Luke 12:35-59

Discussion Questions

• Faithful waiting and watchful readiness are marks of a true disciple of Jesus. What earthly things distract us and steal our focus? Even good things? Have we drifted into a state of spiritual sleepiness, or are we wide awake –living eagerly and expectantly, as if Jesus might come today?
• How do we cultivate a watchfulness of soul as we actively wait and work? How are we to order our lives so that we can both flourish here on earth and stay focused on eternity in this already-but-not-yet kingdom?
• Are we living out a sense of urgency to share the Gospel with those around us? Are we eager to talk about the endless joy that awaits those who look to Jesus? During the week ahead, how can we intentionally point people to Jesus and his glorious salvation on offer while there is still time?

Transcript

Grace to you this morning. I want to take just a moment to think, just to reflect a little bit, on that phrase that we just sang, “I will wait for You.” So much is packed into that phrase. It’s good to sing about waiting on the Lord. It’s good to remind one another; it’s critical in fact to remind one another, to wait on the Lord. But waiting can be so hard, can’t it? Some of you are waiting for a sense of God’s nearness in a dry season. Some of you are waiting to get the results of your test back from the doctor. Some of you have a joyful waiting, somewhere in those nine months waiting for the gift of a child to come. Some are waiting for a direction for your next step in life; career or student, school, marriage, relocating. Waiting can be painful in a broken world. But I love the way the psalmist wrote that “I will wait for You.”

The first two words, “I will,” actually, it’s an act of faith. It’s a commitment to trust the Lord both now and in the future. I’m going to trust in Him. Waiting is not idleness. Waiting is not wasted time. We actually work and we wait at the same time. So, “I will,” saying that out loud, is an act of faith. But the last part of the phrase is essential. I’m waiting for Him – for in His word, I rely, for His voice. Have you thought about it like that? Our faith is not blind. It’s all bound up in His character, His goodness, His sovereign rule. And we read about it in page after page in His Word, and story after story of faithfulness of men and women, boys and girls in this room here today whom God has been faithful to. That’s why we come to this book, to the Scriptures, to His Word every single week, to remind us of who He is. So that on Monday, we can wait, and we can work together. It prepares us for that. May our souls indeed be satisfied in His Word alone.

We do study through books of the Bible here at The Village Chapel. If you want a paper copy, we have some folks who are going to distribute them. Just lift up your hand real tall. It’d be good to have a copy of the text in front of you this morning. Or you can have it on your phone, of course, your iPad or whatever device you might have. Also, we want to welcome those who are worshiping with us online, wherever you might be. May the grace of our Lord be among you today. Well, we’re continuing our study in the gospel of Luke. I invite you to turn to Chapter 12, verse 35 with me. We’re about two-and-a-half to three years into the ministry of Jesus. He has turned His trajectory towards Jerusalem, and He’s only a few months away from laying down His life for sinners, such as you and me, on His cross.

And as He and His disciples, are making their way to Jerusalem, the crowds are growing. We read about that in Luke 12. At the beginning of Luke 12, thousands had begun to follow Jesus, and He’s teaching them about the nature of discipleship. What does a disciple of Jesus look like? What are the marks of someone who has turned to Jesus in faith? In our text today, I think Jesus makes it clear that faithful waiting is a fundamental part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. So, find comfort in that, brothers and sisters. I was reminded last week of a quote attributed to Martin Luther. I actually borrowed it for my sermon title. “There are two days on my calendar; this day and that day.” That day, the day that we are waiting for when our Lord returns with lasting peace and shalom. Don’t you want that? The end of disease, the end of anxiety, the end of war, the end of human trafficking, the end of death.

Of course, we are all eager to have that come, to have Him come; every heart longs for it. That day is coming, friends. Disciples of Jesus are a waiting people. We are one day closer to that day. If you believe that, say amen. One day closer. And if He tarries, tomorrow we’ll be one day closer. Let me pray for us as we open up His Word: Heavenly Father, we bow before Your presence this morning. Open Your word to us. We rely on it. And open us to Your Word. May Your Spirit be our teacher, and may Your glory be our supreme concern as we await the return of Your Son, in whose name we pray. We all said: Amen.

Chapter 12, verse 35: “Stay dressed for action and keep your 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.” There’s an eagerness there. 37, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will dress himself. The master will dress himself for service and have them recline at table. And he, the master, will come and serve them.” It’s extraordinary, the master serving the servant. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us? Look for a moment back at the beginning of 37. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” Blessed – “Makarios” – this is another be-attitude. It means happy, fortunate, the state of being blessed. That’s how He’s describing those servants who are waiting, who are eagerly waiting, for the master to come.

Verse 38, “If he [the master] comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!” And my translation has an exclamation point, especially blessed. What’s He saying here? Well, the Romans would actually break up their night watch into four different segments. And the Jews would break it up into three different segments. Late at night into the early morning. And He’s saying, “For those who are staying up in the second and in the third watch, blessed are you.” The ones who are staying awake thinking the master is taking a long time, at least based on my measurement, He says, “For those who stay awake even into those hours, blessed.” Verse 39, Jesus goes a different direction with a different parable, “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.”

Well, this is a prophetic word from Jesus. In fact, this whole sermon, I would call it prophetic. And when you read prophecies, sometimes He’s talking about a near fulfillment, something that would happen for them in their lifetime. Sometimes He’s talking about something that will come way into the future. And that’s what I think in the flow He’s talking about – when He comes fully to bring His kingdom, to eradicate evil in the world, disease, and anxiety, and war, and all of that. Now, there are a few things I think we learn about here. One, He’s coming. Two, He’s coming at a time we can’t expect. We don’t know. Matthew 24 actually tells us, Jesus says, the angels don’t know. The Son doesn’t know. But only the Father knows. There’s a mystery there. So, we’re not supposed to know. But number three, we’re to be ready. That’s the point He’s trying to make. He’s coming at a time we don’t know, but we are to be ready and eager and expectant and full of joy, I think.

Verse 41: “Peter said, [and he’s a spokesman here for the disciples] Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” Remember, there’s probably thousands who are listening in to this teaching. So. how’s Jesus going to respond to this question? Well, let’s listen in, verse 42. “And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.’” In other words, this master has set over the household, a servant, the manager, a steward, if you will, and he’s doing his work well. He’s caring for the property of the master. He’s caring for the people of the master’s household. But verse 44, “Truly I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. [45] But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful,” or the unbelievers some translations say. Hard word indeed.

What Jesus is showing us here in this story is a servant who has revealed himself to not love the master. He never did love the master. He’s putting him with the unbelievers by the way he’s treated the master and the way he’s treated the master’s people. This is a demonstration that he doesn’t love God and his neighbor. We see what Jesus says here at the end, verse 47: “And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a 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.” So here I think he’s answering Peter’s question a little bit more directly. Who are these teachings for? Everyone. But in particular, disciples: Peter, and perhaps even the listening crowd, the religious leaders who might be listening in, you have been given much. So, stay awake. Stay dressed for action. Be alert. Be watchful.

You can see the gravity of this message here. I should be syncing in with Peter and all those who are listening. Verse 49: “I came to cast fire on earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” Verse 49, there’s fire there. What does fire do? Well, in this sense, fire purifies the good metal, and it removes the dross. Jesus is looking forward to that day when all things are made new. And this baptism He’s talking – wasn’t Jesus already baptized? Of course He was, but that pointed forward and what Jesus is pointing forward to is the baptism on the cross. He’s distressed about it, and we’ll see that distress continue to grow. And we’ll see it most fully in Gethsemane. Verse 51: “Do you think I have come to give peace on earth? No. I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

We’ll come back to this section in just a few minutes, but what’s He talking about here? It’s a good Pentecostal back there. He’s talking about the cost of discipleship. You’ve changed your allegiance. You who are following Me. And there are those who have turned away from Me, who have refused My offer of salvation. So, there is a dividing line. Until that day, when He comes to restore Shalom and peace, there will be division. The gift of salvation; it’s on offer to everyone. And I think all of these parables are actually an invitation to receive that gift. Verse 54: “He also said to the crowds, [so now He’s expanded His audience] ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say it once “A shower is coming.” And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat,” and it happens.’” Put another way for us today: “You wake up in the morning and you look at your weather app and it says it’s going to rain, so you bring your umbrella.”

He’s saying something obvious here, and then he says, “You hypocrites.” You can do all these obvious things, but you hypocrites, you play actors, might be another way of translating this. You’re just simply playing at this discipleship thing. “You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” The lame are walking, the deaf are hearing, the blind are seeing, the dead are being raised to life. Don’t you see? Follow me. Verse 57, he changes the metaphor to a courtroom. “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” At one level, I think verse 57 to the end is good practical wisdom, but I think in the flow of Jesus’ teaching, this is actually something that has tremendous implications for eternity.

Judgment is coming, but it isn’t here yet, there is still time. Come to Me. Come to Me. It reminds me of that song we just sang, “Were You to account my sinful ways, how could I stand before Your throne?” That word “yet” is so important there. Yet full forgiveness is available, it meets my gaze, and I stand redeemed by grace alone. Jesus is making an offer of salvation; He’s giving a hard word in order that I may come to Him in repentance. Well, this is the reading of God’s word. Let’s say it together: “Thanks be to God.” Well, it can be easy, at least for me, to forget that Jesus fulfills three different offices: prophet, priest, and king. Of course, He’s the great high priest who intercedes for us, He’s the King of kings, all things are subject to the word of His power; but He’s also the great prophet. A prophet tells the truth, and He speaks truth with clarity to lethargic and hardened hearts. He says, “Return, wake up, stay alert, there’s still time! I’m the Way, the truth, and the life; there is no other. Turn to me!”

So, when we read a text like this, and I want to call it what it is – a hellfire and brimstone sermon from Jesus – we might scratch our head, or at least I could. Because we have this picture of Jesus as simply gentle and lowly, meek and mild. And Jesus does have those attributes, but He’s also exceedingly wise, and He knows when a hard word is required to break open, to pry open, to zip open, like Kim said before, a hardened heart. Jesus was about the business of saving lost people with a love and an urgency that I can learn from, you can learn from. He was about the business of waking up sleepy believers who had forgotten to whom they belong. Little flock, He called them in the last text. I love the way that DeWitt Talmadge says, it’s kind of a cheeky way of saying it, but he says, “There’s one song that you will sing every hour, your first 10 years in heaven, and the refrain of that song will be, ‘I am so glad God did not let me have it my own way.’” (Audience laughing) Amen. Jesus tells us the truth.

Do we want a doctor who simply tells us what we want to hear, and then lets us go on while our sickness remains untreated, or do we want a doctor who tells us the truth about our condition so that we might be well? These teachings, as I was studying them this week, reminded me of the Old Testament prophet Joel. If you’ve ever read Joel, almost all of it is about judgment, the coming judgment. In the middle of this strong warning, we read this in Joel chapter two. “For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome. Who can endure it?” And the answer is no one except by Jesus. “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, with mourning, and rend your hearts, not your garments.” I don’t want just your behavior change; I want your heart. “Return to the Lord God for he is gracious and he is merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” And Jesus, the greater prophet, says the same thing. The day of the Lord is coming when we least expect it.

There’s an urgency in the prophetic words of Jesus, rooted in His steadfast love for us, for you and for me. We’ll put up on a screen here a summary of what we learn, I think, from this teaching from Jesus. We won’t be able to cover all of these exhaustively, but they give us a roadmap to consider why this matters. Number one, I think we see the call of Jesus on this day. A watchful readiness, what I’m calling essentially personal holiness, a life transformed, centered on God and His Word. We see faithful stewardship on this day, love for others, genuine discipleship, a love for God. And then we see the promise of that day. An unmistakable arrival – He’s coming. Unexpected timing, we don’t know when, so we stay ready. An unmerited grace, and we see that today and we’ll see it visibly on that day.

So, the call of Jesus on this day… Look with me at verse 35: “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning. And be like men and women who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast so that [you might underline that] they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” At this point in the account of Luke, Jesus is primarily speaking to His close followers. The little flock, as I said earlier. But there’s also the secondary audience, thousands who are listening in. And Jesus essentially is saying, for those who are genuine followers, your posture of life, what marks you as my disciple, the character of someone who belongs to my kingdom, is someone who is in a state of readiness. On your tiptoes, eagerly expecting the arrival of the master.

Your life is no longer orbiting around the empty treasures that the world has on offer but centered on the master. Also notice if you look with me at verse 36, the servants are waiting, but their waiting is not idle. They are dressed for what? For action. They’re doing work. They’re keeping their lamps burning bright. They’ve actually prepared themselves to stay up late into the night, or to stay up early in the morning, ready for whatever timing the master has in mind. In the time of Jesus, servants in a wealthy home would have these long flowing robes. And when it was time to run or go to do some hard labor or to travel, they would pull up those robes just a little bit and tuck them into their belt so that they could have free use of their legs. That’s what it means to be dressed for action. They were prepared. They were ready to go, eager to get to work.

We contrast that though with the hypocrites in verse 56, those who are simply playing at this thing, who seem to be nibbling at the teachings of Jesus, interested in the blessings of the kingdom, but not the King. Did you notice at the end of almost all these parables, or all of them actually, there’s a reckoning, there’s a judgment? Or another way of saying that is, there’s a sifting, a testing of the genuineness of these servants’ hearts towards their master. This is a good tool for us as we read the Bible, anytime we come to the parables of Jesus, their purpose is for us to reflect, to pause, to think. Even Peter had a question. He was thinking about it. Where are you this morning? Does your life provide evidence, the order of your life, provide evidence of your love for and trust in Jesus? Does the promise of His coming again on that day give you a sense of holy urgency to get about the business of the master, to tell others of this good news? Where are you this morning? This kind of readiness is a summons to a watchfulness of soul.

That’s an old phrase from the Puritans, paying attention to the condition of your heart, considering your own motivations. Are they being shaped by the word of Christ? Thomas Brooks puts it this way, “Watchfulness includes a waking, a rousing up of the soul. It’s a continual, careful observing of our hearts in ways, in all the turnings of our lives, that we still keep close to God and His word.” Where are you this morning? So let me ask some real practical questions for the believers in this room and online. Are there patterns of indwelling sin that you’re simply ignoring or have grown calloused to? Sleepy even. Do you have a growing indifference to the things of God? Maybe you’ve lost an appetite for His Word. Has a spiritual laziness or lethargy set in? I want you to hear, I hope you hear, a word of grace from Jesus this morning.

Get dressed for action. Keep your lamps burning. In other words, it’s time to get out of bed. It’s time to wake up, alert and ready. My sister, in the morning she would always say, “Just five more minutes.” Just five more minutes, she was not a morning person. God bless her, she’s still not. Love her though. Don’t forget who you are, little flock. And to whom you belong. Also don’t hear this as a call to more religion, drudgery. This is not just a brake pedal. Stop doing this, stop doing that. There is a need for those things, but it’s a more beautiful invitation. Look with me at 37, we see a promise. Blessed, it’s a beatitude, happy even, “…is the one who knows the day is coming. And whose life and waiting is shaped with the anticipation of the master’s arrival.” Where are you this morning? It’s been said that the devil’s favorite word is tomorrow. I’ll really get serious about this stuff tomorrow. But hear the urgency in this parable. For sleepy believers, don’t put it off. Today is the day for waking up, for preparing your lamps, for killing your sin, for cultivating a sense, a fresh sense of love and devotion to the master.

Simple thing, ask the spirit to bring a revival to your sleepy heart. That’s what the psalmist do. Revive me again, the psalmist said. Try it this week. Ask the Spirit to wake up your heart if you’re sleepy. It’s a good place to start. And to bring some comfort to those hearts in this place that might be a little bit tender, if you sense conviction or a quickening of your heart by the Spirit, be encouraged. I actually think this is evidence of your Father’s love for you, that you belong to the kingdom. Good Father doesn’t leave us where we are, but He wants us to grow and to mature, to find our greatest satisfaction and content in Him. Our heart needs to rest in Him. J.I. Packer puts it this way, “Heart loyalty is the soil in which holy living grows.” So true. I want us to notice here that the most severe judgment in these parables, and I paused earlier as we read it, is reserved for that servant who revealed himself to be unfaithful and unwise as a steward of the master’s household. Did you notice that?

It’s a sober assessment of how far our neglect of genuine discipleship can lead simply to selfishness and a disregard of the dignity of others. Look with me at 45 again. I think it’s worth reading, “…but if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,” or maybe he’s not even coming at all. “…and he begins to beat the male and the female servants and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him in an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful” or unbelievers. So, the strongest judgment is reserved for those who, one, have become indifferent about the master and his arrival. Two, have fallen into patterns of selfishness. Their life revolves around themselves. And three, an utter disregard for others, the people that he was supposed to serve. That was his job. It was his role. It’s actually damaged to what I would consider our three primary relationships, to God, to ourselves, and to others.

We’re supposed to love God and love others as ourselves and all three of those relationships are damaged. It’s an affront to the highest call that God puts on all believers to love God and neighbor. What we believe about that day is directly connected to how we live in the kingdom this day. We should hear this as another call to examine ourselves. I think of Romans 2: 4. Paul says, “Don’t you know that my patience [my forbearance] is actually my kindness to you so that you might come back to me?” And I think that’s what we see here. Where are you today? This side of the cross we know what has been done for us through Jesus. He was the one who was wounded, who was beaten, for our sins, pierced for our iniquities. He was wounded so that we might be healed. Are you nibbling at the edges? Are you completely ignoring God as if He doesn’t matter?

Here’s an invitation this day, today, to walk in newness of life. I hope you hear that. Would you turn to Him? So, where’s all this going? That’s an important question. The promise of Jesus on that day. Where is history headed? And why does it even matter to me? I think we have much to learn from the prophetic words of Jesus. John Stott says, “History is not a random series of meaningless events. It’s rather a succession of periods and happenings which are under the sovereign rule of God, who is the God of history.” So, in the New Testament, as I was counting it, nearly 400 verses speak of the hope of heaven. 400. And by contrast, there are about 150 to 160 verses on hell, 30 to 40 about marriage. Now the number of mentions, that’s not the only benchmark we use for the gravity of a concept in the Bible, but it’s at least worth noting that the hope of His return is not a side point. It is the point. It is where history is headed. He is coming. Eternity, a longing, a desire that’s baked into every human heart.

Ecclesiastes tells us we were made for eternity in the garden. We were made for it, almost every fairy tale, almost every story and film, at least brushes up against the longings that will be met in the new heavens and the new Earth. And apparently, I was really into J.I. Packard this week. He said this, “Christians inherit, in fact, the destiny which fairy tales envisage in fancy: we (yes, you and I – the silly saved sinners) live, and live happily, and by God’s endless mercy will live happily ever after.” And don’t hear that as a trivializing of the truth. Don’t you see that this is what Jesus is doing when He’s piercing their hearts with this hard word for those who don’t believe, these sleepy believers?

We only know in part now, but for eternity, those who are in Christ will experience the end of all evil, of all suffering, all sorrow, blessed forever. And not only that, there’s more. All the good things of this world will be renewed. I love pizza. Pizza in the new Heavens and the new Earth is going to be even more glorious. The Alps are stunning to behold. The Rockies, the Smoky Mountains are stunning to behold. Can you imagine what they’re going to be like in the new Heavens and the new Earth? Often, we say in moments of great joy, whether we’re on vacation, on holiday, or wherever it might be, I never want this to stop. But it stops. In Heaven, we’ll be different. Endless joy is ours forevermore. It’s been said that hell is a monument to human freedom. In other words, an eternity without God is given to those who freely said no to the invitation of salvation in Christ, who willfully chose to turn away from God. And Jesus, the great prophet, priest, and king, calls out to say, “Yet even now, turn to Me. I come with an offer of grace and mercy and forgiveness. Come to Me”. There’s a mystery here that we can’t fully untangle. Some do turn away.

Look with me at verse 51, if you would. Jesus says, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember that text in my Flannelgraph Sunday School lessons growing up. Didn’t the angel say at His birth that peace was coming to the Earth, goodwill to men? Didn’t Isaiah call the Messiah the Prince of Peace? So, what is Jesus saying here? To His followers, He’s telling the truth. “The effect of my message, this side of eternity, will cause division. Your allegiances have changed, your value has changed, your trajectory has changed, your identity has changed, and the cost can be high. For those who turn to Him, sometimes it even costs us the most important relationships in our lives. Family would have been everything to them in the ancient Near East, the time of Jesus. And it is for us today, but even then, more.

We don’t quite get that in our Western ears. Their safety, their health, their provision, their financial stability, all of that was connected to their family. Jesus is addressing the cost of discipleship. And it can be difficult for us, but I encourage all of us to read at the Voice of Martyrs. Voice of the Martyrs, V-O-M.org. You actually can read stories today. We prayed about one of the places where the persecuted church is right now in Western Sahara. Actually, they know that this cost is all too real. I read a story this week that was talking about a family that was broken up. This cost is real. And Jesus is fleshing out what it means to stay ready, to keep your lamps burning, to stand firm in the face of tremendous cost, a cost we don’t really understand in the West. So much so that we wait for Him with an even deeper weight with true and lasting peace and shalom to come. He is coming. And for all those who have turned to Jesus, this should fill us again and again with renewed joy.

We know a few things with certainty from the Scriptures about His return. A, or one, He’s going to come unexpectedly. The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Personally, the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, not just angels. He’s not sending angels, He’s coming. Visibly, every eye will see Him. You can’t mistake him. Gloriously, we will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Nathan Knight, a pastor in DC said, “The hope of our salvation looks not only back to the cross, but also forward to the day we will worship a resurrected Savior in resurrected bodies on a resurrected earth.” What we believe about that day is directly connected to how we live in His kingdom today.

I mentioned there were roughly 400 verses in the New Testament that talk about the hope of Heaven. I just want us to go over a few of them here, just so we can see how central this truth is woven into the Christian life. First Thessalonians 1.9, “You turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” First Corinthians 1.7, “…you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen. Titus 2.12, “…live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us.” You see how that day is connected to this day. Philippians 3.20, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” According to these verses, we live out the Christian life as if He might return today. We should pray for that.

We tell others about the good news of Jesus by pointing them to the cross for forgiveness and pointing them forward to the hope of that day to come. All things new – who wouldn’t want that? The devil’s favorite word is tomorrow; it’s been said. For those who already believe, wake up today, sleepy believers. Whether you’re watching online or here in this room, wake up today, stay ready, wait for Him. Cultivate a heart that loves the master. For those who have yet to turn to Jesus in faith, there’s an offer of forgiveness and life today and blessings forever in the kingdom that is to come. What’s keeping you from turning to Him? You cannot endure the judgment that is to come. No one can, except through Jesus, who has come to make a way. We can be dressed in His righteousness. He’s the master who serves, who humbles Himself. Turn with me to verse 37, very briefly. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly I say to you, he [the master] will dress himself for service and have them recline a table. He [the master] will come and serve them.”

This is an astounding part of the parable that would have caught the original hearers off guard. The master of a wealthy household does not stoop to serve the servants. But here we see the Gospel in miniature. He came, body broken, blood shed, for you and for me. He came to serve out of His great love. Where are you today? Will you come to Him? Well, it’s the first Sunday of the month when we come to the Lord’s table. I love this Sunday. With gratitude, we remember what the Lord has done for us, our Lord and master. When we celebrate the Lord’s supper, we’re doing at least three things. One, we’re looking back to the cross, what He has done for us by laying down His life. Second, we pay attention to the present moment where the Holy Spirit and the mystery we don’t understand actually nurtures and strengthens His people. And third, we look forward to that day to come. We do all three of those when we come to the table.

We come down the side aisles, we take the cup and eat the bread and come down the center aisle. “On the night Jesus was betrayed,” 1 Corinthians tells us, he was at the table with disciples, just like our parable here. “Jesus took the bread and he broke it and he said, ‘This is my body given for you. Take and eat.’ Then he took the cup and he said, ‘This is my blood, the new covenant, eat in remembrance of me.’ And then do you remember what He said at the end? “For as often as you eat and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes on that day.” On that day.

In just a moment, we’re going to stand together. I don’t know where you are in your walk with the Lord, but there’s no reason for any person here to walk out of this place not knowing that grace and forgiveness as your own. It’s for all who recognize their need and turn to Him. He’s eager to forgive. I hope you heard that today. Would you pray with me? Holy Spirit, as we come to the table, we pray for Your enabling grace to cultivate in our hearts a deeper love for You. Keep us ready. Keep us waiting. For those who don’t know You, I pray You might stir their hearts that they would turn to You today in repentance and faith and joy, calling on Your name as Lord and Savior. Open all our eyes that we might see the wonders of the crucified and risen Christ. In His matchless name, we pray. Amen.

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs

“Grace Greater Than Our Sin“ by Julia H. Johnston
“O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing“ by Charles Wesley
“I Will Wait For You (Psalm 130)“ by Jordan Kauflin, Keith Getty, Matthew Merker, and Stuart Townend
“Christ The Sure And Steady Anchor“ by Matthew Boswell and Matthew Papa
“Hymn Of Heaven“ by Bill Johnson, Brian Johnson, Chris Davenport, and Phil Wickham
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

Call To Worship: Come, Let Worship

Come, let us worship God the Father, the maker of heaven and earth! Let us worship Jesus Christ, the resurrected King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Let us worship the Holy Spirit, the promised comforter and counselor! All glory and praise be to the one true God, now and forevermore, amen!

Confession:

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Classic Prayer: Charles Spurgeon, 1834-1892

Lord Jesus, take away everything that would hinder the closest communion with God. We ask you to remove any wish or desire that might hamper us in prayer. Take away right now any memory of either sorrow or care that keeps us from fixing our affection wholly on our God. What do we have to do with idols anymore? You have seen and observed us. You know where the difficulties lie. Help us against idolatry and may we come boldly, not merely into some holy place, but into the holiest place of all, your presence, where we would never dare to come if our great Lord had not torn the veil, sprinkled the mercy seat with his own blood and summoned us to enter.

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