception. Have you ever tried imaginatively to
enter into the experience ofthose men during those forty days? They never
knew where they would see Him next. Suddenly appearing in their midst, no
door opened, no bolt shot, no preparation made; but He was there with them.

Jesus was urging us to be watchful vol. 2

Jesus was urging us to be watchful vol. 2

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