Dressed For Action
It all begins with an idea.
January 5, 2025
I’m so excited to study the WORD with you on this first Sunday in 2025!
We finished 2024 last week with a study on the CHAPTERS & SEASONS that the New Year really highlights… not just meaningless existence that continues on endlessly without purpose or meaning but we talked about creating MEANINGFUL existence around the WORK & OBEDIENCE to God all while USING the chapters & seasons that He modeled for us in creation.
In Genesis, God created the world around the phrase “there was evening and there was morning” of each day… and then created a separate chapter of these days called a week when He worked for 6 days & rested on the 7th.
We focused on several headings or major points of HOW to live into the meaningful existence as we start the new year:
FORGET NOT: We talked about gratitude for the things God has done in this past season as we start a new one – the Psalmist David said, “forget not His benefits” in Ps 103
ACKNOWLEDGE: We also talked about how to acknowledge some of the anguish or negative things that may have happened in this season – just like David did in Ps 34 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
And we talked about how to keep our EXPECTATION high for what God wants to do in this new season, despite the bad OR the good He may have done in the last “Psalm 62 – My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.”
Then we prayed specifically about how to LET GO & RECEIVE (palms down to let go… palms up in expectation to receive) Philippians 3 …I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
And lastly we talked about potential NEW GOALS & OPPORTUNITIES for the “Isaiah 43:18 “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
Today we’re going to start our new year with a new Theme verse that will take what we learned last week into new directions all over scripture.
This passage & message come directly from the new Bible reading plan I’ve just begun to start off the New Year – “The New Testament in 90 Days”. And this week as I was reading I was SO encouraged & challenged by one of the passages that I had to begin our new series on it. I have no idea if this will be a long or short series beyond tonight…but I feel it’s VITAL that we study this right away. Go ahead & turn to Luke 12
Annette mentioned to me that it’s amazing to see that as we drive by all the gyms around the city this week, that they’re all FULL–cars everywhere! Everyone has made their New Years resolutions & here at least in the first 3-4 days, they’re hitting the gym to keep those resolutions. There’s a fresh level of COMMITMENT that they’re making for their health or for a fitness goal, a strength goal…
How much MORE should we make a commitment to God’s Word & the Body of Christ this year!!?? If you want to join Levi & me in the 90 day NT Challenge, click the QR Code here:: (bottom of message)
Jesus had plenty to say about COMMITMENT and that’s where we’re going to start tonight.
Luke 12: 35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” (Peter’s like, “wait… you talking about slaves, or you talking to us??”) 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Tonight’s message is “Dressed for Action”.
The KJV and some of the more-literal translations use the phrase “Let your loins stay girded & lamps burning…”. It’s an phrase that depicts a man who is ready for hard work or running, with his long robe tucked up into his belt.
In this passage, Jesus gives the parable of servants waiting for their master with lamps burning and ‘loins girded’, dressed for action.
There is an inherent READINESS of this phrase & all that it means, that shows a servant who is consistently prepared for WHATEVER .
When I was a kid we had a boys group in our church very similar to Boy Scouts. We did all the camping & outdoors things…earned badges for fire building & knot tying, earned rewards for our chivalry and concentrated on character & integrity based on Biblical models & precepts. Our MOTTO was “READY! Ready for Anything! Ready to work, play, serve, worship, live & obey God’s Word.”
And this is exactly the kind of thing Jesus is talking about here. “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning” - always have“your loins stay girded & lamps burning…”
Are we READY for anything? Are we PREPARING for God to move in our midst & PREPARED to obey Him at a moment’s notice?
What would you do if God decided to move at your job in the middle of the work day? Are you dressed & ready for action to serve Him with your testimony or in a way that will be His hands & feet the moment He wants to use them? Do you have your spiritual & emotional long robe tucked up into your belt ready to run & ready for action? Or are we gonna be slowed down by our past experiences “But we’ve never done it that way.” … or our cultural traditions “our family doesn’t… our people don’t… our culture always does…”
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
THat phrase “preparing your minds for action” is “gird up the loins of your mind” – the SAME IDEA from Luke 12 of “Let your loins stay girded & lamps burning”. He says “being sober-minded” meaning, there’s nothing from the world clouding our vision or our thinking. We’re not distracted by the latest Tik-Tok trend or the heresy hunters on YouTube. We’re focused & ready, able to move quickly & freely with nothing distracting us or hindering us from obedience. These are REALLY solid commands from Peter to use SOUND JUDGEMENT in all areas of life.
Are there any areas of your life that you need to “gird up your loins”
or “gird up the loins of your mind”and “be sober-minded”
This drives RIGHT into the armor of God that our Kids are studying right now too…
(NKJV) Ephesians 6: 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Look at v14 again “having girded your waist with truth,” if “girding your waist” means to tuck up the robe into your belt in order to “BE READY FOR ANYTHING” what does the command here mean? “Be ready for anything WITH TRUTH” … we can’t allow ourselves to be distracted by the fake things, the substitutes, the half-truths, anything COUNTERFEIT that would keep us from being READY when the Lord calls.
This is an echo of what Jesus was saying in Luke 12 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home… 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.”
ARE WE READY for the Master to come home? Are we “dressed for action” with “lamps burning”??
The other parable that you probably know very well.
Matthew 25: 25 “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 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.’
13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
This phrase here “Watch therefore” … is a different word from “gird your loins” but it still holds a lot of weight as it’s still talking about PREPARATION, READINESS, STANDING ALERT…
Or as Paul is finishing his letter in 1 Cor 16
1 Corinthians 16: 13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.
Jesus used it here in Mt 25 but also in the Garden of Gethsemane when he tells the disciples to “stay alert & pray”
Mark 14: 32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch. … 37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
As we conclude tonight though, go back to Luke 12 for a bit:
Luke 12: 35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
But then Jesus completely turns the table about the whole “dressed for action and …lamps burning” thing. Check out v 37
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.
It seems like when WE live our lives “READY! Ready for Anything! Ready to work, play, serve, worship, live & obey God’s Word.” then HE, GOD, girds HIS loins, in preparation to serve on OUR behalf… when we prove that we’re going to “Live ready”, that sends GOD into action
“he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them”
Um, what??
When WE live dressed for action with lamps burning, God recognizes it & goes into action serving US.
Let’s read a few Psalms & hear how GOD girds HIMSELF up on behalf of His children…
Psalm 18:39 (KJV) 39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
Psalm 93: The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice
The floods lift up their waves.
4 The Lord on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
5 Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O Lord, forever.
SO!How can we stay DRESSED FOR ACTION
How can we GIRD UP OUR LOINS for SERVICE, making sure we’re ready for Him when He calls us up to work…
I read a bit of the tragic story of the Pro Baseball player Josh Hamilton the other day & it really hit home on this “readiness” idea… Josh Hamilton was chosen by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as the first overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft. He was considered the TOP high school player in the country just before the draft and was only 18 yrs old when he was drafted. He was 6’4” in peak physical shape, considered to be the greatest player of his time & expected to carry the Devil Rays directly to the playoffs & the World Series with his athleticism and charisma. But right after he was drafted, in the 2000 season, he was in a car accident that left him on the Disabled List for part of the season–back down into the minor leagues and while he was there, he began to experiment with alcohol & drugs. And then during the 2000 season as well as 2001, 2002, 2003 and beyond, he began to see the OTHER 1st picks from those years go on to play HUGE careers in the Majors while he was stuck in the Minors. Each time it seemed like he should be ready to get called up to play the majors, he was STUCK down in the minors because HE DIDN’T LIVE READY. He didn’t LIVE DRESSED FOR ACTION WITH HIS LAMP BURNING… so he didn’t get his junk straightened out and begin to live ready till the 2007 season. Once he DID, he had a huge career & was able to lead the Texas Rangers to a World Series in 2010 & 2011… BUT … 10 years wasted? All because he wasn’t “Dressed for action with his lamp burning”.
As we close I want to remind you of what Jesus said in the Parable of the 10 wise & 10 foolish virgins:
Matthew 25: 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.