The Lazy Servant

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Lazy

Sunday 02/10/19

Series: Walking the Talk

Message – The Lazy Servant

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The Lazy Servant

Again, the take aways are…

  1. Examine yourself – How? By the word and by invitation (invite Him).
    1. PS. 139 “(23) Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. (24) See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”
  2. Be prepared for His return. – How? By doing business until He returns.
  3. Be a surrendered servant.
  4. Be a faithful servant.

Our focus verse is still in 2Peter 3:11-12,

“(11) Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, (12) looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, …”

MOST of Jesus’ parables were about stewardship in one way or another and our passage in Luke 19:11-27 is no different.  

Let’s read it through once:

“(11) As they were listening to this, He went on to tell a parable because He was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away. (12) Therefore He said: “A nobleman traveled to a far country to receive for himself authority to be king and then return. (13) He called 10 of his slaves, gave them 10 minas (each), and told them, ‘Engage in business until I come back.’  (14) “But His subjects hated him and sent a delegation after Him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to rule over us!’ (15) “At His return, having received the authority to be king, he summoned those slaves he had given the money to so he could find out how much they had made in business. (16) The first came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has earned 10 more minas.’ (17) “‘Well done, good slave!’ he told him. ‘Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, have authority over 10 towns.’ (18) “The second came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’ (19) “So he said to him, ‘You will be over five towns.’  (20) “And another came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina. I have kept it hidden away in a cloth (21) because I was afraid of you, for you’re a tough man: you collect what you didn’t deposit and reap what you didn’t sow.’ (22) “He told him, ‘I will judge you by what you have said, you evil slave! If you knew I was a tough man, collecting what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow, (23) why didn’t you put my money in the bank? And when I returned, I would have collected it with interest!’ (24) So he said to those standing there, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has 10 minas.’ (25) “But they said to him, ‘Master, he has 10 minas.’ (26) “‘I tell you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away.  (27) But bring here these enemies of mine, who did not want me to rule over them, and slaughter them in my presence.'”

So far we’ve learned:

Well Done

  • The Nobleman represented Jesus both in the flesh and at His return. [Acts 2:32-36 “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, (35) TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL.”; Heb. 1:3-13 “about the Son: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice.”; 1Cor. 15:25-28 “For He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet. (26) The last enemy to be abolished is death.” ]
  • The Nobleman was “set apart” to become king over a kingdom, He left for a time for the express purpose of being crowned with authority to take up that position and rule.
  • The 10 slaves represent those who were His servants and therefore part of His house – THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ACCURATE INTERPRETATION !!!
  • His investment in them was sizable. A Mina was about 1/3rd of a years income for a the average man.

Well Done

  • What did Jesus invest in us?
    •  Redemption
    • Forgiveness
    • Restoration
    • A ministry of reconciliation
    • Gifts
    • Hope (be ready with an answer for…)
    • Not to mention His own nature.
  • His command was to “engage in business until I return” > This has served as our Key and central verse!

Well Done

    • We discovered that “Business” meant to be busy and occupied producing GAIN for the kingdom from the investment He made in us.
    • This list can be reduced down to:
      • Forming Christ within – fruit or character change. This list can be reduced to…
      • Forming Christ without – be a living witness and share the gospel…be salt and light.

We referenced Matt. 25, where Jesus spoke of the 10 virgins & the talents  BOTH parables beginning with the words “Then the kingdom of been will be likened to…”. [ready & diligent]

Then He immediately spoke of what it will be like when He returns and separates the sheep from the goats. ALL the difference between these two groups was found in what they DID and DID’NT DO!

We referenced Jesus in His youth in Luke 2:41-50, Who was “… about His Father’s business.” by studying & sharing the Word.

We referenced the kind of life we should live towards believers & the lost.

To believers:

    • Ministering to their spiritual & natural needs.
    • Be like-minded, sympathetic, compassionate, willing to suffer for one another…etc.
  • Avoid sibling squabbles… Walk in love.

We referenced the kind of life we should live towards the world

    • Salt & Light – Which includes the charge to not be diluted by the influence of the world and living lives of godliness before the world so they can see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. This includes our love for each other which is how Jesus said they would know us.
    • O Be Careful, Little Eyes. It goes…“Oh, Be careful little eyes what you see, For there’s a Father up above And He’s looking down in love so be careful little eyes what you see”, The verses appropriately go on to address the ears, hands, feet & mouth – in each admonishing them to be mindful and respectful of the all Loving Father Who is watching.
  • We are also to be gentle and respectful towards them & NEVER retaliating OR DEFENDING ourselves but only blessing.

In this parable we learned that the world are the subjects who did not want the nobleman to rule over them.

>You see, their delegation was a rejection both of the Nobleman AND those doing business on His behalf.

>They rejected the message they brought, the life they lived and the kingdom in which they served.

>Which on the flipside, means they were NOT rejecting the one “servant” who did NOT do business until He returned. That servant blended in with them so well, as to be indiscernible from them. – More on that in a little while.

Finally we learned that: 

  • Upon His return He FIRST deals with his 10 servants which are broken down into three categories by only mentioning three of them.
      • To the first He gave praise and honored him with authority
      • To the second He only honored with authority. [not sure how much to read into that since the parable of the talents both were told well done.]
      • So we learned that regardless of the amount or effectiveness of the work done by His servants – those who accomplished work until He returned were honored by ruling WITH HIM.
    • The Well Done good and faithful servant – was reserved for the ONE who obtained 100 fold – which we believe can safely corresponds to how much of his life he dedicated to His Nobleman’s business.

We then read Rev. 3:14-22 HCSB where Jesus addresses His servants in Laodicea. He addresses their complacency and over assessment of their own well-being in Christ. He counsels them to change their thinking and receive their righteousness (living) from Him (Gold), and sensitivity to the Spirit that they might have spiritual eyes to see what is truly valuable. He did this rebuke because He loved them and He promised that if they would commit themselves to perpetual and real communion with Him they would overcome and the victor would rule and reign with Him.

This week we are looking at the third and final servant, which in a way sort of preaches itself in that he epitomizes the opposite of everything the other servants did and everything Jesus counseled the Laodicean church to do. Let’s read it in Luke 19:20-26..

(20) “And another came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina. I have kept it hidden away in a cloth (21) because I was afraid of you, for you’re a tough man: you collect what you didn’t deposit and reap what you didn’t sow.’ (22) “He told him, ‘I will judge you by what you have said, you evil slave! If you knew I was a tough man, collecting what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow, (23) why didn’t you put my money in the bank? And when I returned, I would have collected it with interest!’ (24) So he said to those standing there, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has 10 minas.’ (25) “But they said to him, ‘Master, he has 10 minas.’ (26) “‘I tell you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away.”

    • This third servant was not faithful in his work. He did not “do business” until He returned.
        • He was not busy and occupied producing GAIN for the kingdom from the investment He made in us.
      • This list can be reduced to…
          • Failing to see Christ within – fruit or character change.
        • Failing to encourage Christ without – be a living witness and share the gospel…be salt and light. Being like the world,hanging out with them, seeking their friendship, valuing what they value. I will offer an illustration from scripture in a moment.
  • His king took even what he had, gave it to the one who was the MOST faithful and shamed him for his laziness and unfaithfulness – this servant proved to not know Him.
    • One might ask…If this is about producing something then, what of the man on the cross who Jesus said would be with Him in paradise? He didn’t have time to do anything. Well this may not be so much about sins of commission but sins of omission. The thief DID acknowledged Him, appealed to Him and placed His trust in Him publicly. There are many who call themselves Christian who do not do as much before the world and if this man had even done just that much He would have produced something.

This is just like, Luke 12 & Matt. 24:42-51,

“42  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’  49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

NOTE: IT IS IMPERATIVE NOT TO MISUNDERSTAND PARABLES MIXING THEM WITH UNRELATED SCRIPTURES!

This is ENTIRELY different from the child of God who does in fact do some work for the kingdom, but is lagging in diligence. This one may suffer loss but will still be saved as 1Cor. 3:1-15 clearly teaches.

  • 1Cor. 3:1-15, NKJV “(1) And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. (2) I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; (3) for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? (4) For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? (5) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? (6) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. (7) So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. (8) Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. (9) For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. (10) According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. (11) For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (12) Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, (13) each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. (14) If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. (15) If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
    • There is a second school of thought which is supported by VERY little evidence and in my opinion a fair amount against it, but states that, those who …like these servants are largely unproductive but do not deny Him nor reject His general rule may be saved, but will not be able to rule and reign with Him in His millennial Kingdom. I have reservations about this from scripture which I will show later, but we should show all the more diligent to honor Him now as we have opportunity in the midst of a perverse and unbelieving generation.

Jesus ends this parable with an awful display of justice to those who reject Him…

“(27) But bring here these enemies of mine, who did not want me to rule over them, and slaughter them in my presence.'”

The end for those who will not surrender to His rule and reign is eternal death – being cast away from His presence.

…Blessings! 

 

I hope this message will bless you richly…not because I taught it, but because it reveals Christ. He alone is our blessing and if in any way – whether big or small, 100% accurate or even just partially so – I have revealed our great God and Savior to you in a relationally knowable way, then this was time well spent on both our parts.

We at Living Grace Fellowship encourage you to place your trust in Jesus Christ, deliberately choosing Him and bowing the knee to Him as your Master and Lord, so as to come to realize Him as your Savior.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. The fact that you exist… that you are His creation, says you were in His heart, you are His delight!

If you do not know Him, please reach out to us. Give us a call at the number located on every page of this website or use our ‘Contact Us‘ page. We would be deeply honored, if you gave us the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Neither money nor attendance at our church will EVER be mentioned.

If you HAVE been spiritually fed by this ministry and WANT to give, we truly appreciate that and you may do so here, but please understand that all the outreaches of this ministry are FREE for you and anyone to enjoy at no cost.

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!