Sermon Summary

Going Public With Your Faith

Summary: Four ways to make our faith in Jesus public to those around us.

Just how much of our faith in Jesus should we make public and how much should our faith in Jesus remain private? Our culture tells us that faith is a private affair, like having a hobby. Our secular culture tells us that faith is a private issue, to be kept hidden in the privacy of our home or our church. In fact, the Yale law professor Stephen Carter wrote an entire book about this a few years ago, when he wrote The Culture of Disbelief.

Yet when we read the New Testament we learn that the essence of being a Christian is following Jesus Christ in a very public way. Although we have a private relationship with Jesus, following Jesus has implications for how we do business, how we pay our taxes, how we deal with conflict with a boss, and so forth. Jesus himself told us that if we’re embarrassed of him, he’ll be embarrassed of us Luke 9:26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels”.

Yet embarrassed is the way a lot of people feel about their faith.

It’s impossible to live the life of following Jesus described in the Bible in total privacy. How do we make our faith in Jesus public?

Christians sometimes do the strangest things to make their faith in Jesus public. When I first became a Christian, I starting putting Christian bumper stickers on my car. Soon I had a whole collage of bumper stickers on the back of my old car. That made me especially aware of my driving habits, but is that really what the Bible means by not being ashamed of Jesus? Others buy Christian merchandise, whether it’s a Christian t-shirt or jewelry, like the What Would Jesus Do wristbands. Some Christians go so far as getting tattoos to make their faith in Jesus public.

Today we’re going to look at how to make our faith in Jesus public in ways that go beyond bumper stickers, t-shirts, and even tattoos. You see, the problem with these other approaches isn’t that they’re too extreme, but that they’re not extreme enough. They don’t get to the real heart of the issue, of what a public faith in Jesus looks like.

We’ve been in a series through the New Testament books of 1 and 2 Timothy called Deepening Your Life With God. We’ve discovered so far that a deepened life with God comes as a result of accurate beliefs, spiritual practices, and authentic Christian community.

Now the part of 1 Timothy we’re going to look at this morning has special significance to me personally. No other part of the Bible has had more of an impact on how I approach my role as a pastor than the text we’re going to look at today. So in addition to talking about how to go public with our faith, I want to share personally how this section of the Bible has led me to approach being your pastor.

So turn to 1 Timothy 4:

1. Our Example 1 Timothy 4:11-12 ¹¹ These things command and teach.

¹² Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

We begin with vv. 11-12. Paul’s protégé Timothy was a relatively young man, so was having a difficult time bringing correction to the spiritual errors he was confronting in the church in Ephesus. Now most Bible scholars feel that Timothy was somewhere in his early to mid 30s when Paul wrote these words. In the ancient world you were considered young until you were 40.

But really young is relative to the situation you’re in and the people you’re around. I’ve met pastors in their 50s who struggle to lead their congregations because most of their church members are in their 60s and 70s. These church members look down on them because of their youth. You can see this kind of spiritual generation gap throughout churches, no matter how old or young the pastor might be.

Now the reality is that Timothy can’t stop people from looking down on him because of his youth. So the encouragement here seems to be for Timothy to not be intimidated by older people, even when they do look down on him because of his inexperience and his youth. Since Timothy can’t control other people’s attitude toward him, he should focus on his own attitude. "Don’t be intimidated because people don’t take you seriously because of your age," Paul seems to be saying.

Instead of being intimidated, Paul wants Timothy to set an example. Now the phrase "set an example for believers" can also be translated, "Set an example of believers". Timothy is to live as an example of what a believer in Jesus Christ looks like. Being an example is profoundly public activity, something you do in the midst of other people.

So here we find our first way to go public with our faith. Our faith in Jesus is public in our personal example.

As a new pastor who felt in over his head last Easter, this passage of scripture was profoundly comforting to me. Although there wasn’t a lot of controversy about me preaching, what little questioning there was focused on my lack of experience. I tell people there was no question in my mind that God was leading me to become a preacher. I found great encouragement and comfort from this text.

Yet this text is more than an encouragement to preachers because it encourages all of us to live as personal examples of what a follower of Jesus looks like. If we want our culture to take our message seriously, we must all live as public examples of following Jesus.

Paul lists several areas in v. 12 where our personal example is especially important. He talks about our speech habits. How we talk is a window into our souls. Are we sarcastic and biting in our comments to people? Do we gossip and question people’s motives? Or do we speak in ways that build other people up, to encourage them and bring them comfort? Our speech habits are an important part of our example. This is an area I struggle with daily.

Another part of our example is our lifestyle decisions. The word "life" in v. 12 refers to your daily conduct and behavior. What kinds of decisions do you make throughout a day, decisions about what to do with your time, decisions about how you spend your money, how you handle an interruption at work, decisions about what kind of entertainment you enjoy?

Our relationships with people are part of our example. That’s what the word "love" refers to. Are we difficult to be around? Are we pushy, demanding our own way? Are we controlling and manipulative? Or are we open and flexible, loving and patient with people. The quality of our personal relationships is a window into our souls.

The word "faith" refers to our attitude toward God. When the bottom falls out of our lives, do we respond with trust or distrust toward God? Do we act as if we really believe God is good to us and is caring for our needs?

Finally, the word "purity" refers to our moral purity. This refers to our sexuality. Is our sexuality within the bounds God has set up, or is it spilling over those boundaries? Are we flirtatious with co-workers even though we’re married or are we cautious in our relationships with people of the opposite sex? If we’re single, do we avoid situations where our commitment to moral purity will be tempted to compromised?

I struggle in some of these areas just like you do, You see, I know I’m just as vulnerable to falling in these areas as anyone else is, and without accountability, I won’t be able to be what God wants me to be.

Being an example of what a follower of Jesus looks like is a pubic action.

2. Our Roadmap 1 Timothy 4:13

Now look at v. 13 “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine”.

Here Paul tells Timothy to focus on what preachers sometimes called "the ministry of the Word." The ministry of the word is the work of communicating the meaning of the Bible to people. Paul is referring to the public worship services in the church in Ephesus.

Again, this verse had a profound effect on me. As you all know I started preaching because God used Lu to push me to do what he was calling me to do. One of my reasons for doing that was God’s calling to commit myself to the ministry of the word, to communicating the Bible each week. This is why the majority of my week goes into preparing for my weekly messages, because this is God’s calling in my life.

But this doesn’t just apply to me, because what we find here is a principle for all followers of Jesus. Our faith in Jesus is public in our commitment to the Bible.

You see, the fact that the Christian church publicly reads from the Bible during worship, and that preachers try to communicate the Bible demonstrates the foundational role the Bible has in the Christian life. Christians view the Bible as our roadmap for living life. For us, the Bible isn’t simply a scattered collection of stories and wise sayings, where we sift through the good stuff and leave the rest. We don’t have the freedom to pick and choose those parts of the Bible that are comfortable, and reject those parts that are uncomfortable. The whole thing--all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments--are our roadmap for the spiritual life.

Our commitment to the Bible makes our faith public. I mean more than a t-shirt with a Bible verse on it or a tattoo of John 3:16. I’m talking about actually using the Bible as our roadmap, so a watching world sees us trying to make sense out of our lives, they see us consulting our roadmap. This means letting the Bible set the agenda for how we live the various roles of our lives, our roles as friends, spouses, parents, bosses, employees, coaches, and so forth.

Our faith in Jesus is public in our commitment to the Bible.

3. Our Service 1 Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership”.

Look at v. 14 with me now. Back in 1 Timothy chapter 1 we talked about how Timothy had come to faith in Jesus at a very young age through the influence of his mother and grandmother. In contrast to Paul, who had a dramatic conversion experience much later in life, Timothy probably struggled to know exactly when he first started believing in Jesus. So for Timothy, his watershed event wasn’t his conversion--like it was for Paul--but for Timothy it was this event when he was commissioned to ministry.

This was Timothy’s milestone event, the event he looked back on again and again as a turning point in his spiritual life. Now we don’t know example when this event occurred in Timothy’s life. Perhaps it was when Paul first invited Timothy to leave his hometown of Lystra and join Paul’s ministry team. Timothy would’ve been in his late teens or early 20s when that happened. Or perhaps it was at some other time in his life. Whenever this event happened, at some point the elder board laid their hands on Timothy and commissioned him to service.

The Greek text literally reads, "Do not neglect the gift that is in you." Timothy received some sort of spiritual gift, a divine empowerment from God to be used for service that was now in him. When I read this text I immediately thought about my own commission to ministry as a pastor. I thought about last Easter Sunday when I gave my first sermon. So this text has special relevance to me personally.

But the reality is that the Bible teaches that every follower of Jesus Christ has received at least one spiritual gift from God to be used in service. The Bible says, "There are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all people. To each person the manifestation of God’s Spirit is given for the common good of the church"

1 Cor 12:4-7 ⁴ There are ^]diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works ^]all in all. ⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:.

If you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ, you also have a gift of the Spirit, a service from the Lord, a working God wants to work through you in the lives of other people.

So here’s the third way we make our faith public. Our faith in Jesus is public in our Christian service.

Maybe you didn’t have the elders lay their hands and maybe there was no prophecy, but God has given you spiritual gifts. If you’ve trusted in Jesus, you have at least one gift from God to use in service.

The question for you today is whether you’re neglecting that gift or using it in ministry. Your spiritual gift is inside of you, yet we learn here that it’s possible to neglect your gift. Have you ever neglected something in your body, only to have it cause problems later? Imagine if you stopped brushing your teeth, neglecting your teeth. Soon you’d be having bad breath, toothaches, cavities, bleeding gums, and so forth. When you neglect what’s inside of you, soon the outside of you starts to suffer. The same thing is true with our spiritual gifts.

You see, God gives Christians spiritual gifts to be used in the church, so we as followers of Jesus can help each other. God wants every follower of Jesus Christ should have an interdependent relationship with his or her church, a relationship where the Christian receive service from others in the church and where the Christian provides service for others. Unfortunately, most churches operate by the 80/20 principle. This is where 20% of the members use their spiritual gifts to minister to the other 80%. Most often, these are people who’ve simply never taken the time to discover their spiritual gifts, and never taken the risk to use their gifts in ministry. Sometimes they’re people who once used their gifts but they’ve neglected their gifts over time, like a person who stopped brushing their teeth. They suffer from spiritual gift decay.

Our faith in Jesus is public in our Christian service, as we don’t neglect our spiritual gifts but use them for ministry.

4. Our Progress 1 Timothy 4:15-16 ¹⁵ Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. ¹⁶ Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Finally, look at vv. 15-16. The two verbs Paul uses in v. 15 focus on first "pondering and reflecting" on what Paul’s said, and then "putting it into practice." So Paul’s challenging Timothy to a total commitment to these instructions. These aren’t just suggestions, but they’re commands, absolutely essential for Timothy and essential to our lives as well.

Our obedience to these commands will make our progress in the spiritual life evident for everyone to see. Far too often we think we need to be perfect before we go public with our faith in Jesus. We figure, "If people see my imperfections and failures, that will drive them further away from God." What we fail to realize is that by pretending to be perfect, we do more damage than good, because everyone knows we’re not perfect. So Paul wants Timothy to be content with progress, and that’s good advice for us as well.

Then Paul tells Timothy to be watchful over how he lives and what he believes. Timothy’s life and his doctrine are essential for him to live a life pleasing to God. If he perseveres with a lifestyle of progress and accurate doctrine, he will save both himself and his hearers. This simply means Timothy’s perseverance will demonstrate the genuineness of his own salvation and that his perseverance will allow God to use Timothy in other people’s lives to bring about their salvation as well.

Here we find the fourth way to make our faith public. Our faith in Jesus is public in our spiritual progress.

When I was asked to preach one of the things that held me back was I didn’t feel spiritual enough. Some days I still don’t. I know my own imperfections better than anyone, my tendency to be prideful, my temper than can sometimes fly off the handle, and so forth. You see, I’m just like any other guy, with the same struggles, the same issues.

This text brought me great comfort, to focus on progress not perfection. What God looks for is forward movement in the spiritual life.

Yet this text is also a warning to me, that my lack of perseverance in the Christian life and sound biblical doctrine can not only devastate my life, but also other people’s lives. I’ve seen it happen again, where a pastor stumbles and falls in his life, doesn’t get up, and where other people lose their faith.

So this text is both a comfort and a warning to those of us who want to live public lives of following Jesus. Are you progressing in your spiritual development? Are you moving forward, taking new steps of faith this month? This is one reason why we need others around us to challenge us to new steps of faith, to point out areas where we still need to grow. We need each other, because our spiritual progress makes our faith in Jesus public.

If we’re not progressing in our faith, then we’re not sharing our faith with those around us.

If you want to make your faith public, don’t settle for superficial things like t-shirts, bumper stickers and tattoos. Look deeper, focus on your example, your commitment to the Bible, your service in ministry, and your spiritual progress. This is how we live for Jesus in public ways before a watchful world.

At the 1993 annual meeting for the American Heart Association, 30,000 doctors, nurses and researchers met in Atlanta to discuss prevention of heart disease. One of the things they focused on was eating healthy and eating low fat food. Yet during the mealtimes, the participants eat lots of fast food, like bacon cheeseburgers and fries. When one cardiologist was asked whether his eating at the convention was a bad example, he replied: "Not me because I took my name tag off."

When we follow Jesus, we never take our name tag off.

My Personal Testimony
On Dec 7 2012 I went to the hospital in West Chester Pa. because I could not breath I was short of breath. This hospital was a small country hospital but what I didn’t know was that it was one of the top cardio care facility in the whole state of Pa. I was quickly diagnosed with an Abnormal Heart rhythm known as A-Fib. The big risk with this condition is blood clots in the brain, the lungs or even the heart. All can be fatal. All this happened on a Saturday. I was admitted into the hospital and scheduled for Monday for a cardio inversion procedure. What is a cardio inversion? To put it in terms I could understand the doctor told me that he would shock me to reset my heart. You know just like you see on TV when they doctor or para medic says give me the paddles then shouts clear and put the paddles to the victim’s chest then presses the button and the victim then convulses. The only real difference is that the nurse puts these pads on my chest and back right behind my heart. Then I was given a mild sedative. At this time the nurse asks me how I got to the hospital. I told her I drove and my truck is out in the parking lot right now. She then asks me how I was going to get home. She then said “We did give you a sedative Mr. Wholf. I told her no problem I have plenty of experience driving in a mild sedated condition. Everyone laughed and then I saw lightening. The doctor shocked me and when I say I saw lightening I really mean lightening. The Doctor didn’t shock me because it was time to do so, but because I went in V-Fid which is fatal. I was dying. After about the 3^rd shock I don’t remember anything. I later woke up in my hospital room and it was actually getting dark. I had been out all day. The doctor came in immediately and told me that it was touch and go there for most of the day. But he finally got my heart back into a more stable rhythm, but my kidneys stopped working. But the good news was that my kidneys were recovering, they were working at 35 to 40 percent and getting better. He also told me that the entire hospital cardo staff had worked very hard to get to this point and that as long as everything goes well the rest of the night I should be ok. After the doctor left the nurse told me that the doctor left out the fact that he shocked me 11 times to get me back. He never gave up. He actually saved my life.

I went back home to Texas and another heart doctor told me that I had a very good doctor in Pa. I told him I know or I wouldn’t be here talking to you know. That Tx doctor ended up doing a procedure called a cardo ablassion. I have been great ever since.

The point of this testimony is this. When I passed out on the verge of death I saw no bright light, I saw no golden gates, I saw no lost relatives, friends, nothing but darkness. I just passed out and then woke up. I walked out of that hospital and then just continued my life as if nothing had happened to me. As time went by I started to think more and more about God. I had several conversation with a good friend of mine about God and religion in general. As time passed my friend told me he was going to get ordained so he could marry his nephew. I could not stop thinking about the conversations we had and him getting ordained. After having a few more conversations with him I told him that I was thinking about becoming ordained too. Not to become a preacher but so that I would pay more attention to my spiritual life. I then told him about my experience that day in the hospital. I didn’t see the bright lights etc., I only saw the darkness. I also told him about a movie I had watched called “90 Minutes in Heaven” and how the main character actually died and went to the gates of heaven then came back before entering. I told my friend that maybe what I experienced (Nothing But Blackness) was a message from God and he was telling me that I was headed to a place of Darkness on my way to the lake of fire, to HELL if I did not change my ways.

I continued to let this thought bounce around in my head for another year or so. During that time I actually started reading the bible and talking to my friend about God.

One day I pulled over onto the side of the road and prayed to God for the answers to the question I was trying to answer. I finally realized that the first step to getting the answer was to ask for Forgiveness for all my sins and acknowledge that Jesus is the only true son of God and that he did die for my sins on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day.

I did become ordained and I do pay more attention to my spiritual health. I still have a long way to go but I am making every effort so that the next time I’m in the hospital and the doctor can’t bring me back I will actually walk thru the gates of heaven and have ever lasting life.

I tell this story today so that you too start paying more attention to your spiritual health and that if you too end up in a similar circumstance that you will not see just darkness but the light and be able to walk thru those same gates of heaven and not down the dark path to the lake of fire.

Let us pray

Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. Lord when my time comes I don’t want to see just darkness I want to see the gates of Heaven. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door of my heart when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your word and desire the Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me guidance to walk your path to salvation and everlasting life.

In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.

Sermon Summary

Sermon on the right preparation for the second coming of Christ

Good Morning I am Pastor Bobby of Bare Foot Ministries and I want to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to spread the word of God with you.

The purpose of this Ministry is to Spread the word of God to any and all that will listen. I will try very hard to plant the seed of God in your hearts, provide you with the knowledge to nurture that seed thru prayer, Bible Study and fellowship so that it can grow. So that you will have the knowledge and faith to go out and spread God’s word to any and all that will listen. By doing so you are being a Kingdom Builder. So go and share God’s t gift of Love, and Everlasting Life.

Let Us Pray

Lord, in Heaven, the creator of all Each and every day is a struggle against sin and temptation.

Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace and hatred with love.

God remind us that our actions matter.

We do not fight a physical battle, but a spiritual one and with each act of compassion

We build your kingdom.

Help us be kingdom builders today.

Thru Jesus Christ we pray

AMEN

Your Savior Is Coming

Scripture: Luke 12:35-40

Summary: Sermon on the right preparation for the second coming of Christ.

When I was a kid, I usually looked eagerly forward to the evening, when my Dad would come home from work. I loved my Dad, and it was the highlight of the day when he came home and I got to see him. My Dad could also be strict with me sometimes, however, and if I knew that I had done something I was not allowed to do, I was not always as eager to meet my Dad. On one occasion, when I had done something really bad, I actually decided that I did not want to see my Dad at all. So when he walked down into the basement, I seized the opportunity, and locked the door behind him, thinking that now I would not have to face him. Needless to say, this was not a very wise plan. My Dad did eventually get out of the basement, and he was not amused.

Our Savior Jesus Christ promises us that he will come again, and he wants us to be ready. Like little children are running into their father’s arms, when their conscience is clean, so can we receive Jesus with joy, if we are ready for his return.

For those who believe in Jesus, this is a day they can look forward to with joy and expectation. It is the day when everything we have believed in without seeing, will become visible and manifest.

But many people do not think of the second coming of Christ as something joyful. I have heard many Christians tell me how they live in constant fear of the second coming of Christ. They can not sleep at night because they do not know whether they are ready to meet Jesus when he cames again.

Unfortunately, many preachers have fed into this fear by preaching about the second coming of Christ in a scary way. It appears that they believe they can threaten people into becoming Christians if they remind them that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.

But in the Bible, it is not like that. Neither Jesus nor the apostles tried to scare people to faith by threatening them with Jesus’ second coming. When they invited someone to receive Jesus, they did it by describing salvation in Jesus Christ and the love that he has showed us in that he, who was God, became a human being like you and me so that we could have fellowship with him.

When Jesus talks about his second coming, it is in order to encourage those who already believe in him. It is to tell them that all the promises that he has given them will one day be fulfilled in a visible way.

The text for today contains one of the most beautiful images I know regarding what is going to happen when Jesus comes again

Luke 12:35-38 “³⁵ “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;

³⁶ 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.

³⁷ 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.

³⁸ And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”.

Have you ever experienced that you showed up for work and your boss met you at the door and said: today, I have decided that I will do your job. Instead you can go over to the golf course and play some golf. Here, why don’t you take my car keys.

I think it sounded just as unbelievable when Jesus told his disciples this parable. When the master comes and he finds his servants watching, the master would dress himself and start to wait on his servants. This is just not the way things work. It would be the servants who would have to wait on the master, just like Jesus says on another instance:

Luke 17:5-10 ⁵ And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

⁶ So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

⁷ And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?

⁸ But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?

⁹ Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded^[a]him? I think not.

¹⁰ So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”

But when Jesus comes again, it will be different. Then it is the master who will be waiting on his servants. Then God’s own son will wrap his apron around him and be the servant of those who have been expecting him.

At the same time, Jesus tells his disciples about his second coming because he wants them to be ready. He tells them several parables where he explains that it may take a while before he comes again. And already at the time of the New Testament, there were some people who made fun of Christians because they were walking around waiting for the second coming of Christ. The apostle Peter was familiar with this situation.

2 Peter 3:4 They will say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

I have a friend who grew up in Oslo, Norway in the 80’s, it was not popular to be a Christian. Although, Norway was a Christian country, the atmosphere was quite hostile to the Christian faith. When he went to junior high, he had to put up with mockery. Kids usually say what they mean without making the same allowances for politeness that adults do. He told me on one occasion one of his classmates asked me if I was waiting for Jesus second coming. And when he answered yes, his classmates said: so, you must have been waiting for many hundreds of years, then. He told me that at the time, he was proud that he looked older than what he really was.

In response to the question of the delay of Jesus’ second coming, the apostle Peter continues:

2 Peter 3:8-10 ⁸ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward ^[a]us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be ^[b]burned up.

That Jesus’ second coming may be delayed, is something Jesus wants us to be prepared for. But he also wants us to be ready to receive him when he comes. He also predicts that there will be some people who are not ready, and they will receive their punishment.

A few verses further down from our text for today, we read in Luke 12:47-48:

⁴⁷ 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.

⁴⁸ But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. 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.

No doubt, verses like these have caused much fear and worry regarding Jesus’ second coming. Jesus makes it clear that it is necessary to be ready when he comes.

What does it mean to be ready?

First of all, one thing must be clear, and that is what being ready does not mean. To be ready does not mean to know when Jesus is coming. Jesus makes it crystal clear that no one knows when he comes again in Luke 12:39-40 ³⁹ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would ^[a]have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

⁴⁰ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Actually, when he was walking around on the earth, Jesus himself did not even know when he would come again.

Matt 24:36 ““But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of^[a]heaven, but My Father only”.

Nevertheless, many people appear to believe that to be ready means to know when Jesus is coming, so they make themselves busy trying to interpret the signs of the times, attempting to figure out the countdown of the days before Jesus’ coming, almost like a Christmas calendar for Jesus’ second coming. And again, it appears that the purpose is to scare people: we have now progressed this far according to the schedule of the end times and now we are getting closer and closer, so now we have to be looking out.

This is a great misunderstanding. Twenty Two years ago, many people were able to tell us that the new millennium would trigger the return of Christ. But since, we haven’t heard so much about that.

Being ready does not mean that we know when Jesus is coming. We can see this clearly in the parable about the five wise and the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25: 1-12,

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,

⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom ^[a]is coming; go out to meet him!’

⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’

¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

What does it mean to be ready?

In the verses following our text, Jesus explains his parable.

Luke 12:45 “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,

In other words, the unfaithful servant, is living his life as if his master would not return. He thinks he can abuse his power as much as he wants, because no one will hold him accountable.

Luke 12:46 “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 in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

For those who are not ready, Jesus’ second coming will be an unpleasant surprise.

The servant that is ready, on the other hand, is the one who constantly does what his master entrusted him to do.

Luke 12:42-44 “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?

⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.

This faithful servant does not have to make any special preparation when the master comes. He is always ready. He does not need to know the time of his master’s arrival. He is ready, anyway. That is how Jesus is encouraging us to live our lives.

And the good thing is, we know what Jesus expects of us. We know what Jesus wants us to do.

The apostle John tells us about some Jews who came to Jesus and asked him:

John 6:28-29 “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

I think it is helpful to consider what it means when Jesus compares his relationship to the church with the relationship between a bridegroom and his bride. When Jesus comes again, he comes to get his bride. That is why the thought of Jesus’ second coming is not a scary thought to me. Because it means that nothing will keep me from being together with Jesus.

In other words, to prepare for Jesus’ second coming can be compared with preparing for your wedding. I can vividly remember when Norma and I were preparing our wedding. When the date for our wedding was fixed, it seemed like time stopped and the day could not pass fast enough. When the day finally came, Norma and I were ready. We were ready because we had prepared ourselves to be husband and wife

In general, I have a lot of practice in preparation. Since becoming a preacher my life is about being prepared. Being prepared to have something to say. Every time I am preaching, I have to be prepared to have something to share. And I have to be prepared to answer all the questions that the people listening to my sermon could possibly ask me. It can be quite stressful.

Sometimes I have nightmares about not being ready. I dream that I get behind the pulpit and I have left my notes at home and I have nothing to say. I get up in front of the everyone and I just stand there. They look at me and I just look back. I’ve got nothing.

But there was one event in my life that I was not worried about preparing for. That was my wedding. Because I knew what I was going to say. It was not hard. I knew what Norma was going to say also. That’s why I was not worried.

How can we be ready for Jesus when he comes again? For us who believe in him, it is not hard. I know what I am going to say. I also know what Jesus will say. That’s why I am not worried. Because I know that he wants me. Because he has said so. I know that he came to the world, not to save the righteous, but to save the sinners. And therefore I know that he came for me.

When Jesus comes, I am ready but just like the song “I Can Only Imagine”

What will it be like to walk beside you

What will my eyes see when your face is before me

Regardless of my reaction I want to be in his presence then and always.

If you are worried or even scared when Jesus comes it is time to ask his forgiveness for your sins and surrender yourself to him now, this minute today.

Being prepared can start now.

If you have not yet repented, confessed your sins, and trusted in Christ to save you from God’s wrath, then you don’t know the full extent of Gods’ love yet. John 3:36 says that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” because “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). I pray that is not you.

I encourage you to pray this prayer with me, but I caution you that saying words alone will not save you. Prayer alone doesn’t save. Only Christ can save. But prayer can be a means of reaching out to the Lord in true saving faith. If you pray these words in faith, Christ will save you. You can be sure of that.

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door of my heart when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your word and desire the Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me guidance to walk your path to salvation and everlasting life. In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.

Sermon Summary

God Wants Ordinary People To Spread His Word

Good Morning I am Pastor Bobby of Bare Foot Ministries and I want to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to spread the word of God with you.

The purpose of this Ministry is to Spread the word of God to any and all that will listen. I will try very hard to plant the seed of God in your hearts, provide you with the knowledge to nurture that seed thru prayer, Bible Study and fellowship so that it can grow, so that in time that seed will mature and you will be saved and re-born so that you can have the greatest gift of God’s Love, Everlasting Life.

I thank you in advance for any and all of your support.

Let Us Pray

Lord, in Heaven, the creator of all Each and every day is a struggle against sin and temptation. Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace and hatred with love. God remind us that our actions matter. We do not fight a physical battle, but a spiritual one and with each act of compassion

We build your kingdom. Help us be kingdom builders today. Thru Jesus Christ we pray

AMEN

Please share this sermon with someone else and by doing so you could become a Kingdom Builder for God by planting the seed of God in that person’s heart.

Now for todays message. I am very excited about this sermon.

The today’s Message is so simple but complete. It give you all you need to be a Kingdom Builder for God.

God Wants Ordinary People To Spread His Word

Scripture: Judges 6:1-16

You know, we hear a lot of people in churches say that it’s not just the pastor’s job to go out and tell people about Jesus.

They say that anybody can do it, and that we all should be doing it.

It’s like the story of Anybody, Everybody and Nobody.

Anybody Could, Everybody Should and Nobody Does

But I’m not so sure, you see I’ve often thought that maybe it should be left up to the professionals.

I mean after all, if you didn’t go about doing it right…you could really mess somebody up don’t you think?

There was a barber that thought that he should share his faith with his customers more than he had been doing lately. So the next morning when the sun came up and the barber got up out of bed he said, "Today I am going to witness to the first man that walks through my door."

Soon after he opened his shop the first man came in and said, "I want a shave!" The barber said, "Sure, just sit in the seat and I'll be with you in a moment." The barber went in the back and prayed a quick desperate prayer saying, "God, the first customer came in and I'm going to tell him about going to heaven. So give me the wisdom to know just the right thing to say to him. Amen."

Then quickly the barber came out with his razor knife in one hand and a Bible in the other and he looked the man right in the eyes and said, "Good morning sir. I have a question for you... Are you ready to die?"

Isn’t this how you envision it turning out if you try to tell somebody about going to heaven?

And maybe you’ve got good reason to think that way.

Let’s find out by looking at a very good example of the kind of people God picks to do awesome things for Him.

When I think of a good example of the kind of person that God is looking to take His message to the masses, I think of Gideon.

I think of the kind of guy who has enough Fearlessness, and self-assurance and some would say craziness to take on an entire army with just 300 guys and actually win big.

This is the kind of person that God needs to do His will.

Somebody who’s got the skills and the means to do what God asks.

Somebody way above par.

And to be completely honest, when we hear people sharing the word of God and doing what God want of them, I don’t see any rocket scientists.

I don’t see any nuclear physicists.

I don’t see any brain surgeons.

I see plain ordinary everyday hard working people just like you and me.

God even used people who have been fired from the M & M factory for throwing out the W’s.

But if I have to be completely honest with you...I look at myself and I’m not sure that I’m qualified to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. I don’t have all the answers.

I mean God always picks people that are well above the norm to take His message to the people, doesn’t he?

Today we look at Gideon in the book of Judges 6:1-16.

The story starts out with the Midianites Oppress Israel

6 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, ² and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. ³ So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. ⁴ Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. ⁵ For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were ^[a]without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. ⁶ So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

⁷ And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, ⁸ that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of ^[b]bondage; ⁹ and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. ¹⁰ Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’ ”

So the Midianites have taken over Israel.

The Israelites are so afraid of the Midianites that they are hiding in the hills.

The Midianites are like the big bullies of the day, and anytime the Israelites start doing well for themselves the Midianites come in and beat them up and take what they’ve got and kill all of their animals.

And the Israelites don’t know what to do, and they have no idea how they could ever stand up against this much bigger and stronger army.

Luckily the Israelites have Gideon.

And Gideon is such an awesome guy that he leads just 300 soldiers and conquers the entire Midianites army.

Most people would think This would take an extraordinary guy.

This is the kind of person that God picks to tell others about him.

And the reason that he does this is because if you don’t pick the right person, they could really mess things up. Remeember the Barber

John went to the store the other day. He was only in there for about five minutes, and when he came out there was a motorcycle cop writing a parking ticket. So John went up to him and said, 'Come on buddy, how about giving a guy a break?'

He ignored John and continued writing the ticket. So John called him a stupid jerk. The Policeman glared at him and started writing another ticket for having bald tires!

Then John really got angry at the cop and started calling him some even more unfriendly names. The cop finished the second ticket and put it on the car with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket!

This went on for about 20 minutes. The more John abused him, the more tickets he wrote. When the cop finally ran out of tickets, he silently mounted his bike and drove on down the road. John just stood there looking at the multitude of tickets shaking his head.

John then proceeded to take his keys out of his pocket and walk to his car that was parked around the corner.

The message was a good one, “give a guy a break.”

The delivery however was the problem.

This is what happens when you have an ordinary guy giving an extraordinary message...you open the door for all kinds of trouble.

And this is why it’s important to understand the exact nature of the people that God picks.

For example what kind of man was the guy that God picked to defeat an undefeatable army?

What did Gideon have that was so special?

Verse 11-12 “¹¹ Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. ¹² And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

So “mighty warrior” is what the angel calls Gideon...I told you he was special.

Verse 13, “ ¹³ Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

Verse 14 ¹⁴ Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

So God is sending this highly qualified mighty warrior to defeat this army.

And here is Gideon’s response of how he has been waiting for this very day to prove his might.

Verse 15 ¹⁵ So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

Basically Gideon says, “God I am the lowest of the low. Why would you pick me, I am just an ordinary guy.”

How would God expect a normal, average, everyday guy to be able to do wonderful things for the lord?

Verse 16, “ ¹⁶ And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

An average guy was able to accomplish such a powerful thing...simply because God told Him to do it, and therefore would see Him through it.

I know what you are thinking But certainly this is the exception, not the rule right.

I mean God usually uses extraordinary people, and every once in a while makes due with the average guy...right?

Let me ask you

Who were the disciples? fishermen and a tax collector

Mary the mother of Jesus, how about her? just a kid

Joseph the father of Jesus? a plain carpenter

Moses? couldn’t even talk in front of people

Jonah was a plain old guy who didn’t want to go

Paul Who had done horrible things in his past

The first people to spread the good news were just stinky shepherds

The woman Rahab who helped the Israelites take the promised land was a prostitute

King David started as a lowly shepherd

I guess when you stop to think about it…when you look throughout the entirety of the Scriptures you witness God continually using the common, everyday, average person to accomplish great and mighty deeds.

And the good news is that they don’t get these things done because of who they are...they get them done because of who He is.

But the bad news is that we no longer have any excuse not to tell others about him.

If you were a rocket scientist, or a brain surgeon you might have a better excuse than you’ve got right now.

Because you don’t have one.

God wants to use you, and it’s not about how good of a speaker you are, or how smart, charismatic and attractive you are...it’s all about how good He is.

And it’s about how simple his message is.

It’s about a story that can be told by a child, a story that you already know.

Help me tell it.

In the beginning God created the world, and on this world He put two people named…(Adam and Eve)

And things were good for a while, but Adam and Eve messed things up when they disobeyed God by…(eating the apple)

You see, Adam and Eve sinned when they disobeyed God and because of this sin man was separated from God in this life and in the next.

But God knew that this wouldn’t do so He sent his son to earth named…Jesus

Jesus was born as a baby he didn’t sin a single time, but he was punished anyway.

They arrested him, beat him and put him to death by…hanging him on a cross

On the third day he…rose from the dead

God did this to show that Jesus death was accepted as punishment in our place.

So if you want to have God in your life here on earth, as well as spend eternity in heaven…then all you’ve got to do is accept his death in your place, and try to live life the way that he wants you to.

End of story.

You know this story, don’t tell me that you don’t.

And God wants to use you, a normal, everyday average person to tell this story to the people around you. Your Friends, Co-Workers, Your Family and Yes even Strangers you meet on the street. To any and all that will listen.

And you’ve got no excuse.

It doesn’t matter how young or how old you are.

It doesn’t matter how much you like to talk in public.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you know all of the answers.

You know this story.

And God wants to use you to tell it.

You don’t have to go out and save the whole world…you’ve just got to be willing to tell the people around you that God is asking you to tell.

And you don’t have to be any kind of special super Christian to do it.

You’ve just got to be you.

The people that do great things for God aren’t great before God chose them…they are great after they finish doing what God chose them to do.

Do you have what it takes to do what God is calling you to do?

Can you be a Kingdom Builder for God?

If you have not yet repented, confessed your sins, and trusted in Christ to save you from God’s wrath, then you don’t know the full extent of Gods’ love yet. John 3:36 says that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” because “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). I pray that is not you.

I encourage you to pray this prayer with me, but I caution you that saying words alone will not save you. Prayer alone doesn’t save. Only Christ can save. But prayer can be a means of reaching out to the Lord in true saving faith. If you pray these words in faith, Christ will save you. You can be sure of that.

Let Us Pray: Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door of my heart when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your word and desire the Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me guidance to walk your path to salvation and everlasting life. In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.

Sermon Summary

The purpose of this Ministry is to Spread the word of God to any and all that will listen. I will try very hard to plant the seed of God in your hearts, provide you with the knowledge to nurture that seed thru prayer, Bible Study and fellowship so that it can grow, so that in time that seed will mature and you will be saved and re-born so that you can have the greatest gift of God’s Love, Everlasting Life.

Let Us Pray

Lord, Each and every day is a struggle against sin and temptation.

Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace and hatred with love.

God remind us that our actions matter.

We do not fight a physical battle, but a spiritual one and with each act of compassion

We build your kingdom.

Help us be kingdom builders today.

Thru Jesus Christ we pray

AMEN

The Sin Of Gossip

Gossip has always been a problem in the church and everyday life. we read about it in several places in the old testament and the new. This sermon I address the calamity of Gossip and the cure for Gossip.

I believe this sermon has something that applies to each and everyone of us here toady

Whether its formal meetings, dinner table discussions, or late night phone calls; gossip has always been a problem in all aspects of our lives. I remember a game we did in elementary school where the entire class got into a line. The last person in line whispers to the person in front of them a short sentence, that person whisper to the person in front of them and so on and so on until it reaches the first person in line. Now imagine if we played this game right here in church

Here is an Example

Last person in line - the pastor said his ear kind of hurts. Next person (2)- the pastor has an earache. Next person (3)- The pastor got a hearing aid. Next person (4)- the pastor is having trouble hearing. By the time it got to the 1^st person in line - An older lady with a cane is walking out and says "That does it, I'm outta here! - the pastor done went out and got a double earring!"

A rumor is like a snowball going downhill - the more it moves along the bigger it gets.

There are times that what we say can do more harm than we intend. Gossip is easy to indulge in because it is hardly seen as a sin. After all I’m just repeating what so and so told me right?

What exactly is a gossip? Webster defines gossip as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, a gossip is a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts. As a verb, gossip is a rumor or a report of an intimate nature.

The sad reality of the matter is this: a gossip is a person who will talk about others with you and then turn around and talk to others about you.

I believe the best definition of gossip is saying something, even if it is true, with the intent to cause personal harm. By that definition we are all guilty. The family member that is considered to be a dead beat the Co-worker is just plain lazy The person at church that gets on your nerves.

Today we are going to focus on two key points about gossip from James 3:1-12 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

² For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

³ Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.

⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.

⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

let's first look into ...The Calamity of Gossip

James says that no man can tame the tongue. This is what we call hyperbole - it is an exaggeration to make a point and in this case James makes the point that while it may be possible to tame the tongue it is something that is extremely difficult and yet there is no one who has kept it in check perfectly, which makes his statement divine truth - no matter how hard we work to tame it there will be a time when we say more than we should or we say something we shouldn't.

One of the reasons that we need to get a handle on our words is because they are filled with great power. In fact, the tongue has the aggressive ability to destroy. Think about how many reputations have been ruined by careless words. When I work on gas pumps or oil tankers in my shed - I get paint and grease and oil on my jeans and it is difficult to get those stains out of my jeans, but at least I can get a different pair of jeans. But think about how difficult it is to get the dirt off a man's character once it is thrown on him. Once we are in someone's bad books we hardly ever get out of them.

Ill. A senior in high school said that as an eighth grader she was the subject of an online rumor that she had slept with the football team. She said, “I think it was started by the ex-girlfriend of a boy on the team. It didn’t matter where it came from. People wanted to believe it. There was no way to refute it. I wanted to kill myself.” That’s the pain and the devastation that can come from gossip. It’s like a fire. Gossip can be a form of Bullying also.

According tomJames 3:6 "The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." This is exactly the issue with our words. One moment things are fine and the next moment like a fire, we are dealing with a major problem. James uses fire to describe the uncontrollable nature of our words once they are spoken. Once words are spoken they can't be taken back, no more than a raging fire can bring back everything that it burned up in the first place. When harmful words are sparked, they often spread like wildfire.

When our tongues are set on fire by heaven like it was in Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

³ Then there appeared to them ^]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The tongue kindles good thoughts, holy affections, and ardent devotions. James says that the tongue is set on fire by hell. And because of it, the tongue produces lies, slanders, contentions, insults, rage, hatred, and the general purpose of the devil.

The second word that James uses is poison. James uses an interesting word for poison because it was used to describe both the venom produced by snakes and scorpions but it was also used to describe rust. Not only is venom painful but it is deadly and it corrodes and destroys areas of our lives. Unlike a whip that stings or a club that pummels from the outside - venomous words pass through the flesh and beat us up in the mind and the heart.

Let me say this: If you listen to gossip, then you are part of the problem. Those who listen to gossip are just as guilty as those who do it. The only fuel a gossip has is a listening ear. Once you cut their fuel line you keep them from sinning against their brothers and you keep them from tempting you to do the same. Proverbs 20:19 - "A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much." Why should we avoid someone who talks too much? Because as a great preacher once said "those who talk much, lie much!" and then said "Silence is wisdom and that is why the wise are scarce." We must do all we can to avoid such people.

Solomon wrote “A company of fools suffers harm" & "Bad company corrupts good character" It is more likely that the bad will change the good rather than the good will change the bad. While Jesus did eat with tax collectors and sinners, lets not forget that he was incorruptible - he was God in the flesh. He did eat with sinners, but He lived with the disciples. At some point we choose what environment we want to live in. We can surround ourselves with good Christian believers or we can surround ourselves with worldly & rebellious unbelievers. As we pointed out - polite interaction with unbelievers should not be avoided, but interaction is not the point. It's who we choose as our closest friends and confidants? Are they unbelievers or are they believers. How do they effect our spiritual walk? Do they bring us closer to God? or do they take us further away? Do they inspire us? or do they criticize us? Do they encourage us? or Do they discourage us? do they edify or depress us?

There are people who will look around ten good things to find one bad thing. They believe that God has called them to find every speck in every brother's eye. News flash: "we all stumble in many ways..." James 3:2

For some people, their pride won't allow them to praise anyone but themselves and they are satisfied with bringing others down with gossip. They refuse to come up to the light so they intend to drag you down into their darkness. There is a phrase used today among the young to describe insulting or impugning others; its called "throwing shade" the more I consider it, the more I warm up to it, because it is an accurate description for those who use thinly veiled criticism to cast a shadow over another person’s light.

I asked my daughter the other day if she knew what the favorite word of a gossip is. She said "Did you hear" I said "that is good but not it" she said 'but' - I was impressed that she got it right.

Everyone say "but" after each phrase

Pastor: "Oh how I love sister so and so ... Congregation: "but..."

Pastor: "I don't mean to gossip ... Congregation: "but..."

Pastor: "I know I shouldn't say this ... Congregation: "but..."

Pastor: I didn't want to say anything... Congregation: "but..."

Gossips love the word "but" because they believe that everything that precedes it justifies everything that comes after it. That three letter word gives them a license to gossip with impunity. Can you imagine if I told someone "I love you as I fumble around for my pistol to shoot them. Obviously, if I loved someone I wouldn't murder them! You may think that is silly and extreme but we can commit murder with the tongue as well as with the hand. The tongue is a restless evil therefore to avoid the damage it can cause to others we should be productive in doing something else.

As my mother used to tell me when I was a teenager who loved talking on the phone rather than doing my homework - "If you would do more working and less talking you would get more done." The same is true for gossip - If the gossip would do more working and less talking they would get more accomplished.

James not only compares our tongues to a fire or to poison but also to a wild animal. Our tongues are as fierce and uncontrollable as a wild mustang. Running and bucking. And this is why James tells us that we must get a bridle on that wild horse, because if you don't it will run away and throw you! James also likens our tongue to a helm of a ship. The helm is a very small part of the ship just like the tongue is a very small part of the body, and if we can correctly steer our tongue we can direct the whole body. The tongue is a two ounce piece of flesh caged behind our teeth and when set loose it can either do a great deal of good (blessing, encouraging, praising, edifying) or it can do a great deal of harm (cursing, gossiping, discouraging, lying, impugning).

In the final part of this passage, James illustrates the hypocrisy of those who call themselves Christians but have no evidence to their claim, but through this analogy we find a cure for Gossip.

The Cure for Gossip

James 3:12 - "My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."

I am not called to do your work for you, and you are not called to do my work for me, and together we are not called to do someone else's work for them. We don't have trees that produce bananas, oranges, apples, pears, and strawberries - no tree produces all kinds of fruit. Its the same way with the church; all true believers are members of one body of Christ, but all the members don't have the same office. The best thing for the body to do is let the eyes do the seeing, and the ears do the hearing, and the mouth do the talking, and the feet do the walking, and the hands do the giving and working and do not usurp any office that belongs to another.

So, when a man gets passionate about something and begins to curse and swear even as Peter did, someone naturally says "Oh I thought he was a Christian" and someone answers them and says "Well you know he used to not speak like that, he used to speak lovingly and very kindly of everyone." That may have been the case, but it is a poor sort of Christianity that does something like that, even if it is occasionally.

My prayer for you and me is that God would deliver us from bearing two types of fruit! What if we all acted this way, one moment: they have a reputation for holiness and the next moment they are notorious for their sin? If God is God, then follow him; or if the devil is God, then go and serve him; but serving both is a compromise that God abhors!

A drunk man tries to walk on both sides of the street at the same time, nearly getting himself ran over. And whenever I see a man trying to serve God and to serve the devil too, I know that he is just as inebriated thinking that he can serve God and serve the devil at the same time- otherwise if he were in his right mind he would never imagine doing such a thing!

A certain man was near a fig tree and he wanted everyone to think that it was an olive tree - so he simply took several sheets of paper and wrote the word "olive" on it and decorated the fig tree like we would adorn a Christmas tree with ornaments. How often do hypocrites adorn their lives with the label of Christian fruit and yet they still keep bearing the same old fruit of sin in their lives. Putting a Christian label on it will never change that. A famous Preacher once said that "A gossip is more likely to preach than to pray."

Just calling a person a child of God will never make that person a child of God. The big question is this: Is the problem with the words themselves? No. The problem is with the source. The problem with sour water, isn't the water itself, its the source because the source is what is making the water sour.

If the word is true that 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks' then the only way to cure what comes out of the mouth is to cure what is in the heart. Once we purify the heart purified words come out of it. In order to get the spring to produce fresh water we must have a fresh water spring.

"YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN."

Unless you are regenerated, born from above by a new and heavenly birth, you are not a born again Christian. If there is no real change from Christ, then you can't possibly produce the fruit of the Spirit any more than a fig tree can produce olives.

"Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" -James 4: 11, 12

The Bible says "By their fruit you will know them" and speaking evil of one another is bad fruit. By raising accusations exaggerating failures, or by stealing esteem by discrediting a brother under the guise of religion is a very great evil. We expect such actions from the world, but for the believers to speak evil of each other, to sit and slander the reputation of a brother is contrary to the spirit of Christ.

It is one thing to rebuke a man who has transgressed God's law, someone who is having an affair, caught up in pornography, drugs, booze, sexual perversion or financial scandal (embezzlement) or spreading lies, teaching false doctrines or heaven forbid, something worse. But if you judge him based on what the law does not forbid, you are presuming an office that doesn't belong to you, to be the judge when it is not your place to be one.

"who are you to judge your neighbor?"

There is so much good in life to be enjoyed, I don't know why anyone would want to waste it on gossip. Remember that "Love covers a multitude of sin." We should praise God more and blame others less. We should do all we can to avoid the sin of gossip and to avoid the one who gossips, and ask the Lord to set a watch over your lips so that we don't sow the wind with gossip, because if we do we will reap the whirlwind of its consequences.

You might think this message is for someone else but I pray you let this word convict you. If we are honest we have all participated in the sin of gossip in some way. If there is anyone who is willing to sacrifice their pride and come forward to repent of evil words, evil thoughts, evil intentions, evil deeds I can assure you that the burden of sin will be lifted from your shoulders and you will feel refreshed and renewed by the grace of God who is always willing to give forgiveness to those who ask for it.

If you have not yet repented, confessed your sins, and trusted in Christ to save you from God’s wrath, then you don’t know the full extent of Gods’ love yet. John 3:36 says that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” because “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). I pray that is not you.

I encourage you to pray this prayer with me, but I caution you that saying words alone will not save you. Prayer alone doesn’t save. Only Christ can save. But prayer can be a means of reaching out to the Lord in true saving faith. If you pray these words in faith, Christ will save you. You can be sure of that.

Let Us Prayer:

Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door of my heart when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your word and desire the Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me guidance to walk your path to salvation and everlasting life. In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.

Sermon Summary

The purpose of this Ministry is to Spread the word of God to any and all that will listen. I will try very hard to plant the seed of God in your hearts, provide you with the knowledge to nurture that seed thru prayer, Bible Study and fellowship so that it can grow, so that in time that seed will mature and you will be saved and re-born so that you can have the greatest gift of God’s Love, Everlasting Life.

Let Us Pray

Lord, in Heaven, the creator of all. Each and every day is a struggle against sin and temptation. Give us the strength to overcome cruelty with grace and hatred with love. God remind us that our actions matter. We do not fight a physical battle, but a spiritual one and with each act of compassion We build your kingdom.

Help to help lead just one soul to you God so that we can be Kingdom Builder.

Make us be kingdom builders today. Thru Jesus Christ we pray

AMEN

Now for today’s sermon

Ready Or Not Here I Come!

Today we will be looking in Chapter twelve of the book of Luke.

Luke 12:35-48

The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant

³⁵“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; ³⁶and 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.³⁷Blessed 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. ³⁸ And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. ³⁹ 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. ⁴⁰ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”

⁴² 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? ⁴³Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. ⁴⁵But 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, ⁴⁶the 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 in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷And 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. ⁴⁸But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. 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.

It is a common and wise practice in our society to prepare diligently for the most important or significant events in our lives. For example, we prepare for our wedding day with careful planning and rehearsals. We also prepare for retirement (if we are wise) with careful investments and savings. We prepare for natural disasters with the appropriate responses. These preparations are all prudent and good but it is rather ironic that we can be so careful about being prepared for these important events and not be ready or prepared for the most significant and life impacting event in history. I am, of course, referring to the return of Jesus Christ.

An event that is sometimes referred to in many ways: The Second Coming, The Rapture, The Second Advent, or the Parousia (which means arrival or presence.) Technically these terms do not all apply to the same exact event but I wanted you to be aware of them because people often use all of them to refer to Jesus coming in one fashion or another.

There are 260 chapters in the New Testament, and Christ’s return is mentioned no less than 318 times in those chapters. Statistically, one verse in twenty-five mentions the Lord’s return.

In fact the very last recorded word of Jesus are Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” It’s clear that Jesus return is a major topic in the Bible and as such should be a major concern for Christians.

This passage refers to the return of Jesus and the need to be prepared for that event. Now some of you are very familiar with what the Bible teaches about the return of Jesus but others may know little or nothing at all so I want to take a couple of minutes and share a little of what the Bible says about the return of Jesus.

It should be noted that all true Christians agree that Jesus will physically return and rein in power, but Christians do differ as to the timing and sequence of events regarding his return. Bible teaches the following sequence of events concerning the Lord’s return. First we believe that the church, that is all true Christians, will be raptured (caught up) to meet the Lord Jesus in the air.

1Thessalonians 4:16-17 ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Now all orthodox Christians believe that this will take place but they differ about when it will take place. I believe that it will take place before the tribulation - hence I am a pretribulational. The term tribulation usually refers to the last seven years of time, as we know it, when God will pour out judgment upon the whole Earth for their sins. These seven years are described in the Book of Revelation as a time of trouble and tragedy like has never been seen before. During this time a world leader will arise who is known in the Bible as the Antichrist. He will lead many astray so much so that people actually worship him.

At the end of the seven years and tribulations Jesus will return with his church. This is sort of like a stage two of the second coming. The first stage being the rapture of Christians. Jesus will destroy the Antichrist and set up his kingdom on earth to rule for 1000 years. This epoch of time is referred to as a millennium. Now we teach a premillennial viewpoint which means that we believe that Jesus literally comes back before (pre) the 1000 year reign. Some people believe that Jesus does not come back before the thousand year reign and some people believe that the millennium teaching is only figurative.

Any teaching on end time events is known as eschatology. You have just received a very short course in eschatology. I hope it was more helpful than confusing. I wanted you who may be unfamiliar with the Bible teachings on this subject to have some understanding before we dealt with today’s passage which deals with being prepared for the return of Jesus.

The main thrust of vs. 35-48 could be summarized in the following sentence.

We Need To Always Be Prepared For Jesus Return Because It Will Be Sudden And Significant.

In other words, this is a life impacting, significant event that will happen so suddenly you will not be able to prepare later so you need to get ready now and stay prepared daily.

Verses 35-38

³⁵“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; ³⁶and 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.³⁷Blessed 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. ³⁸ And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

Most men laugh at the Ameritrade commercial on television where the lazy husband is reclining on the couch and his wife tells him to do one thing that day - establish an online investment account. He says, "Sure." Then he watches television and goes to sleep. He hears her car pull into the driveway and jumps up and runs to his computer. With a couple of clicks he’s signed up. He rushes back to the couch just as she enters. Her first question is, "Did you set up the account?" His indignant reply is "Of course!" Now maybe you can wait for the last possible second to establish an online account, but you cannot act that way with God.

You cannot wait for the last second and suddenly get your life in order. You will not hear Jesus pull into the driveway. His return will be unexpected and sudden. Some people are like this man with their spiritual lives and service for Jesus Christ. They put off getting their lives in order and think that they can get ready or do their part right at the very end. This is exactly the type of attitude Jesus was warning us against. He says we are to "be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning like men waiting for the master to return from a wedding banquet."

In New Testament times a wedding celebration could last from several hours to several days - you just never knew. While a master was away from the house the servants were supposed to keep everything in order i.e. do the dishes, take care the laundry, fill the pantry, etc. but the temptation was to slack off because you always felt there was time to get things in order later. Jesus says that we are to be like faithful servants who are always ready! They are dressed, watching and waiting, and their lamps are burning. All these phrases indicate preparedness.

Jesus says that the proper and prepared servant will be so ready that at the moment the master knocks they can "immediately open the door for him." (Verse 36) There was no last minute, mad scramble to get things ready.

Imagine men at the starting gate waiting for a race to start. They are not milling around inattentively or unprepared. No they are in the blocks and in position ready for the starting gun to sound. Jesus wants us to be just as ready and focused on His return as those runners are.

In practical application to our lives this means that everything in our lives is always ready for Jesus. There is no sin that we have not repentant of. There is no apology we never made and no prayer we never said.

Jesus tells us that we can be prepared if we have the attitude "those servants whose master found them watching." Watching does not mean a literal looking up to the sky but rather it refers to an attitude of constant expectancy. The attitude that says that Jesus may come today so I am not going to leave anything undone and I am not going to have anything in my life that I would regret or be ashamed of if Jesus came today. Are you prepared for Jesus return? Is everything in your life what it should be? Will Jesus be able to say to you "well done my good and faithful servant?"

If you can honestly answer, "yes" to those questions, you can be joyful and at peace because as it says in verse 37 and verse 38 "it will be good (literally blessed) for those servants whose master finds them ready...” You are going to get your socks blessed off! Jesus is going to bless you like no earthly master ever blessed his servants. According to verse 37 the master is going to treat you like a master instead of a servant. This should not be taken too literally but it is certainly indicative of great blessing! In fact three times in this passage Jesus says, "it will be good for the servant who is ready." (Verses 37, 38, 43) There is a special blessing in being prepared for Jesus return especially if we maintain that readiness with constant diligence. As verse 38 notes we are to be prepared even if Jesus comes after a delay and at an unexpected or inconvenient time, which would be comparable to a master coming home in the middle of the night. This is a time when all but the most diligent servants would not be prepared because it was not typical for a master to return in the middle of the night. We are never to let our guard down or our spiritual lives become slack.

As a soldier in the Army we were told to always be ready for surprise barracks inspections by the commander. We usually were but one time the commander decided to inspect at 2:00 AM in the morning after we had just completed maneuvers and shifts of fourteen hours a day for two weeks. We were unprepared and it seemed unfair for the commander to inspect at such an inconvenient and unexpected time so some soldiers complained but the commander just said, "You are to always be ready."

This is the same thing that Jesus is communicating to us; always be ready. Jesus may come when it is inconvenient. He may come when there are other things in your life that could consume your attention. He may come when you’re busy with relationship issues, business issues, or money issues. All these things must be taken care of but they must never take priority over our spiritual lives and service. We must all be careful to make sure that nothing in this life distract us from being prepared for Jesus return. He expects to find you ready whenever he comes even if it is in "the second or third watch of the night."

We Need To Always Be Prepared For Jesus Return Because It Will Be Sudden And Significant.

Verses 39-40

³⁹ 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. ⁴⁰ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Here Jesus uses another analogy to emphasize one of the reasons we need to always be prepared; He will come suddenly- "like a thief." Thieves do not make announcements about when they will arrive. They do not RSVP. The only way to be prepared is to always be prepared because you can never know when they will show up.

I talk to a lot of police officer and I cannot tell you how many times they have told me about responding to a home burglary only to find that the doors were left unlocked or that the alarm had been turned off in the house. When they would ask why the owners of the house did not lock their doors or turn on the alarm they would say things like, "I did not expect a thief to rob my house in the middle of the day!" Or "I thought it would be too cold out for a thief to be prowling around." Thieves come in the day and they come at night. They come in the cold, rain and the heat. Thieves do not come when you expect them to, so always be prepared.

Of course Jesus is no thief but he will come like one. His coming will be unannounced and suddenly as it says in verse 40, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Do not wait until later to get ready. This is one time when bad timing can really hurt you!

Many of you have probably seen the Ameritrade commercial about the guy with bad timing. He tries to throw money into the toll collector receptacle ten seconds after he crashes thru the barrier. He tries to return the tennis volley seconds after the ball has passed him. He responds to his girlfriend’s "I love you” ten seconds after she left the table in disgust at his silence. Bad timing can definitely hurt you.

Bad timing can definitely be detrimental in worldly concerns but even more so in not being ready for Jesus return. There will be no time later to get ready! There will be no announcement so that you can get your life together! You need to be ready now!

We Need To Always Be Prepared For Jesus Return Because It Will Be Sudden And Significant.

Jesus does not only emphasize the suddenness of his return but in this next passage he also emphasizes the significance of it.

Verses 41-48

⁴¹ Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”

⁴² 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? ⁴³Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. ⁴⁵But 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, ⁴⁶the 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 in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷And 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. ⁴⁸But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. 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.

In verse 41 Peter wants to know whom Jesus is telling to be prepared. Is it a warning for the unbelieving crowds? Is he speaking to disciples in general? Or is Jesus referring particularly to spiritual leaders? Jesus does not directly answer the question but instead he says in verse 48 that everyone will be held accountable according to the position they held and the knowledge they had of God’s will. "From everyone who has been given much, much more will be demanded...” This means everyone needs to be ready although those entrusted with much (spiritual leaders) are going to be even more accountable so they need to be even more ready.

The point I want you to see and understand is that all of us need to be ready for Jesus return because when Jesus comes it will be a significant event in which he will reward us or punish us according to our faithfulness to him and therefore our readiness for his return.

We Need To Always Be Prepared For Jesus Return Because It Will Be Sudden And Significant.

In verses 42-46 Jesus seems to especially emphasize the accountability of those in a leadership position. They are referred to as "managers" whose responsibility it is to give the other servants their "food allowance." This may be a reference to leaders faithfully feeding God’s flock with the word of God. If leaders do that faithfully and diligently they will be rewarded according to verse 44.

Some people do not see ministry as an opportunity to serve others but rather as an opportunity to "fleece the flock" rather than feed it. They are described in verse 45 as foolish because they do not really expect Jesus to come at any moment and therefore they use their position abusively. They use their leadership position to pad their own bank account and look at others as people to be used and deceived rather than served. Certainly we have our share of such people in leadership positions today. Jesus will come on the day they do not expect and despite their Christian leadership position he will punish them severely. As it says in verse 46 he will "cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers." This is certainly a reference to being sent to hell, as the parallel passage in the Gospel of Matthew makes clear. The person being referred to here may not have been a true believer at any point in their life; certainly their character is not consistent with the true children of God.

There is much debate about who is being referred to in verses 47 & 48. Some think Jesus is referring to unbelievers or pseudo Christians like the unfaithful servant who was just cut into pieces. I think Jesus is referring to true believers who are not as faithful as they should be. Jesus is giving us a principle that is applicable to all Christians. We will all be held accountable for being ready by being faithful. Those who know the most about the Father’s will, i.e. Christian leaders, but do not do it will be punished more severely than those who are not in the same position or have the same understanding. As it says in James 3:1 " My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."

We had 5 girls and I expected more from my oldest daughter than from my youngest though they both were punished or disciplined for doing wrong or failing to do right. The oldest would receive a greater punishment based on her knowledge.

Again I emphasize that I believe verse 47 and 48 refer to true believers who have the characteristics of Christians but are not being completely faithful as they should be. The punishment or judgment that is referred to in these two verses does not refer to eternal damnation but rather to a loss of heavenly rewards.

For example my daughter’s may be punished, by losing their allowance, for not having their room clean and being prepared when I arrive home unexpectedly but they are still my children and I am not going to kick them out of the house.

The point of all these teachings and parables today is for us to take seriously Jesus message of readiness for his return.

As children most of us played the game of “hide and seek” In this game we would say, "Ready or not here I come!” I believe that today’s passage announces to us from Jesus, "Ready or not here he comes! "But this is not a game; it is a serious call for us to be ready and prepared for his return.

We Need To Always Be Prepared For Jesus Return Because It Will Be Sudden And Significant.

Are you ready?

If you have not yet repented, confessed your sins, and trusted in Christ to save you from God’s wrath, then you don’t know the full extent of Gods’ love yet. John 3:36 says that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” because “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). I pray that is not you.

I encourage you to pray this prayer with me, but I caution you that saying words alone will not save you. Prayer alone doesn’t save. Only Christ can save. But prayer can be a means of reaching out to the Lord in true saving faith. If you pray these words in faith, Christ will save you. You can be sure of that.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door of my heart when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your word and desire the Holy Spirit to come into my heart and give me guidance to walk your path to salvation and everlasting life.

In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.