LUKE 12:35-48 SERMON NOTES
Proposed Theme of the Passage:
Living A Life Faithfully Ready to Meet Our Lord
3 Words Jesus uses to illustrate the theme: Ready – Waiting - Watching
Primary Focus: The Lord’s Return (the 2nd Coming/Advent of Christ Jesus)
Personal Application: Christ calls each believer to be ready:
1) For His return
2) For the time when we come face-to-face with God for Reward and Judgment
Question:
According to this passage, how does the Lord define being Faithfully Ready?
WATCH + WAIT + SERVE = FAITHFULLY READY
Verse 37: Offers an awesome picture of Jesus as the Lord willing also to serve
Many examples in the New Testament (And in the Old Testament – Isaiah 52-53)
showing Jesus to be our Master and Lord Who, “Clothed Himself to serve”
 Jesus is the Lord and Master who willingly laid down His rightful glory for a time
and, “Emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made
in the likeness of men…He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the
point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-9)
 Jesus is the Master who came, “…not to be served, but to serve and to give
His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)
 Jesus is the Son of God. Yet, so that we could be adopted into God’s family,
“When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born
under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)
 Jesus is the Bridegroom of the bride…the church. He loves the bride with
sacrificial love, and is preparing the great “wedding supper of the Lamb”.
(Revelation 19:9)
Jesus’ harsh message to the Religious Leaders: Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the
kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you
allow those who are entering to go in.” (Matthew 23:13)
“Woe to you Pharisees…for you disregard justice and the love of God…Woe to
you teachers of the law…for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you
yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”
(Luke 11:42, 52)
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and
given to a people, producing the fruit of it. (Mt. 21:43)
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on
sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him
twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15)
“For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but
inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too,
outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and
lawlessness.”
(Matthew 23:27-28)
“And the Father Who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His
voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for
you do not believe Him Whom He sent. You search the Scriptures because you
think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you
are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (John 5:37-40)
“If God were you Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come
from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me…You are
of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father…He who is
of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because
you are not of God. (John 8:42, 44, 47)
“The Jews gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You
keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered
them, ‘I told you you, and you did not believe; the words that I do in My Father’s
name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My
sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give
eternal live to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of
My hand.’” (John 10:24-28)
Important Points:
 With Great Privilege Comes Great Responsibility.
 With Faithfulness Comes Great Reward
 With Unfaithfulness Comes Great Punishment
Things Revealed in this Passage that We Should Understand
1) Jesus IS saying that there will be both Punishments and Rewards for all
people… believers, as well as unbelievers.
2) And, that the punishments/rewards will be in varying degrees and severity
3) And, that the degrees of reward/punishment will be based upon faithfulness.
4) And, that His expectation of faithfulness for each person reflects what God
entrusted to them: talents, knowledge of God’s will & word, privilege, position,
opportunity…etc.
5) BOTH those Servants who know much about the Master’s Will and those who
know little about the Master’s Will are punished for not obeying His Will
6) And, Jesus is saying that He expects much from those who have received much
A Progression of Thought
 The more we Learn to Know God – the better we Learn His Love & Will
 The better we Understand His Love & Will – the greater our Capacity for
Obedience
 The more Willing we are to Obey – the more Prepared we are to Serve God
 The more Service-ready we are – the greater the Trust God Places in us
 The more Privilege & Responsibility God Entrusts to us – the more He
Expects of us
 The greater the Expectation – the deeper Commitment we need to
Faithfulness
 The more or less Faithful we are – the greater is God’s Reward or
Punishment
Reasons to be Ready, Waiting, & Watching
 We don’t know when He’s coming…but we can believe His word that He is
coming (Vs. 39-40, 46; Luke 21:33-34)
 Jesus is worth waiting and watching for: (Vs. 36-37)
 He is alive; He is the risen Lord (Luke 24:36-46)
 Jesus is the Servant Leader (Vs. 37; Luke 22:27; Mt. 20:28; Jn. 13:13-17)
 Jesus is the Redeemer/Liberator Who forgives sin and liberates us from
Spiritual and emotional bondage (Luke 4:18-21; 5:20-24; 7:47-48; )
 The Rewards come later, but the Blessings Start Now
 Our Faith is Strengthened as we see God at work
(Luke 9:28-36;
10:23-24)
 We are privileged to serve for God’s Kingdom (Luke 18:29-30; 19:11-27)
 He is the only True Hope to the soul burdened with grief and shame (Luke 5:3032; 7:44-50; 19:10)
 Christ’s Eternal Rewards will be based upon our faithfulness in Earthly Things
(Vs. 42-44; Luke 9:26; 12:21; 16:10-12)
 Living a life Ready, Waiting, & Watching is not overlooked by the Lord (Vs. 44;
Luke 18:29-30; 19:17, 26; 22:29-30)
 Christ will judge what is deserving of both Reward and Punishment (Vs. 45-48;
Luke 21:34-36)
Questions to start with:
 Lord God, how do I get Ready?
 What does it mean to faithfully wait and watch and serve You now…in
preparation for then?
 How am I to understand Your word on living Faithfully Ready for Jesus Christ?
 How can I help others to get Ready?
What are some ways we can live Faithfully Ready?
 UNPLUG
 UNLOAD
 UNHOOK
UNPLUG
 ELECTRONIC MEDIA
• Internet Browsing
• Gaming
• T.V. & Movies
• Internet Shopping
 NEWS & SPORTS
• Statistics
• Fantasy Football
• Financial News
• Talk Radio / Editorial
 SOCIAL MEDIA
• Facebook / Twitter
• Email / Text
UNLOAD
 BUSYNESS
 Overbooking
 Overworking
 Overcommitting
 EXPECTATIONS
 Standard of Living
 Perfectionism
 Comparison
 Entitlement
 FEARS & COMPULSIONS
 Impression Management
 Material Provision
 Unjustified Obligations
UNHOOK
 Get Away from the Crazy and Come Apart with God
o Commit to Regular Times of Silence & Solitude
o Sometime every day – Turn off all the Voices, Noises, and Propaganda
o Slow Down and even Stop Moving – to “Be Still and Know” He is God
 Spiritual Retreat
o Get away from the “Time-Suck” stuff – that keep us from Abiding in Christ
o Get away from the Entanglements, Temptations, and Tendencies that
Lead us into Sin
o Get away to Places, People, Practices – that help to Abide in Christ