Watchfulness

Luke 12:35-56 

Last week we heard part of a lengthy teaching Jesus was giving to a particular crowd recorded in the middle of Luke 12. There was an emphasis on two things, greed and worry. We also looked at some verses from Haggai 1 that looked as if it were written solely for us today. In this passage, God’s people were condemned for focusing on building their own fine houses while they left God’s house in ruins. I gave a challenging list of four Biblical purposes for money, derived from some materials by Mark Darling, a pastor in one of our sister churches:

1. Your money is to support you as God’s missionary and God’s servant to meet your needs.
2. Your money is for you to support God’s work on Earth, and in particular, the local church.
3. Your money is for you to win others and influence them for Christ.
4. Your money is to help God’s people in need.


Whether you were here last week or not, I encourage you again to really reflect on these purposes and see if your thinking needs to do some shifting in order to really embrace these purposes for your money. I especially encourage you to think about #1, which I find just incredibly profound and provocative. As we get into the passage for this week, I really want you to view yourself as God’s servant, as God’s missionary, hired by God Himself to do the work of the Kingdom for Him.

Last week I also gave a list of five “heart check” questions that help you to see if you are primarily building your own house or you are primarily focused on building God’s house:

1. Outside of Sunday morning, am I encouraging the saints?
2. Am I building spiritually-minded relationships with unbelievers?
3. Am I regularly in prayer for the people in #1 and #2?
4. Am I feeding my soul with God’s Word?
5. Am I giving generously and joyfully with my time and money?

I know that some of you have really taken them to heart, as I have heard from a lot of you during this past week. And some of you who were not even present last week seem to have gotten this message directly from the Holy Spirit as you have been reaching out to my family in many ways. Thank you!

Here is the start of our passage this week, continuing on in Luke 12:

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men 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 master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. – Luke 12:35-38

Literally, the first part of this passage says to “let your waist be girded and your lamps burning.” What does this mean? Well, men back in Jesus’ time wore long robes, as you probably know. To gird your waist was to lift up your robes more to knee length and fasten them in place with a sash or belt. Why would you do this? Because when doing menial labor, the long robe could get in the way and cause one to trip. To gird your waist was to be prepared for doing hard work at any moment. Similarly, to keep your lamps burning implies that you stay awake and alert, prepared to serve, again, at any moment.

Now the passage uses the analogy of servants (that is, slaves) whose master is away at a wedding banquet. What were wedding banquets like in Jesus’ day? Well, the length of the banquet was quite variable – some banquets might, much like ours today, only consist of a single meal and last a few hours. But if the host were rich, the celebration could literally go on for days. The master didn’t have a cell phone to call the servants when he was on his way home, so the servants were expected to stay ever ready for the imminent return of their master. This could mean all through the night, and on into the next day, and even the next night and the day after that.

This passage reminds me of a time I went to the Greenville airport at 11pm to pick up someone who was visiting us. Unfortunately, the flight was quite delayed, and if I remember correctly, it didn’t come in until about 1am. I am usually asleep by 11pm, so I remember this two hour wait being a tremendous battle to stay alert. I had a feeling that if I started to nap in a chair, I would be out cold, hardly a way to greet my visitor. But I also remember that I was unprepared to wait. I didn’t have any reading material, and the airport was basically shut down – I couldn’t go to the gift shop and buy a book or do much of anything! I remember it was a tortuous two hours. I also remember coming back from Mongolia with Bob Mussro and how we had a long layover in Los Angeles where we both looked like and acted like zombies – we were too tired to sleep or think or even really talk. We just wandered around the airport a lot, truly looking like and feeling like zombies.

And yet this is what the servants were called to do. To be faithful. To be alert. To be diligent. What a challenge!

The master in this parable expected the servants to be totally ready whenever he returned. When he knocked, he wanted an immediate response. He didn’t want to have to bang on the door for five minutes, having sleepy servants stumble over to the door and trip over things in the dark.

One other point – the Greek word for waiting in “like men waiting for their master to return” can be more accurately translated as “like men looking forward to the return of their master.” These servants didn’t have a harsh master that they feared, but a wonderful master that they loved, or at least, that they should have loved. Out of love, they sacrificed sleep. Out of love, they stayed alert. Out of love, they kept their waists girded and their lamps burning.

And the passage goes on to show that the servants really did have a wonderful master. Jesus’ listeners must have been shocked by what He said would happen if indeed the master’s servants were ready – the master himself would gird his own waist, prepare a fine meal, and serve his slaves!

Does this not describe Jesus, the Messiah who literally washed the dirty feet of His disciples? Recall what He said in Mark 10:45 – the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

But notice what I think is the most important aspect of this parable: Jesus is telling His listeners to be like these servants. Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning! Jesus went on:

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. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." – Luke 12:39-40

Jesus shifts from the image of a servants faithfully waiting for their master to the image of people sleeping in their house while a thief comes, breaks in and steals. How would a thief steal from a mud-brick house in Jesus’ day? He would probably do it by quietly digging through the walls. A gentle scraping sound would not be noticed by those who slept through the night. Jesus warns people that He will return like that thief, at a time when He was not expected.

The comparison of Jesus’ return with a thief occurs over and over again in scripture. I Thess. 5:2 says, “You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” In other words, for the people Paul wrote to, this was already common knowledge. Other verses with same phrasing include 2 Peter 3:10, Rev. 3:3, and Rev. 16:15.

Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?" 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? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. – Luke 12:41-44

Now, it doesn’t seem like Jesus really answered Peter’s question! Let’s think about this question for a moment. Jesus has just given the parable about the servants who are told to be watchful and the mini-parable about the house occupants who, because they are not watchful, have their house broken into. What is Peter asking? He is asking, “Lord, are you saying we need to be watchful, or those guys out there in the crowd?”
We need to be sure we don’t do the same thing! It is very easy to read whole sections of the gospels, especially, and kind of tune them out because we say (1) we know all that, or (2) He’s talking about unbelievers so it doesn’t apply to us. This is a very dangerous way to read scripture!

Jesus begins again speaking in parables, and now He describes a oikonomos, a manager of a household or estate, a steward. This is servant that the master has appointed to lead the other servants. It sure sounds like Jesus now is talking about Peter and the rest of the 12. But I believe it also applies to every one of us. There is no question that the Lord has appointed us as stewards over many things – our families, our possessions, even our friends and our church (here we are stewards over one another). Jesus says that a steward who is found faithful will be rewarded with even greater responsibilities (and the rewards that go along with it). As I read this I think of Joseph in the Old Testament, who was raised up just like in this parable.

But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 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 12:45-46

One must be careful not to over-read things into a parable. Note that the word translated as unbelievers really is simply the word unfaithful. The faithful manager at the start of this parable is described by the word pistos, and the word translated unbelievers is apistos. So it is an over-reading of this passage to infer that believers can be thrown into hell. However, this parable is harsh and clearly meant to get the point across that what the unfaithful manager has done is horrible in God’s eyes and merits the wrath of God. I think we need to be careful not to ask like Peter, “So does this apply to us or not?”

The issue is not salvation here, but about angering the God of the Universe who made you. Is this something you really want to consider? Some people view their salvation as “fire insurance,” meaning that now that they have confessed that Jesus is Lord, they can go on and live their selfish lives as they see fit. Were these people ever saved? Only God knows, but He warns that people will be thrown out who said Lord Lord to Him – that they were people He never knew. People are masters at deceiving themselves. If you really believe that you are a hopeless sinner who deserves eternal punishment, eternal separation for your sins against God, if you really believe that the Lord Jesus really endured unthinkable suffering, torture, and death for you so that you could be rescued from the state you yourself had put yourself into, how could you view faith as fire insurance?

I should point out that not even fire insurance doesn’t insure against arson. If you buy insurance and then burn down your house because you can’t sell it at a price that makes a profit for you, if the insurance company finds out, you won’t get a dime! Similarly, if you make a phony profession of faith just so you can justify enjoying your sinful passions without guilt or fear, do you really think God doesn’t know this? I don’t believe such a person is saved.

"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants 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 has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. – Luke 12:47-48

This is another passage we would like to say to Jesus, “This doesn’t apply to me, does it?” Whether we like it or not, a day is coming when we will be face to face with the Lord and He will discuss with us our lives. We tend to think of this as just a discussion about our sins, and that we can say to the Lord, “I throw myself at Your mercy – I appeal to the blood of Christ – forgive me from my sins” and we picture Him saying “Your sins are as far from you as the east is from the west.”

This is all fine, but what about hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Don’t we want to hear this? Do we want to hear about our poor job, about being a mediocre servant, about our faithlessness? And what about what it says that the more that we have been given, the more that will be expected? Materially, none have ever been given more than us. And what about the availability of the Bible? Six centuries ago, it was almost impossible to have your own copy, and most couldn’t have read it anyway. Now Bibles are everywhere – the average family has multiple copies. And good Christian books are available even at Wal-Mart or a click away on the Internet. And all kinds of good teachings are freely available on the radio and on the Internet as well. Wouldn’t you agree that to us, much has been given? Then, from us, much is expected!

"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 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." – Luke 12:49-53

Those of you with unsaved family members know the truth of this passage. I am the only Christian in my family, and perhaps, being Jewish, I may be the only Christian in my family tree for the past 2000 years! It is a sobering thought. But family awkwardness, family struggles, and even family persecution, does not absolve us from Jesus’ calling to us to be wise and faithful stewards.

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. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. 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 12:54-56

How do you interpret our present time? We live in the church age, the period of time between the ascension of Christ and the return of Christ. His return can happen at any moment. As our world becomes more powerful through the use of weapons and technology, it seems to be becoming more evil as well. I believe more people were killed in the last century than in all the other centuries put together. Today I have heard it said that more people are being persecuted for their faith than at any time in the past. The world groans, and our Savior is coming! Are you ready? Are you a faithful steward?
I want to spend the rest of my time today discussing what it means to become wise and faithful stewards. Wise and faithful stewards are not little children. They are mature, grown up. What we are really talking about is Christian maturity.

One of my favorite scenes from the Star Wars series of movies is at a bar where someone comes up to the Jedi Kwai Gon and asks him, “Do you want to buy some death sticks?” Kwai Gon uses his Jedi skills to influence this other person’s mind and tells him, “You don’t want to sell me any death sticks.” The man replies, “I don’t want to sell you any death sticks.” Then Kwai Gon says, “You want to go home and rethink your life.” The man replies “I want to go home and rethink my life.” And he does!

Well, this question of being a wise and faithful steward is one that really should make you go home and rethink your life. We have just seen that this issue is a huge issue to God. In fact, it might be the biggest issue there is in your life apart from the question of whether you have been saved. This is so important to God that He orchestrates events in your life just so that you can become mature, so that you can grow into a wise and faithful steward. Listen to James 1, from the Message:

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. – James 1:2-4 (The Message)

But… as important spiritual growth and maturity is to God, He doesn’t force it on you. To grow in maturity, you must partner with God, with the Holy Spirit. To me this is a lot like going to college. Just because you are accepted into college doesn’t mean you get a degree. The college has a role and you have a role. The college will provide you with classrooms, with labs, with teaching and instruction. But you have to do your homework. You have to write your papers. You have to do your labs. You have to study. If you don’t, you won’t pass, and you will have to take your courses again. If you don’t change your behavior, you will never get a degree.

I believe that growing spiritually is a lot like this. It doesn’t happen automatically just because you became a believer. There are things you have to do in addition to the things God will do. You have to work with Him. But God desires to do this. He eagerly waits for you to work with Him! If you resist Him, He will wait. Just before you enter heaven, He will finish His work, because a sinful man cannot enter heaven. But He desires to mature you now.

But I also think there are some critically important differences between getting a college degree and becoming a mature believer. A college degree is mostly about what you know. To be a bit more cynical about it, it is about what you remember during the test. If you promptly forget it, it doesn’t really matter.

But becoming a mature believer is not just about head knowledge, and it is certainly not something just to hold on to for a test and then forget. The following is another Mark Darling quote:

Spiritual maturity is not about what you know, but about what you are as a result of what you know.

I believe the key question for you to ask yourself as you go home and rethink your life is, “How much do I want to grow into maturity?” Because if God desires to mature you now, and He does, then the only thing that can prevent that from happening is you.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. – Romans 12:1-3

Paul urges you, he pleads with you, in view of the fact that God has saved you by His mercy, through the cross, to do what? To offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. And then this passage goes on to say that you should view yourself with sober judgment. Judge yourself as God would judge you!

I believe this passage points out two essential first steps towards Christian maturity, two things you must do, or must have, if you are going to grow into a wise and faithful steward:

1. Total agreement with God as to your real wretchedness.
2. Total commitment to do whatever it takes to grow and mature.

What Jesus has been doing in the last several chapters of Luke has been basically to get the crowds and His followers to understand #1. Again and again He has rebuked them. Again and again He has pointed out their hypocrisy. You will continually resist God’s calling for change in your life if you think you are basically OK and not in need of change or growth. I am not asking for you to agree that you are “positionally” wretched – I am asking you to agree with God that you are personally wretched. How do you do this? There are many ways – honestly compare yourself to the Apostles Paul, or Peter, or Stephen. Read I Corinthians 13 (the love passage) or Galatians 5 (the fruit of the spirit) or Titus 2, or I Timothy 3, or countless other passages and honestly assess how you measure up. Get specific with your failings and confess them to God.

Even if you have done this to some measure in the past, I would challenge you to do it again. It is my experience that the more I get to know God, the more I begin to honestly understand myself and my sinfulness, my pride, my selfishness. I am not saying we should stay in this pit all the time, or every day – far from it – but I don’t know of any other way to truly become cooperative with God unless I see me (the old man part of me, not the new creation in Christ part of me) as God sees me, as I really am.

And after you have done this, to pray to God and tell Him that, by His grace, you will do whatever it takes to grow and mature, that you will act on what He shows you to do. This won’t be easy, any more than for most of us, getting a college degree is easy. In fact it will be harder than getting a degree. But remember that God eagerly desires to mature you. If you stay totally committed to Him, He will be totally committed to you, and you will grow. You will mature.

So again I call on you to go home and rethink your life. I don’t want to manipulate you into any hasty prayers here – your decisions should be well-thought out and deliberate. They should be as serious to you as the decision you made when you first became a believer. Will you do this? Will you do this today? Do you need to make an appointment in your appointment book to make sure you do this? Then do so. Do you want Fred or I to ask you if you next week if you did it, to keep you accountable? Then write this on the card in the bulletin. Do whatever it takes so you can get some time with God and rethink your life.

As for myself, I am humbled and challenged by a single verse in the end of Ephesians.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. – Eph. 4:12

I am challenged by Epaphras. You can keep me accountable, by asking me at any time if I remember to do Eph. 4:12.