Transcription

Connor
You’re listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun and practical ways.

Jeff
We’re back.

Chris
Yes, I’m Chris, and this is Jeff. And we are the Bible guys. Doo doo doo doo. Coming to you directly in your home? Yes, for your listening enjoyment. Hopefully. But today we’re talking about being prepared and being ready for the Lord’s coming, says Jesus. Okay. And before we get into that, we have a very interesting segment.

Jeff
I’m very excited about this one.

Chris
Well, our faithful listeners may know that last week, Desiree and Kyle contacted your wife. That’s right. Bonnie and asked her to give me two truths and a lie about you. That’s right. Well, without my knowledge, I just found out two seconds ago that apparently they contacted my wife, Liz. There you go. And asked her to give you.

Jeff
You couldn’t see that coming? Yeah.

Chris
By the way, I haven’t even read them yet. I have no idea what these even say.

Jeff
Coming. If they called my wife that maybe they didn’t.

Chris
I didn’t really think about it.

Jeff
I probably last week, I wondered. I wonder if they called Chris’s wife too. Yeah. So here it is.

Chris
Yeah, here it is. Here it is, here it is. Are you ready? Yeah.

Jeff
I’m ready. I’m so. I am so excited.

Chris
Here are the three and let’s see it. All right. Listeners at home can guess the.

Jeff
Lie truths and a lie. Ready.

Chris
Here’s here’s the three statements. Number one. All right Chris loves to mow the lawn and doesn’t like anyone doing it for him. He has to show it off to anyone who is home when he is finished. That’s the first statement.

Jeff
I’m just going to say that’s a true. So keep going. All right. Now we’re down to I have a 5050 chance.

Chris
I couldn’t even keep a straight face. I couldn’t even keep a straight face.

Jeff
Yeah, well no, I know that one. I know you’re a lawn guy.

Chris
Okay, okay. Um, Chris loves it when his wife drives for him. He feels. He feels. Nope. He likes the feeling like he has a chauffeur.

Jeff
Oh, nice.

Chris
Statement number three. Chris is excellent at cleaning, vacuuming, washing clothes, dusting dishes, all of it. Ooh.

Jeff
Man. He likes the chauffeur, or he’s good at housework.

Chris
Yeah, Chris likes it when his wife drives for him. He likes feeling like he has a chauffeur. Oh. Aw, wait a minute. Chris loves to mow the lawn.

Jeff
That could be the lie. No, that’s not the lie. I know, I know, you like yard work. So you’ve literally shown me photos on your phone. I know, I know, so let me.

Chris
So which one? Which one is the lie you like?

Jeff
So it’s either you love that she’s your driver. Uh huh. Or. You love doing housework is the lie.

Chris
It says I love it when she drives for me. Yes, because it doesn’t happen very often.

Jeff
Yes.

Chris
Or Chris is excellent at cleaning, vacuuming, washing clothes, dusting dishes, all of it. Exclamation mark.

Jeff
Oh man.

Chris
It’s really funny. It’s really, really funny.

Jeff
So I’ve ridden with you before. It’s fun for me. And the two of us. Yes. Have been with Chad Azman. Yes. Driving? Yes. And Chad sometimes will just get in the right lane and sit behind all the slow cars. And sometimes I’ve seen you white knuckling it like there’s an opening, there’s an opening, there’s an opening looking over your shoulder.

Chris
Yeah, because Chad is a safe driver.

Jeff
He is a very passive driver.

Chris
Yes.

Jeff
And you have instincts to be an aggressive driver?

Chris
Yes. I would say that that is true.

Jeff
And so I want to say that driving is a sport for you and that you prefer to drive. That’s what I want to say.

Chris
Well, it doesn’t say that though. It just says I know, but Chris likes it when his wife drives.

Jeff
My preference is to always be driving and we’re very similar, is what I’m saying.

Chris
Yeah, but to be fair, one way or the other, that’s not what the statement says.

Jeff
Or the other side of it is, you know, um. Keeping a nice house tidy.

Chris
Well, she didn’t say that. I do it often. She just said I’m excellent at it.

Jeff
Yeah, you’re very good at it.

Chris
Chris is excellent at cleaning vacuum.

Jeff
Probably really good at everything.

Chris
Oh, whatever, dude.

Jeff
Whatever I’m going to say. The other truth is that, uh, cleaning. That’s what I’m going to say. I’m going to say the other truth. That’s your final answer?

Chris
Yeah, you are correct. Okay. You are correct. Yeah.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah. Because because I’ve seen you just shaking when we’re not being when we’re not optimizing our driving time.

Chris
Yes. And not only that, but you also know I’m a little OCD when it comes to cleaning as well. Yeah. So yeah. So I am very good at all those things. Yes. I don’t I don’t I don’t do them always. But when I do do them, I got to say I do a really good job. I’m pretty excellent at it. Yeah. Yeah.

Jeff
So so I am not like I can step over the same thing. I don’t know why I can walk into the church building and I see everything, sure. But in my own little cave. Yeah, I can step over the same thing four times and, and and be like, you pick that up like, oh, what? And I’m genuinely shocked that it was there.

Chris
Someone someone I.

Jeff
Missed that I don’t know.

Chris
Why. I’ll give you 30s on this. Someone in college sat me down and expressed to me their high concern for my OCD tendencies. So I actually I used to hang my hangers on, you know, it was like an open closet in college, and I used to have them spaced out in colour, coordinated. And and if they were too close to each other, I would get up out of bed and I would I wouldn’t necessarily measure them, but like when I put my I wanted them just right. When I put my coins all in the ashtray, I had to have them heads up. Everything had to be perpendicular, all of my labels had to be faced out on my products. So I just had all these tendencies for OCD and somebody literally pulled me aside because I was, I was it was my roommate, Dan Tafoya. And actually he my brother roomed with me who just put up with me. And then next semester it was Dan Tafoya. And he goes, dude, he goes, listen. He goes, I have a friend who’s OCD and he goes, let me, let me read for you what this is. And I legitimately became super concerned because I recognized everything that that book described was me. So then I became a youth pastor, and that’s how I got over it. I got over my OCD because youth ministry is chaos and messy. Yeah, you can’t control it. I can’t control it. Yeah. And so everything was always messy. And so I learned to walk by the mess. So anyway, all that to say this, I said 30s. It’s closer to a minute. Here’s my last statement. Every single day, every day of my life, in every single environment that I go into, I have OCD, frustrations and tendencies. Chris
There isn’t a single restaurant, there isn’t a single environment, including this church, this stage, that board everything where it actually I actually sometimes will viscerally, viscerally feel it. Wow. And I have to ignore it every single day. Wow.

Jeff
That’s a big one. So. Well then that that explains to us why we have this segment, what made Chris mad this week and why it takes you three seconds to think of one. Yeah, maybe right is because everything just stands out to you all the time, right? All the time. And you’re feeling it for all of us because the rest of us are oblivious to it. Yeah, but.

Chris
I’ve never had a segment where I was mad at something not being neat or orderly.

Jeff
No, no, you’re right, you’re right, you’re right.

Chris
It’s usually people’s behaviors. That’s right, that’s right.

Jeff
Yeah. So I used to be really OCD when I first became a youth pastor too. Like I was always worried I wanted. If I arrived at a place with 22 kids, I wanted to leave with 22 kids. But by the end, I was good. If we were 18 or so, I figured that’s a 90 percentile. That was really good, right?

Chris
Right. That’s really funny.

Jeff
That’s when I realized I probably should stop being a youth pastor.

Chris
That’s really funny.

Jeff
I didn’t care if I brought everybody back that we left with.

Chris
So yeah, I was I’m not sure I was that bad.

Chris
Okay.

Jeff
So yesterday we talked about worry and today we’re talking about Jesus coming back. This is all one big long talk, right? Right. So first he says, hey, don’t get focused on the wrong things. Money is not that big of a deal. Yesterday he says, hey, don’t worry, God, it’s going to take care of you. And then now he’s saying, and by the way, there’s bigger things that are more important getting ready for God’s kingdom, setting up God’s kingdom, bringing people into God’s kingdom. And then he’s pivoting towards because Jesus is coming back, right? So in Luke chapter 12 verse 35, it 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’ll 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, 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 if a Homer owner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Peter asked, Lord, is that illustration just for us or for everyone? Lord replied, A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and find that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. Jeff
I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant thinks my master won’t be back for a while, and he begins beating the other servants and partying and getting drunk? And the master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he’ll cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful and a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions will be severely punished, but someone who does not know and then does something wrong will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given, much, much will be required in return, and someone has been given been entrusted with much even more will be required.

Chris
There you go. There it is. Well be ready for the Lord’s coming. Here he comes.

Jeff
Yeah. Be faithful.

Chris
Yeah. So I was always. I was always taught that the the book of revelation comes down to one thing, which is be. Be ready for that. Nope. Hang on. Let me let me start over again.

Jeff
You were always taught.

Chris
Yeah, I was always taught. Act like Jesus is coming back right now. Yeah. That’s it. Look up. Yeah.

Jeff
Look up. Keep looking up. Yep. So in this he’s talking really quite about. How are we supposed to be using your time now. Right. So in the same way you can’t worry about life because worrying doesn’t add one minute. Now he’s saying, so what should you be doing with your time? Be faithful because you don’t know when Jesus is coming back. He’s going to come back like a thief in the night. Is the other phrase, right? He’s going to come and plunder everything that Satan thinks is his. He’s going to sneak in through the windows, right? He’s coming back. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. So in the meantime, be faithful. Just like for the people who. What was that? That that British TV show on PBS. For a long time, they had the great big giant mansion and the family and all that kind of stuff. Do you remember? I do not know, I can’t remember. They made a couple of movies out of it. Our listeners are listening right now. Anyways, there’s a lot of servants, right? So it’s a wealthy gentry family and there’s a lot of servants and and the servants would, would be waiting. Just when they’re pulling down the driveway, the servants would be out ready, you know, and they’d be there looking for when their master would return so that they could provide good service. And so this is kind of the image Jesus is using there when he’s talking about be prepared, be ready. The the, the Lord of the manor, the Lord of the house could return at any moment. And so you should be found faithful doing the work you’re supposed to be doing. The house still needs to be cleaned, dinner still needs to be prepared. Jeff
There’s so many things you should be doing for the kingdom of God, rather than getting all worked up about whether he’s coming or on the other side. The other side of the story was or, you know, roughing up the other servants and just partying and, you know, dipping into the into the wine cellar while the master’s gone, you know, there’s consequences. So there’s benefits when we’re found faithful doing what we’re supposed to be doing. And there’s disadvantages when we’re just living life for ourselves. Yeah, right.

Chris
By the way, when you were talking about the servants, I thought of la mure, and he said, life is so unnerving for a servant who’s not serving for no one left to be weighed upon. That’s that’s beauty and the beast. That’s beating the bass. Beating the bass? Yeah.

Jeff
Did you know that? La mer. He’s the candle.

Chris
The candle? Yeah. Candle. Yes. Yeah. He was singing. Be our guest. Remember?

Jeff
Be our.

Chris
Guest. Hey, look at that.

Chris
Look at. Look at you with the Disney.

Jeff
So what was the what was what was the reference you made just a little while ago? You were singing a song off camera, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. I thought it was like Phantom of the opera or something. Cinderella.

Chris
Oh, it was Sleeping Beauty. Sleeping beauty? Well, by the way.

Chris
Just side note, now that you brought it up, I have to explain it. Tori was showing me my daughter, Tori. She shows me oftentimes singers that she’s impressed with on, like random videos or whatever. And there was a opera singer who actually was Christine in The Phantom of the opera. Oh, yeah. Who was actually singing Sleeping Beauty, and she was singing I wonder, I wonder, you know, that song, whatever the birds are singing, whatever. And and she and she it was unbelievable. And it’s been in my head all day today. That’s funny. So as I’m walking around singing Sleeping Beauty.

Jeff
So, hey, that British show I was talking about was Downton Abbey.

Chris
Set.

Jeff
With the servants? I’ve never seen the Lord of the manor. No, no, I got sucked into it. I watched them all. Yeah.

Chris
So. Yeah. So? So Peter asks, Lord, is that illustration for us or just everyone? So by the way, just I love that.

Chris
I love that.

Chris
Yes. I was just going to say like there’s another sermon in there that’s, that’s besides this passage point, which is, which is be a person that’s inquisitive like Peter. So like, you know, don’t just take pastors or, you know, or anything at their word or a podcast or a news article. Always be inquisitive. Is this what God says? Or you hear something and say, I want to know more. And I think that, you know, there’s evidence in the Scripture where Jesus responds to willing hearts because mostly Peter, James and John are the ones and Andrew at one time, and I think Philip at one time. But for the most part, Peter, James and John were the ones that pulled Jesus aside. Yeah. And they said, hey, I know you’ve taught this and everybody’s done listening, and apparently everybody’s gone their own way, but I Lord want to know more. Yeah, right. And so Peter, in this, in this, in this instance says, can you help me to understand a little bit more is this, is this for, for for everyone or is this or is this illustration.

Jeff
I take it he’s like, is this going to be on the test?

Chris
Right, right.

Jeff
Are you just talking to the people about something or should I be taking notes?

Chris
Right, right. Which which.

Chris
I love.

Chris
You know.

Chris
And and Jesus is pretty clear. And he tells he tells, you know, some, some really, really strong statements about servants having responsibility. And, you know, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard. This outside of church. But the statement to. To whom much is given, much is required. People use that outside of church all the time. Yeah, right. And it’s just it’s a leadership principle. It’s a responsibility principle. Right. But God but God tells us to whom much is given, much is required. And so you try to measure up all the other scriptures in the Bible and talk about like remember in the book of James, where it says to him that knows to do good and does not to him it is sin. Yeah, right. Well, it depends on how much do you know? How much has God placed on your heart? How much has God you know, given, given you, you know, an inkling to do something and you’re like, oh, I think God’s asking me to do this. So it’s just it’s just this picture of saying, hey, man, the more responsibility you have, the more is going to be required of you. Yeah. By the way, have you ever heard this? I’m sure you have. You know, we’re both pastors, right? Yes. What? Yes. Have you heard that?

Jeff
I’ve heard about that. Yeah.

Chris
No, I’m saying rumor has it. I’m sure you’ve heard. Rumor has it. I’m sure you’ve heard about the triangle. A responsibility in the wiggle room. Okay. Have you heard it? So perhaps so they say. They say like the less responsibility and the less influence you have, the more wiggle room you have as a Christian. So in other words, not not that you have permission to wiggle, but but rather in terms of, in terms of responsibility. So if you’re a brand new Christian, for instance. Right. And then all of a sudden you sort of like blow it because you do something wrong. Well, it’s sort of not expected of you to, to really know because you haven’t learned a lot. Right? Right. So you’ve got some wiggle room back and forth, but the higher up you go, let’s just say all of a sudden now you’re a Sunday school teacher. Well, you don’t have the privilege of being loosey or goosey with your life because now you’re an example.

Jeff
Greater responsibility, greater responsibility.

Chris
Right. And so the higher up you go, it becomes like a triangle. Right? And when you become sort of at the, you know, like, in other words, like you and I have little wiggle room because we’re pastors of a church, leaders of a, of a, of a large congregation, an but but I would even argue and say somebody like Billy Graham when he was alive, you know, Tony Evans, you know, name a name, a guy who’s super, super big, right, super famous, super famous. They have less wiggle room than even we do because they have greater influence. And so therefore they’re going to be extra careful because they have to, you know, they want to walk the straight and narrow. They want to they want they want to.

Jeff
I think we should always be considering, regardless of what level you think you’re at or whatever level is weird, but you know what I mean. Depending on new believer to spiritual leader kind of.

Chris
Thing influences the way.

Chris
I look at it.

Jeff
I think we should always be considering what message are we sending to the people watching us, because everybody has somebody watching them. Everybody has influence with somebody else.

Chris
I mean, it’s a goal for every Christian to, to, to to act like they’re at the top. Right.

Jeff
And so, you know what we do, especially our children, our children, our grandchildren, the young people around us, what we do in moderation because we can manage to control it, they’ll do to excess. Right? People oftentimes will look at us and go, oh, well, Pastor Jeff does it so I can do it all the time, right? As opposed to I saw Jeff do it one time. Right. And so that’s permission for me to do it all the time. You know, I saw Chris do this one time. And so I’m going to indulge all the time in it. And, you know, Paul says, you know, everything is lawful for us, but not everything is beneficial to us or expedient. Right. And so doing a thing one time is different than, you know, we’re not talking about sinful things. We’re talking about things that can wind up controlling us. Right? Sure. So it’s not a sin in one instance. But if it becomes something that becomes an addiction, it becomes a sin, right? Right. And so in those things, then I think that we have a responsibility to avoid those. Paul says in Romans, was it 14, 15, 15, maybe that we’re supposed to consider our lifestyles for the benefit of the weaker brothers, right. Those that we don’t want to be a stumbling block to them. And so that’s it. But this, this phrase, you know, to whom much is given, much is required. What did it say here? When someone has been given, much, much will be required in return. And when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. Just understanding what is much. And I can remember I did an exercise one time I had a professor challenge us on. Jeff
This was a professor maybe. Yeah. And what is your much? What have you been given a lot of. Yeah. And so at first we made lists and we were like not much. You know, we were poor college kids, right? We didn’t have a lot. And compared to our friends, we didn’t have a lot. We knew we knew that they were richer people, more powerful people, more prominent people, more famous people. Sure, I feel like much. But then he said, okay, now in the context of the entire planet. What is your much? And then we realize, well, we have freedom. We have education. We have resources. We have a roof over our head. We have. Right. And suddenly you begin to realize, wow, when there’s billions of people. So me and my peer group, not much me compared to the whole rest of the world is unbelievable. And we began to. And he said, so you need to have a bigger view of how God invests and why did he invest so much in you? You didn’t choose where you were born. You didn’t choose the time, family, all these opportunities necessarily. But God chose to invest them in you. And so you’ve been blessed to be a blessing. So to whom much is given, much will be required. God expects more out of people he’s given a lot to than he has out of the people he hasn’t given much to.

Chris
Yeah, well, that’s a great that’s a great thing to land on. It’s a good thing to end on. So what is your much. Yeah. Yeah. What is your much. Yeah. What is your much.

Jeff
That’s great. And thank God for it. It’s not a burden. It’s a blessing. That’s right. So you’ve been blessed to be a blessing.

Chris
That’s great. Well hey that’s a great place to end. And we will see you next time on The Bible Guys.