Grosey's Messages

Luke 12:35-59   Longing, Looking and Living For His Coming.

35  "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37  Blessed are those servants  whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39  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. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

 41 Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" 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? 43  Blessed is that servant  whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 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, 46 the master of 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. 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. 48  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.

49  "I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50  I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51  Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 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."

54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, 'A shower is coming.' And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat,' and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

57 "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58  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. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny."

This is a serious call for us to prepare for eternity. Jesus said,

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds 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. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at which hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Not all Christians agree on the sequence of the events of the Second Coming. The next thing I believe that will happen on God's prophetic calendar will be the rapture of the church. Jesus will come back in the clouds and in the twinkling of an eye, all Christians will disappear to be with Christ. Those who are not saved will be left behind. To judgement. Some think that judgement will be immediate. Some think there will be time for an antichrist to arise, a time of tribulation or judgment on those remaining on the earth culminating in the Battle of Armageddon, where the Lord Jesus Christ will defeat the Antichrist and his forces. A Great White Throne of Judgement is described in Revelation 20.

Don't get hung up on the details. Our main job is to be ready for His return. But people have always been more interested in trying to figure out when Jesus is going to return than being ready. In the 1980s NASA engineer Edgar Wisenhut used his mathematical skills to determine that Jesus would return in 1988. He wrote a book entitled, "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Take Place in 1988." He was so certain the rapture would happen on September 10, 1988. He wrote another book the following year 89 reasons why the rapture will happen in '89.  Another American, Harold Camping wrote a book entitled "1994" in which he predicted Jesus would return in 1994.

Who can forget the whole Y2K mania? Wrong again.

Can you guess who made these statements?

(1) "The last days are upon us. Weigh carefully the times." (Ignatius, 110 A.D.)

(2) "There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established in his early years, he will, after reaching maturity, achieve supreme power." (Martin, 375 A.D.)

(3) "We have reached the time of the white horse of the Apocalypse. This world will not last any longer … than another hundred years." (Martin Luther, 1538)

So the fascination of setting dates is nothing new. But Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Anytime you hear someone start setting a date, you know immediately that they are off track. As I've said before, when it comes to the Second Coming, I'm not on the planning committee, I'm on the welcoming committee! In our passage today, Jesus teaches us the importance of being ready for His return. You should:

LONG FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD

35  "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37  Blessed are those servants  whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39  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. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

In Bible times, Jewish weddings were wonderful celebrations. After a period of betrothal, the groom would sneak into the bride's house and try to slip away with her without anyone seeing him. Then he would take her back to his father's house for a celebration. The wedding would include a great feast, much music, dancing and laughter. Our weddings are really somber and sad compared to a Jewish wedding. A New Testament picture of the church is as the Bride of Christ. Jesus is coming to sneak away with us and take us to His Father's house. He said He was going to prepare a place for us, and that He would return to take us to be with him. John 14: Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;  believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. In this parable however, we play the role of servants, so as you think about it, ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. Are you excited about Jesus' return?

In this parable, the bridegroom has slipped away to get his bride, and we must wait for him to return to the house. We don't know when he's coming back, so we must stay dressed up and keep our lamps burning so we can welcome him when he appears. For sure, the servants of the bridegroom would have been anxiously waiting and watching. They would be filled with joyous anticipation. Is that the way you feel about the Second Coming? Are you excited about it, or is it something that makes you afraid to think about? There really is going to be a wedding feast in heaven–and it will be an experience of joy and celebration. John saw a glimpse of this future wedding celebration when he wrote in Revelation 19:7, 9: Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready ... (remember, the church is the bride) Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!"

It will be a time of rejoicing. It's worth getting excited about.

Do you know what the last recorded words of Jesus are? Take a second and turn to the very last page of your Bible. That's the book of revelation, not the book of concordance or the index, by the way. In Revelation 22:20 we read the last recorded words of Jesus: "Yes, I am coming soon."

Then notice how the Apostle John responded. He said, "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus." Is that your attitude? Are you as excited as a servant at a wedding celebration as you await the return of your master, your friend?  Maranatha was a Christian way of ending a speech or letter. 1Corinthians 16 says  21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!  Maranatha!!

Are you longing for His coming? Are you excited about it?

1 It may be at morn, when the day is awaking, When sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking, That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory, To receive from the world His own.

Refrain:
O Lord Jesus, how long, how long Ere we shout the glad song,
Christ returneth!  Hallelujah! hallelujah!  Amen, Hallelujah! Amen.

2 It may be at midday, it may be at twilight, It may be, perchance, that the blackness of midnight
Will burst into light in the blaze of His glory, When Jesus receives His own. [Refrain]

3 While hosts cry Hosanna, from heaven descending, With glorified saints and the angels attending,
With grace on His brow, like a halo of glory, Will Jesus receive His own. [Refrain]

4 O joy! O delight! should we go without dying, No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying,
Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory, When Jesus receives His own. [Refrain]

2. Are you ready for Jesus to return?

If you aren't very excited about the Second Coming, it may be you aren't ready for Him to return. You may think you are ready, but are you really?

Here's the question: Are you ready for the Lord's return?

I admit: I'm not very good at waiting. I am glad for mobile phones to fiddle with in restaurants while we wait for our food. It used to be I would find things to do. "The Leaning Tower of Salt Shakers," "Catapult Peanuts," or comment to my wife how we ordered before the people at that other table but theirs is there first, or read the words on the paintings around the room, or play knuckles, or I think restaurant people are relieved when I leave, without breaking something.  "Fast food" is never fast enough.  Yet, in verse 38 Jesus said we need to keep on watching and waiting even if the return of the master doesn't occur until the third or fourth watch of the night. The Romans divided the night into four watches of three hours each. The third watch ran from midnight to 3 a.m. and the fourth watch was 3-6 a.m. That's the time most people are sleeping, when they are least expecting something to happen...and that's when Jesus will return. So the message is that we must wait patiently even if it seems like His return has been delayed.

Titus 2: 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

In verse 39 Jesus changes images. In the first image, Jesus is a loving master who returns and rewards His faithful servants. In the second, He is a dreaded thief who comes and takes away what the homeowner treasures. Why this drastic difference? To some, the return of Jesus will be a blessed event that is to be joyously anticipated. To others, the return of Christ will be a terrible, tragic event–like being burgled. Do you have a personal relationship with God? If so, you won't fear His return, you'll look forward to it with joy. In Revelation 16:15 Jesus said, "Behold I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." In Revelation, garments are used a symbol of righteousness. When we trust Christ, we put on His robe of righteousness and it's the only thing that can cover up the shameful appearance of our sinful nature.

Once a farmer was lying in bed and he listened and counted as his old grandfather clock began to chime the hours at midnight. Due to a malfunction, the clock struck thirteen times. He jumped to his feet and woke up his entire family saying, "Wake up! It's later than it's ever been before!"

It's later than it's ever been before! 

LIVE FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD

41 Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" 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? 43  Blessed is that servant  whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 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, 46 the master of 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. 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. 48  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.

In this parable, Jesus speaks about the servants being dressed for service. As a servant, we don't work to earn our salvation, we work because we love our master.

Are you actively serving the Lord?

When Jesus returns will He find you hard at work? We need to clean up our Christian vocabulary. We have created a whole category of incorrect lingo about Christians. We tend to think the only "ministers" are the paid staff. In the New Testament, the word "minister" means "servant" and every Christian is to be a servant. So, every member of our church should be a minister. Are you a ministering for the Lord?

Jesus says in verse 43: "It will be GOOD for that servant whom the Master finds doing so when He returns." (Luke 12:43) What will be so good about it? Jesus says in verse 37 that He will dress as a servant and serve them! I believe He's speaking of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb we read about in Revelation 19. It's exactly what Jesus did at the Last Supper. On the night before He was crucified, He took off his robe and took a servant's towel and went around washing the disciple's feet. Can you imagine the King of the Universe serving you? But that's what Jesus said.

The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:3, 8: Scoffers will come in the last days saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? ... all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

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, 46 the master of 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.

Are you telling others about Jesus?

Are you a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus or have you begun serving yourself? 

We need to be doing what He wants us to o and not revert to our old worldly ways.

If I knew there was a time bomb set in this room and I didn't know when it would detonate, it would be my sacred duty to warn you about it and to tell you to take action immediately. If I knew about it and refused to warn you then I would be guilty of your causing your death. The same principle applies to warning others about the judgement to come.

Let me read to you from Ezekiel 33. "I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them a warning. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to warn him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself." (Ezekiel 33:7-9) Jesus IS going to return, and it's our sacred duty to warn them to prepare for it. Ask yourself:

Could I face the Lord with confidence if He returned TODAY?

Now, you may think all you need to do is to be saved to be ready for the return of Jesus–and that's the most important thing to do. So, if you are here today and you don't know for sure that you have eternal life, don't leave this place today before you talk to someone about your salvation.

But, most of you are Christians and if Jesus returned today could you face Him with confidence? In speaking to Christians about the return of Christ, John wrote: "And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming." (1 John 2:28)  John wouldn't write this admonition unless the possibility existed Jesus could return and find some Christians ashamed. You'd be ashamed if you were hooked on some impure habit when

Jesus returned. If you are abusing your body with nicotine, alcohol, or drugs ... how would you react if Jesus returned at that very moment. There may be a relationship with someone that needs fixing or sorting out. Maybe the Lord has led you to serve Him, or to speak to someone about Christ, and you keep putting it off. How would you react if Jesus returned before you had a chance to do finish the job He gave you? If you knew for certain Jesus was returning at noon tomorrow, what would you do differently between now and then? What sins would you immediately confess and stop doing? Who you need to go to and ask their forgiveness so that you could be reconciled with them? What people would you seek out and tell them about Jesus. That's the point of what Jesus is teaching here. Don't wait. Do it today. Live today as if it was your last day!

Jesus also said He came to bring fire on the earth? Read it for yourself in Luke 12:49-50. Jesus said, "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!"

The word "bring fire" is a word that means to "cast fire" or to "throw fire."

Fire - Fire, here, is the emblem of discord and contention, and consequently of calamities. Thus it is used in Psa 66:12.  The very passion in Christ's heart would set his friends on fire and his foes in opposition as we have just seen. It is like the saying of Jesus that he came to bring not peace, but a sword, to bring cleavage among men.

LOVE THE COMING OF THE LORD

DEVOTION TO JESUS MAY ALIENATE YOU FROM OTHERS!

Jesus is the Prince of Peace and when the angels announced His birth they said, "Peace on earth, goodwill to men." So, you may be surprised by these words of Jesus. In Matthew's account, Jesus says, "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." The truth about Jesus divides humanity, into those who Love Him and those who do not.  Jesus divides humanity into just two groups. When He spoke of a family of five being divided, they weren't divided into three groups, or four groups, or as five separate individuals, but into two groups. Jesus said it would be, "two against three, or three against two" or He could have said "four against one." The point is that Jesus divides the entire world's population into two groups. Jesus is not intentionally dividing them, but people choose themselves which of the two groups they will join. Remember Jesus said, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."

LOOK FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD

"When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? The Jews missed the signs of Christ's First Coming And You Could Miss Being ready for His Second Coming. There were over 300 Old Testament Scriptures predicting the first coming of Jesus. There are over 1,000 scriptures predicting the events of the Second Coming of Christ. The Bible isn't hard to understand once you have the key. The key is all the Bible is about Jesus. The Old Testament says: Someone is coming. The gospels say: Someone has come, and His name is Jesus. The Epistles and Revelation tell us: Someone is coming again–get ready!

If You Are Looking for His coming you keep short accounts.  It's what you do with mastercard debt. You can pay late and pay 23% interest per month.. or you can keep short accounts and pay up each month and pay no interest each month. The Lord is saying keep short accounts… Many years ago a fellow said to me he was convinced the return of the Lord was close so he bought a brand new car entirely on credit and a boat and a new tv and .. I said, you can't afford that.. He said I won't have to pay for it when th Lord returns next month.. He paid for it. With much interest.  But the Lord is speaking to you about relationships. There are debts we owe in relationships that we need to get sorted out early.  "Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny." In this context, Jesus isn't talking about lawsuits with one another; He is using a parable to communicate the importance of being reconciled with God. Don't wait until you are before the Judge to plead your case–settle it out of court. Each of us stands accused and guilty The Bible says we are sinners by nature and by choice. If you want to relate to God on the basis of your own goodness you would have to be absolutely perfect and sinless because God is Holy and sinless. So each of us stands accused and guilty–we are going to have to face the Heavenly Judge–your case is already on the docket. Hebrews 9:27 says: "It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that–the judgement." That's the bad news. But the good news is that God has given you an opportunity to settle your salvation case before you lose it in court. Make sure that you are reconciled before your case comes before the Judge. Here's the wonderful offer:

The Judge offers you a perfect lawyer and a pardon. In other words, the only way to avoid standing before the Eternal Judge will demand absolute perfection of us is to settle our case out of court. He offers to pay the penalty for us.  He has already paid it!  What are you going to do with His perfect payment for your sin?

Are you looking for Him? Are you longing for Him? Are you  living for him,  Learning of His Coming, Looking for His Coming, watching, are you working, are you warning? Like John can you say, "Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus!"