Be Prepared

Ready or Not

Living in Expectation of the Master

Text: Luke 12:35–53, Luke 12:57–59 ““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 on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.””

Big Idea

Because Jesus is coming again, we should live ready—faithful in what He has given us, courageous in following Him, and intentional about making things right while there is still time.

Key Question

If Jesus returned today, what would He find me doing with the life He has entrusted to me?

INTRODUCTION — READY OR NOT

Most of us remember playing hide-and-seek.

Someone covered their eyes and started counting:

"One…two…three…four…"

And everybody else scattered.

Then came those familiar words:

"Ready or not, here I come!"

It didn't matter whether you had found the perfect hiding place.

It didn't matter whether you needed another thirty seconds.

It didn't matter whether you were ready.

The countdown was over.

Jesus says something remarkably similar in Luke 12.

Luke 12:40 NIV

You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Jesus doesn't tell His disciples when He's coming.

Instead, He tells them how to live until He does.

That's important because Christians can sometimes become fascinated with trying to figure out when Jesus will return.

We watch world events.

We look at wars.

We look at politics.

We look at technology.

We look at disasters.

We look at Israel.

We try to connect everything to prophecy.

But Jesus' emphasis here isn't:

"Figure out the date."

His emphasis is:

"Be ready."

And biblical readiness isn't sitting around staring at the sky.

Biblical readiness is faithfully living for Jesus today because we know He is coming someday.

1. STAY READY

Jesus begins:

Luke 12:35–36 NIV

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants 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.

Luke 12:37 NIV

It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.

Luke 12:38 NIV

It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning."

The picture would have been immediately understandable to Jesus' listeners.

People wore long robes. If you needed to work, travel, or move quickly, you gathered up the robe and secured it around your waist.

In other words:

Get dressed for action.

Then Jesus describes servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet.

They don't know exactly when he's coming.

It might be early.

It might be late.

But when he knocks, they're ready to open the door.

That's the Christian life.

We don't know when Jesus will return.

But we know that He will return.

So Jesus says:

Keep the lamp burning.

Keep serving.

Keep praying.

Keep loving.

Keep forgiving.

Keep giving.

Keep sharing the gospel.

Keep doing what Jesus gave you to do.

There's also something surprising in this story.

Jesus says that when the master finds his servants faithfully waiting, the master will dress himself to serve them.

That's shocking.

Masters didn't normally serve servants.

Servants served masters.

Yet Jesus describes a master who seats his servants at the table and serves them.

And suddenly the story begins to sound a lot like Jesus.

The King who became a servant.

The Lord who washed His disciples' feet.

The Savior who gave His life on the cross.

The risen Christ who promises that one day His faithful people will sit at His table.

We aren't waiting for a cruel Master.

We're waiting for the Savior who gave Himself for us.

Application

Ask yourself:

What has Jesus given me to do right now?

Maybe it's raising children.

Maybe it's caring for aging parents.

Maybe it's teaching students.

Maybe it's working faithfully at a job.

Maybe it's serving your church.

Maybe it's encouraging someone who's struggling.

Maybe it's telling someone about Jesus.

You don't have to do something spectacular to be ready for Jesus.

You just need to be faithful with what He's put in front of you.

2. DON'T DRIFT

Luke 12:39 NIV

But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.

Luke 12:40 NIV

You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Then Jesus changes the picture.

Now He describes a homeowner.

If the homeowner knew when the thief was coming, obviously he wouldn't allow his house to be broken into.

But thieves don't make appointments.

They don't text:

"Just letting you know—I'll be breaking into your house around 2:15 tomorrow morning."

The entire point is surprise.

And Jesus says:

"You also must be ready."

There's a danger here that probably affects Christians more than outright rebellion.

Complacency.

Most people don't wake up one morning and decide:

"Today I'm going to walk away from Jesus."

Usually it happens slowly.

Prayer becomes occasional.

The Bible stays closed.

Worship becomes optional.

Sin becomes easier to excuse.

Compassion begins to fade.

We become comfortable.

And eventually we discover that we've drifted farther than we ever intended.

Spiritual drift is dangerous because it rarely feels dangerous while it's happening.

Think about driving on a long interstate.

You don't have to jerk the steering wheel to leave your lane.

Just stop paying attention.

Eventually you'll drift.

The same thing happens spiritually.

Following Jesus requires intentionality.

Not fear.

Not panic.

Not obsession.

Attention.

So perhaps the question isn't simply:

"Do I believe Jesus is coming?"

The better question is:

"Am I living like I believe Jesus is coming?"

3. BE FAITHFUL WITH WHAT YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN

Peter asks Jesus:

Luke 12:41 NIV

Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

Luke 12:42 NIV

The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?

Luke 12:43 NIV

It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.

Luke 12:44 NIV

Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Luke 12:45 NIV

But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk.

Luke 12:46 NIV

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

Luke 12:47 NIV

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.

Luke 12:48 NIV

But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

"Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?"

Jesus doesn't really give Peter the answer he expects.

Instead, He tells another story.

This time it's about a manager who has been entrusted with his master's household.

The master leaves.

And while he's gone, the manager has a choice.

He can live as though the master is returning.

Or he can live as though the master isn't coming back.

That's really the heart of this passage.

One servant says:

"My master is taking a long time in coming."

And once he convinces himself the master isn't coming anytime soon, his behavior changes.

He becomes abusive.

Selfish.

Indulgent.

Why?

Because he begins living as though no one will ever hold him accountable.

Jesus says the faithful servant is different.

The faithful servant keeps doing what the master asked him to do.

Even when nobody is watching.

That's stewardship.

Everything we have ultimately belongs to God.

Our time.

Our abilities.

Our opportunities.

Our possessions.

Our influence.

Our relationships.

Even our next breath.

We're managers—not owners.

And one day the Owner returns.

Then Jesus gives us one of the most challenging principles in the passage:

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded."

That's not merely a warning.

It's a question:

What has God entrusted to you?

Maybe He's given you knowledge.

Maybe influence.

Maybe financial resources.

Maybe leadership.

Maybe a family.

Maybe opportunities others don't have.

Maybe decades of biblical teaching.

Whatever God has entrusted to us isn't merely a blessing to enjoy.

It's also a responsibility to steward.

God isn't going to ask whether you had someone else's gifts.

He's going to ask what you did with yours.

4. EXPECT FOLLOWING JESUS TO COST SOMETHING

This next section can sound strange coming from Jesus.

Jesus says:

Luke 12:49 NIV

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

Luke 12:50 NIV

But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!

Luke 12:51 NIV

Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

Luke 12:52 NIV

From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.

Luke 12:53 NIV

They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

"Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."

Wait.

Isn't Jesus the Prince of Peace?

Didn't the angels announce peace when He was born?

Yes.

Jesus brings peace with God.

Jesus teaches His followers to become peacemakers.

But Jesus also knows that truth creates a decision.

You cannot encounter Jesus indefinitely and remain neutral.

Eventually the question becomes:

Who is Jesus to you?

Lord?

Savior?

Teacher?

Troublemaker?

Irrelevant?

Jesus knew allegiance to Him would sometimes divide even families.

And for many Christians around the world, it still does.

Following Jesus may cost something.

A friendship.

Popularity.

An opportunity.

Comfort.

Approval.

Maybe even family harmony.

But there's an important distinction.

Jesus never gives Christians permission to be obnoxious.

If people reject us because we're arrogant, cruel, argumentative, or self-righteous, that's not persecution.

Sometimes we're simply being difficult.

Our calling is:

Conviction without cruelty.

Courage without arrogance.

Truth without hatred.

We don't create division for the sake of division.

But neither do we abandon Jesus simply to avoid it.

Sometimes faithfulness means lovingly standing where Jesus stands—even when standing there costs us something.

5. DON'T IGNORE WHAT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU

Luke 12:54 NIV

He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.

Luke 12:55 NIV

And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.

Luke 12:56 NIV

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?

Luke 12:57 NIV

“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

Luke 12:58 NIV

As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

Luke 12:59 NIV

I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

Jesus then points to something everyone understood: the weather.

People could look at the clouds and predict rain.

They could feel the wind and know heat was coming.

In modern language, Jesus might say:

"You can check three weather apps before deciding whether to take an umbrella."

We understand how to interpret what's happening around us.

Yet Jesus says people can become surprisingly blind when it comes to spiritual reality.

They could see Jesus.

Hear His teaching.

Witness His miracles.

Watch lives being changed.

Yet still fail to recognize what God was doing right in front of them.

That's why biblical discernment isn't primarily about turning every headline into a prophecy chart.

Discernment begins with recognizing what God is calling me to do right now.

Jesus immediately talks about settling matters with an adversary before reaching the judge.

Why?

Because there comes a point when the opportunity to make things right has passed.

That's the urgency of the gospel.

There are things we should not keep postponing.

The apology you need to make.

The forgiveness you need to offer.

The conversation you've been avoiding.

The sin you need to confess.

The person you need to encourage.

The person you need to tell about Jesus.

The decision you need to make.

We often assume:

"I'll do it someday."

But someday isn't promised.

Jesus says:

Pay attention.

Discern the moment.

Act while you have the opportunity.

READY FOR WHAT?

Put all these passages together and something becomes clear.

Jesus isn't trying to make His followers obsessed with predicting the future.

He's teaching us how to live in the present because we know the future belongs to Him.

So what does readiness look like?

It looks like:

Faithfulness when nobody is watching.

Stewardship of whatever God has entrusted to us.

Courage when following Jesus costs us something.

Discernment about what God is doing around us.

Urgency about things that really matter.

Grace toward people who disagree with us.

Hope because our Master is coming back.

THE QUESTION ISN'T "WHEN?"

People have been trying to calculate Christ's return for centuries.

They've made charts.

Written books.

Set dates.

Revised dates.

And then revised them again.

Jesus gives us something far better than a date.

He gives us a mission.

The Christian life isn't supposed to look like people sitting in an airport terminal staring at the arrivals board.

Jesus gave us work to do.

There are people who need hope.

Children who need guidance.

Families that need healing.

Lonely people who need friendship.

Hungry people who need food.

Broken people who need compassion.

Lost people who need Jesus.

So we don't wait passively.

We wait faithfully.

CONCLUSION — READY OR NOT

Remember hide-and-seek?

The counting eventually ended.

And then came the words:

"Ready or not—here I come!"

One day the waiting will end.

One day faith will become sight.

One day Christ will return.

And when He does, I don't think our greatest concern will be whether we correctly interpreted every prophecy.

The question will be much simpler:

Were we faithful?

Did we love Him?

Did we love people?

Did we use what He gave us?

Did we forgive?

Did we serve?

Did we speak truth with love?

Did we share the gospel?

Did we keep the lamp burning?

So maybe the prayer we need isn't:

"Lord, show me when You're coming."

Maybe it's:

"Lord, help me live ready until You come."

RESPONSE

There are three questions worth taking home today.

1. Is there something God has given me to do that I've been putting off?

Don't wait for someday.

2. Is there an area of my life where I've become spiritually complacent?

Ask Christ to wake your heart again.

3. Am I personally ready to meet Jesus?

Because ultimately readiness isn't about having enough religious activity.

It's about belonging to Christ.

The good news of this passage isn't simply:

"The Master is coming."

It's who the Master is.

Jesus is the One who came first for us.

He lived the life we could not live.

He carried our sin to the cross.

He died in our place.

He rose from the grave.

He offers forgiveness and new life.

And He promises to return.

So Christians don't look toward Christ's return with terror.

We look toward it with hope.

Until then—

Keep the lamp burning.

Keep serving.

Keep loving.

Keep forgiving.

Keep sharing Jesus.

Keep doing what the Master gave you to do.

Because one day we'll hear:

"Ready or not…"

But by God's grace, may His church be able to answer:

"Lord, we're ready."