The Parable Of The Diligent Servant

Everybody in the world has been fascinated by the court case here in Florida. The whole world is focused upon this case anxiously awaiting the outcome.

The attorneys on both sides have laid out their case for the jury to make a decision.

You can be sure that the lawyers on both sides vigorously prepared for this case. They did everything within their power to anticipate every aspect of this case. No lawyer wants to be surprised in court.

It is impossible to know everything that will take place, which is why attorneys go to great lengths to make sure they prepare their case as tight as possible. So that, if something comes up they did not anticipate they have room to wiggle, so to speak.

The key to every case is preparation. Without preparation, there is little chance that a case is going to be won.

That is what is before us today in this parable. The key would be preparation. Without preparation, we will go down in the flames of failure. Too many examples of this truth to give now.

If I am going to be faithful to the Lord in my service, I must be adequately prepared and the preparation is my responsibility.

Many people have the attitude "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)", and they have no responsibility whatsoever. That is not the case.

We are to do our part and then let God's part to Him.

Some people have an odd idea about sovereignty. They believe everything that happens is God's will. The Scriptures do not bear that out.

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

According to this verse, it is not God's will for anyone to perish. Yet, millions every day perish and go out into a Christ-less eternity.

God's sovereignty is of such a nature that it encompasses man's freedom of will. Man’s free will does not compromise, contradict or compete with God’s sovereignty.

The question that comes to mind is, how can I be adequately prepared for things I don't know will be happening? I cannot predict the future!

If I am responsible for my actions, how can I prepare when I do not know the future? How can I be a diligent servant?

I am going to talk to you today as believers. We all know that the first step in preparation in this regard is to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. Sometimes we get the idea that that is all we have to do. Just accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and everything will turn out all right.

There are some problems with that.

It would be like a baby born into this world and the parents take it home from the hospital and say to the little newborn, "Okay, now get on with your life."

That baby needs a lot of nurturing and discipline before it is able to stand on its own two feet.

Every believer needs to be nurtured and discipled in order to stand firm in the things of God. The reason so many people fumble in this area, is because they are not adequately prepared for the Christian life.

So, I am assuming that you are a Christian and have been taking care of this part of your life.

Now that you are a Christian, some things need to be done in order to be adequately prepared for what happens in life.

I. Cultivate a Spirit of Steadfastness.

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning” (35).

Steadfastness in the Christian life is probably one of the most crucial. Sometimes we get the idea that everything is taken care for us and there is nothing more that we can do. After all, we are saved and on our way to heaven.

Notice what Jesus says here. Two words: “stay” and “keep.” Action words. A continual action.

Let’s look at them.

1. “Stay dressed for action.”

This presupposes that we are already dressed for action. There is nothing passive about the Christian life. We begin our Christian experience with the rumble of a spiritual battle. To come out of darkness into light is a dramatic experience for us.

Conversion brings us out of darkness and into a life of Light.

Now that we are born again, we need to stay dressed for action. We need to be ready at all times to stand our ground for the Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of the cost.

Sometimes we get lazy in our Christian life. Nothing is more damaging to the Christian church than lazy Christians.

We start out in the dynamics of living for Jesus.

Slowly, we lose our enthusiasm for Christ.