Be Ready for the Son of Man’s Return

I want to begin by asking you a question based on the main point of our passage. Honest question: Are you ready for the second coming of the Lord Jesus? Are you ready?

It’s clear that the main point of the Lord Jesus’ teaching in our passage is that we must be ready. Let’s look at three statements by Jesus in our passage that make it clear that we must be ready:

Luke 12:37 – “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.”

Luke 12:40 – “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Luke 12:45-46 – “But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, [46] the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.’”

Jesus’ message is clear: You must be ready.

That brings us to the big idea of our passage this morning: Be ready for the Son of Man’s return.

Be ready for the Son of Man’s return.

The main question that our Lord addresses in our passage is “Why?” Why must we be awake, ready, and found faithful at His return?

In our passage, the Lord Jesus provides us with two primary reasons why we must be ready for the Son of Man’s return:

He is coming at an hour you do not expect.
He will bring judgment and blessing.

HE IS COMING AT AN HOUR YOU DO NOT EXPECT

Have you ever had the experience of someone saying something to you that seemed to come out of nowhere?

Since my wife is an incredibly thoughtful person who is always thinking, sometimes when I first see her in the morning, I’ll say, “Good morning,” and she’ll respond by saying something like, “We need to figure out how we’re going to balance the baby’s nap schedule with my son’s and my daughter’s after-school sports next month.”

This is a totally normal response to “good morning” for my wife, but for me it can feel like it’s coming out of nowhere.

Our Lord’s teaching in our passage can feel that way as well. He says, “Be ready for My return!” and we think, “Where on earth did that come from?”

It doesn’t come out of nowhere. The Bible is constantly telling us to live in light of the future. Luke chapter 12 in particular is all about how Jesus’ disciples should live now in light of His return, the coming judgment, and eternal life or eternal hell.

Throughout Luke 12, Jesus has taught us that, in light of eternity, we should fear God, not people; store up treasures in heaven, not on earth; and now, near the end of Luke 12, Jesus teaches us that we should always be ready for His return.

Let’s see it together.

Luke 12:35. Jesus says, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning.”

In your Bible, the phrase “dressed for action” may have a footnote by it. My ESV Bible does. The footnote says, “Greek: Let your loins stay girded.”

In the Lord Jesus’ day, people wore loose, flowing robes. However, to get ready to run, work, or travel, a man would gird up or tuck his long robe under his belt.

Jesus says, “Stay that way.”

Jesus says, “Stay girded up at all times. Don’t just tuck up your robe sometimes. Stay dressed for action at all times and always be ready for My return.”

Similarly, Jesus says, “keep your lamps burning.”

If a lamp goes out, then you can’t see in order to be ready for what is coming. Christians should be like people who have their lamps on, ready at all times.

Like a diligent student who is ready for a pop quiz at any time, always be ready for the Son of Man’s return.

But why? Why must we always be ready for the Son of Man’s return?

Jesus uses two illustrations to help us see why we must be ready at all times for His return.

The first illustration is from a wedding.

Luke 12:36 – “and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.”

I’ve officiated a lot of weddings, and I’ve learned that it is very difficult to predict when a wedding will end. When I officiate a wedding that our children aren’t invited to, my wife and I will hire a babysitter, but we can never tell the babysitter exactly when we’ll be home because we never know exactly when a wedding will end.

Inevitably, we may arrive at a time she doesn’t expect.

Well, Hebrew weddings lasted for several days, so it was even harder for servants to guess when their master would return. They always had to be ready because their master would return at an hour they did not expect.

The return of Christ will be like a master returning from a wedding.

The second illustration the Lord Jesus uses to convey why we must always be ready for His return is that of a thief. Different image, same point.

Luke 12:39 – “But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into.”

The tricky thing about home burglars is that they don’t let you know when they’re coming. You have to be ready at all times.

The wedding and the thief make one point: Be ready for the Son of Man’s return because His return is imminent. It could happen at any time, at an hour you don’t expect.

Luke 12:40 – “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

The first reason to be ready at all times for the Son of Man’s coming is that He is coming at an hour you do not expect. His return will be like a master returning from a wedding, like a thief coming in the night, like a pop quiz, so always be ready.

In summary: The return of Christ will be sudden, personal, visible, bodily, and at an hour you do not know or expect.

Be ready!

Parenthesis: How do the other Citylight pastors and I view the details surrounding the return of the Son of Man?

Bible-believing Christians can disagree about these details, but they still matter.

The other Citylight pastors and I hold to a view of the Son of Man’s return often called historic premillennialism. We believe that near the end of the church age, after a time of great tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ will come to earth and establish His millennial kingdom.

This thousand years is a unique period of existence when the redeemed shall live on the earth, but sin will still be present.

This view makes good sense of some Old Testament passages that seem to speak of a future period that will be better than the present age, but not quite yet perfected (see, e.g., Psalms 72:8–14; Isaiah 11:2–9; 65:20; Zechariah 14:6–21; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Revelation 2:27; 12:5; 19:15). It also reflects the plainest meaning of the millennium in Revelation 20 and is corroborated elsewhere in the New Testament (see especially 1 Corinthians 15:23–24).

After the thousand years, there will be a final battle, followed by the final resurrection, judgment, and then the New Heavens and New Earth, the eternal state.

Depending on your church background, you may have been taught about a secret rapture of the church that will occur before the Great Tribulation. According to this teaching, believers will be whisked away by Christ before the final, terrible few years immediately preceding Christ’s return, while unbelievers will be “left behind.”

Although many Christians, especially in America, believe this doctrine, as your elders it is our responsibility to inform you that this doctrine is mistaken and leads to false expectations about the future.

We should be ready to face tribulation and ready for Christ’s return at any time to inaugurate the millennial kingdom, when He will reign on earth.

Closed parenthesis.

The point: Be ready for the Son of Man’s return because He will return at an hour you do not expect.

This raises an important question: Since Christ will return at a time we don’t expect, how can we be ready at all times?

Six ways to be ready at all times (I’m indebted to Grudem and Piper):

1. Wait Eagerly

In our passage, Jesus says to be like servants eagerly awaiting their master’s return. He says blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake.

In Philippians 3:20, Paul writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Practically, waiting eagerly involves at least two things: setting your hope on it and praying for it.

In 1 Peter 1:13, Peter writes, “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Where is your hope set? Getting married? Having a better marriage? Getting a more fulfilling job? Having a child? Going on a great trip?

Those are good things, but we don’t set our hope in them.

Actively think about and set your hope on all the grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ returns. Set your hope on it and pray for it. Pray for your Father’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Pray that Christ will return soon and establish God’s perfect kingdom forever.

2. Serve Faithfully

Luke 12:42 – “And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?’”

What has the Lord entrusted to you?

Your fellow church members. Your spiritual gifts. Your job. Your education. Your money. A wife or husband. Children.

To be ready for the Lord’s return, be faithful in what He has entrusted to you. Be a doer of God’s Word, a faithful servant of the Master in all the areas and with all the things entrusted to you, and you’ll be ready.

The more you wait eagerly for Christ’s second coming, the more earthly good you’ll be.

C. S. Lewis writes:

“A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do… If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next… It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

What has the Lord entrusted to you?

If He were to return today, would He find you faithfully working for His glory?

3. Pursue Christ-likeness

1 John 3:2-3 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. [3] And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

When Christ returns, we will be like Him in complete purity. When we set our hope on Christ’s return, it has a purifying effect on us now.

Therefore, to be ready and prepared for Christ to come at any time, pursue Christ-likeness.

Abide closely in the Lord Jesus so that He will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life now. Seek hard after holiness, purity, and love.

4. Prepare for Suffering

The time just before Christ’s return will be a time of great tribulation.

Jesus describes that time in Matthew 24:11-13, saying,

“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. [12] And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. [13] But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

John Piper writes:

“So, the implication is that (1) we should get ready for the Lord’s coming by being spiritually and mentally alert to satanic deception and false teaching; (2) we should be completely submitted to the Word of God rather than being lawless or self-willed; and (3) we should be cultivating strong faith in the sovereign goodness of God, so that we can endure to the end through whatever suffering comes our way.”

5. Encourage One Another

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

One of the ways we remain ready for Christ’s return is by helping one another remain ready. Christianity is not a solo endeavor. We need the encouragement, exhortation, prayers, and presence of fellow believers.

As the Day draws near, encourage one another all the more.

6. Rejoice in Hope

The final way to be ready for the Son of Man’s return is to rejoice in your hope and be profoundly happy.

In 1 Peter, Peter says that we have been born again through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to a living hope that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. He says that it is in this hope that we rejoice, even though in the present we are grieved by various trials.

To be ready for Jesus’ return, rejoice in it over all the sadness and sorrows of this life.

In light of the return of Christ and the hope found there, Christians should be full of rejoicing and happiness, even in seasons of deep sadness.

So, the first reason to be ready for the Son of Man’s return is that He is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Be ready.

The second reason to be ready for the Son of Man’s return is:

HE WILL BRING JUDGMENT & BLESSING

Be ready for the Son of Man’s return because when He comes again, He will bring the most terrible judgment for those who are not ready and the most awesome blessing for those who are ready.

Consider the terrible judgment that awaits those who are not ready.

In contrast to the faithful manager who is working and ready for the Master’s return, in Luke 12:45-46 Jesus says,

“But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, [46] the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.’”

Everyone in this room, even if this is your first time gathering with Citylight, has learned that Jesus Christ is the Son of Man. He is truly human and also truly God. He lived a sinless life, died a sin-atoning death on the cross, rose again victoriously, and will come again to establish His kingdom forever.

With all that knowledge, if you do not repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you do not receive Him as your only hope in life and in death, loving God and neighbor because God first loved you and gave His Son for you, then terrible judgment awaits you when the Son of Man returns.

I want to slow down on the imagery the Lord Jesus uses: “The Master will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.”

The Lord Jesus is the Master, and He is saying that when He returns, He will cut into pieces those servants who prove they are not His because they do not love God or people.

Don’t soften what our Lord is saying here by reasoning that He won’t literally slice people into pieces. Even if the cutting into pieces isn’t literal, consider this: the imagery of hell reveals the even more terrifying reality to which the imagery points, namely, eternal punishment forever away from the comforting presence of God.

Is that the fate you are headed for?

Repent and be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect, and He will bring judgment on those who are unprepared.

Now, you may have noticed that in addition to the first unprepared servant whom the Master will cut into pieces, Jesus mentions two more servants.

Luke 12:47-48 – “And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. [48] But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

Like the first servant, these servants who are not ready show themselves to be no servants at all. All three go to hell, showing any profession of faith in Jesus that they made in this life to be dubious.

Hell is forever, but there are degrees of punishment in hell, just as there are degrees of reward in heaven.

The more knowledge of Christ you receive and reject in this life, the greater the severity of punishment in hell will be for you forever.

Be ready for the Son of Man’s return. Repent and believe in Him, and bear fruit in keeping with your repentance, lest He return, find you unprepared, and bring severe and eternal judgment.

The reverse is also true!

Be ready for the Son of Man’s return because He will bring the most wonderful blessing to those who are ready.

Those servants of the Son of Man, the Master Jesus Christ, who are ready for His return will experience the most amazing blessing. They will experience a complete role reversal.

The night before the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross to die for our sins, He promised this role reversal.

At the Last Supper, the Lord Jesus served His disciples bread and wine and said,

“I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. [16] For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15-16).

Just before He suffered for His true servants, the Lord Jesus promised that when all is fulfilled in the kingdom of God, He will eat with His faithful servants again.

But when He eats with His servants in the kingdom, He will serve us at the end-times wedding banquet.

Revelation 19:6-9 –

“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. [7] Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; [8] it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’ for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. [9] And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’”

What is the fanciest wedding you’ve ever been invited to?

Probably the fanciest wedding I’ve ever attended was one I officiated for a couple who used to belong to Citylight but have since moved away. The wedding was at a beautiful hotel in Center City. A Grammy-nominated musician who was a friend of the family played a song during the ceremony. The flowers were astounding, the food was delicious, and the band was rocking. It was beautiful.

Do you know what didn’t happen at the wedding? What would never happen?

The groom never took off his dinner jacket and put on a waiter’s apron in order to serve the guests. That would be unthinkable.

And that’s exactly what will happen when the Son of Man returns.

Those servants whom the Master Jesus Christ finds awake and ready will be invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We will be His bride, and He will be our groom. He will dress Himself for service and serve us!

The One who died for our sins and rose to give eternal life to all who trust in Him and await His appearing will one day return and welcome those who are ready to the marriage supper, where our Groom will serve us.

Hallelujah.

Be ready for the Son of Man’s return.

Be Ready for the Son of Man’s Return

Notes

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