#114 Lu. 12:35-38 MEN WHO ARE WAITING FOR THEIR LORD Introduction: Before we read our text this morning let me ask you this question: Do we have anybody here this morning who has ever in the watch business? Let me say to you, that I hope that before this service is over every one of you will be in the watch business. I hope that you will be watching for our Lord's return. In our last several texts Jesus taught His disciples not to be greedy after the material wealth of this world, but that they should seek to lay up great treasure in heaven. In our text today He speaks of a kindred idea. He stresses that His disciples should faithfully serve Him and watch for His return. I. A command to gird up the loins Jesus introduces this thought with a command. V. 35, "Let your loins be girded about..." Back in those days the men wore long robes that hung down to their ankles. When they were relaxing and lounging around they would let the robe hang loosely around them. This was very comfortable and made it easy to relax. But when they became active, the long loose robe was a hindrance to their activity. It would get in the way of their arms and hinder their work. But especially it would get in the way of their legs as they tried to walk or run. It could actually trip them and cause them to fall. Therefore at times when they were active or expecting to become active they would wear a sash or belt to bind the robe tightly around their bodies so that it would not be in the way of the arms or legs and hinder their activity. It was important to wear a belt when they were at work of at war. Jesus is informing His disciples that He wants them to live busy active lives. He wants them to be busy in His service. He wants them to be busy for God. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God does not want His people to be lazy. He wants them to be willing to work both in their secular work and to work for Him in His kingdom's business. To put it another way, God wants the Christian to do a good job at work whether it is in the factory or whether it is in the church---whether it is in the corn field or whether it is in the spiritual field. The Lord is saying to us preachers, "Preachers, get to work and stay busy for God. Remember that you are my servants." He is saying to the deacons and teachers and every other officer in the church, "Get to work and stay on the job for God. Don't let up. Remember that you are working for me." He is saying to every Christian, "I want you, too, to get to work for me. My work is not just for the preachers and officers of the church. It is for every Christian. Get to work and stay at the job. Don't see just how much you can get out of doing, but see how much you can do. Remember that you are doing it for me. You are working for me, so do as much as you can." II. A command to let the light shine Jesus also said in verse 35, "...and your lights burning." "Let your loins be gird about and let your lights be burning." Each and every Christian has a light, a spiritual light. In the Sermon On The Mount Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." He said further, "No man lights a candle and hides it under a bushel, but he puts it on a candlestick so that it will give light to all who are in the room." Now one who is not saved does not have a light. That is, they do not have a spiritual light. But everybody who is saved has the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ shining in them and through him. There are several ways by which the Christian can let his light shine to others. First of all, he lets his light shine when he lives the kind of godly, clean life that every Christian ought to live. If he lives an ungodly life, his light cannot shine to others about him. Secondly, the Christian lets his light shine to others when he deals lovingly and kindly to people about him. If he is rude, harsh and unkind to those with whom he comes in contact then he is not letting his light shine to them. Thirdly, he lets his light shine when he witnesses to the unsaved who need his Christian witness. In that way his light is shining to them to help them to see how to choose the way that leads to eternal life. If he never witnesses to the unsaved---if he never lights the way for them---his light does not shine very far. Fourth, he lets his light shine when he helps to teach and train and guide other Christians in the ways of truth and righteousness. In that way his light is shining to them to show them the way they should walk. If one cannot help and lead and encourage some other Christian, his light is not shining very far. Not every Christian can be elected to teach in a class, but every Christian can lend a helping hand to a fellow Christian. III. A parable of an earthly lord V. 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." You will note that the word, lord, in this verse is not capitalized. It does not refer directly to the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather to an earthly lord, one who is the owner of a large estate. Jesus compares the Christians to servants of an earthly lord who has left his home and estate to go away for his wedding. In keeping with the customs of that day, he would go to the home of the bride where a great wedding party would be held. Following the festivities at the home of the bride he and his new bride, along with a host of others would go to his own home. He would expect his servants to be waiting and watching and ready to open the door to let them in the moment that they arrive. The lord of the estate in this parable, of course, illustrates the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. Just as the lord in the parable left his home and his estate and went away, even so Jesus would soon be leaving His church and going away to heaven. The servants in the parable represent His own servants, His disciples, the members of His church. Just as the lord in the parable was expected to return to his home, even so Jesus would be expected to return to this world. Jesus, Himself, before He leaves would promise to return. Angels of God, who would be on the scene when He leaves, would promise that He would return. They would say, "Ye men of Israel, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him to into heaven," Acts 1:11. Like the lord in the parable, Jesus wants His disciples to be watching and waiting for Him to return. He did not tell those apostles and other disciples who were present at time that nearly two-thousand years would pass before He would return. Rather He told them that He wanted them to be watching and working and witnessing and living for Him. So it was with the next generation and the next and the next on down through the years. And so it is with us today. The Lord wants us to be watching for His return. He wants us to have our loins girt for action. He wants us to work for Him. He wants us to have our lights still burning. He wants us to watching a ready for His return. IV. The reward of the servants who are faithful Verse 37 goes back to the parable and to the earthly lord. V. 37, "Blessed are 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." You will note that Jesus said nothing about how the earthly lord would be received by his servants at his return. It is to be presumed that he would be joyously received by them. That is, at least he would be warmly received by those who were awake and watching at his arrival. What He did say was that those servants whom the lord would find watching and waiting when He returned would be really rewarded treated by him. The lord of the whole estate would bind the belt around himself and prepare for action. Then he would instruct those servants to be seated at the table and he, himself, would become the servant and serve their table. He would feed them the finest. He would treat them as the honored guests. Listen, this is the way that it will be when our Lord returns. Jesus is not merely the lord of a great earthly estate. He is the Lord of the whole universe. He is Lord of Heaven and earth. Yet even though He is Lord of all, He will not at that time ask His people, His servants, to serve Him. Rather He will serve His people. He will serve them the very best. He will treat them royally. He will treat His redeemed people as His honored guests and He will give them the best that heaven affords. V. Not knowing the time of His return In verse 38 Jesus goes back to the parable and calls our attention to the need for patience on the part of the servants as they wait for their lord's return. V. 38, "And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants." The Romans divided the night into four parts. This was done largely for military purposes. Those who would stand guard duty would have one watch and then they would be relieved. That way, men who were fresh and alert would be on duty at all times. The first watch of the night was from about 6:00 pm until about 9:00 pm. Jesus did not even suggest that the lord in the parable might return in the first watch. That was just too early for him to be expected. He would still be at the bride's house involved in the wedding festivities there. The second watch of the night was from about 9:00 pm until midnight. Jesus did suggest that the servants might well expect their master's return during this watch of the night. Unless the festivities at the bride's home should go extra long he and his bride and all of their attendants would have time to make their journey back to the lord's home where his servants waited. Almost surely his servants would expect him to return within this second watch. However, Jesus does not say that he would return during the second watch. He suggested that for some reason he might not arrive back home until sometime during the third watch. The third watch was from midnight until about 3:00 o'clock in the morning. In the parable the lord would surely not be any later than the third watch and so Jesus says nothing about the possibility of him being as late as the fourth watch before he would arrive. The point concerning His own return is that His servants have no certain way of knowing when He will return. It may be during the second watch or it may be during the third watch. The actual time of His return may be later than some expect. On the other hand, it might be sooner than some expect. What the lord in the parable wanted of his servants was for them to work and have everything ready regardless of what hour he might return. And that is just exactly what our Lord wants of His servants. He wants His people to be busy at work, witnessing for Him, anxiously watching and waiting for Him to arrive. He wants their hearts to be bubbling over with anticipation looking each day for His return. Keep in mind that when Jesus does return He is going to do wondrous thing for His faithful servants. He is going to treat them like kings and queens. He is going to sweep them off their feet with His generosity and with His own love that He will lavish upon them. But what I want to impress upon you is that what Jesus wants is that no matter when He may come that He may find every one of His servants faithfully serving Him and watching for Him. That is what He wanted from that very first generation of disciples. He went away and He told them that He was coming back, but He did not tell them when He would come back. What He told them was that they should watch for His return. They were to watch every day all of their lives, if He delayed His coming that long. And He did. He did not come during their whole lifetime. But when He does return He will judge them and reward them according to how watched and waited for His return. If they were faithful to watch, He will richly reward them for watching even though He did not come during their watch. And so it has been in every generation. During every generation, the Lord has wanted His servants to be loyal to Him and anxiously awaiting His return and He will wondrously reward those who were faithful to the task. In our own generation the Lord wants every man, woman, boy and girl who is saved to be watching and waiting for His return. He wants us to be ready in every respect. One thing we do know: We know that with every passing day we draw nearer to the time when He will arrive. Since He did not come in any of the watches that have preceded us, it is very likely that He will come in our watch. VI. The need for the lost to be saved and for the saved to serve Listen, my friend, are you saved? If not, you surely need to be. And you had better stop wasting time. You do not know at what hour you will breath your last breath and you will be catapulted out into eternity unprepared to meet God. You are going meet God whether or not you are prepared. Just thank God that He is giving you another opportunity to turn to Jesus Christ and get saved. But let me warn you: You cannot expect to keep on passing up your opportunities for salvation and still go to heaven. Rather to the contrary. If you keep on passing up the opportunity to be saved, you can be sure that you will wind up in the fires of hell. I am calling on you to come today and get right with God. I am calling on you to repent of your sin and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save your soul. Right now He looks down from heaven and is waiting for you. Will you step right out and come to Jesus today? I am, of course, calling on all of you who are saved to get in the watch business. I am calling on you to come and join us in watching and waiting for the return of Jesus. Come now and present yourself to this church for membership.