You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
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Turn with me to Luke 19.
Back in Luke this morning after a sweet celebration last week of God's faithfulness to Southwood.
And remember as we turn back to Luke, Jesus has been journeying to Jerusalem for several chapters now.
He's getting close.
And the followers of Jesus, they have expectations for what's going to happen when we get to Jerusalem, right?
This is significant.
Mostly they have misguided expectations.
That Jesus wants to clarify for them so they will know what it will take to follow Him.
And so He tells this challenging parable this morning that we're going to read.
Let's read it together and then ask for God's help.
This is Luke 19 at verse 11.
God's holy word.
As they heard these things, Jesus proceeded to tell a parable because He was near to Jerusalem
and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.
He said, therefore,
a nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.
Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas and said to them,
engage in business until I come.
But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying,
we do not want this man to reign over us.
And when he returned, having received the kingdom,
he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him
that he might know what they had gained by doing business.
And the first came before him saying,
Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.
And he said to him, well done, good servant.
Because you have been faithful in a very little,
you shall have authority over ten cities.
And the second came saying,
Lord, your mina has made five minas.
And he said to him, and you are to be over five cities.
Then another came saying,
Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief.
For I was afraid of you because you're a severe man.
You take what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.
He said to him, I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant.
You knew that I was a severe man taking what I did not deposit
and reaping what I did not sow.
Why then did you not put my money in the bank?
And at my coming, I might have collected it with interest.
And he said to those who stood by,
take the mina from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.
And they said to him, Lord, he has ten minas.
I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given.
But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them,
bring them here and slaughter them before me.
We need to pray and ask for God's help.
Father, we do ask that you would teach us from your word.
Would you give us hearts to hear?
Would you work by your spirit that we might not just know more about you,
that we might know you more, know who you are?
Show us yourself.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Many of you have asked me over the years how I tricked Christi into marrying me,
which is a very fair question to ask, and I'm not 100% sure myself.
She's amazing.
I married way up, and you've all noticed.
But, you know, I'd heard that marriage was hard, and all the things that people tell you,
but I figured that as many of us do, that I'd found someone so wonderful, you know?
And we loved each other so much that it was actually going to be pretty easy for us.
I mean, honestly, that's what I was thinking when we were engaged.
It was really this feeling that it was as though I'd worked so hard up to that point in my life,
convincing people to like me, and then convincing her to like me enough to marry me,
that now I'd done it, like I'd reached the pinnacle, and it was all downhill from here.
Life would just be coasting, right?
I expected I'd arrived, only to find out that I'm actually harder to live with than I imagined.
And when two sinners get married, even when they really love each other, it takes hard work
and an investment in that relationship.
It's so worth it, but it costs more than I expected.
Jesus' disciples and others who are following Him as He heads to Jerusalem
have struggled to understand what's going to happen when they get there.
Jesus knows He's headed to be mocked, beaten, killed.
He's told them that.
And He knows that the eternal kingdom that He's come to establish is still going to be well in the future.
And He wants His followers to be prepared for this delay in their victory parade, so to speak,
that they think they're walking into, for them to have right expectations.
And so He tells this story.
It's a story, the one we just read.
It probably didn't remind you of this,
but it would have reminded Jesus' followers of another king coming to Jerusalem around this time.
It would have helped them see that you don't just walk into Jerusalem and make yourself king.
It's a brief history note, I promise.
Archelaus was one of the sons of King Herod.
King Herod, the one who ordered that all the babies be killed when Jesus was born.
When Herod split his kingdom among his three sons,
he gave Archelaus the part of the kingdom that included Jerusalem,
and he gave him the title of king.
But you see, Rome was in charge, not Herod.
If you really wanted to be king, you had to go to Rome.
So Archelaus journeyed a long way to Rome to receive a kingdom.
That's what this parable is referencing.
And the Jews sent a delegation, like is discussed here.
Fifty people who journeyed all the way to Rome just to plead,
don't let Archelaus be our king.
See, Herod and his sons were ruthless.
They didn't want them ruling over them.
And Archelaus, after journeying to Rome,
was sent home with some authority in that area,
but without the title of king, which he would never earn.
In fact, ten years after this,
another delegation would go from Jerusalem to Rome
and actually get Archelaus removed from power altogether.
You don't just walk into Jerusalem and become king overnight.
Jesus is reminding his followers of that.
It's not all downhill from here.
Jesus is about to embark on a long journey to receive a kingdom and then return.
And his followers will need to know how to live in the meantime.
They're going to have to struggle.
They have to wait.
And as with marriage,
they will pay a high cost for pursuing Jesus' kingdom.
But it will be worth investing in.
That's what Jesus is telling them here.
It's the primary point of this parable.
Jesus wants his followers to know
that although his kingdom is not coming immediately as they envisioned it,
it is coming.
And so giving yourself passionately and zealously without fear to his kingdom
is an eternally wise investment.
It was true for them then.
He wanted them to hear it.
It's true for us now.
He wants us to hear it today.
Now, it's not all good news, is it?
Jesus also references this delegation against the king.
Verse 14 and then at the end, verse 27.
And there is a serious warning not to be ignored
that if you work to have the king removed,
to refuse his rule and reign,
there's swift and serious eternal death awaiting you.
Those are strong words.
Strong words for those outwardly and actively opposing King Jesus
then and now.
There would be many in this camp that they'd encounter
when they got to Jerusalem, right?
Crying for him to be crucified.
And there are many today.
But the focus of the parable
is on those who would be servants of the king.
There's warning for them as well.
We'll see in a minute.
But let's notice the faithful servants first.
Verse 13.
The future king, before he leaves,
gives them gifts
and tells them to use them well
until he returns.
Verse 13.
Calling ten of his servants,
he gave them ten minas, one each,
and said to them,
engage in business until I come.
Now, I know you don't deal in minas a lot.
I understand.
A mina is a generous gift.
It represents about three months' wages
in those days.
So, if you make $40,000 a year,
that's a $10,000 gift
that you're to use for the king's purposes.
So, keep that number in mind.
In verse 16,
the report from the first servant
is that he's made ten times that.
A hundred thousand dollars
with the $10,000.
That's really good work, right?
Yes?
You don't get that kind of return every day.
But listen to the king's response.
Verse 17.
He said to him,
Well done, good servant.
Because you have been faithful in a very little,
you shall have authority over ten cities.
Whoa!
In charge of ten cities.
This king is way more generous
than we realized, isn't he?
I mean, he gave the initial gift anyway.
It was his mina that was stewarded.
And when it's steward faithfully,
he gives responsibility far beyond
what was earned.
Oversight of ten cities.
Made a hundred thousand bucks.
Why don't you run ten cities?
It happens again with the next servant
who makes five times what he started with
and is given oversight of five cities.
Side note,
not the primary point of the parable.
Did you know we're going to have
meaningful work to do
in the new heavens and new earth?
In Jesus' kingdom.
It's not just harps and clouds.
It's just exciting to me to realize
he didn't give them oversight of ten clouds
and five clouds.
But ten cities.
Five cities.
Work is pre-fall.
God created it and created us for it.
So we have an eternal kingdom
where the king loves
and labors alongside his faithful servants.
Listen, Jesus is saying,
there's work to be done
for the sake of my kingdom
while I'm gone.
I'm giving you gifts
so that you can do it
and when I return,
faithful servants
who've invested those gifts
will receive glory beyond imagination.
You need to know that
because it's about to be hard.
But the story turns, doesn't it?
As the third servant arrives.
And I've got to imagine,
as Jesus tells it,
that this guy's sheepishly
walking up to the king now
and unfolding his handkerchief.
I kept your mina.
Verse 20.
Another came saying,
Lord, here's your mina
which I kept laid away in a handkerchief.
For I was afraid of you
because you're a severe man.
You take what you did not deposit
and reap what you did not sow.
And the king calls him
a wicked servant
and says,
even if it was true
that I was like that,
you could have at least
put the money in the bank
to make some interest.
Now I'm taking your mina away.
Verse 24.
Take the mina from him.
Give it to the one who has ten.
And they said,
Lord, he has ten.
I tell you,
to everyone who has,
more will be given.
But from the one who has not,
even what he has
will be taken away.
Listen,
this is not economic policy.
Don't read that.
It's part of the parable
where Jesus is explaining
that faithfulness
in small responsibilities
leads to greater responsibilities.
And unfaithfulness
in small things
leads to less.
Jesus is calling his followers
to labor for his kingdom
while they face a hard season
of waiting apart from him.
So we need to think about
what that means for us.
For how we follow Jesus
and invest his gifts
for his kingdom
while we await his return as king.
It's important as we do that
for us to understand
the mind and the heart
of the third servant.
Why
did he not invest
for the king?
What does he say?
He says he was
fearful
of the king.
Afraid the king
would punish
any mistakes he made.
So,
what did he do?
He played it safe.
Verse 21,
I was afraid of you
because you're a severe man.
You take what you did not deposit
and reap what you did not sow.
Severe.
Looking to take what's not his.
Trying to hoard things to himself
and take advantage of others.
Is that what this king is like?
Does the handkerchief servant
perceive his character correctly
in this story?
No way.
He's not like that at all.
This king is magnanimous
in his generosity.
He's unmatched
in his grace.
And handkerchief servant's
unfaithful stewardship
is a result
of not knowing
the king's heart.
Isn't it?
He acts fearfully
because he doesn't truly know
the kindness
and generosity
of the king.
I'm reading
an abridged version
of Little Women
to Lily right now
with three girls.
Little Women
is a classic
in our house.
A fan favorite.
Early in the book
we find out
that the March girls
have a neighbor
named Mr. Lawrence.
And Beth
in particular
being young
is afraid
of old
Mr. Lawrence.
but occasionally
she slips
into his house
to play the piano
as long as she can
avoid seeing him.
And so Mr. Lawrence
notices this
and wanting
her to know
his kindness
wanting to have
a relationship
with her
what does he do?
What does old
Mr. Lawrence do?
If you've read the book
you know
he buys
or gets
a piano
and it shows up
in the March house
as a gift
for Beth.
shows up
out of nowhere
an extravagant gift
to be sure
a piano
that shows up
in her house
and she sees it
and Beth is overjoyed
and what does she do
immediately?
She sees the gift
and she runs
next door
all the way
into his office
and throws herself
into Mr. Lawrence's arms.
They become fast friends.
Through his
thoughtful gift
he shows himself
to be kind
and loving
and generous
and fearful
Beth
becomes joyful
and confident
in their friendship.
Maybe you're not a fan
of little women
I understand that
but you know
this classic character
from one story
or another
who when his
true heart
is known
changes the way
that people act
toward him.
I want you to think
of one this morning
that you know
and that you love.
Think of a character
in a movie
or a book you've read.
Maybe it's
Shovel Guy Marley
in Home Alone.
You know him.
Kevin fears
he's a serial killer
but he ends up
rescuing Kevin
in the end
doesn't he?
And they sit
warmly
on a pew
in the church
as new friends.
Maybe it's Mr. Myrtle
in The Sandlot.
James Earl Jones
playing an older man
with a dog
called The Beast
whose backyard
is the most
dangerous place
in the whole neighborhood
nobody ever comes out alive.
Until they meet
Mr. Myrtle
and he gives them
an autographed baseball
that cements
their new friendship
and what a great guy
he turns out to be.
Maybe it's the mysterious
Boo Radley
in To Kill a Mockingbird
whom Scout and Jim
make up fearful stories about
because they don't really
know the truth
until he rescues them
and they realize
how generous
and thoughtful
of others
Boo actually is.
I want you to think
about that guy
whichever one you know
and like.
And now think about
how you think about
God.
Is he a bit of a
distant
unknown
unpredictable
character
to you?
A monster
you worry
may be out
to get you
actually
if you're honest?
Is he a miserly
old man
only
doling out
blessings
on rare occasions
when he's forced to
by exceptional behavior?
And ask yourself
honestly
what difference
would it make
in your life
if you
met him
and experienced
him
to be deeply
kind
and magnanimously
generous?
A father
you could trust
and love
beyond anyone else
you've ever known?
See I'm often
like the
handkerchief
servant.
I am
risk averse.
I'm a
play it
safe
kind of guy.
It seems
like the right
thing.
Putting the
mina in the
handkerchief
makes total
sense to me
because at least
nothing bad
can happen.
For me
it's actually
a form of
self-protection.
I'm like the
servant.
I don't want
anything painful
or embarrassing
to happen
to me.
I'm afraid
of being
a failure
of disappointing
myself
or someone
else
or God.
God, I
don't like
that feeling
disappointing
someone.
I try to
protect myself
from it.
When I do
that, what
kingdom am I
actually serving?
Mine, right?
I'm protecting
me.
Do you see
that?
Do you see
how that could
be true in my
heart?
I do it in a
lot of different
ways by avoiding
hard spiritual
conversations
with my wife
or with a
neighbor.
Just keep
things peaceful
and comfortable
and not risk
a hard night
or an awkward
relationship.
I do it by
never giving
away enough
money that I
would feel
insecure or
like I really
needed something.
I do it by
praying only for
things that seem
reasonable, they
might actually
happen so I
won't be let
down if they
don't.
I do these
things in
others not
usually for me
because I think
God will smite
me if I mess
up, although
some of you
struggle more
with that
particular fear,
but because I
often imagine
God as miserly.
He's only
doling out His
grace on rare
occasions.
And so most
of the time I'm
on my own and
just get what I
can for myself,
right?
Get what I can
of people's
praise or
financial stability,
of personal
comfort, whatever
it happens to
be.
I don't know
Him deeply
enough.
I think I
gotta look out
for myself.
When I fail to
embrace God as a
generous Father who
delights to give
good gifts to His
children, as He
says He is, as He's
shown Himself to
be, I take my
mina and whatever
else I can gather
for myself and I
wrap it in the
handkerchief.
life, it's safe
there.
There's a huge
difference, isn't
there, between
being passionately
kingdom oriented
and fearfully
self-protective.
It's a difference
that centers around
truly knowing and
trusting my kind
Father.
We say He's like
that, but do we
live like it's
really true?
Have we really
met Him personally
in a transformative
way?
Will you think
about that with me
for a couple
minutes?
The difference
between being
passionately
kingdom oriented
and fearfully
self-protective.
Maybe we should
talk about it in
the connect
communities and
small groups.
Maybe that's where
we really need to
wrestle with it,
but how do you
often live?
Investing all for
King Jesus?
or looking out
for yourself and
hedging your bets
on God?
Minas represent
more than money,
but why don't we
start there?
We just saw from
Zacchaeus in the
previous story a
proof of relationship
with the King is
generosity, right?
Do you love to see
your money used as a
kingdom resource?
To blow holes in
the gates of hell
with your finances?
Or do you hesitate
because you don't
want to stretch too
far?
It might hurt.
You might regret it.
We have the privilege
of being a part of a
church where we invest
in the kingdom all
the time.
Impacting the young
people of this
community, the poor
and the hurting in
this city, the
unreached people
groups in India and
many other places.
So let me ask it
this way.
When you see a
late year budget
deficit at your
church, what goes
through your mind?
Do you think
that's someone
else's problem?
Do you think,
I suppose I have a
little extra to
share?
Or do you think,
what a great
opportunity for me
to experience my
generous father in
deeper ways as he
cares for me and my
family.
family, I'll know
him.
And Jesus says he's
worth it to risk
that.
God says in Malachi
3, we can give
generously and
actually as we do,
get to know him
more.
He actually tells us,
test him.
See him open the
windows of heaven and
pour down so much
we'll be overwhelmed.
That's what he's like,
isn't it?
Let me give you a
little bit to be
faithful with and
then watch me
overwhelm you with my
generosity.
Have you experienced
him like that or
just heard about it?
Anyone else ready to
get to know your
king in that way?
See, it's not about
meeting the budget,
it's about meeting
him, isn't it?
How else could we be
passionately kingdom
oriented with what
God has entrusted to
us?
We've talked about
our time.
What's one thing you'd
stop doing on a
regular basis to be
more kingdom oriented
and reinvest that
time for the king?
How about the good
news of Jesus that
he's given to us?
Who are you just
keeping the peace
with, avoiding that
perhaps hard
conversation that
could be risky, but
could be eternally a
fruitful one,
especially if your
heavenly father is as
good and gracious as
he says he is?
How about your
prayers?
Do you pray like
you're talking to the
king standing at the
windows of heaven,
ready to pour down the
blessings of his
kingdom?
What's one big thing
you would pray for if
you really believed God
was a generous father
delighting to open the
windows of heaven and
advance his kingdom in
your life?
We sometimes forget,
don't we, who he is?
We sometimes forget
we're awaiting the
return of the true
king.
When we're not all in
with Jesus, maybe some
for Jesus or occasionally
when convenient for
Jesus, but I also need
to get what I can for
myself and protect what
I have because I don't
know how life's going to
go and whether Jesus
will really come through.
Jesus is saying, if you
think about me like that,
you don't know my heart.
You may not be outwardly
protesting my kingship,
but your life is
evidencing you don't
deeply know the king.
Listen, his invitation
here is for you to know
him not merely theoretically
or what you've heard
someone else say he's
like from a distance,
but personally, up close,
experientially, like the
faithful servants who
experience his generosity
and grace firsthand.
This table, as clearly as
anything else, reminds us
what he's like, doesn't it?
So overwhelmingly generous
and gracious.
That's what he's like.
Do you feel sometimes that
God might smite you in your
sin?
If you do, your instincts
are good.
He's holy.
He's just.
He punishes sin.
And if you don't have
Jesus, if you don't trust
Jesus to pay the penalty
for your sin, don't come to
this table and pretend to be
in relationship with God
on your own merits, he
warns against that and
says someone's got to pay
for that sin.
But if you do trust Jesus
to be your king, if you
trust him to pay for your
sin, then how does God
respond to your sin?
He does smite your sin.
on the cross.
Fully.
And finally.
Forever.
And so that he can be
magnanimously generous to you,
his child.
That's what he does.
Because he loves you.
And he wants you to know that.
And so he comes this morning
and sets this table and shows
you himself again so that you
can look on this gift.
His generous gift to you
so that you would see it
and run into his arms
again this morning.
And know him to be kind
and loving and generous
for you.
Jesus,
the night he was betrayed,
wanted his followers to know
that.
He took the bread and he broke it.
He gave it to them as I'm
ministering in his name,
give this bread to you.
And he said,
take and eat.
This is my body.
I give it for you.
So do this in remembrance of me.
And he took the cup
and said,
this cup is the new covenant
in my blood
which I'm going to shed
for the forgiveness
of your sins
so yours won't have to be.
Take it and drink it.
Whenever you eat this bread
and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death
as your only hope
until he comes.
Let's pray
and we'll celebrate together.
Jesus,
what an amazing gift.
Would you use it this morning
to help us know
the giver of it
in a new and deeper way?
Would we taste it
and know that you're good?
Would we know you delight
to give us good gifts?
Would we experience your love
and would it warm our hearts
to live for your kingdom?
In Jesus' name,
amen.
For more information,
visit us online
at southwood.org.
and in Jesus
Conciried.org
All right.
Thank you.