June 23rd, AM

I like having my name is Caleb. Not sure you should know at this point. I'm part of the team here as well as we get a little feedback. I'm really excited to be speaking to you all this morning. I'm excited that we have the kids in the back. I'm excited that we're in this building. So if you can't keep your attention up here, there will be flames of fire. I'll be jumping through hoops. Miss it but extremely privileged to speak to you all this morning and we are going to be in the book in the Bible on your chairs. I'm in the Bible the Book of Luke and is the Book of Luke tells us about the life and story of Jesus Christ and who he is, So we're going to be in chapter 12 in the Book of Luke vs 35. That's the big number 12 and the little 35. It's on page 1045 in the Bible's on your chairs. If you'd like to turn their head while you're turning their I'd like to share a story with you about my childhood. 12v left home alone go out and do whatever adults do during the day they would do that. But my brother and I got to stay we'd like you to do the dishes sweep the floor clean the toilet make sure the house is, you know, clean when we get back my brother and I always always said of course, of course don't worry like you can trust us. We we do this all the time. We're so good at cleaning cuz that's what kids do

And as soon as they would walk out the door with hear the door shut the car would start drive away my brother and I would look at each other and go to the couch turn on the television and you betcha cartoon after cartoon after cartoon kind of keeps going on and on and then the only thing that would kind of pull us out of this trance the sound of a car driving up and just like that my brother and I would look at each other. In horror, we would leave off the couch run around violently frivolously trying to do the dishes or sweep the floor or maybe just shove it all in a closet somewhere to eat. Whatever and Frank maybe my parents forgot. Maybe they forgot to ask us or maybe we could convince them that it was it was like this and it was it was way worse than we just made it a little bit better or anything anything, please please remember you asked us to do chores. Yet. They did remember and they did walk in and Punishment and discipline Shirley followed for my brother and I for never for not doing what was asked we didn't do it was asked until we were disappointed.

Oh, I can shout I can shout if you'd like.

How much am I right now about Christ talking to his disciples and telling them about what it's going to be like when he's gone and what he's asking them to do while he's away. So I'm going to bring up John Douglas.

They're dealing with microphone.

Am I supposed to turn in the Box just making sure 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. It will be good for those servants whose Masters who Master finds them watching when he comes truly. I tell you he will dress himself to serve will make them recline at the table and we'll come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose Master finds them ready. Even if he comes in the middle of the night or towards Daybreak, but understand this if the owner of the house had known at what our 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 text back then Peter asked Lord. Are you telling this Parable to us or to everyone the Lord answered who then is the faithful and wise manager Who the Master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food Lawrence at the proper time it will be good for that servant in the master finds doing so when he returns truly I tell you he will put him in charge of all his possessions 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. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him in an hour. He is not aware of he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers the servant who knows the Masters will and does not get ready or does not do with the master once will be beaten with many blows. 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's been entrusted with much much more will be asked. Well, thanks John. Super super easy. I hope you all just kind of really understand that passage on the first reading when I'm just kidding quick moment before and kind of walking through this and try and understand. What's Happening Here is to remind us of where we are in the story. Jesus is in the middle of discussing and teaching his disciples. Those who follow him last week. We heard of the story of Christ's talking to his disciples telling them not to worry and to focus on the kingdom of God and putting their treasure in heaven to focus on that with her whole heart, so Is it better if I use the handheld?

I better just want to make it so it's not so feed a key for you. Also. Jesus is talking is teaching a middle of his teachings. Wanted to make sure that they're aware of what is happening and what he's expected of them what he's asking them because there will come a time when Christ is no longer with them. If you notice now Christ is not currently physically present in Walking the Earth in a body. He's not he's gone because you're as we'll find out later on his Christ. He dies and is resurrected and goes to heaven. So hit these repairing his disciples for when he comes back again. This is not just for the disciples currently listening but also for everyone in this room because we are expecting for Christ to come back again. You see Christ tells him of what he's wanting. He's telling them he wants him to be ready. He wants them to be faithful in the service and he tells them exactly why they should be doing it why we should be ready why we should be faithful and doing what he's asked and why it's good for us. Did Jesus begin his teaching with the phrase be dressed ready for service with you? And keep your lamps burning had to hear it now. It sounds a bit odd and I'll 21st century contact dressed for service like a like a waiter. Do I need don't need that or my lamps burning? I don't have a lamp. I use lights we have lights so we don't have Lance's kind of bulb. You see a sentence is unusual aspect to this site was at the time. It makes a clear message is that they need to be prepared and expectant of Christ returning. Is he back in the day? They wore these long flowing garment in a kind of restricted their leg movement in Jesus and you need to be dressed for services. That means you need to pull those up and tie it so your legs can you know run around get to and fro do things quickly? Jesus saying you need to be ready the clothes you're wearing is communicating what you're expecting to do. You put on your trainers and some athletic wear. I'm hoping you're expecting some physical Sports some athletic activities. You put on your work uniform. I hope you're on your way to work and not out to grab a pint with friend. I'd be weird. You see if you have to be wearing the proper clothes for the proper task right now. If I asked everyone to stand up and grab a paint roller and start painting. Well, maybe some of your fine with painting, but actually you would rather not get it on these nice Sunday clothes. I kind of want to wear this again. If I could just go home and change then I could get ready cuz right now I am not ready to start painting. The same applies to this scenario the Christ to tell you the samples. We need to get ready. We need to be ready to serve him.

Dressed for service obviously don't have such a particular clothes to wear to say that we're ready to serve Christ dress or service is about your mindset. It's about your attitude. It's about what you are expecting its living your life knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that Christ will come back and living your life according to that truth that at any moment Christ could return We have to keep this mindset of being dressed ready for service service is actually expectant of Christ return. So I'll ask you are you dressed ready for service? And you'll say why? Yes. I'm expecting Christ return. at any moment Jesus also says we need to keep our lamps burning and I really wanted to get a nice picture of an old ancient black but they were all copyrighted so I couldn't but you see the lamps back in the day. They had to be maintained. They had to have oil in them to keep burning all night long. You have to be diligent and a tenth of paying attention to detail and making sure that when the master comes home, the lamps are still lit and he knows that you're waiting for him.

We have to be diligent all through the night. It is not just be ready when the sun is shining and everything in life is going really well. It's all Pie in the Sky. I just got a promotion. I just got a new house or whatever. Everything's great. It's also when it's dark when life is hard when it's challenging when it's difficult. We still need to be ready. that's not easy to hear and I don't say it lightly but knowing that Christ can come back at any moment is the reality we live and so we must always be ready no matter the circumstance no matter where we find ourselves in life. Don't finish just as one last thing about these lamps is that they are visible keeping your lamps burning is sending a clear message to the master and two people walking by on the road or those who see the lamps to see them. The sea that someone has been maintaining them been diligent to make sure that they stay lit all night long. Is he dressed for service expecting Christ arrival? We need to be living out that reality not just in these walls this brand new spanking building. We can't just live life. Expecting his arrival here in this community, but we have to go out ready to serve those outside the church. Knowing the rest be ready to serve those who know nothing of Christ.

We must be ready to serve Christ no matter the hour. Must be dressed to serve lamps must be lit. Yet what is service actually look like what does that mean Christ here doesn't give many examples of what service looks like in this passage. He talks a little bit about the faithful manager who takes care of his other servants, but aside from that we're kind of are left in a scratching our heads. What is what does it mean? And it's kind of mood for this next section. I want to talk about exactly what that is what it looks like to be ready. But I want you to remember throughout the rest of the time when I say dressed for service it is it I want you to hear expecting Christ arrival. And how we live should reflect that. Christ gives the example of his master going to a wedding banquet. The banquet last an entire week back then in Austin last seven whole days all through the day and night party would continue not quite like they are today if you know 11 or 12 hours and he's expecting his servants to be ready for him at any moment during those seven days. They are night the middle of the night or towards Daybreak. They have to be prepared. I cannot fall asleep. Someone needs to be keeping watch. I'm not saying you can never rest important to rest. But just remember that it can happen at any moment that we need to be prepared.

We must be consistent and obedient to what Christ it asks us to do Christ has asked us some very specific things.

And Peter in the middle of the passage wants to clarify for everyone. Is this for us or is this for everyone is Peter saying is this for your disciples or is this for everyone? Christ notoriously known for never giving the straight answer gives another story. But if you read the story and you hear the story you hear that it acted is aimed right at the disciples is very much for you and me today those who are following Christ.

You see there are elements that we are the disciples need to be faithful to what Christ is asking them. Jesus tells us of the faithful and wise manager who takes care of his fellow servants how good that is to make sure that they are just fed at the proper time fed the right amount of food. Actually really hard task that he's been tasked with he just needs to make sure that everyone's fed. And then when Christ comes back and finds him doing that. is rewarded elevated you see all of us in this room you and I have been given command from Christ as well. Even if we were to look back just from the last 2 weeks that talks in this church. We've heard that we say Christ has told his disciples not to worry when we've heard that his told his disciples to be rich towards God Rich towards God meaning more than we should be giving more than just our money. But also our time and our talents to God. did this is not just true for the Disciples of the day of Jesus time is true for you and I but there's more than just not worrying and being rich towards God. There's some more famous commands which many of you will be familiar with is this idea of Jesus commanding us to love God with everything we have with all of our hearts with all of our strength. We need to be loving our neighbors as ourselves understanding that neighbor is not the person living next to you, but it's the people you encounter every single day. We need to be telling to World of who he is who Jesus is we should be telling everybody.

Jesus has asked these things commanded these things not of his disciples and put of everyone here. He's asked us and commanded us do these things. It's not completely unreasonable since Christ asked us to do them for when he comes back to find us doing them. It's not a crazy thing to ask just like that's not a weird thing for my dad to come home and be upset that I didn't clean the house. He asked me to do something. I didn't do it. He's kind of upset. So it's not unreasonable for Christ to have the reaction he does.

I see and I'll remind you of the difficulty of this is that it's not for your best days to keep these commands there for the rough days the hard days there for always.

We must be consistent diligently dressed for service. I want you to ask yourself right now if Christ returned this very moment. What would he find you doing? What are you looking say? He's thankful that you've been keeping his command see what do you find a faithful servant already find someone who said you know, what I'll get around to that later. There's a few things in my career. I'd really like to accomplish and then I can start to follow these commands mojarra more wholeheartedly maybe when my kids are a little older and I've got them out of the house and then I'll have the time to do it or maybe I want them out of college, you know, then I've really kind of set myself up to go through life. Then I can give myself fully to a crisis asking me

That just won't work because I'll remind you that at any moment Christ can return. What will he find you doing?

And there is three brutal brutal examples of the servants that Christ finds not doing what he asked if we could dive into that we can talk all about the punishment in the beatings in the cuts of pieces. But I'm not going to do that this morning. Cuz we're going to talk about the other phrase that Christ routers three times in this passage. Christ says this phrase for simple words. Do the servants he does find doing what he asked it's will be good. Verse 37 it will be good for those servants look to versus 38. It will be good for those servants. Look to verse 43 it will be good for that service. These are the servants and servants. He's found doing what he asked. He's making it extremely clear what it will be like for those he finds doing what he asked. What it will be like for those who are dressed and ready to serve for those who are consistently obedient to a Christ has commanded them to do.

You see Christ find you ready to serve him and then guess what happens he serves you. Christ finds you being a faithful and obedient to your fellow servants feeding them at the proper time, and then he elevates you. What a beautiful picture of the Gospel that this is because Christ doesn't actually need you. To be ready to serve him. He doesn't need you to do the service. He wants you to do the service. He doesn't need you to take care of your fellow service. He's the Good Shepherd. We look back to last week and vs. 30 and 32. He saw her and he's in control. He will take care of all of his disciples.

He doesn't need it. He desires it. He is excited when you are doing it when he comes back and finds you doing what he asked he is Overjoyed. He's happy and he rewards you.

You were so eager to serve Christ. in Christ service you but it's about what Christ has done and what he will do. It's about our response to that. This isn't Christ at the command these things out of necessity. Price isn't like all I don't know what they're going to do. If they don't do it. Like I have no plan know. No other way. He wants it. He wants you to be involved cuz he loves you and he wants to grow closer to you. It will be good for those servants. Who do what Christ and ask them to do.

And then as we close out this passage in verse 48 Christ says this very interesting phrase of much given much demanded much much entrusted much asked I'm going to mix that up, but he's giving you he's giving you much and much will be asked of you. Let me tell you something. It's not about your money. He's not saying of giving you a lot of money. So I'm going to ask a lot for your money. He's not talking about your car or your house anything like that. That's not what the saying right now. Christ is talking about how much you know about him. You & I in this room know who Christ is We know his commands. We just talked about them we have been gifted with this knowledge of who God is we've been given the privilege to know who he is. And so we are held to this higher standard to go out and share this with others. It's a responsibility that we have to share this with those who don't know who Christ is. It's our responsibility to live a life worthy of knowing that to live a life in light of that knowledge. We cannot become like the ancient Jewish leaders of Jesus time the Pharisees who take away the knowledge of God from those who are seeking to find it. We have to give it out freely because we're held to a higher standard you look to later on in the New Testament the second kind of half of the Bible. You see that teachers are held to a higher standard because they know more as they grow in knowledge knowledge in the more you gain the more you are expected of the more is asked of you. I don't say this to discourage you. This is not a this is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. If I don't want to get closer to God because that is not a standard. I want to be healthy. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that it is good for us. Because we have this wonderful opportunity to share the knowledge that we have with those who don't know. What a privilege that is. It will be good. Dress for service when we are dressed ready to serve.

The stock has been a bit of a whirlwind. And so I thank you for kind of tracking with me through and I would want to finish now with another story from my childhood about my other brother and I we were we last five or six years old. And we had we shared a room as many little boys and young Brothers do is we had a room and my dad walks in the room one day opens it up. What if you see course a filthy room. I don't know if parents described it this way here, but my dad left to describe me in my brother's room as a pigsty you're living in a pigsty so

He says to us usually he'd come in and be upset. But this time he says. If you clean this room by the time I get back. I'll take you to McDonalds my brother and I look at each other eyes wide as saucers not in panic, but was excitement to a five-year-old and seven-year-old boy McDonald's is everything I would go there 7 days a week 3 times a day if I would if I could it's amazing it back on that the jungle jam and a Happy Meal and that little toy like McDonald's. And all I have to do is clean my room. What do you think we did when my dad left we have straight to it. We got right to work. We clean that room as good as a 5 and 7 year old kid. Can we tried to Hoover whatever that was and then you know We did our best my dad comes home a little while later opened up the door. What is CC Cleaner is shroom. Any, Texas to McDonalds? How much more will Christ give when he comes back and finds you dressed and ready to serve? How much more will he give when he sees that you've been faithful and consistent and obedient to what he's asked?

Living out his commands. I tell you my friends it will be good for you on that day when Christ comes back. Let us pray. Father God thank you for your son. Thank you for sending it Jesus Christ to come and live and die for our sins Lord and that you resurrect them on the third day. We thank you that you have made a spear in your sight. We thank you that we have this knowledge of how good you are and of your great love for us. I pray that we would live a life worthy of you that we would live a life reflecting the goodness that you've given us. Got to pray that you give us strength. I pray that you would help us to be ready to serve expecting your son's imminent return in Jesus name. Amen.

And now we're going to take the time a few minutes it to interact with what we just kind of heard. I had some discussion questions. Feel free to go along with them if you want to talk.