You ought to know better!!!!

Intro:

Luke 12:41–48 CSB

41 “Lord,” Peter asked, “are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?” 42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.

Intro:

Illustration of Me, Shayler, and Clayton throwing Rocks at the Ducks

Review:

We as individuals and the church as a collective are salt to the world.

We are meant to preserve the church and slow down the decaying process of the world

We are meant to add flavor to the world with our supernatural wisdom given to us by God.

We are light to the world for that is the means that God uses to draw men unto himself. Our lives and testimony becomes the mechanism through which God speaks to the world.

That makes our christian testimony the most important thing Christian should be focused on

I. The Faithful Manager

Luke 12:41–44 CSB

41 “Lord,” Peter asked, “are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?” 42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

(EXP)(41) Peter seeks clarity from Jesus on applying the previous parable. The previous parable is related to Readiness. And a servant should have the correct attitude when waiting for his Master to return home. Jesus ends the parable by saying (40) You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. The Servant lives with a preparedness mindset. He must never be surprised because his life revolves around what pleases the Master.

(41) Peter wants to know, “Is this us or for everyone”

Who is in the crowd?

Luke 12:1 CSB

1 Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands came together, so that they were trampling on one another. He began to say to his disciples first, “Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

(1) In the midst of teaching his disciples the crowd has swollen to thousands. Notice (1) says “began to say to his disciples first” that is his primary audience, which the crowds could also benefit from the teaching.

In Peter question you could see a touch of arrogance. Jesus teaches a parable about being ready and Peter is like “is that for us or all this crowd of people who have not made the commitments we have!” Peter is saying by his question we good we have given it all for you already. We have made the necessary sacrifices.

Luke 12:42–44 CSB

42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

(EXP)(42) Jesus does not answer Peter question and then he immediately goes into another parable somewhat related to the previous parable. I believe what Jesus implicit answer to Peter question was “If the shoe fits then wear it!”

(42) Jesus ask a question “who then is the faithful and sensible manager” he talked about two qualities:

Faithfulness-Reliable-You can lean on him

Sensible-Wise-knows how to apply knowledge properly. Logical and discerning & prudent.

(42) The Master is this text is (kyrios) which can me “Lord” proper or Ruler. The Master in this parable has property, land, and servants that need to be managed, and the Master is throwing out a question. “Who is able to take care of my stuff while I’m gone?”

(43) “Blessed” Happy or Fortunate is the man who is managing, leading and caring for the Master’s property.

Luke Slave Parables, 12:35–48

This is your proof of a good slave who looks after his master’s business, sees to it, gives it his care and consideration—when he watches over his master’s business in his master’s absence just as diligently as if he was present, or even more so.

Titus Maccius Plautus[1] (/ˈplɔːtəs/ PLAW-təs; c. 254 – 184 BC) was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period.

Luke Slave Parables, 12:35–48

Plautus, Men. 968–82.

What does that mean for us?

Those of us who have been left to manage the affairs of our Lord should manage them in the same way “The Master” would if he was here, and as if he is there watching over us.

That makes it incumbent on us to study Jesus's character to see how he lived and cared for his father's affairs. The more we study Christ, the better we will be at our jobs as Managers of his affairs.

(43) Blessed is that servant(manager) the master finds doing his job when he comes. He is blessed because of the next verse.

(44) “Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” I believe this has some temporal implications as well as eternal implications. On earth, God seems to give more responsibility and authority to those who have faithfully managed the authority he has already given them. Now, this is not always the case on Earth. Some faithful believers on Earth may never preach a sermon or lead a ministry, but in Heaven, it’s guaranteed you will rule over many cities.

Jesus is trying to convey that our time on earth is evaluative. Your management of his affairs will determine your job title in heaven. And in heaven, there will not be any affirmative action or DEI because our lot or job in heaven will be based on a pure meritocracy. This parable follows the same trajectory as “The Parable of the Minas and the Talents” but promises more responsibility when the Master returns.

Labor a little now, and soon you shall find great rest, in truth, eternal joy, for if you continue faithful and diligent in doing, God will undoubtedly be faithful and generous in rewarding.

Thomas à Kempis (Ascetical Writer)

Transition Statement: Jesus in this parable contrast the faithful with the Unfaithful servant. Let’s check on him.

II. The Unfaithful Manager

Luke 12:45–48 CSB

45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.

(EXP)(45) This Manager(servant) decided in his heart. “my master is delaying his coming.” This is a presumptive decision. This is a decision based on no data. This manager decided that while the Master was away, he was well within his rights to abuse, take advantage of, and destroy the Master's resources. You will remember in Luke 12:42

Luke 12:42 CSB

42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time?

It said the faithful manager was sensible. The Ole Saints would say, “That boy got good sense!”

He had the sense to know that his Master's return was unpredictable, so since he is unaware of his Master's return, it would be wise to always be ready. This also shows his mindset about the Master stuff. He recognized that his future was tied to the success of his Master's business, so if he destroyed the resources and assets of his Master's business, the unintended consequences would also affect his life.

The Unfaithful Servant, like the wisdom to understand the Master, was on his own time schedule and could come home at any moment. And he also lacked the proper concern and care for the master resources. Notice what he did Luke 12:45

Luke 12:45 CSB

45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

(45) The Unfaithful beat on the master male and female servants and consume his resources. The only thing he didn’t reckon with was (46)

Luke 12:46 CSB

46 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

(46) The Master comes when the Unfaithful servant is not expecting him. I think most people on earth, both Christian and non-Christian, kind of live like Uniformitarianists.

Uniformitarianism: Uniformitarianism, also known as the Doctrine of Uniformity or the Uniformitarian Principle, is the assumption that the same natural laws and processes that operate in our present-day scientific observations have continuously operated in the universe in the past and apply everywhere in the universe. These people view the history as cyclical rather than linear. The cosmos is eternal and will continue that way throughout time. Peter deals with this error in 2 Peter 3:9

2 Peter 3:3–7 CSB

3 Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their evil desires, 4 saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” 5 They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. 6 Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. 7 By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

(3-4) “Scoffers,” “mockers,” “trash talkers” will come saying, “Where is his coming that he promised?”

Uniform

(5) Denying the supernatural incidents that have already taken place. As you would guess, Uniformitarians deny God's immanence. They may acknowledge God’s transcendence, but they deny his immanence.

In this parable, Jesus speaks about two people, faithful and unfaithful servants who lived under the same roof and received the same benefits from the Master. Yet one decided to be faithful to the master's resources, and the other took advantage of them.

In this crowd listening to Jesus preach are Jewish people who all sat up under the care of The Master and were charged with the care of his resources, starting with the message to the world of a future messiah. Listen to Luke in Acts 7:37-39

Acts 7:37–39 CSB

37 “This is the Moses who said to the Israelites: God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. 38 He is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us. 39 Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him. Instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

Acts 7:44 CSB

44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.

Acts 7:45 CSB

45 Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before them, until the days of David.

The Children of Israel was a nation that God chose to reveal his plan to the world.

They had personal experiences that other nations did not have. Stephen talks about some of those things in his sermon.

In this parable, Jesus implicitly addresses this very thing. Notice what he said in Luke 12:45

Luke 12:45 CSB

45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

I believe this is a parabolic reference to all the OT prophets that God sent to Israel that the children of Israel beat and killed. Jesus is rebuking the whole crowd and the disciples for rejecting truth.

Conclusion:

Luke 12:46–48 CSB

46 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.

(46) Notice the outcome of the Unfaithful Servant. The Master “cut him to pieces” and assign him a place with the unfaithful. This tells me this scripture is more than just an earthly story. Jesus is speaking eschatologically about the Unfaithful Servant's final resting place. It's the same place as pagans!!!! That’s not all!!!

Spiritual Principle

(47) Notice what the text says about the Unfaithful servant. The one who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten, and then he talks about another group in (48)

(48) The one who did not know the Master will but sinned or did something worthy of judgment will receive a lighter judgment.

Jesus talks about two groups in the finale of this parable.

False Believer: The who ought to have know better-These are folks who call themselves believers, these are folks who were raised in the church, these are folks who like to quote scripture, these are folks who are leading ministries. Jesus says folks will receive greater judgment in Hell. Notice (46) He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unfaithful

Pagan: This is one who had little to no exposure to Christ who lived according to their own fleshly desires and die and went to hell. The text says they shall recieve a lighter sentence.

And Why?

Because the False Believers “Ought to have known better!” Look at what Jesus in John 19:11

John 19:11 CSB

“You would have no authority over me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

Jesus tells Pilate the one who actually handed me over to you is guilty of the greater sin and therefore will receive the greater judgement.

And why?

Because they had the whole OT revelation, the prophets, and the miracles to prepare them for the Lord, and they still rejected him.

The greater the revelation the greater the condemnation. The more you know, the more you are responsible for. Peter help us 2 Peter 2:20-22

2 Peter 2:20–22 CSB

20 For if, having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.”

It adds: "And until I really completed my first Genesis through Revelation reading of the Bible, which I did since I was incarcerated, I really didn't feel as comfortable as I am. Genesis begins almost … I think it's Genesis 2:7, expresses the breath of life as the beginning of life. …The Bible to me is very clear that life does not happen until breath. I very strongly believe in my innocence and there are many people who believe that." Kermit Gosnell Abortion DR from PA who killed women and babies!

Jonathan Edwards had complex views on slavery, which changed over time. Early views 

As a young man, Edwards owned slaves and defended slavery as an institution.

He believed that slavery was necessary, though sometimes malevolent.

He considered enslaved people his spiritual equals.

Later views 

As he aged, Edwards came to oppose the slave trade.

He believed that it was unjust to "disfranchise" people who had been born free.

He criticized the idea that only people who were "neighbors" deserved equal consideration.

Legacy

Edwards was a transitional figure in the development of abolitionism. 

His son, Jonathan Edwards Jr., and his protégé, Samuel Hopkins, became leading abolitionists. 

Edwards's antislavery followers believed their views were consistent with his teachings. 

Other notes

Edwards wrote down some of his slave purchase records in his Blank Bible and his Last Will and Testament. 

He legally defined the term "neighbor" to exclude African people

Some of the greatest atrocities since the 1500 until now have come under the permission and endorsement of the Church.

The Crusades, The Spanish Inquisition, The Transatlantic Slave Trafficking, The Native American Genocide, Jim Crow, The war on crime and the Abortion crisis.

Who’s guilty of the greater sin?

The 18 year old homosexual foster care kid who was molested as child and never had anyone to care for him or the Pastor running to the white house trying to get influence with the President to build his local ministry and his podcast.

As Jesus says “That Servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten”

Oh Yeah! Peter that Parable was for “anyone who has a ear to hear to it!”

Open the doors of the church