Be Ready

Chapter 12, Luke, chapter 12.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

I've never been a fan of high-pressure sales.

Somebody who does high-pressure sales will tell you,

you know, you better buy it because if you don't,

it'll be gone and you'll miss it.

And I always tell them, well, it wasn't the Lord's will for me to have it.

That's the one reason why I hated the housing market

looking at Pickens County because it was, you like it?

Pay it to window right now, you know.

I mean, there was no thinking about it at all.

I remember specifically when we had the joint service weekend

with Griffin Ebenezer, we had a picnic on Saturday,

and I was at that picnic,

and I was trying to get somebody who was at that picnic

checking on a piece of property for me.

At the same time, I had a deadline to decide

whether to put a contract on another house by 3 o'clock.

I had a real estate agent who was texting me saying,

we're running out of time.

It was 1.30, and I was going to spend a fortune over here,

or I was going to be able to get, it was, I said, look,

I'm tapping out.

I'm done, you know.

I'm not doing this.

I'm not going to bite with that much pressure.

I just don't do well with high-pressure sales,

and I don't like it at church either.

I don't.

I realize it's my job to try to motivate folks

and my job to try to encourage folks

and even plead if necessary,

but I'm not into high pressure.

We need to give faithfully,

but I don't like talking about it.

Now, don't misunderstand me.

I will talk about it,

because God's given me that responsibility to do that,

but it's just a discipling method.

That's why I talk about it.

It's just part of discipleship.

If you're going to grow in the Lord,

you're going to give to the Lord,

you're going to trust the Lord.

When you realize that everything you have

has been given to you by God,

you realize it's a responsibility that you have

to honor Him with what you have,

and so you respond to that,

and we trust God with that.

We need to be faithful to be in church,

to be consistently walking with the Lord,

but I'm not going to hound you about it,

for one, because you're here.

You know, so the people I need to talk to aren't here,

so, you know, I'm not going to hound you about it.

I'm going to encourage you,

and I will remind you when needed.

I don't like high-pressure prophetic speakers,

those folks that have all the answers

about what tomorrow holds.

I personally believe that God purposely left out

a lot of the coming details,

that He left it out,

so that we can have faith and trust Him,

and that we don't need to fill in the gaps

that we don't know about,

although a lot of people do it.

I don't like when they ask people

to raise their hand while nobody's looking,

or to simply repeat a magical prayer.

If you'll just say these words,

that's not true.

You've got to commit your life.

However, I do believe that you need

to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus.

I do believe that I have a responsibility

to give you the opportunity to do that,

and instruct you in how to do that,

and I do believe that requires

a personal surrendering prayer to the Lord,

and I know that Christ is returning

to receive His own.

Now, I've said a lot about my style,

what I like,

but I want to be clear about something this morning.

Jesus, on several occasions,

including our passage today,

was clear,

was urgent,

and was warning.

He will return,

and we need to be ready.

Judgment is coming.

God has charged me

to preach the Word,

and like it or not,

Jesus clearly says,

be ready.

Let me show you.

It's in Luke chapter 12,

Luke 12 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 35,

and it says this,

stay dressed for action

and keep your lamps burning.

Be like men that 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.

Blessed are those servants

whom the master finds awake when he comes.

Truly, I say to you,

he will dress himself for service

and have them recline at table,

and he will come and serve them.

If he comes in the second watch

or in the third

and finds them awake,

blessed are 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 be broken into.

You also must be ready

for the Son of Man

is coming

at an hour

that you do not expect.

Peter said,

Lord, are you telling this parable

for us or for all?

Matthew Henry was a commentator

preacher and commentator

that wrote in the early 1700s,

and I love a comment

he put about this passage.

He said,

thank God for Peter.

He's always asking the questions,

you know,

and he does here.

And then Jesus goes on

to clear up the matter.

Who is he speaking to?

And notice how he answers this.

It says,

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 the 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 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.

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 for him

to whom they've entrusted much,

they will demand

the more.

I do want to remind you,

I didn't make up those words.

That's the words of Jesus.

And first I want you to see

the truths that we see here

about the return of the Lord.

What we know

about the return of the Lord.

I know it's a story

about a master coming home

after a wedding feast,

but it is really speaking

of how the Lord will return.

The themes he gives here

are recurring in scripture.

And we need to be clear

about three certainties,

all of us.

One is,

the return of the Lord

is certain.

It will happen.

It's not up for debate.

Jesus is coming again.

I want you to notice

what was,

what happened

as Christ ascended

into heaven.

Acts chapter 1

Acts 1 · chapter mention

tells us about

Christ ascending into heaven.

Notice what happens.

It says,

so when they had come together,

they asked,

Lord,

will you at this time

restore the kingdom to Israel?

And he said to them,

it's not for you to know

times or seasons

that the Father

has fixed by his own authority.

But you will receive power

when the Holy Spirit

has come upon you

and you'll be my witnesses

in Jerusalem

and Judea and Samaria

and to the end of the earth.

And by the way,

when you throw a rock

into a body of water

and watch it ripple out

like that,

when he says Jerusalem,

he's talking about right here,

Pickens,

if you live in this area,

that's our Jerusalem,

okay?

And then Judea

is that county.

And then Samaria

is, man,

taking in them other counties.

And the uttermost

is the rest of them.

We have a responsibility

to share the gospel

with those

that God has put

right here with us

and not just to stop there,

but to continue on.

And when he had said

these things,

as they were looking on,

he was lifted up

and a cloud

took him

out of sight.

And while they were

gazing into heaven,

he went,

as he went,

behold,

two men stood by him

in white robes

and he said,

Men of Galilee,

why do you stand here

looking into heaven?

This Jesus

who has taken you up

into heaven

will come in the same way

as you saw him

go into heaven.

His return

is certain.

The second certainty

that we need to understand

is this.

No one

on earth

knows

when he will return.

Nobody.

Don't care how big

their church is,

how big their ministry is,

what book they wrote.

Nobody knows.

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5:2–8

chapter 5

verse 2 through 8

says this.

Paul says to Timothy,

For you yourselves

are fully aware

that the day of the Lord

will come like a thief

in the night.

That whole talk

of thief in the night

means you don't know

when they're coming.

Unannounced.

Okay?

While people are saying

there is peace and security,

then suddenly destruction

will come upon them

as labor pains

come upon a pregnant woman

and they will not escape.

But you are not

in darkness, brothers,

for that day

to surprise you

like a thief.

For you are all

children of light,

children of the day.

We are not of the night

and of the darkness.

So then let us

not sleep

as others do,

but let us

keep awake

and sober.

For those who sleep

sleep at night

and those who get drunk

are drunk at night.

But since we belong

to the day,

let us be sober

having put on

the breastplate

of faith

and love

and for the helmet

of hope

of salvation.

The thief comment

speaks of the uncertainty

of the time.

It's not that we're trying

to bar the Lord

from returning

like I would a thief

coming in my home

at night.

It's not that.

We're not.

We couldn't bar him

from coming

if we wanted to.

We're not trying

to do that.

There's no need

to try that.

It is that we don't

know when he's coming

and so we are

on the lookout.

But we know

as believers

that he is coming.

Therefore,

we're not in the dark.

We're aware

and so we live

our lives in a way

that show we believe

that the Lord

could return

at any time.

No one on this earth

knows when he will return.

The third certainty

is this.

He's talking to us.

This is relevant to us.

Why?

Because he ain't

come back yet.

Hello?

It's relevant to us

because we need

to live in response

to that.

We need to be alert

and make sure

that we and ours

are ready.

He mentions

that some

in their waiting

for their master's

return got careless.

They did wrong.

They lived

in a riotous fashion.

It's very graphic

in the things

that they did.

How they treated

other people.

What they did

at night.

How they had

a lack of self-control.

They treated

others badly.

They lived

in a bad way.

Don't be like

one of those.

That's what he's saying.

Don't be like

those folks.

Let's live each day

as if it was our last.

You know why?

It might be.

Let's live each day

as if our last.

So how do we do that?

How do you prepare yourself?

One, be faithful.

The faithful

will be rewarded.

They'll be rewarded.

There are two terms

used in these passages.

One is for servant.

And that speaks

of all who come to Christ.

When we are saved,

we commit

to serve the Lord

as a bond servant.

As if we have been

bought

and paid for.

Because spiritually,

my friend,

we have.

Now that is not popular

in today's time.

People don't want

to hear that.

But it is very timely

to the first century.

And it is also true

for us.

The other term

he uses here

is basically

a house manager.

That's what verse

42

talks about.

And that speaks

of somebody

who's not just

a servant,

yet they work

under the owner.

But they've given,

they've been given

the responsibility.

And because of

the responsibility

they've been given,

much more is expected

of them.

So much is

given,

much is required.

And there are wolves

in sheep's clothing

that may fool

a lot of people,

but they will never

fool God.

The Pharisees

loved their religion.

They loved it.

And they loved

to hold it over people.

As if what they had

nobody else could have.

And they rejected

Christ as Savior

because they didn't want

him to change

their program.

They liked their program.

And so they didn't

want him to change it.

There are those today

that as Paul warned

Timothy,

folks that have

a form of godliness

but deny the power

thereof.

And if that be the case,

they may look

affiliated,

but in reality

they are without Christ.

And without Christ,

you'll have hell to pay.

Period.

It's true.

That's who he speaks of

when he says

cutting them in half

or cutting them out.

God sees what wolves

are up to

and the unfaithful

that he puts

them with

are those who have

never entrusted

their lives to Christ.

God has given

each person

a gift to invest

and to use

for his glory.

And when you waste

that life,

that investment,

by never giving it

back to God,

you lose that opportunity

for all of eternity.

Now,

boy,

preacher,

that's unpleasant

on Sunday morning.

I'm in my soul.

It's not fun

to talk about.

I don't say it

with a grin on my face.

I don't say it

with zeal in my bones.

But I have to say it

because Jesus said it

so much.

He didn't just say it here.

He said it again and again.

There will come a day

when eternal punishment

will come

to all those

who have not

surrendered their lives

to Christ.

And those who hear

the gospel again

and again

and never respond,

it says here,

will face greater punishment

or degrees of separation

from the Father

than those who have

never heard the gospel.

Now,

I realize that's unsettling,

but Christ said it himself.

I don't like it.

I don't quite understand it.

But God is not conditioned

to what I like.

God's not conditioned

to my understanding.

We have to be conditioned

to his word.

Now,

I want you to get this,

church,

not just about this topic,

but about all topics.

Okay?

I don't really understand

what God says about that.

It ain't our job

to ascertain

why it's wrong

or why it's right.

It's our job

to follow it.

The rest of the world,

those outside of Christ,

will tell us

we're ludicrous,

we're narrow-minded,

we're backwards,

we're yesterday,

or what?

No.

No,

we're just people

of the word of God.

And that cannot change.

Amen?

That cannot change.

The world's gonna change.

It's gonna continue

to spiral out of control.

And when it does,

we just stick

to the word of God.

Charles Spurgeon

was approached one time

about what happens

to the heathen

that we don't preach to.

And he replied,

my great concern is,

are we saved

if we don't preach

the gospel to him?

Because the evidence

of our walk with God

is more than a Sunday

morning attendance.

The evidence

of our relationship

with God

is how we live out

that faith daily.

our salvation

is not based

upon that.

That's based

upon our salvation.

Hell is certain.

And there are certainly

degrees of hell.

And I'm not talking

about the Fahrenheit.

but all of it

and everyone in it

is separated

from God forever.

If you want to understand

the hell of hell,

that's the hell of hell

that you're separated

from God forever.

Don't try to change that.

If you believe something else,

you believe a lie.

It's not true.

If you share something else,

you share a lie.

It's not true.

What a shame that is.

Be faithful in how you live.

Be faithful in how you share.

Be faithful.

The other thing

we do in response to this

is we be ready.

Be ready

because we don't know

when he's coming.

And don't try to figure it out

because you don't know.

Neither does the guy

selling that book.

I mean, listen,

the first century knew

that he was coming back

in their lifetime.

They knew it.

They knew it.

They were sure of it.

And that's why Paul tells them,

you're stealing my punchline, dude.

That's why Paul tells them

in 1 Thessalonians 4.13,

not to worry about those

who died

and will miss his return.

A lot of confusion.

Edgar Wisnett

was a former NASA engineer

when he wrote

this little booklet

called

88 Reasons

Why the Rapture

Happened in 1988.

This guy sold

nearly 5 million copies

of this book.

If you can find it,

you can get it today

pretty cheap.

It ain't quite as relevant

as it was in 1987.

He followed it up

with a book called

The Final Shout,

Rapture Report, 1989.

That's because he sold

5 million copies

the year before.

His next work,

listen to how it changes.

His next work was this,

23 Reasons Why

Pre-Tribulation Rapture

Looks Like It Will Occur

on Rosh Hashanah, 1993.

No certainty anymore,

it just kind of looks like it.

You know,

and the next year's book

was not near as specific

and it was the last book.

Every time there's

a Middle East war,

people think it's Armageddon.

You know what Jesus

says about it?

In Matthew 24,

6 through 8,

he says,

and you will hear

of wars and rumors

of wars,

see that you're not alarmed,

for this must take place,

but in the end,

but the end is not yet.

For nation will rise

up against nation

and kingdom against kingdom

and there'll be famines

and earthquakes

in various places.

All these are but

the beginning

of the birth pains.

Please tell me

when there hadn't been wars

in the Middle East.

At midweek service

this week,

I spent time

talking about

generation after generation,

century after century,

how the Jews

have been attacked

over and over

and over again.

Jerusalem's been

at the middle of it

over and over

and over again.

You can't tell me

when there's not been

wars in the Middle East

and every time

that there is one,

somebody thinks

it's the end.

Every time there's

a government mandate,

people think it's

the mark of the beast.

I remember particularly

when Bilo came out

with the Bilo bonus card

and on the back

of the Bilo bonus card,

although it was personalized

for each one of us

to get values

like none other,

there were 10 digits

on the back of it.

Somebody,

and when I researched

this this weekend,

I found out

somebody in Pickens County

came up with this.

So,

I'm about afraid

to say it

because I might

offend somebody,

but anyway.

But there were

10 digits

on the back

of that card

and they took

the first six digits.

Why did they pick six?

You know why?

Because it worked.

That's why.

They picked the first

six digits of that card,

which think about it,

they're practically

all the same number

because if you got

a 10 digit number,

you know,

you got four digits.

You know,

you got to get

to 9,999

before you even

change one of those digits.

So,

it's going to be

a very similar digit,

you know.

If you take

the square root

of the first six numbers

of the 10 number

on the Bilo bonus card,

it is 666 point something.

In order for you

to get a deal

on Doritos,

you got to sell

your soul to the devil.

You got to sell

your soul to the devil.

It was a PR nightmare.

I went back

and looked

and it was right,

it was just about

the time I first

arrived in Pickens

when all that went down

and they were saying,

man,

do I take the deal

or not,

preacher?

I mean,

what'd I do,

you know?

I said,

dude,

I'm going for it now.

I'm telling you,

it's two for five.

You know,

I got to,

but anyway.

The mark of the B

is not a grocery store,

not a grocery card.

It's not.

There is no,

even in the Hebrew

or the Greek,

there's no talk

of Bilo in the scripture.

It's not there,

you know?

It's also not a vaccination.

Sorry.

It's not a computer chip either.

When the COVID vaccine

first came out,

I remember people talking

and it was being

pushed aggressively.

I mean,

if you love your country,

if you love your money,

if you love anybody,

you got to get the shot.

You know,

I got the shot.

I got the shot.

By the National Guard,

a qualified 19-year-old

that had just went

through boot camp.

And we went

to a horse park

in Octavio County

where it started

with Mississippi

and drove this line

like a cow to the slaughter.

Just follow the tail

in front of us

and raised up our sleeve,

still in the driver's seat.

Sent us through.

I mean,

it would have made

a good end time movie.

You know,

it would have,

but man,

I got my card.

You know,

I'm bonafide.

You know,

but I remember

when that first happened,

there were rumors

that Bill Gates'

computer chip

was going to be

in that shot.

And he's going to

monitor us

and he knows

exactly where we are.

He already knows

exactly where we are.

Why?

Because we got this

in our pocket.

They know where we are.

Don't you worry about that.

It was like something

out of a

gestopian novel

or something.

Christian end time

enthusiast

started paralleling it

with the mark

of the beast.

Let me be clear.

The Lord's not waiting

on a grocery card.

Okay?

The Lord's not waiting

on a shot.

He's not waiting

on a chip.

He's waiting

on the Father

to say,

go get them.

Be ready.

Be ready

because we don't know

when.

So be ready.

Be faithful.

Be ready.

Be rewarded.

It's a fun part.

Jesus liked

to call himself

more than anything else.

He liked to call himself

the Son of Man

because a son

was thought to be

a servant to his father

until his father passed.

Therefore,

he would gain

the inheritance

because he had taken

care of his father,

taken care of the farm,

taken care of the estate,

whatever needed to be done

because he took care

of what he was doing.

He was supposed

to take care of.

He was a servant

to his daddy.

And so Jesus used

Son of Man

because Jesus

considered himself

a servant of humanity.

And that's what

he liked to call himself

more than anything else.

And he was

because he gave

his life for us.

But even before

he gave his life,

he showed what he meant

by that when he washed

the disciples' feet.

That was the job

of the lowest servant

of the house.

That was like changing

somebody who was

sick and unable.

That was,

in their mind,

that was a parallel

because they walked

where they went.

They had nasty feet.

It was the job

of the lowest servant

of the house.

But the Lord knelt down

and served in that way.

And that is the picture

that we get

when he mentions here

that you'll recline

at the table

in verse 37

when he talks about that.

He is saying,

have a seat.

Pull up a chair.

Share a meal.

And if you think

sharing a meal

with somebody

is a special way

to spend time

with folks you love,

that is biblical.

You get that

from the Bible.

Heaven is described

as a wedding feast.

The joys of heaven

are who we sit

at the table

of the Lord with

and who we'll worship

with and who we'll worship

and the reward

that we'll receive.

Understanding that.

Let's be faithful.

The days are short.

They're short, folks.

They say,

well, how long is that?

I don't know.

And anybody

that tells you they do

is a liar.

What's the world coming to?

I'll tell you

what the world's coming to.

It's coming to Jesus.

So be ready.

We ought to live our lives

like Jesus died yesterday,

rose this morning

and is coming back tomorrow

because he just might be.

Be ready.

With every head bowed

and every eye closed.

If you're here this morning

and you have never

surrendered your life

to the Lord Jesus Christ

and ask him to come

into your life

and change you,

today's the day of salvation.

It's your opportunity.

I've tried very plainly

and very nicely

to put out before you

what Jesus says

about the need

of your life

to commit to him.

And if you feel him

speaking to your heart

and life

about giving your heart

and life to God,

you didn't come up with that.

You didn't wake up one day

and realize you needed God.

He initiated that.

He's stirring your heart.

And so you listen.

You obey.

You do what God tells you.

We'll guide you

in that process.

I told you

we're not manipulative.

I'm going to work you over.

I ask anything of you

that you don't want.

We just want to help you

make a right decision

about the Lord Jesus Christ.

So I encourage you to come.

We're going to stand

and we're going to sing

and when we stand

and sing in just a few moments,

it's your time to come

to be obedient

and follow the Lord.

Maybe you're here this morning

and you have done that

but you've never

acknowledged that publicly.

It was a private decision

that you made.

You've never acknowledged

that publicly.

Last week we began

our service

with people being baptized.

I know that's already

stirred the hearts

of other people.

I've shared with them

this week

because they realize

the need in their own lives

to be baptized

and be made right.

First step of obedience

after you give your heart

and life to the Lord

is to be baptized

as a believer.

And if you've never done that,

there's a hindrance

in your life

so I encourage you

to be obedient

and follow the Lord.

If you've been baptized

as a believer,

you don't need to do it again.

If you hadn't,

you need to.

Maybe God's drawing you

to be a part of this church.

You want to join us

in the journey.

Do what we need to do

to follow the Lord

in the days ahead.

I encourage you

to be obedient to that.

Just follow the Lord.

We'll guide you

in that process.

Welcome you in

and show you

what that means.

Maybe God's stirring

your heart

about a personal matter

in your life

you need to get right.

Maybe it's a burden

that you have

for somebody else

that needs the Lord.

I don't know

what God's laid

on your heart

but I know

that now's the time.

Let's just pause

before we go out

to the wild world.

Let's just pause.

Take time to seek

the Lord in these matters.

Bring our petitions

before Him.

Maybe bring them

to this altar

and lay them down

at His feet.

Rest them with Him.

Maybe you want me

to pray with you.

I don't know

what you want.

But you just be obedient

and follow whatever

God tells you to do.

Lord Jesus,

I love you

and I thank you

for the love

that you have for us.

And I ask today

that you'll help us

to simply be obedient.

Simply follow

your will and your way

and everything

that you tell us to do

in Jesus' precious name.

Amen.