LUKE 12:35-40 JESUS IS COMING BACK2012 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Luke 12:35-40 Jesus Is Coming Back

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You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2012. So you might have looked at the screen and said Luke chapter 12. I think it's supposed to be Luke chapter 2.

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But, you know, we've been continuing on through the Gospel of Luke. And, you know, every year whenever there's a special day like this, I seek the Lord and say, Lord, what do you want to do? And this year the Lord put on my heart to continue on the passages, you know, that we've been studying and just go into the next one. But not, you know, with no idea or no mind of Christmas at all. But really there's a particular aspect of this that I believe God wants to emphasize. And it goes along with this thought.

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Have you ever received a gift and when you opened it, you found out that it wasn't the real gift. It was just something that pointed you to the real gift. So you got it, you opened it, you looked inside and the real gift wasn't there. But there was something there that pointed you to what the real gift was.

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that also had the iPod that fit inside the case. And so it was a gift that pointed to another gift that was going to be given. And to kind of help stir our minds, I have a couple examples here for us. And so let's consider this and see if you can figure out the real gift

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from this pointer gift. Okay, so here you have a Bible cover. Now what might be the real gift if you get a Bible cover? Now you might just get a Bible cover and you got to be content with that, right? But also you might get the new Word for Today Bible, Pastor Chuck's new Bible. We've got them on the book table. You can pick one up on your way out. But

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It might be that, hey, you got a Bible cover because, hey, the real gift is a new Bible that is given to you. Or maybe you unwrap your present and you get a bicycle helmet. What might be the real gift that that is pointing to? Well, it might be that you are getting...

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A bicycle. Of course. Makes sense. I think that happened when I was growing up. I think my parents did that. All right. So you get a nice pair of pink Mickey Mouse ears. What might be the real gift? Yeah, Disneyland. Everybody's saying it. Yeah, a trip to Disneyland might be the gift that you're getting. I'm getting everybody's expectations up for Christmas, huh? All right. So you get a set of keys.

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What gift might that be pointing to? Yes, of course, a brand new Camaro, right? How about this one? Anybody know what that is? Yeah. I'm glad you don't know. Those are diamond studded keys to a Lamborghini. So if you get those, you're extra special this Christmas. All right. How about this gift? The manger.

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See, what I want to encourage you or suggest to you this morning is that the manger, we celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus, but that's not the finished gift. It's not the fulfillment of the gift that God has for us. There's more to the story than that. That points us to something else. The gift of Jesus as a baby in the manger, what we're remembering for Christmas, is

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We remember that, of course, Jesus being God became man. This incarnation, this incredible event where God became flesh and dwelt among us. But there was a purpose to that, and that's not the end of the story. And so what does that gift point to? Now, I think most of us would probably say it points to the cross.

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That we understand that the manger that Jesus came so that he would die upon the cross. And that was the point of the gift. That was really the fulfillment of the gift. But this morning I want to challenge you to think about it a little bit further and say...

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The manger was a gift. Jesus becoming flesh, dwelling among us. The cross was a gift where Jesus died upon the cross for our sins. That we might have forgiveness. That we might receive the salvation that he offers. But the gift that is ultimately pointed to in all of this is eternity. It's heaven that we are looking forward to. That is the fulfillment of the gift.

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Peter talks about, in 1 Peter chapter 1, he talks about our salvation and talking about greatly rejoicing even though we do have trials and difficulties, but we know that there's a future. And he says in verse 9 of 1 Peter 1, he says, "...receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

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The end of your faith is the salvation of your soul. It's that eternal life that God has promised as we enter into eternity with him. And so the manger that we'll be remembering this week with Christmas, I want to challenge you to use that as a reminder of something that is yet to come.

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that the gift has been given of the manger, the gift has been given of the cross, but the real gift is still yet to come. And we need to be prepared to receive that gift. And so the title of the message this morning is Jesus is coming back. Jesus is coming back. And this manger reminds us that Jesus will return. He came the first time.

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Just as the Bible declared. And he will come again just as the Bible declares. And so there's three points I'd like to highlight for you regarding the fact that Jesus is coming back. And we find the first one in verse 35 and 36. And this is really our response. Jesus is coming back. So what do we need to be doing? Well, we need to be waiting. We must be waiting. Look at verse 35 once again.

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It says, let your waist be girded and your lamps burning. Now Jesus is talking to the people around him. He's ministering to them. He's been talking to them about eternity and laying up treasure in heaven. We studied that last time. The importance of preparing for eternity. And as you're preparing for eternity, Jesus now goes on to say, don't just lay up treasure in heaven, but also be ready to go.

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He says,

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And so they had this idea of girding your waist where they would take the backside and they would pull it up and tuck it into their belt. And then they'd be kind of like wearing shorts. And then they would be able to have free movement to be able to, you know, do the task at hand. And that's the idea when Jesus says, let your waist be girded. He's saying, get ready to move, get ready to work, get ready to run or to serve.

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The New International Version says it this way, be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning. Be dressed ready for service. You know, put on your gym clothes or put on your work clothes. Put on the things that you need to be wearing in order to get to work and let your lamps be burning. Of course, this reminds us of Jesus' parable in Matthew chapter 25, where he talks about the ten virgins and says,

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Well, five of them didn't bring extra oil for their lamps and they ran out of oil. While the other five, the wise virgins, they had the extra oil and so they were able to keep their lamps burning. And so Jesus says, let your waste be girded, keep your lamps burning. And then verse 36 says,

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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. So do you see the picture that Jesus is painting here for us? That this idea of readiness, of waiting, of expectation, of

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He says, let your waist be girded. So be ready. Make sure you got oil in your lamp that your lamp keeps burning and be like men who wait for their master when he will return from the wedding. This word wait, it means to receive or to expect. It's this expectation. You can picture here the servants are there.

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Their master is coming back from the wedding and the servants are to be ready to receive him. They're expecting him at any time. They're expecting him at any moment. So there you are, you're a servant and your master is getting married. Exciting time, great day. He's coming home from the wedding and your job is to receive him.

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Your job is to make sure that him and the bride, you know, they have a place to come into, that things are prepared. So he's not going to come in and find, you know, the household is a mess. He's also not going to come and find that the door is locked and he's unable to get in. That your job is to make sure he is able to be received, to able to come in.

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How long do you let your master wait outside at the fence as he's coming back from his wedding? Of course, if you're a good servant, it's not going to be long, right? Jesus says, so that when he comes and knocks, then they open immediately. That there's no wait. That even as the knock is happening, the door is being opened, that they would be accepted and received in very quickly. Think about it this way. How would you be waiting immediately

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If someone that you love but you haven't seen for a long time is coming home. I think maybe we could ask the Sedotas. Right? Daniel and Nayan came in. They flew into town on Friday. Right?

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And George just sent him an email and just said, hey guys, we'll see you when you get here. Have a nice walk from LA to Corona. No, no, no. That's not what they did, right? They were there to make sure as soon as they got out that they were there to receive them. That there was this expectation, this excitement, this, well, their loved one is coming home. Their loved one is here. And so they were right there to receive them.

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This is the idea that Jesus is talking about here. He says, wait like that. Be like that as you wait for the return of Jesus. That when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. The knock is there. Boom. Yes, come on in. We're ready for you. We're waiting for you.

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The manger points us to eternity. And here what Jesus is saying is, be waiting for the gift. Be eagerly waiting, I would suggest, is how we need to be waiting. In Hebrews chapter 9 verse 28, the author of Hebrews says that Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. So we have the manger, then we have the cross. That's why Jesus came. That's why he became a man to die upon the cross.

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To bear the sins of the world. That we might have forgiveness because he paid the price already. But Hebrews 9.28 goes on to say, Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation. So the first time he came, it was to deal with sin. The second time he came is for the salvation. That fulfillment, the end of your faith as Peter said.

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And so the author of Hebrews says, this is for those who eagerly wait for him. That is that there's this eagerness, there's this anticipation, there's this expectation, looking for Jesus, looking for him to return. That your eyes are upon him, that your focus is upon him, because he's coming again to deliver the end of your faith, which is the salvation of your souls. Eagerly wait for

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As we consider the manger, let it point you to eternity. That you would be waiting eagerly. How do we do that? How do we eagerly wait? You know, I was thinking about when I have people coming over to my house. When I know that people are coming over, I stand at the kitchen window. You can ask my wife.

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It could be an hour before. I'll be standing at the kitchen window. Maybe they'll come early. I'll be looking. Because from the kitchen window, I can see people who come up to the driveway. And so I'll be watching. I'll be waiting. So that as soon as they're there, I'll know. Now, prior to that, I'll be running around the house and cleaning up and maybe taking a shower, getting changed, that kind of thing. Getting everything ready. But as soon as everything's ready, then I'll be there. I'll be at my post. Kitchen window.

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I'll tell Kim, they're here because I'm looking, I'm waiting. If I'm not at the kitchen window, then I have the front door open and I'm looking at the screen door. Oh, they're here because I want to just be able to, right when they're there, then I know that they're there. Right when they're here, then I know, then we can open up to them, then we can receive them. That's the way, it's just how I am. It's the way that I wait. But I don't do that until everything else is taken care of.

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Now, if the house isn't picked up, you know, if the floor is still a mess, then I won't be standing at the window just kind of, you know, looking out the window to see if you might come. I'll be in a mad rush, you know, scrubbing and cleaning and trying to get things in order so that things are prepared when you arrive. In the same way, as we wait for Christ, as we have this eagerly waiting for his return, I would suggest to you that we do this by not having things outstanding.

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That we be ready, that we have things taken care of.

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That we don't have outstanding issues with God or with people. That we're not waiting for, you know, one day we're going to get right with God. Or one day we're going to fulfill what he's called us to do. One day, tomorrow, next week, you know, later on, we're going to do something that he's put upon our hearts. Or get really, you know, serious about studying the scriptures. Or sharing with other people. Or ministering to people. Or praying for people. One day our prayer life is going to be in order that, you know, we always put it off. But instead, to eagerly wait for the Lord.

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Well, those things need to be in order so that we can stand at the window and watch and wait. That we can be looking for His return. The manger points us to eternity and reminds us to be eagerly waiting. This morning I want to encourage you to have your bags packed, so to speak. You don't have things outstanding with people or with God.

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That you get those things in order. Those things that are upon your heart. If you're not walking with God, then it's time to get right with the Lord and start walking with Him. If you got issues of sin in your life, hey, we'll see that clearly later on as well. That's something that you can't just allow to continue on. That's not eagerly waiting when you're continuing on in sin. You need to have your bags packed. Jesus says, wait like this.

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Like servants who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding. That at a moment's notice, boom, you're there, you're ready, you're prepared. You've said your I love you's. You've said your apologies. You've made things right. You've walked with God. So that when he returns, you're ready. You had nothing else to do on the to-do list. It was all taken care of and you were eagerly expecting and waiting his return. Jesus is coming back.

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The manger reminds us of that. So we must be waiting. Secondly, we find in verse 37 and 38 that we must be watching. We must be waiting, but we also must be watching. Look at verse 37. Jesus goes on now to say,

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That when the master comes, he finds them watching. Blessed are the servants. Blessed are the disciples of Jesus. That when he returns, he finds that they are watching for him. This word watch, it's the idea of refraining from sleep. It's like standing guard or standing watch. Blessed are those who are not asleep when he returns.

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Blessed are those who are paying attention, who are awake, who are standing guard, standing watch, and he finds them doing so when he returns to refrain from sleep. What do you do to refrain from sleep?

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I was thinking back to my Bible college days. And some classes were really interesting and, you know, it's no problem to stay awake. But other classes, it was much more of a challenge. And one of the things that I would do is, you know, in the break of the class, I would run out to the soda machine and I would...

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pick a soda didn't really matter which kind because i wasn't going to drink it instead as i got it out of there what i would do is you know cold uh can of soda and i would just place it on my eye with my eye closed but you know what i mean i just take off my glasses boom put it in my eye and it's shocking right and then i would take it off and i would do it on the other side and then my eyes would be like freaked out weirded out and it would help me to stay awake for the next session of the class and

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It's a trick that I learned to try to stay awake. Or maybe you've tried some things too, you know, when you have to drive maybe late at night.

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Or maybe the worst for me actually is the afternoon. You know, you're driving, the sun's in your face, you're already squinting and you know, you didn't get much sleep the night before or something and it's just like, oh man, you're already right there. Just close a little bit more and you'll be set. You know, you'll be able to sleep and that's not good while you're driving. And so what do you do? You turn on the air conditioner, you crank up the music, you roll down the window. You know, we have all these tricks.

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All these things that we do to try to refrain from sleep. When we know we shouldn't be sleeping, we work really hard to stay awake. Well, as we carry that thought over to the spiritual realm, Jesus says, And so I would ask you to consider, what do you do to refrain from sleep spiritually?

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What are you doing in your life to refrain from sleep? A soda on the eye probably won't do that, spiritually speaking. You know, rolling down the window will not do that, spiritually speaking. So what are you doing? Because our natural tendency is to sleep. Our natural tendency is to cool off. We don't remain on fire naturally.

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We don't get real excited and continue in that excitement for the things of the Lord. You know, just naturally, just by accident, you know, we never think about it. No, no. Our tendency is to cool off, to slow down, to begin to drift off or fall asleep. How are you keeping yourself awake? Think about the disciples in the garden with Jesus. There he was going to be crucified. He pulled Peter, James, and John aside and said, come and pray with me.

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And what happened? They fell asleep. And Jesus came back after praying. He says, hey, wake up, guys. Watch and pray. Same word here. Watch. Stand watch. Be alert. Keep yourself from falling asleep. Pray with me. These are desperate times. Jesus goes off to pray again. He comes back. What does he find? The disciples are sleeping once again. And he says, guys.

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The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. You got to train yourself. You got to work hard at this. Stay awake and pray. But once again, they fall asleep. It's a reality that we have to face that our flesh is warring against our spirit. And if we just let things be, we will fall asleep. We will not be paying attention. We will not be watching when Jesus returns. But Jesus says...

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For the servant that is watching, there's a great blessing. He says, assuredly I say to you that he, that is the master, will gird himself and have them sit down to eat and will come and serve them. This is absolutely amazing what Jesus is saying here. Now, normally, for their practices and for what we would understand today, the servant is there waiting for their master. The master comes, the servant opens the doors and welcomes him in.

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Normally, the thought would be, okay, master, have a seat at the table. Here's your dinner. Don't worry about me. I'll eat after you're done and after everything's cleaned up. You know, the servant would eat last. The servant would eat after the master eats. But hear what Jesus is saying. He's reversing it. He says, look, for those who are watching, there's going to be a great blessing in that. Not that you will then have to serve, but that then the master will serve you. Jesus says, look, if you're watching...

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If you're refraining from sleep, you're keeping yourself awake as you look for him, as you await for him, that he will serve you, that he will minister to you if you are watching. There's that old song that says, if you want to be great in God's kingdom, learn to be a servant of all. Learn to be a servant of all if you want to be great in God's kingdom. Jesus says, look, watch for me.

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Wait for me. Be looking for me. Don't fall asleep. Don't get lazy and complacent in your spiritual life. And when I come, I've got blessings for you. You know, the amazing nature of Christ is revealed here. He continues to serve us. He continues to minister to us and meet our needs. He's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He's the Creator and

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He ministered to us by being born and then growing up and dying upon the cross. Incredible gift that God has given to us, that Christ has done for us. But that's not the end of what Christ wants to do for us. And for those who are watching, those who are awake when he returns, he says, I've still got more blessings for you. I'm still going to continue to serve you in ways that you will find.

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Well, it goes on in verse 28. It says, And if he should come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants.

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So if he comes back and finds them watching, they'll be blessed. He's going to serve them. He says, but if it's even later than they expected, now it's the second watch. Now throughout the night, there would be these different watches, you know, different shifts of standing guard. And so if it was late in the night in the second watch, or even later, early into the morning in the third watch, he says, blessed are those servants. Blessed are those servants who are still watching and

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Even though it's gotten later and later and later. That they didn't fall asleep. That they didn't give up. That they didn't, you know, just start to relax and kick back. But that still, later and later and later, they're still watching. We've got to see this last year some amazing things happen around Israel. And man, you know, things were set up. It was like the Lord could come back right now if he wanted to.

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That it could have just ushered in the end. But it kind of cooled off a little bit. There's still the tension there. Nothing's been resolved. It'll still build up again. But we see the time getting later and later. Now for some people, they see these events happen and they get excited. Yeah, Jesus is coming back soon. Others see those same events and say, this keeps happening. You know, and it's just like it never is really fulfilled. And everybody says Jesus is returning, but I don't see it happening anymore.

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Everything just seems to resolve itself and get fixed. And so I don't know if I need to be so alert and watching for Jesus, paying attention. The scoffers and mockers say, hey, you guys have been saying that Jesus will come back, you know, since the beginning. And it still hasn't happened. It's later and later and later. And people are mocking and people are scoffing and people are falling asleep. But Jesus says for you, be alert. Stand watch. Don't fall asleep.

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Even if he comes later than what you expected, the second watch or the third watch. Blessed are those servants if he finds them watching. Do you think that you will naturally stay awake and be alert and be on fire for the Lord? Fires die out. They have to be maintained. If we just rely upon, you know, natural course, we're going to be drifting off to sleep. What are you doing to keep yourself awake spiritually?

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Well, I think this week we have a great reminder to be alert, to be awake. Because the manger points us to eternity. The manger points us to eternity. So wake up and be alert. Be paying attention to the Lord and the things of the Lord. Be watching for the fulfillment of the gift that He has promised. He's promised that He will return.

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And we need to be watching for that and waiting for that. Let the manger remind you, Jesus came, fulfilled all kinds of prophecies, proved that he is the Messiah, died upon the cross for our sins, he rose again from the dead, and then he said, I'm coming back. And that's when you get the real fulfillment of all that I've done for you. That's when you receive the end result of your faith. So be alert, be watching, be waiting for his return.

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Our natural tendency is to sleep. But you know how I think we can help to keep ourselves awake and alert? It's to serve others. Notice Jesus is talking about these servants. The servants when the master comes. Blessed are those servants if he finds them watching even into the second or third watch of the night. Serving others is

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is a way, like a soda can to your eye, serving others is a way to keep yourself awake. And if you're not serving others, you're going to be drifting off to sleep and not alert and ready for the Lord's return. Paul says in 2 Timothy chapter 4, he's writing to Timothy, it's his final letter, the end of his life. He says, I've fought the good fight. I've finished the race. I've kept the faith.

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And finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Paul connects these ideas. I've fought the good fight. That is, I have done what God has asked me to do. I've done what God has called me to do, and I finished that course that he has set before me.

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I've served in the ways that he has called me to serve. I've fulfilled those opportunities that he has placed before me. And so now the end result is a crown of righteousness. And he says, this is not just for me. It's not just, you know, I'm so great and so I get this crown of righteousness. No, he says, this crown is for all who love his appearing. Those who love the appearing of Jesus Christ. You're looking for, you're watching for Jesus.

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He says there's a crown of righteousness awaiting you. But he connects it to this idea he's finished what he was called to do. The manger points us to eternity. So we need to be watching for his return. And the way that we stay alert, the way that we keep on watching is by serving others. Use the gifts that God has given to you. Look for this opportunity. Meet the needs that God has placed around you. Be faithful with what he has entrusted to you.

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If you want to be great in the kingdom of God, learn to be the servant of all. Be watching for his return. As I was considering these thoughts, I remembered one of the times that I got to spend with Sherry Souza near the end of her life just a few months back. And we were talking and we were sharing and, you know, she had those good days and the bad days and she was talking about the difficulties and so...

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We started to redirect her mind, you know, and think about eternity. And as we begin to talk about eternity, I asked her the question, what are you looking forward to most in heaven?

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And there she is, you know, she's just in an incredible amount of pain, so uncomfortable. And I was expecting her to say something along the lines of, you know, to be cancer free, to have the new body, to not have the pain anymore. Or I was thinking, you know, perhaps she's really excited to see her husband. You know, she always talked about Bobby and her love for him. And, you know, she's going to be with him one day in heaven. And so I was expecting her to say, oh, to have this new body or to see Bobby, my love. And

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She responded immediately and said, seeing Jesus. Seeing Jesus is what I'm looking forward to most. She's watching. She's waiting. She was alert and ready for his return or for her to go to be with him. She was watching. In the same way, we need to turn our hearts to the Lord. What are you excited about? Sometimes we get kind of bummed out like, oh man, if the Lord came back then, you know, I wouldn't get to go to that football game I wanted to go to. You know?

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Sometimes it's more important things, you know, like, oh, I wouldn't get married or I wouldn't have children or, you know, whatever. We have those things. But we need to be watching, loving his appearing, Paul says. And there's a crown of righteousness. There's a great blessing that Jesus has in store for those who are watching. So we need to be waiting. We need to be watching. And then finally, verse 39 and 40, we see that we need to be ready. Be ready. Verse 39 says, but know this.

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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. Jesus goes on now to give a different picture. Do you see that picture? Do you see what he's talking about here? If you know what time your house is getting broken into, then you would be ready and you would not allow it to happen.

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We always get, I don't know if it's just our neighborhood, if it happens to everybody, but we get on our house all the time, pretty much like three or four times a week, you know, some kind of flyer, some kind of thing hung on our doorknob at home or some, you know, stuck in our screen door, some kind of advertisement or solicitation. We always get those constantly, non-stop.

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What if we came one day and there on the doorknob is a little announcement, hey, just wanted to let you know I'll be back tomorrow at 4 o'clock and I'm going to take your TV and I'm going to take your computer and I'm going to, you know, I'm going to rob you tomorrow at 4 o'clock. Just wanted to let you know. What do you think we would do?

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Well, we would do everything that we could to be prepared, right? Maybe have the cops inside. Maybe have, you know, some backup with Pastor Pooley or something to scare them off, you know. Like, we would have some kind of plan, some kind of support so that it would not happen. To protect ourselves, to defend ourselves. So Jesus says, look, if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief would come, you see, the advantage that the thief has is that advantage of surprise, right?

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You don't know what time I'm coming. And as soon as I see my opportunity, I'm going to, boom, sneak in, grab what I want, and get out. But if the master of the house knows that time, then that surprise is no longer there. He's not able to sneak in and get out. Now there's a confrontation. It's much more difficult. And so he would not allow his house to be broken into. Verse 40. Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

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Therefore, you also be ready, Jesus says. You also be ready. Now, Jesus is not a thief. That's not what he's saying. He's not using this illustration to say, look, I'm a crook and you need to know what time I'm coming. No, he says, I'm coming as a thief. It's going to be a surprise. And if everybody knew at what time I was coming back, well, then they would be ready. They would have prepared. But I haven't told you what time I'm coming back.

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It's going to be a surprise. Like a thief. It's going to be unexpected. The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect, Jesus says. In Matthew chapter 24, we have the same account there of what we're studying here with slightly different details that Matthew records for us. And in Matthew 24 verse 37, he gives another example. He says, "...as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

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Jesus says, look, here's the way it's like. It's like a thief in the night. It's like a thief who comes. You don't know when he's coming. So he gets in, he gets out, he takes what he wants. Or it's like the days of Noah.

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Now in the days of Noah, God had announced the flood through Noah, but the people didn't believe him. They didn't receive him. And so all the way up until the flood, life was continuing on as normal for people. It wasn't that, you know, everybody just kind of had this sense. Oh no, something big is about to happen. I better make sure I'm right with God. No, no, no. They had no clue. They woke up that day. It's like, hey, this is just like any other day. They were still getting married. They were still

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Having a good time. They're still partying, drinking, purchasing. They did not know, Jesus says, until the flood came and took them all away. In other words, they found out after it was too late. They knew about the flood. Even though that had been announced, they didn't believe it. They didn't receive it. So they knew about the flood when the flood came. And it was too late at that time to get into the ark. This is what Jesus is saying. Therefore, you also be ready.

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He's giving us a warning here that, look, if you put it off, if you're not ready, well, you're going to miss out. You're going to miss out on what God had in store for you. The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. And he uses this illustration of knowing when a thief is coming. Back in the day when we used to play basketball out here in the parking lot,

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We'd be playing basketball and you'd make a shot, boom. And you're shooting, right? And everything's lined up. You're clear. You know, there's no interference, no fouls. And boom, you got your shot lined up and you shoot.

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And then it hits the rim and bounces off. And what we used to say is, I got robbed. Now, the reality is, you know, you just couldn't shoot very well, and so you missed it. You didn't really get robbed, but that's what we would say. It made us feel better, you know. I got robbed, man. I should have, that should have went in, but, but I didn't. It didn't. I got, I got robbed. In the same way, Jesus is saying, look, you're going to get robbed if, if you're not ready.

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He's not saying that he's a thief, but he is saying, look, you're going to miss out. And you're going to miss something valuable if you're not ready. Therefore, you also be ready. Because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. And so as we consider the manger this week, it points us to eternity and reminds us to be ready to receive the gift that Jesus has promised. We have the gift of Christ as a child. He was born.

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became man and dwelt among us. Incredible. Hard to imagine. Hard to understand. Difficult to comprehend. Then he humbled himself and went to the cross. He was obedient to the point of death. Even still more incredible. First of all that he would humble himself to become a man. Then to continue to humble himself to become obedient to the point of death.

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to suffer even though he was sinless and perfect, to receive the punishment that you and I deserve for our sins, incredible gift that he has given. But those things are part of the gift. The fulfillment, the final aspect of that gift is then eternal life with him. And that's what he accomplished for us through the manger, through the cross. And that's why he's able to then give the final gift, which is eternal life.

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That's why he's able to give that final gift, the entrance into heaven, into the kingdom of God. But Jesus says, look, you need to be ready. You need to be ready. How do you be ready? Well, it's by expecting Jesus to return. Do you expect Jesus to return? Are you watching? Are you waiting? It says that Jesus, or Jesus says, you know, the son of man is coming in an hour you do not expect. But are you expecting him?

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Are you going to be caught off guard? The Apostle Paul, when he was writing to the church of Thessalonica, he says, hey guys, I don't need to remind you. I don't need to tell you about times and seasons about the Lord's return because you know that it will be like a thief in the night. Same picture here that Jesus was using. You know the time is not going to be known. It's like a thief in the night.

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Paul goes on to say, when they're talking about peace and safety and everybody is thinking that things are coming together, then sudden destruction comes. But he says in 1 Thessalonians 5, 4, but you brethren are not in darkness so that this day should overtake you as a thief. So Paul says, Jesus is coming back. It's as a thief, just like Jesus is saying here. But you're not of the night. So this day should not be a surprise to you.

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This should not be unexpected, but you should be expecting him to return. And as we expect him to return, it's going to impact our life. The apostle John, in writing about the return of Jesus, says, look, we have this hope that when we see him, we'll be like him, for we shall see him as he is. When we have this hope, when we have this expectation of seeing Jesus,

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He says in 1 John 3, 3, everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. Everyone who has this hope purifies himself. And so I want to challenge you this week to let the manger remind you, challenge you to purify yourself. Let the manger, which points us to eternity, call you to repentance.

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As you consider the birth of Christ and His great love for you, let it be a reminder of how important it is to be ready for His return and not to continue on in those sinful practices. Because you are not of the night. You're of the day. And if you're caught off guard, Jesus says, you're going to be robbed. You're going to miss out. You're going to miss something valuable. Be expecting the return of Jesus.

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Jesus has given us the most amazing gift. His birth, then through the cross, and then through his promise of eternity. This is a gift that, it can't be compared to anything else. It can't really be described. It's more than we can understand. Jesus being God became man. And the manger reminds us of his deity, but then also his humanity. This incredible, miraculous work where God became man to dwell among us.

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But that wasn't the end of the gift. That wasn't the end of his work. And then he went to the cross. And here this creator of the heavens and the earth who became man, who humbled himself in this way, continued to humble himself and became obedient to the point of death so that he suffered the penalty for sin, the payment for sin that you and I deserve. And that's what this salvation is all about. It's that

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The penalty for sin has been paid for. It's not that the penalty for sin was just, you know, wiped away. Okay, never mind. We'll just pretend like there was no debt that you ever had. No, no, no. The debt was paid because Jesus paid the debt. Because Jesus received the penalty upon himself. He received the punishment upon himself. Incredible gift. How can you quantify? How can you really understand this?

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What Christ has done on the cross by receiving the penalty for our sin. And yet that's not the end. There's still much more that He has in store. Exceeding and abundantly above all that you could ever ask or think. The end result of your faith, which is the salvation of your soul, entering into heaven, to eternity with God. It's what He has in store. But this part of the gift has not yet been given.

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For those of us who are here on this earth. For those who die believing in Jesus, expecting, you know, they're waiting, they're watching, they're ready. They get to go into and experience the fullness of what he has promised. But for you and I still in this life, Jesus is saying, look, you can't just kick back. You can't just live life. You can't just make it through. No, you need to be watching and waiting and ready. You need to be paying attention.

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Matthew chapter 24 verse 36, Jesus says, but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. We don't know that day. You don't know the day that you will go to be, well, in eternity, whether you spend eternity with God or apart from God, that's another matter. But you don't know when that day will happen. It could happen today. You don't know the day when Jesus might return. We don't know. Listen, the Mayans didn't tell us.

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If they had, then a lot of people would have been ready. Just like if the master of the house knew what time the thief was coming. No. The day and the hour is unknown. It's meant to be a surprise. So that we live watching and waiting. Ready. Expecting Jesus to return. Does that describe you this morning? Does that describe your life? Are you ready? If he came back right now, is your to-do list done? You'd be like, yeah, Lord.

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As soon as he knocks, open the door. Yes, I'm ready. Take me home. Is your to-do list done? Or do you have those outstanding things? With God or with people? Listen, now is the time to take care of those things. Be waiting for his return.

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Are you watching or have you kind of fallen asleep? You've just kind of gotten lazy. You're not really walking with God, spending time with God. You don't hear his voice. He's not directing you. You're just kind of just going through your routine, doing what you think you should do, doing what you want to do. Have you fallen asleep? Miss the urgency of walking with him, the urgency of reaching out to others, the urgency because he could return at any moment. Are you ready? Expecting him to return. Are you ready?

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Loving his appearing as Paul said. Let the manger as you celebrate Christmas this year. Let the manger point you to eternity. And call you to be waiting, to be watching and to be ready. The worship team is going to come up and close this in a song. And as they do I would encourage you, I would challenge you. This is an opportunity to get right. To be alert that you would be watching and waiting for his return.

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And so if there's things that are happening in your heart, if there's sin in your life, if you need to get right with God this morning, then take this time, take this opportunity to do so. Don't put it off any longer. Jesus really could come back today in this moment. Or you could step out those doors and get hit by a meteor and go to be with him. That's a pleasant Christmas message, huh? We need to be ready. The gift of Jesus as a baby comes.

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points us to the eternity that he wants to give us. But he calls us to be prepared. And so let's not take it lightly. Let's not goof off. Let's not continue in sin. Let's turn and live fully for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So this morning they're going to lead us. After they lead us we're going to have some leaders up here in the front. We'd love to pray with you. If you need to get right with God this morning, you need prayer for something that's going on, you want some help,

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Knowing what God wants in your life. We're going to be up here. We'd love to share with you and pray with you. Let's worship the Lord together. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.