Be Ready - Part 2

The subject of this morning is the second coming, and so I want you to take your Bibles and open to our text once again.

Luke chapter 12 verses 35 through 48. That's our text. We started to look at this last week, finish that up this morning as we continue our trek through the Gospel of Luke. So let me go ahead and read the passage starting with verse 35 of Luke. Again, Luke chapter 12.

Jesus said, Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.

Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat and will come and serve them.

And if he should come in a second watch, more come in the third watch and find them so that is ready. Blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. And Peter said to him, Lord, do you speak this parable only to us or to all people?

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?

Blessed is the servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, My master is delaying his coming and begins to beat the male and female servants and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him into and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

And that servant who knew his master's will and did not prepare himself or do according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know yet committed things deserving of stripes shall be beaten with few.

For everyone, everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required. And to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Now think about this passage. And think about the subject. We talked about this last week.

The subject is very clear, isn't it? The subject is the second coming. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, also called the parousia. That's just taking it straight from the Greek.

Greek word parousia, meaning coming. And specifically referring to his second coming. His coming again.

And also remember what we talked about last week if you were here. The key verse in this passage is very near the middle of the text. Verse 40 is the key passage.

Look at it. Therefore you also be ready. This is the key passage. Be ready for the Son of Man is coming. He's coming. He's coming. At an hour you do not expect.

And so then ultimately we could very clearly see the main idea in this passage of Scripture. Be ready for the second coming of Christ. That's the main idea.

And that's what we want to discover. Always want to discover anytime we are studying a particular passage of Scripture. The main idea. And this is the main idea. He is coming. Be ready.

And everything else in this passage that I read a moment ago. Everything that comes before verse 40 and everything that follows verse 40 in this particular passage is connected to that main idea.

Be ready. Because Jesus is coming again. Be ready then for the last period of the last sentence of the last paragraph in the book of world history.

And that is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now again I've divided the passage into two parts. We looked at the first part last week. We'll look at the second part this morning.

Two parts. Two emphases. With verse 40 as pivotal. Between these two parts. And so verse 40 then being the main verse.

The key verse. Looks backward first of all in the text. To tell you what you must do now regarding the second coming.

It's in the form of a command. And what you must do now considering the second coming of Christ. And we looked at this last Sunday. And then verse 40 also points us forward.

And what comes next will tell you how what you do now will affect your future. Your eternal future. When Christ finally does come.

And so first we see then a present command in verses 35 to 40 because verse 40 is in the form of a command. What you must do now. And then the second part is the future consequence.

The future consequence. Verses 41 through to verse 48. What God will do in the future. Your future depending on what you do in this life.

And so that's how we should very neatly I think very accurately divide the passage. A present command. A future consequence. And of course our focus this morning then will be on the last half of the passage.

The future consequence. Now before we get to that. We need again to understand that from the premillennial view of end times.

Which is my view. Your pastor's view. And I guess we could say the official view of our church. As one of our five doctrinal statements as a church. This view then when we speak of the second coming.

We're not talking about one solitary event. Just simply the appearance of Christ the second time. We're talking about a series of events that will take place in succession.

Not rapidly in succession. But really will take place over a great span of time actually. But all of it comes under the term or designation of the second coming.

And basically speaks of God bringing everything to its predetermined end. And that is his predetermined end.

And so when we look at the world around us. We're thinking about the second coming. And we're thinking about the end of all things. And yet when we look at the world around us. It seems to our eyes that everything is absolutely out of control.

Have you felt that way lately? I mean just turn on the TV. And if you watch Fox News, CNN or all of those news channels that are 24-7 round the clock.

Either on the internet or on cable TV or satellite TV. And you can just watch the news all the time. And so all you have to do is just watch a cross section of what is reported in the news today.

And it seems that everything is absolutely out of control. I mean think about it. And we have ISIS over there in Iraq. And they want to conquer the entire world ultimately. And then we have what's going on in Israel.

Between Israel and the Palestinians. And the war that is taking place there. And there's news about that every single day. And then of course very near and dear to our hearts. You have Ukraine and the Russians and what is going on there.

And Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan and North Korea. We can bring North Korea into that mix. Though from time to time we don't hear anything about that. But we know that's going on also.

And even in our own country. Just bring it on home here. The health care debacle and nightmare. The VA scandal. The IRS scandal. The immigration disaster.

And the economy going into the tank. And this is really an uplifting sermon isn't it? When you think about all these things.

It just seems like everything is just out of control. And we almost want to run from that. And hide ourselves from that. And kind of separate ourselves from it.

But we can't. We're right in the midst of it. And it's just chaotic. And disastrous. And at any moment we think it's just. Everything is just going to completely fall apart. If it hasn't already.

And yet we must realize that every movement of history. Is under the sovereign control of God. Do you believe that? It really is.

Otherwise we would just go absolutely mad. But we know this to be true. Every movement. Is under his sovereign control. And though we can't see it.

From our vantage point. We can see it from scripture's vantage point. And that's how we ought to look at this. We know that God is moving this world. To an end.

An ultimate end. That has been foreordained. And predetermined. And that end is the second coming of Christ. When everything will be made right.

Ultimately. That's what this world is moving toward. And so in a sense everything is coming to Christ. Okay. God is moving it that way. And so he is sovereign over all things.

Let's just kind of walk through. What Christ will accomplish at his second coming. That's what we're talking about. When we use the term second coming. We're talking about what Christ will accomplish. When he comes again.

Let's just kind of walk through it. As I said last week. It begins with one monumental event. The rapture of the church. The catching away.

Of the bride of Christ. The church. Being caught up to be with the Lord. The bride of Christ. We're talking about the rapture. And then. We will have our works judged.

At the judgment seat of Christ. 1 Corinthians 3.13. The judgment seat of Christ. And there at the judgment seat of Christ.

The works that we have done. For self. And self alone. Characterized by wood. Hay. And straw. Will be burned away. Will be purified. And those works that have been done for Christ.

Characterized by gold. And silver. And precious stones. Will be rewarded. And that will be followed. That event will be followed. By the marriage supper of the Lamb. Where the bride of Christ.

Now cleansed and purified. Will be presented. And we will be served by the Lord. At the marriage supper of the Lamb. In Revelation 19.9. And yet.

While all of that is taking place. Down here on the earth. It will be a different story. The seven years of tribulation. And halfway through that time. Will be what the Bible calls. The great tribulation.

And this will be a time. When God's wrath will be poured out. Upon this earth. The unbelieving. Seven seal judgments. Seven trumpet judgments. Seven bowl judgments.

These judgments occurring. One right after the other. And so unparalleled judgment. And wrath upon this planet. But in addition to this unparalleled judgment.

And destruction. During the tribulation. There will be the salvation. Of a numberless group of people. From every tongue. And tribe. And nation.

And at some point. All Israel will be saved. Paul wrote in Romans 11.25. Blindness. He said in part. Has happened to Israel. Until the fullness of the Gentiles.

Has come in. And so all Israel. Will be saved. As it is written. The deliverer. Will come out of Zion. And he will turn away. Ungodliness. From Jacob.

The tribulation. Will come to a close. With the battle. Of Armageddon. And Jesus. Will bring that battle. To a violent. And decisive. End. When on his white horse.

He will destroy. The ungodly. That remain. Upon this planet. And so following. The tribulation. We have the millennial. The establishment. Of the millennial kingdom. Satan will be bound.

For a thousand years. And Jesus. With his bride. The church. Will return to this earth. And he will set up. His millennial kingdom. And from his holy city. In Jerusalem.

The city of Zion. He will rule the earth. For a thousand years. And we. His church. His bride. Will rule with him. And the earth. Then will be. Paradise.

Restored. At that time. The lion. Will lie down. With the lamb. The children. Will pick up snakes. And play with them. And so forth. It be a time. Of unparalleled peace. And health.

And safety. The redeemed. Of the Lord. Who came out. Of the tribulation. Those who are saved. In the tribulation. Who lived. And came out. Of the tribulation. Will live in the millennium. And live long lives.

In that perfect world. And they will have. Lots of children. And the earth's population. Will greatly increase. But not all of those. Will be saved. And so then. At the close of the millennium.

Satan. Will be released. And he will gather together. Unbelievers. For one final rebellion. Against God. And Christ. Will destroy. Them all.

Immediately. And after that. The great white throne. Judgment. The unbelieving. Of all the ages. Of mankind. Will be brought. Before the great white throne.

Judgment. Of God. And given. Resurrected bodies. Suited for. For punishment. For eternal punishment. And suffering. And they will be cast.

Into the lake of fire. Which is hell. Forever. And ever. And the final event. Will be the destruction. Of this universe. By fire.

And the creation. Of a new heaven. And a new earth. That is. God will create. A new universe. This time. Eternal. Righteous. Without any sin.

And perfect. Just as he. Created the old universe. Originally. And all of this. All of this. That I have. Run through very quickly. Is encapsulated. In this one event.

That we call. The second coming. Of Jesus Christ. And it all begins. With the rapture. Of the church. That's the trigger event. This is what.

We must be ready for. And according to Jesus. No one knows. That it. When it is going to happen. No one knows. Now someone might be thinking. After going through that.

Well what if a person. Is not saved. When Jesus comes. For his church. Won't there be an opportunity. For them to be saved. During the tribulation. And the answer to that is. Yes. But. There will be.

Great gospel preaching. During the tribulation. Absolutely. And a numberless. Multitude of people. Will be saved. During the tribulation. Yes. Many of those. Will be martyred. But this world.

Remember. Will be dominated. By the antichrist. During that time. You think it's bad now. He will dominate this world. And even more important.

More serious than that. This world. Will be. Immersed. Engulfed. In God's. Righteous wrath. And judgment. And billions. Billions.

Will die. Under the judgments. That God will pour out. Upon this planet. Now. I ask you. How much better. Would it be. To be gathered. Together. With the bride of Christ.

And enjoy the marriage supper. Of lamb. While all this is going on. Better than to face. The horrors. Of the great. Tribulation. Be ready. This is what Jesus said.

The son of man. Is coming. At an hour. You do not expect. That's rather. A long introduction. That was all introduction. By the way. And we haven't even really gotten.

To the last half of this text. But now we're going to dive. Right into it. We talked about the second coming. And what that consists of. And now. What does Jesus have to say. About readiness.

Readiness. In regard to the second coming. Well the first half. Again. Focused on the present command. Verse 40. Is in the form of a command. What you must do now. And that is.

Be ready. Ready. The second half. Focuses on. A future consequence. That is. What God will do. In your future. Based upon.

How you respond. To his command. Of readiness. Now let's approach. The text. With some questions. That's really a good way. By the way. To study scripture.

Or any given. Passage of scripture. You should ask it. Some questions. I mean. After you read the passage. Certainly. Questions come to mind. And asking the text.

Certain questions. And then digging deep. Not only into that passage. But other passages. In the Bible. Is a good way. The only way really. To answer those questions. So let's approach it. By answering.

Some questions. And specifically. Four. I think we could boil it down. To four. Very important questions. That we need answered. Concerning this passage of scripture.

The first. And I think the obvious question is. And it's the one really. That we answered last week. But we need to see it again. And the question is. What is Jesus talking about?

What is Jesus talking about? So very quickly. We can answer that one. Because again. We spent all of my time. Last Sunday. Answering that question. What is he talking about?

Well he's talking. Remember. He's talking about a certain event. And. Whose timing. Is uncertain. That's what he's talking about. A certain event. With an uncertain timing.

That is uncertain to us. And of course. That's the second coming. The second coming of Christ. It is expected. In a sense. That is. If you read the Bible.

And believe the Bible. It's expected. And yet. It will happen. Unexpectedly. Because you don't know. When it's going to happen. Verse 40. Again.

The Son of Man is coming. At an hour. You do not expect. So this is what Jesus is talking about. You see. His coming. Will trigger. A chain of events.

That will violently. Ultimately. Violently. Bring this world. To its final end. A catastrophic end. And so the question is.

Are you ready for that? Are you ready for that? Well Jesus says in verse 40. Be ready. Be ready. And you have to be ready now. Don't you? Why?

Because you don't know. When it's going to happen. You don't know. When it's going to happen. And no one does. And if someone says. They know. When Jesus is coming. If. If a person says.

I know. When Jesus is coming. That person is either crazy. And there are many of those out there. Certifiably. Either crazy. Or deceived. And that's the larger majority of them.

Or they're lying. And how can I say that? Because Jesus said. Right here in verse 40. The son of man is coming. In an hour you do not expect. It's an hour you do not know. Jesus also said.

Remember in Acts 1.6. It is not for you to know. He's saying this to his disciples. Because they asked the why question. He says. It's not for you to know the times. Or the seasons. The ages. Which the father has put in his own authority.

And just in case. It's still a little vague to us. Jesus said. Very matter of factly. Without any question. He said in Mark 13.32.

But of that day and hour. No one knows. No one knows. Not even the angels in heaven. Nor the son. Nor the son.

Only the father knows. He said. And so. Jesus commands you. To be ready. Paul said. In Romans 13.11. You ought to listen to this.

And do this. He said. Speaking in Romans. Do this. Knowing the time. Not talking about the ages. But knowing the time of the clock. Knowing the time.

That now it is high time. To wake. To wake out of sleep. Wake up. For now. Our salvation. Is nearer. Than when we first believed.

He's not talking about. Salvation. In the sense of. Coming to Christ. And believing in Christ. He's talking about. The coming of Christ. Our salvation. Our Christ. Is. Is. Is. Is coming. Is nearer now.

Than when we first believed. That's a reference. To the second coming. And he goes on to say. The night is far spent. And the day is at hand. By the way. If. If Paul.

Sensed that it was close. In his lifetime. How much closer. Is it today? The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off. The works of darkness. And let us put on.

The armor of light. Let us walk properly. As in the day. That is. Be ready. Be ready. That's what Jesus. Is talking about.

In this passage. In Luke. Second question. One that is actually. Asked for us. In the passage. And it is this. Who.

Is Jesus. Talking to. I want to put it. Grammatically correct. To whom. Is Jesus. Talking. Or speaking. And that's what Peter. Wanted to know.

Right. In fact. That's what we have there. In verse 41. Then Peter said to him. And it was Peter. Because Peter's always. The spokesman. For all the rest of them. He's the only bold one.

Really. Among them. And so Peter asked him. Lord. Do you speak this parable. Only to us. Or. To all people. That's a pretty good question.

Obvious question. That is. He's asking Jesus. Who are you talking to? And so Peter was asking. The obvious question. Do you speak. You know.

This parable. Only to us. That is. Your apostles. Your disciples. Your followers. Your learners. Or to all the people. Remember. There's a whole multitude. Of people.

That have gathered. There. Just to us. Or to all people. That's the question. Peter. Wanted to ask. And did ask. Now. What parable. Is Peter talking about?

He said. Are you speaking. This parable. To us. Or to all. What parable. Is he referring to? Well. He's referring. To the parable. We looked at last week. In verses. 36. Through 38.

And here. Again. Is the gist of it. The parable. Is about a master. Who went away. To a wedding. Weddings. Would take a lot. A lot of time. In those days. Days. Weeks.

So he leaves. To go to a wedding. And he leaves. His servants behind. And he's expecting. His servants. To carry out. Their assigned duties.

And so forth. Which is very common. Understandable. And knowing. That their master. Will return. At a time. They. They. They. Do not know. He could come.

At any time. Or that's what. The parable is about. And so the master. Is expecting. To find them. Doing what the master. Commanded them to do. He's going to return. Unexpected time.

And he expects. To find them. Doing what they've been. Commended to do. He's expecting them. To be prepared. For his return. Even if he. Were to return.

In the middle of the night. During the second watch. Third watch. And. The parable goes on. To really. Reveal something. Quite odd. Quite strange.

According to the culture. He said. And if the master. Finds them ready. For his return. He will. Verse 37. Gird himself. Or put on. A servant's apron.

And have his servants. Sit down. To eat. And he. Will come. And serve them. That would be. Unheard of. Really. But I think. An allusion to the marriage supper.

Of the lamb. If we carry this over to. The events of his second coming. All right. Now. So. Really. This is a very positive parable. Isn't it? I mean. You think about it. Those who are ready.

At his return. And this is the emphasis. Of the parable. Those who are ready. They will be blessed. Greatly blessed. He will actually serve them. And so.

He's saying. If. At his return. This is what Jesus is saying. This is the meaning of the parable. If. At my return. I find you obedient. And faithful. You shall be blessed.

You shall be blessed. That is. I'll find you ready. And then he says. In verse 40. In so many words. I had better find you ready. I had better find you ready.

When I return. And so. There is an implied. Aspect. The parable. Of the parable. And the implication is. That there is danger. Extreme danger.

For those who are not ready. At his coming. Which. Now. After. In the parable. That we're going to be looking at. This morning. We find out what that danger is. All right.

So. That's what's on Peter's mind. Really. I think. Is. Not the positive side of this. But the negative side of it. That's what's on everybody's mind. Peter's just the one voicing the question.

And so. They're all. I think. Doing a little bit of inventory. In their lives. A little self-examination. Who's he talking about? Is he talking about me? Or is he talking about someone else? I mean.

There are a lot of other people. Gathered here. There. There. There. There's a great multitude of people. Tens of thousands of people. Who are pressing close. To hear what Jesus has to say. But Jesus. Of course. We understand. Has separated.

His disciples. His apostles together. And he is speaking to them. Particularly. His apostles. His disciples. His learners. Some of them believing. Some of them still unbelieving.

And so they. Naturally. Want to know. Who are you talking to? Or. Who are. In danger.

Because. They are not ready. Is the idea here. Now. Does Jesus answer that question? Well. Yes. He does. Albeit. Albeit.

Indirectly. Jesus answers. With a parable. And. That. Is the parable. That we. Read. In the latter half. Of this passage. Verse 42. Who then.

Is that faithful servant. Faithful and wise steward. This is the answer. To Peter's question. Who then. Is that faithful and wise steward. Whom his master. Will make ruler. Over his household.

To give them. Their portion. Of food. In due season. I said that. There's how he. Begins to answer the question. But he's not finished yet. He says. Blessed is that servant.

Okay. Truly I say. In verse 44. He will be ruler. Over all that he has. But. Verse 45. He speaks of a different. Kind of servant. But. If that servant.

Says in his heart. My master. Is delaying. Is coming. And begins. To beat. The male. And female. Servants. And to eat. And drink. And be drunk. Or now. There are really two.

Types of servants. In the parable. There. There is the faithful. I mean. Group one. Are those who are faithful. Verse 42. They're faithful.

Therefore ready. That's the implication. They're faithful. They're ready. The other group is. Well. Unfaithful. Obviously. Although the word is not. Used there. Necessarily.

Unfaithful. Verse 45. And therefore. What? Not ready. So here's the answer. To Peter's question. The faithful. Will be blessed.

And the unfaithful. Will be. Punished. You go on with the parable. You find that out. They will be judged. They will be punished. And so it's pretty clear.

That was right there. In the parable. Parable makes it very clear. If you are in the second group. Then you need to get ready now. Because you're not ready. If you're in the first group.

Then you're ready. You're ready now. Who then is Jesus speaking to? Everyone. He's speaking to everyone.

Everybody is in here somewhere. Believers and unbelievers. Because here is the overarching truth here. Every human being. Every human being.

Ever born. Has been given a divine stewardship. Everyone. Every man, woman, child. Has been given a divine stewardship.

And so that says. In the parable. The servant. The servants. Represent everyone. Every person. Every one of mankind. We've all been given a divine stewardship.

That is. Your life. Is a divine stewardship. Put it another way. Every human being. Ever born. Is accountable.

To the God of the Bible. The one true God. Accountable to his will. Accountable to his law. Accountable to his word.

Accountable to his son. The Lord Jesus Christ. Accountable to his authority. Accountable to his gospel. And you know. It doesn't really make any difference.

What you believe about those things. Because people believe different things. About these things. I mean these doctrines. God. The doctrine of God. Jesus.

Gospel. Salvation. Sin. Doesn't make any difference. What you believe about these things. You can either believe something about these. Interpret them maybe differently. Or not believe them at all. Just out of hand.

And yet all are accountable. All are. Even though they don't know it. They're accountable. God you see is by virtue of. He being the creator.

He is the master in the parable. And his created beings. Are his servants. Servants. God is master of all. God is ruler over all.

God is sovereign over all. And all are accountable to him. Romans chapter 1 makes that clear. We are all accountable to God. And not a single one of us. Has an excuse.

According to Romans chapter 2. We all have a God consciousness. We've been created with that. And we all have the law. Written in our hearts. That's what Paul said in Romans 2.

And so we all have been given. A consciousness of God. We all have been given. The law of God. And so here's the deal. If you will follow. After what God has given you.

It will lead you. To the light of Christ. Into salvation. But on the other hand. But if you do not follow. That path. It will lead to judgment. You cannot plead ignorance.

You cannot plead any excuse. You are accountable to God. To his law. To his word. To his son. To his gospel. That's who Jesus is talking to.

Everyone. Third question. These are kind of coming. I think logically. And kind of unfolding. Really the truth.

That is in the passage. The third question. What does it mean. To be ready. For Jesus return. What does it mean. Well.

That's a pretty important question. Isn't it. I mean. Isn't that the question. The burning question. What does it mean. To be ready. And. In a sense. Jesus has been answering.

That question. From the very start. Of this chapter. Jesus has. Been describing. Those who are ready.

And so. We can just look at. What Jesus has been teaching. Which we really already have. Though it's. Taken several weeks. We can see. What Jesus has been teaching.

Throughout this chapter. And know. That it describes. The one who is ready. For him. At his coming. We can go all the way. Back to verses.

One to three. Though we're not going to. Let me just. Give you the gist of it. Verses one and three. He's talking about. Those who reject. False religion. And false teachers. That describes.

Those who are ready. In verses four through seven. Of this same chapter. He's talking about. Those who fear God. More than man. That describes.

Those who are ready. In verses eight through nine. Those who continually. Confess Christ. No matter what. The consequences. That's a description. Of the one.

Who is ready. For his coming. In verses. Ten through twelve. Those who submit. To the control. Of the Holy Spirit. Upon their lives. And rely upon. The power of the Holy Spirit.

That's a description. Of the one. Who is ready. Does that describe you? In verses. Fourteen through twenty. One. We're just kind of. Walking. Through the chapter.

Leading up. To what Jesus. Is teaching us. In this particular. Passage. This morning. In verses. Fourteen through twenty. One. Those who have. Turned away. From materialism. And covetousness.

You know. The love of money. The love of the world. Whether it's possessions. Or wealth. Or popularity. Or prestige. Turning away from those things. The love of money.

The love of all earthly things. That's a description. Of those who are ready. Does that describe you? In verses. Twenty. Two. To thirty. Four. Those whose.

Life. Focus. Is. King. Jesus. And his kingdom. Seek first. The kingdom of God. And all these other things. Will be added to you. That's a description. Of those who are.

Numbered among the ready. And then here. In our text. This morning. Those who know. That all of these things. Are urgent. Because Jesus. Is coming. And we don't know. When he's coming.

That's a description. Of those who are ready. Now. When we get to the parable. In the portion. Of the passage. We're looking at this morning. The parable here. In our passage. Reduces all of that.

Down to one description. One very short. Very concise description. A faithful and wise steward. That's the one who's ready.

A faithful and wise steward. Faithful is the Greek word. Pistos. And it means. Believing. Trusting. The master. In the parable. The servants. Who are trusting the master.

And are. And are doing what he has commanded them to do. And waiting for his return. Believing. Trusting. But also. Wise.

He says. A wise servant. Franimous. And it means wise. Prudent. Mindful. Means. And even translated. In the new American standards.

Sensible. That is. That is. You know. You engage the mind. And. And it is totally focused upon. Your. Faith in. And obedience. To the master.

That is. You know. The faithful wise servant. Are those who understand. The urgency. Of a life. That is lived for the master. And urgency. Because he's coming back.

At any moment. The faithful wise servant. Are those who understand. What really matters. To the master. In life. They want the master.

When he comes. To see. Their faithfulness. Faithfulness. In all that he. Has given them. To do. With all being given. Things to do.

In his kingdom. And the. Ones who are ready. Understand. That he's coming. At an hour. They do not know.

And. They want him. To find them. Faithful. In what. They are doing. What they've been commanded. To do. Verse 43. Blessed is that servant.

Whom his master. Will find. So doing. When he comes. So doing what. What he's been commanded. To do. What he's been given. To do. His responsibilities. As one of the servants. Of the master.

Now. That's what it means. To be ready. Is that you? That's what we need. To. To. To ask ourselves.

Then there's one final. Crucial question. How serious. Is it. To be ready. For Jesus return. How serious.

Is this? Well. I would say to you. In. No uncertain terms. Without wavering. In my mind. At all. There is nothing.

More serious. Nothing. More dire. And dangerous. For those. Who are not ready. Seriously. Look at verse 45.

But. And that is an important. Important. Conjunction. But. But what? But if that servant. Says in his heart.

My master. Is delaying his coming. And begins to beat. The male and female servants. That is doing the exact opposite. Of what he's been commanded to do. Because he's convinced.

His master is never going to come. And it really doesn't matter. He cares not. That his master will return one day. Perhaps he doesn't even believe.

That his master is going to return. And he cares not. A wit. About. His faithful. Stewardship. To all that the master.

Has commanded him to do. Given him to do. He dishonors the master. He. Disobeys. Despises. He. Thumbs his nose. At the sovereignty. Of the master.

His right to rule over him. That. That's. That's. That's what Jesus is getting at. Look at. He begins to eat. And drink. And be drunk. Not only is he not doing.

What his master told him to do. Commanded him to do. But he's doing the opposite. Of what his master. Commanded him to do. And he's just living for self. And what a perfect.

Picture of the unfaithful. Unbelieving in this world. Today. In any age. Rejecting God. Rejecting his Christ. Rejecting God's grace.

Rejecting his word. His gospel. Living for self. Doing all according to. Self will. Self desire. Self.

Reliance. Self promotion. No regard whatsoever. For the accountability. Before God. No. No. No. No. No thought of that at all. Living for personal desires.

Everything in life. All decisions. All activity. Is all geared toward. Self. Fulfillment. Fulfillment of. Self lusts.

And passions. And the gratifications. Of what. I want to do. The things of this world. That's a description. Of the unbelief. Those.

Are those who are not ready. Now what's going to happen. To all unfaithful. Unwise servants. Some pretty serious stuff. Verse 46.

The master of that servant. Will come on a day. When he is not looking for him. That in itself. Is scary. And at an hour.

Not just the day. But even the very hour. And he is not aware. Watch this. And will cut him in two. And appoint him.

His portion. With unbelievers. This. This judgment. What a description. What. What. What a severe punishment. Cut up in pieces.

But then you notice. There's another. Unfaithful servant. Mentioned here. There is the servant. Who simply. Did not prepare. For the master's return.

You see in that parable. There is that one. Who. Does the opposite. And. Willfully disobeys. And then there's the one. Who just. Was not prepared. Not prepared.

He. He didn't do the opposite. Of what the master. Commanded him to do. But. He just didn't get prepared. For his coming. And so. What will happen to him. Verse 47. He shall be beaten. With many stripes.

Obviously. A lesser punishment. Though. Punishment. Nonetheless. And still. There's another servant. Mentioned here. The third one. Is ignorant.

Of what the master. Had commanded. He just didn't know. What God. Commanded him to do. What will happen. With him. Yet. Committed. Things deserving.

Of stripes. He shall be beaten. With few. Fewer stripes. And so. There's ones. Cut up into pieces. Severe judgment. For a master.

To come back. To his home. And find his servant. Unfaithful. And doing. Unfaithful things. And he. Cuts him up. Into pieces. That's pretty severe. For a master to do. But he has.

Power over the servant. Absolute power. And this is. This is. Commensurate. To his. His. Unfaithfulness. And then. There's another servant. Who. Didn't do contrary.

To what he'd been told to do. He just. Wasn't prepared. He wasn't ready. For his master. And he receives. Stripes. Many stripes.

And then. There's another one. Maybe he was out in a field. Somewhere. And he didn't. Didn't. Hear all of this stuff. And he was ignorant. About it. And yet. He's. Done things. Deserving of stripes.

And he gets a few stripes. Now what is this. What's Jesus talking about? Well. Obviously. He's talking about. Degrees of punishment. Degrees of punishment.

For the unfaithful. At his coming. There are degrees. Of blessing. And reward. In heaven. There are degrees. Of punishment. In hell. And yet.

Hell is still hell. Eternal. Separation. From God. So I guess. A lost person. Shouldn't take comfort. In the fact. Well. You know. I haven't been. All that bad a person. So if I go to hell.

It'll be a little lighter. On me. I don't think. That's the idea. Here at all. But there are degrees. Of punishment. And Jesus says. For everyone. To whom much is given. From him. Much will be required.

And to whom much. Has been committed. Of him. They will ask. The more. There are degrees. And so listen. The more truth. You have.

Here's the serious thing. Serious. Especially. For this. Quote. Christian nation. This. Bible saturated. Gospel saturated.

Culture. The more truth. You have. The more dangerous. Is your condition. And your ultimate judgment. And honestly. I mean. There are people. Maybe even some.

Right here. In this building. Or sitting here. And sit here. Every Sunday. And hear. And hear. And hear. The word of God. And the gospel. Of Christ. And yet. Do not respond. That's serious.

And you don't even know. When Jesus is coming. He may come. At any moment. You don't even know. When your soul. Is going to be required. Of you. You're living in a.

An extremely precarious. Very dangerous. Situation. You know the truth. And yet. Have not responded. To it. And you don't know. He may come. At any moment. Your soul. May be required. At any moment.

Proverbs 27. One. Says. Do not boast. About tomorrow. You can't count. On tomorrow. You know. I'm going to get things. Right tomorrow. Don't boast. About tomorrow. You do not even know. What a day. Brings forth.

Not any of us do. So. You know. Getting back. To the. Peter's question. Jesus. Who's this. Parable for.

Jesus. Who is in danger. Here. At your coming. Who needs. To be afraid. And Jesus says.

Not the. Faithful. And wise servant. He is ready. She is ready. And when the master comes. The faithful servant.

Will be blessed. Blessed. And given the kingdom. That's what he says. In verse 44. Lord. He will make him. Ruler. Over all. That he has.

I think a glimpse. Of the millennium. But Jesus says. Those servants. Who are unfaithful. Be it. Those who are.

Willfully. Disobedient. Or. Including those. Who are just simply. Indifferent. About his coming. And including.

Including even those. Who are just simply. Ignorant. They will be judged. They will be. Punished. For everyone. To whom.

Much is given. From. Him. Much. Will be. Required. And so. We. Conclude. With a question. Of these.

Two. Types. Of servants. Faithful. And wise. Or unfaithful. Which servant. Are you?

Jesus is coming. That's a certain. Certain event. But you don't know when. It's an uncertain time.

Therefore. I say to you. What Jesus said. Here's the answer. Be ready. Be ready. Be ready.