Kingdom Clarity

INTRO: I am grateful to be back on the campus of Fruitland Bible College, and it is such an honor to share with you from God’s Word today. My daughter asked me, since today is Valentine’s Day, if I was going to preach from 1 Corinthians 13. You might be sad to know that the answer to that question is no. But, I am going to be preaching something that is close to my heart.

If I were to try and sum up my goals in ministry and life in one word, that would simply be “AUTHENTIC”. I want every aspect of my life to reflect an authentic genuine love and devotion to the Lord. So, not just my worship on Sunday or my preaching. I want to lead my family in authentic relationships- both with one another and with Christ. I want to lead my church to be authentic.

So today, I want to lead us through a parable found in the Gospel of Luke that I believe gives us clarity in regards to living in God’s Kingdom. So, if you have your bibles, please turn with me to Luke 19:11-27. (READ) [PRAY]

Most of you know that a parable is a story or object lesson given to illustrate a particular point. Jesus often used parables to give insight to his followers and also to confound those that wanted to keep their distance.

Now, you might be thinking- this sounds a lot like another parable recorded in the Gospel of Matthew that we refer to as the Parable of Talents. And there are a number of similarities and overlapping points, but this parable has some key differences that are of utmost importance for the church.

As Luke presents this teaching to us, he is kind enough to tell us flat out the purpose of this parable. Look at v. 11 (READ)

The purpose of this parable was to give Kingdom Clarity to folks who had a misunderstanding of His Kingdom. They were expecting Jesus to march into Rome, and overthrow the current oppressors through some sort of militant undertaking. You can almost hear them saying, “By this time Friday, I’ll be in the court of the new king… yep, life sure is going to look different.”

BTW, this was still the mindset of the disciples in Acts 1:6. The focus of Jesus’ followers was on the final reward, but there was a necessary interim period that would allow for God’s Kingdom to grow with believers from every tongue and tribe and nation.

So Jesus tells this story. And in this story, there are all the main ingredients for a Kingdom:

A King (v.12)

The King’s Subjects (slaves - 13)

And even The King’s Enemies (14)

Now, we can deduce that the king is Jesus. And in short order, he explains that He must go and receive His Kingdom, and then return. This is what happened in Acts 1:9- he went to receive His Kingdom, and we are awaiting His return. So, while the reality of His authority is certain, it’s complete fulfillment is still to come.

We can see that the King’s subjects are those who are following Him- those who have access to Him and His provision. They are identified as slaves or servants and are given an assignment to fulfill in the King’s absence.

And we can see that the enemies are those who have no interest in being under the authority of Jesus. These are actively plotting against the king, attempting to undermine His authority or circumvent his rule.

But the emphasis of this parable is on the king’s subjects. And so that’s where I want to point us as well.

So, in the next few minutes, I want to show you a clear picture of Jesus’ plan for His followers. I’ve titled this message “Kingdom Clarity”

The first clarification Jesus makes is that his followers have a

Kingdom Calling (13)

I use the word calling because it helps us to see that our mission and our identity are melded together. You cannot separate who you are from what you are called to do.

Look with me at v. 13 (READ)

These slaves were all given one mina. Now, this is a financial term. A mina = roughly 4 months salary. But, unlike the parable of talents, each slave was given the exact same amount. It was not according to their ability, their family line, their skin color, education, vocation, etc.

And, knowing Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God, we then can surmise that the mina represents access to the gospel; the good news of Jesus Christ.

Each slave had the same access, the same gospel. And each slave was given the same direction, “Do business”

So what does that mean? Well, in the parable, the slaves were to invest the mina. To put it to work in such a manner that the king would be glorified. This meant that they should know their master and make decisions about his mina in the same manner that he would.

For us, it means to leverage the gospel in accordance with the desire of the King. We usually just go to Mat. 28:18-20. Scriptural context helps when we look at parables. Jesus gave his mission to this group of followers in the verses preceding this parable. His mission was to (Luke 19:10) seek and save the lost. Why? Because that was the will of the Father. (John 6:38) And just as Jesus came to do the will of the Father, He commissions His followers to do the same.

John 20:21 NASB95

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Jesus offered Himself as ransom for many… He did not separate his identity from his mission. And neither can we.

We are called to live out our identity as servants of the King. We do that by obeying Him. By doing His will. By embracing His goals and His desires. IF we are truly servants of Christ, that means that our lives authentically reflect that truth. It’s our Kingdom Calling.

Next, Jesus makes clear that his followers have a

Kingdom Accountability (15-27)

When the King returns, he calls his slaves to give account for how they stewarded their calling. In v. 15-19. we see 2 positive evaluations. (READ)

Each of these two slaves took the mina and put it to work. Their results quantified differently, but both were received and rewarded accordingly.

Here is what we need to note- These were called slaves, lived as servants of the king, but upon the judgment of the king, were given new titles! Now, they are now called co-regents. What happened was that the king invested in these slaves, and when they took this calling seriously- when they valued the trust and responsibility that was given them, they were invited to share in the glory of their king!

They showed their faithfulness in daily obedience and stewardship, and the reward was far greater than they could have expected.

I’m reminded of the farmer who sows thousands of seeds- corn, beans, tomatoes, etc. Yes, he does some work, but he must rely on God to grow these plants and bring about the produce.

Now, look, this is not about their ability or their hard work. We ought not look at the first guy as some some sort of sales genius, the 2nd guy as average, and the third as a bumbling idiot.

Instead- the mina did the work! The Gospel is not something we have to sell or dress up in order for gain to take place. If you look in the book of Acts, we can note that the church was exploding in growth day after day, not because of spectacular orators, big named bands, and fog machines. No, it was the work of God… through his servants.

Our motivation isn’t the reward. Right now, we are servants. Jesus told his disciples that the one who will be greatest in the kingdom, will be the servant of all (Matt. 23:11)

But what we do with the gospel is important.

The 3rd slave we see drives home the major point of this parable. He simply returned the mina that was given him.

We might ask all kinds of questions or try to rationalize his response: Did this slave understand the assignment? Was he shy or introverted? Maybe he thought that if he gave the mina back in good shape, that the king would be proud of him…?

Let’s read his response. READ 20-21

When he was given the mina, he put it away in a handkerchief. He had no intention of using it…

ILL: This reminds me of some folks in church who have a bible they never intend to actually read. It’s still in the box! They might bring it to church and pull it out occasionally. I suppose they expect people to be impressed with how new and shiny it looks.

But this slave looked at the king and said- it’s too difficult to serve you. You ask too much. I have things I want to do, and I really am not much of a fan of your whole judgment thing…

He was blaming his lack of obedience on the king! He wanted to reap the benefits of his kingdom, but did not value what the king valued. Do you know what you call someone like this? Jesus called him “worthless” (22)

Here is what you and I need to take home with us:

This last slave, I fear, represents some in the church today. Some who have no desire to obey the commands of Jesus; they do not live authentic lives.

Jesus told the bystanders to take the mina from this slave- I believe that means that Jesus will judge whether we are authentic- our name on a church role does not save us. Lip-service alone is not faithfulness. Even proclamation of the Gospel can be done in vain. Unless we are absolutely surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus, we are living as imposters.

As an authentic servant of the king, your life will produce Gospel fruit.

John 15:5 NASB95

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

So, today I simply want to implore you to live authentic lives surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ… One day every knee will bow, let ours bow before Him today.