Until He Comes

Verse number 11, where the Bible says this,

And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable,

! Because he was nigh to Jerusalem,

and because they thought the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

He said, Therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom,

and to return.

And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them,

Occupy till I come.

But his citizens hated him.

And he sent a message after him, saying,

We will not have this man to reign over us.

And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom,

then he commanded the servants to be called unto him,

to whom he had given the money,

that he might know how much every man hath gained by trading.

Then came the first, in verse 16, saying,

Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.

And he said unto him,

Well, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a very little,

have thou authority over ten cities.

And the second came, saying,

Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.

And he said likewise to him,

Be thou also over five cities.

And he came, saying,

And another came, saying,

Lord, behold, here is thy pound,

which I have kept laid up in a napkin.

For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man,

and thou takest up that thou layest not down,

and reapest that thou didst not sow.

And he saith unto him,

Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant.

Thou knewest that I was an austere man,

taking up what I laid not down,

and reaping that I did not sow.

Wherefore, then gavest thou not my money into the bank,

that it might at my coming have acquired,

I have required mine own with usury.

And he said unto them that stood by,

Take from him the pound,

and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

Verse 25,

And they said unto him,

Lord, he hath ten pounds.

For I say unto you, Jesus said,

that unto everyone which hath shall be given,

and from him that hath not,

even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

But those mine enemies,

which would not that I should reign over them,

bring hither and slay them before me.

So Jesus is going to give us this very kind of intense parable.

And we're going to see exactly what he's talking about.

But he really wants to remind us,

there's a job to do until he comes.

The call of the Christian life is not,

hang on until Jesus shows up.

Here's what it is.

Occupy till I come.

There's a job to do,

and there's a calling that we must all follow.

And that's what we're going to see here this morning.

Let's ask him to bless our reading.

Father, thank you for the word of God.

Thankful that we have a copy.

We can hold it in our own hands.

We can even carry it in our pocket on our phones.

It's so accessible to us.

But Lord, I pray that our familiarity with the word of God

would not hinder it from getting into our heart,

into our lives.

And I pray that you would do that this morning.

That you would help us to see the truth

and the reminder that you have called us all

to be in your service.

We are to occupy until you come.

But I pray that there is someone here

that doesn't know you,

that today would be that day.

And we ask this in your son's precious name.

Amen.

Thank you so much for standing.

You may be seated.

I try not to think back to my days in school very often

because that means I have to go back to school in my mind.

And I don't want to be there.

You know, because it was one of those things.

But I remember, like you did,

the teacher would say this,

and this was very dangerous.

I need to step out of the class for just a few minutes

and I'll be right back.

Nobody get out of your seat.

Nobody talk.

Anybody remember that?

But in every class you ever went,

everybody just stayed quiet and stayed still

and did absolutely what they were told.

No.

I mean, as soon as the door closed,

I mean, you're like watching her walk to the door

and you're like waiting for the door to close

and you kind of hear her feet maybe walking down the hallway

and as soon as that happens,

somebody starts talking,

somebody's turning around.

I mean, it's an all-out spitwad fight

or whatever it may be

and somebody's walking across the classroom.

I cannot confirm or deny,

I juggled scissors.

I just learned to juggle.

And I thought,

this is a great opportunity to show my classmates

this unique skill.

But just like in all the situations you experienced,

as soon as I was juggling them,

the door opened.

And here comes the teacher

and just like she promised,

she would come back

and what everybody was doing up to that point

suddenly mattered.

Why?

Because the authority's back in the classroom now.

The teacher's there as she's promised

and we're reminded of that little illustration

that just because the teacher left,

it doesn't mean that the assignment disappeared.

It doesn't mean that her instruction disappeared

and it certainly didn't mean that she wasn't coming back.

And as we come to Luke chapter 19

Luke 19 · chapter mention

in this lengthy passage of scripture

that we read just a moment ago,

Jesus is dealing with something far more serious

than a teacher leaving a classroom.

Really what he's reminding them

is he knows things they don't know.

And now he's tried to explain it a couple of times,

but they didn't want to hear it

and they were missing it

that Jesus was coming not to set up a kingdom,

but he was coming

and he was marching towards a cross.

And by the time we're here in Luke chapter 19,

Luke 19 · chapter mention

we're about a week or so away

from the arrest and the betrayal

and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

And see, he knows

that he's about to leave them for a time.

It'd be in this time frame

coming up very closely

in John's gospel

where he goes to the upper room

and they're gonna celebrate Passover.

We're gonna see that here in a moment,

but he tells them,

hey, I'm going away.

And they're troubled by that.

And that's where he gave them

that famous verse in John 14,

let not your heart be troubled.

You believe in God,

believe also in me.

If I go away,

I'm gonna come again.

That's what he reminds them here.

But before he goes,

he's reminding his disciples

and in turn reminding us

that you're not just to hide up

and hole up

and hang out until I come.

No, there's a job to be done.

That God wants us to be involved

in the work

and he gives them something to do

and he says,

here's what I want you to do

and I want to remind you,

I am coming back.

I love that it is well.

The third verse is probably my favorite,

but the fourth is right up with it.

And we're reminded of that great truth

that Jesus Christ is coming back.

We look at our world

and we think he's forgot about us.

No, he has not.

You think, well,

why hasn't he come back?

Why is he tearing his coming?

Here's why.

Because God so loved the world

that he sent his only begotten son.

And he's there.

We are here to share the gospel

and he's saying,

this is what I want you to do.

Occupy, get to work,

do what I've called you to do.

And I love hearing the gospel of Luke.

He's done it a couple of times

and it makes somewhat my job a little easier

as I study the passage.

Verse number 11,

Jesus tells us exactly why he's telling this parable.

Like, why did Jesus tell this story?

Did it just come to the top of his head?

No, he tells us that they're getting close to Jerusalem.

They've been working their way there,

but Jericho's very close.

About 17 miles, you know,

just a good 17 mile hike up the road to Jerusalem.

But in those days, that's pretty close.

And he's moving his way towards there

and the excitement is building at the end of chapter number 18.

There on the way to Jericho,

he saw a blind man on the side of the road

and his name was Bartimaeus.

And he cried out and said,

Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And Jesus healed the blind man.

Of course, the frenzy begins to build.

He gets into the town

and he sees a chief publican,

a very rich man,

a notorious sinner,

the kingpin of Jericho named Zacchaeus,

who's been extorting his own people.

And he's up in a sycamore tree

and Jesus comes to him and says,

hey, I'm going to go to your house today.

And Jesus completely changed Zacchaeus' life.

And really the idea is there's just this buzz going around.

Hey, did you hear that Bartimaeus can see?

Did you hear that Zacchaeus got saved?

I mean, what is going on here?

And really they believe

and they're beginning to see

kind of from a skewed view

that Jesus is the Messiah.

And he is the Messiah.

But they're thinking he's a political savior.

And really the thought is

they're kind of conversing amongst themselves.

And you read the other gospel accounts,

the disciples begin to argue

who's the greatest

and who's actually going to sit next to him

when he sets his throne up in Jerusalem.

And that's what they're talking about.

And so the idea is they're just thinking,

man, this is it.

I mean, this is what we signed up for.

Hey, this is why we left our boats.

This is why I left my tax booth,

Matthew may have thought.

This is why we're following this man.

Rome is going down.

Jerusalem, Israel is going to be

in its rightful place.

And everything we thought was going to happen,

it's here.

But verse 11 says,

Jesus said,

I think you got your times wrong.

Your calendar, your dates are off.

Because what they did not understand

that he was going away.

And really from Luke 17,

even to this spot,

he's showing us this tension that we live in.

The already, but the not yet.

That the king had come.

And Jesus Christ was the king.

He already was.

Don't misunderstand that.

But he's coming again.

So the question and the opportunity

Jesus wants you to see

is what are we going to do in that in between?

How are we going to live for him

while he's gone?

Because while he's gone,

we see here in this parable

that he entrusts his servants

with great responsibility.

That he expects them to do something.

See, they were so fixated

on when the kingdom will come.

And really, we're kind of the same way.

We get so focused on that today

that we forget that the actual real thought

of the text is

how do we live

until he comes again?

That's what he wants us to see.

That's where he wants us to understand.

And so here's the big idea

I want us to kind of get a hold of

in this passage

is that the king will return.

He is coming back

and so we must faithfully use

what he has entrusted to us

until he comes.

That is the main thought

of this passage that we see.

So here's the question

I want us to answer

as we walk through it.

How should we live

until the king returns?

The first thing we see is this,

number one,

that we should live

under the king's authority.

We should live

under the king's authority.

Verse number 12

in our text this morning,

he said,

therefore,

a certain nobleman

went to a far country

to receive for himself

a kingdom

and to return.

Now to us,

it just seems like

the start of a story.

But really,

to the original audience

and to those hearers

right there in Jericho,

I mean,

their mind would have

immediately understood

what he was talking about.

Because really what Jesus

is doing here

is he's kind of taking

a front page news article

and applying it

to their life.

Because I don't want

to bore you with history,

but just to give an idea

of what's going on here,

about 30 years prior

to this account,

there was a man

named Herod the Great.

And he was not great.

He was a horrible guy.

You probably know him

from the Christmas story.

This would have been

the Herod that would have

ordered all of the babies

two years and younger

to be murdered.

So he was the ruler

of Judea at that time.

And he was trying

to stamp out Jesus Christ

as a young child.

Well, one of his sons,

Archiralius,

is now,

became the ruler

after Herod the Great died.

You see that in Matthew

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

when they come back,

when Joseph and Mary

and Jesus come back

from Egypt,

they hear that Herod's

son's ruling

so they go to Nazareth.

So really,

this man,

what he did is

when a ruler

would take over

a new area

in this situation,

they would have

to go to Rome

and they would have

to be kind of confirmed

by Caesar

to make sure

they would be

in control.

And while he was going,

obviously the people

didn't care for him.

They didn't like his dad.

His dad was a murderer.

He used the Jews.

This man,

when he kind of

got control,

he kind of killed

about 2,000 or 3,000 Jews

according to the historians

just to kind of let them know,

hey, I'm in charge.

So obviously,

they weren't real keen

on this man ruling.

So as he made his way

to Rome,

the people here

in Judea

sent a delegation

and said,

hey, we don't want

this guy ruling over us.

And we can see this

throughout history.

But what Jesus is doing

is he's using

this political situation

that would have

piqued their interest

because Archiraglius

would have ruled

right in the area

of Jericho.

So this wasn't

some long-distance story.

Many of these people

would have been alive

that heard this story.

And they would have

recognized it,

but he's teaching them

a much bigger truth

that he's not liking himself

to this wicked ruler,

but he's reminding,

hey, the king

is going to go away.

And he's going

to return

and he is going

to rule

and what are we

going to do there

in the meantime?

But we see in verse

number 14

that the citizens

of this parable

wanted nothing

to do with the king.

They simply

don't just dislike

certain things he does.

They reject his authority

altogether.

Notice what they say

in verse number 14.

We will not have

this man

to reign over us.

And I would submit

to you that that's

still the attitude

of the world

in general

towards Jesus Christ.

There's a lot of people

that will agree with you

that Jesus Christ

was a great teacher.

He was a good

moral teacher.

I mean,

you look at the Beatitudes

and you look at the

Sermon on the Mount

and you look at

certain things

that Jesus taught.

I mean,

they will agree with that

and say,

man,

these are really good

ways to live by.

I mean,

we should really employ

the golden rule

in our life.

They may appreciate

his compassion

and his care

for the poor

and those in need.

And they may even

quote some of his words.

But the reality is

when it comes to

the authority

of Jesus Christ,

when it comes to

his right to rule,

when it comes to

his right to tell us

and to command us

how to live,

the majority

still cries today,

we will not have

this man rule

on our lives.

And really,

he's making this point

and he's showing them

this truth

that he's even

experiencing to this point

and is continuing

until today.

That rejecting the king,

it does not remove

the king.

They would have

understood this.

They would have been

living under the rule

of Herod

and Archalias

and they would have

understood these

difficult things

and just because

they didn't like him

doesn't mean

that he wasn't the king.

And Jesus is making

a much deeper

spiritual application

that people may

refuse his authority

and they still do today.

But let me just

remind you,

refusing his authority

does not cancel

his authority.

That he is still

in control

and his physical presence,

his physical absence,

I should say,

does not cancel it either.

Yes, we don't see

Jesus physically

on this earth anymore,

but we will one day.

He is going to come back,

he's going to set foot

on the Mount of Olives

and he is going to set up

a kingdom on this earth.

But I just want to remind you

that he's still in control,

that he still is the king

and he still calls us

to live under his authority.

You say,

well, what's his authority?

It's right here.

It's his word.

It's what he's called us

to live by.

And let me just remind you,

when he comes,

Revelation chapter 19,

Revelation 19:16

verse 16 reminds us,

he's coming with this name,

King of Kings

and Lord of Lords.

When he was crucified

and buried

and he rose again,

he didn't lose that title.

He always was,

he always is,

and he always will be.

And we must live

under that authority.

But that creates a question.

If he is going away

and they're dealing with,

this is the disciples

who are thinking,

this is not how I thought

it was going to go,

but if he is going away,

what are we supposed to do?

I think the question

still applies to us today.

Since Jesus isn't here,

we know he's coming again.

Scripture makes that plain

throughout the New Testament.

What are we to do

while he's gone?

I think we see this.

Number two,

we are to invest

what the king

has entrusted to us.

We're to invest

what he has entrusted

to us.

I mean,

verse number 13

is a very simple command.

Jesus calls his servants,

and really,

I mean,

this man calls his servants,

this noble man,

and delivered unto them

ten pounds,

and said unto them,

Occupy till I come.

Now,

we may hear the word occupy,

and we may think,

well,

that means just to sit there.

You are occupying your chair.

I mean,

some of you,

you even occupy it

when you're not here.

You leave a blanket,

and you leave your Bible.

You're like,

I'm coming back tonight,

and this is my seat.

I'm occupying this seat.

You know,

like nobody touches my stuff.

You occupy

is hold your place.

You ever been in a parking lot,

and you're trying to find

a really good parking spot,

and one opens up,

somebody jumps out of the car,

and they go and stand

in that parking spot

for that other person?

That's wrong.

They're occupying that spot.

We might think of it

as waiting,

but that's not what

Jesus means here.

The idea here

to occupy till I come

has this thought.

Do business.

Get to work.

Use what I have entrusted

to you.

Do the work

of the Lord,

and as believers,

I mentioned already,

we're not called

just to hold on

until Jesus comes.

No,

it's pretty simple.

We are to occupy

till He comes.

We are to get to work

until He comes,

and we see here

in verse 13

that each of these servants

receives 10 pounds

or a mina.

Maybe your Bible says

the parable

of the 10 minas,

and really what it is,

is it's a significant

amount of money.

Three months wages.

I think we'd all sign up

and say,

hey,

if you're going to give me

three months wages,

go ahead and do that.

I'm for that.

I want us to understand,

it's not like He said,

I'll be back tomorrow.

No,

it's a very significant

amount of money

that He entrusted with them,

and He entrusted all of them

with the same amount,

by the way.

This is not the parable

of the talents.

This is different than that.

Now,

some of us have

different talents

and different things

and we use them for the Lord,

but this particular thing

that Jesus is showing us

is we all have the same amount

and what are we going to do with it?

And the emphasis is very clear

in verse number 13

that He entrusted them

to do something

with what He gave them.

They had a job to do.

And I want to just remind us

that ultimately,

everything that you have

in your life,

everything that I have

in my life,

has been entrusted to me

by God.

Everything.

Your time.

I know in Brother Caleb's

Sunday school class,

they're going through

stewarding your life

and it's just a reminder

that we aren't just

to steward our finances.

We think of that

just as money

and this parable

has to deal with money.

No,

but we are called

to steward our time,

our resources,

our opportunities

to share the gospel

at school and at work

or wherever God may

allow us to do so.

We are to steward

the influence

that He's given us.

We may have relationships

that we can speak into.

I have opportunities

to share.

We have relationships

that we are to steward

or our spouses

and our children

and our coworkers

and our friends

and here's what we are to do.

We are to use everything

God has given for Him

and not for us.

Because here's what

we're prone to do.

Here's what I'm prone to do.

Hey, this is my stuff

and I'm going to do

what I want to do with it.

Okay, I'm making sure

I'm not the only one.

You know,

I worked hard for this.

Hey, I deserve this.

And listen,

isn't that a different

mess for a different night?

God's not against you

doing things

and having nice stuff.

But He wants us to understand

that everything we have,

every good gift

and every perfect gift

is from above.

And it comes down

from the Father of lights

and He gives us

this opportunity.

But most importantly

what He gives us

is the gospel itself.

I mean, what a joy.

I mean,

I keep going back to it

because it just makes

my heart want to burst.

But singing it as well,

the fact I can sing that song

and know it's true

in my life

is an amazing thing.

What a joy

to know who Jesus is

and what He's done.

What a joy it is

to experience His love

and His mercy

every single day.

You don't have to come to church

and just feel the mercy of God.

No, I love what the psalmist says,

daily He loadeth me down

with benefits.

I mean, we're so blessed

we don't even realize

how blessed we are.

And the fact that we know that

and the fact that we experience that

and we know that message

changed our life

from darkness to light.

We were on a road

and we had no hope

and life was falling apart

but somehow,

in some way,

somebody invited you to church,

somebody shared the gospel

and it changed everything.

The fact you know that

is a wonderful thing.

But here's the question.

What are you doing with it?

It is the most precious thing

that you've ever experienced

in your life.

Jesus says,

you better not put it in a napkin.

You better not hide it.

No, you better,

you better,

sorry that bothered me right there.

You better,

you better do something with it.

See, Jesus didn't say,

preserve until I come.

Sometimes I think our church

has become like a little

history museum.

Look at all the things

God used to do.

Man, remember when God did this

and God did that?

Listen, I'm so thankful

God's done some great things

in Central Baptist Church

throughout the years.

But we're not here

to be a museum

in Cook County.

No, no, we're here

not to preserve

until Jesus comes.

We're here to occupy.

We're here to put to work

what God has given us

whether it is resources

or it is time

or it is prayer

or it is the gospel

in every situation.

Simply put,

here's what he's saying

in verse 13.

Use what the king

has placed in your hand

for the interest

of the king.

Not for your self-interest.

Not for your own gain.

Not for those things.

And that's the difference

between ownership

and stewardship.

I mean, an owner says,

hey, this is mine.

What do I want to do with it?

But a steward says this,

hey, this belongs to him.

What does he want me

to do with it?

How does he want me

to use it?

Where does he want me

to invest it?

And that's why the wording

is so important

in verse number 16.

Notice what the first servant says.

Then came the first saying,

Lord, thy pound

hath gained 10 pounds.

You know what we see here?

The servant was in possession.

The master gave it to him

before he left.

He said,

here, I'm giving you

these 10 pounds.

I'm giving you this money.

I want you to use it.

I want you to occupy.

And when he comes back,

he didn't say,

hey, Lord,

look what I did

with all my money.

He said,

thy pound,

thy money,

what you entrusted to me,

I have used it for you.

It was always the master's.

It was never his.

It never belonged to him.

And that changes the way

we look at a lot of things

in our life.

That's not your paycheck.

That's not your children.

I know that's tough

for us to hear.

No, they're just gifts

from God

that he has entrusted us

to use them

for the furtherance

of his kingdom.

And what we notice

in verse number 16

is this servant

had simply just been faithful

with what he'd been given.

And one day,

he's going to ask us

what he did with it,

what we did with it.

How we used it

for his glory.

We see in verse number 18,

the second comes.

And he said,

likewise unto him.

He said,

be thou over five cities.

He invested

what God had given him.

And here's the point

of these first two servants.

That faithfulness matters.

It really does.

I mean,

think about people

God has used in your life.

They're probably going to have

this characteristic.

They were just faithful to God.

Wasn't some flash in the pan thing.

No, they were there

every time you went

to Sunday school.

They were there

teaching that class.

They were there

in children's church.

Your parents were there

and you had that opportunity.

Maybe the bus came

and picked you up.

It was just people

that God placed in your life

and they weren't flashy

and they weren't about themselves.

They were just faithful.

They couldn't do a whole lot

but they just did

what God wanted them to do.

And that's all he requires.

And what we see

is not only

does faithfulness matter

but it's rewarded.

In both of these situations

the nobleman says,

hey, because you're faithful

I'm going to put you

in charge of ten cities.

That's a pretty good

return on investment.

Ten pounds,

three months wages.

Now you're in control

of all these cities.

The idea is this.

Sometimes we think

faithfulness only counts

if it looks impressive.

Faithfulness doesn't,

a large ministry

doesn't mean faithfulness.

Great influence,

a lot of followers,

got all these followers

on TikTok and Instagram,

that doesn't mean

you're faithful.

Faithfulness is not something

that everybody notices.

Faithfulness is what God notices.

Faithfulness is doing

what God has called you to do.

Where he has placed you

to serve.

Notice what Jesus says

in verse 17.

Look at this little phrase.

Because thou hast been faithful

in very little.

I love that.

Don't despise

the little things

that God has put in your hands.

You know, I think sometimes

we can get so frustrated.

Well, God, if you just

give me more

I'd be faithful.

Lord, I mean,

I can't do much with this.

No, here's what you can do.

You can be faithful.

That's what he's called you to do.

Maybe you don't have

the opportunity

to do certain things,

but maybe it's just

that conversation

with somebody

who's seeking Jesus.

It can be had over lunch

at work

just multiple weeks.

Somebody asking

for the truth.

Maybe it's that child

you're raising.

Listen, that's kingdom work.

You are called

to instill

the truth

of the word of God

into their life.

Listen,

not everybody gets to see it,

but the Lord knows.

The Lord's watching.

We have some teachers

in here,

whether you're

a Sunday school teacher

or a school teacher,

having the opportunity

to speak truth

into people's lives.

Listen, God sees that.

Maybe God's giving you

an opportunity

to disciple somebody.

Maybe he's giving you

some resources

that you quietly use

for the kingdom of God.

And God sees

just those ordinary days

that you live faithfully

to him.

And you think,

is any of this

making a difference?

Let me remind you,

he sees it.

And he's going to tell us

one day we've been faithful.

You've been faithful

with very little.

Look what you have.

Welcome.

Well done,

thou good and faithful servant.

I'm so thankful

that the king

sees faithfulness.

That's what he calls us to do.

And that's important

as we await

the return of Christ

because we don't have to,

we shouldn't have to dread it.

We shouldn't dread

that the king is coming back.

I know some people

start looking

at the book of Revelation

and they get scared.

They think,

I don't want to be,

I don't want to see.

No, I want to be here

when Jesus comes back.

I want to be like,

I want to be like

the apostle Paul.

He thought he was going

to be alive

when Jesus came back.

I hope when the Lord

takes us up

to be in the air,

I'm no longer afraid

of heights.

That's got to go away, right?

I mean,

I can't find anybody

like, Lord, please.

I mean,

I've prayed that once or twice.

I'm like, I hope I'm not

afraid of heights.

I'll just pass out

on the way up

and miss everything.

That would be awful.

Listen,

don't dread

the return of the king.

But you know why

you can dread it sometimes

even as Christians?

Because you know

you're not investing

what he's invested in you.

There was times

growing up,

I wasn't super keen

on my parents coming back

because I didn't do anything

they asked me to do

while they were gone.

Because they'll say,

hey, when I come back

I want your room picked up

and I want the kitchen cleaned up.

I'm like, alright.

And then I hear the garage,

I'm like, uh-oh.

You know why I dreaded it?

Because I wasn't doing

what they had asked me to do.

But when we are doing

what God has asked us to do,

when we're faithful

in the little things,

we can look forward

to his return.

Listen,

faithfulness gives us

a reason to anticipate

the king,

not fear him.

So here's a question for you.

Are you using

what Christ has entrusted

to you?

Are you just trying

to preserve it?

Are you investing

what he's invested in you?

Are you using your life

for his interest?

For his kingdom?

For his cause?

See, we see the first

two servants,

they were very active.

They took what the master

gave them

and they put it to work.

But here in these

closing verses,

in verses 20 through 27,

we see another servant

that wasn't as proactive.

And it brings us

to this final reminder

in these verses.

Number three is this.

is that we should expect

to give an account.

We should expect

to give an account.

Look at verse number 20.

And another came saying,

Lord, behold,

here is thy pound

which I have kept

laid up in a napkin.

I think he was

very enthusiastic,

at least in the way

he said it.

He was trying to kind of,

you know,

put lipstick on a pig,

so to speak.

Lord, look what I did.

I kept it all pretty

and shiny.

Nobody even knew

it was here.

I mean,

at first glance,

it doesn't sound terrible.

He still has it.

He didn't spend it.

He didn't lose it.

But when we keep reading here

and we notice

that the master,

the nobleman,

was not pleased at all.

Why?

Because this truth

that's running

through this text

is that preservation

is not the same

as faithfulness.

The master did not

give this man money

to keep it safe.

He gave him money

to use it,

to invest it,

to move the business

along further.

In verse number 21,

the servant explains

why he did this.

He said,

For I feared thee,

because thou art

an austere man.

We don't use that word

a lot,

but it carries this idea

of stern

and exacting

and harsh.

Really what we see here

is this man's inactivity.

It really reveals

his view of the master.

That he sees

his nobleman,

he sees this king

through fear

and suspicion.

He's essentially

saying this,

Well, I didn't really

trust you.

I feel like I'm better

with my things

than you are.

Ever thought that

with the Lord?

Lord, I know how

to invest this money.

I watched a YouTube video.

I mean,

sometimes that's how

we think in our life.

I didn't really

trust you.

He's thinking,

Well, I thought

you were harsh

and I was afraid

what might happen

so I did nothing.

But nothing

in this parable

suggests

that the master

actually deserves

this description.

In fact,

we just saw

the generosity

of this master.

He gave 10 pounds

and they did

what they were supposed to.

He gave him 10 cities.

He gave him 5 cities.

That's the type

of master we serve.

One that is loving

and kind

and rewards

far beyond

what any of us deserve.

So the servant's view

here is not based

in reality.

And let me just remind you,

a wrong view

of the king,

it produces

an unfaithful life.

A.W. Tozer

said it like this,

Nothing twists

and deforms

the soul

more than a low

or unworthy

conception of God.

God doesn't

respond

and act

and treat us

and do business

like somebody we know.

No,

he's perfect

and holy

and just

and he knows

what he's doing

and he's given us

the opportunity

and that's exactly

what we see here

is this servant's

view of the master

affected how he lived

while the master

was away.

And we have to be careful

not to fall in that trap.

That we know

who God is.

The Bible

makes it very clear

that he is high

and he's holy

and he's all these things

and before we rush

to judgment,

we must make sure

that the same

does not happen to us.

If you see God

as only harsh

and distant

and impossible

to please,

you're probably

going to spend

your life hiding

instead of actually serving.

And if we forget

his goodness

and we forget

his grace

and generosity

and his faithfulness,

we can begin

treating obedience

like a burden

instead of a privilege.

Listen,

it's a privilege

to obey God.

It is a privilege

to serve.

It is a privilege

to do the work

that the Lord

has called us to do.

And in verse 22

and verse 23,

we notice the master's response.

And he said unto him,

Out of thy own mouth

will I judge thee,

thou wicked servant.

Really what he's saying

in these verses,

we won't take time

to read them

for the sake of time,

but what the king

is saying here

is if you really believe

what you just said,

why didn't you just

at least put it in the bank?

I could have at least

got some interest

when I showed back up.

Really what he's saying

is your own words

are exposing

how you're living.

They don't even hold up.

It's a terrible excuse.

And in verse 24

and verse 25,

the king takes

his money,

the one pound

that he had,

the one mina

that he had,

and gives it

to the servant

that had ten.

And you hear the gasp

in the crowd say,

you can't do that.

He can do anything

he wants.

He's the king.

But we've seen

throughout this

that he's not there

just to keep his thumb

on us.

No, he's a loving king.

He cares.

He wants us

to be involved.

He's given us

an opportunity

to be involved

in the work.

And then he gives us

this great principle

in verse 26,

for I say unto you

that unto everyone

which hath

shall be given,

and from him

that hath not,

even that he hath

shall be taken

away from him.

Here's what Jesus

is saying

as he closes out

this parable.

is that when we're faithful

it leads to

greater stewardship.

The more that we're faithful

with the things

that God gives us,

he's going to give us

more opportunities.

This is not some

wealth, health,

and prosperity gospel.

That's not what

Jesus is saying.

But he is saying

if you're faithful

with things,

God's going to give

faithful people

opportunities to serve.

But when we're faithless,

when we're fruitless,

here's what it does,

it leads to loss.

God's not going to

keep giving us things

if we're not using it.

He didn't give you

all those gifts

we talked about earlier

for you to hoard them,

to save them,

to store them.

He gave them to you

to use them.

You know,

I see people

that buy all these shoes

and some of you

may be sneakerheads.

They buy all these

awesome shoes

and they put them

in boxes with lights

and they put them

in their closet.

I was like,

that's cool,

but I thought

you were supposed

to wear shoes.

We can't wear these shoes

because they're super cool

and they're super expensive.

What's the point

of a shoe then?

Set in a box?

Listen,

I don't know how

Christians live their life.

They got the coolest

thing in the world

but they're just going

to sit in a box

in their closet

and they're going

to put it under

their arm

when they come

to church on Sunday.

It's the only time

they ever use it.

They only wear shoes

on special occasions.

We can only use this

on special occasions.

No,

we need to live it

every single day

of our life.

See,

I want to remind us

this is not just

a fictional story.

It keeps coming up

over and over again

and Jesus reminds us

that one day

the king's going to ask us

what we did with it.

He asked all of his servants,

what'd you do?

He's not going to ask you

what does somebody else do?

Sometimes we get

kind of cornered

and we say,

well,

they didn't do it.

You're not going to

give an account for them.

You're going to give

an account for your life

and what you've done

with what God

has given you.

I mean,

is there anything

in your life

that you're leaving

unused for him?

A relationship,

an opportunity,

some time,

the gospel?

But the parable

doesn't just end

with the servants.

Look at verse number 27.

This is a tough verse

to read.

But those mine enemies

which would not

that I should reign over them

bring hither

and slay them

before me.

That sounds

really severe

and Jesus intends

for it to sound severe.

Because the return

of the king,

when Jesus comes again,

he's not just coming

to bring a reward,

it will also bring judgment.

What kind of God

would do that?

The same kind of God

that would send

his only son

the first time

and to die on the cross

for my sin

and for your sin.

Because the Bible

is clear that all

have sinned

and come short

of the glory of God.

See, the first time

we already saw

in Luke chapter 19,

Luke 19:10

verse 10,

here's why he came,

to seek and to save

that which was lost.

So there will be

no excuse.

He has made a way.

He has paid the debt.

All of the things

have been taken care of.

That's the king

that we serve.

But some are going

to outright reject

that king.

But it does not

change the truth

that he is the king.

And because he is just,

he will have to punish sin

even though he took

the debt on his own body

in that tree

as the apostle Paul

reminds us,

that there is going

to be severe judgment.

And those that reject

his rule

will answer to him.

So this parable

is not just,

well, we need to use

our talents better.

I think the thrust

of this entire parable

is this,

what are you doing

with the king?

Some reject him

altogether.

Some claim to serve him

but really waste

what he's entrusted

to them.

And others faithfully

serve him

looking forward

to his return.

So as we close

this morning,

I just want to ask you

this,

what attitude

characterizes your life?

The king is coming.

He will come again.

You don't have to dread it.

You can look forward

to it.

In fact, you should.

I love what John

says at the end

of Revelation.

Even so,

come quickly.

Come quickly,

Lord Jesus.

See, we started there

in verse number 11.

And the people

thought the question

was when is the kingdom

going to appear?

But what Jesus does

in this text

is he redirects

their attention.

And it should be

the same for us.

Yes, the king

has gone away.

He's been away

for a while now

and the world mocks

and he's been gone

2,000 years.

But he's given us

a great responsibility.

Go ye therefore

into all the world

and preach the gospel.

That's why we're having

a missions month.

That's why we brought

missionaries in.

That's why we want

to take the gospel

to Hong Kong

and check via.

That's why

Brother Zach and

Miss Cherish

are taking the gospel

to Nakona

and to see opportunities

there for people

to know the Lord.

And so the big question

I want you to answer

this morning

that we must answer

in our heart,

what am I doing

until he comes again?

That's really where

he's pulling us to.

But because until he comes

there is work to do.

There are people

that need the gospel.

There are opportunities

that he is placing

in front of your life

right now.

You have some

at school tomorrow.

You have some

at the lunch table

at work.

Hey, around the water

cooler tomorrow.

There are resources

God has called you

to steward.

And he invites you.

There's cards in your

chair back in front of me.

We'll talk about it

next week a little more.

But faith promise.

Just get involved

in getting the gospel

across the world.

There are people to love.

There's a church to serve.

There's a king to obey.

And he just reminds us

over and over.

And I'll leave you

with this thought.

Until he comes

be faithful

with what he has placed

in your hands.

Because he is coming again.

And would he find us

occupying,

serving,

doing the work

when he comes again.

Would you stand

with your heads bowed

and with your hands?