February 11 Sermon: Much Given, Much Required

In this week’s message, we see the imperative of preparing for Jesus's return. The parable Jesus tells teaches vigilance and the wise use of spiritual gifts. We also see the contrast of faithfulness with unfaithfulness and the need to consider the eternal consequences of our actions. Believers are called to diligently serve God's kingdom as good stewards of what God has blessed us.

Consider these questions as you listen to this week’s message from Luke 12:35-48:

1. How do the parables of watchful servants and faithful stewards, as described, illustrate the concept of preparedness for Jesus' return?

2. What contrasts between faithfulness and unfaithfulness are highlighted, and what are the consequences of each in the context of Christian belief?

3. How can believers use their spiritual gifts for the kingdom of God, and what is the significance of doing so, according to Jesus' teachings?

Transcript:

Everyone has at some point been involved in a game of hide and seek? This is kind of a universal experience for humans. It's a game that doesn't require much in the way of supplies. I guess you couldn't play it in the middle of nowhere with nothing to hide behind, but otherwise you don't need much to play hide and seek, right. It is a game that everybody knows and the rules are pretty simple. Really, the only controversial part of the game is the amount of time allowed for people to hide right. How much does the person who's going to be seeking have to count? In most cases, the amount of time allowed for people to hide is more than a count down from just ten, especially if you have one of those brothers or cousins who counts too fast. I hope none of you were that kid. Nobody likes that kid, right? But every hide and seek game has one of those people, and these are the types of things we have to think about. Are we ready when the person who is seeking us is coming to find us, regardless of the time that is allowed for hiding. There is a statement that is universally used when we get down to zero from whatever number we're counting from. Ready or not, here I come. Now that statement can invoke numerous responses in us while we're playing this game. Right, if you have long since found your desired hiding spot, you hear that and you sort of smugly think I'm ready and you're not going to find me. Or you might hear that statement and you haven't found a spot and you go diving behind whatever it is you can find. Or there's that person who hasn't found their spot yet and doesn't want to do the diving and they begin by complaining about how fast the counting was. I'm pretty sure those are at least the three main options. I'm sure there's some variance on that theme, but generally speaking those are the reactions.

And as we come to our passage today, jesus is telling his disciples to be ready. Will they be alert at the coming of the Son of man? He tells them that they are to be continually ready, prepared for his coming. Now, for God's people, we are to always be on watch. We're always ready. We're to always be ready for the return of the Lord. It won't do us any good to complain that he returned too quickly, and it isn't advisable for us to go diving behind some sort of refuge when he comes. We're called to be ready when Christ returns at the end of history to judge the living and the dead. We should confidently be hidden in Christ because he's our only refuge.

So let's set up our main points today to help us navigate the text, and then consider this passage where Jesus calls his disciples and us to be ready. The first point that we're going to consider today is this idea that I've been talking about we are to be ready for the coming of Jesus, and to do this we're going to see that Jesus uses a few different parables, specifically the parable of the watchful servants. The second point we're going to see is that we're called to be faithful stewards of what God has given us. We are to faithfully use our gifts for the kingdom of God, and this is a stewardship that is beyond financial considerations or other material considerations. We're called to be good stewards of the spiritual gifts and the gospel message. Finally, we see the contrast between faithfulness and unfaithfulness. We see what faithfulness looks like and then we see the consequence of being unfaithful. So let's get into the text here and consider these words from Jesus today.

So, as we come to this parable from Jesus, I need to take us back to the rest of the context of chapter 12. We really can't feel the flow of the text without really reminding ourselves of a few small details here, because it's important and we want to handle the text faithfully, right. So Jesus has been speaking here in chapter 12 to his disciples. Now, when we started at the beginning of the chapter, there was a great crowd and Jesus warned them, the disciples, that the crowds were going to turn on them. So he goes from the crowd to this conversation with his Titus group, with his disciples, and he is basically telling them that the crowds are going to turn on them and they need to be prepared for persecution. Now he's done all of this by telling them that they need to value the things of God, they need to value the things of the kingdom and not the stuff that the world finds valuable.

And immediately prior to this passage that we're looking at today, we see Jesus say those very famous words where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. That's the context. We're coming to this passage with this idea of prioritizing the kingdom of God over the kingdom of the world. And then Jesus moves to these statements, and he is telling them to be ready for the coming of the Son of man. So the parable that Jesus tells us here is really straightforward, isn't it? Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning. Now, while the context of these statements looks different for us, we get the importance here of what's being said. Of course, their clothing and their instruments for light were different than ours, but we've all been caught in a situation in our lives where we were maybe not clothed correctly or we were in the dark. So we can relate to this statement of Jesus here. We know what it means to be outfitted correctly and to keep our lamps burning.

And in the parable here, the watchmen at the door are keeping an eye out for their master. He is at a wedding feast and they have no idea when he is going to come back. Again, a contextual thing. They're not going to get a text right, they're not going to get a call on the cell phone. They are unaware of when the master is going to return. And so the task set before them is that these servants are to be ready so that the moment that he knocks, they will let him in.

And as simple as this story is, the statement of blessing here is just as simple. Blessed are those servants who are awake. That's clear. To know how to be blessed is crystal clear for us here. It's easy to be blessed Just be awake when the master arrives. Like I said, really simple, but the reward is quite interesting. The servants who are awake are going to be served by the master. They will have a place at his table and he will serve them. He will bless them with his presence if they are found to be faithful to the task that he has set before them to do. And so the call of Jesus and the blessing for following that call is very clear here Be found ready and he will have fellowship with you. Wait for him, be ready. He is coming. And he makes sure that the point is understood by showing that they need to be persistently watchful, by telling them the extent of their job.

As we read here, it talks about the second watch and the third watch of the night. Well, the Jewish people. They broke up their night into three watches. So what Jesus is saying here by bringing this up, is that it could come in the second watch of the night or the third. It could come at any time and if he finds them awake they will be blessed. But he is letting them know that they should be on watch all the time. There's no time to just be lax with this. It could be at any point during the night. The point is, the master is coming and the task of the servants of the master is a persistent task. They are not to give up on it. They are to be prepared for the master to return at any time. This is all really clear here.

But this first point about readiness in these verses it concludes with a bit of a change of focus that can be confusing for us. Jesus has been talking about watching for the master all through the night and then suddenly it switches, talks about the master of the house not being prepared for a thief. That's an interesting change of focus. We go from a faithful servant and then suddenly we have this image of a thief. What's going on here? Well, what is happening here is this is a contrast of a master who is generous and faithful to his servants, a good master and then there's a contrast with those who are not good, the ones who would break into the house, the ones who would take advantage of their not being ready. And what Jesus is doing here? He's showing us what it looks like to not be prepared, because to be caught unaware Jesus is letting us know it will cause us great loss. It's like a thief who comes and takes advantage of you. Like I mentioned, this feels out of place here, because we have this benevolent servant or master who comes in and serves his servants and then suddenly it switches to the thief. Well, the point here is the contrast. You need to be ready for the coming of the Son of man and you can either be blessed or you can have loss. Those are the options, and so we're called to be ready for it.

And as we move on to our second point about being faithful stewards, we see that Peter, he's trying to figure out here. What is this all about? Why is Jesus talking in this way? We're to be good stewards here. Jesus is going to tell Peter of what God has blessed us with. And I find the question that Peter has here to be kind of interesting, because remember back, like I mentioned before, to the beginning of the chapter, the masses were in and around Jesus everywhere, but Jesus isn't teaching the masses here. He was teaching his disciples in the midst of the masses. And now Peter wants to know is this just for us, or is this for everybody? And also, this isn't probably the question that I would have asked Jesus. Not at all.

If he was talking about the coming of the Son of man, I would have been like, okay, when's this going down? No, I want to be ready, so tell me when it is. It's always easier to be ready when you know someone's coming. That would have been my question. Or I would have said what exactly is going to happen? What is the coming of the Son of man going to look? Like Jesus? Or maybe something like okay, I understand the parable, it's pretty simple. But can I have some specifics on how you're going to judge me, on whether or not I'm ready, like how much of what you've given me to do do I have to have done? That will be acceptable for you, right? These are the questions I would have asked.

But Peter is wondering who is this for?

He wants to know who is going to be held to this standard. Is it just them or is this everybody? And Jesus answers in a really interesting way. He goes back to the parable right. Who would be the one who's found faithful, the one who is doing the job that they've been entrusted with? And this is why I brought up the context when we started.

What did we see last week? That Jesus is calling his disciples to put their emphasis on the things of the kingdom instead of focusing on the things of the earth. He's telling them to do the stuff that matters for eternity, not the stuff that is going to fade. Jesus has told them to emphasize the kingdom of God over the material possessions that would distract them from their calling as disciples of Jesus. And so God bestows his gifts to people and he calls you and I to be faithful in our use of those gifts for the kingdom of God. That's the kingdom work that he sets before us.

The gifts he gives to people are not just about the pastor's ability to preach, the missionary's ability to spread the gospel in other parts of the world, or the ruling elders' gift in shepherding the church. Every one of us has gifts that God gives to us and they are to be used for service to the kingdom of God. And we are found to be faithful and wise as we use those gifts he has given us. We so quickly start to think that if my gifts aren't necessarily something that can be used for the service of the church or used in missions, well then my gifts don't matter. But as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, it's vital that we remember that this perspective that we're to have is that all our labor is laboring for the kingdom of God. All that we do is using our gifts for God's glory, the way in which we serve our neighbors and our vocations, or any opportunity that we have to use the gifts that God has given us. That's kingdom work. That's the responsibility that God has given us. This is the task set before us. God gives us gifts that we might use them and be found faithful, using those gifts to the glory of God.

The watchmen at the door in the parable were given the task to watch for the master, and they were found to be faithful. And your gift isn't sitting at a door watching for someone to come back from a wedding, but you have been given gifts, you have them. And so the question we ask will you be found faithful in using that gift that God has abundantly bestowed upon you? Are you going to be a good steward of the blessings that God has poured out upon you. When's the last time you considered this? I want to challenge you as you consider this passage in the coming week, as you remember this parable, as you remember this morning, take a moment to consider how are the gifts that I have being used to bless the kingdom? How am I living in service to the kingdom of God and for his glory?

Being found faithful in these things is connected to great blessings, according to this passage. Isn't it when the Master finds the servant faithful? We see here that the servant is set over all his possessions he receives great blessings. God blesses the work of his people. He uses that work, he multiplies it. And the other blessing is is we don't labor for the kingdom by ourselves. You're not out there doing this all alone. As the people of God, we are moving in the same direction. We're all doing our gifts together to bring glory to God, that he might be glorified in the gifts that he has given us. So the answer to Peter's interesting question here is pretty clear. Isn't it? This parable that Jesus is telling is not just for the disciples, but for everyone that God gives gifts to. Therefore, it's a call for every believer, in every time, to be faithful stewards of God's gift at the coming of the Son of man. And as we close up with our final and third point, today, we're going to see the contrast between faithfulness and unfaithfulness here, in this last section of the passage.

Now, as we move into these words here, we see some relatively intense words. We can imagine how this scenario Jesus describes in this last parable goes down, though, can't we? I'm guessing? At some point we've seen someone messing around at work because the boss is away, and perhaps we've all been that person ourselves, but we know they're going to be gone for a long time, so we don't work so hard. And we don't do that because we know we work hard most of the time, so we deserve to goof off every once in a while. And usually that type of attitude starts off pretty harmless, doesn't it? But how quickly does that escalate? How quickly does that attitude get out of hand? And that's what happens here. They eat and drink and get drunk, but the master comes back unexpectedly and punishes them.

Now, I'm guessing that most of you didn't read ahead, and as I was reading the passage a few minutes ago, you were caught by surprise at the punishment that Jesus says here. It seems rather harsh, doesn't it? He will cut him in pieces. You probably didn't see that coming right. The servant. According to what we read here, they got drunk and beat a few servants and now they're cut into pieces. That imagery is not too friendly to our modern sensibilities at all. So why the harsh imagery here? Well, the idea that Jesus is drawing out for us here is the nature of absolute and eternal judgment.

We see that in the idea of this, where it says the ones being punished, where they're being placed. Notice what it says. It says they're cut in pieces and he put him with the unfaithful. The idea is separation, the idea is judgment. They are put with the unfaithful and we see that this is the worst punishment of the worst offenses. The idea here is to show the severity of the judgment. The one who beats the servants, the one who gets drunk when the master is absent, is punished most harshly. They are punished and separated. The servant who was not ready and didn't do the master's will, even though they knew it. Here they're given a severe beating, is all. And then the one who didn't know what they were supposed to do. We see that they only receive a light beating, and all of these seem really harsh to us, and really there's a pretty big step down from being cut in pieces and light beating right. There's some pretty big variance here, but the point of this whole final section of the parable is clear. When we see that severity, right, jesus is giving it to a straight. Everyone who is given much of much will be required. Those who are entrusted with great responsibility will be held responsible for what God has given to them. That's the point here.

But as we close up, it's absolutely vital that we understand where our hope and where our assurance of salvation comes from. The message of Scripture is that we receive salvation not based upon our merits, but solely on the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, and so we need to be sure that we are not letting this passage cause us to doubt our salvation If we think that we have not used our gifts to the full of our ability. That's not the point here. It's not like if you don't use your gifts to the fullness of your ability, god is going to say to you on the last day well, you didn't become a missionary, sorry, you're going to hell. That's not the point of the story. The judgment here is not going to negate the righteousness of Jesus Christ that you are given by faith in Him. That's not, again, that's not the point of the story.

The point is to be deliberate and focused on doing the good work of the Kingdom, to have our hearts directed toward the things that matter and the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. That's the point of the story. Is our heart directed toward the Kingdom and serving God with the gifts that he has given us, or our hearts directed towards the things of this world? Too often, our sinful nature causes us to feel that we are to be served instead of serving others. As we think about how we can use our gifts in light of this story, and that is, using those gifts to the glory of God, our focus needs to be on Jesus here. That's how we understand this story. This is how we understand Kingdom work. This is how we understand keeping our focus and being ready, because Jesus was the ultimate servant and he was a servant for us. He left the glory of heaven to serve us by living a sinless life. He served us in His suffering and His death. He served us in His resurrection from the dead by giving us the gift of eternal life. In fact, he is still serving us in this very moment, at the right hand of the Father, in our very own flesh.

The model that Jesus has for us, from His life to His ascension, is servanthood. That's who Jesus is. His example of being a servant, then, is how we're called to direct and focus our lives. We're to look to what he has done for us and then model our lives after His life of servanthood, and this passage helps us to understand that there's great gravity to this. We have been given much in Christ. We have been rescued from the wrath of God by the grace that we were given through faith in Jesus. We have been given much, and so we know that much is required. There is a call on us to serve the kingdom of God, but this service is not a burden. This is a treasure for us. It's a privilege for us to be able to live and serve us to the king who has first served us. The challenge, then, for us is to daily take up our cross and consider how our labors each day can be used to the glory of God. Yes, to the one who much is given. Much is required, but don't forget, the benefits are great as well.

Service in the kingdom of God does not go unnoticed and it bears fruit, just as God promised it will. This week, consider how God has gifted you and how you can continue to use that gift for his glory. In what ways can you serve others this week to the glory of God? How has God blessed you when you've been faithful in using your gifts for the kingdom? How have you seen that in your life? How can you continue to build up the body of Christ through using these blessings that God has bestowed upon you? As I said, the responsibility is weighty, but the blessings are great. So may God bless our service to his kingdom, that Christ might receive all the glory for who he is and what he has done, for he is the great servant who has saved his people.