REWARDS FROM OUR RETURNING KING
Please open your Bible to Luke 19 as we conclude our series on Eternal Rewards with today’s message, “Rewards from Our Returning King.”
Jesus gave two parables of what it would be like to stand before Him at His judgment seat. Last week, in the Parable of the Talents we discovered that God has gifted every believer with at least one talent of responsibility to honor to the Name of Jesus Christ.
In this Parable of the Mina, Jesus again reveals the wonderful gift of rewards that He has reserved for those who faithfully serve Him. Every believer, including you, has been graced with special gifts from heaven. So, if you desire the great rewards of heaven that are exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think, and if you desire to hear Jesus say to you, “Well Done, good and faithful servant,” then this message is especially for you.
Luke 19:17 ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities. NKJV
FAITHFULNESS AND REWARDS
Faithfulness is the key to great eternal rewards. Faithfulness is how Jesus describes the heart of a true servant. Faithfulness to the Lord, in all things, including the very small things, will greatly determine what you can be trusted to handle in eternity.
Faithfulness is so important that Jesus said…
Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, (worldly wealth) who will commit to your trust the true riches? NKJV
Faithfulness is important, which is why Jesus also said in Luke 19:17, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.
Faithfulness is very important to the Lord. Faithful living is how we hear Jesus say, well done. He is looking for those who are faithful in all things, including the small things.
THE NOBLE MASTER
Jesus begins this parable about a nobleman… Luke 19:12 A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. NKJV
Without diving into all of the details, the point is, Jesus is the nobleman, and at this moment, He is in the far country, in heaven, waiting for the moment He will return to earth and set up His eternal kingdom as the King of kings.
The actions of Jesus as our true nobleman begins in Luke 19:10 that reveals a powerful truth regarding Jesus first coming and His second coming.
Luke 19:10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. NKJV
Before Jesus could return a second time as King, He first had to come and save the lost. That means… In His first coming…
He did not come to overthrow Rome and set up an earthly kingdom.
He did not come to right all wrongs, or to fix social injustices.
He came the first time as the Lamb of God to destroy the power of sin. He came the first time to bring eternal life to all who would believe in His name. He came the first time to seek and to save the lost through His finished work at the cross. That’s why He came…
The point is, He did not come the first time to fix the world, but to save the world.
But… glory to God, He will return a second time, as the eternal King of the Ages, when He will rule with righteous judgment over the nations and nothing on earth will stand against Him for His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
Revelation 19 says, He will return as the Lord of Lords.
Philippians 2 says, every knee will bow before Him and confess He is King of kings.
At the present time, our King is away, but He is coming, and He is bringing with Him a kingdom of glory that will never end. At His coming, He will renovate the world into a paradise of unimaginable beauty like the garden of Eden. The change will be so dynamic that even all the deserts of the world will blossom like a rose garden of beauty.
At the moment, our King is away, but He will return. Now look at verse 14…
Luke 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.
Verse 14 Jesus describes a true event between Rome and Israel where 3,000 Jews were killed. Jesus uses this to describe the world’s attitude toward Him at His return. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the world of today hates the name of Jesus Christ and rejects Him as King.
But… those who reject Jesus Christ and hate Him do not realize He is the rightful owner of the world. Those who reject Him and hate Him do not understand that He holds all power in heaven and earth and they will have to answer to Him.
But no matter what the world says or does, nothing will prevent His return. Those who reject and hate Jesus Christ; those who reject His gospel of salvation and reject Him as the everlasting King, will ultimately face Him as their eternal judge who will sentence them to everlasting punishment.
THE SERVANTS
At this moment, we are living between verses 14 and 15. Our Master, Jesus Christ is away, but He will return. But while the world hates and rejects Jesus Christ, there are those living in the world who love the Master and are faithful to Him. Jesus calls them His servants.
Luke 19:13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas…
We don’t build our theology on parables, but they do reveal deep truths. For example…
These servants represent believers in Christ. There were ten servants and each servant was given a mina. All ten servants received a mina. No one was given more or less. Everyone got the same amount. Every believer here has a mina.
A mina was about 3 month’s wages. The big question is, how does the mina apply to us?
I believe the mina represents your testimony of the salvation message found in Jesus Christ. As a believer; you have a testimony of Christ’s saving power. Your testimony of what Jesus has done in you is your mina.
At the judgment seat of Christ, we will all be held accountable for our faithfulness to share with this lost world the testimony we have in Jesus Christ.
Let’s pause here a moment and reflect on this means. What is our testimony?
Do you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only hope of eternal life?
Do you believe Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation?
Do you believe Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead?
These great truths are your mina, and how you live out what you believe about these eternal truths is how you use your mina as a testimony of your faith in Jesus Christ.
The reality is, at the judgment seat of Christ, we will all be held accountable for how we used our testimony, our mina, to honor and glorify the King. That points us to verse 13.
DO BUSINESS UNTIL I COME
In verse 13, Jesus said, “Do business until I come.” Those five words hold great meaning.
Jesus said Do business until I come. Our business on earth is not the American dream. Our business on earth is not to fix the world social problems. Yes, we are to have compassion and do the best we can, but we can’t fix the problem. Our responsibility is to the Kingdom of God, and our business is kingdom business.
Our business is to win lost souls and bring them into the kingdom.
Our business is to honor and obey the King.
He said do business… keep working… until I come. Our business for the kingdom is to use our testimony of Jesus Christ, and continue in that business, until He returns.
The greatest business transaction you will ever complete will be to lead someone to Jesus Christ. Bringing lost souls into the kingdom is God’s number one business, and we are to continue in that business until… He comes. That brings us to verse 15.
THE JUDGMENT SEAT
Luke 19:15 And so it was that when he returned, having (received the kingdom,)… NKJV
Notice it says… having received the kingdom…
One day very soon, the kingdoms of this world will be in the hands of Jesus Christ. In His kingdom, all who were faithful will rule and reign with Him. What He has prepared for us in His kingdom is so great, that no painter, or writer, or movie script can describe the exceedingly abundantly great and wonderful things God has in store for those who love Him and are faithful to Him.
Then we also read in verse 15… He then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
This is a picture of the Judgment Seat when each servant is called come before the Master
and give an account of their faithfulness in serving Him. That means for all of us, there will be a day of accounting. Verse 16… shows us what that looks like…
Luke 19:16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 he said
to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’
What I love about this first servant is that he is so humble. He said… your mina, not my mina. He said, your mina has made ten more. I humbly obeyed what you said, and your mina produced ten more mina. This servant understood where his testimony came from.
It was not his testimony, but the Lord’s testimony of what He had done for him and in him.
The Lord died for him and gave him eternal life. That’s the message of our testimony. Because of his humble and faithful attitude, the Master graciously rewarded this servant with the responsibility to rule over ten cities.
I believe this is a glimpse of what believers will be doing in the millilumen under the rule of Jesus Christ. Those who have been faithful in the little things, will be in charge of many things such as cities, or even nations, and… I believe this will also extend into all eternity under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is why faithfulness to Jesus Christ is so very important. There are numerous scriptures to support this amazing truth.
The second servant said the same thing… Master, your mina has earned five minas.
The point here is, not everyone has the same opportunities, or the same abilities, but we can all use what God gives us for His glory. And when we do, He promises to reward us with great rewards. Because of his faithfulness to in the little things to do the will of his master, Jesus told this servant, I will put you in charge over five cities. Wow!
I want you to hear this deep in your heart; Jesus is very gracious and very generous to all who are faithful to Him. His rewards are beyond measure and over the top. They are exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think.
For those who are faithful to use their mina, which is our testimony of faith, He promises to reward you with ten cities, or five cities… which to me is beyond amazing.
These servants reveal the heart of a believer who love their master and are faithful to Him. To love Him, is to honor Him, and to honor Him is to respect Him, and serve Him. This is how you can do well at the judgment seat of Christ and gain great rewards. There are some of you in this room whom I believe will be great rulers in Christ’s future kingdom.
According to I Corinthians 6, you will judge men and angels. Knowing the power of these great and mighty truths, I cannot stress enough the importance of repenting and getting things right with the Lord, and to make every effort to be faithful to all that He gives you to do. There will soon be a great and wonderful day of rewards when the Lord will pour out His magnificent rewards upon all who are faithful to Him. Glory to God!
Now we come to the tragedy of the third servant in verse 20.
THE THIRD SERVANT
Luke 19:20 Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.
This servant was very careless with this special gift God gave him. He wasn’t impressed with his gift so he wrapped it in a handkerchief and laid it aside, which means, he never used the gift that God gave him. Now, he suddenly finds himself standing before the master of heaven and earth. Listen to the stammering excuses this servant said to His master.
Luke 19:21 For I feared you, because you are an austere (harsh) man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest? 24 “And he said to those who stood by, (The other 7 servants) ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ 25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) 26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. NKJV
There are disagreements about who this third man represents, but no matter how you look at it, this is a very ugly picture, and it is a picture of what will happen at the judgment seat for those who are not faithful with the resources and talents God has given you.
The terrible, end result for this servant, is that he has nothing to lay at the feet of his master, the great King of heaven, who died for Him and gave Him life. He had nothing to show for how he used his life on earth for the great gift of salvation. Nothing!
The point is, had this servant used his mina, his testimony, just a little bit, he could have at least increased his mina from one to two, and would have at least gained some reward. But he did nothing, and because he did nothing, what he had was taken away from him and given to the one who demonstrated the most faithfulness. Again, remember these words…
Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, (worldly wealth) who will commit to your trust the true riches? NKJV
You cannot afford to be like the third servant. And if you are like the third servant, I strongly encourage you to repent and start today to serve Him with all of your heart.
Again, in verse 26…Jesus said… For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
What did this servant have that was taken away from him? He was stripped of his eternal rewards… he was stripped of his eternal position to rule and reign, and of his eternal privileges as a good and faithful servant. He lost all of these amazing things that could have been his, but instead, he became known as a worthless servant. And that is not God’s desire for any of us.
IN CLOSING…
I have preached to you this series of rewards so that you can be prepared for eternity.
It is important to remember that we do not deserve anything we receive from the Lord.
Everything we have is a gift of grace from him. But it is our responsibility to be faithful to the gifts He does give us.
Perhaps you wonder, what can I do to increase the gifts God has given to me?
The answer is very simple. Invest your life in the kingdom of God. How do you do that?
Invest your time in prayer
Invest in reaching the lost
Invest in giving to ministries that preach the gospel
Invest in the things that honor the Lord
Invest in helping the Jewish people
And most of all, invest your life in seeking to do those things that please Jesus Christ
Finally, if you desire eternal life in Jesus Christ, then must repent of your sins and believe in your heart these words…
Romans 10:9 …if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. NKJV
