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March 10, 2019

Luke 12: 35-48 - Parables on the End Times

Text: Luke 12: 35-48
35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;
36 “and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
37 “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
38 “And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
40 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
43 “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44 “Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
45 “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,
46 “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 “And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.


I. The coming Kingdom of God

    A.  Jesus has judged the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. He has encouraged His disciples in the face of coming persecution, and He has promoted generosity over covetousness and greed.
    B. Jesus knew that because of the kingdom sinners need to repent, believers need to persevere through trials, and believers also need to point others to Christ.

II. Be ready - Luke 12:35

    A. In Bible times, people wore tunics which basically was a long shirt that extended all the way from neck to ankles.
    B. To make movement easier, people would fold the bottom of their tunics up to their waist and then hold the folded fabric in place with a belt.
    C. While the practices of girding waists and using lamps for light is antiquated the message is still clear - Be ready.


III. Parable 1 - Journey to a wedding - Luke 12:36-38. (parallel in Mark 13:34-36)

    A. The servants are to protect the estate and also to let the master back in when he gets home which might not be until the second or third watch of the night (sometime between 10 pm and 6 am).
    C. These servants needed to be ready with their lamps already lit up in order to let their master in as soon as he got home.
    D. Verse 37 contains the promise of a reward - Despite the late hour the master will gird himself, he will have his servants sit down to eat, and he will serve them.
    E. The master who is gone for a while is Jesus. The servants who are waiting and watching for their master’s return are Christ’s followers and upon His arrival Jesus will be so pleased with His followers that He will actually serve us with what Revelation 19 later calls the marriage supper of the Lamb.
    F. Watch and be ready for Jesus because we don’t know exactly when Jesus is coming back. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Matthew 24: 36

IV. Parable 2 - Thief - Luke 12: 39-40.

2 Peter 3:10-14,
10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11  Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12  looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13  Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14  Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

    A. Jesus is like a thief because He will come at a time that you don’t expect.
    B. Many failed predictions includes Jehovah’s Witnesses (1914); various preditions during World War II; Edgar Whisenant's books predicting 1988, 1989, 1993, and 1994; Harold Camping reported predicted May 21, 2011 and when Jesus didn’t come back on May 21st Camping changed his mind to October 21st.
    C. When Jesus said no one knows He meant it and when anyone tries to figure out when Jesus is coming, they’ve wandered off the right path.

V. Parable 3 - Head servant - Luke 12:42-48

    A. This master has so many servants that he has to elevate one servant above the rest.
        1. Head servant (which is also called a steward) is in charge of making sure the other servants get their jobs done and making sure the other servants are taken care of and well compensated for their service to the master.
        2. Might help to think of the master as the owner, the steward or head servant as the manager, and the other servants as employees.
    B. In this parable, Jesus is the master or the owner. His followers are the servants or the employees.
    C. Jesus describes three managers and says whether they do a good job or a bad job and what will happen to them when He as the master or owner comes back.
        1. “Faithful and wise steward.” Luke 12:42-44.
            a. treated the other employees well by giving “them their portion of food in due season.
            b. From the perspective of God’s Kingdom, this means you will faithfully and wisely seek to be a reflection of Christ in all that you say and do. And although you are still a sinner saved by grace alone your life demonstrates genuine faith.
            c. Those who faithfully live their lives in service to Christ can look forward to reigning with Him over nature as God intended it and all its wonders in the new heaven and new earth. (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25)

Revelation 22:1-7,
1  And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3  And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
4  They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
5  There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
6  Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.
7  "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

        2. Wicked head servant - Luke 12:45-47.
            a. That head servant thinks that Jesus the master is delaying His coming or might think that Jesus is never coming back at all. Instead of taking care of other fellow servants this manager beats them down, and satisfies his own wants.
            b. His master Jesus Christ will return on a day and at an hour that he does not expect. The wicked manager will be beaten ( Deuteronomy 25:1-3) and he will be cut in half.
                (1) The Bible pictures destruction as being cut in half (cutting of covenants) Genesis 15 shows both the seriousness and unbreakability of God’s covenant promises, but that passage along with Jeremiah 34:18-19 also shows that cutting in half is a symbol for complete destruction.
                (2) The cutting in two here is also symbolic of the death of the body as well as the assignment of the soul to be with unbelievers to hell.
            c. The hypocritical religious leaders of today along with others who know the truth of the gospel and yet reject it all have a similarly terrible fate.

        3. Manager who just “did not know.” - Luke 12:48.
            a. Ignorant, but “yet committed things deserving of stripes.
            b. Will be beaten with just a few blows compared to the previous one.
            c. Degrees of punishment in hell.
                (1) Deuteronomy 32:22 speaks of a “lowest hell.
                (2) 2 Peter 2: 4 uses a unique Greek word for hell (tartarus) which literally means “lowest hell” and that verse says that this lowest hell is specifically reserved for the “angels who sinned.
                (3) The demons are going to be punished worse than everyone else because they had a higher degree of responsibility and thus a higher degree of culpability. And so it will be that those who sin while knowing better will be punished more severely than those who sin in relative ignorance. “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48

This passage isn’t just about the return of Jesus it’s also about the eternal state. Where will you go? Jesus Christ offers you forgiveness of sins, salvation from hell, and the hope of eternal life in the new heaven and new earth. All you have to do to receive this free gift of grace is repent and trust in Him.

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Parables on the End Times - Luke 12: 35-48
March 10, 2019




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Pray

Do you feel an emptiness in your life? Are you seeking answers but don't know where to look? Have you ever wondered if you are good enough? Please read the summary of the gospel message, "Four Things You Need to Know About God"

Please send an email to the Pastor if you have questions.

March 3, 2019

Luke 12:13-34 - How the Gospel should make us Generous

I. Wealth Management
    A. Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees who insisted upon tithing even the smallest sources of income while not using any of that tithe money to help the poor.
    B. Christ’s teaching on this specific area of wealth management sets the stage for our text today.

Text: Luke 12:13-34
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.
19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[fn]?
26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.
30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


II. Demand
    A.  "...tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
    B. Deuteronomy 21:17 - the “right of the firstborn”. The firstborn inherits double the rest of his siblings.
        1. Ancient Israel was by in large an agrarian culture with most people making a living through farms.
        2. If a farm gets cut up too much it becomes useless for everybody and so the oldest sibling got double in order to better hold the farm together.

III.  Response is interesting on several levels.
    A.   Jesus isn’t saying He isn’t a judge or an arbitrator, because He is.
        1.Man probably did not understand that none other than God the Father Himself made Jesus His judge and arbitrator which is part of the reason why Jesus said what said).
        2. All we know for sure about this man is he wants more inheritance money.
    B. Christ’s response is basically a non-answer because He sees a  bigger issue.  The  big issue is covetousness -wanting something that isn’t right for you to have.

IV. Parable about the rich man and his plans for "his" things.
    A. "It’s my life and I can do what I want with it.”
        1.   It’s completely selfish.
        2. It totally disregards the two greatest commandments which are first to love the Lord your God with all your being and second to love your neighbor as yourself.
    B.  This guy never prayed or sought God as to what he should do with the wealth that God gave him.
    C. When we understand this man’s sheer selfishness and utter lack of love for both God and neighbor suddenly verse 20 doesn’t sound as jarring as it might have at first when we read, But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?
    D. Indeed the fact God called this man a fool is proof positive that he never considered love of God in his thoughts because by Biblical definition a fool is someone who says in their heart there is no God according to passages such as Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1.

V. lesson of parable
  “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”  
    A. The lesson is not: don’t lay up treasure or don’t acquire wealth.
    B. The lesson is instead: when you lay up treasure or acquire wealth remember where it really comes from and then use it in a way that honors the God who graciously gave it to you. Be generous.
    C. The man in Luke 12:13 wasn’t asking Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance for generous reasons but for selfish reasons which is why Jesus rebuffed his request.

VI. Verses to help us be generous.
    A. You can be generous if you “do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.
    B. Food and clothing is important, but if all we do is worry about food and clothing we’re missing out on what life is really all about.

VII. Illustration - Birds
    A. Ravens and crows need to find new food on a regular basis and so God causes them to migrate to where they can find it.
    B. The pacific golden plover travels about 3,000 miles from Alaska to Hawaii with no islands in between and they can’t swim.
        1. Scientists discovered these birds couldn’t make this non-stop 3-4 day journey without flying in v-formation to reduce energy consumption.
        2. So how did the first golden plovers figure all that out because if they don’t know how much fat to store up, or they don’t know how to fly in formation, or they don’t know where Hawaii is all of them drop into the water and die on the first try.
        3. Evolution can’t explain it, but God shows the birds when, where, and how they should go. And since you are more valuable than the birds (because unlike them human beings are created in the image and likeness of God), don’t you think God will take care of you too?
    C. Jesus isn’t endorsing laziness here, because birds are very diligent and therefore like them we should work hard to meet the needs that we have.
The point is that if we do then God will provide and therefore we shouldn’t worry about our needs; which in turn frees us up to be generous.

VIII. Illustration - adding height to stature or length to lifespan.
    A. The Greek words used in verse 25 can refer to either one which explains why different translations say different things.
    B. How tall you are and how long you live is largely outside of your control.
    C. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:8 that “bodily exercise profits a little” but it’s not like health nuts are getting taller and living longer than everybody else because they’re not.
    D. You should do what you can to live and long and as productively as you can, but don’t worry about it too much because there’s only so much you can do.
    E. Paul says your time will be much better spent if it’s focused on godliness because “godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”And this includes living generously.

IX. Illustration - lilies and by extrapolation how all the flowers of the field both clothe and beautify the grass.
    A. The God-given beauty of flowers exceeds even Solomon in all of his royal regalia. And yet as beautiful as flowers are they are nothing compared to you.
    B. In ancient Israel, flowers were plucked up along with the grass and burned to cook bread in small clay ovens because wood was relatively scarce in Israel compared to other places.
    C. But if God so beautifully clothes His creation in flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow “how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

X. Summing it up
    A. We all have need of food, water, clothing, and shelter and all the nations of the world not only anxiously seek after these things we anxiously seek after these things in ever greater abundance. We want better food. We want a dream house.
    B. God knows the difference between needs and wants and He will give you what you need so long as you seek the kingdom of God first.

XI. The kingdom of God
    A. In general The kingdom of God refers to God’s sovereign rule over the universe in all times and all places even after we messed things up through sin.
    B. More specifically the kingdom of God refers to God’s reign in a renewed and perfect creation in the future.
    C. For you to seek the kingdom of God is to seek entrance into the future new heaven and new earth.
    D. The only way to enter the kingdom of God according to Jesus in Mark 1:15 is to “Repent, and believe in the gospel.
    E. You must turn away from your sins and believe that Christ died for your sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
    F. If you seek the kingdom of God first as Jesus calls it (or godliness first as Paul calls it) then God will give you the food and drink you need.
    G. If you repent and trust in Christ, God will take care of you both now and in the future.
    H. This great hope frees us up to be generous!

XII. Being generous vs socialism/communism
Acts 4:34-35 (NIV)
34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales
35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

    A.  Members  of the early church only sold either land or houses “from time to time” as needs arose.
    B. In Acts 2:46 we are told that the early church met in houses (that obviously their members must have still owned) and so the early church didn’t understand these commands from Jesus as completely getting rid of the concept of private property.
    C. Instead they understood that they were to be very generous with the property they did own for the gospel’s sake.
    D. Sinfully the default position of our heart treasures earthly things for selfish benefit, but when our heart is transformed by the gospel we will treasure things that help people get to heaven and that makes us generous.

Are you generous for the sake of the gospel?

Click on the player to listen to the full audio sermon.

How the Gospel should make us Generous - Luke 12:13-34
Mar. 3, 2019



If the player doesn't work, you can listen to the sermon on Google Drive.


Pray

Do you feel an emptiness in your life? Are you seeking answers but don't know where to look? Have you ever wondered if you are good enough? Please read the summary of the gospel message, "Four Things You Need to Know About God"

Please send an email to the Pastor if you have questions.

Life Verse

1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."

We fully affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.