THE ONCE & FUTURE KING
[The Great Sin of Doing Nothing]
Luke 19:11-27
INTRODUCTION
A. DEMONSTRATION: LIFE IS LIKE BROWNIES
1. My wife makes the best brownies. I’m going to give away these brownies to those who got the slips of paper. Please come up and get them.
2. Imagine this pan of brownies represents our resources; they represent how most Christians divide up their paychecks - showing our priority system.
3. “When I call out your expense, come and get your brownie.” (Slips labeled as: house payment, light bill, doctor bills, groceries, eating out, car payment, insurance, water, Internet, oil change, clothes, cell phone, gasoline, daycare, dentist, and God.)
4. One by one the people come forward to redeem their slips and claim a brownie. The last brownie disappears.
5. One slip of paper remains with ‘God’ written on it. I call out, “God!” A man (with slip) comes forward, hoping there’s one more brownie hidden somewhere.
6. I hold the pan sideways and scrap the crumbs from the bottom of the pan into the last baggie. The man (God) looks like he got a raw deal — just crumbs.
7. “The brownies in the pan represent your money. Many people don’t give God His share right away. Often He doesn’t get anything at all, except maybe the crumbs.”
8. Give God His share first. Are you being faithful with what God has given you, or does He get the leftovers?
B. TEXT
11 [Jesus told] them a parable, because…the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ 14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ 15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ 17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ 18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’ 19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’ 20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ 24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ 26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
Lk. 19:11-27.
HUMOR ON “MINAS.” The parable mentions 10 minas. No, this is not about 10 people who work underground, wear hard hats and look for precious minerals. Those are miners. We’re talking about was a Greek unit of currency.
C. SUBJECT OF PARABLE & THESIS
1. ALL HUMANS IN 2 GROUPS: those who recognize Jesus (Man of Noble Birth) as King and serve him or those who reject His Kingship.
2. REASON FOR JESUS’ BEING GONE A LONG TIME.
3. PICTURE OF FUTURE ACCOUNTABILITY.
a. Jesus has been crowned King by the Father and will return to establish His Kingdom on Earth.
b. Daniel saw Him elevated to the throne of God; 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED!
c. But Jesus is coming back to establish His Kingdom here on Earth. He said, “I will come again!”
4. Follow along as we look at “The Once & Future King.”
I. SHOCKING REJECTION OF THE NOBLEMAN
HIS ENEMIES HATED HIM DESPITE HIS FITNESS TO REIGN
A. SHOCKING BECAUSE OF HIS CHARACTER
1. NOBLE IN HIS BIRTH [Gr. eu-‘well,’ genos-‘born’]
As the Nicene Creed says, Jesus is “the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made…”
Col. 2:9, “all the fullness of the Deity lives in [Him in] bodily form.” “God was manifested in the flesh…” in Christ, 1 Tim. 3:16.
2. NOBLE CHARACTER: LIVED A SINLESS LIFE
a. Pontius Pilate was forced to admit, “I find no fault in this man.”
b. Judas, who betrayed Him, said, “I have…betrayed innocent blood.”
c. Paul said, “[God] made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” 2 Cor. 5:21.
d. Heb. 4:15 says, He “was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.”
e. Peter said, “Who committed no sin” 1 Pet. 2:22.
3. FAVORED THE WEAK & POOR. There was nothing petty, mean, or selfish about Jesus of Nazareth. Though above any royalty of this earth, He freely associated with the poor and ignorant.
4. SELFLESS, SERVANT. “I am among you as one who serves” Lk. 22:27. Though the greatest, he humbled Himself to serve the least. What great person has ever had a more noble character?
5. SACRIFICIAL. He demonstrated the greatest self-sacrifice for others ever known. “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13. He’s the lover of our souls, who poured out His blood for our redemption!
B. SHOCKING WHO THE WORLD CHOOSES
1. It’s strange that the world will embrace twisted individuals like Hitler, or immoral leaders like Fidel Castro, or demonic leaders like Pol Pot of Cambodia, or bloody dictators like Joseph Stalin or Mao Zedong, who each killed at least 40 million people.
2. The Jews of Jesus’ day rejected Him but declared, “We have no king but Caesar!” What warped judgment the world has!
C. Q -- ARE WE REJECTING CHRIST?
1. How many people in the world today treat Christianity with contempt? How many oppose it, belittle it, ignore it, contradict it, and refuse to let Christ be Lord of their lives? I tell you – they are all enemies of Christ!
2. We’re either working for Christ or against Him. There’s no middle ground. If you refuse to be saved by Him, refuse to alter your life, refuse to obey Him, then you are His enemy!
3. When He comes again, He will say, “But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me!” (Vs. 27). That expression is full of terror!
4. God has thrown the body of His Son Jesus across the threshold of Hell. The only way to get into hell is to step over the body of God’s Son!
5. The other set of persons in the parable were his servants—the actual Greek word is “doulos” – “slaves.” Those who accept Jesus as their Master are His slaves!
6. Paul said, “We’ve been bought with a price” –His blood/ life. “He whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” Serving Him bring perfect freedom.
II. GRAND DESIGN OF THE NOBLEMAN
A. TO TEST SERVANTS – FUTURE POSITIONS
1. PURPOSE OF THE GREAT NOBLE’S ACTION? He wished to test His servants character & abilities, intending, when He should return as King, to appoint them to high offices, to such positions as their ability (to manage their small deposit) showed them capable of fulfilling.
2. This present life is a trial period to see what responsibilities we can be trusted with in Christ’s millennial reign.
3. It wasn’t money-making, but character building. ILLUS. of Man who worked boys so much in the corn fields while others were playing or swimming. Neighbor; “Why? You don’t need that corn!” “I’m not raising corn, I’m raising boys into men!”
B. ALL GIVEN A MINA/ TALENT TO USE
1. Mina = time, money, opportunities, intelligence, looks, abilities, spiritual gifts, potential. 1 Pet. 4:10 says, “AS everyone has received the gift, so let him minister.” “But unto every one of us grace is given…” Eph. 4:7.
2. OUR GIFTS VARY – in Mt. 25, some got 5 talents, others got 1 talent. But God only expects us to use what we have.
3. DON’T COMPARE OURSELVES WITH OTHERS. If we do, some will feel inferior and do nothing. Others will feel superior and become guilty of pride.
4. “DO BUSINESS” ‘trade,’ ‘be busy’ for the kingdom.
4. CAN’T USE OUR TALENTS/ OPPORT. SELFISHLY. Not for ourselves or for display.
C. THE MASTER TREATS THEM AS PARTNERS
1. No one was guarding or watching them.
2. Had no rigid rules to follow – what time of day to go to work or how long.
4. He still calls it “my money (23).” We’re supposed to give a tenth of our income back to the church, on our own.
5. Confidence in us – appeal to our honor and love.
6. Danger of Freedom: to assume that we can act or do what we want since it doesn’t appear that the Lord is watching or that a “Day of Reckoning” will ever come.
D. ILLUS.: SPENDING XTRA CASH ON SELF
1. A man was listening to a Christian Radio when an advertisement came on for a mortgage broker. If you refinanced your mortgage, you’d save thousands of dollars!
To make it more realistic, they had a husband and wife tell what they could do with those thousands of dollars.
2. The listener was intrigued with what these Christians -- on a Christian radio station – would say they’d do with the money. He thought he’d hear;
a. “We’ll give more money to the church”, or “We’ll sponsor a child in a poor country” or “We’ll support a new missionary.”
b. Or perhaps they’d say, “Let’s cut back on hours at work and spend the extra time with the kids,” or spend the time in some sort of ministry activity. But no, they didn’t talk of those things.
3. What they did mention were things like, “let’s extend the house”, “let’s go on an overseas trip,” “let’s build a patio,” and “let’s buy a new car.” Now I’m not saying those are wrong. But the man was disappointed hearing the choices.
4. The couple discussing what to do with their money seemed to assume it was theirs, to do with as they wanted. But was it really theirs? Is there no reckoning with God about it?
III. JUDGMENT DAY ACCOUNTABILITY
1. The vast majority of this parable is a picture of us Christians, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, each giving an account to King Jesus of how we conducted our lives and used our time, talents, influence, and money that He put at our disposal.
2. PERCENTAGES: OF THE 17 VERSES
a. Rebels (14,27) 2/17 = 11%
b. Good Slaves (16-19) = 23%
c. Negligent Slave (20-26) = 35%
d. Total Slave Account (15-26) = 64%. Wow!
3. Of the 10 slaves, only the report of 3 is stated by Christ.
A. THE 2 DILIGENT SLAVES
1. In verse 16, the first servant says he took the $10,000 and made $100,000. “Well done, good servant!!!” He receives COMMENDATION from the king.
2. But he also receives a REWARD – authority over 10 cities! This is evidently a reference to the Millennial Kingdom
of Jesus on this Earth. A mina was a pittance in comparison to a city.
3. If those servants had known ahead of time the staggering rewards they’d get, wouldn’t they be crazy NOT to work harder for the Lord? WE DO KNOW!
4. In Vs. 18, the second slave took his $10,000 and turned it into $50,000. Still quite impressive! The master is still pleased and he gives him a reward of 5 cities – in proportion to his stewardship of the mina that was entrusted to him.
B. THE NEGLIGENT SLAVE’S EXCUSE
1. Vs. 20 tells how one slave hid his mina (resources) to safeguard it. He didn’t exploit it or abuse it, but it was still considered a blatant disobedience of the Master’s will.
2. To excuse his behavior, he claimed he was afraid of the Nobleman, who he said was “hard” and expected too much. Does this accusation hold water? No!
a. The experience of the first 2 slaves showed that their master was actually generous, rewarding all efforts to serve in proportion. The third slave thus seems to have a warped view of the master.
b. Master basically says, "If you were really afraid of me, then why didn't you go overboard trying to obey Me?"
3. The truth is, the negligent slave either was lazy or didn’t believe the Nobleman would ever (become King and) come back.
4. In verse 23, in the Greek, the nobleman actually calls the money, “my money.” Our blessings really belong to God.
C. 3 OUTCOMES OF THE WICKED SLAVE
1. PRONOUNCED WICKED BEHAVIOR
a. In contrast to the 1st 2 slaves “good & faithful servant!,” this slave receives the judgment of “wicked servant” – the Greek word has the sense of moral evil.
b. Claiming he didn’t know better didn’t work. Today’s Christians who claim “I didn’t know I was supposed to work” are in for a very rude awakening at the Judgment Seat.
2. LOSS OF RESOURCES ON LOAN FROM GOD
a. His resources were taken from him and given to someone who was productive for God.
b. Why? Because he was not obedient to clear instructions. What’s this pointing to?
c. Our clear directive to get the Gospel out: The Great Commission. We’re supposed to help meet the needs of the needy around us. We’re supposed to disciple others.
3. EXPULSION FROM THE KINGDOM
a. PARALLEL: Mt. 25:30; “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
b. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not talking about being saved by the works we do. Notice the first two servants weren’t saved by their trading.
c. But James warns us of the clear and present danger of ‘saying’ we have faith but not having the accompanying fruit. “Faith without works is dead.”
d. Do the 3rd servant’s actions show that he really wasn’t on the nobleman’s side?
e. You see, accepting Jesus is not just about words alone; if we are truly converted, our faith will overflow into our lives. Does your life really give evidence of a change?
E. THE GREAT SIN OF DOING NOTHING
1. There are many today who believe that if they do nothing WRONG they will gain entrance into the kingdom of God. This parable is a warning that doing nothing can result is total loss.
2. Often we define the Christian life in negative terms. “He’s a Christian. He doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink or swear.” But Christianity’s not a matter of what we DON’T do, it’s a matter of what we DO do.
3. Are we actually doing anything to advance the kingdom of God? Are we working for God’s side?
4. In verse 22, the master calls him “wicked slave”! Wicked is not a term used for people who will inherit eternal life! David said, “With You the wicked cannot dwell” Ps. 5:4, NIV 1983.
5. Sometimes the sin of omission can be just as great as the sin of commission! Matt. 7:21 says, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but ONLY the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
CONCLUSION
A. THE CALL
1. WHICH OF THE 3 GROUPS ARE YOU IN? Rebels?
Obedient servants? Negligent servant? There’s still time to change which group you’re in.
2. Pretending Jesus won’t come back won’t make Him stay away – any more than not believing a speed camera exists will prevent you from getting a speeding ticket.
3. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Before Jesus’ return, we can still receive forgiveness. Once Jesus comes back, or we die, it will be too late.
4. I urge you to make the change now, while you can.
5. If you’re just GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, but Jesus isn’t really Lord, you’re on dangerous ground. May God spare us from being classified as a “wicked slave.” PRAYER.
6. For all who are truly saved, and living it out, you have nothing to fear when Christ returns. For you, it will be a joyous time as you are congratulated by the Lord!
B. ILLUS: GOOD DEED GETS BIG REWARD
1. One stormy night an elderly couple entered the lobby of a small hotel and asked for a room.
2. The clerk said they were filled, as were all the hotels in town. "But I can't send a fine couple like you out in the rain," he said. "Would you be willing to sleep in my room?" The couple hesitated, but the clerk insisted.
3. The next morning when the man paid his bill, he said, "You're the kind of man who should be managing the best hotel in the United States. Someday I'll build you one." The clerk smiled politely.
4. Several years later the clerk received a letter from the elderly man, recalling that stormy night and asking him to come to New York. A round-trip ticket was enclosed.
5. When the clerk arrived, his host took him to the corner of 5th Avenue and 34th Street, where stood a magnificent new building. "That," explained the man, "is the hotel I have built for you to manage."
6. The man was William Waldorf Astor, and that hotel was the original Waldorf-Astoria. The young clerk, George C. Boldt, became its first manager. [D.J.D. Our Daily Bread]
7. ALL STAND. “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” 1 Cor. 15:58. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love” Heb. 6:10, KJV.
8. It will be worth it all, when we see Christ! Prayer.
[Some thoughts are by C.H. Spurgeon, David Davidson, Rodney Buchanan, and possibly others. Thanks to all.]
