Work Hard While You Wait - Luke 19:11-27

Luke 19 verses 11 to 27. You can stay seated for this reading. but God's word tells us this well, they were listening to the human on to tell them a parable because he was near Jerusalem in the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to. Once he said, a man of noble birth went to a distant country, to have himself appointed King, then the return. So we called 10 of his servants and gave them Tim 10 - put this money to work, he said, until I come back. His subjects hated him and sent the delegation after him to say. We don't want this man to be our King. He was made King however returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he'd given the money in order to find out what they gained with it. The first one came and said sir your mind has earned ten more well done. My good servant is Master applied because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter take charge of Tin City. S came and said sure your mother has run five more. His master answer, you take charge of five cities and another servant came and said sir, here's your mind. I kept it later. Way in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you because you are a hard man, you take out what you did, not put in and reap what you did not sow. Is Master replied. I would judge you by your own words. You Wicked servant, you knew. Did you that I'm a hard man taking out what I did not put in and reaping what? I did not. So why didn't you put my money on deposit? So that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest and he said to those standing by take his mine away from him and give it to the one who has 10. - sure. They said, he already has 10 your reply. I tell you that to everyone who has more will be given, but that's for the one who has nothing. Even what they have will be taken away, but those enemies in mine who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in front of me. The word of God for the people of God. Thanks, be unto God.

No matter what kind of job you might be in, whether you are stocking shelves at Walmart or you are analyzing data sheets at UVA, Community Credit Union, whatever it might be if you get a memo from your boss and the memo says hey, you know what workers, you know, I'm going to be out of town next week on a business trip. You stop right there. You don't really read the rest of the email was one of the first thought that comes to your mind. your sinful flesh, body your mind, just be honest, was that I can relax. Yep, that's exactly what I was looking for. Right now, some of you, you might be holier than that and you. Just thought that never crosses your mind. And I mean, to be frank, I was raised, you know, on home where you work hard for the Lord are regardless of who's watching over you directly but even still there's a part of me that even if it's trivial I just think next week my boss isn't going to be here. I know some of you have had that thought at least just even if you don't act it out you just entertaining your mind for 5 seconds then you go on working hard with your day. A US Christians. Who is our true Superior? Our true Master at there at Dunkin' Donuts. Write the correct. It's Jesus. Jesus is our true Superior. Our true Master Arcane. That's quite obvious, though. The Jesus is not physically walking around in the world, if you will, he is out of the office physically speaking, all right, in if Jesus were here, physically, if you were here living alongside of you, if you were here this morning, Sitting Among Us. Don't you think you would change your life just a little bit? You would be a little more gracious with the words you speak. You would be a little more intentional about sharing the gospel. You might put a little more money in the offering plate. If he was watching, you know, your every move. All right, but he's not here physically with us and in a much more grave real sense since he's not physically over us physically near us. The Temptation is for you and I to Coast to just walk out just to exist just to get by to waste time. To put forth the most minimal effort on the job at the very real human Temptation. It's our sinful or it's pulling away from striving to please. Our master in our texts this morning. What we see is Jesus explaining to his followers? What life looks like in the in-between time? I, this is a constant theme in the gospels, in the entire Bible. Jesus came in the past Jesus left. He's coming again in the future or if we do for our 50 60, 70 years, that we have here in this world and I miss Katherine box case 95 beautiful years, what are we supposed to do in this in-between time? And Jesus speaks a parable to his followers, to remind them about. This is what you're called to do, this is who you're called to be. This is how you were called to live. How to bore all of this down to one thing I want you to remember today? It's this as we wait for Jesus to come back as we wait for Jesus. The king to come back. We are called to work hard while we wait work hard while you wait. The one point today, let's walk through the text and see what that means for us. Begin Again, verse 11, while they were listening to this, for listening to, Jesus talk about salvation, talk to Zacchaeus, talk to about how he came to seek and save the lost. All his people, while his followers were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable. Cuz he was near Jerusalem. That people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. Is a messiah. You don't know what that means, he's the Christ, you don't know what that means, he's the anointed one. If you don't know what that means, he's the expected one who came to save his people from their came to make all wrongs. Right? Who came to deliver in free in bless and protect. His people gives the long-awaited king, whom the Jews had desired to come to set up his Earthly Kingdom, so they could worship god without any kind of inhibition whatsoever.

And help the text tells us Jesus was near Jerusalem at the epicenter of Jewish life. And the people, his followers, but even the people who are on the kind of the fringes had a cursory. I view with what Jesus was doing, collectively they all thought right there in the text. The kingdom. They thought the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. What they thought was Jesus getting right in the capital. They thought Jesus he displayed so many miracles beforehand walked on water. Calm, the Seas fed 5000 demoniac. Open the Eyes of the blind, raise the dead back to life, so many and Miss displays of power. They thought that this Jesus was now going to unleash the full display of his power. To overcome and it's bull the Roman government to get rid of all of the evil, rulers above them all the oppressors above them. That's all I was going to come at once. they thought in terms of a military takeover, But Jesus, here, he tells this Parable to do come to big things. Correct. Their full T thinking but also call them to write action. Would you just speak? That's what he does. A lot of the time in the entire word of God, we hear the word 21. Correct are faulty. Thinking into to call us to write action, how we are, then should live in light of his truth. Jesus is saying that hearing that since know my kingdom, it's not coming the way you think. It's not coming immediately right now fully but in the meantime this is how you should live. Look at verse 12. a man of noble birth, went to a distant country, to have himself appointed King and then to return, Maybe wondering what's going on there. What does that mean? What was this? Talk about? Man of noble, birth going to distant country to become king, then to return back to be the king, that we make sense of that. What Jesus is speaking in terms of what the Jewish people would have understood at the time. So how many of you remember Herod the Great? And if you don't know who that is, Who's are the great? You're nodding your head Savannah. I'll call you up.

Correct Herod. The Great is the big bad guy in the Christmas account, all right? But when we read about Herod in the gospels, that's herod's son. So hear the great. He's the big bad guy him. He was the King of Judea. He was known as the King of Judea, also known as the king of the Jews at the time. So he, he ruled over the Judean region, for some time, he is squash his opponents. He had please, the Roman superiors who are in power and he was functionally serving as the ruler. As the governor has the king eventually is in progress. He traveled to Rome to be crowned officially as king and then to return back to the region of Judea then rule over the people with the full weight of the full seal of approval from the Roman government. Writing. This is what Jesus is alluding to hear is a man Noble birth. Exact same thing. If you didn't catch this while reading the parable, Parable stand for something, you can't press every detail to firm to hard, but Jesus is the man of noble, birth years for certain nobleman. Jesus is the king of the earth. He is the king of the universe, but Jesus is going to leave Earth. I mean, he did you just going to leave the Earth travel to distant country or just heaven. And then you come back one day with the full weight, the full approval of a fool or of the kingdom of God. But in the meantime, he called 10 of his servants and gave them 10 - put this money to work. He said, until I come back. The king calls, Tim Tim disturbance to himself, gives them both a gift of money. But also responsibility, I noticed he gave them money. So that the mightiest are you wanting, what is a minor? It's about three months wages so you make 50/50 $60,000 that's $12,000 off. $13,000 roughly. Okay, so we gave each of the servants about $12,000, right? Terms of average American Income today. Put this money to work. He said until I come back. Do you notice the preciseness of what Jesus is saying here? The preciseness of his wording? Jesus here. Does not stress the outcome. It does not stress the results, it doesn't focus on the fruit of their Endeavors in there for you. And I today it's not about how many conversions you take part in in your life or how many explicit people you say come to Christ said about how many baptism you might. Oversee is how about how big the church grows? It's a matter of how faithful are you with what God has given you? How faithful are you with what God has given you? Put this money to work, engage in business, do business with this until I come back. I love what one commentator said, he said, you know, the followers to the servants and in for us today they're not instructed or expected to change the world, but simply to be faithful in Jesus's absence with the gift. Given Well, all might seem well write. The coronation time is the time of Celebration a time of festivity as England is about to do, but that's the sun isn't shining. Too brightly on this occasion has a 14. Get that sour note added into the parable, It's subjects hated him since the delegation after him to say, we don't want this man to be our King. No, we don't know if literally every single person in that realm literally hated the king. We don't know that, but the plain language, the plane reading. It's quite clear, the lot of people, a lot of the Common People, hated the king. It's not just you he's not a fan of him. It's a point with his vocal disapproval to the point where they sent Messengers after him out of the country. To go tell them how much they hated him. How much they disapproved of his time in a Reign Over them. Then we see and verse 15. The true Return of the King. Before poking took that Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King verse 15. He was making, however, and we aren't home. I like the way they and Ivy phrases, that he was making, however, and then return home. It's kind of in a reflecting on that I thought I thought of this right, it doesn't matter what the subjects might be saying it doesn't matter what the proposed responses we as human beings. We cannot stop the purposes and plan of God doesn't matter how much we bicker. How much we resist him, how much we were fuse or wine, it gets nothing in Satan and all the Demonic forces, nothing can stop the Divine activity of God. He it came he's going to come back as king, nothing can change that. So we was making whoever returned home. So we called some of the ten servants to himself, right here. He is. He is curious. What is the fruit of your labor? What have you been doing in the meantime? And in similarly, Matthew 25 verse 19. Jesus told another Parable and they're in that verse it says, after a long time the master of those servants returned settle accounts with them. Single is there for a long time? I beat my indicative for us, in terms of when is Jesus coming back after a long time? First servant comes up vs 16 person came and said sure your monitors are in 10 more. Basically, I ironed out of the different Investments, different things. I ordered a hundred twenty five thousand and what you gave me a thousand percent growth and what you gave me very well done. King said have a certain come up, you know King my minor earned 5% growth, $66,000 your faithful with this money. So now you can be entrusted with something much more greats and bigger more complex cities, you take charge of ten cities. You take charge of five cities that is if if you're working as a contractor and so you designed the logo of a company or the church, right? Are we had had our logo redone few years ago, if you prove faithful and just redesigning the logo as a contractor. The Boston says, right, I want you to come work for me now, as the manager of the entire Digital Arts department, or just a massive upgrade, a massive promotion. It's the general Truth for you. And I, if you're faithful with a little God, will entrust you with more If you are faithful with the little, God will entrust you with more. What's piggyback off of Uncle, Ben's sad and Spider-Man and slightly different with great blessing comes great responsibility. Okay. So the more God bless you, the more part of you but then, the sour note steps in again, in verse 20, Another servant came and said, sir, here's your mind. I've kept it later way in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you because you are a hard man, you take out what you did, not put in and reap what you did not sow. This man is sore. When he didn't put his money work, he put his money to sleep instead of actively using it in and getting a return on investment. He did nothing with it sounds, so he just put minimal effort. He did literally absolutely nothing with it. And is it explains a 22 and 23 at the bare. Minimum, the bare minimum you could have put it in a savings account and you could have earned what point 0 5, 4, 0, 0 0 5%. So it seems like sometimes our bank accounts you could have earned me a pin more sense. You could learn something but you did nothing with my money. All you did was stuff it in your sock drawer. You call that faithfulness, you call that hard work. And then it's kind of interesting, though. That the Absurd action from the servant. It's stems from the bad beliefs. He had about the king, the wrong believe. She had about the king, but I was afraid of you because you are a hard man. You are a hard man, yours harsh, your severe. But remember the King, this is a tiny little Parable. We can't get a full character description of who this king is, but just back up a few verses, does a king sound or look like a harsh man? No, right before. What does he do as he was doing all of his coronation stuff. He called 10 of his servants himself and did what he gave them money. He didn't have to do that. All the servants, any money, he wanted to bless the Serpent's, give them an opportunity, to grow to mature, to strive, to prosper, to prove their faithfulness, so that they could, then be blessed with more. Very gracious, very compassionate. Even in these few versus here, but the third servant, the last servant, Yeah. Bad beliefs about the king and his horror. She's bitter. He's angry. And this is why it's so important for you. And I to continually have our thoughts shaped by the word of God concerning who God is. It is human error or human Temptation. Our position is to always think wrong about God. Did you think completely warped thoughts about who he is, right? Some people might think, you know, God is just all of their for anything goes. That's a very wrong attitude on the opposite end of the spectrum, anger and fury and wrath. Therefore he is entirely hell-bent on destroying everything again. That's a limited perspective as well. We need a full picture of who the king is. The only way we can get that picture is by being immersed in the truth. That's why I import We Gather week after week. After week, to know his word to know, the truth to have our full team, mines corrected with the truth, in with the light.

So, right, that's, that's the poor response of the servant. I'm going to briefly address verse 27. I think that one that one is definitely. At you know I was thinking in my notes as I was sending this passage initially I just do observation. I don't look at commentaries or anything else. I just look at the text. You just what do I see? Here are a couple of my notes. I put. Why is verse 14? And verse 27 in here? Because you take those kind of versus out that some text, everything kind of seems decent as this, this nice Rosy color Parable but God is God, right? God reveals himself is who he is. First, 27 is here because it reveals to us a part of who he is. Now, there's no Harding fact, verse 27. Harsh or sounds hoarse because it is Harsh. I just want to have a few things there to help you make sense of that, the severity of their punishment, notice who it is. It's not explicit that the servant is the one who is punished, but the text says those enemies of mine who want me to be king over them. So explicitly, it's referring to fix the citizens, the subject, the common people who hated him and verse 14. Those are the ones who receive this punishment. This death sentence literally And you know the reality is, there are many people in life who simply do not want to live under the rule of God. They do not want to live underneath the rule of Jesus as king. Through their sinful living their sinful, even sometimes verbally, they'll say it verbally to God, I hate you. I don't want anything to do with you. I don't want you near me. Keep your distance. I don't want you to be king over my life. You know, the reality is if that is your attitude, if you have that persistent sin of rebellion and unbelief eventually, this is very sad. Romans 1 details. Listen very clearly. Which eventually God will say, have it your way. If you do not want to live underneath my Mercy, having your way. If you don't want to receive my grace and walk in my ways, the straight and narrow path. Have it your way? It's not as though. That's restricting us limiting. That's, you know, very binding and I in a bad constrictive. Way walking on the path is the only path of safety because on the edge is a straight thousand foot drop off the cliff side Jesus invites us to walk in his ways walk in his word, follow him because following him leads to life leads, to Joy leads to eternal love and happiness. And eventually, if you say, I don't want any that I don't want to submit my life to you, I don't want to walk in your word, have it your way, and that's what he'll and death and rap is. It's God handing us over to our sin is Roman one, makes explicitly clear. And the reality is. The choice is ours, right? God is God, he does not change. Let me see here, there's different responses, some people acknowledge God, you're good, your gracious. I'm going to work hard. I'm going to be faithful with what you giving me. The, some people, the very, very warped perspective of him. And if you had bad thoughts, bad theology, your life will likewise be bad. The choice is ours. The choice is ours, are we going to honor price? Are we going to be faithful with what he's given us? Or we going to squander it. I'm going to waste it. I'm going to do nothing and sit idly by.

Work hard while you wait. If we wait for Jesus to return your call to work hard. How do we work hard? What do you mean by that is Steward, work hard as Gods Stewart. What do you mean by that? I do not mean Stuart Little rights to word with a W Steward of what he's giving you everything that you have in your life, your physical body, your money, your home, your kids, your friends, everything is a gift from God. It's his ultimately Steward what he's entrusted to your care. With the best of your ability there, many Realms of this, right? I mentioned a few of them are your relationships, your spouse, your children, your careers in physical body for money, your home, your car, your talents, your time, your energy. Everything God has given. You is his Steward, when he's giving you. Well, let me in on this kind of title home. What is the most precious gift that he's giving you? But there's a few kind of answers. You might think of about what's the most precious valuable gift? God has given you.

So that's close to what I'm thinking of something a little different.

That right there is no salvation. And in life, eternal life, I would say and then salvation, write the Gospel, write the Gospel message, as 2nd, Timothy, 2:14 calls it. The good deposit at the gospel. Is this precious gift that God has given us? Both at both the message but also internally, right. For those of us who received the gospel inside of a certain of Hearts, it's precious. There's so many ways to Steward God's gifts but the one I want a hammer on just end on his. This, how are you stewarding the gift of the Gospel? How are you stupid and how are you managing and how are you investing it? How are you putting it out there? So that others might be blessed and they might multiply, how are you doing with that? Brighten with Investments. As you know, any investment there is risk. And there's a lot of risk. When it comes to sharing the gospel putting it out there. There's the risk of rejection alienation mockery. There's a risk of our pride being attacked because we we feel like we should have it all together. We should know it all. If they ask a question, I don't know. I'm going to be afraid. I'm not going to respond if I'm just not going to say anything cuz I don't want to deal with that. Kind of fear that. Right? And it comes you might be thinking. Yeah, I know, I know, I know I need to be sharing the gospel. But what? Reaction points to empower you on your journey air breather. Simple number one, what would you say? What would you say, how do you talk about the gospel? How would you share it with somebody? I am thinking I saw the saltiness out of the corner of my eye and I was thinking of our trip to Mexico and I think I shared a little bit of this but we him and I were on the same Row 3 seats, three aisle three and he was on the window I was on I'll have him there's just one poor guy who's right in the middle and you know cuz we knew each other is just kind of this could be awkward for him but eventually we got to talkin and He he asked, you know, what kind of work do you do when you into, I said, yeah, I'm a pastor and he said, so what got you into that? Like why did you choose that career? For you and me. Just open the door like that. You ready for this in my mind, as I are you ready for this? I'm going to unleash as much truth as I can right here. Not just say so I share the gospel, my testimony basically. I receive the Gospel because it's so precious and beautiful. I want to share it with others and I explained what the gospel laws and stuff, but then in the ring and then Dennis shared his personal testimony. But I'm going to steal their thunder right there. They might be another opportunity, but you're just shared his personal testimony, which in short, which is like all of us. If you've been safe, it's this was my life before. Jesus, save me. This is who I am today, right? What would you say? It doesn't need to be grand. It doesn't need to be, you don't even need to have an Open. Bible explained, it's good to have it. You don't need to write your testimony share, the basics of the Gospel, this is who I was in my sin. This is how helpless I was how hopeless. I was Jesus came, Jesus, save me just did all this for me. This is who I am today. I'm not perfect by any means, but I'm a lot better off than when I was before hand. That's the gospel. Simple question. What would you say? What would you say to someone? When the opportunity arises Number to. How's your wallet? How's your wallet when it comes to this? I think of her John Piper say before, when it comes to missions, there's only three options. It's go support or disobey. All right, for the only three options, we have Christians, go support disobey and we're not all called to go overseas or we are all called to support, right? So how are you supporting, how are you supporting those preaching? The gospel around the world? I would encourage you support Ministries. Supporting missionaries financially, your preaching the true gospel Jesus. And I hope, you know my heart. I do not say this every week. Alright, so do not get on me after this, this right now. But I would say begin at home. Okay, begin here at Hillsboro. If you believe, I hope you see, I could preach the word. I preach the word. We believe the gospel. We believe the truth. We try our best to Proclaim it, and promulgated around the world here, in Crozet. And then around the world, begin at home, support the church, give financially, but do not in there. Spend that two others because I was talking to Chris few days ago just about supporting missionaries. You know, you can support a missionary, you can support, Seth, going to Camilla a different Ministry, doesn't have to be people. Just, I know you can support a Ministry that preaches, the gospel, $5 a month and something about doing that Faithfully every month, you have a stake in that Ministry you can say at the end of time, lord all the people that Billy Graham Evangelistic Evangelistic Association, who they reached out to, I had a little part of that cuz I gave five $10 a month to them. And I was walking with one missionary brother and he was saying, how there's a guy who's my age is 25 and for about 10 years so he's 15 but you know, back then he's been supporting this missionary brother ever since he was 15 years old. Are $10 a month. It speaks volumes to do something, say it doesn't need to be $100 a month, $200 here, and there just do something little start somewhere. But partner with those who are preaching the gospel Faithfully, how was your wallet? Then lastly, are you praying for gospel opportunities? Are you praying for these opportunities? Pray for courage, pray for wisdom, and most of all pray for love for the Lost. Sometimes, we might thank you. And I just, I just need a little more courage. Then I'll know what to say. Then I'll be bold and step out into the street or step out to my neighbor to my family member, who needs to hear the message of Salvation. The greatest thing that you need is love, pray for love for the Lost. Pray for open doors. Pray for soften hearts. Church, we are called to work hard while we wait, we're called the steward. When he has given us more, specifically recalled, his Steward, the greatest treasure that he's given us here on Earth. That's the gospel message. How are you investing it? How are you investing it? Let's pray. Then we'll close with the doxology.

And I'm helpless estate. Father, we thank you that you did not leave us. But you sent your son on Mission. To preach to teach. To save us to die for us to rise on the from the grave. Thank you. For those of us here today, who were Christians? We thank you for that sweet salvation. That we hold in our hands. That we hold in our hearts,

There's so many people around us both saved, and not who need encouragement from the gospel. Would you please help us to Steward this gift? Well, that you helped us to use our mouths to speak it verbally. Bare hands and feet. Do good works of Charity of compassion. And may our wallets. May we put our money where our mouth isn't support Ministries and missionaries, spreading the gospel around the world.

Help us to be faithful Lord. Holy Spirit, please help us to be faithful. apart from you, we waste our time, we labor in vain, Are we not with? You is Philippines. 413 tells us with you. We can do all things.

Please strengthen us. Please help us. Please forgive us when we fail. Please let us back up so that we can walk on the path. You've called us to Don't Lie by your power that will succeed. Holy Spirit. That's in the name of Jesus that we prank meet these things to you. Amen.