Keep the Plot • Luke 12:35-48

1:03:44 Teaching begins

Notes

If you believe there is a God, then you believe that there is a plot to the world. God is working according to His plan.

Jesus today teaches the end of the plan. It shouldn’t take anyone by surprise, because Jesus is clear. But the end will take people by surprise because they will forget what Jesus said and they will forget who they are and what they live for.

But if you listen to Jesus and believe Him, you won’t lose the plot and you’ll be ready and waiting when He comes.

I’m reading in Luke 12 beginning with verse 35 ( to 48).

1. This connects to the previous section about the kingdom.

A. Jesus has said, don’t fear, the Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. So sell what you have, lay up your treasure in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be. There’s your attention, your longing, where you look. You’re headed for the kingdom of God.

B. An important part of the plot is that the kingdom is coming, but it’s not yet.

1. Salvation comes first. The foundation for the kingdom must be laid in righteousness. The Father will offer the sacrifice of His Son to redeem the people for the kingdom. The blood that sanctifies must be shed, then the covenant is established and the inheritance is made certain.

2. It has always been part of the plan that Jesus come again. The second time is not to establish salvation, it is to judge and establish the kingdom of God on earth.

C. This is to fulfil all the Scriptures.

1. In the Scriptures some Messianic prophecies show a Suffering Servant. Others show a victorious King. The Jews tried to interpret these two viewpoints suggesting that there were two Messiahs. One they called the Son of Joseph who would suffer even as Joseph did to save his family. The other was the Son of David, who would be the victorious King.

2. The Biblical solution is that there one Messiah. Jesus the Son of God came and suffered to save His people, and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. From there He will come again as the victorious King.

D. Even as the Jewish people waited for the coming of the Messiah, we wait for Jesus to come again. He is teaching this right here.

2. You wait for Jesus’ return considering yourself as Jesus’ slave.

A. The master/slave relationship is mentioned or inferred here ten times. This is obviously what this section is about.

B. It’s reasonable because in Jesus’ kingdom everyone becomes like Jesus.

1. The first time Jesus came as the Servant of God, in order to fully do the Father’s will. He learned obedience by what He suffered. In order to learn obedience you have to obey. It’s not mental or abstract theory, it’s practical, you learn by doing. Jesus obeyed the Father to the death of the cross. Paul in Philippians 2 says therefore God has also highly exalted Jesus.

2. It’s the same with us. We serve Jesus as His slaves, even as He served His Father. In Revelation 2 Jesus says, “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.” That’s what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

C. Our mindset is to humble ourselves and serve now that we may be later exalted. We are slaves now, and then we will be revealed as the sons of God.

3. Jesus commands you to be ready, to expect Him, and to be in the light.

A. The situation he describes is a man going to a wedding feast. He can come back at any time. It all happens at night, it could go pretty late. Regardless, the master wants his servants expecting him, he wants the door to be opened on the first knock.

B. This comes from the master/slave relationship.

1. He is the master. He can command his slaves whatever he wants. It’s not what they want, it’s what he wants.

2. They’re his slaves, they belong to him. If they weren’t his property, it would be presumptuous. If they were free they could say, “Who the heck are you to order me around?” The fact is, he owns his slaves and it’s right for him to command anything he wants.

C. While the master’s away from his house he wants it to keep functioning rightly. When he returns he wants his house ready for him and his servants doing what they’re supposed to be doing.

D. The master’s servants are to work as in the day. He wants his servants to be personally ready: dressed and lamps lit.

1. Notice the example takes place at night. It’s a party and it could go till midnight, it could go till three in the morning.

2. But you are to continue as in the day. You’re not in your pajamas, sleeping, you’re dressed. You’re supposed to keep your mind on work. It’s not off-time. You’re on the job.

3. In fact, you have a lamp and that affects your environment. As far as the master’s concerned it’s day. Everywhere you go it’s light. You can keep doing the work the master assigned to you.

4. One of your responsibilities is to keep your lamp lit. Every servant has a lamp. Each one of you is obligated to pay attention to the state of your lamp and keep it filled, so that the light keeps burning, so that you have a portable environment of light, so you can do your work.

E. Jesus says, blessed is that servant who is on the alert. The master will gird himself and serve them.

1. It honours the master to believe him, that he’s coming, and obey him, and be ready just as he said.

2. When the master comes he will exalt his servants. This is the result of our perseverance and endurance. He will serve us. We will be exalted.

F. It makes no difference how long the master takes. This is important.

1. If you knew what time a thief was going to break in to your house, you wouldn’t ignore it, you’d take steps to protect yourself.

2. How much more when you don’t know the time? You only know he’s coming. You only get one chance to open the door. Therefore, you need to be ready.

4. Either you believe Jesus or you don’t.

A. Peter asks, are You talking to us, or does this apply to everyone? The answer is, Jesus’ second coming will apply to everyone who has ever lived. This isn’t a “spiritual” thing or something only for Christians. This is not some kind of Christian value. He’s coming whether you believe He’s coming or not. This is fact. You either hold this to be true, or you don’t.

B. If you believe Jesus, He says you are a faithful and sensible slave.

1. You’re sensible because know who you are. You are a slave of Jesus, your master and the ruler of the whole universe. You don’t work for those slaves, you don’t look for approval from the slaves. You work for Jesus, you look to Him to say, well done, good and faithful servant.

2. You’re faithful because know what your job is and you do it. You look for His appointment for your life, you accept it, and you carry it out.

C. The only other option is to not believe Jesus. My master is not coming back for a long time. It’s not yet, right? You forget about Jesus and do your own thing.

1. If you don’t believe Jesus is coming back, then you act like He doesn’t exist. That means you decide who you are, and you treat everyone as you decide. You’re really the master.

2. Instead of acting as in the day, you will act as in the night. Night is when you’re off work, you drink, get drunk, it’s time to party and carouse, you can do anything you want. You act like you don’t belong to anyone.

D. How you believe Jesus affects the way you live. You don’t want to believe Jesus a little bit. You want to believe Him a lot.

5. When Jesus comes He will judge how much we have believed and depended on God.

A. God’s plot says that the next event after Jesus returns is He will judge the nations, the unbelievers and His own servants. For the servants it’s not judgement for salvation, it’s a judgment of reward: did you believe Jesus? How much did you believe Him? Were you faithful to Him?

B. The one who believes Jesus will be doing what he is supposed to be doing when Jesus comes. Jesus says He will put him in charge of all His possessions. He’s been faithful with what Jesus gave him; Jesus will give him much more.

C. The one who doesn’t believe Jesus will be surprised by His coming. “Oh no! I didn’t think You’d really come!” “Cut him in pieces” literally means, He will flog you till you fall apart in two. He will assign him a place with the unbelievers. By his own actions that slave proved he didn’t believe Jesus. Regardless of what he says he believes his life proved he did not believe that he was Jesus’ servant, that he was ready and expecting Him.

D. Believers will be disciplined for their disobedience.

1. Some people will get saved, yet they will be punished because they knew what Jesus wanted but they didn’t do it.

2. Others who didn’t know what Jesus wanted and didn’t do it will receive a fair punishment.

E. If you are a useful slave you will work hard. They will ask even more of you.

1. Proverbs 20:6 Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?

2. Faithful is binary. You are faithful or you’re not. Kind of faithful is mostly untrustworthy.

3. A trustworthy man gets stuff done. He does what he says, that’s amazing. People wish they had a faithful person. If they find one, they give him all sorts of things to do.

4. That’s a person who understands, “I serve Jesus, I look for His coming. I look to His reward.” He doesn’t say, “What’s in it for me?” He knows he will be rewarded for what he does through love. People love that, and so does God because that’s what He’s like. That’s what Jesus did. He healed crowds, fed crowds, taught crowds. He gave Himself to the Father and did what the Father had for Him to do right to the cross.

6. So what?

A. How you believe Jesus affects the way you live.

1. You don’t want to believe Jesus a little bit. You want to believe Him a lot. You do not want to forget who you are, how you should live. You want to be ready when He comes.

2. Are you ready? Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Receive Jesus right now. Ask Him to come into your life and be your Lord. Submit to Him.

B. Be doing Jesus’ business as you wait for Him to come. Stay ready. It’s an exhausting battle. The world all around you seems bent on more and more darkness. For them it’s night, it’s the time to either whoop it up or sneak attack.

C. Your highest priority job is to keep your lamp lit to stay in the light.

1. If you don’t keep a watch on your lamp your light will go out. Your lamp doesn’t hold an infinite supply. Once you’re in the dark it’s hard to not stay in the dark. So that’s your first concern.

2. Figuratively speaking that means to stay in relationship with Jesus. He is your light and your salvation. Keep your connection with Him current. Don’t lose connection with Him.

D. To keep your light, your lamp has to be filled and it has to be lit.

1. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, so is fire. You must be continually filled with the life of God in order to walk in the light of God. He has to light you on fire.

2. Be aware that the Holy Spirit gives life through His word that He caused to be written. His word is a fire that burns. Jesus fully means for you to fill yourself with His word so that the Spirit will use it to keep you in the light. You don’t get to choose on this. It’s not the word or the Spirit, it’s both. Never separate what God has joined together.

E. What if your light goes out? What if you are overcome in a sin? It’s sad but it’s not the end. Ask God to cleanse you, and fill you, and light your lamp. You can go to someone whose lamp is lit and ask for a light. “I’ve messed up. Will you pray for me?”

F. A common way for people to lose the plot is to stop going to church. If you put a burning coal by itself it will go out. Stay in church and you will stay lit. Hebrews 10:24-25 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

G. When I see people lose the plot and go off into the dark it’s heartbreaking. Don’t make your pastor sad. Make God happy. Keep the plot.

Let’s pray.