Faithful Until He Comes
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Luke 19:11–27
The Lord Jesus was drawing near to Jerusalem, and excitement was building around Him.
Luke tells us that He spoke this parable “because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.”
They were looking for a crown, but Jesus was moving toward a cross.
They expected the kingdom to appear immediately, but Jesus explained that there would first be a departure, then a period of responsibility, and finally a return.
In the parable, a nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.
Before he left, he called his servants, gave each one a pound, and said, “Occupy till I come.”
Those words describe the responsibility of every believer living between the ascension of Christ and the return of Christ.
We are waiting for the King, but biblical waiting is not passive.
The present age is not an empty delay.
It is a season of responsibility.
Jesus has entrusted us with His truth, His gospel, our opportunities, our influence, and our days.
He expects us to put them to work for Him until He comes.
The great question of this parable is not merely, “Do you believe Jesus is coming again?”
The question is, “What are you doing until He comes?”
I. A Trusted Assignment
I. A Trusted Assignment
The nobleman did not leave without speaking to his servants.
Verse 13 says, “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”
Before he departed, he placed something valuable into their hands and gave them a clear responsibility.
A. The Master Called
A. The Master Called
The assignment began with the master.
They were called by the one to whom they belonged.
That is where Christian service begins.
We do not serve to earn a place in God’s family.
We serve because, by grace, we belong to Him.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Salvation is not by works, but salvation does produce a life of willing service.
Christ has called every believer to follow Him, represent Him, love others, share the gospel, pray, give, serve, and be faithful where He has placed us.
Not every servant has the same position, but every servant has a responsibility.
The question is not whether you have a title.
The question is whether you are available to your King.
Some believers spend years waiting for a larger assignment while ignoring the one already in front of them.
They are waiting for a public opportunity while ignoring a hurting person, a family member, or someone who needs encouragement.
The call of Christ often sounds like, “Help that person. Pray for that need. Teach that child. Take the next faithful step.”
B. The Master Entrusted
B. The Master Entrusted
The nobleman “delivered them ten pounds.”
Each servant received something that belonged to the master.
This is the language of stewardship.
A steward does not own what he manages.
He is responsible to use it according to the owner’s will.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
Everything in our hands ultimately belongs to God.
Our time belongs to Him.
Our strength belongs to Him.
Our possessions belong to Him.
Our opportunities belong to Him.
Our influence belongs to Him.
Our testimony belongs to Him.
The gospel we have received belongs to Him.
The truth we have learned belongs to Him.
Even the painful experiences through which God has carried us can become tools for helping others.
God wastes nothing that is surrendered to Him.
In Matthew 25, the servants received different amounts according to their several ability.
Here in Luke 19, each servant received the same basic amount.
That may remind us of the common trust every Christian shares.
Every believer has received the gospel.
Every believer has access to the Word of God.
Every believer can pray.
Every believer is part of the body of Christ.
Every believer has someone he can influence.
We may not all have the same gifts, but we all have something from the King.
C. The Master Commanded
C. The Master Commanded
The nobleman said, “Occupy till I come.”
The word “occupy” means to trade, conduct business, or put something to work.
He did not tell them merely to guard, admire, or compare the pound.
He said, in effect, “Put this to work until I return.”
That command gives balance to our understanding of faithfulness.
Faithfulness is not frantic busyness.
It is not filling every moment with activity until we are exhausted.
It is not saying yes to every request and neglecting the responsibilities God has already given us.
Faithfulness is making God’s priorities our priorities.
It is using what He has placed in our hands for His purposes.
Many Christians know much more Bible than they practice.
They have heard the gospel for years, listened to sermons, attended Sunday school, and learned sound doctrine.
All of that is a blessing, but truth was never meant to be wrapped up and stored away.
Truth is meant to shape our lives, strengthen our homes, encourage the church, and reach the lost.
The servants received the same command, but they did not respond in the same way.
The assignment revealed what each servant truly believed about his master and his responsibility.
II. A Faithful Investment
II. A Faithful Investment
When the nobleman returned, he called the servants and asked what had been done with what he had entrusted to them.
Some had put the pound to work.
One had left it untouched.
A. Faithfulness Takes Action
A. Faithfulness Takes Action
The first servant said, “Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.”
Notice that he did not say, “I kept your pound safe.”
He had acted upon the command of his master.
There is a danger in defining faithfulness only by the sins we have avoided.
A person may say, “I never left church. I didn’t ruin my testimony. I still believe the Bible. I didn’t get involved in some scandalous sin.”
Those things matter, but faithfulness is more than avoiding failure.
Faithfulness asks, “What did I do with what God gave me?”
Who did I encourage?
Who did I help?
Where did I serve?
What truth did I share?
Who heard the gospel because I spoke?
What burden did I help carry?
What grew because I was faithful?
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
That verse does not merely say, “Stay where you are.”
It says, “Always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
Faithfulness shows up and acts.
Many of the most important acts of service will never be noticed publicly.
A mother teaches her child to pray.
A church member checks on someone who has been absent.
A believer gives quietly.
Someone encourages a discouraged friend or welcomes a visitor who feels out of place.
The world may call those things small, but the King notices every act of faithful obedience.
B. Faithfulness Produces Fruit
B. Faithfulness Produces Fruit
One servant gained ten pounds.
Another gained five.
Their results were not identical, but both had used what they received.
That protects us from the trap of comparison.
Comparison can paralyze service.
We look at someone with greater ability, a larger ministry, more confidence, or a wider influence, and we decide that our contribution does not matter.
But the master did not ask the second servant why he had not gained ten.
He asked what he had done with what was placed in his hands.
God does not require you to be someone else.
He requires you to be faithful.
One may preach to hundreds while another teaches six children.
One may lead publicly while another serves quietly.
One may see immediate fruit while another sows seed for years.
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
We are responsible for obedience.
God is responsible for the increase.
Faithful investment is never wasted, even when the fruit is delayed.
A lesson, a word of encouragement, a gospel tract, or a prayer may bear fruit long after we have forgotten it.
The King knows every motive, opportunity, limitation, and act of obedience.
C. Faithfulness Rejects Excuses
C. Faithfulness Rejects Excuses
Then came another servant who said, “Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin.”
He still had the pound.
He had not squandered it in riotous living.
He had not lost it through carelessness.
He had not openly joined the citizens who hated the nobleman.
He had simply done nothing with it.
That is what makes his failure so searching.
He may have considered himself careful.
He may have thought preservation was enough.
He may have told himself that at least he had not made things worse.
But the master had not said, “Keep it safe.”
He had said, “Occupy.”
It is possible to protect what we have received and still fail to fulfill why it was given.
We can know the gospel without sharing it.
We can know Scripture without passing it on.
We can have influence without using it for Christ.
We can have a place in the church without serving through it.
We can possess spiritual truth while leaving it wrapped in a napkin.
The servant explained his inactivity by saying, “For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man.”
Perhaps he truly had a wrong view of the master.
Perhaps he was simply offering an excuse.
Either way, his words exposed the heart behind his inactivity.
A wrong view of God can produce spiritual paralysis.
Some believers think, “God expects too much. I could never do enough. I will probably fail. Someone else could do it better. What difference could I make?”
But the answer to fear is not inactivity.
The answer is to know the Master more truly and trust Him more fully.
God does not ask us to produce what only He can produce. He asks us to obey Him with what He has given.
Fear says, “What if I fail?”
Faith says, “What if God uses my obedience?”
The servants’ actions did not remain hidden forever. A day came when the nobleman returned and called each one to account.
III. A Personal Accounting
III. A Personal Accounting
Verse 15 says, “And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him.”
The nobleman’s absence was temporary.
The servants may have lived many days without seeing him, but his return was certain.
A. The King Returns
A. The King Returns
Jesus was correcting the expectation that the kingdom would immediately appear.
The kingdom was certain, but it would not unfold according to their timetable.
The King would depart.
His servants would labor.
His enemies would resist.
Then the King would return.
We are living in that interval.
Jesus has ascended, but He has not abandoned His throne.
He is not absent because He is powerless.
He has gone to receive the kingdom, and He will return in glory.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
His return is a promise that should produce hope, holiness, and service.
There is value in studying prophecy carefully, but the primary effect of Christ’s return should be faithfulness rather than curiosity.
The best preparation for the coming of Christ is not guessing the date.
It is obeying the command.
“Occupy till I come.”
B. The King Reviews
B. The King Reviews
The king called the servants “that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.”
Each servant gave a personal account.
The first could not answer for the second.
The second could not answer for the third.
Each stood before the master with his own stewardship.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
We will not answer for what someone else had.
We will answer for what was placed in our hands.
We will not answer for another person’s opportunities.
We will answer for ours.
We will not answer for another person’s ability.
We will answer for ours.
We will not answer for another person’s influence.
We will answer for ours.
The Lord will not ask why you were not someone else.
He will ask what you did with what He gave you.
That day will reveal many things the world overlooked.
Quiet prayers, hidden sacrifices, unnoticed service, and neglected opportunities will all be revealed.
This is not meant to produce terror, but holy purpose.
Our days, choices, and service matter. What we do for Christ is never wasted.
C. The King Reveals
C. The King Reveals
The accounting revealed more than numbers.
It revealed hearts.
The faithful servants said, “Thy pound hath gained.”
They understood that the pound belonged to the master.
They did not boast, “Look what I accomplished.”
They recognized that the opportunity, the resources, and the increase all came from him.
True faithfulness produces humility.
The more God uses us, the more we should recognize that we are only stewards.
The unfaithful servant revealed a different heart.
He saw the master as harsh and unreasonable.
He tried to use his view of the master as justification for disobedience.
But his excuse did not stand.
The master judged him by his own words.
If the servant truly believed the master was demanding, then he should at least have placed the money in the bank.
His explanation only exposed that he had no intention of obeying.
Excuses may satisfy us now, but they will not satisfy the King then.
“I was too busy.”
“I did not feel qualified.”
“I was afraid.”
“No one asked me.”
“Someone else could do it better.”
“I meant to do it later.”
Those words may sound reasonable today, but opportunities do not last forever.
The King’s review did not merely expose faithfulness and failure.
It showed that the way we serve now has consequences when He returns.
IV. A Certain Kingdom
IV. A Certain Kingdom
The final verses of the parable are serious.
The King’s absence did not weaken his authority.
His return established what had been true all along: he was the rightful ruler.
A. Faithfulness Brings Reward
A. Faithfulness Brings Reward
To the first servant the king said, “Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”
The servant had been faithful with something small, and the king entrusted him with something greater.
The reward was not retirement from service.
It was greater opportunity to serve.
Christ notices faithfulness that others overlook.
He sees the nursery worker, the faithful prayer warrior, the quiet giver, the persistent witness, the patient caregiver, and the church member who carries burdens.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
People may forget.
Churches may overlook.
Even those we help may never fully understand what our service cost.
But the King does not forget.
B. Neglect Brings Loss
B. Neglect Brings Loss
The unfaithful servant lost what had been entrusted to him.
The king said, “Take from him the pound.”
This is not teaching salvation by works.
It is teaching the seriousness of stewardship.
Unused opportunity does not remain available forever.
Children grow up, neighbors move, health changes, strength diminishes, ministry seasons end, and doors close.
The opportunity wrapped in a napkin today may not still be available tomorrow.
Jesus said in John 9:4
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
There is urgency in that statement.
Not panic, but urgency.
Not frantic activity, but faithful action.
One of the great tragedies of life is not merely doing wrong.
It is failing to do the good God placed within our reach.
A kind word left unspoken, a witness never given, a gift never surrendered, or a pound left in a napkin.
C. Rebellion Meets Judgment
C. Rebellion Meets Judgment
Verse 27 turns from the servants to the citizens who hated the nobleman and said, “We will not have this man to reign over us.”
They represent open rejection of the King.
The unfaithful servant was judged for neglected stewardship.
The rebellious citizens were judged for rejecting the king’s authority altogether.
Jesus is not merely a teacher to be admired or a Savior to be added to life on our terms.
He is King.
Every person must answer the question, “Will I have this Man to reign over me?”
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Those who resist Him now cannot prevent His return.
His kingdom is certain.
His authority is final.
His judgment is righteous.
That gives urgency to our witness.
We are not merely trying to make people nicer or improve society.
We are ambassadors for the King, carrying the message that sinners can be reconciled to God through Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The present age is not an empty delay.
It is a season of responsibility.
The King has gone to receive His kingdom.
He has placed something in our hands.
He has told us to put it to work.
He has promised that He will return.
The question is not whether you possess something valuable.
Every believer does.
The question is what you are doing with it.
Perhaps Christ has given you a testimony you could share.
Perhaps He has placed a discouraged person near you.
Perhaps He has given you children or grandchildren to disciple.
Perhaps there is a neighbor you could reach.
Perhaps there is a ministry you could strengthen.
Perhaps there is an ability you have never surrendered.
Perhaps there is time you could invest, truth you could pass on, or a burden you could act upon.
Do not wait for a larger opportunity.
Do not wait until you feel more qualified.
Do not wait until circumstances become easier.
Do not wait until someone asks twice.
Do not wait until the King returns.
The unfaithful servant was not condemned because he had no opportunity.
He was condemned because he wrapped his opportunity in a napkin.
So here is the closing question:
What has Christ placed in your hands that you have left wrapped in a napkin?
By the grace of God, take it out.
Put it to work.
Offer it to the King.
And determine that until He comes, you will be found faithful.
