Until He Comes

WEBVTT
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Verse number 11, where the Bible says this,
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And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable,
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! Because he was nigh to Jerusalem,
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and because they thought the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
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He said, Therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom,
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and to return.
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And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them,
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Occupy till I come.
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But his citizens hated him.
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And he sent a message after him, saying,
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We will not have this man to reign over us.
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And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom,
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then he commanded the servants to be called unto him,
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to whom he had given the money,
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that he might know how much every man hath gained by trading.
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Then came the first, in verse 16, saying,
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Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
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And he said unto him,
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Well, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a very little,
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have thou authority over ten cities.
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And the second came, saying,
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Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
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And he said likewise to him,
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Be thou also over five cities.
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And he came, saying,
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And another came, saying,
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Lord, behold, here is thy pound,
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which I have kept laid up in a napkin.
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For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man,
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and thou takest up that thou layest not down,
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and reapest that thou didst not sow.
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And he saith unto him,
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Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant.
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Thou knewest that I was an austere man,
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taking up what I laid not down,
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and reaping that I did not sow.
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Wherefore, then gavest thou not my money into the bank,
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that it might at my coming have acquired,
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I have required mine own with usury.
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And he said unto them that stood by,
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Take from him the pound,
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and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
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Verse 25,
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And they said unto him,
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Lord, he hath ten pounds.
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For I say unto you, Jesus said,
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that unto everyone which hath shall be given,
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and from him that hath not,
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even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
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But those mine enemies,
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which would not that I should reign over them,
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bring hither and slay them before me.
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So Jesus is going to give us this very kind of intense parable.
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And we're going to see exactly what he's talking about.
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But he really wants to remind us,
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there's a job to do until he comes.
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The call of the Christian life is not,
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hang on until Jesus shows up.
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Here's what it is.
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Occupy till I come.
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There's a job to do,
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and there's a calling that we must all follow.
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And that's what we're going to see here this morning.
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Let's ask him to bless our reading.
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Father, thank you for the word of God.
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Thankful that we have a copy.
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We can hold it in our own hands.
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We can even carry it in our pocket on our phones.
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It's so accessible to us.
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But Lord, I pray that our familiarity with the word of God
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would not hinder it from getting into our heart,
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into our lives.
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And I pray that you would do that this morning.
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That you would help us to see the truth
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and the reminder that you have called us all
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to be in your service.
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We are to occupy until you come.
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But I pray that there is someone here
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that doesn't know you,
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that today would be that day.
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And we ask this in your son's precious name.
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Amen.
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Thank you so much for standing.
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You may be seated.
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I try not to think back to my days in school very often
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because that means I have to go back to school in my mind.
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And I don't want to be there.
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You know, because it was one of those things.
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But I remember, like you did,
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the teacher would say this,
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and this was very dangerous.
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I need to step out of the class for just a few minutes
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and I'll be right back.
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Nobody get out of your seat.
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Nobody talk.
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Anybody remember that?
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But in every class you ever went,
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everybody just stayed quiet and stayed still
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and did absolutely what they were told.
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No.
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I mean, as soon as the door closed,
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I mean, you're like watching her walk to the door
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and you're like waiting for the door to close
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and you kind of hear her feet maybe walking down the hallway
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and as soon as that happens,
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somebody starts talking,
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somebody's turning around.
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I mean, it's an all-out spitwad fight
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or whatever it may be
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and somebody's walking across the classroom.
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I cannot confirm or deny,
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I juggled scissors.
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I just learned to juggle.
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And I thought,
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this is a great opportunity to show my classmates
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this unique skill.
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But just like in all the situations you experienced,
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as soon as I was juggling them,
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the door opened.
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And here comes the teacher
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and just like she promised,
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she would come back
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and what everybody was doing up to that point
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suddenly mattered.
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Why?
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Because the authority's back in the classroom now.
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The teacher's there as she's promised
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and we're reminded of that little illustration
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that just because the teacher left,
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it doesn't mean that the assignment disappeared.
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It doesn't mean that her instruction disappeared
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and it certainly didn't mean that she wasn't coming back.
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And as we come to Luke chapter 19
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in this lengthy passage of scripture
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that we read just a moment ago,
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Jesus is dealing with something far more serious
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than a teacher leaving a classroom.
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Really what he's reminding them
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is he knows things they don't know.
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And now he's tried to explain it a couple of times,
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but they didn't want to hear it
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and they were missing it
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that Jesus was coming not to set up a kingdom,
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but he was coming
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and he was marching towards a cross.
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And by the time we're here in Luke chapter 19,
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we're about a week or so away
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from the arrest and the betrayal
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and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
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And see, he knows
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that he's about to leave them for a time.
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It'd be in this time frame
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coming up very closely
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in John's gospel
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where he goes to the upper room
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and they're gonna celebrate Passover.
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We're gonna see that here in a moment,
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but he tells them,
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hey, I'm going away.
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And they're troubled by that.
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And that's where he gave them
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that famous verse in John 14,
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let not your heart be troubled.
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You believe in God,
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believe also in me.
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If I go away,
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I'm gonna come again.
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That's what he reminds them here.
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But before he goes,
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he's reminding his disciples
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and in turn reminding us
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that you're not just to hide up
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and hole up
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and hang out until I come.
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No, there's a job to be done.
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That God wants us to be involved
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in the work
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and he gives them something to do
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and he says,
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here's what I want you to do
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and I want to remind you,
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I am coming back.
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I love that it is well.
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The third verse is probably my favorite,
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but the fourth is right up with it.
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And we're reminded of that great truth
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that Jesus Christ is coming back.
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We look at our world
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and we think he's forgot about us.
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No, he has not.
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You think, well,
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why hasn't he come back?
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Why is he tearing his coming?
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Here's why.
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Because God so loved the world
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that he sent his only begotten son.
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And he's there.
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We are here to share the gospel
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and he's saying,
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this is what I want you to do.
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Occupy, get to work,
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do what I've called you to do.
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And I love hearing the gospel of Luke.
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He's done it a couple of times
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and it makes somewhat my job a little easier
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as I study the passage.
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Verse number 11,
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Jesus tells us exactly why he's telling this parable.
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Like, why did Jesus tell this story?
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Did it just come to the top of his head?
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No, he tells us that they're getting close to Jerusalem.
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They've been working their way there,
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but Jericho's very close.
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About 17 miles, you know,
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just a good 17 mile hike up the road to Jerusalem.
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But in those days, that's pretty close.
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And he's moving his way towards there
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and the excitement is building at the end of chapter number 18.
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There on the way to Jericho,
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he saw a blind man on the side of the road
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and his name was Bartimaeus.
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And he cried out and said,
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Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
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And Jesus healed the blind man.
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Of course, the frenzy begins to build.
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He gets into the town
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and he sees a chief publican,
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a very rich man,
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a notorious sinner,
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the kingpin of Jericho named Zacchaeus,
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who's been extorting his own people.
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And he's up in a sycamore tree
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and Jesus comes to him and says,
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hey, I'm going to go to your house today.
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And Jesus completely changed Zacchaeus' life.
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And really the idea is there's just this buzz going around.
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Hey, did you hear that Bartimaeus can see?
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Did you hear that Zacchaeus got saved?
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I mean, what is going on here?
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And really they believe
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and they're beginning to see
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kind of from a skewed view
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that Jesus is the Messiah.
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And he is the Messiah.
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But they're thinking he's a political savior.
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And really the thought is
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they're kind of conversing amongst themselves.
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And you read the other gospel accounts,
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the disciples begin to argue
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who's the greatest
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and who's actually going to sit next to him
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when he sets his throne up in Jerusalem.
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And that's what they're talking about.
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And so the idea is they're just thinking,
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man, this is it.
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I mean, this is what we signed up for.
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Hey, this is why we left our boats.
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This is why I left my tax booth,
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Matthew may have thought.
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This is why we're following this man.
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Rome is going down.
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Jerusalem, Israel is going to be
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in its rightful place.
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And everything we thought was going to happen,
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it's here.
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But verse 11 says,
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Jesus said,
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I think you got your times wrong.
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Your calendar, your dates are off.
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Because what they did not understand
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that he was going away.
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And really from Luke 17,
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even to this spot,
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he's showing us this tension that we live in.
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The already, but the not yet.
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That the king had come.
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And Jesus Christ was the king.
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He already was.
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Don't misunderstand that.
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But he's coming again.
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So the question and the opportunity
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Jesus wants you to see
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is what are we going to do in that in between?
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How are we going to live for him
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while he's gone?
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Because while he's gone,
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we see here in this parable
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that he entrusts his servants
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with great responsibility.
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That he expects them to do something.
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See, they were so fixated
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on when the kingdom will come.
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And really, we're kind of the same way.
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We get so focused on that today
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that we forget that the actual real thought
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of the text is
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how do we live
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until he comes again?
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That's what he wants us to see.
00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:49.960
That's where he wants us to understand.
00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:51.399
And so here's the big idea
00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:52.659
I want us to kind of get a hold of
00:09:52.659 --> 00:09:53.279
in this passage
00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:55.419
is that the king will return.
00:09:55.419 --> 00:09:57.379
He is coming back
00:09:57.379 --> 00:09:59.419
and so we must faithfully use
00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:01.419
what he has entrusted to us
00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:02.779
until he comes.
00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:05.000
That is the main thought
00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:06.459
of this passage that we see.
00:10:07.259 --> 00:10:07.939
So here's the question
00:10:07.939 --> 00:10:08.599
I want us to answer
00:10:08.599 --> 00:10:09.379
as we walk through it.
00:10:09.659 --> 00:10:10.719
How should we live
00:10:10.719 --> 00:10:11.919
until the king returns?
00:10:12.599 --> 00:10:13.860
The first thing we see is this,
00:10:13.959 --> 00:10:14.360
number one,
00:10:14.599 --> 00:10:15.740
that we should live
00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:18.019
under the king's authority.
00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:19.579
We should live
00:10:19.579 --> 00:10:20.539
under the king's authority.
00:10:21.599 --> 00:10:22.240
Verse number 12
00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:23.559
in our text this morning,
00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:24.099
he said,
00:10:24.359 --> 00:10:24.619
therefore,
00:10:24.979 --> 00:10:25.979
a certain nobleman
00:10:25.979 --> 00:10:26.979
went to a far country
00:10:26.979 --> 00:10:28.519
to receive for himself
00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:29.579
a kingdom
00:10:29.579 --> 00:10:31.659
and to return.
00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:32.959
Now to us,
00:10:32.979 --> 00:10:33.500
it just seems like
00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:34.259
the start of a story.
00:10:34.859 --> 00:10:35.339
But really,
00:10:35.599 --> 00:10:37.579
to the original audience
00:10:37.579 --> 00:10:38.459
and to those hearers
00:10:38.459 --> 00:10:39.359
right there in Jericho,
00:10:39.659 --> 00:10:39.839
I mean,
00:10:39.899 --> 00:10:40.539
their mind would have
00:10:40.539 --> 00:10:41.619
immediately understood
00:10:41.619 --> 00:10:42.500
what he was talking about.
00:10:42.919 --> 00:10:43.739
Because really what Jesus
00:10:43.739 --> 00:10:44.439
is doing here
00:10:44.439 --> 00:10:45.399
is he's kind of taking
00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:47.619
a front page news article
00:10:47.619 --> 00:10:49.000
and applying it
00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:49.639
to their life.
00:10:50.319 --> 00:10:51.179
Because I don't want
00:10:51.179 --> 00:10:52.000
to bore you with history,
00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:52.899
but just to give an idea
00:10:52.899 --> 00:10:53.860
of what's going on here,
00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:55.460
about 30 years prior
00:10:55.460 --> 00:10:56.440
to this account,
00:10:56.879 --> 00:10:57.440
there was a man
00:10:57.440 --> 00:10:58.379
named Herod the Great.
00:10:59.139 --> 00:11:00.500
And he was not great.
00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:02.100
He was a horrible guy.
00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:03.519
You probably know him
00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:04.419
from the Christmas story.
00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:05.019
This would have been
00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:06.279
the Herod that would have
00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:07.700
ordered all of the babies
00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:09.059
two years and younger
00:11:09.059 --> 00:11:10.120
to be murdered.
00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:12.080
So he was the ruler
00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:14.100
of Judea at that time.
00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:16.039
And he was trying
00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:17.919
to stamp out Jesus Christ
00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:19.000
as a young child.
00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:21.559
Well, one of his sons,
00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:22.779
Archiralius,
00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:23.940
is now,
00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:25.980
became the ruler
00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:27.200
after Herod the Great died.
00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:28.340
You see that in Matthew
00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:28.960
chapter 2
00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:30.419
when they come back,
00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:31.200
when Joseph and Mary
00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:31.980
and Jesus come back
00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:32.419
from Egypt,
00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:34.179
they hear that Herod's
00:11:34.179 --> 00:11:34.659
son's ruling
00:11:34.659 --> 00:11:35.799
so they go to Nazareth.
00:11:36.379 --> 00:11:36.759
So really,
00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:37.740
this man,
00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:38.799
what he did is
00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:40.419
when a ruler
00:11:40.419 --> 00:11:41.179
would take over
00:11:41.179 --> 00:11:42.559
a new area
00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:43.279
in this situation,
00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:43.759
they would have
00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:44.539
to go to Rome
00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:45.580
and they would have
00:11:45.580 --> 00:11:46.720
to be kind of confirmed
00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:47.480
by Caesar
00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:48.420
to make sure
00:11:48.420 --> 00:11:48.920
they would be
00:11:48.920 --> 00:11:49.639
in control.
00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:52.279
And while he was going,
00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:53.560
obviously the people
00:11:53.560 --> 00:11:54.480
didn't care for him.
00:11:54.920 --> 00:11:55.960
They didn't like his dad.
00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:57.420
His dad was a murderer.
00:11:57.800 --> 00:11:58.899
He used the Jews.
00:11:59.279 --> 00:11:59.860
This man,
00:11:59.940 --> 00:12:00.700
when he kind of
00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:01.519
got control,
00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:03.480
he kind of killed
00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:04.820
about 2,000 or 3,000 Jews
00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:05.779
according to the historians
00:12:05.779 --> 00:12:06.879
just to kind of let them know,
00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:07.820
hey, I'm in charge.
00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:09.200
So obviously,
00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:10.180
they weren't real keen
00:12:10.180 --> 00:12:11.120
on this man ruling.
00:12:11.860 --> 00:12:13.639
So as he made his way
00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:14.120
to Rome,
00:12:14.460 --> 00:12:15.620
the people here
00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:16.200
in Judea
00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:16.960
sent a delegation
00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:17.420
and said,
00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:18.280
hey, we don't want
00:12:18.280 --> 00:12:19.600
this guy ruling over us.
00:12:19.920 --> 00:12:20.620
And we can see this
00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:21.340
throughout history.
00:12:22.540 --> 00:12:23.820
But what Jesus is doing
00:12:23.820 --> 00:12:24.480
is he's using
00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:25.560
this political situation
00:12:25.560 --> 00:12:26.139
that would have
00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:27.019
piqued their interest
00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:28.500
because Archiraglius
00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:29.019
would have ruled
00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:30.060
right in the area
00:12:30.060 --> 00:12:30.580
of Jericho.
00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:31.560
So this wasn't
00:12:31.560 --> 00:12:32.860
some long-distance story.
00:12:33.180 --> 00:12:33.780
Many of these people
00:12:33.780 --> 00:12:34.519
would have been alive
00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:35.600
that heard this story.
00:12:36.460 --> 00:12:37.180
And they would have
00:12:37.180 --> 00:12:37.800
recognized it,
00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:38.500
but he's teaching them
00:12:38.500 --> 00:12:39.340
a much bigger truth
00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:41.680
that he's not liking himself
00:12:41.680 --> 00:12:43.080
to this wicked ruler,
00:12:43.180 --> 00:12:43.680
but he's reminding,
00:12:43.900 --> 00:12:44.620
hey, the king
00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:45.379
is going to go away.
00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:46.939
And he's going
00:12:46.939 --> 00:12:47.519
to return
00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:48.580
and he is going
00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:49.240
to rule
00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:50.320
and what are we
00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:50.960
going to do there
00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:51.480
in the meantime?
00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:53.039
But we see in verse
00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:53.659
number 14
00:12:53.659 --> 00:12:55.500
that the citizens
00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:56.299
of this parable
00:12:56.299 --> 00:12:57.179
wanted nothing
00:12:57.179 --> 00:12:58.659
to do with the king.
00:12:59.340 --> 00:13:00.179
They simply
00:13:00.179 --> 00:13:02.299
don't just dislike
00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:03.559
certain things he does.
00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:04.960
They reject his authority
00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:06.000
altogether.
00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:08.000
Notice what they say
00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:08.720
in verse number 14.
00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.300
We will not have
00:13:10.300 --> 00:13:10.960
this man
00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:12.639
to reign over us.
00:13:14.340 --> 00:13:15.279
And I would submit
00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:16.019
to you that that's
00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:16.639
still the attitude
00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:17.220
of the world
00:13:17.220 --> 00:13:17.840
in general
00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:19.240
towards Jesus Christ.
00:13:21.920 --> 00:13:22.920
There's a lot of people
00:13:22.920 --> 00:13:23.980
that will agree with you
00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:24.899
that Jesus Christ
00:13:24.899 --> 00:13:25.899
was a great teacher.
00:13:27.040 --> 00:13:27.740
He was a good
00:13:27.740 --> 00:13:28.620
moral teacher.
00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:29.100
I mean,
00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:30.580
you look at the Beatitudes
00:13:30.580 --> 00:13:31.440
and you look at the
00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:32.100
Sermon on the Mount
00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:32.480
and you look at
00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:33.160
certain things
00:13:33.160 --> 00:13:33.560
that Jesus taught.
00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:33.899
I mean,
00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:34.940
they will agree with that
00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:35.139
and say,
00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:35.279
man,
00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:36.180
these are really good
00:13:36.179 --> 00:13:36.979
ways to live by.
00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:37.159
I mean,
00:13:37.199 --> 00:13:38.679
we should really employ
00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:39.939
the golden rule
00:13:39.939 --> 00:13:40.639
in our life.
00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:42.959
They may appreciate
00:13:42.959 --> 00:13:43.819
his compassion
00:13:43.819 --> 00:13:44.759
and his care
00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:45.500
for the poor
00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:47.259
and those in need.
00:13:47.939 --> 00:13:48.479
And they may even
00:13:48.479 --> 00:13:49.479
quote some of his words.
00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:52.179
But the reality is
00:13:52.179 --> 00:13:52.719
when it comes to
00:13:52.719 --> 00:13:53.239
the authority
00:13:53.239 --> 00:13:54.159
of Jesus Christ,
00:13:54.979 --> 00:13:55.659
when it comes to
00:13:55.659 --> 00:13:56.899
his right to rule,
00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:57.839
when it comes to
00:13:57.839 --> 00:13:59.339
his right to tell us
00:13:59.339 --> 00:14:00.519
and to command us
00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:01.139
how to live,
00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:02.000
the majority
00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.079
still cries today,
00:14:03.339 --> 00:14:04.219
we will not have
00:14:04.219 --> 00:14:05.319
this man rule
00:14:05.319 --> 00:14:05.979
on our lives.
00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:07.459
And really,
00:14:07.579 --> 00:14:08.839
he's making this point
00:14:08.839 --> 00:14:10.219
and he's showing them
00:14:10.219 --> 00:14:10.879
this truth
00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:11.699
that he's even
00:14:11.699 --> 00:14:13.099
experiencing to this point
00:14:13.099 --> 00:14:14.099
and is continuing
00:14:14.099 --> 00:14:14.819
until today.
00:14:15.719 --> 00:14:17.239
That rejecting the king,
00:14:17.500 --> 00:14:19.239
it does not remove
00:14:19.239 --> 00:14:19.959
the king.
00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:22.059
They would have
00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:22.759
understood this.
00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:23.199
They would have been
00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:24.299
living under the rule
00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:25.079
of Herod
00:14:25.079 --> 00:14:26.199
and Archalias
00:14:26.199 --> 00:14:26.679
and they would have
00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:27.419
understood these
00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:28.299
difficult things
00:14:28.299 --> 00:14:29.039
and just because
00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:30.219
they didn't like him
00:14:30.219 --> 00:14:31.599
doesn't mean
00:14:31.599 --> 00:14:32.459
that he wasn't the king.
00:14:33.359 --> 00:14:34.299
And Jesus is making
00:14:34.299 --> 00:14:35.099
a much deeper
00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:36.159
spiritual application
00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:37.259
that people may
00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:38.279
refuse his authority
00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:40.340
and they still do today.
00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:40.980
But let me just
00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:41.460
remind you,
00:14:41.680 --> 00:14:42.840
refusing his authority
00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:44.139
does not cancel
00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:45.159
his authority.
00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:46.820
That he is still
00:14:46.820 --> 00:14:47.600
in control
00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.620
and his physical presence,
00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:50.639
his physical absence,
00:14:50.759 --> 00:14:51.300
I should say,
00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:52.860
does not cancel it either.
00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:54.540
Yes, we don't see
00:14:54.540 --> 00:14:55.379
Jesus physically
00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:56.420
on this earth anymore,
00:14:56.920 --> 00:14:58.240
but we will one day.
00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:00.560
He is going to come back,
00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:01.379
he's going to set foot
00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:02.479
on the Mount of Olives
00:15:02.479 --> 00:15:03.839
and he is going to set up
00:15:03.839 --> 00:15:04.919
a kingdom on this earth.
00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:06.299
But I just want to remind you
00:15:06.299 --> 00:15:07.619
that he's still in control,
00:15:08.099 --> 00:15:09.539
that he still is the king
00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:10.959
and he still calls us
00:15:10.959 --> 00:15:12.359
to live under his authority.
00:15:12.699 --> 00:15:12.919
You say,
00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:13.779
well, what's his authority?
00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:14.739
It's right here.
00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:16.319
It's his word.
00:15:16.579 --> 00:15:17.779
It's what he's called us
00:15:17.779 --> 00:15:18.859
to live by.
00:15:19.339 --> 00:15:20.919
And let me just remind you,
00:15:20.979 --> 00:15:21.779
when he comes,
00:15:22.619 --> 00:15:24.139
Revelation chapter 19,
00:15:24.219 --> 00:15:25.239
verse 16 reminds us,
00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:26.519
he's coming with this name,
00:15:26.839 --> 00:15:28.159
King of Kings
00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:30.059
and Lord of Lords.
00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:31.879
When he was crucified
00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:32.899
and buried
00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:33.879
and he rose again,
00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:35.279
he didn't lose that title.
00:15:36.059 --> 00:15:37.120
He always was,
00:15:37.459 --> 00:15:38.339
he always is,
00:15:38.459 --> 00:15:40.019
and he always will be.
00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:41.740
And we must live
00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:43.059
under that authority.
00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:45.860
But that creates a question.
00:15:46.759 --> 00:15:48.000
If he is going away
00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:49.240
and they're dealing with,
00:15:49.259 --> 00:15:49.819
this is the disciples
00:15:49.819 --> 00:15:50.259
who are thinking,
00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:51.860
this is not how I thought
00:15:51.860 --> 00:15:52.439
it was going to go,
00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:53.500
but if he is going away,
00:15:53.620 --> 00:15:54.659
what are we supposed to do?
00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:56.339
I think the question
00:15:56.339 --> 00:15:57.519
still applies to us today.
00:15:58.159 --> 00:15:59.579
Since Jesus isn't here,
00:15:59.659 --> 00:16:00.559
we know he's coming again.
00:16:00.659 --> 00:16:02.600
Scripture makes that plain
00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:04.319
throughout the New Testament.
00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:06.539
What are we to do
00:16:06.539 --> 00:16:07.399
while he's gone?
00:16:07.459 --> 00:16:08.139
I think we see this.
00:16:08.219 --> 00:16:08.559
Number two,
00:16:09.339 --> 00:16:10.559
we are to invest
00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:11.860
what the king
00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:13.879
has entrusted to us.
00:16:15.079 --> 00:16:15.860
We're to invest
00:16:15.860 --> 00:16:16.980
what he has entrusted
00:16:16.980 --> 00:16:18.379
to us.
00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:19.899
I mean,
00:16:19.939 --> 00:16:20.539
verse number 13
00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:22.579
is a very simple command.
00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:25.259
Jesus calls his servants,
00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:26.139
and really,
00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:26.419
I mean,
00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:27.620
this man calls his servants,
00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:28.259
this noble man,
00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:29.519
and delivered unto them
00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:30.379
ten pounds,
00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:31.639
and said unto them,
00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:35.320
Occupy till I come.
00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:36.700
Now,
00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:37.820
we may hear the word occupy,
00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:38.879
and we may think,
00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:39.240
well,
00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:40.279
that means just to sit there.
00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:41.960
You are occupying your chair.
00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:42.919
I mean,
00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:43.419
some of you,
00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:44.539
you even occupy it
00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:45.139
when you're not here.
00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:46.120
You leave a blanket,
00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:47.940
and you leave your Bible.
00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:48.220
You're like,
00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:49.019
I'm coming back tonight,
00:16:49.080 --> 00:16:49.799
and this is my seat.
00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:51.039
I'm occupying this seat.
00:16:51.560 --> 00:16:51.779
You know,
00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:53.200
like nobody touches my stuff.
00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:54.879
You occupy
00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:56.340
is hold your place.
00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:57.960
You ever been in a parking lot,
00:16:58.039 --> 00:16:58.840
and you're trying to find
00:16:58.840 --> 00:16:59.879
a really good parking spot,
00:16:59.960 --> 00:17:00.519
and one opens up,
00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:01.879
somebody jumps out of the car,
00:17:02.059 --> 00:17:03.080
and they go and stand
00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:03.779
in that parking spot
00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:04.359
for that other person?
00:17:05.339 --> 00:17:06.059
That's wrong.
00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:07.779
They're occupying that spot.
00:17:08.579 --> 00:17:09.579
We might think of it
00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:10.339
as waiting,
00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:11.900
but that's not what
00:17:11.900 --> 00:17:12.759
Jesus means here.
00:17:13.500 --> 00:17:14.579
The idea here
00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:15.839
to occupy till I come
00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:16.599
has this thought.
00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:17.660
Do business.
00:17:18.660 --> 00:17:19.799
Get to work.
00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:22.559
Use what I have entrusted
00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:23.539
to you.
00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:25.440
Do the work
00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:26.180
of the Lord,
00:17:26.299 --> 00:17:26.980
and as believers,
00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:27.759
I mentioned already,
00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:28.659
we're not called
00:17:28.659 --> 00:17:29.579
just to hold on
00:17:29.579 --> 00:17:30.579
until Jesus comes.
00:17:31.139 --> 00:17:31.579
No,
00:17:31.700 --> 00:17:32.500
it's pretty simple.
00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:33.619
We are to occupy
00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:34.759
till He comes.
00:17:34.919 --> 00:17:36.099
We are to get to work
00:17:36.099 --> 00:17:36.720
until He comes,
00:17:36.879 --> 00:17:38.059
and we see here
00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:38.759
in verse 13
00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:40.940
that each of these servants
00:17:40.940 --> 00:17:42.500
receives 10 pounds
00:17:42.500 --> 00:17:43.659
or a mina.
00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:45.059
Maybe your Bible says
00:17:45.059 --> 00:17:45.460
the parable
00:17:45.460 --> 00:17:46.279
of the 10 minas,
00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:48.180
and really what it is,
00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:49.299
is it's a significant
00:17:49.299 --> 00:17:49.920
amount of money.
00:17:50.560 --> 00:17:51.560
Three months wages.
00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:53.380
I think we'd all sign up
00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:53.539
and say,
00:17:53.779 --> 00:17:53.960
hey,
00:17:54.060 --> 00:17:54.500
if you're going to give me
00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:55.039
three months wages,
00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:55.779
go ahead and do that.
00:17:56.420 --> 00:17:57.299
I'm for that.
00:17:57.860 --> 00:17:58.820
I want us to understand,
00:17:59.060 --> 00:17:59.940
it's not like He said,
00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:01.240
I'll be back tomorrow.
00:18:01.840 --> 00:18:01.940
No,
00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:02.880
it's a very significant
00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:03.539
amount of money
00:18:03.539 --> 00:18:04.680
that He entrusted with them,
00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:06.180
and He entrusted all of them
00:18:06.180 --> 00:18:06.799
with the same amount,
00:18:06.860 --> 00:18:07.180
by the way.
00:18:08.100 --> 00:18:08.880
This is not the parable
00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:09.380
of the talents.
00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:10.500
This is different than that.
00:18:11.140 --> 00:18:11.240
Now,
00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:11.820
some of us have
00:18:11.820 --> 00:18:12.600
different talents
00:18:12.600 --> 00:18:13.060
and different things
00:18:13.060 --> 00:18:13.940
and we use them for the Lord,
00:18:14.120 --> 00:18:15.580
but this particular thing
00:18:15.580 --> 00:18:16.779
that Jesus is showing us
00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:18.279
is we all have the same amount
00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:19.460
and what are we going to do with it?
00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:21.839
And the emphasis is very clear
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:22.579
in verse number 13
00:18:22.579 --> 00:18:24.339
that He entrusted them
00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:25.599
to do something
00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:26.619
with what He gave them.
00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:28.960
They had a job to do.
00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:31.519
And I want to just remind us
00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:32.079
that ultimately,
00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:33.579
everything that you have
00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:34.099
in your life,
00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:35.160
everything that I have
00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:35.680
in my life,
00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:37.420
has been entrusted to me
00:18:37.420 --> 00:18:38.299
by God.
00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:39.839
Everything.
00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:41.440
Your time.
00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:43.660
I know in Brother Caleb's
00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:44.240
Sunday school class,
00:18:44.360 --> 00:18:45.200
they're going through
00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:46.320
stewarding your life
00:18:46.320 --> 00:18:47.200
and it's just a reminder
00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:48.019
that we aren't just
00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:49.259
to steward our finances.
00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:50.380
We think of that
00:18:50.380 --> 00:18:51.120
just as money
00:18:51.120 --> 00:18:51.960
and this parable
00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:52.920
has to deal with money.
00:18:53.180 --> 00:18:53.279
No,
00:18:53.320 --> 00:18:54.120
but we are called
00:18:54.120 --> 00:18:55.320
to steward our time,
00:18:56.140 --> 00:18:57.000
our resources,
00:18:57.900 --> 00:18:58.840
our opportunities
00:18:58.840 --> 00:18:59.960
to share the gospel
00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:01.140
at school and at work
00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:02.240
or wherever God may
00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:03.779
allow us to do so.
00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:05.600
We are to steward
00:19:05.600 --> 00:19:06.519
the influence
00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:07.360
that He's given us.
00:19:08.620 --> 00:19:10.080
We may have relationships
00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:11.259
that we can speak into.
00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:12.899
I have opportunities
00:19:12.899 --> 00:19:13.679
to share.
00:19:13.919 --> 00:19:14.759
We have relationships
00:19:14.759 --> 00:19:15.699
that we are to steward
00:19:15.699 --> 00:19:17.220
or our spouses
00:19:17.220 --> 00:19:18.159
and our children
00:19:18.159 --> 00:19:18.980
and our coworkers
00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:19.679
and our friends
00:19:19.679 --> 00:19:20.759
and here's what we are to do.
00:19:20.939 --> 00:19:22.019
We are to use everything
00:19:22.019 --> 00:19:23.699
God has given for Him
00:19:23.699 --> 00:19:25.379
and not for us.
00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:27.139
Because here's what
00:19:27.139 --> 00:19:27.859
we're prone to do.
00:19:28.059 --> 00:19:28.960
Here's what I'm prone to do.
00:19:29.159 --> 00:19:30.199
Hey, this is my stuff
00:19:30.199 --> 00:19:30.659
and I'm going to do
00:19:30.659 --> 00:19:31.720
what I want to do with it.
00:19:32.879 --> 00:19:33.460
Okay, I'm making sure
00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:34.159
I'm not the only one.
00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:35.000
You know,
00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:36.359
I worked hard for this.
00:19:36.879 --> 00:19:38.259
Hey, I deserve this.
00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:38.779
And listen,
00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:39.799
isn't that a different
00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:40.319
mess for a different night?
00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:41.279
God's not against you
00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:41.859
doing things
00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:42.720
and having nice stuff.
00:19:43.419 --> 00:19:44.680
But He wants us to understand
00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:45.839
that everything we have,
00:19:45.919 --> 00:19:46.579
every good gift
00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:47.319
and every perfect gift
00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:47.960
is from above.
00:19:48.379 --> 00:19:49.399
And it comes down
00:19:49.399 --> 00:19:50.339
from the Father of lights
00:19:50.339 --> 00:19:51.700
and He gives us
00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:52.359
this opportunity.
00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:53.619
But most importantly
00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:54.259
what He gives us
00:19:54.259 --> 00:19:55.700
is the gospel itself.
00:19:58.319 --> 00:19:59.319
I mean, what a joy.
00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:00.899
I mean,
00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:02.759
I keep going back to it
00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:03.940
because it just makes
00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:05.399
my heart want to burst.
00:20:05.700 --> 00:20:06.539
But singing it as well,
00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:08.359
the fact I can sing that song
00:20:08.359 --> 00:20:09.339
and know it's true
00:20:09.339 --> 00:20:09.839
in my life
00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:10.939
is an amazing thing.
00:20:11.579 --> 00:20:12.519
What a joy
00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:14.619
to know who Jesus is
00:20:14.619 --> 00:20:15.839
and what He's done.
00:20:16.339 --> 00:20:17.419
What a joy it is
00:20:17.419 --> 00:20:19.000
to experience His love
00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:19.959
and His mercy
00:20:19.959 --> 00:20:22.119
every single day.
00:20:22.919 --> 00:20:23.899
You don't have to come to church
00:20:23.899 --> 00:20:25.139
and just feel the mercy of God.
00:20:25.339 --> 00:20:26.479
No, I love what the psalmist says,
00:20:26.879 --> 00:20:28.419
daily He loadeth me down
00:20:28.419 --> 00:20:29.039
with benefits.
00:20:29.939 --> 00:20:30.779
I mean, we're so blessed
00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:31.799
we don't even realize
00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:32.699
how blessed we are.
00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:34.519
And the fact that we know that
00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:36.679
and the fact that we experience that
00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:38.140
and we know that message
00:20:38.140 --> 00:20:39.279
changed our life
00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:40.799
from darkness to light.
00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:41.740
We were on a road
00:20:41.740 --> 00:20:42.799
and we had no hope
00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:44.320
and life was falling apart
00:20:44.320 --> 00:20:45.180
but somehow,
00:20:45.420 --> 00:20:45.960
in some way,
00:20:46.220 --> 00:20:47.460
somebody invited you to church,
00:20:47.560 --> 00:20:48.460
somebody shared the gospel
00:20:48.460 --> 00:20:50.360
and it changed everything.
00:20:51.320 --> 00:20:52.720
The fact you know that
00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:54.279
is a wonderful thing.
00:20:55.560 --> 00:20:56.680
But here's the question.
00:20:57.279 --> 00:20:58.519
What are you doing with it?
00:20:59.660 --> 00:21:00.900
It is the most precious thing
00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:02.100
that you've ever experienced
00:21:02.100 --> 00:21:02.740
in your life.
00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:04.320
Jesus says,
00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:05.500
you better not put it in a napkin.
00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:07.339
You better not hide it.
00:21:07.579 --> 00:21:08.200
No, you better,
00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:08.680
you better,
00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:10.259
sorry that bothered me right there.
00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:11.480
You better,
00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:13.359
you better do something with it.
00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:17.339
See, Jesus didn't say,
00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:19.140
preserve until I come.
00:21:20.259 --> 00:21:21.099
Sometimes I think our church
00:21:21.099 --> 00:21:22.000
has become like a little
00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:23.900
history museum.
00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:25.480
Look at all the things
00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:26.619
God used to do.
00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:28.460
Man, remember when God did this
00:21:28.460 --> 00:21:28.880
and God did that?
00:21:29.019 --> 00:21:29.720
Listen, I'm so thankful
00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:30.859
God's done some great things
00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:31.599
in Central Baptist Church
00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:32.319
throughout the years.
00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:33.919
But we're not here
00:21:33.919 --> 00:21:34.799
to be a museum
00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:35.599
in Cook County.
00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:37.099
No, no, we're here
00:21:37.099 --> 00:21:38.220
not to preserve
00:21:38.220 --> 00:21:39.139
until Jesus comes.
00:21:39.299 --> 00:21:40.419
We're here to occupy.
00:21:40.579 --> 00:21:41.539
We're here to put to work
00:21:41.539 --> 00:21:42.480
what God has given us
00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:43.639
whether it is resources
00:21:43.639 --> 00:21:44.839
or it is time
00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:45.899
or it is prayer
00:21:45.899 --> 00:21:47.179
or it is the gospel
00:21:47.179 --> 00:21:48.220
in every situation.
00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:49.240
Simply put,
00:21:49.419 --> 00:21:50.259
here's what he's saying
00:21:50.259 --> 00:21:50.859
in verse 13.
00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:52.240
Use what the king
00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:53.259
has placed in your hand
00:21:53.259 --> 00:21:54.399
for the interest
00:21:54.399 --> 00:21:55.299
of the king.
00:21:55.899 --> 00:21:57.099
Not for your self-interest.
00:21:57.500 --> 00:21:58.599
Not for your own gain.
00:21:58.799 --> 00:21:59.480
Not for those things.
00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:00.259
And that's the difference
00:22:00.259 --> 00:22:01.059
between ownership
00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:01.700
and stewardship.
00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:03.559
I mean, an owner says,
00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:04.519
hey, this is mine.
00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:05.440
What do I want to do with it?
00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:07.379
But a steward says this,
00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:08.879
hey, this belongs to him.
00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:10.500
What does he want me
00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:11.059
to do with it?
00:22:11.500 --> 00:22:12.460
How does he want me
00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:12.940
to use it?
00:22:13.140 --> 00:22:14.279
Where does he want me
00:22:14.279 --> 00:22:15.259
to invest it?
00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:17.599
And that's why the wording
00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:18.279
is so important
00:22:18.279 --> 00:22:19.140
in verse number 16.
00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:22.400
Notice what the first servant says.
00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:24.160
Then came the first saying,
00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:27.039
Lord, thy pound
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:28.859
hath gained 10 pounds.
00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:30.799
You know what we see here?
00:22:31.139 --> 00:22:32.319
The servant was in possession.
00:22:33.379 --> 00:22:34.319
The master gave it to him
00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:34.659
before he left.
00:22:34.719 --> 00:22:34.899
He said,
00:22:35.219 --> 00:22:36.000
here, I'm giving you
00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:36.659
these 10 pounds.
00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:38.039
I'm giving you this money.
00:22:38.500 --> 00:22:39.719
I want you to use it.
00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:40.719
I want you to occupy.
00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:42.079
And when he comes back,
00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:42.379
he didn't say,
00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:42.919
hey, Lord,
00:22:42.979 --> 00:22:43.500
look what I did
00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:44.179
with all my money.
00:22:44.959 --> 00:22:45.559
He said,
00:22:45.919 --> 00:22:46.599
thy pound,
00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:47.899
thy money,
00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:50.599
what you entrusted to me,
00:22:50.939 --> 00:22:52.819
I have used it for you.
00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:55.259
It was always the master's.
00:22:55.979 --> 00:22:57.179
It was never his.
00:22:57.180 --> 00:23:00.100
It never belonged to him.
00:23:00.820 --> 00:23:01.860
And that changes the way
00:23:01.860 --> 00:23:02.860
we look at a lot of things
00:23:02.860 --> 00:23:03.420
in our life.
00:23:04.299 --> 00:23:05.380
That's not your paycheck.
00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:07.900
That's not your children.
00:23:09.180 --> 00:23:09.700
I know that's tough
00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:10.320
for us to hear.
00:23:11.060 --> 00:23:11.960
No, they're just gifts
00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:12.580
from God
00:23:12.580 --> 00:23:14.779
that he has entrusted us
00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:15.820
to use them
00:23:15.820 --> 00:23:16.759
for the furtherance
00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:17.539
of his kingdom.
00:23:17.840 --> 00:23:18.539
And what we notice
00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:19.460
in verse number 16
00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:20.420
is this servant
00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:22.340
had simply just been faithful
00:23:22.340 --> 00:23:23.820
with what he'd been given.
00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:26.980
And one day,
00:23:27.639 --> 00:23:28.740
he's going to ask us
00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:29.439
what he did with it,
00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:30.279
what we did with it.
00:23:30.859 --> 00:23:32.460
How we used it
00:23:32.460 --> 00:23:33.299
for his glory.
00:23:34.139 --> 00:23:35.240
We see in verse number 18,
00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:36.039
the second comes.
00:23:37.159 --> 00:23:37.639
And he said,
00:23:37.899 --> 00:23:38.599
likewise unto him.
00:23:38.639 --> 00:23:38.919
He said,
00:23:39.019 --> 00:23:40.079
be thou over five cities.
00:23:40.599 --> 00:23:41.919
He invested
00:23:41.919 --> 00:23:43.099
what God had given him.
00:23:44.779 --> 00:23:45.480
And here's the point
00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:47.519
of these first two servants.
00:23:48.059 --> 00:23:49.460
That faithfulness matters.
00:23:50.299 --> 00:23:51.240
It really does.
00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:52.980
I mean,
00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:54.079
think about people
00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:55.759
God has used in your life.
00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:56.640
They're probably going to have
00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:57.440
this characteristic.
00:23:57.759 --> 00:23:59.599
They were just faithful to God.
00:24:00.660 --> 00:24:02.180
Wasn't some flash in the pan thing.
00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:03.039
No, they were there
00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:03.779
every time you went
00:24:03.779 --> 00:24:04.380
to Sunday school.
00:24:04.620 --> 00:24:05.019
They were there
00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:05.880
teaching that class.
00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:07.059
They were there
00:24:07.059 --> 00:24:07.720
in children's church.
00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:08.819
Your parents were there
00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:09.620
and you had that opportunity.
00:24:09.859 --> 00:24:10.579
Maybe the bus came
00:24:10.579 --> 00:24:11.059
and picked you up.
00:24:11.220 --> 00:24:11.960
It was just people
00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:13.099
that God placed in your life
00:24:13.099 --> 00:24:14.519
and they weren't flashy
00:24:14.519 --> 00:24:15.940
and they weren't about themselves.
00:24:16.039 --> 00:24:16.960
They were just faithful.
00:24:18.140 --> 00:24:19.299
They couldn't do a whole lot
00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:19.880
but they just did
00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:21.000
what God wanted them to do.
00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:22.220
And that's all he requires.
00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:23.940
And what we see
00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:24.420
is not only
00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:25.420
does faithfulness matter
00:24:25.420 --> 00:24:26.500
but it's rewarded.
00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:29.279
In both of these situations
00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:32.759
the nobleman says,
00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:34.180
hey, because you're faithful
00:24:34.180 --> 00:24:35.220
I'm going to put you
00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:36.259
in charge of ten cities.
00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:39.940
That's a pretty good
00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:41.119
return on investment.
00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:42.940
Ten pounds,
00:24:43.019 --> 00:24:43.559
three months wages.
00:24:43.660 --> 00:24:44.420
Now you're in control
00:24:44.420 --> 00:24:45.160
of all these cities.
00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:46.279
The idea is this.
00:24:46.359 --> 00:24:47.140
Sometimes we think
00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:48.599
faithfulness only counts
00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:49.480
if it looks impressive.
00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:53.120
Faithfulness doesn't,
00:24:53.319 --> 00:24:54.200
a large ministry
00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:55.440
doesn't mean faithfulness.
00:24:57.120 --> 00:24:58.240
Great influence,
00:24:58.779 --> 00:24:59.720
a lot of followers,
00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:01.019
got all these followers
00:25:01.019 --> 00:25:01.920
on TikTok and Instagram,
00:25:02.099 --> 00:25:02.720
that doesn't mean
00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:03.180
you're faithful.
00:25:05.579 --> 00:25:06.660
Faithfulness is not something
00:25:06.660 --> 00:25:08.140
that everybody notices.
00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:11.680
Faithfulness is what God notices.
00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:13.839
Faithfulness is doing
00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:15.259
what God has called you to do.
00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:16.940
Where he has placed you
00:25:16.940 --> 00:25:17.660
to serve.
00:25:18.220 --> 00:25:19.160
Notice what Jesus says
00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:19.779
in verse 17.
00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:21.940
Look at this little phrase.
00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:24.340
Because thou hast been faithful
00:25:24.340 --> 00:25:26.740
in very little.
00:25:27.860 --> 00:25:28.880
I love that.
00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:32.440
Don't despise
00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:34.240
the little things
00:25:34.240 --> 00:25:35.980
that God has put in your hands.
00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:38.600
You know, I think sometimes
00:25:38.600 --> 00:25:39.700
we can get so frustrated.
00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:41.080
Well, God, if you just
00:25:41.080 --> 00:25:41.680
give me more
00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:43.120
I'd be faithful.
00:25:44.279 --> 00:25:44.860
Lord, I mean,
00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:46.119
I can't do much with this.
00:25:46.979 --> 00:25:47.959
No, here's what you can do.
00:25:48.439 --> 00:25:49.259
You can be faithful.
00:25:50.379 --> 00:25:51.779
That's what he's called you to do.
00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:55.240
Maybe you don't have
00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:55.619
the opportunity
00:25:55.619 --> 00:25:56.219
to do certain things,
00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:57.039
but maybe it's just
00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:57.839
that conversation
00:25:57.839 --> 00:25:58.479
with somebody
00:25:58.479 --> 00:25:59.919
who's seeking Jesus.
00:26:01.139 --> 00:26:02.319
It can be had over lunch
00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:02.759
at work
00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:04.019
just multiple weeks.
00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:05.500
Somebody asking
00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:06.139
for the truth.
00:26:06.419 --> 00:26:07.619
Maybe it's that child
00:26:07.619 --> 00:26:08.240
you're raising.
00:26:08.359 --> 00:26:09.519
Listen, that's kingdom work.
00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:11.440
You are called
00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:12.160
to instill
00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:13.279
the truth
00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:14.119
of the word of God
00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:14.779
into their life.
00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:15.119
Listen,
00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:17.480
not everybody gets to see it,
00:26:18.099 --> 00:26:18.900
but the Lord knows.
00:26:19.980 --> 00:26:20.980
The Lord's watching.
00:26:22.579 --> 00:26:23.480
We have some teachers
00:26:23.480 --> 00:26:24.000
in here,
00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:24.619
whether you're
00:26:24.619 --> 00:26:25.339
a Sunday school teacher
00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:26.339
or a school teacher,
00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:27.879
having the opportunity
00:26:27.879 --> 00:26:29.500
to speak truth
00:26:29.500 --> 00:26:30.240
into people's lives.
00:26:30.359 --> 00:26:31.519
Listen, God sees that.
00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:32.819
Maybe God's giving you
00:26:32.819 --> 00:26:33.139
an opportunity
00:26:33.139 --> 00:26:34.200
to disciple somebody.
00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:35.059
Maybe he's giving you
00:26:35.059 --> 00:26:35.799
some resources
00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:36.980
that you quietly use
00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:37.960
for the kingdom of God.
00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:39.259
And God sees
00:26:39.259 --> 00:26:40.740
just those ordinary days
00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:41.779
that you live faithfully
00:26:41.779 --> 00:26:42.100
to him.
00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:42.620
And you think,
00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:43.460
is any of this
00:26:43.460 --> 00:26:44.140
making a difference?
00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:44.980
Let me remind you,
00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:46.059
he sees it.
00:26:46.860 --> 00:26:47.759
And he's going to tell us
00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:48.660
one day we've been faithful.
00:26:48.840 --> 00:26:49.380
You've been faithful
00:26:49.380 --> 00:26:50.039
with very little.
00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:51.299
Look what you have.
00:26:52.259 --> 00:26:52.700
Welcome.
00:26:53.059 --> 00:26:53.660
Well done,
00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:54.920
thou good and faithful servant.
00:26:55.579 --> 00:26:56.640
I'm so thankful
00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:57.440
that the king
00:26:57.440 --> 00:26:58.440
sees faithfulness.
00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:00.940
That's what he calls us to do.
00:27:02.220 --> 00:27:03.420
And that's important
00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:04.720
as we await
00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:05.740
the return of Christ
00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:06.940
because we don't have to,
00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:08.259
we shouldn't have to dread it.
00:27:09.259 --> 00:27:10.340
We shouldn't dread
00:27:10.340 --> 00:27:11.460
that the king is coming back.
00:27:11.700 --> 00:27:12.380
I know some people
00:27:12.380 --> 00:27:13.160
start looking
00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:13.820
at the book of Revelation
00:27:13.820 --> 00:27:14.620
and they get scared.
00:27:15.539 --> 00:27:15.720
They think,
00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:16.519
I don't want to be,
00:27:16.620 --> 00:27:17.100
I don't want to see.
00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:18.480
No, I want to be here
00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:19.500
when Jesus comes back.
00:27:20.120 --> 00:27:21.059
I want to be like,
00:27:21.100 --> 00:27:21.680
I want to be like
00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:22.200
the apostle Paul.
00:27:22.299 --> 00:27:23.039
He thought he was going
00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:23.640
to be alive
00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:24.820
when Jesus came back.
00:27:25.420 --> 00:27:26.980
I hope when the Lord
00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:27.620
takes us up
00:27:27.620 --> 00:27:28.140
to be in the air,
00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:29.240
I'm no longer afraid
00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:29.580
of heights.
00:27:31.120 --> 00:27:32.320
That's got to go away, right?
00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:32.660
I mean,
00:27:32.779 --> 00:27:33.500
I can't find anybody
00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:34.440
like, Lord, please.
00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:34.860
I mean,
00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:35.799
I've prayed that once or twice.
00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:36.579
I'm like, I hope I'm not
00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:37.000
afraid of heights.
00:27:37.059 --> 00:27:37.700
I'll just pass out
00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:38.079
on the way up
00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:38.659
and miss everything.
00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:41.119
That would be awful.
00:27:43.659 --> 00:27:43.980
Listen,
00:27:44.139 --> 00:27:44.819
don't dread
00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:46.000
the return of the king.
00:27:47.379 --> 00:27:48.039
But you know why
00:27:48.039 --> 00:27:48.839
you can dread it sometimes
00:27:48.839 --> 00:27:49.519
even as Christians?
00:27:50.500 --> 00:27:51.139
Because you know
00:27:51.139 --> 00:27:51.980
you're not investing
00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:53.220
what he's invested in you.
00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:55.759
There was times
00:27:55.759 --> 00:27:56.379
growing up,
00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:57.440
I wasn't super keen
00:27:57.440 --> 00:27:58.339
on my parents coming back
00:27:58.339 --> 00:27:59.680
because I didn't do anything
00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:00.579
they asked me to do
00:28:00.579 --> 00:28:01.299
while they were gone.
00:28:02.259 --> 00:28:02.759
Because they'll say,
00:28:02.759 --> 00:28:03.960
hey, when I come back
00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:04.960
I want your room picked up
00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:05.960
and I want the kitchen cleaned up.
00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:06.379
I'm like, alright.
00:28:07.339 --> 00:28:08.200
And then I hear the garage,
00:28:08.259 --> 00:28:10.059
I'm like, uh-oh.
00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:11.619
You know why I dreaded it?
00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:12.240
Because I wasn't doing
00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:13.440
what they had asked me to do.
00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:15.460
But when we are doing
00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:16.559
what God has asked us to do,
00:28:16.680 --> 00:28:17.379
when we're faithful
00:28:17.379 --> 00:28:17.920
in the little things,
00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:18.720
we can look forward
00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:19.400
to his return.
00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:19.839
Listen,
00:28:20.019 --> 00:28:20.980
faithfulness gives us
00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:21.759
a reason to anticipate
00:28:22.279 --> 00:28:22.720
the king,
00:28:22.879 --> 00:28:23.720
not fear him.
00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:27.000
So here's a question for you.
00:28:28.039 --> 00:28:29.039
Are you using
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:30.140
what Christ has entrusted
00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:30.480
to you?
00:28:30.619 --> 00:28:31.220
Are you just trying
00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:31.819
to preserve it?
00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:34.620
Are you investing
00:28:34.620 --> 00:28:36.100
what he's invested in you?
00:28:36.299 --> 00:28:37.799
Are you using your life
00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:38.839
for his interest?
00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:40.319
For his kingdom?
00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:41.559
For his cause?
00:28:42.860 --> 00:28:43.740
See, we see the first
00:28:43.740 --> 00:28:44.600
two servants,
00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:45.539
they were very active.
00:28:46.299 --> 00:28:47.140
They took what the master
00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:47.980
gave them
00:28:47.980 --> 00:28:49.460
and they put it to work.
00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:50.660
But here in these
00:28:50.660 --> 00:28:51.400
closing verses,
00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:52.799
in verses 20 through 27,
00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:54.759
we see another servant
00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:56.339
that wasn't as proactive.
00:28:57.140 --> 00:28:57.799
And it brings us
00:28:57.799 --> 00:28:58.900
to this final reminder
00:28:58.900 --> 00:29:00.120
in these verses.
00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:01.019
Number three is this.
00:29:01.019 --> 00:29:02.960
is that we should expect
00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:04.440
to give an account.
00:29:05.639 --> 00:29:06.680
We should expect
00:29:06.680 --> 00:29:07.599
to give an account.
00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:09.279
Look at verse number 20.
00:29:10.539 --> 00:29:11.579
And another came saying,
00:29:11.980 --> 00:29:13.099
Lord, behold,
00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:14.059
here is thy pound
00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:15.000
which I have kept
00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:16.379
laid up in a napkin.
00:29:17.379 --> 00:29:18.039
I think he was
00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:18.920
very enthusiastic,
00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:19.720
at least in the way
00:29:19.720 --> 00:29:20.299
he said it.
00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:21.359
He was trying to kind of,
00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:21.619
you know,
00:29:21.819 --> 00:29:23.579
put lipstick on a pig,
00:29:23.639 --> 00:29:24.079
so to speak.
00:29:24.519 --> 00:29:25.779
Lord, look what I did.
00:29:26.099 --> 00:29:27.119
I kept it all pretty
00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:27.680
and shiny.
00:29:28.379 --> 00:29:29.079
Nobody even knew
00:29:29.079 --> 00:29:29.839
it was here.
00:29:30.439 --> 00:29:30.639
I mean,
00:29:30.679 --> 00:29:31.299
at first glance,
00:29:31.339 --> 00:29:32.339
it doesn't sound terrible.
00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:34.039
He still has it.
00:29:34.699 --> 00:29:36.199
He didn't spend it.
00:29:36.639 --> 00:29:37.859
He didn't lose it.
00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:40.159
But when we keep reading here
00:29:40.159 --> 00:29:41.460
and we notice
00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:42.539
that the master,
00:29:42.639 --> 00:29:43.220
the nobleman,
00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:45.159
was not pleased at all.
00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:46.939
Why?
00:29:47.879 --> 00:29:48.699
Because this truth
00:29:48.699 --> 00:29:49.119
that's running
00:29:49.119 --> 00:29:49.859
through this text
00:29:49.859 --> 00:29:50.539
is that preservation
00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:51.720
is not the same
00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:52.639
as faithfulness.
00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:54.640
The master did not
00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:55.620
give this man money
00:29:55.620 --> 00:29:56.380
to keep it safe.
00:29:56.600 --> 00:29:57.380
He gave him money
00:29:57.380 --> 00:29:58.280
to use it,
00:29:58.820 --> 00:30:00.140
to invest it,
00:30:00.900 --> 00:30:02.880
to move the business
00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:03.780
along further.
00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:05.320
In verse number 21,
00:30:05.420 --> 00:30:06.220
the servant explains
00:30:06.220 --> 00:30:06.980
why he did this.
00:30:07.060 --> 00:30:07.259
He said,
00:30:07.300 --> 00:30:08.000
For I feared thee,
00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:09.420
because thou art
00:30:09.420 --> 00:30:10.720
an austere man.
00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:11.540
We don't use that word
00:30:11.540 --> 00:30:11.820
a lot,
00:30:11.860 --> 00:30:12.759
but it carries this idea
00:30:12.759 --> 00:30:13.720
of stern
00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:14.840
and exacting
00:30:14.840 --> 00:30:15.700
and harsh.
00:30:17.600 --> 00:30:18.900
Really what we see here
00:30:18.900 --> 00:30:20.960
is this man's inactivity.
00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:22.120
It really reveals
00:30:22.120 --> 00:30:23.539
his view of the master.
00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:26.660
That he sees
00:30:26.660 --> 00:30:27.360
his nobleman,
00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:28.720
he sees this king
00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:29.680
through fear
00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:30.480
and suspicion.
00:30:31.799 --> 00:30:32.559
He's essentially
00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:33.340
saying this,
00:30:33.640 --> 00:30:34.140
Well, I didn't really
00:30:34.140 --> 00:30:34.759
trust you.
00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:38.000
I feel like I'm better
00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:38.740
with my things
00:30:38.740 --> 00:30:39.480
than you are.
00:30:41.079 --> 00:30:41.700
Ever thought that
00:30:41.700 --> 00:30:42.100
with the Lord?
00:30:43.100 --> 00:30:43.819
Lord, I know how
00:30:43.819 --> 00:30:44.680
to invest this money.
00:30:45.079 --> 00:30:46.079
I watched a YouTube video.
00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:47.579
I mean,
00:30:47.860 --> 00:30:49.279
sometimes that's how
00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:50.299
we think in our life.
00:30:50.299 --> 00:30:51.299
I didn't really
00:30:51.299 --> 00:30:51.899
trust you.
00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:52.539
He's thinking,
00:30:52.759 --> 00:30:53.119
Well, I thought
00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:53.779
you were harsh
00:30:53.779 --> 00:30:55.180
and I was afraid
00:30:55.180 --> 00:30:55.819
what might happen
00:30:55.819 --> 00:30:57.000
so I did nothing.
00:30:58.579 --> 00:30:59.379
But nothing
00:30:59.379 --> 00:31:00.339
in this parable
00:31:00.339 --> 00:31:01.200
suggests
00:31:01.200 --> 00:31:02.500
that the master
00:31:02.500 --> 00:31:03.500
actually deserves
00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:04.099
this description.
00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:05.740
In fact,
00:31:05.899 --> 00:31:06.539
we just saw
00:31:06.539 --> 00:31:07.220
the generosity
00:31:07.220 --> 00:31:08.099
of this master.
00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:10.399
He gave 10 pounds
00:31:10.399 --> 00:31:10.899
and they did
00:31:10.899 --> 00:31:11.599
what they were supposed to.
00:31:11.700 --> 00:31:12.879
He gave him 10 cities.
00:31:13.440 --> 00:31:14.399
He gave him 5 cities.
00:31:14.659 --> 00:31:15.259
That's the type
00:31:15.259 --> 00:31:16.299
of master we serve.
00:31:16.720 --> 00:31:17.879
One that is loving
00:31:17.879 --> 00:31:18.579
and kind
00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:19.220
and rewards
00:31:19.220 --> 00:31:20.220
far beyond
00:31:20.220 --> 00:31:21.339
what any of us deserve.
00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:23.359
So the servant's view
00:31:23.359 --> 00:31:24.359
here is not based
00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:25.119
in reality.
00:31:25.960 --> 00:31:26.759
And let me just remind you,
00:31:26.919 --> 00:31:27.939
a wrong view
00:31:27.939 --> 00:31:28.659
of the king,
00:31:28.740 --> 00:31:29.379
it produces
00:31:29.379 --> 00:31:30.720
an unfaithful life.
00:31:32.159 --> 00:31:32.699
A.W. Tozer
00:31:32.699 --> 00:31:33.339
said it like this,
00:31:33.579 --> 00:31:34.460
Nothing twists
00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:35.359
and deforms
00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:36.099
the soul
00:31:36.099 --> 00:31:37.119
more than a low
00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:37.980
or unworthy
00:31:37.980 --> 00:31:38.980
conception of God.
00:31:40.740 --> 00:31:41.539
God doesn't
00:31:41.539 --> 00:31:42.539
respond
00:31:42.539 --> 00:31:43.099
and act
00:31:43.099 --> 00:31:43.720
and treat us
00:31:43.720 --> 00:31:44.379
and do business
00:31:44.379 --> 00:31:45.439
like somebody we know.
00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:45.799
No,
00:31:45.940 --> 00:31:46.940
he's perfect
00:31:46.940 --> 00:31:47.460
and holy
00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:48.080
and just
00:31:48.080 --> 00:31:49.299
and he knows
00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:49.840
what he's doing
00:31:49.840 --> 00:31:50.820
and he's given us
00:31:50.820 --> 00:31:51.539
the opportunity
00:31:51.539 --> 00:31:52.600
and that's exactly
00:31:52.600 --> 00:31:53.519
what we see here
00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:54.519
is this servant's
00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:55.259
view of the master
00:31:55.259 --> 00:31:56.880
affected how he lived
00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:57.539
while the master
00:31:57.539 --> 00:31:58.080
was away.
00:31:59.860 --> 00:32:00.779
And we have to be careful
00:32:00.779 --> 00:32:01.759
not to fall in that trap.
00:32:03.059 --> 00:32:03.539
That we know
00:32:03.539 --> 00:32:04.200
who God is.
00:32:04.820 --> 00:32:05.480
The Bible
00:32:05.480 --> 00:32:06.420
makes it very clear
00:32:06.420 --> 00:32:07.360
that he is high
00:32:07.360 --> 00:32:07.900
and he's holy
00:32:07.900 --> 00:32:08.759
and he's all these things
00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:09.720
and before we rush
00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:10.120
to judgment,
00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:11.039
we must make sure
00:32:11.039 --> 00:32:11.820
that the same
00:32:11.820 --> 00:32:12.980
does not happen to us.
00:32:13.700 --> 00:32:14.740
If you see God
00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:15.660
as only harsh
00:32:15.660 --> 00:32:16.240
and distant
00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:17.120
and impossible
00:32:17.120 --> 00:32:17.740
to please,
00:32:17.940 --> 00:32:18.440
you're probably
00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:18.819
going to spend
00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:19.599
your life hiding
00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:20.620
instead of actually serving.
00:32:24.380 --> 00:32:25.380
And if we forget
00:32:25.380 --> 00:32:25.940
his goodness
00:32:25.940 --> 00:32:27.120
and we forget
00:32:27.120 --> 00:32:27.759
his grace
00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:28.480
and generosity
00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:29.500
and his faithfulness,
00:32:30.019 --> 00:32:30.779
we can begin
00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:31.779
treating obedience
00:32:31.779 --> 00:32:32.980
like a burden
00:32:32.980 --> 00:32:34.120
instead of a privilege.
00:32:34.519 --> 00:32:34.720
Listen,
00:32:34.799 --> 00:32:35.700
it's a privilege
00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:36.900
to obey God.
00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:38.440
It is a privilege
00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:39.180
to serve.
00:32:39.420 --> 00:32:40.120
It is a privilege
00:32:40.120 --> 00:32:41.400
to do the work
00:32:41.400 --> 00:32:41.940
that the Lord
00:32:41.940 --> 00:32:42.940
has called us to do.
00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:44.319
And in verse 22
00:32:44.319 --> 00:32:45.120
and verse 23,
00:32:45.380 --> 00:32:47.099
we notice the master's response.
00:32:48.220 --> 00:32:48.819
And he said unto him,
00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:49.839
Out of thy own mouth
00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:50.640
will I judge thee,
00:32:50.680 --> 00:32:51.480
thou wicked servant.
00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:53.700
Really what he's saying
00:32:53.700 --> 00:32:54.140
in these verses,
00:32:54.180 --> 00:32:54.700
we won't take time
00:32:54.700 --> 00:32:55.079
to read them
00:32:55.079 --> 00:32:55.819
for the sake of time,
00:32:56.120 --> 00:32:57.160
but what the king
00:32:57.160 --> 00:32:57.900
is saying here
00:32:57.900 --> 00:32:59.160
is if you really believe
00:32:59.160 --> 00:33:00.099
what you just said,
00:33:00.779 --> 00:33:01.480
why didn't you just
00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:02.519
at least put it in the bank?
00:33:03.259 --> 00:33:03.839
I could have at least
00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:04.519
got some interest
00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:05.480
when I showed back up.
00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:06.819
Really what he's saying
00:33:06.819 --> 00:33:08.539
is your own words
00:33:08.539 --> 00:33:09.180
are exposing
00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:10.259
how you're living.
00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:12.920
They don't even hold up.
00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:14.539
It's a terrible excuse.
00:33:16.039 --> 00:33:16.700
And in verse 24
00:33:16.700 --> 00:33:17.379
and verse 25,
00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:18.319
the king takes
00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:19.279
his money,
00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:20.319
the one pound
00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:20.960
that he had,
00:33:21.779 --> 00:33:22.579
the one mina
00:33:22.579 --> 00:33:23.019
that he had,
00:33:23.119 --> 00:33:23.799
and gives it
00:33:23.799 --> 00:33:24.339
to the servant
00:33:24.339 --> 00:33:24.920
that had ten.
00:33:25.079 --> 00:33:25.960
And you hear the gasp
00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:26.440
in the crowd say,
00:33:26.519 --> 00:33:28.000
you can't do that.
00:33:29.599 --> 00:33:30.579
He can do anything
00:33:30.579 --> 00:33:31.160
he wants.
00:33:32.299 --> 00:33:33.079
He's the king.
00:33:33.079 --> 00:33:35.159
But we've seen
00:33:35.159 --> 00:33:35.699
throughout this
00:33:35.699 --> 00:33:36.480
that he's not there
00:33:36.480 --> 00:33:38.199
just to keep his thumb
00:33:38.199 --> 00:33:38.679
on us.
00:33:38.859 --> 00:33:40.000
No, he's a loving king.
00:33:40.399 --> 00:33:41.159
He cares.
00:33:41.339 --> 00:33:42.259
He wants us
00:33:42.259 --> 00:33:42.759
to be involved.
00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:43.419
He's given us
00:33:43.419 --> 00:33:44.079
an opportunity
00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:44.859
to be involved
00:33:44.859 --> 00:33:45.319
in the work.
00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:46.119
And then he gives us
00:33:46.119 --> 00:33:47.359
this great principle
00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:48.199
in verse 26,
00:33:48.539 --> 00:33:49.460
for I say unto you
00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:50.240
that unto everyone
00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:51.399
which hath
00:33:51.399 --> 00:33:52.199
shall be given,
00:33:52.639 --> 00:33:53.240
and from him
00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:53.839
that hath not,
00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:54.879
even that he hath
00:33:54.879 --> 00:33:55.599
shall be taken
00:33:55.599 --> 00:33:57.220
away from him.
00:33:57.759 --> 00:33:58.519
Here's what Jesus
00:33:58.519 --> 00:33:59.039
is saying
00:33:59.039 --> 00:33:59.859
as he closes out
00:33:59.859 --> 00:34:00.419
this parable.
00:34:00.420 --> 00:34:02.860
is that when we're faithful
00:34:02.860 --> 00:34:03.980
it leads to
00:34:03.980 --> 00:34:05.000
greater stewardship.
00:34:06.580 --> 00:34:07.840
The more that we're faithful
00:34:07.840 --> 00:34:08.300
with the things
00:34:08.300 --> 00:34:08.920
that God gives us,
00:34:09.139 --> 00:34:09.659
he's going to give us
00:34:09.659 --> 00:34:10.460
more opportunities.
00:34:11.700 --> 00:34:12.559
This is not some
00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:13.180
wealth, health,
00:34:13.220 --> 00:34:14.139
and prosperity gospel.
00:34:15.300 --> 00:34:16.079
That's not what
00:34:16.079 --> 00:34:16.500
Jesus is saying.
00:34:16.680 --> 00:34:17.300
But he is saying
00:34:17.300 --> 00:34:17.940
if you're faithful
00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:18.139
with things,
00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:19.039
God's going to give
00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:19.880
faithful people
00:34:19.880 --> 00:34:20.820
opportunities to serve.
00:34:21.579 --> 00:34:22.980
But when we're faithless,
00:34:23.579 --> 00:34:24.900
when we're fruitless,
00:34:24.980 --> 00:34:25.500
here's what it does,
00:34:25.619 --> 00:34:26.519
it leads to loss.
00:34:28.099 --> 00:34:28.579
God's not going to
00:34:28.579 --> 00:34:29.559
keep giving us things
00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:30.539
if we're not using it.
00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:32.039
He didn't give you
00:34:32.039 --> 00:34:32.679
all those gifts
00:34:32.679 --> 00:34:33.599
we talked about earlier
00:34:33.599 --> 00:34:34.779
for you to hoard them,
00:34:35.420 --> 00:34:36.619
to save them,
00:34:36.940 --> 00:34:37.679
to store them.
00:34:37.880 --> 00:34:38.639
He gave them to you
00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:39.719
to use them.
00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:41.619
You know,
00:34:41.739 --> 00:34:42.360
I see people
00:34:42.360 --> 00:34:43.179
that buy all these shoes
00:34:43.179 --> 00:34:43.699
and some of you
00:34:43.699 --> 00:34:44.400
may be sneakerheads.
00:34:44.659 --> 00:34:45.340
They buy all these
00:34:45.340 --> 00:34:45.860
awesome shoes
00:34:45.860 --> 00:34:46.400
and they put them
00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:47.420
in boxes with lights
00:34:47.420 --> 00:34:47.799
and they put them
00:34:47.799 --> 00:34:48.259
in their closet.
00:34:49.239 --> 00:34:49.539
I was like,
00:34:49.599 --> 00:34:50.159
that's cool,
00:34:50.279 --> 00:34:51.380
but I thought
00:34:51.380 --> 00:34:51.619
you were supposed
00:34:51.619 --> 00:34:52.299
to wear shoes.
00:34:53.400 --> 00:34:54.199
We can't wear these shoes
00:34:54.199 --> 00:34:55.079
because they're super cool
00:34:55.079 --> 00:34:56.019
and they're super expensive.
00:34:56.699 --> 00:34:57.259
What's the point
00:34:57.259 --> 00:34:57.880
of a shoe then?
00:34:58.119 --> 00:34:58.840
Set in a box?
00:34:59.600 --> 00:34:59.780
Listen,
00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:00.940
I don't know how
00:35:00.940 --> 00:35:01.940
Christians live their life.
00:35:02.280 --> 00:35:02.960
They got the coolest
00:35:02.960 --> 00:35:03.440
thing in the world
00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:03.820
but they're just going
00:35:03.820 --> 00:35:04.360
to sit in a box
00:35:04.360 --> 00:35:04.820
in their closet
00:35:04.820 --> 00:35:05.300
and they're going
00:35:05.300 --> 00:35:05.640
to put it under
00:35:05.640 --> 00:35:06.260
their arm
00:35:06.260 --> 00:35:06.539
when they come
00:35:06.539 --> 00:35:07.240
to church on Sunday.
00:35:07.940 --> 00:35:08.360
It's the only time
00:35:08.360 --> 00:35:08.960
they ever use it.
00:35:09.680 --> 00:35:10.320
They only wear shoes
00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:11.019
on special occasions.
00:35:11.220 --> 00:35:11.920
We can only use this
00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:12.820
on special occasions.
00:35:13.600 --> 00:35:13.800
No,
00:35:13.860 --> 00:35:14.539
we need to live it
00:35:14.539 --> 00:35:15.100
every single day
00:35:15.100 --> 00:35:15.760
of our life.
00:35:16.620 --> 00:35:16.780
See,
00:35:16.860 --> 00:35:17.400
I want to remind us
00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:18.519
this is not just
00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:19.360
a fictional story.
00:35:20.640 --> 00:35:21.460
It keeps coming up
00:35:21.460 --> 00:35:22.100
over and over again
00:35:22.100 --> 00:35:23.300
and Jesus reminds us
00:35:23.300 --> 00:35:23.700
that one day
00:35:23.700 --> 00:35:24.620
the king's going to ask us
00:35:24.620 --> 00:35:25.280
what we did with it.
00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:26.460
He asked all of his servants,
00:35:26.559 --> 00:35:27.039
what'd you do?
00:35:28.679 --> 00:35:29.699
He's not going to ask you
00:35:29.699 --> 00:35:31.240
what does somebody else do?
00:35:32.720 --> 00:35:33.360
Sometimes we get
00:35:33.360 --> 00:35:33.860
kind of cornered
00:35:33.860 --> 00:35:34.059
and we say,
00:35:34.179 --> 00:35:34.500
well,
00:35:34.500 --> 00:35:35.340
they didn't do it.
00:35:36.280 --> 00:35:36.659
You're not going to
00:35:36.659 --> 00:35:37.780
give an account for them.
00:35:38.740 --> 00:35:39.039
You're going to give
00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:39.820
an account for your life
00:35:39.820 --> 00:35:41.220
and what you've done
00:35:41.220 --> 00:35:41.659
with what God
00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:42.179
has given you.
00:35:42.179 --> 00:35:44.000
I mean,
00:35:44.039 --> 00:35:44.399
is there anything
00:35:44.399 --> 00:35:44.899
in your life
00:35:44.899 --> 00:35:45.460
that you're leaving
00:35:45.460 --> 00:35:46.460
unused for him?
00:35:47.239 --> 00:35:47.940
A relationship,
00:35:48.179 --> 00:35:48.839
an opportunity,
00:35:49.239 --> 00:35:49.859
some time,
00:35:50.099 --> 00:35:50.699
the gospel?
00:35:52.319 --> 00:35:52.980
But the parable
00:35:52.980 --> 00:35:53.579
doesn't just end
00:35:53.579 --> 00:35:54.199
with the servants.
00:35:55.259 --> 00:35:56.099
Look at verse number 27.
00:35:56.219 --> 00:35:56.839
This is a tough verse
00:35:56.839 --> 00:35:57.199
to read.
00:35:58.559 --> 00:35:59.359
But those mine enemies
00:35:59.359 --> 00:36:00.039
which would not
00:36:00.039 --> 00:36:01.219
that I should reign over them
00:36:01.219 --> 00:36:02.099
bring hither
00:36:02.099 --> 00:36:03.059
and slay them
00:36:03.059 --> 00:36:04.259
before me.
00:36:06.659 --> 00:36:07.319
That sounds
00:36:07.319 --> 00:36:08.079
really severe
00:36:08.079 --> 00:36:10.779
and Jesus intends
00:36:10.780 --> 00:36:11.820
for it to sound severe.
00:36:13.320 --> 00:36:14.160
Because the return
00:36:14.160 --> 00:36:14.680
of the king,
00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:15.940
when Jesus comes again,
00:36:16.700 --> 00:36:17.600
he's not just coming
00:36:17.600 --> 00:36:18.420
to bring a reward,
00:36:18.760 --> 00:36:20.100
it will also bring judgment.
00:36:22.380 --> 00:36:23.340
What kind of God
00:36:23.340 --> 00:36:23.980
would do that?
00:36:24.420 --> 00:36:25.300
The same kind of God
00:36:25.300 --> 00:36:25.680
that would send
00:36:25.680 --> 00:36:26.140
his only son
00:36:26.140 --> 00:36:26.800
the first time
00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:29.080
and to die on the cross
00:36:29.080 --> 00:36:29.900
for my sin
00:36:29.900 --> 00:36:30.660
and for your sin.
00:36:31.400 --> 00:36:31.840
Because the Bible
00:36:31.840 --> 00:36:32.640
is clear that all
00:36:32.640 --> 00:36:33.080
have sinned
00:36:33.080 --> 00:36:33.440
and come short
00:36:33.440 --> 00:36:34.080
of the glory of God.
00:36:34.280 --> 00:36:34.940
See, the first time
00:36:34.940 --> 00:36:35.480
we already saw
00:36:35.480 --> 00:36:36.340
in Luke chapter 19,
00:36:36.420 --> 00:36:36.740
verse 10,
00:36:36.940 --> 00:36:37.820
here's why he came,
00:36:38.040 --> 00:36:39.340
to seek and to save
00:36:39.340 --> 00:36:40.300
that which was lost.
00:36:40.780 --> 00:36:41.519
So there will be
00:36:41.519 --> 00:36:42.140
no excuse.
00:36:42.260 --> 00:36:43.200
He has made a way.
00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:44.480
He has paid the debt.
00:36:44.760 --> 00:36:45.620
All of the things
00:36:45.620 --> 00:36:46.260
have been taken care of.
00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:47.200
That's the king
00:36:47.200 --> 00:36:47.860
that we serve.
00:36:48.080 --> 00:36:48.860
But some are going
00:36:48.860 --> 00:36:49.940
to outright reject
00:36:49.940 --> 00:36:50.500
that king.
00:36:51.200 --> 00:36:52.140
But it does not
00:36:52.140 --> 00:36:52.920
change the truth
00:36:52.920 --> 00:36:53.840
that he is the king.
00:36:54.720 --> 00:36:55.960
And because he is just,
00:36:56.460 --> 00:36:58.000
he will have to punish sin
00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:59.200
even though he took
00:36:59.200 --> 00:37:00.780
the debt on his own body
00:37:00.780 --> 00:37:01.780
in that tree
00:37:01.780 --> 00:37:02.700
as the apostle Paul
00:37:02.700 --> 00:37:03.340
reminds us,
00:37:03.540 --> 00:37:04.380
that there is going
00:37:04.380 --> 00:37:05.980
to be severe judgment.
00:37:07.100 --> 00:37:08.160
And those that reject
00:37:08.159 --> 00:37:08.779
his rule
00:37:08.779 --> 00:37:10.799
will answer to him.
00:37:12.359 --> 00:37:13.299
So this parable
00:37:13.299 --> 00:37:14.000
is not just,
00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:14.819
well, we need to use
00:37:14.819 --> 00:37:15.659
our talents better.
00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:18.980
I think the thrust
00:37:18.980 --> 00:37:19.819
of this entire parable
00:37:19.819 --> 00:37:20.159
is this,
00:37:20.319 --> 00:37:21.579
what are you doing
00:37:21.579 --> 00:37:22.099
with the king?
00:37:24.579 --> 00:37:25.579
Some reject him
00:37:25.579 --> 00:37:25.980
altogether.
00:37:27.659 --> 00:37:29.339
Some claim to serve him
00:37:29.339 --> 00:37:30.379
but really waste
00:37:30.379 --> 00:37:31.899
what he's entrusted
00:37:31.899 --> 00:37:32.219
to them.
00:37:32.219 --> 00:37:33.719
And others faithfully
00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:34.279
serve him
00:37:34.279 --> 00:37:35.179
looking forward
00:37:35.179 --> 00:37:35.819
to his return.
00:37:37.319 --> 00:37:38.219
So as we close
00:37:38.219 --> 00:37:38.519
this morning,
00:37:38.579 --> 00:37:39.059
I just want to ask you
00:37:39.059 --> 00:37:39.179
this,
00:37:39.460 --> 00:37:40.059
what attitude
00:37:40.059 --> 00:37:41.339
characterizes your life?
00:37:42.839 --> 00:37:43.879
The king is coming.
00:37:45.059 --> 00:37:46.480
He will come again.
00:37:47.259 --> 00:37:48.219
You don't have to dread it.
00:37:49.119 --> 00:37:50.000
You can look forward
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:50.219
to it.
00:37:50.239 --> 00:37:51.000
In fact, you should.
00:37:51.339 --> 00:37:52.119
I love what John
00:37:52.119 --> 00:37:52.559
says at the end
00:37:52.559 --> 00:37:52.980
of Revelation.
00:37:53.339 --> 00:37:54.139
Even so,
00:37:54.619 --> 00:37:55.279
come quickly.
00:37:56.359 --> 00:37:57.179
Come quickly,
00:37:57.319 --> 00:37:57.739
Lord Jesus.
00:37:59.919 --> 00:38:00.879
See, we started there
00:38:00.879 --> 00:38:01.699
in verse number 11.
00:38:02.559 --> 00:38:02.879
And the people
00:38:02.879 --> 00:38:03.559
thought the question
00:38:03.559 --> 00:38:05.139
was when is the kingdom
00:38:05.139 --> 00:38:05.739
going to appear?
00:38:06.960 --> 00:38:08.019
But what Jesus does
00:38:08.019 --> 00:38:08.579
in this text
00:38:08.579 --> 00:38:10.179
is he redirects
00:38:10.179 --> 00:38:10.699
their attention.
00:38:11.839 --> 00:38:12.319
And it should be
00:38:12.319 --> 00:38:13.199
the same for us.
00:38:14.420 --> 00:38:15.319
Yes, the king
00:38:15.319 --> 00:38:15.920
has gone away.
00:38:16.779 --> 00:38:17.259
He's been away
00:38:17.259 --> 00:38:17.980
for a while now
00:38:17.980 --> 00:38:18.719
and the world mocks
00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:19.319
and he's been gone
00:38:19.319 --> 00:38:20.239
2,000 years.
00:38:21.339 --> 00:38:22.079
But he's given us
00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:23.099
a great responsibility.
00:38:24.119 --> 00:38:24.819
Go ye therefore
00:38:24.819 --> 00:38:26.639
into all the world
00:38:26.639 --> 00:38:28.019
and preach the gospel.
00:38:29.099 --> 00:38:29.839
That's why we're having
00:38:29.839 --> 00:38:30.699
a missions month.
00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:31.599
That's why we brought
00:38:31.599 --> 00:38:32.539
missionaries in.
00:38:32.739 --> 00:38:33.879
That's why we want
00:38:33.880 --> 00:38:34.539
to take the gospel
00:38:34.539 --> 00:38:35.180
to Hong Kong
00:38:35.180 --> 00:38:35.820
and check via.
00:38:35.980 --> 00:38:36.260
That's why
00:38:36.260 --> 00:38:36.820
Brother Zach and
00:38:36.820 --> 00:38:37.200
Miss Cherish
00:38:37.200 --> 00:38:37.920
are taking the gospel
00:38:37.920 --> 00:38:38.519
to Nakona
00:38:38.519 --> 00:38:40.019
and to see opportunities
00:38:40.019 --> 00:38:41.240
there for people
00:38:41.240 --> 00:38:41.860
to know the Lord.
00:38:42.099 --> 00:38:42.980
And so the big question
00:38:42.980 --> 00:38:43.880
I want you to answer
00:38:43.880 --> 00:38:44.440
this morning
00:38:44.440 --> 00:38:45.519
that we must answer
00:38:45.519 --> 00:38:45.800
in our heart,
00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:46.940
what am I doing
00:38:46.940 --> 00:38:47.840
until he comes again?
00:38:49.539 --> 00:38:50.340
That's really where
00:38:50.340 --> 00:38:51.220
he's pulling us to.
00:38:51.700 --> 00:38:53.119
But because until he comes
00:38:53.119 --> 00:38:54.519
there is work to do.
00:38:55.559 --> 00:38:56.420
There are people
00:38:56.420 --> 00:38:57.340
that need the gospel.
00:38:57.680 --> 00:38:58.539
There are opportunities
00:38:58.539 --> 00:38:59.440
that he is placing
00:38:59.440 --> 00:39:00.160
in front of your life
00:39:00.160 --> 00:39:00.720
right now.
00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:01.339
You have some
00:39:01.339 --> 00:39:02.019
at school tomorrow.
00:39:02.879 --> 00:39:03.500
You have some
00:39:03.500 --> 00:39:04.139
at the lunch table
00:39:04.139 --> 00:39:04.679
at work.
00:39:05.500 --> 00:39:06.319
Hey, around the water
00:39:06.319 --> 00:39:07.059
cooler tomorrow.
00:39:08.339 --> 00:39:09.199
There are resources
00:39:09.199 --> 00:39:10.379
God has called you
00:39:10.379 --> 00:39:11.079
to steward.
00:39:12.139 --> 00:39:13.299
And he invites you.
00:39:13.539 --> 00:39:14.379
There's cards in your
00:39:14.379 --> 00:39:14.899
chair back in front of me.
00:39:14.919 --> 00:39:15.399
We'll talk about it
00:39:15.399 --> 00:39:16.099
next week a little more.
00:39:16.179 --> 00:39:17.000
But faith promise.
00:39:17.059 --> 00:39:17.859
Just get involved
00:39:17.859 --> 00:39:18.699
in getting the gospel
00:39:18.699 --> 00:39:19.739
across the world.
00:39:20.679 --> 00:39:21.679
There are people to love.
00:39:21.759 --> 00:39:22.839
There's a church to serve.
00:39:23.099 --> 00:39:24.379
There's a king to obey.
00:39:26.319 --> 00:39:27.699
And he just reminds us
00:39:27.699 --> 00:39:28.179
over and over.
00:39:28.219 --> 00:39:28.619
And I'll leave you
00:39:28.619 --> 00:39:29.119
with this thought.
00:39:29.420 --> 00:39:31.039
Until he comes
00:39:31.039 --> 00:39:32.579
be faithful
00:39:32.579 --> 00:39:33.460
with what he has placed
00:39:33.460 --> 00:39:34.819
in your hands.
00:39:35.460 --> 00:39:36.719
Because he is coming again.
00:39:37.539 --> 00:39:38.579
And would he find us
00:39:38.579 --> 00:39:39.619
occupying,
00:39:40.380 --> 00:39:40.759
serving,
00:39:41.579 --> 00:39:42.460
doing the work
00:39:42.460 --> 00:39:43.799
when he comes again.
00:39:44.159 --> 00:39:44.679
Would you stand
00:39:44.679 --> 00:39:45.339
with your heads bowed
00:39:45.339 --> 00:39:45.719
and with your hands?