Wait Watch Work — Westlake Bible Fellowship

0:00 Introduction to Luke 12

If you'll make your way there. Luke chapter 12 and we have been tracking through this. John gave a message in Luke chapter 12. I think Doug, you know, Doug hit hit at least chapter or verse one in chapter 12 and then John gave a message. We had a little break with JC and then Andy gave a message last week.

We... That would bring us up to verse 35. Verse 35. And just to get started, we're going to cover more than this, I'm going to read 35 through 40 just to get us started and then we'll pray. Luke twelve thirty five, please.

Let your loins be girded about and let your lights be burning and you yourselves be like unto men that wait for their lord when he would return from a wedding that when he comes and knocks at the door that you would be able to open it immediately unto him. Blessed are those servants whom when the lord comes shall find... He shall find them watching. Verily, I say unto you that he may gird himself or that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meet and he will come forth and serve them. The master serving the servants.

Verse 38, and if if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and would have not suffered the house to be broken through. Be therefore like them. Be there be therefore ready also for the son of man comes at an hour when you think not. Let's pray.

Our heavenly father, we want to give thanks for your word. Father, as we read this now, we we ask that you would speak to our own hearts. We we do ask that you would reveal yourself to us. We're we're taking your your word, the powerful word of god, and we want to apply it to our own lives. So Father, give us good understanding in these things.

We pray that you would help us too in being able to connect the truths and things that we've been studying throughout the book. Help us to see the progression. Help us to know how you want us to respond to your word. So we pray these things now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

As you know, if we would step back and do look a little bit a big, a broad overview of the book of Luke, we would remember that Jesus was born in in Luke chapter chapter two. We have Jesus being born. We have these early stages, you know, like in chapter four, he comes out to start his ministry. He's tempted by Satan. And Luke records this for us.

And then as as Jesus gets into starting his earthly ministry, he's both performing miracles, going around and teaching. And so we have this combination of teaching and miracles that are happening. Now we know that Jesus taught for three years. He taught the people, traveled around the different regions, different cities. He had this knit group of disciples, 12 following, and then he also had others that were following.

Some true, sincere, some not, some curious, whatever the case may be. But he taught for this three year period. Now, we've just started we've just started, you know, back with school. School has just started back. In fact, one of our college students just got up and walked out.

I hope he doesn't do that during class, you know. But you understand like a freshman has entry level classes, right? They have... And most of your classes that you take as a freshman, I'm talking college now, that you would have the 100 level classes and then sophomore year, you take the 200 level and junior year 300 so on. Everybody understands how that work, right?

Now, so here we got the disciples. Here they are, Jesus teaching, he's teaching a three year period and we're going to compare that to our college courses would be like a four year period. Right? And so there is a progression typically. If a if a student is head...

Headed on the right path, he starts at the 300 level or he starts at the 100 level, works his way up to the twos and 300. Some classes have prerequisites, etcetera. Now, where are we in this progression? We're in Luke chapter 12. Where do you think we are?

Are we 100 level? Are we 200 level? Are we 300 level? Are we 400 level? Let's look at what he's doing.

Jesus is teaching right now. I mean, when's the last miracle that we've seen? It's been a little while since he's performed a miracle. It's been it's been been kinda like more more emphasis on the teaching. And so maybe maybe he's he's...

In the course of his ministry, he's maybe midway through. I don't know the exact time. Maybe Doug Torok could tell us that... Where he is in that that timeline. But suffice it to say, these things are a little bit more weighty or a little bit heavier that Jesus is talking about.

5:25 Motto: Loins girded, lights burning

You know? That... I mean, I think it's got some merit there. Right? I mean, like that's a...

This is what Jesus... Now listen, this is what Jesus is telling him and I I do need to tell you this, we're breaking in. This is in the middle of a conversation. I mean, this conversation started back in chapter 11 and so, the same thing is kind of tracking all the way through. So, he's laying out things that that he's putting down and the first, you know, we're looking at chapter 30 or verse 35 and just reading this little statement and it's jumping in the middle of something but listen, he, this is the instruction he's given the disciples.

Let your let your loins be girded and your lights burning. That's the instruction to them. So we as followers of Christ, that's instruction for you and I. Now, we understand and it's it's it's probably good to consider this, that we know when Jesus is speaking to the audience of that day that they, the men and women would would have wore wore robes or long somewhat say a tunic and so the concept of the loins being girded would be like that they would take these... They would take the long flowing robes, they would bunch them up, and they would they would tie them around the waist so their legs were free for movement.

The loins being girded. We understand that. Right? Jordan McKenzie just got married recently like that. Did they...

What do do to the bride? Do you bustle their bustle their thing? Is that like girding your loin? Is that a fair comparison? So, alright.

But you understand, connect this concept. You're taking something that's in the way, you're removing encumbrances and you are getting yourself ready for action. So let's think about those two things. You're getting yourself ready for action and you are removing anything that's distracting you. Okay?

Now, let's make a connection with the teaching that we have we've already seen. So those two things start with R if I said them correctly. Ready for action, removing encumbrances. Ready for action, removing encumbrances. So this first thing, let your loins be girded.

This is for all Christians, all men and women that are following Christ. Now, what might have been some of the encumbrances? You're in Luke 12, go back to verse one, when Jesus makes this statement. Now, see in the meantime, they were gathered together there in a multitude of people insomuch that they trod upon one another or trampled one another. He began to say unto his disciples, first of all...

Now this is... He's laying out some instruction. First of all, and here it is, beware ye of the leaven of the pharisees which is hypocrisy. So he issues this statement, beware. It's like the...

So you're... It grabs our attention. This is the first thing he's gonna say is, the disciple of Christ, I want you to beware of hypocrisy. Now, there's a... You can hold your finger there and let's just peek at this real real quick.

Over in Mark chapter seven, Jesus gives a little bit more of a definition of what hypocrisy is. For us, we would consider hypocrisy as it's it's being fake, going through the motions, trying to be something you're not. So this is... He's saying, don't be that. You're a follower of me.

Don't be fake. Don't be phony. Don't just go through the motions. And so he he goes, he's looking for real. He's looking for it to be real.

And so Mark chapter seven verse six says this, and he answered and said unto them, and he's speaking to the Pharisees, the same group of people. Well has Isaiah the prophet prophesied of you, you hypocrites. As it is written, this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. That's a definition of hypocrisy. Jesus is is...

He wants the heart. He loves you. He's demonstrating himself, his heart towards you. He wants reciprocation. He wants your heart toward him.

And so don't hypocrite. Beware. That's the first instruction. Now, so what am I saying? Gird up your loin.

Remove hypocrisy. You see that? Like maybe hypocrisy was an encumbrance. Remove yourself. Be ready for action.

I can't be action with with a an insincere heart or with my heart not with God. What is it? We get it in first Corinthians chapter 13. You're as a tinkling brass or a gong. It's nothing.

Right? So remove hypocrisy. That's the first encumbrance that he talks about. Then he has another beware statement in in chapter 12. Look at verse 15.

And he said unto them, take heed, beware of covetousness for a man's life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses. No, a man's life is much more than that. Jesus is saying, beware of of covetousness, the desire for thing, but the the desire for material possessions. That's an encumbrance, right? We like stuff.

We like things. I just... I made reference to the fact that it's a new... Start of the new school year. What does that mean?

I gotta have new clothes. Right? I gotta have new shoes. I gotta have a new this. I gotta have a new that.

I gotta gotta have a new lunchbox. Maybe a new backpack. I don't know what it is, you know? So like, we love things. We love stuff.

We accumulate. Then Jesus gives that little lesson about like this guy that had so much that he built big... He tore down his barn. He tore down a perfectly good building and built a bigger one. Beware.

Beware of the the trappings. Beware of the things that are... These are encumbrances. Right? So I've got this visual mind.

My... I got this visually in my mind. When Jesus says, gird up your loins. Hypocrisy, get it out of the way. The love of material possessions, get it up out of the way.

I need to be ready to serve. I don't want my stuff waiting me down. I don't want hypocrisy, fakeness. I don't want any of that waiting me down. I got to get it out.

I got to get it out of my system. There's another thing that he wants you out of your way. It's in verse 22, also in chapter 12. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life. Some translations use the word anxious here.

That's where it is, take no thought. Don't worry about it. You don't get worry out of your life. Get that encumbrance out. So here, gird up your loins.

Westlake, gird up your loins. Make sure hypocrisy is dealt with and out of the way. Make sure the love of stuff is dealt with and out of the way. Make sure worry is dealt with and out of the way. You are going to be ready for action now.

You see? You're ready for action. You removed your encumbrance. Your loins are girded. How are you doing?

13:26 Let your light shine

Just flip over to chapter 11 and verse 33. Now Jesus is making this statement. I'm gonna tell you, you're my followers. I want you to do I want you to do this next thing. Your 300 level class is to gird up your loin and to have your lights burning.

Have them lit and burning. And so look at verse 33 in in the previous chapter 11. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, would put it in a secret place. No man would would neither put it under a bushel and... But but rather on a candlestick that all they which come may see the light.

And so he tells them now, let your lights be burning. And if your mind jumps to the the lesson about the the 10 virgins waiting, five were ready, five were not. The five were ready, were had the oil in their lamp and it was burning. Same kind of concept. And so here he's he's saying, look, believers, followers, I want you to be ready for action.

And not only that are you ready for action, but your light is burning so that all around can see it. I'll give you an example of of this. And unfortunately, it's an example of what not to do. Okay? Here we are at Slabour Day weekend.

I had some work done on one of our vehicles. I've had a lot of mechanical work on vehicles need to be done a lot lately. That's another story. But I was at the garage paying the bill for one of our vehicles And the fellow, we've kind of developed a little bit of relationship. His name is Steve and said, hey, he goes, Andy, what you got planned for the big weekend?

And I said, oh, you know, like not a whole lot. Sick close to home. Maybe we'll run over to the Milan Mellon Festival, watch the parade or something, know, but pretty low key weekend. That was my response. Guess what?

My lamp was under my bushel. Okay? My light was not shining. It was kind of hid. Here's what I...

I thought about this after. I was like, I'm driving home. I'm like, Andy, you dummy. Like, that was a perfect opportunity. You could have said, hey, I'm looking forward to meeting with the saints at Westlake Bible Fellowship on Sunday.

In fact, I've got an opportunity to speak. Why don't you come out and hear me? You know, like, I could have said that. That would have been my light shining. You know what?

Guess what? My loins weren't gird. They were kinda like... They were... I was tripping over them.

What was it? What I had to do next? Like, had to do... I had to get something out. I gotta get...

I can't stand here and talk to this guy. Gotta do my next thing, you know, like, I wasn't ready. Let your loins be gird and let your light shine. You know, we have this opportunity to go to Edgewater and we've been to Huntington Beach and we go out, we're with our tracks. We're ready.

Our loins are girded and we're ready. It just doesn't have to be on special witnessing attempts. Right? You know, like, it can be when you're paying your bill at garage. It can be with the cashier.

It could be with that person sitting alone at the park bench. It could be on the pickleball court. Your lights shine. Let it shine. Don't hide it under a bushel.

I tell you Americans, we're good at hiding under the bushel. Right? I mean we're good at... Well, this is what Jesus is telling them. So when I...

Remember back when I started off this message, said like, hey, what is it? Where... Is it a 100, 200 level? I think this is higher level. This is hard.

This is difficult. And we hear it and we say, oh yeah, I want my light to shine. But you know what? We go out and it fizzles. I don't quite get that.

I mean, I know it. I experience it. But maybe that's why Jesus has got it. Maybe that's why He's telling us. Now look, so we said, Let your loins be girded.

And we had two R's, Ready for action and remove the encumbrances. Let your light shine, and there's two A's. Active meaning it's radiant, it's active and the second A is for all to see. Remember, He sets it out on a candlestick for all to see. That's the second A, all to see.

So we're letting our light shine. It's active, radiant, and all to see it. Now, he's going to continue with the teaching in verse 35 or verse 36. So, let's let's let's connect it. Let your loins be girded about and let your lights be burning and this is verse 36 and when and you yourselves be like unto men that wait for their lord when he returns from the wedding that when he comes and knocks, they may open unto him immediately.

19:12 Be like servants waiting for the master

They were they were they were tending to things at the house. And so you notice how this reads, and ye yourselves be like the be like the servants that are waiting for the Lord to return. And when he returns from the wedding and he comes and knocks that you'll open immediately to them. They don't know when it's gonna happen. You know, weddings in that culture lasted a long time, often a week at least.

They don't know when he's returning. But this... Jesus is saying, be like that servant that's ready. He's listening for the knock at the door. He's right there ready for him.

You know what? The the analogy follows. Right? The the servant's loins are girded. His light is shining.

No matter what time it is of the day, his light is shining. The porch light is on for the for the master to return. He's listening for the knock. He says, be like that. Be like that servant.

And see, it's hard. It is really hard to live with the expectation of the Lord's return. It should be so easy. What are some things in your life that have happened to you that dramatically change your course or impact your everyday life. This should be one of those things.

This could be one of those things. Jesus is coming back. Jesus is returning. He's telling us like you live in this with this expectation. Be like this servant.

He gives this illustration and it it continues. It in the in the portion, not only does he kind of state the expectation but he looks at verse verse 37. Blessed are those servants whom the lord when he comes finds them watching. Verily, I say unto you that the master will gird himself and make them to sit down at meat and will come forth and serve them. This would have got their their attention.

This would have kind of got their attention like when Jesus would say on the Sermon on the Mount when he would say like, blessed are the poor in spirit or he would say, if if someone strikes you, turn the other cheek. If someone asks you to go a mile, go another. People are like, what? What is he saying? Would be like, Wait, you're talking...

The master's going to serve the servants? Verse 38, and this talks about the uncertainty of when he would come if he comes in the second watch or comes in the third watch and find them so blessed are those servants. This is a follower of the lord Jesus Christ. He wants them to be expecting. Verse 39 says, and know...

And this know that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered this house to be broken into. He would have prevented it. And then he ends with this admonition, be ye therefore ready also. Be ready also for the Son of Man come at an hour when you think not, or we might say when we know not. In our first little phrase, gird up your loins, we had two r phrases, ready for action and remove the encumbrances.

In the second phrase, be let your light shine, we have act be active active and all to see, the two A's. Here in be like these servants, I'm going give you three Ws, okay? Three Ws. Waiting, watching, working. Waiting, watching, working.

Now, we've we've we've understood what the text says. He's given us this illustration. You know, all the servants stayed back. When what was that Downton Abbey? Remember the folks watched Downton Abbey and we got to see what happened in the basement?

You know, the whole different world going on down there. That... It... That's probably a helpful concept. And so that's going on while the master is away.

So they're stewards. They have to tend to the place. Everything has to be kept just so. The library has to be dusted even though nobody was in it. The grass has to be cut.

The servants have to be fed. All that's going on. So they're waiting. They're waiting for the return. They're watching every day.

You see any dust on the road? You see any anything coming? Did you hear any sound? Watching and then working. The work has to go on.

And now now apply that to you and I. Apply that same thing to you and I. Our master is away. He's coming. He's coming again.

We're waiting for his return. He said, I will come again. He stood there as he he ascended up into heaven. He says, as I go, I shall come again. He told us he told his disciples, I go to prepare a place for you and if I go, I will come again and receive you into myself.

He's coming back. It's sure. We're in the basement. We're working. We gotta keep it going.

We gotta make it happen. We're waiting. We're watching. We're expectant. There's work to do.

There's work to do. That's the reason your loins are girded. That's the reason your light is shining. There's work to do while the master is away. Peter then asked a question.

25:32 Parable of the faithful and wise steward

Who is a faithful and wise steward? Who is the faithful and wise steward whom his lord shall make ruler over his household and give them their portion of the meat in due season. Now the analogy is continuing. It's the same. But he's asking this question.

He's already told him what he expected. He told him, look, I I want you to be like the servants who when the master is away, I want you to be waiting on on me. I want you to be watching for me, and I want you to be working while I'm gone, tending to all that that's needed. I want you to be faithful and wise. Who is the faithful and wise?

It's that servant that the knot comes, he opens immediately. Who is the faithful and wise? Let's keep on reading. Blessed is that servant, this is verse 43, who when his Lord, when he comes shall find doing. What is that?

That's working. That's the working. Right? When the Lord comes back, you're working. He's faithful.

He's a faithful and wise servant. Now, he's going to give this verse forty forty four, he gives a reward of a truth I say unto you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. The the faithful and wise servant is the one that keeps getting new responsibility tacked on, new things added to him. Promotion. And so then he gives this...

Well, look at what it says, verse 45. But if but if that servant would say in his heart... Now I I forgot to make this connection for you before, but notice how heart... How much the heart's coming up. Hypocrisy, your heart is far from him.

The stuff, the love of stuff, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. See that connection there? Jesus wants your heart. Now now the servant is saying, he says in his heart. This is discouragement.

Okay? He says in his heart, my Lord's delayed his coming. He was waiting for a while but now he's like, my lord has delayed his coming. I've waited too long. The servant begins to beat the other servants, the men servants, and the maid servants.

The servant, the the lead guy, he begins to eat and to drink and to be drunken. He's like, given up. The lord of that servant will come in a day when he... When the fellow is not paying attention. And when an hour he's not aware and he will he will cut him in sunder and he will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers of the unfaithful.

And so we have this contract. Here's one who's faithful and wise and then you've got one who is unfaithful and foolish. Pharisees, foolish. Their heart was far from him. The rich man that tore down his barns and built bigger ones, foolish.

You fool. Your heart will be... Your soul will be required of you tonight. Then whose things will these be these be? The servant that didn't wait, that gave up, that abused his privilege, foolish.

I look at this and man, I want to grab hold afresh of what it means to live expecting the Lord's return. I want to take these examples and say, Yes, I want to do that. That's definitely a major lesson. But then I also think like, how does this apply to me? How does this apply to you?

30:18 Example of Abby Grothy

It was about this time of year in September. It was from Rex Trogdon. He said, Hey, I know a young lady who's looking to just be a help to other families. She's a great gal, got a heart for the Lord. And I told them about you because we were at that time, this is the September 1, Worth is due on the twenty ninth.

I told them about your family that having a sixth child involved in ministry, I think she'd be a good help for you. And man, she was just what we needed. The Lord provided that. Now, who's Abby? Just a little girl.

I mean, she's a mature lady, but she has a servant's heart. She would wear long skirts. Do you know what she would do? She would gird them up and she would run about doing whatever was needed. She would anticipate a need.

She was just there. She really helped us during a time of need. I mean, she became like part of our family, you know, like that was just But she was a servant and she was waiting on her Lord. She was a wise servant. She was working.

She wanted to be a wife and a mother. But here she is in her mid twenties, later twenties, no hubby showing up. But you know what she was? She was faithful and wise. Time goes on and there's so much to the story I could tell, but let me just tell you this.

The reason I'm... Reason I'm even saying this, okay, is where are you right now? What has God got for you? Are you being faithful and wise? Are you taking what you think is insignificant, and are you doing it for him?

You're waiting for his return. You're doing his bidding. You're working for him. You're not working for yourself. You're not working for vain or selfish ambition.

You are working for him. You're waiting for his return. Whatever he's given you to do. There's so many analogies to draw from the servant. The servant doesn't do his own bid...

Bidding. Jesus gave us the example in in Gethsemane. Lord, I've come to do thy will. Let not my will but thine be done. That's the attitude of the servant.

And so here is this little girl named Abby. And guess what? Just like this verse is telling us, that the the servant who has been faithful in what he's been given to do, when the master returns, he will reward him or promote him. Abby's been promoted. She's a wife and a mother.

She's a mother of two. As I look at her life, I just kinda glance back at her life. I said, there's an example of a faithful woman who has been promoted. And listen, what she did as a helper to us was not insignificant. What she does as a mother today is not insignificant.

What you do as a mother, what you do as a small group leader, or a offering a word of encouragement to somebody else, these things are not insignificant. You are serving your Lord. And as you serve your Lord, He's going to make way. You'll be faithful and you'll be faithful and wise. Faithful and wise.

He'll give you these promotions. The reason... One of the reasons Abby came on my mind is that she's in the hospital right now, not herself, but with her son. He's about eight years old and has a kidney problem, had a large kidney stone. This was a promotion for her.

She's going through a hard time right now. Her loins are girded. Her light is shining. She's waiting. She's watching.

She's working. If you... If you're serving the Lord, if you're living expecting His return, your kid having a major surgery as a young child, you can still be joyful in the Lord. Your your perspective changes. She's trusting him to the Lord.

36:09 Summary: Gird, Shine, Live like servant

Live like a servant. Just so we look back at verse 47. This gives a degree of punishment knowing if the servant which knew the Lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to the will, that one will be beaten with many stripes. Just like there's a degree of reward, the one that does well, you're held accountable for what you know is what this is saying. But verse 48, He that knew not, he didn't know, he was innocent so to speak, and did commit such things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with a few stripes.

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required and to whom men have committed much, of them will be asked more. And so Jesus lays out these things here. These are according to his economy, according to his kingdom. Let your loins be girded. We'll be ready for action.

And remove the encumbrances. Whatever those encumbrances may be. Let your light be shining. Let it be active, radiant. Let it be there for all to see.

Live like a servant. Live like a servant. Be waiting. Be watching. Be working.

38:00 Concluding prayer

As we we look at this teaching, you don't tell us to do X amount. You don't tell us to use our gift to the nth degree. Tell us to do something that we can all do, wait, watch, and work. You don't tell us to say, preach 10 messages or evangelize to a 100 people or to do this or to go there. You just say to wait, watch, and work.

Father, we pray that as we listen to these words that we could we could realign our ourselves. We could realign ourselves with your thinking. We read Jesus' words and we say, wow, some of these things are odd, they're confusing, is it true? Is that what he wants us to do? Father, help us to sift through this.

Help us to hear the ring of truth. We pray. We pray for this. And father, ask that we might have this mindset that we would be looking for your return and whatever we put our hands to would be for your kingdom. We ask this in Jesus Christ's name.

Amen.

Wait Watch Work — Luke 11-12

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Wait Watch Work — Luke 11-12

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