Sermon

The Marks of a True Servant

Maranatha Baptist Church of Columbus, OH - Latest Messages

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  1. Turn your Bibles, if you would please, to Luke chapter 19.

    Luke 19 chapter mention

  2. Luke chapter 19, if you're using the Pew Bible, it's on page 878.

    Luke 19 chapter mention

  3. We're making our way back through the Gospel of Luke, and we're in the final leg of the journey, as it were, this final week of Jesus' ministry.

  4. It kind of picks up for us at the tail end of Luke chapter 18, where Jesus will recount his words in this third time where he says that he's going to go to Jerusalem,

    Luke 18 chapter mention

  5. he's going to be crucified, he's going to be killed, and then he's going to rise again.

  6. This morning we pick up the story in Luke chapter 19, verse 11,

    Luke 19:11

  7. and we find the situation of the crowds and this growing enthusiasm of what might happen, what's going to go down there in Jerusalem.

  8. If you remember from last week, Jesus asks this penetrating question, this question to the blind man,

  9. what would you have for me to do for you?

  10. And of course, the blind man answers what may have seemed like an obvious question, perhaps even absurd, of course!

  11. This blind man wants to be healed from his blindness.

  12. But Jesus asks the question to draw him out, to make him an example of faith,

  13. and to draw attention, really, to the ultimate purpose of why Jesus is going to go to Jerusalem in the first place.

  14. And as Jesus will say to Zacchaeus, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.

  15. That was the ultimate purpose.

  16. Salvation from sin, forgiveness of sin, and fellowship with God.

  17. That's the ultimate purpose.

  18. That's what everybody in this room needs as the deepest concern, the deepest question, the deepest need of your life.

  19. You need Jesus.

  20. And Jesus came to offer that for us freely.

  21. As he gave himself on the cross for our sins, he died, he was buried, he rose again,

  22. so that he could extend and offer an invitation of forgiveness to those who believe in him,

  23. who ask for cleansing from their sins, and who make Jesus Lord of their life.

  24. And we have the joy, then, of participating in that forgiveness, enjoying that forgiveness,

  25. and that fellowship with God.

  26. And then, in our passage today, understanding, then, what that fellowship with God is meant to lead to,

  27. as we find that Jesus is the King.

  28. But before we really dig into the text today, it's going to be important for us to kind of develop a bit of the historical context,

  29. so we can make a connection with the parable that Jesus is going to share.

  30. Many of you probably know that Israel was under Roman occupation.

  31. Most of the known world, as a matter of fact, was under Roman occupation.

  32. And so, the Romans would rule these various territories, these various lands,

  33. underneath subordinate leaders, subordinate rulers.

  34. And those rulers, in order to receive the authority underneath the Roman establishment,

  35. to rule those lands or territories, would first need to go back to Rome and get permission,

  36. and then they could exercise that authority over those particular territories.

  37. Herod the Great would be one of these individuals.

  38. And he would negotiate with Mark Anthony in order to obtain the right to rule the land of Israel.

  39. And then, when Herod would die, somewhere around 4 BC,

  40. the sons that were left, and you remember that Herod was a pretty ferocious kind of guy,

  41. the three sons that were left were then allowed to rule over the various territories

  42. that were then originally underneath Herod's authority and leadership.

  43. One of these sons was named Archelaus.

  44. And Archelaus would go to Rome,

  45. and he would seek to have this authority given to him over particularly the land of Judah.

  46. But before he did this,

  47. he would massacre 3,000 Jews on a day of Passover

  48. to kind of establish that he's the big dog in the territory.

  49. And so, when he went to Rome to try to get permission,

  50. a delegation was sent behind him from the people living in Judea,

  51. this group of representatives that would say,

  52. wait a second, this guy, we do not want him to reign over us.

  53. We do not want him to be king.

  54. Well, whatever protests they would give would not amount to anything.

  55. And Archelaus was still permitted to rule over Judah.

  56. But because of the chaos of his leadership,

  57. that was a short-lived kind of reign.

  58. So that now, at the time of Jesus making his way into Jerusalem,

  59. now there would be five different governors,

  60. not leaders or kings,

  61. there would be five different governors.

  62. Pilate would be that fifth governor

  63. who would now be exercising that authority

  64. specifically over this territory of Judea and Jerusalem.

  65. That kind of provides a bit of historical context

  66. to help us understand and grasp what this parable is

  67. that Jesus is about to share with the people

  68. who are making pilgrimage and walking with him

  69. from Jericho now up to Jerusalem.

  70. It was about a 17-mile trek,

  71. about six to seven hours worth of traveling,

  72. 3,300 feet in elevation,

  73. this difference between Jericho and Jerusalem.

  74. So any of you who have done any hiking in the mountains

  75. will know how grueling and exhausting that trip would be.

  76. We find Jesus here now in this massive crowd

  77. in Luke chapter 19, beginning in verse 11.

    Luke 19 chapter mention

  78. Let me read this for us and we'll dive into our study.

  79. It says,

  80. As they heard these things,

  81. he proceeded to tell a parable

  82. because he was near to Jerusalem.

  83. And because they supposed that the kingdom of God

  84. was to appear immediately.

  85. This heightened expectation of the imminence of this kingdom.

  86. And Jesus will tell this parable

  87. to help set the course

  88. and help his audience, this crowd,

  89. understand that he in fact is the king.

  90. That what they anticipated

  91. about who he was,

  92. his identity,

  93. was in fact true

  94. and Jesus is king.

  95. And that's our first point for this morning

  96. that Jesus is king.

  97. Beginning there in verse 11.

  98. And there are a number of reasons why

  99. the crowd could draw this conclusion.

  100. And a number of reasons why now

  101. on their ascent from Jericho to Jerusalem,

  102. why there is this sense in which

  103. that the kingdom would appear immediately.

  104. Because of the way that Jesus taught.

  105. Because of the titles

  106. that he engendered to himself.

  107. And so I want to just briefly walk through those

  108. so we can see that the crowd

  109. wasn't totally out of touch.

  110. First,

  111. we find that Jesus uses the title son of man.

  112. He uses this title of himself

  113. that helps to distinguish him

  114. as this messianic figure.

  115. And when we find the beginning of verse 11,

  116. as they heard these things,

  117. our immediate question as Bible students should be,

  118. what things?

  119. What things did they hear?

  120. And so we must assume,

  121. based upon Luke's statement here,

  122. that the things that are being referred to

  123. are the things in the immediate context,

  124. perhaps the things in Jericho,

  125. but precisely the things in verse 10 of chapter 19,

  126. where Jesus makes this statement,

  127. and I think it's directed at Zacchaeus,

  128. but the rest of the crowd

  129. apparently is able to hear this statement,

  130. the son of man has come to seek

  131. and to save the lost.

  132. Son of man has come.

  133. Zacchaeus has been transformed.

  134. Jesus will go to his house.

  135. And Jesus will be able to observe

  136. in Zacchaeus' life,

  137. this change of heart,

  138. this repentance that's taken place,

  139. where he turned from a thief

  140. to one who becomes generous.

  141. He turns from one who is serving self

  142. to serving God,

  143. to serving others.

  144. And Jesus will say in verse 9,

  145. salvation has come to this house.

  146. And the change has been represented in some way

  147. by the fact that Zacchaeus is now interested

  148. in distributing the things that he has.

  149. In not just fulfilling the expectations of the law,

  150. but in exceeding the expectation of the law.

  151. I'm going to give four times

  152. what I have defrauded my brother.

  153. And Jesus will use this title,

  154. son of man,

  155. that has great significance

  156. in the minds of the first century Jew.

  157. Let's draw attention to this prophet, Daniel.

  158. And those of us who were part of the series

  159. this summer in Daniel

  160. will recognize that Daniel had much to say

  161. about this coming kingdom.

  162. And in Daniel chapter 7,

    Daniel 7:13

  163. verses 13 and 14,

  164. drawing from a vision that Daniel receives

  165. and speaking about this ancient of days

  166. and these thrones in heaven,

  167. Daniel says,

  168. I saw in the night vision

  169. and behold with the clouds of heaven

  170. there came one like the son of man.

  171. And that's our title.

  172. He came to the ancient of days

  173. and was presented before him.

  174. And to him was given dominion

  175. and glory and a kingdom

  176. that all peoples, nations, and languages

  177. should serve him.

  178. His dominion is an everlasting dominion

  179. which shall not pass away.

  180. His kingdom,

  181. one that shall not be destroyed.

  182. And so when Jesus uses this title of himself,

  183. by the way,

  184. 19 times throughout the gospel of Luke,

  185. Jesus is simply saying,

  186. I'm the son of man.

  187. I'm the guy.

  188. I'm the Messiah.

  189. And all that you came to expect

  190. about the son of man

  191. will come true

  192. through my life and my ministry.

  193. The son of man.

  194. Next, we come to see

  195. that Jesus tells them

  196. what to expect in Jerusalem.

  197. And again,

  198. we're referring to these things,

  199. the things that they've heard

  200. now in Jericho

  201. just the day before.

  202. And so Jesus tells them

  203. what to expect there

  204. in chapter 18, verse 31.

  205. He says,

  206. taking the 12,

  207. he said to them,

  208. see, we are going up to Jerusalem

  209. and everything

  210. that is written

  211. about the son of man

  212. by the prophets

  213. will be accomplished.

  214. And so now you attach this title,

  215. son of man,

  216. and what was spoken

  217. by the prophets

  218. will be accomplished

  219. up in Jerusalem.

  220. And in the minds

  221. of all of the crowd,

  222. especially the disciples

  223. who are hearing this statement,

  224. the alarm bells are going off.

  225. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

  226. The things that were spoken

  227. about the son of man

  228. will be accomplished

  229. in Jerusalem.

  230. This is it.

  231. The time has come.

  232. We're ready to go.

  233. We're going to Jerusalem

  234. because that's

  235. where kings are crowned.

  236. And this enthusiasm

  237. of the crowd

  238. and this mounting excitement,

  239. this anticipation

  240. of the fact

  241. that because

  242. of what Jesus has said

  243. and because of

  244. what they've observed

  245. Jesus doing,

  246. nothing is going to get

  247. in the way

  248. of Jesus being able

  249. to fulfill

  250. the word of the prophets.

  251. Next, we have

  252. the fact that Jesus

  253. accepts this title,

  254. son of David.

  255. Also, back in Luke chapter 18,

    Luke 18:36

  256. verses 36 and 39.

  257. As Jesus is making

  258. his way through Jericho

  259. on this Friday,

  260. we encountered

  261. this blind man

  262. who yells out.

  263. He understands

  264. that Jesus of Nazareth

  265. is walking through

  266. and he says here,

  267. he cries out,

  268. Jesus,

  269. son of David,

  270. have mercy on me.

  271. And those who were

  272. in front rebuked him,

  273. telling him to be silent,

  274. but he cried out

  275. all the more,

  276. son of David,

  277. have mercy on me.

  278. As we saw last week,

  279. this was not just

  280. a statement

  281. that referred to

  282. ancestry

  283. as Jesus being

  284. a descendant of David,

  285. but this was a statement

  286. that referred to

  287. his sovereignty.

  288. It referred to

  289. his position,

  290. his title,

  291. son of David,

  292. was emblematic

  293. of the one

  294. who would come

  295. and sit on David's throne

  296. as a fulfillment

  297. to the Davidic covenant.

  298. This is the guy.

  299. And somehow,

  300. this blind man

  301. had the spiritual perception

  302. to see

  303. that Jesus

  304. was in fact

  305. the son of David.

  306. Maybe even

  307. in his heart

  308. remembering

  309. this blind man

  310. understanding

  311. the prophet Isaiah,

  312. speaking about

  313. what the Messiah

  314. would do,

  315. the son of David

  316. would do

  317. in terms of

  318. opening blind eyes

  319. and hearing

  320. the work

  321. of Christ

  322. in his public ministry

  323. and knowing

  324. that Jesus

  325. could do this,

  326. he must be

  327. the Messiah,

  328. the son of David.

  329. And Jesus,

  330. in hearing

  331. and receiving

  332. this word,

  333. this title,

  334. son of David,

  335. does not correct

  336. the blind man,

  337. but in fact

  338. causes the crowd

  339. to pause

  340. and affirms

  341. the statement

  342. of the blind man

  343. by directing

  344. attention to his faith.

  345. Your faith

  346. has made you

  347. whole,

  348. has made you

  349. well,

  350. which made you

  351. well is another

  352. word,

  353. sozo,

  354. which is your faith

  355. has saved you.

  356. He draws attention,

  357. Jesus does,

  358. to the faith

  359. of this blind man,

  360. the truthfulness

  361. of the title

  362. and he receives,

  363. he accepts this title,

  364. son of David

  365. for himself.

  366. So,

  367. you can imagine

  368. that this crowd

  369. in observing

  370. all of these things

  371. recognizing Jesus,

  372. speaking of himself

  373. as son of man,

  374. hearing the blind man

  375. refer to him

  376. as the son of David,

  377. both titles

  378. which are full

  379. of messianic

  380. significance,

  381. seeing the power

  382. of Jesus

  383. in healing

  384. the blind man,

  385. now hearing

  386. about Jesus

  387. in saving,

  388. seeking,

  389. and saving

  390. the lost

  391. and they're thinking,

  392. we need salvation,

  393. it's here,

  394. it's come.

  395. then you add

  396. to that

  397. the ministry

  398. of Jesus himself,

  399. that he consistently

  400. teaches

  401. about the kingdom,

  402. time and time

  403. again,

  404. Jesus' ministry

  405. is punctuated

  406. by kingdom language.

  407. Jesus made

  408. a big deal

  409. about the kingdom

  410. during his public

  411. ministry.

  412. There are 46 times

  413. throughout the gospel

  414. of Luke alone

  415. where we see Jesus

  416. referring to

  417. the kingdom.

  418. And I've put

  419. many of those

  420. references for you

  421. in your outlines

  422. and I'm not going

  423. to go through

  424. every single one

  425. of them,

  426. but I do want

  427. to give you

  428. a sampling.

  429. In Luke chapter 4

    Luke 4:43

  430. verse 43,

  431. this is at the outset

  432. of Jesus'

  433. public ministry

  434. in Nazareth,

  435. he says this,

  436. he said to them,

  437. I must preach

  438. the good news

  439. of the kingdom

  440. of God

  441. to the other

  442. towns as well

  443. for I was sent

  444. for this purpose.

  445. Then in Luke chapter 8

    Luke 8:1

  446. verse 1,

  447. it says,

  448. soon afterward,

  449. he went on

  450. through cities

  451. and villages

  452. proclaiming

  453. and bringing

  454. the good news

  455. of the kingdom

  456. of God.

  457. And then Jesus

  458. will commission

  459. his disciples

  460. and he'll send

  461. them out

  462. two by two

  463. to do ministry

  464. and these are

  465. the instructions

  466. he gives to them

  467. in Luke chapter 9

    Luke 9:2

  468. verse 2.

  469. He sent them

  470. out to proclaim

  471. the kingdom

  472. of God

  473. and to heal.

  474. Now,

  475. Jesus has turned

  476. the corner

  477. in his ministry

  478. in Luke chapter 17.

    Luke 17 chapter mention

  479. We find in Luke

    Luke 17:11

  480. chapter 17

  481. verse 11,

  482. on the way

  483. to Jerusalem,

  484. he was passing

  485. along between

  486. Samaria and Galilee

  487. and now this is

  488. kind of the last

  489. couple of weeks

  490. of Jesus' life.

  491. He's picking up

  492. pilgrims

  493. and now they're

  494. making their

  495. final trek

  496. to Jericho

  497. and then to Jerusalem

  498. out past the Jordan

  499. in the region

  500. of Perea

  501. and Jesus

  502. will continue

  503. to emphasize

  504. the significance

  505. of the kingdom.

  506. Seven more times

  507. in Luke chapter 17

    Luke 17 chapter mention

  508. in Luke chapter 18

    Luke 18 chapter mention

  509. he will speak

  510. about the kingdom

  511. of God.

  512. And so,

  513. you can imagine

  514. that this heightened

  515. awareness,

  516. this sensitivity

  517. of the crowd,

  518. the multitudes

  519. of those

  520. who were traveling

  521. with Jesus

  522. and we have

  523. to give them credit.

  524. They were listening,

  525. they were watching,

  526. they were aware,

  527. they were observing

  528. the things that were

  529. going on in front

  530. of them

  531. and they drew

  532. this conclusion,

  533. Jesus must be

  534. the king

  535. and the kingdom

  536. must be coming soon.

  537. So then Jesus

  538. capitalizes

  539. on this teaching

  540. moment.

  541. And so we turn

  542. from Jesus being

  543. king

  544. to Jesus

  545. receiving his kingdom.

  546. he will receive

  547. his kingdom.

  548. And so Jesus

  549. in speaking

  550. in this parable,

  551. speaking about

  552. the noblemen,

  553. now puts himself

  554. in this story

  555. and wants to help

  556. those who are listening

  557. to recognize

  558. the right way

  559. to respond

  560. to the king.

  561. If in fact

  562. a kingdom

  563. is coming,

  564. here is the way

  565. loyal subjects,

  566. loyal servants,

  567. loyal citizens

  568. will respond

  569. to the king

  570. and when they

  571. don't,

  572. here are the,

  573. or when they do

  574. or don't,

  575. here are the rewards

  576. and here are

  577. the judgments.

  578. Jesus wants to set

  579. this expectation.

  580. So we turn

  581. now to verse 12.

  582. Notice with me.

  583. He said,

  584. therefore,

  585. a nobleman

  586. went into a far

  587. country

  588. to receive

  589. for himself

  590. kingdom

  591. and then return.

  592. Calling ten

  593. of his servants,

  594. he gave them

  595. ten minas

  596. and said to them,

  597. engage in business

  598. until I come.

  599. But his citizens

  600. hated him

  601. and sent a delegation

  602. after him saying,

  603. we do not want

  604. this man

  605. to reign

  606. over us.

  607. Jesus is

  608. spelling this out

  609. and he's going

  610. to walk them

  611. through this scenario,

  612. this story,

  613. to help draw

  614. attention to his

  615. kingship and help

  616. them understand

  617. the proper way

  618. in which citizens

  619. and servants

  620. should respond

  621. to their king.

  622. He begins with

  623. his departure

  624. and his promised

  625. return.

  626. His departure

  627. and his promised

  628. return.

  629. Jesus,

  630. of course,

  631. sensing the excitement

  632. of this crowd

  633. and this kingdom

  634. expectation,

  635. I think it's

  636. important for us

  637. to note

  638. that Jesus

  639. does not

  640. correct their

  641. expectation.

  642. Jesus does not

  643. say,

  644. you know what guys,

  645. you thought a kingdom

  646. was coming

  647. but it's actually

  648. not.

  649. No,

  650. Jesus capitalizes

  651. on this kingdom

  652. or this kingdom

  653. expectation

  654. and he turns

  655. this into

  656. a teaching

  657. opportunity.

  658. And as

  659. what he normally

  660. does in using

  661. parables,

  662. he uses the things

  663. that in culture

  664. are familiar

  665. to help

  666. symbolize

  667. and help

  668. represent

  669. spiritual concepts.

  670. So he's using

  671. this parable

  672. and the

  673. familiar things

  674. of culture

  675. to help them

  676. make a connection

  677. with the spiritual

  678. truths that he

  679. wants to lay out

  680. in this parable.

  681. Christ,

  682. he's drawing,

  683. of course,

  684. from the event

  685. of Archelaus

  686. and he's drawing

  687. from the event

  688. of those Judeans

  689. early on

  690. in the first

  691. century

  692. who rejected

  693. or refused

  694. to have

  695. this man

  696. rule over them.

  697. They sent

  698. a delegation

  699. after him

  700. trying to

  701. prevent that

  702. from taking place

  703. but of course

  704. the nobleman,

  705. Archelaus,

  706. did in fact

  707. receive his kingdom.

  708. all the protests,

  709. all of the

  710. delegations,

  711. all of the

  712. representatives

  713. were not going

  714. to keep

  715. this nobleman

  716. from receiving

  717. that which was

  718. entitled to him.

  719. So he goes

  720. to receive

  721. this kingdom

  722. and there's

  723. an expectation

  724. that while he

  725. is away

  726. there will be

  727. an inevitable

  728. return.

  729. And of course

  730. as we consider

  731. this story

  732. and we recognize

  733. that Jesus

  734. in fact

  735. is this

  736. nobleman

  737. that Jesus

  738. we are anticipating

  739. that he will

  740. also return

  741. to lay claim

  742. on his kingdom

  743. and exercise

  744. authority over

  745. his people.

  746. We are waiting

  747. in that day

  748. that already

  749. not yet

  750. period of time

  751. and so

  752. the servants

  753. who are in

  754. this story

  755. are going to be

  756. representative

  757. of the servants

  758. of God

  759. in the church.

  760. Verse 13

  761. speaks about

  762. the instructions

  763. that are given

  764. to these servants.

  765. It said

  766. verse 13

  767. he calls

  768. ten of his

  769. servants

  770. he gave them

  771. ten minutes

  772. and said to them

  773. engage in business

  774. until I come.

  775. The instructions

  776. are clear

  777. the instructions

  778. are simple

  779. and he calls

  780. these ten servants

  781. before him

  782. and

  783. this

  784. this

  785. number

  786. ten

  787. is a number

  788. of completion.

  789. I think

  790. it's important

  791. that this

  792. the ten

  793. servants

  794. are not

  795. twelve

  796. so you're not

  797. making a correlation

  798. with disciples

  799. per se

  800. but you're

  801. making a correlation

  802. just with servants

  803. in general.

  804. These servants

  805. are called

  806. and each of these

  807. servants is given

  808. the same thing.

  809. Each one

  810. is given

  811. a mina.

  812. A mina

  813. is about

  814. three months

  815. salary

  816. and for

  817. a nobleman

  818. of course

  819. three months

  820. salary

  821. times ten

  822. is really

  823. not that

  824. significant

  825. a number.

  826. For a person

  827. who will

  828. inherit a kingdom

  829. for a person

  830. of this

  831. authority

  832. and stature

  833. to give

  834. such a

  835. small amount

  836. to his

  837. servants

  838. is meant

  839. to communicate

  840. something

  841. about the

  842. character

  843. of the

  844. nobleman

  845. himself.

  846. And right

  847. at the outset

  848. we should

  849. come to

  850. recognize

  851. that this

  852. wasn't

  853. about

  854. the

  855. nobleman

  856. receiving

  857. or getting

  858. profit

  859. from

  860. his

  861. servants

  862. but to

  863. demonstrate

  864. a pattern

  865. of stewardship

  866. a pattern

  867. of responsibility

  868. a pattern

  869. of obedience.

  870. He wasn't

  871. after the

  872. prophet

  873. but trying

  874. to establish

  875. a pattern.

  876. Notice how

  877. impartial he is.

  878. He gives

  879. each of his

  880. servants

  881. the same.

  882. notice he's

  883. not consumed

  884. about economic

  885. gain.

  886. He's consumed

  887. or interested

  888. in this test.

  889. And so he

  890. provides these

  891. clear instructions

  892. do this

  893. business until

  894. I have come.

  895. There is an

  896. expectation

  897. carry it

  898. through

  899. it's very

  900. simple

  901. do what I'm

  902. asking you to

  903. do carry out

  904. this business

  905. and then when

  906. I come

  907. I will

  908. see how it

  909. goes.

  910. At this point

  911. we can only

  912. assume

  913. that the

  914. servants that

  915. are underneath

  916. this master

  917. are loyal.

  918. That's all we

  919. can assume.

  920. So then the

  921. story transitions

  922. from the

  923. servants now

  924. to the

  925. kingdom

  926. and the

  927. nobleman

  928. that the

  929. nobleman

  930. was to

  931. receive.

  932. And we

  933. see here

  934. in verse

  935. 14

  936. the defiance

  937. of the

  938. citizens.

  939. The defiance

  940. of these

  941. citizens.

  942. It says

  943. but his

  944. citizens

  945. hated him

  946. and sent

  947. a delegation

  948. after him

  949. saying

  950. we do

  951. not want

  952. this man

  953. to reign

  954. over us.

  955. Now

  956. up to this

  957. point

  958. this week

  959. I was really

  960. confused about

  961. what was

  962. going on.

  963. Like I

  964. thought he

  965. was going

  966. to this

  967. other kingdom

  968. to inherit

  969. that kingdom

  970. so that then

  971. he was going

  972. to come

  973. back and I

  974. was just

  975. because I

  976. didn't understand

  977. the historical

  978. context my

  979. mind was all

  980. scrambled but

  981. now I think

  982. this makes

  983. sense.

  984. that as

  985. it fits

  986. in the

  987. context of

  988. the history

  989. of the

  990. first century

  991. that this

  992. nobleman is

  993. going to

  994. receive this

  995. kingdom

  996. the authority

  997. of the

  998. kingdom he's

  999. already over

  1000. and the

  1001. citizens that

  1002. know him

  1003. and have

  1004. been experiencing

  1005. some level

  1006. of his

  1007. leadership

  1008. are the

  1009. ones who

  1010. hate him

  1011. and are

  1012. sending a

  1013. delegation

  1014. after him.

  1015. Their

  1016. defiance

  1017. is striking.

  1018. Their

  1019. defiance

  1020. seems quite

  1021. risky if

  1022. you ask

  1023. me.

  1024. And whatever

  1025. defiance

  1026. and whatever

  1027. obstruction

  1028. whatever they

  1029. are doing to

  1030. try to prevent

  1031. this from

  1032. happening is

  1033. not going

  1034. to keep

  1035. this nobleman

  1036. from actually

  1037. receiving the

  1038. kingdom.

  1039. In Jesus'

  1040. parable the

  1041. decision was

  1042. out of the

  1043. hands of

  1044. these citizens

  1045. and the

  1046. nobleman

  1047. would receive

  1048. the kingdom

  1049. anyway regardless

  1050. of the defiance

  1051. of the citizens.

  1052. regardless of

  1053. their refusal

  1054. or rejection

  1055. of this

  1056. king.

  1057. And the

  1058. protests

  1059. all the

  1060. protests in

  1061. the world

  1062. were not

  1063. going to

  1064. stand in

  1065. the way

  1066. of the

  1067. final decision

  1068. of him

  1069. receiving the

  1070. kingdom that

  1071. was due

  1072. to him.

  1073. In verses

  1074. 15 to 19

  1075. we turn to

  1076. the reward

  1077. that Jesus

  1078. rewards the

  1079. faithful servants.

  1080. Jesus

  1081. rewards the

  1082. faithful servants.

  1083. notice.

  1084. When he

  1085. returned

  1086. having received

  1087. the kingdom

  1088. he ordered

  1089. the servants

  1090. to whom he

  1091. had given

  1092. the money

  1093. to be called

  1094. to him

  1095. that he

  1096. might know

  1097. what they

  1098. had gained

  1099. by doing

  1100. business.

  1101. The first

  1102. came before

  1103. him saying

  1104. Lord your

  1105. mina has

  1106. made ten

  1107. more.

  1108. And he

  1109. said to

  1110. him well

  1111. done good

  1112. servant because

  1113. you have been

  1114. faithful in a

  1115. very little

  1116. you shall

  1117. have authority

  1118. over ten

  1119. cities.

  1120. And the

  1121. second came

  1122. saying Lord

  1123. your mina

  1124. has made

  1125. five mina.

  1126. And he

  1127. said to

  1128. him and

  1129. you are

  1130. to be over

  1131. five cities.

  1132. It's a reward

  1133. that Jesus

  1134. will give to

  1135. faithful servants

  1136. and really

  1137. the point

  1138. of this

  1139. section is

  1140. to draw

  1141. out the

  1142. true versus

  1143. the counterfeit

  1144. servants.

  1145. That while

  1146. they all

  1147. may carry

  1148. that name

  1149. the servant

  1150. of this

  1151. master what

  1152. we're going

  1153. to find is

  1154. there are

  1155. only a couple

  1156. of servants

  1157. in Jesus

  1158. story his

  1159. parable here

  1160. who will

  1161. actually carry

  1162. out and

  1163. faithfully

  1164. follow the

  1165. instructions that

  1166. have been given

  1167. to them by

  1168. the master.

  1169. They demonstrate

  1170. the true nature

  1171. of their heart

  1172. through their

  1173. obedience to

  1174. the master.

  1175. This master

  1176. comes home

  1177. and he wants

  1178. to give an

  1179. account.

  1180. But rather

  1181. than giving

  1182. specific details

  1183. of all ten

  1184. we have a

  1185. sampling as

  1186. it were.

  1187. A few

  1188. representatives

  1189. that were

  1190. kind of

  1191. setting this

  1192. precedent in

  1193. this parable

  1194. of what

  1195. will happen

  1196. for every

  1197. servant that

  1198. faithfully obeys

  1199. whether they

  1200. receive ten

  1201. or five

  1202. or one

  1203. or even

  1204. just a

  1205. pittance.

  1206. If they've

  1207. been faithful

  1208. to obey

  1209. if they've

  1210. carried out

  1211. the instructions

  1212. they demonstrate

  1213. the true nature

  1214. of their service

  1215. to the master

  1216. and they will

  1217. be rewarded.

  1218. this first

  1219. servant is

  1220. brought in

  1221. and we find

  1222. that the

  1223. servant is

  1224. able to gain

  1225. ten more

  1226. minas.

  1227. This is a

  1228. thousand percent

  1229. gain as it

  1230. were.

  1231. Ancient

  1232. businessmen

  1233. would be able

  1234. to experience

  1235. very high

  1236. kinds of

  1237. returns and

  1238. so this wasn't

  1239. terribly unusual

  1240. but notice

  1241. how the

  1242. servant

  1243. demonstrates

  1244. his work.

  1245. He says

  1246. your mina

  1247. has made

  1248. ten.

  1249. I love

  1250. that.

  1251. He doesn't

  1252. take any

  1253. credit

  1254. for the

  1255. for the

  1256. fulfilling

  1257. of the

  1258. responsibility.

  1259. As he

  1260. was given

  1261. the stewardship

  1262. of this

  1263. mina

  1264. and he

  1265. obeyed

  1266. what the

  1267. master

  1268. told him

  1269. to do

  1270. just the

  1271. sense of

  1272. the parable

  1273. is that he

  1274. just deposited

  1275. this mina

  1276. and then all

  1277. of a sudden

  1278. what sprung

  1279. out

  1280. maybe even

  1281. to his

  1282. surprise

  1283. was ten

  1284. other minas

  1285. that he had

  1286. very little

  1287. to do with

  1288. it except

  1289. for the

  1290. fact that

  1291. he partnered

  1292. with the

  1293. master in

  1294. the business

  1295. that he had

  1296. been set

  1297. to do.

  1298. He followed

  1299. the instruction

  1300. and simply

  1301. by following

  1302. the instructions

  1303. he was able

  1304. to yield

  1305. the ten

  1306. minas.

  1307. By the way

  1308. just as a

  1309. side note

  1310. as we

  1311. work through

  1312. this parable

  1313. we come

  1314. to appreciate

  1315. the perspective

  1316. of these

  1317. faithful

  1318. servants.

  1319. We come

  1320. to understand

  1321. that the

  1322. servants

  1323. didn't see

  1324. the

  1325. instruction

  1326. as a

  1327. yoke

  1328. the servants

  1329. saw

  1330. the command

  1331. or the

  1332. instructions

  1333. as an

  1334. opportunity

  1335. to be

  1336. coupled

  1337. with their

  1338. master

  1339. in the

  1340. business

  1341. of the

  1342. kingdom.

  1343. It was

  1344. not a

  1345. duty

  1346. it was

  1347. a

  1348. privilege

  1349. and

  1350. because

  1351. of the

  1352. privilege

  1353. they got

  1354. to enjoy

  1355. the benefits

  1356. of that

  1357. investment

  1358. and the

  1359. master's

  1360. mina

  1361. your

  1362. mina

  1363. has

  1364. produced

  1365. ten

  1366. more.

  1367. I

  1368. really

  1369. had

  1370. almost

  1371. nothing

  1372. to do

  1373. with it

  1374. except

  1375. I

  1376. trusted

  1377. myself

  1378. to obey

  1379. what you

  1380. told me

  1381. to do.

  1382. This

  1383. happens

  1384. not only

  1385. with

  1386. one

  1387. servant

  1388. but with

  1389. the second

  1390. servant

  1391. and they

  1392. stand

  1393. as

  1394. representatives

  1395. of what

  1396. every

  1397. servant

  1398. who

  1399. would

  1400. be

  1401. faithful

  1402. to

  1403. obey

  1404. the

  1405. command

  1406. and

  1407. apply

  1408. that

  1409. mina

  1410. to some

  1411. level

  1412. of business

  1413. in representing

  1414. the king

  1415. were going

  1416. to enjoy.

  1417. They were going

  1418. to enjoy

  1419. some level

  1420. of yield

  1421. and result

  1422. because it

  1423. was the

  1424. master's

  1425. mina.

  1426. Now we

  1427. come to the

  1428. final section

  1429. of this

  1430. parable in

  1431. verses 20

  1432. to 27.

  1433. So

  1434. Jesus

  1435. will not

  1436. only

  1437. reward

  1438. the

  1439. faithful

  1440. but

  1441. finally

  1442. we

  1443. discover

  1444. that

  1445. Jesus

  1446. will

  1447. punish

  1448. the

  1449. wicked.

  1450. He

  1451. will

  1452. punish

  1453. the

  1454. wicked.

  1455. There

  1456. is

  1457. a

  1458. day

  1459. of

  1460. accountability.

  1461. There's

  1462. a day

  1463. of

  1464. rendering.

  1465. There's

  1466. a day

  1467. in which

  1468. those

  1469. balance

  1470. sheets

  1471. will be

  1472. looked

  1473. at

  1474. and

  1475. compared.

  1476. In

  1477. verse

  1478. 20

  1479. it says

  1480. then another

  1481. came

  1482. saying

  1483. Lord

  1484. here

  1485. is

  1486. your

  1487. mina

  1488. which

  1489. I

  1490. kept

  1491. laid

  1492. away

  1493. in

  1494. a

  1495. handkerchief

  1496. for I

  1497. was

  1498. afraid

  1499. of

  1500. you

  1501. because

  1502. you

  1503. were

  1504. a

  1505. severe

  1506. man.

  1507. You

  1508. take

  1509. what

  1510. you

  1511. did

  1512. not

  1513. deposit

  1514. and

  1515. you

  1516. reap

  1517. what

  1518. you

  1519. did

  1520. not

  1521. sow.

  1522. He

  1523. said

  1524. to

  1525. him

  1526. I

  1527. will

  1528. condemn

  1529. you

  1530. with

  1531. your

  1532. own

  1533. words

  1534. you

  1535. wicked

  1536. servant.

  1537. You

  1538. knew

  1539. that

  1540. I

  1541. was

  1542. a

  1543. severe

  1544. man

  1545. taking

  1546. what

  1547. I

  1548. did

  1549. not

  1550. deposit

  1551. and

  1552. reaping

  1553. what

  1554. I

  1555. did

  1556. not

  1557. sow.

  1558. Why

  1559. then

  1560. did

  1561. you

  1562. not

  1563. put

  1564. my

  1565. money

  1566. in

  1567. the

  1568. bank?

  1569. And

  1570. at

  1571. my

  1572. coming

  1573. I

  1574. might

  1575. have

  1576. collected

  1577. it

  1578. with

  1579. interest.

  1580. This

  1581. final

  1582. servant

  1583. and he's

  1584. emblematic

  1585. of any

  1586. servant

  1587. who would

  1588. have

  1589. done

  1590. the

  1591. same

  1592. thing.

  1593. Any

  1594. servant

  1595. who

  1596. would

  1597. have

  1598. just

  1599. allowed

  1600. that

  1601. money

  1602. to

  1603. languish

  1604. hid

  1605. it

  1606. away

  1607. in

  1608. this

  1609. handkerchief

  1610. or

  1611. even

  1612. buried

  1613. it

  1614. away

  1615. as we

  1616. find

  1617. in

  1618. the

  1619. parable

  1620. in

  1621. Matthew

    Matthew 26 chapter mention

  1622. chapter

  1623. 26

  1624. any

  1625. of

  1626. those

  1627. servants

  1628. who

  1629. would

  1630. respond

  1631. this

  1632. way

  1633. in

  1634. defying

  1635. the

  1636. instructions

  1637. of the

  1638. master

  1639. are going

  1640. to be

  1641. met

  1642. with

  1643. this

  1644. kind

  1645. of

  1646. response.

  1647. And

  1648. again

  1649. I

  1650. am

  1651. shocked

  1652. and

  1653. stunned

  1654. by the

  1655. way

  1656. that

  1657. this

  1658. servant

  1659. deflects

  1660. responsibility.

  1661. Notice

  1662. I was

  1663. afraid

  1664. of you.

  1665. Well

  1666. why

  1667. was

  1668. he

  1669. afraid?

  1670. He

  1671. shouldn't

  1672. have

  1673. been

  1674. afraid.

  1675. He

  1676. should

  1677. have

  1678. known

  1679. the

  1680. character

  1681. of

  1682. this

  1683. master.

  1684. That

  1685. character

  1686. by the

  1687. way

  1688. which

  1689. was

  1690. so

  1691. clear

  1692. just

  1693. in

  1694. the

  1695. distribution

  1696. of

  1697. the

  1698. miners

  1699. themselves

  1700. that

  1701. character

  1702. that

  1703. was

  1704. also

  1705. clear

  1706. in

  1707. the

  1708. way

  1709. he

  1710. rewarded

  1711. the

  1712. other

  1713. servants

  1714. who

  1715. were

  1716. before

  1717. him.

  1718. This

  1719. was

  1720. just

  1721. an

  1722. excuse.

  1723. He

  1724. wasn't

  1725. motivated

  1726. by love

  1727. or

  1728. loyalty

  1729. or

  1730. even a

  1731. sense

  1732. of

  1733. fulfilling

  1734. his

  1735. duty

  1736. his

  1737. obligation

  1738. he

  1739. was

  1740. driven

  1741. by

  1742. fear

  1743. and

  1744. because

  1745. of

  1746. his

  1747. fear

  1748. he

  1749. decided

  1750. to

  1751. do

  1752. nothing

  1753. and

  1754. now

  1755. he

  1756. deflects

  1757. by

  1758. pushing

  1759. this

  1760. back

  1761. with

  1762. a

  1763. pretty

  1764. pointed

  1765. criticism

  1766. you

  1767. are

  1768. a

  1769. severe

  1770. man

  1771. you

  1772. take

  1773. what

  1774. you

  1775. did

  1776. not

  1777. deposit

  1778. you

  1779. you

  1780. reap

  1781. what

  1782. you

  1783. do

  1784. not

  1785. sow

  1786. and

  1787. so

  1788. that

  1789. could

  1790. be

  1791. taken

  1792. one

  1793. of

  1794. two

  1795. ways

  1796. I

  1797. suppose

  1798. neither

  1799. one

  1800. of

  1801. them

  1802. is

  1803. good

  1804. he's

  1805. either

  1806. saying

  1807. you're

  1808. a

  1809. thief

  1810. you

  1811. rob

  1812. from

  1813. people

  1814. you

  1815. take

  1816. what

  1817. doesn't

  1818. belong

  1819. to

  1820. you

  1821. or

  1822. what

  1823. he's

  1824. saying

  1825. is

  1826. you

  1827. always

  1828. have

  1829. other

  1830. people

  1831. do

  1832. your

  1833. bidding

  1834. you're

  1835. never

  1836. the

  1837. one

  1838. to

  1839. get

  1840. your

  1841. hands

  1842. dirty

  1843. so

  1844. you're

  1845. a

  1846. ruthless

  1847. cutthroat

  1848. kind

  1849. of

  1850. guy

  1851. and

  1852. in

  1853. either

  1854. instance

  1855. there's

  1856. no

  1857. understanding

  1858. of

  1859. benevolence

  1860. there's

  1861. no

  1862. understanding

  1863. of

  1864. his

  1865. true

  1866. character

  1867. he

  1868. he

  1869. disparages

  1870. the

  1871. master

  1872. and

  1873. so

  1874. because

  1875. of

  1876. his

  1877. words

  1878. because

  1879. of

  1880. his

  1881. accusations

  1882. now

  1883. the

  1884. master

  1885. flips

  1886. those

  1887. words

  1888. on

  1889. top

  1890. of

  1891. him

  1892. and

  1893. said

  1894. well

  1895. if

  1896. that's

  1897. what

  1898. you

  1899. really

  1900. believe

  1901. if

  1902. you

  1903. really

  1904. believe

  1905. that

  1906. I'm

  1907. !

  1908. severe

  1909. than

  1910. it

  1911. should

  1912. have

  1913. mobilized

  1914. you

  1915. to

  1916. activity

  1917. but

  1918. that

  1919. didn't

  1920. happen

  1921. which

  1922. means

  1923. that

  1924. you

  1925. don't

  1926. really

  1927. believe

  1928. that

  1929. I'm

  1930. severe

  1931. because

  1932. you

  1933. didn't

  1934. really

  1935. work

  1936. what

  1937. you

  1938. really

  1939. believe

  1940. in

  1941. your

  1942. heart

  1943. is

  1944. that

  1945. I

  1946. am

  1947. wicked

  1948. and

  1949. you

  1950. want

  1951. to

  1952. have

  1953. nothing

  1954. to

  1955. do

  1956. with

  1957. me

  1958. and

  1959. because

  1960. of

  1961. your

  1962. laziness

  1963. and

  1964. irresponsibility

  1965. you're

  1966. unwilling

  1967. to

  1968. follow

  1969. my

  1970. instructions

  1971. so

  1972. now

  1973. there's

  1974. a

  1975. rendering

  1976. now

  1977. there's

  1978. a

  1979. reckoning

  1980. a day

  1981. of

  1982. reckoning

  1983. as it

  1984. were

  1985. we find

  1986. in

  1987. verses

  1988. 24

  1989. to

  1990. 27

  1991. he

  1992. said

  1993. to

  1994. those

  1995. who

  1996. stood

  1997. by

  1998. take

  1999. the

  2000. mina

  2001. from

  2002. him

  2003. give

  2004. it

  2005. to

  2006. the

  2007. one

  2008. who

  2009. has

  2010. ten

  2011. minas

  2012. and

  2013. they

  2014. said

  2015. to

  2016. him

  2017. Lord

  2018. he

  2019. has

  2020. ten

  2021. minas

  2022. I

  2023. tell

  2024. you

  2025. that

  2026. to

  2027. everyone

  2028. who

  2029. has

  2030. more

  2031. will

  2032. be

  2033. given

  2034. but

  2035. from

  2036. the

  2037. one

  2038. who

  2039. has

  2040. not

  2041. even

  2042. not

  2043. only

  2044. did

  2045. this

  2046. servant

  2047. lose

  2048. his

  2049. position

  2050. of

  2051. service

  2052. to

  2053. the

  2054. master

  2055. he

  2056. lost

  2057. the

  2058. entrustment

  2059. that had

  2060. been

  2061. given

  2062. to

  2063. him

  2064. he

  2065. demonstrated

  2066. he

  2067. didn't

  2068. actually

  2069. belong

  2070. as a

  2071. servant

  2072. to

  2073. the

  2074. master

  2075. to

  2076. begin

  2077. with

  2078. because

  2079. he

  2080. could

  2081. not

  2082. follow

  2083. instructions

  2084. he

  2085. proved

  2086. the

  2087. counterfeit

  2088. nature

  2089. of

  2090. his

  2091. service

  2092. he

  2093. was

  2094. not

  2095. a

  2096. true

  2097. servant

  2098. of

  2099. the

  2100. king

  2101. and

  2102. then

  2103. we

  2104. find

  2105. in

  2106. verse

  2107. 27

  2108. the

  2109. sobering

  2110. conclusion

  2111. for

  2112. the

  2113. citizens

  2114. says

  2115. but

  2116. as

  2117. for

  2118. those

  2119. enemies

  2120. of

  2121. mine

  2122. who

  2123. did

  2124. not

  2125. want

  2126. me

  2127. to

  2128. reign

  2129. over

  2130. them

  2131. bring

  2132. them

  2133. here

  2134. and

  2135. slaughter

  2136. them

  2137. before

  2138. me

  2139. now

  2140. that

  2141. is

  2142. that's

  2143. a

  2144. graphic

  2145. picture

  2146. by

  2147. the

  2148. way

  2149. a

  2150. picture

  2151. that

  2152. everybody

  2153. in

  2154. the

  2155. first

  2156. century

  2157. would

  2158. not

  2159. have

  2160. only

  2161. have

  2162. understood

  2163. but

  2164. would

  2165. have

  2166. expected

  2167. it's

  2168. only

  2169. in

  2170. the

  2171. civilized

  2172. culture

  2173. of

  2174. the

  2175. 21st

  2176. century

  2177. for

  2178. whatever

  2179. reason

  2180. we

  2181. think

  2182. well

  2183. that

  2184. just

  2185. seems

  2186. so

  2187. harsh

  2188. so

  2189. severe

  2190. so

  2191. wrong

  2192. but

  2193. to

  2194. everyone

  2195. who

  2196. has

  2197. more

  2198. will

  2199. be

  2200. given

  2201. and

  2202. from

  2203. the

  2204. one

  2205. who

  2206. has

  2207. not

  2208. even

  2209. what

  2210. he

  2211. has

  2212. will

  2213. be

  2214. taken

  2215. away

  2216. and

  2217. the

  2218. very

  2219. thing

  2220. that

  2221. will

  2222. happen

  2223. in

  2224. the

  2225. presence

  2226. of

  2227. Christ

  2228. by

  2229. those

  2230. rebel

  2231. citizens

  2232. who

  2233. reject

  2234. him

  2235. and

  2236. who

  2237. hate

  2238. him

  2239. who

  2240. demonstrate

  2241. the

  2242. true

  2243. nature

  2244. of

  2245. their

  2246. heart

  2247. in

  2248. wanting

  2249. to

  2250. oppose

  2251. his

  2252. rule

  2253. and reign

  2254. over

  2255. their

  2256. life

  2257. they

  2258. will

  2259. receive

  2260. the

  2261. consequence

  2262. that is

  2263. due

  2264. to

  2265. them

  2266. and

  2267. that

  2268. is

  2269. punishment

  2270. from

  2271. God

  2272. forever

  2273. in

  2274. hell

  2275. the

  2276. punishment

  2277. by the

  2278. way

  2279. that

  2280. was

  2281. exercised

  2282. on

  2283. Christ

  2284. on

  2285. the

  2286. cross

  2287. and

  2288. so

  2289. you

  2290. will

  2291. either

  2292. receive

  2293. the

  2294. blessing

  2295. or

  2296. the

  2297. gift

  2298. of

  2299. Christ's

  2300. slaughter

  2301. on

  2302. the

  2303. cross

  2304. where

  2305. God

  2306. the

  2307. father

  2308. crushes

  2309. his

  2310. son

  2311. and

  2312. makes

  2313. a

  2314. public

  2315. example

  2316. of

  2317. him

  2318. on

  2319. the

  2320. cross

  2321. bearing

  2322. shame

  2323. bearing

  2324. the

  2325. consequence

  2326. of

  2327. sin

  2328. and

  2329. we

  2330. receive

  2331. that

  2332. by

  2333. asking

  2334. forgiveness

  2335. and

  2336. recognizing

  2337. that

  2338. Jesus

  2339. alone

  2340. is

  2341. the

  2342. way

  2343. of

  2344. salvation

  2345. we

  2346. make

  2347. him

  2348. master

  2349. and

  2350. ruler

  2351. of

  2352. our

  2353. life

  2354. or

  2355. we

  2356. accept

  2357. the

  2358. consequences

  2359. of

  2360. sin

  2361. for

  2362. ourselves

  2363. and

  2364. we

  2365. on

  2366. the

  2367. other

  2368. hand

  2369. then

  2370. must

  2371. pay

  2372. the

  2373. price

  2374. for

  2375. our

  2376. own

  2377. sin

  2378. forever

  2379. in

  2380. hell

  2381. away

  2382. from

  2383. the

  2384. presence

  2385. of

  2386. God

  2387. let me

  2388. spend

  2389. the last

  2390. couple

  2391. of

  2392. moments

  2393. applying

  2394. this

  2395. parable

  2396. to

  2397. us

  2398. the

  2399. prevailing

  2400. question

  2401. this

  2402. morning

  2403. for us

  2404. is

  2405. are you

  2406. a

  2407. citizen

  2408. or

  2409. are you

  2410. a

  2411. true

  2412. servant

  2413. are you

  2414. a

  2415. citizen

  2416. or

  2417. are you

  2418. a

  2419. servant

  2420. do

  2421. you

  2422. really

  2423. belong

  2424. to

  2425. the

  2426. kingdom

  2427. as

  2428. a

  2429. servant

  2430. of

  2431. the

  2432. master

  2433. and

  2434. Jesus

  2435. is

  2436. king

  2437. and

  2438. Jesus

  2439. is

  2440. coming

  2441. and

  2442. we

  2443. can

  2444. we

  2445. can

  2446. expect

  2447. and

  2448. and

  2449. understand

  2450. that

  2451. his

  2452. coming

  2453. is

  2454. imminent

  2455. his

  2456. coming

  2457. is

  2458. soon

  2459. and

  2460. he

  2461. will

  2462. reign

  2463. over

  2464. the

  2465. earth

  2466. do

  2467. you

  2468. belong

  2469. to

  2470. Jesus

  2471. through

  2472. faith

  2473. and

  2474. if

  2475. you

  2476. belong

  2477. to

  2478. Jesus

  2479. through

  2480. faith

  2481. then

  2482. you

  2483. become

  2484. you

  2485. move

  2486. from

  2487. being

  2488. a

  2489. citizen

  2490. of

  2491. this

  2492. kingdom

  2493. to

  2494. being

  2495. a

  2496. servant

  2497. of

  2498. the

  2499. king

  2500. and

  2501. the

  2502. kingdom

  2503. and

  2504. so

  2505. do

  2506. we

  2507. know

  2508. the

  2509. commands

  2510. of

  2511. God

  2512. do

  2513. we

  2514. know

  2515. the

  2516. expectations

  2517. the

  2518. instructions

  2519. that

  2520. he's

  2521. given

  2522. to

  2523. us

  2524. as

  2525. his

  2526. servants

  2527. and

  2528. are

  2529. we

  2530. faithful

  2531. to

  2532. carry

  2533. those

  2534. instructions

  2535. !

  2536. out

  2537. I'm

  2538. reminded

  2539. of

  2540. 1st

  2541. John

    John 2 chapter mention

  2542. chapter

  2543. 2

  2544. and

  2545. I

  2546. don't

  2547. have

  2548. this

  2549. verse

  2550. on

  2551. the

  2552. projector

  2553. for you

  2554. but

  2555. just

  2556. listen

  2557. 1st

  2558. chapter

  2559. 2

  2560. verses

  2561. 3

  2562. to 5

  2563. says

  2564. this

  2565. by

  2566. this

  2567. we

  2568. know

  2569. that

  2570. we

  2571. know

  2572. him

  2573. if

  2574. we

  2575. keep

  2576. his

  2577. commandments

  2578. let me

  2579. repeat

  2580. that

  2581. by

  2582. this

  2583. you

  2584. know

  2585. that

  2586. you

  2587. know

  2588. him

  2589. if

  2590. you

  2591. keep

  2592. his

  2593. commandments

  2594. he

  2595. goes

  2596. on

  2597. whoever

  2598. says

  2599. I

  2600. know

  2601. him

  2602. but

  2603. does

  2604. not

  2605. keep

  2606. his

  2607. commandments

  2608. is

  2609. a

  2610. liar

  2611. and

  2612. the

  2613. truth

  2614. is

  2615. not

  2616. in

  2617. him

  2618. but

  2619. whoever

  2620. keeps

  2621. his

  2622. word

  2623. in

  2624. him

  2625. truly

  2626. the

  2627. love

  2628. of

  2629. God

  2630. is

  2631. perfected

  2632. by

  2633. this

  2634. we

  2635. know

  2636. that

  2637. we

  2638. are

  2639. in

  2640. him

  2641. you

  2642. see

  2643. the

  2644. true

  2645. character

  2646. of

  2647. faithful

  2648. servants

  2649. plays

  2650. out

  2651. in

  2652. carrying

  2653. out

  2654. the

  2655. instructions

  2656. of

  2657. the

  2658. king

  2659. not

  2660. because

  2661. we

  2662. see

  2663. it

  2664. as

  2665. a

  2666. duty

  2667. not

  2668. because

  2669. we

  2670. see

  2671. it

  2672. as

  2673. the

  2674. only

  2675. way

  2676. for

  2677. us

  2678. to

  2679. get

  2680. to

  2681. heaven

  2682. because

  2683. by

  2684. the

  2685. way

  2686. our

  2687. works

  2688. do

  2689. not

  2690. get

  2691. us

  2692. to

  2693. heaven

  2694. but

  2695. we

  2696. see

  2697. it

  2698. and

  2699. we

  2700. embrace

  2701. it

  2702. as

  2703. an

  2704. opportunity

  2705. to

  2706. participate

  2707. in

  2708. the

  2709. kingdom

  2710. mission

  2711. that

  2712. we

  2713. have

  2714. been

  2715. granted

  2716. we

  2717. represent

  2718. the

  2719. king

  2720. and

  2721. it

  2722. is

  2723. a

  2724. privilege

  2725. for

  2726. us

  2727. and

  2728. so

  2729. we

  2730. carry

  2731. out

  2732. the

  2733. instructions

  2734. because

  2735. we

  2736. delight

  2737. in

  2738. not

  2739. just

  2740. pleasing

  2741. the

  2742. king

  2743. but

  2744. we

  2745. delight

  2746. in

  2747. participating

  2748. in

  2749. the

  2750. work

  2751. that

  2752. Jesus

  2753. is

  2754. doing

  2755. and

  2756. then

  2757. I'm

  2758. also

  2759. reminded

  2760. not

  2761. just

  2762. of

  2763. obedience

  2764. but

  2765. I'm

  2766. also

  2767. reminded

  2768. of

  2769. the

  2770. significance

  2771. of

  2772. using

  2773. the

  2774. gifts

  2775. that

  2776. God

  2777. has

  2778. given

  2779. to

  2780. us

  2781. through

  2782. his

  2783. Holy

  2784. Spirit

  2785. in

  2786. 1st

  2787. Peter

  2788. chapter

  2789. 4

  2790. verses

  2791. 10

  2792. and

  2793. 11

  2794. it

  2795. says

  2796. this

  2797. he

  2798. says

  2799. as

  2800. each

  2801. has

  2802. received

  2803. a

  2804. gift

  2805. use

  2806. it

  2807. to

  2808. serve

  2809. one

  2810. another

  2811. as

  2812. good

  2813. stewards

  2814. of

  2815. God's

  2816. varied

  2817. grace

  2818. whoever

  2819. speaks

  2820. as

  2821. one

  2822. who

  2823. speaks

  2824. the

  2825. oracles

  2826. of

  2827. God

  2828. whoever

  2829. serves

  2830. as

  2831. one

  2832. who

  2833. serves

  2834. by

  2835. the

  2836. strength

  2837. that

  2838. God

  2839. supplies

  2840. in

  2841. order

  2842. that

  2843. in

  2844. everything

  2845. God

  2846. may

  2847. be

  2848. glorified

  2849. through

  2850. Jesus

  2851. Christ

  2852. to

  2853. him

  2854. belong

  2855. glory

  2856. and

  2857. dominion

  2858. forever

  2859. and

  2860. ever

  2861. amen

  2862. God

  2863. has

  2864. given

  2865. an

  2866. entrustment

  2867. a

  2868. stewardship

  2869. a

  2870. mina

  2871. as

  2872. it

  2873. were

  2874. to

  2875. everyone

  2876. who

  2877. has

  2878. placed

  2879. their

  2880. faith

  2881. in

  2882. Jesus

  2883. Christ

  2884. !

  2885. has

  2886. received

  2887. this

  2888. gift

  2889. the

  2890. responsibility

  2891. the

  2892. accountability

  2893. the

  2894. measure

  2895. of

  2896. whether

  2897. or

  2898. not

  2899. you

  2900. are

  2901. a

  2902. true

  2903. disciple

  2904. a

  2905. true

  2906. servant

  2907. is

  2908. that

  2909. you're

  2910. putting

  2911. those

  2912. stewardships

  2913. those

  2914. gifts

  2915. to

  2916. work

  2917. in

  2918. some

  2919. way

  2920. among

  2921. his

  2922. body

  2923. among

  2924. this

  2925. church

  2926. you know

  2927. several

  2928. years

  2929. ago

  2930. I

  2931. we

  2932. needed

  2933. some

  2934. work

  2935. done

  2936. in

  2937. our

  2938. kitchen

  2939. I

  2940. needed

  2941. some

  2942. tile

  2943. to be

  2944. laid

  2945. in

  2946. our

  2947. kitchen

  2948. I

  2949. didn't

  2950. have

  2951. the

  2952. foggiest

  2953. idea

  2954. how

  2955. to

  2956. do

  2957. it

  2958. so

  2959. I

  2960. reached

  2961. out

  2962. to

  2963. some

  2964. friends

  2965. at

  2966. seminary

  2967. to see

  2968. does

  2969. someone

  2970. know

  2971. how

  2972. to

  2973. lay

  2974. tile

  2975. and

  2976. so

  2977. there

  2978. was

  2979. one

  2980. guy

  2981. who

  2982. said

  2983. I

  2984. can

  2985. do

  2986. this

  2987. so

  2988. I

  2989. said

  2990. I

  2991. I

  2992. pay

  2993. you

  2994. a

  2995. thousand

  2996. bucks

  2997. you

  2998. come

  2999. for

  3000. the

  3001. week

  3002. I

  3003. let

  3004. you

  3005. stay

  3006. in

  3007. my

  3008. house

  3009. I

  3010. if

  3011. you

  3012. can

  3013. just

  3014. do

  3015. the

  3016. tile

  3017. work

  3018. I

  3019. would

  3020. be

  3021. happy

  3022. to

  3023. pay

  3024. you

  3025. a

  3026. thousand

  3027. bucks

  3028. for

  3029. the

  3030. week

  3031. of

  3032. work

  3033. I

  3034. thought

  3035. man

  3036. this

  3037. should

  3038. be

  3039. a

  3040. great

  3041. arrangement

  3042. right

  3043. but

  3044. wouldn't

  3045. you

  3046. know

  3047. so

  3048. I

  3049. go

  3050. to

  3051. work

  3052. I

  3053. come

  3054. home

  3055. after

  3056. the

  3057. first

  3058. day

  3059. nothing

  3060. was

  3061. done

  3062. like

  3063. maybe

  3064. we

  3065. didn't

  3066. understand

  3067. what

  3068. the

  3069. instructions

  3070. were

  3071. what

  3072. the

  3073. expectation

  3074. was

  3075. you're

  3076. here

  3077. to lay

  3078. some

  3079. tile

  3080. right

  3081. so

  3082. of

  3083. course

  3084. I'm

  3085. here

  3086. to lay

  3087. some

  3088. tile

  3089. but

  3090. there

  3091. were

  3092. excuses

  3093. as to

  3094. why

  3095. the

  3096. tile

  3097. wasn't

  3098. laid

  3099. that

  3100. day

  3101. so

  3102. I

  3103. cooked

  3104. dinner

  3105. we

  3106. ate

  3107. together

  3108. and

  3109. then

  3110. until

  3111. midnight

  3112. I

  3113. was

  3114. up

  3115. helping

  3116. him

  3117. work

  3118. on

  3119. tile

  3120. I

  3121. got

  3122. up

  3123. early

  3124. in

  3125. the

  3126. morning

  3127. I

  3128. went

  3129. to

  3130. work

  3131. came

  3132. home

  3133. the

  3134. next

  3135. day

  3136. nothing

  3137. was

  3138. done

  3139. on

  3140. the

  3141. tile

  3142. I'm

  3143. like

  3144. do

  3145. we

  3146. not

  3147. understand

  3148. each

  3149. other

  3150. do

  3151. we

  3152. not

  3153. get

  3154. what

  3155. the

  3156. expectations

  3157. are

  3158. and

  3159. he

  3160. said

  3161. of

  3162. course

  3163. we

  3164. do

  3165. I

  3166. got

  3167. up

  3168. late

  3169. I'm

  3170. sorry

  3171. it

  3172. won't

  3173. happen

  3174. again

  3175. so

  3176. I

  3177. get

  3178. home

  3179. I

  3180. make

  3181. dinner

  3182. we

  3183. eat

  3184. together

  3185. we're

  3186. working

  3187. till

  3188. midnight

  3189. and

  3190. I

  3191. get

  3192. up

  3193. the

  3194. next

  3195. morning

  3196. early

  3197. go

  3198. to

  3199. work

  3200. come

  3201. home

  3202. yes

  3203. you

  3204. guessed

  3205. it

  3206. nothing

  3207. is

  3208. done

  3209. on

  3210. the

  3211. tile

  3212. the

  3213. entire

  3214. week

  3215. goes

  3216. by

  3217. day

  3218. after

  3219. day

  3220. I'm

  3221. beginning

  3222. to

  3223. wonder

  3224. do I

  3225. pay this

  3226. guy

  3227. at

  3228. all

  3229. does

  3230. he

  3231. really

  3232. understand

  3233. the

  3234. expectation

  3235. after

  3236. I

  3237. think

  3238. all

  3239. of

  3240. us

  3241. can

  3242. begin

  3243. to

  3244. appreciate

  3245. the

  3246. frustration

  3247. that we

  3248. would

  3249. feel

  3250. about

  3251. something

  3252. by the

  3253. way

  3254. that's

  3255. so

  3256. petty

  3257. so

  3258. petty

  3259. in

  3260. comparison

  3261. with

  3262. the

  3263. entrustment

  3264. that's

  3265. been

  3266. given

  3267. the

  3268. stewardship

  3269. that's

  3270. been

  3271. given

  3272. to

  3273. every

  3274. single

  3275. one

  3276. of

  3277. us

  3278. may

  3279. we

  3280. not

  3281. be

  3282. like

  3283. my

  3284. friend

  3285. may

  3286. we

  3287. be

  3288. faithful

  3289. to

  3290. steward

  3291. well

  3292. the

  3293. gifts

  3294. that

  3295. God

  3296. has

  3297. given

  3298. to

  3299. us

  3300. to

  3301. the

  3302. glory

  3303. of

  3304. God

  3305. let

  3306. me

  3307. pray

  3308. Lord

  3309. thank

  3310. you

  3311. for

  3312. graciously

  3313. and

  3314. kindly

  3315. entrusting

  3316. us

  3317. with

  3318. such

  3319. a

  3320. great

  3321. stewardship

  3322. the

  3323. very

  3324. gifts

  3325. from

  3326. God

  3327. the

  3328. greatest

  3329. gift

  3330. of

  3331. forgiveness

  3332. and

  3333. then

  3334. the

  3335. gift

  3336. of

  3337. your

  3338. Holy

  3339. Spirit

  3340. that

  3341. lives

  3342. within

  3343. us

  3344. and

  3345. empowers

  3346. us

  3347. for

  3348. the

  3349. work

  3350. Lord

  3351. may

  3352. we

  3353. steward

  3354. these

  3355. gifts

  3356. well

  3357. for

  3358. the

  3359. glory

  3360. of

  3361. God

  3362. I

  3363. pray

  3364. in

  3365. Jesus

  3366. name

  3367. amen

  3368. God

  3369. bless

  3370. you

  3371. have

  3372. a

  3373. great

  3374. week

  3375. miracle