Be Ready and Useful: A Call to Action
Summary
### Summary
In today's message, we explored the theme of readiness and usefulness in the context of Jesus' teachings in Luke chapter 12. We began with a story from the series "Poldark," where Ross returns home to find his house in disarray, a metaphor for the state of readiness Jesus expects from His followers. The core message is simple yet profound: "Be useful wherever you are. Be ready whenever He comes." This call to readiness is not just for pastors or leaders but for every believer, regardless of age, gender, or social status.
Jesus' parable in Luke 12 emphasizes the importance of staying vigilant and prepared for His return. He uses the imagery of servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding, urging them to keep their lamps burning and stay dressed for action. This readiness is contrasted with the slothfulness and apathy exemplified by the characters Judd and Trudy, who neglected their duties and were unprepared for their master's return.
The message also highlights the consequences of apathy and complacency. Jesus warns that those who are not ready will face severe repercussions, likening it to a master finding his house broken into because the servants abandoned their post. This serves as a sobering reminder that our stewardship has eternal ramifications.
Jesus' teachings in Luke 12 are set against the backdrop of His impending crucifixion, as He prepares His disciples for life without His physical presence. He calls them to be wise and faithful stewards, emphasizing that their readiness and usefulness will have significant impacts on the perpetuation of the gospel.
In conclusion, the message is a call to action for all believers to examine their lives, confront their apathy, and make practical changes to be perpetually ready and useful for the Kingdom of God.
### Key Takeaways
1. Be Useful Wherever You Are: Jesus calls us to be useful in whatever situation we find ourselves. This means actively engaging in our roles and responsibilities, whether big or small, and recognizing that we are placed in positions of trust by God. Our usefulness is not determined by our status but by our faithfulness in serving where we are. [03:04]
2. Combat Apathy and Complacency: Apathy and complacency are like the "amigo in the backseat" that tries to control our lives. Jesus warns against the dangers of laxity and calls us to wake up and be vigilant. This involves a conscious effort to stay spiritually alert and not let the cares of this world distract us from our eternal purpose. [04:28]
3. Live in Perpetual Readiness: Jesus emphasizes the importance of being perpetually ready for His return. This readiness is not about scrambling at the last minute but living a life of consistent faithfulness and anticipation. We must stay dressed for action and keep our lamps burning, always prepared to meet the Lord. [07:17]
4. The Consequences of Slothfulness: The parable contrasts readiness with slothfulness, showing that those who neglect their duties will face severe consequences. Jesus warns that the master will not be pleased with servants who abandon their post and let the house fall into disarray. This serves as a sobering reminder of the eternal ramifications of our stewardship. [10:39]
5. Urgency in Reconciliation: Jesus ends His teaching with an urgent call to reconciliation. He urges us to settle matters and get right with God while we still have time. This is a call to both believers and non-believers to make use of the time wisely and ensure that we are in right standing with God before the day of reckoning comes. [19:57]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:30] - The Story of Ross and Poldark
[03:04] - Be Useful Wherever You Are
[04:28] - Combat Apathy and Complacency
[05:56] - Jesus Prepares His Disciples
[07:17] - Live in Perpetual Readiness
[08:48] - The Master Serves the Faithful
[10:39] - The Consequences of Slothfulness
[12:06] - The Call to Readiness
[13:40] - The Faithful and Wise Manager
[15:12] - Warning Against Apathy
[16:55] - The Master’s Judgment
[18:32] - Jesus Speaks to the Crowds
[19:57] - Urgency in Reconciliation
[21:47] - Time is Running Out
[23:26] - Closing Prayer and Reflection
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
- Luke 12:35-40 (ESV): "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
### Observation Questions
1. What does Jesus mean when He says, "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning"? (Luke 12:35)
2. In the parable, what are the servants expected to do while waiting for their master to return? (Luke 12:36)
3. What are the consequences mentioned for the servants who are not ready when the master returns? (Luke 12:39-40)
4. How does Jesus describe the master's reaction to finding his servants awake and ready? (Luke 12:37) [08:48]
### Interpretation Questions
1. What does it mean to be "useful wherever you are" in the context of Jesus' teachings in Luke 12? How can this be applied to different aspects of life? [03:04]
2. How does apathy and complacency manifest in a believer's life, and why does Jesus warn against it so strongly? [04:28]
3. What does "living in perpetual readiness" look like practically for a modern-day believer? How can one maintain this state of readiness? [07:17]
4. Why does Jesus emphasize the severe consequences of slothfulness and neglect of duties? How does this serve as a warning for believers today? [10:39]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current roles and responsibilities. How can you be more useful and faithful in these areas, regardless of their size or significance? [03:04]
2. Identify areas in your life where apathy or complacency has taken root. What practical steps can you take to combat these tendencies and stay spiritually alert? [04:28]
3. What specific actions can you take this week to live in a state of perpetual readiness for Jesus' return? How can you keep your "lamps burning"? [07:17]
4. Think about a time when you neglected a responsibility or duty. What were the consequences, and how can this experience motivate you to be more diligent in the future? [10:39]
5. Jesus calls for urgency in reconciliation. Is there someone you need to reconcile with or a situation you need to address to be in right standing with God? What steps will you take to resolve this? [19:57]
6. How can you ensure that you are making wise use of your time and not letting distractions lead you away from your eternal purpose? [21:47]
7. Reflect on the story of Ross from "Poldark." How does this story illustrate the importance of readiness and stewardship in your own life? [01:30]
Devotional
Day 1: Be Useful in Every Situation
Description: Jesus calls us to be useful in whatever situation we find ourselves. This means actively engaging in our roles and responsibilities, whether big or small, and recognizing that we are placed in positions of trust by God. Our usefulness is not determined by our status but by our faithfulness in serving where we are. The story of Ross from "Poldark" returning to a disarrayed home serves as a metaphor for the state of readiness Jesus expects from His followers. We are to be like the servants waiting for their master, always prepared and diligent in our duties. [03:04]
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV)
Reflection: Think about your current roles and responsibilities. How can you actively engage and be more useful in these areas today?
Day 2: Combat Spiritual Apathy
Description: Apathy and complacency are like the "amigo in the backseat" that tries to control our lives. Jesus warns against the dangers of laxity and calls us to wake up and be vigilant. This involves a conscious effort to stay spiritually alert and not let the cares of this world distract us from our eternal purpose. The parable in Luke 12 contrasts the readiness of vigilant servants with the slothfulness of those who neglect their duties. We must strive to be spiritually awake and proactive in our faith. [04:28]
"Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:11-12 ESV)
Reflection: Identify one area of your spiritual life where you have become complacent. What steps can you take today to become more spiritually vigilant?
Day 3: Live in Perpetual Readiness
Description: Jesus emphasizes the importance of being perpetually ready for His return. This readiness is not about scrambling at the last minute but living a life of consistent faithfulness and anticipation. We must stay dressed for action and keep our lamps burning, always prepared to meet the Lord. The imagery of servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding highlights the need for continuous preparedness and faithfulness in our daily lives. [07:17]
"Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into." (Matthew 24:42-43 ESV)
Reflection: What practical steps can you take to ensure you are living in a state of perpetual readiness for Jesus' return?
Day 4: The Consequences of Slothfulness
Description: The parable contrasts readiness with slothfulness, showing that those who neglect their duties will face severe consequences. Jesus warns that the master will not be pleased with servants who abandon their post and let the house fall into disarray. This serves as a sobering reminder of the eternal ramifications of our stewardship. Our actions and attitudes have significant impacts, and we must be diligent in our responsibilities to avoid the severe repercussions of neglect. [10:39]
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." (2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on your current responsibilities. Are there any areas where you have been neglectful? How can you address this neglect and become more diligent?
Day 5: Urgency in Reconciliation
Description: Jesus ends His teaching with an urgent call to reconciliation. He urges us to settle matters and get right with God while we still have time. This is a call to both believers and non-believers to make use of the time wisely and ensure that we are in right standing with God before the day of reckoning comes. The urgency in Jesus' message is clear: we must not delay in addressing our spiritual state and relationships. [19:57]
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (James 4:13-14 ESV)
Reflection: Is there someone you need to reconcile with or a matter you need to settle with God? What steps can you take today to address this urgency?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "Be useful wherever you are. Be ready whenever he comes. At the very foundation of this message is the words of Jesus who is calling people to be useful wherever you are. Listen, wherever you are, however old you are, young or old, rich or poor, doesn't matter, male or female, as you journey through life, wherever the Lord finds you at this moment, he has put you, you, and this is the first critical piece to recognize, that the Lord has placed you personally in a position of trust." [03:04] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Jesus says, stay dressed for action, and keep your lamps burning, keep the lights on, and be like this. Like what? Be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding. So that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. It is a call to readiness. Jesus speaking to the disciples, Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, and all the rest who I forget their names right now, including Judas and Judas and Simon and others." [07:17] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Time is running out. Get right with God while you can. Think of all the ways in which we waste time. I bought a novel. I'll end this way. I bought a novel for my wife this past spring, and it's a novel about three generations of Italian women. It kind of, traces their story. And I opened it up, and on page one, page one was worth the whole book. I probably am not going to read the book. It's kind of like a girl thing, you know. But I did open it up, and page one was worth the price of admission." [21:47] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "If you are outside of the faith, this would be an urgent appeal for you to get right with God, to be reconciled to him before that day of reckoning. Isn't that good news or what? This is where all of a sudden it's like, okay, how do I be ready? How do I be used? You get right with God. And if you are in the faith, as a follower of Jesus, you recognize, well, I got to make use of my time wisely. Make use of my time wisely." [21:47] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "It is in the backseat of so many people in Northern Michigan. It's in our backseats. At times it tries to control us, and that is the amigo called apathy. It is laxity, complacency, a total disregard for what is to come. It is that lifestyle of Judd and Trudy that we truly forget, or we disregard what is to come. We know about it, we read about it, but here we have a passage in which Christ is calling us to actually be ready to do something so that we can be useful." [04:28] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "If you're not familiar with the storyline of Luke, what Christ is doing is he's preparing his disciples for life without him. What would they do in the event of his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father? How would they steward the position? And now in Luke chapter 12, he begins to have this heart-to-heart with his disciples. Listen, when I'm gone, I'm placing you, you in a position of trust. And how you steward that position will have huge ramifications, not only on your life, but also the perpetuation of the gospel." [05:56] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, New Hope, pause for a moment. This next phrase is remarkable. Jesus says, blessed are the servants who are awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, what? Okay, here it is. He, the master, the master will dress himself for service. That is, the master will put on servant clothes, waiter clothes, and have them, who's them? The servants recline at table, sit down, and he, the master, will come and serve them." [08:48] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "What does it look like to live in that perpetual readiness so that you don't have to like scramble at the last minute in order to get things done? Which, by the way, you will not have a chance to scramble at the last minute. Why will you not have a chance to scramble? Take a look at verse 40 when Jesus says it like this. Jesus, who calls us to this place of readiness and usefulness for the kingdom, says it this way, you also, now here's the point, Peter, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, all the rest, you also must be ready." [12:06] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "What would need to change in your life to have a perpetual readiness for the kingdom? And what would need to go in your life so that your life is more useful for the King of Kings, so that when he comes, you meet him face to face, that he would find you to be a wise and faithful steward who has stepped into your position of trust and handled it with great discretion?" [23:26] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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