So What? | Sunday Message

Hey there. Thanks for listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast, a ministry supported by Harvest Partners. I'm Greg Laurie, encouraging you.

If you want to find out more about Harvest Ministries and learn more about how to become a Harvest Partner, just go to harvest.org. All right. Well, we're in a series that's titled As It Is Written, and we're in the last message of that series. And our text is going to be Luke chapter 12, and the title of my message is So What. So I heard about a Sunday school teacher that was talking to her class of young people about the return of Jesus Christ. And she asked her class a question, which was, what would you do if Jesus came back tomorrow? And one little boy said, I'd clean my room. And the teacher asked, well, why do you say that? The little guy says, because my mom says my room looks like a tornado hit it, and I don't want Jesus to think he came back to a disaster zone. And really, that little kid got it right.

There was cause and effect. In other words, in his mind, he realized that if Jesus were to come back, he needs to take some kind of action. In his case, it's clean his room. Does your life look like a disaster zone right now?

Do you need to clean your room, so to speak? See, the whole point of talking about the imminent return of Jesus is it should affect us in the way that we live. John writes, he that has this hope purifies himself, even as he is pure. So it all comes down to this, what I believe about the end times should affect me in the way that I live in these times. And that's why I've entitled this message, so what? Not as in, so what?

But more like, so what? So what do I do in light of the fact that Christ could come back again? We should live every day as though it were our last day, because one day it will be. Someone once asked the great evangelist, D.L. Moody, if you knew the Lord would return tonight, how would you spend the rest of your day?

And without hesitation, Moody replied, I wouldn't do anything different than I do every day. So in this series, we've talked about the rapture, we've talked about Israel, we've talked about why Bible prophecy matters, and why we should indeed study it, and to the best of our ability, understand it. Now we're going to focus in, excuse me, specifically on what Jesus says we should be doing as we await his return. That brings us to Luke chapter 12, starting in verse 36. Jesus says, Be dressed for service, and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them and put on an apron and serve them as they sit and eat. He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn, but whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready. Understand this, Jesus says, if a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

So we'll stop there. So the analogy that Jesus is using is very familiar with his Jewish listeners. He's talking about a wedding, a classic first century Jewish wedding. Now weddings are very different today from these days. Those days I should say, weddings are very expensive. I just read about a wedding that took place in India at the cost of $300 million.

Wow. I think I spent $100 on our wedding. It was a classic hippie wedding. Kathy looked beautiful in her bridal gown. Now just look at this picture. Look at Kathy. Perfect bridal gown. Look at Pastor Chuck.

Nice black suit. Look at me. What is that? I look like a pimp.

What is this? Ugliest tux ever made. Look at the next picture. You get an even better shot of her. Well that's Kathy with her father. Now look at that suit. Come on. What was I thinking? I'll forever regret.

I thought it was cool. We didn't spend a lot on our wedding but we focused on our marriage and 50 years later we are going strong. So we are thankful to God. But back in these days, the days of Jewish weddings, it was very different. Because a Hebrew wedding would last not just hours but it could actually last for days. It was an extended time of celebration and fun. And there was one unique feature about these weddings.

And it is simply this. You did not know when the groom was coming. So he might come in the morning. He might come in the afternoon. He might come in the evening.

But when he was coming a shout would be given out. The bridegroom is coming. And if you weren't ready you would miss the wedding.

Snooze and you lose. So Jesus uses this backdrop, this illustration to talk about how we should be living as we wait for our bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, to return. Bringing me to point number one. If you are taking notes we should be shining lights in a dark place. We should be shining lights in a dark place. Look at verse 35. Be dressed for service and keep your lambs burning.

The New King James Version translates it. Let your waste be girded and your lambs burning. So what does it mean to have your waste girded? That is not verbiage we use today. Well they weren't robes back in those days.

Right? So to gird your waste simply meant that you cinched up your robe. Everyone would have a belt around a robe and you would keep things on your belt like an oil flask, a little extra oil, etc.

So you would sort of cinch up your robe giving you freedom of movement. To have your lamps burning meant you had sufficient oil in them. So if we were to update it for today we would say have fresh batteries in your flashlight. Or we might say have your cell phone charged.

Right? That is the idea. Live in a state of readiness. But to have your light shine. You know we live in a world that seems to be getting darker and darker.

Don't you think? And so we need to be shining more brightly. And as Christians we need to be known more for what we are for than what we are against. And through our good works and our loving actions people should see we are Christians before we tell them. Jesus said let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. So in effect you look for ways to earn the right so to speak to then share your faith. The problem is sometimes we are talking about Jesus but we are not living it.

That does not help. But then there are others that live it beautifully but they never talk about it. We have to find the balance of doing both at the same time. And notice that Jesus says in verse 38, He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever He comes He will reward the servants who are ready.

So what Jesus is saying is hey even if He comes later than you were expecting be ready. I am seeing a story in Matthew 14 when Jesus told the disciples to get in the boat and cross over Galilee. And He went up to a mountaintop to pray for them. And as they are out there in that storm it got worse and worse so bad in fact that they were despairing of life. And they are wondering where is Jesus. Now He was praying for them. He could see them. They could not see Him. But He was interceding for them at that moment because the Lord is always looking after us and watching for us.

And He is even interceding for us as well. And then Matthew's gospel tells us He came in the fourth watch of the night. So back in these days the night would be divided into four sections.

The fourth watch was the time just before dawn. Meaning that they may have been struggling in that storm for nine hours. And what happens next? Here comes Jesus walking on the water toward them. And that is how it may feel for some of us right now.

It is like Lord why have you not come back? Are you paying attention to what is going on in the world? Oh yes He is paying attention. He is aware of everything that is happening. Things are not falling apart.

They are falling into place. And that is why we call this series that it is written as it is written. Because this is all sorted out by the Lord ahead of time. It reminds me also of the story of Lazarus. Lazarus was a good friend of Jesus along with his sisters Mary and Martha. Jesus spent time in their home. So when he got very ill they sent a message to Christ.

Lord the one that you love is sick. And they thought Jesus would probably drop what he was doing and rush back to Bethany and lay his hand on Lazarus and heal him. Or at least speak the Word so Lazarus would be healed. But instead we read in John 11 five when Jesus heard this because he loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus he stayed where he was for the next two days. And then he says to his disciples, let's go back to Judea. So why did he wait?

And we read that before that. He waited because he loved them. See they wanted a healing. Jesus wanted a resurrection. And when he showed up in Bethany Lazarus was dead. So dead in fact that Martha his sister said, Lord by now he stinketh.

That is King James 4. He is in the process of decomposition. By the way if someone doesn't smell good you can use that King James verbiage. You know you stinketh right now. Lord not only did he die.

Not only did you miss your opportunity. But he is decomposing. She was accusing Jesus of failing. And Jesus said, your brother will rise again. And she says, yes Lord I know in the last day he will rise. He says, no I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me though he were dead yet shall he live.

And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Then he said these words, Lazarus come forth. It is a good thing he said Lazarus come forth. If he just said come forth everybody in every grave would have come out at once. Lazarus come forth. And Lazarus comes alive out of the tomb. They wanted a healing.

He wanted a resurrection. God is able to do abundantly above and beyond that which you could ask or think. Sometimes they say, Lord I need you to do this for me right now. The Lord may say, yes I will do that. And other times he may say, no I am going to wait a little longer. And it is going to get a little more difficult.

And it might even seem a little darker. But I am going to come through for you. And when I come through for you it will be in such a way you will know it is me. Right. So it is just a reminder to us as we are waiting that we are to be bright lights in a dark place. Number two we are to be watching for him. Now what does this mean that we all should just stand outside and stare at the sun all day? No.

Not at all. Though the Bible does say for those that watch for him he will return a second time. What it means when the Bible says to be watching for him it is simply saying that you should be paying attention to what is happening in your world. You open up a newspaper. If you actually read a newspaper most people don't anymore. Or you go to your favorite news site. Or you see the news online. You pay attention because signs of the times are happening around us reminding us that Christ is coming.

But I should be watching for him. Thirdly I need to be ready to go. I need to be ready to go. So when I take a trip I pack my bags ahead of time. I try to go carry on nowadays. I rarely check suitcases because they lose suitcases don't they? So I schlep around an overpacked carry on bag on wheels. So heavy in fact I wonder if I am going to get it in the overhead.

But I always do because of my massive physique. And so you know I drag it around with me but I am ready to go. I have my bag packed ahead of time.

And that is how we should be as Christians. Have your bags packed. Have your comfortable shoes on. And maybe ask yourself this question before you do something. Before you go somewhere. This place that I am about to go. This thing that I am about to do. Would I be ashamed or embarrassed to be doing such a thing if Jesus were to come back? See that is the idea. Is this something I would not want to be doing if Christ were coming back again?

So it should affect me in the way that I live. And number four I should not only be ready but I should be anxiously awaiting His return. Look at verse 36. When He comes and knocks I open to Him immediately. I used to have a dog that would sleep outside of my room. And so much so that when He would scratch it would sound like someone was knocking on the door.

It woke me up more than once. But when I would open the door of my room up He would fall into my room and He was so excited I was awake. And He starts running around in circles because I am going to go take Him on a walk. And He is going to go do His business.

Right? So He was excited. And that is how we should be. We should be excited that Christ is coming. It is a joyful thing to await the return of the Lord.

It would be like having a loved one. Maybe they are serving in the armed forces. And they are going to be on leave and they are going to come home maybe tomorrow. And you haven't seen them for months. You are so excited to see them again.

You can't wait to throw your arms around them and tell them you love them. And that is how we should be looking at Jesus' return. Lord I can't wait until You come again. I pray it soon. Like the Apostle John who said, Come quickly Lord Jesus.

Number five. We should not only be anxiously waiting but we should also be working. Let me say that again. We should not only be anxiously waiting. We should be working. Look at verse 43. Blessed is that servant whom the master will find so doing when he comes.

Underline those two words. So doing. The Bible tells us that faith without works is dead. If watching for the Lord's return helps us prepare our own lives, working will assure we bring others with us. So Jesus says, Blessed is the man whom the Lord finds so doing. The word blessed is interchangeable as you know with the word happy.

Happy is the person who is busy doing the things of the Lord as they await the return of the Lord. The Harvest Crusade is only days away. What a perfect opportunity to extend that invitation to someone that you know that does not yet know the Lord as you leave the service today. We have flyers and invitations. We still have bumper stickers you can put on your vehicles. And I have noticed a lot of you haven't put them on so as an act of service to you, you all have a sticker on your car now. I am serious. They are putting them on your car right now.

With Gorilla Glue. They are never coming on. Because it is a punishment for not putting it on yourself. No, I am joking. We haven't done that. But maybe we should someday. I don't know. I have joked about that before. But get that sticker on there to reinforce the messaging that is going out now through media. Invitations going out and all the great opportunities.

But this is part of our DNA at Harvest. If you are new to this church, I want you to know a little something about us. We take the Great Commission seriously here.

Right? You say I don't even know what that means. The Great Commission. The Great Commission is when Jesus tells us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all nations and to make disciples of all nations teaching them to observe all things that He has commanded us baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And then He says, and lo, I am with you even to the end of the age. And by the way, on the week after the Crusade, a few days later, we are having a baptism on July 27th back at Pirate's Cove again. So mark that on your calendar. We are calling it the Jesus Revolution Baptism Part 2. Remember we did another one a while ago and 20,000 people showed up. And 4,500 people were baptized.

Remember that? How many of you were there? Okay. Well, you can come this time.

Right? So if you have not been baptized yet, let me ask a question. How many of you have been baptized? Raise your hand. Many of you.

How many of you have not been baptized yet? Raise your hand. Don't be embarrassed. I won't mock you.

Just raise your hand. Okay. That's good. Really?

No. Come and be baptized. It will be a blessing. You will remember the day you were baptized.

Right? Remember it very clearly. And you remember when I was baptized, I sank down 30 feet. You saw the Jesus Revolution movie.

That didn't really happen. But it is going to be a great day for you if you get baptized. But here is what Romans 10 says. How can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? How can they believe in Him if they have not heard about Him? How can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?

And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? This is why the Scripture says, How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news. You know we don't normally notice a person's feet, do we? We might notice their eyes or their hair. Or their lack of hair. I don't know. Or their really bad hair piece.

I am not sure. But you don't normally say, Wow you have beautiful feet. We usually keep our feet covered up.

But the Bible says you can have beautiful feet. And a better way to translate that would be in full bloom. So it is sort of a picture of blooming like a flower when you are sharing the gospel. There is something life giving. Something wonderful. Something energizing about sharing your faith.

Isn't it interesting? See as you give out you are replenished. I think so often we take in. We want to learn more. We want to absorb more.

And that is very good. We should want that as Christians. But the way that God has designed all of this to work is you take in to give out. He wants you to be a vessel.

He doesn't want you to be a hoarder. He wants you to share what you have given. And the fact of the matter is that there is something very life giving and replenishing and reviving for you spiritually when you share your faith. And when you don't share your faith stagnation can set into your life. We have a choice.

We can evangelize or we can fossilize. I told you this story before about my son Jonathan. He has two rats. They didn't set out. They have rats as pets. But they have a snake. And if you have a snake it eats rats or mice. And so they went and bought what is called a feeder rat. That is an inexpensive rat that you buy to feed the snake. But this particular rat had no fear of the snake. Normally when a rat is put into the cage of a snake they cower in fear and the snake sees it and they strike and constrict the rat and eat it.

Right? And so in this case this rat walked right up to the snake walking around the snake walking on top of the snake. So Allie, my granddaughter, saw this was happening and she wanted to spare the rat's life. And so she got the rat out of the cage and set up his own cage and gave him a name and Jonathan knew this rat was not going to be eaten by the snake. So that little snake became their pet and they named him Louie. And he turned out to be the best pet of all time. In fact they ended up getting rid of the snake but they kept Louie the rat. And they liked Louie so much they said, let's get another rat. So they went and found, I don't know what you would call it, a designer rat. A little fancier.

Cost a little bit more money. Had his own pedigree. They named him Remy. But the funny thing is Louie was a better rat than Remy.

And I almost wonder is it because Louie knew that his life was saved from a snake and he was just happy to be alive? Meanwhile Remy is like, yeah I am cool. I am a designer rat. I have got papers right over there. You know I don't have to be as friendly as this stupid feeder rat.

You know I can be more aloof. And it reminds me of some Christians. When God has forgiven you of your sin you are so thankful. You are so grateful and you want to go out and tell others about what He has done for you. Jesus says to whom much has been forgiven.

That one loves them much more. But sometimes after we have known the Lord we become complacent. We become apathetic.

We can't remember the last time we have engaged someone in a conversation about the gospel. Don't be like that designer rat. Be like the feeder rat. I know that is a bad analogy but you understand what I am trying to say right? So here is a final movement in this text that we are reading. Jesus gives a contrast to the believer who is watching and working to the unprepared servant. Luke 12 verse 45. So in contrast to the believer who is waiting we have this one who is not ready at all.

Now who is this person? Is this a description of a Christian or is it a description of a non-Christian? Or rather is it a description of someone who thinks they are a Christian when they really aren't a Christian at all? Paul asks this question in Corinthians.

Check up on yourselves. Are you really Christians? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when you actually aren't at all? That could be this category Christ is describing. This person is not ready.

This person is getting drunk. This person is seeing the Lord delays His coming. And this person has a hard heart against God. And they are not ready. And there are people like this today. And I will tell you something that might surprise you. The easiest place to get a hard heart is in church. You say, no that is not the easiest place to get a hard heart.

Oh 100 percent. And here is how it works. The same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. The same message that transforms and liberates and changes one person can harden another. It is not the fault of the message.

It is the fault of the reaction of the person to the message. You see I decide what kind of soil my heart would be. Jesus gave what we call the parable of the sower. A sower went out to sow seed the Lord said. And he sowed some seed and it fell on ground. Well actually it went on the roadside and the birds came and ate it. And then he said another seed fell on ground that was embedded with rocks. It had shot up quickly but it had no root and it withered. Other seed fell on ground that was filled with weeds. And the weeds choked out the growth of the seed.

And other seed fell on good ground. These are they that hear the Word of God and keep it and bring forth fruit. So category one that is the person who hears the gospel just kind of blows it off.

Those are the birds taking the seed off of the roadside. But the other category someone that shoots up but withers. These are people that make a profession of faith. They look like they have really had a conversion but it does not stand the test of time.

I suggest to you they were never converted at all. But then that other category is interesting. It is choked up by weeds. Weeds don't burst out of the soil and grab a plant and start shaking it. It is so gradual you might not even see it happening.

But slowly and surely the weed restricts the growth of the healthy plant. And Jesus said these are the people that allow the cares and riches of this life and the love of other things choke out the growth in their life spiritually. So for some people it is a gradual process of getting a hardened heart against God.

But the final category. These are the ones that hear the Word of God and keep it. So listen. When you come to church you should come with an open heart. A heart to learn.

A willingness to listen. A desire to worship. And then when we leave this church having a desire to share it with others because the holiest moment of the church service is when we go out the back doors.

Out into the world to fulfill the Great Commission. And we are going to do that together. In just days we are going to do it together at Angel Stadium. And I need every one of you there. And not only do I need every one of you there and every one of you watching this well. I need you to come with someone that does not yet know the Lord. Now some of you are watching this online or you are over in Maui and you can't come to the church today.

But earlier we shared a story about someone that came to Christ watching our crusade on television. So we have a live webcast of this that goes out over harvest.org and all of our social media platforms. You can also download the Harvest Plus app. How many of you have downloaded the Harvest Plus app raise your hand? It is a really great app. And we are always updating it with new material. High definition, video signal, all of our movies are there, our crusades are.

Our Sunday services, our podcasts, our radio show, our TV show and much more. So get that Harvest Plus app. That is a perfect way to watch. And you can text someone living on the other side of the country or somewhere else in the world. And say go to this link and watch this. And we see thousands and thousands of people come to Christ online.

So it is not all about just being an angel stadium. This is a tool. It is a resource to start a conversation. And invite someone to be a part of an event where they will hear the gospel and they will be given an opportunity to respond.

So don't be like this disobedient servant and blow it off. So let's review. Jesus is coming. We need to be ready. Number one we need to be shining lights in a dark place. Number two we need to be watching for Him. Number three we need to be ready to go. Fourthly we need to be ready and anxiously awaiting His return.

And fifth and lastly we are not only anxiously waiting but we are working. You know there is an interesting passage back in 2 Peter where he asked this question. First he tells us that the Lord is not late as some men count lateness but He is long suffering toward us. Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. And then he goes on to say this. The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear.

Then he asks this question. What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to be living holy and godly lives. So then dear friends since you are looking forward to the Lord's return make every effort to be found spotless and blameless and at peace with Him.

Are you at peace with God right now? Or are you like that little boy and you need your room to be cleaned up. You need your life to be cleaned up. You are engaged in things that you as a Christian should not be engaged in. Or you are not really a Christian yet. And you are kind of frightened by the idea that Jesus could come back again. You don't need to be.

That can all change. You can have peace with God through a relationship with Him. You have to admit you are a sinner and ask Jesus Christ to come into your life to forgive you of all of your sin. And He will do that for you right here right now. So you can know I am ready for the Lord's return. And if Christ were to come back today I would say Hallelujah. And if He comes a little later than I was hoping again I say Hallelujah.

I am ready to go no matter what. I am ready to meet the Lord. And if you are not sure if you are ready to meet the Lord. If you are not sure that Christ is living in your life why don't you ask Him to come live in your heart right now. Jesus says, Behold I stand at the door and I knock. And if you will hear My voice and open the door I will come in. Only you can open the door of your heart so to speak and ask Jesus to come in.

You can do that right now. Let's all bow our heads and pray together. Father I pray for any that have joined us who may not yet know You. If they have not asked You to forgive them of their sin we pray this will be the day they believe. And have their sin forgiven and begin a new relationship with You. We ask Your Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin and convince them of their need for Jesus.

And help them to do that right now. Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying together. If you want Jesus Christ to come into your life. If you want Him to forgive you of your sin.

If you want to be ready for the Lord's return. You can pray right now and ask Him to come into your life. You can just pray this simple prayer out loud after me if you like or in the quietness of your heart.

Just pray these words Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner. But I know that You are the Savior who died on the cross for me and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow You from this moment forward as my Savior and Lord. As my God and my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Amen. Hey everybody thanks for listening to this podcast. To learn more about Harvest Ministries follow this show and consider supporting it. Just go to Harvest.org. And to find out how to know God personally go to Harvest.org and click on Know God.