Sermon Tone Analysis

Service Notes

5 will be baptized at Living Hope Baptist Church in the Bronx this morning.

The Charter Service will be on Feb 22nd

Call to Worship

To all who are spiritually weary and seek rest;

to all who mourn and long for comfort;

to all who struggle and desire victory;

to all who sin and need a Savior;

to all who are strangers and want fellowship;

to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness;

we welcome you here today.

We pray God’s Word will provide rest, comfort, victory as we point you to our Savior today.

Bible Reading and Review

Glad to be back in Luke.

We saw last week when I go outside of our book series.

I preach about dragons on Christmas morning.

Always good to review especially when the passage for the day starts with “and when they heard these things”

We get a summary of what they are hearing in Luke 19:10 “10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

This is a 17 mile walk.

Do not believe that Jesus just makes this one statement and walks silently.

The disciples are looking for the kingdom to come immediately and to be set up.

And Jesus is making it clear to them that's not what's going to happen in Jerusalem.

A few things to watch for as we read

Jesus pointing to His own departure as He speaks of the departure of the nobleman

Look at what He says about the delay in His return

Notice what He says about the rejection by the citizens

Make note of the disproportionate reward given to the servants

Consider the different categories of people in this story, because everyone of us fall into one of these 3 categories

Luke 19:11–27 (KJV)

11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.

17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.

19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:

21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.

22 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 that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)

26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

Sermon Introduction

Watched a funny dialogue between husband and wife.

Husband receives a phone call and conveys to his wife.

She asks many questions that were outside of the scope of the conversation.

We should not do this with the stories Jesus tells the disciples.

We are given the theme and intent of this story

Luke 19:11 “11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.”

Jesus shares a story that should help them understand

Jesus keeps stooping lower and lower to bring the truth to where the disciples lived

May God forgive me and others who take truth and try to fly high with it so that people are impressed but do not know what we are saying

Jesus' parables were always designed to capture people in the realm of the familiar and then move them to the realm of the unfamiliar.

Stories are self-contained.

This is the only place this story is recorded,

Don’t confuse it or try mix it with the story of talents given in Matthew 25.

Story from every day life, custom, traditions, farming, and from history

historical incident very familiar to the people of Jericho

Rome would this part of the world.

Cesar was ultimate ruling all the Roman empire.

However, they were pragmatic so they allowed subordinate kings to rule.

Israel had subordinate kings but Rome had to affirm them as Kings

The Kings ruling at this time were of a family called the Herods

First being Herod the Great (name given to himself)

He negotiated with Marc Antony to grant him the right to rule under Caesar in Israel.

Herod dies in 4 BC and wants to leave rule to his 3 kings.

Kingdom was divided; Archelaus (ark-a-lay-us) had this area around Jericho

He had a home in this area

When he went to Rome to receive the right to rule, he was followed by a group who lobbied against him

He was not received by the people and denied the title of King

The nobleman who went to the great king to receive a kingdom came back to reign and to judge all his subjects; and they fall into three categories: the faithful, the fake and the foolish, and they are judged appropriately.

Transitional Statement: Lessons for us on our journey into the unknown.

Right expectation about the nature of discipleship

Luke 19:11 “11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.”

Preparing disciples for endurance

Immediately Appear comes from a word only used twice in the NT

Here and Acts 21:3

Nautical term means “to come into sight or view”

On this 17 mile journey they thought they would come over a hill and look past the Mount of Olives and a Kingdom would appear

Why? OT Prophecy

Miracles and statements such as Luke 17:21 “21 Neither shall they say, Lo here!

or, lo there!

for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Overlooking the prophecy of Jesus suffering and the foreshadowing of the sacrificial system.

Preparing disciples for rejection

Luke 19:14 “14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.”

Soon the crowd in Jerusalem will go from shouting “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

Still today there are people who are telling Christians that they are called to lead a victory parade —

Follow Jesus and you’ll be healthy.

Follow Jesus and you’ll be rich.

Follow Jesus and you won't have problems.

And if you do, and if you do, it's because you don't have enough faith.

Testimony of those who walked this path before us

As Christ was rejected, we should expect the same as we follow Him

Paul calls the end of his life the end of a fight. 2 Timothy 4:7 “7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”