FAITHFUL SERVANTS ARE BLESSED (Outline)
November 20, 2022 – Pentecost Last – LUKE 12:35-43
INTRO: The Lord calls us to be his servants. The Lord also calls us his children. We are servants and children of the Lord. Our lives are guided by the Lord’s Word. Not the world’s words. There is a vast difference between people of the world and the children of the Lord. This difference is as great as the distinction between night and day. “…for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober” (1 THESSALONIANS 5:5, 6). We are not asleep to the evil in this world. We are awake. Alert. FAITHFUL SERVANTS ARE BLESSED. I. Waiting and watching. II. Expecting Jesus’ return.
I. WE WAIT, WATCH FOR JESUS’ RETURN
A. Verse 35. “Be dressed, ready for service…” Jesus gets straight to the point: be on high alert.
1. “…keep your lamps burning.” Oil needed. Flame needed to keep burning. Hard to relight.
2. Verse 36. Waiting for the master to return. Waiting for his knock. Open the door.
B. Verse 37. “Blessed ore those servants, whom the master will find watching when he comes.” Awake.
1. The master will serve the servants. Unheard of and unexpected action. Master’s joy, love.
2. The servants are blessed by having the tables turned on them. Servants being served.
C. Verse 38. Faithful servants were waiting in the middle of the night. Watching and alert.
1. Did not know when the master would return from the celebration.
2. Faithful servants awake and reading for action. Waiting. Watching. Welcome the master.
D. What an unexpected blessing for these servants. They were ready to serve the master whenever he returned. Do their duty. But now the master served them. This parable example brings to mind our Master-Servant. Jesus, the eternal God, took on human flesh to serve his creation. Sinful creatures. Disobedient children. The disciples argued about who of them was the greatest. Jesus’ reminder. “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (MATTHEW 20:28). What an amazing blessing for us. We are given forgiveness. Eternal life. Our Savior Christ uses his obedience to pay for our disobedience. Sinlessness for our sinfulness. Blessed.
E. When the Lord makes promises he always fulfils them. These promises are carried out according to his divine plans and times. Adam and Eve sinned. The Lord God promised a Savior to pay for their guilt. Generations waited. Watched. Thousands of years later Christ the Savior was born. Immanuel. Jesus took on human flesh to visibly live on earth. Lived. Died. Buried. Rose from the dead. Ascended into heaven. Promised to return. Generations have waited. Watched. On the Last Day, .day it will be said, ‘Look, here is our God! We waited for him, and he saved us! This is the LORD! We waited for him. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation!’” (ISAIAH 30:15). Perfect, eternal blessings given.
F. Waiting and watching we are future looking people. We look to the future with hope. God’s promise assures us of being blessed. Blessings both spiritual and earthly. We look to the future and also live in the present. Evil is ever-present in our earthly lives. We also need to be watching and alert to the sin that surrounds us. Temptations. Distractions. Present danger. "Have sound judgment. Be alert because your enemy, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 PETER 5:8). Yes, Satan wants to devour our soul. The world wants us to grow sleepy to its wickedness. At times our sinful nature desires to travel on the wide road leading to destruction. Keep your lamps burning.
FAITHFUL SERVANTS ARE BLESSED. We keep the light on: waiting, watching, alert.
II. WE ARE EXPECTING JESUS’ RETURN
A. Verse 39. “But know this…” Pay attention. Jesus continued with easily understood parable.
1. The house owner would be sure to be ready if he knew what time the thief was coming.
2. The owned would wait…watch…expect the thief. The thief would be caught unexpectedly.
3. Verse 40. “Son of Man is coming…hour when you are not expecting him.” Expect unexpected.
B. Verse 41. Peter is curious about this parable. Is it spoken to disciples? Everybody?
1. Verse 42. As often is the case, Jesus answers a question asked by asking his question.
2. Who is the faithful and wise servant? Everyone who does his duty. Parable for everybody.
C. Verses 43. “Blessed is that servant whom his master will doing so when he comes.”
1. Jesus already explained what faithful servants would be doing.
2. Waiting…watching…alert…expecting master’s return at any hour. Parable for everyone.
D. We are very excited when special guests are coming to visit. This usually happens when there is some kind of special event. We wait for our company to arrive. We may even watch the clock. We are expecting them to arrive. Sometimes the unexpected happens. Car trouble. Sickness. Bad weather. Delays. We do not stop waiting, watching, expecting. We are to have the same attitude preparing for Jesus’ return. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the owner of the house is coming: whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning” (MARK 13:35).
E. We want to be doing our duty when the Lord Jesus returns. Waiting, watching, and expecting we do while preparing for the future. We also are still living in the present as children of God. As the shining lights of the Lord. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth” (GALATIANS 5:8, 9). We are no longer in the dark. We live as children of light in a sin-darkened world. The fruit of living in the light is goodness, righteousness, and truth. Goodness, righteousness, and truth is exactly what our world needs now. Always we needed. We are the faithful servants who know the difference between good and evil. Right and wrong. We can live lives that shine with goodness, righteousness, and truth. In our daily lives we deal with different people. All too often they do not live by goodness, righteousness or truth. The darkness will not / cannot overcome the light. The Light scatters the darkness!
F. As the world grows darker God’s Light is to shine brighter. Our world is scared about the future. All too often the future is predicted as dark. Hopeless. Bleak. As faithful servants, children of God and Light, we know the future is held securely in the Lord’s loving hands. God created the heavens, earth, and everything in it. The Lord God still provides daily and abundantly to preserve his creation. This is good news to share with fearful people. The great Good News is the saving truth of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Our sins are forgiven. Heaven is our home. The future is secure. This is the Lord’s promise. Guarantee. “Those who have insight will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who bring many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever” (DANIEL 12:3). Keep your lamps burning.
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CONC.: The Lord blesses his faithful servants. Every day. In every way. Physically. Spiritually. By grace the Holy Spirit opens our ears to hear. Hearts to believe. By faith we confess the Lord’s loving truth to those in darkness. We wait. We watch. We are alert. We are expecting Jesus’ return. Time of Jesus’ return is unknown / unexpected. “…live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, that is, the glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (TITUS 2:12b, 13). We keep the lamps burning as we live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. FAITHFUL SERVANTS ARE BLESSED. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
PENTECOST LAST rdgs.: JEREMIAH 23:2-6; COLOSSIANS 1:13-20; LUKE 23:35-43; PSALM 98
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