I don't know how many of you have heard of song by the Boontown Rats, I Don't Like Mondays.
I remember that I bought this record in this country, in this city, in London, when I was a teenager.
And every time I was going to secondary school, the song was in my head, no?
Tell me why, tell me why, I don't like Mondays.
And Mondays are a depressing day for many people.
And you wonder why, of course, it's got to do with the thing you have to do with the beginning of a new week.
Then you realize how much is the burden of your life.
I don't know if you are aware that there is more possibilities that you have a heart attack on Monday than on any other day.
Some say that the blood tension is so high that even you can have a stroke.
And even the possibility of an ulcer, they say that it's bigger.
Maybe you find a strange figure, but some people say that twice there is more the chance that people commit suicide on Monday than any other day.
But, of course, we realize that this has not only to do with work, but with the purpose of it.
The reason we live, why we are here for.
Because idleness can be attractive if you have something to do.
If you don't have anything to do, you cannot enjoy idleness.
In a way, this is the problem we face, when the things we have to do are in front of us on a new week.
And it's really to do with the purpose of our lives.
What we are here for.
And Jesus has this story, these amazing parables, which really are often striking, because it's in the end, in the tale of the story, when it's the great surprise.
And here, like in most of the stories of Jesus, it's a strange end.
It's not really the conclusion with respect at the end of the story.
But it brings us something, not only of the perspective of Jesus Christ and his message, but the reality of our own expectations.
In Jesus' day, people were waiting for better times.
They call it the kingdom.
The kingdom of God.
When he will come and he will rule and things will be as they need to be.
But in this Gospel according to Luke, it's the story of a journey.
The journey of Jesus and also the announcement in the center of what he's going to do in Jerusalem.
And from that very moment, he finds all these reactions to him.
Why he speaks about his death, about his sacrifice, what he's going to offer, giving his own life in Jerusalem.
In a way, our lives are also like a journey.
And here, the Lord Jesus Christ shows us what is really the greatest goal and purpose for our lives.
To live for that kingdom.
And this is hope.
Because without hope, there is no life at all.
It's Woody Allen, I think, who says that the future is not what it used to be.
And the reality is that so many doomed thinkers saying that what we have to face is even worse things that we have today.
It makes us really wonder what future have we got for our lives.
When we come to this life, we all have dreams, expectations, ambitions.
But when you get older, like me, you start to think that finally, better forget them.
Because you are not going to fulfill them anyway.
And this is a hard factor we have to face very soon in our lives.
The fact that these dreams and expectations cannot be achieved by ourselves.
But here, the Lord proposes to us better goals and achievements.
What is the purpose and the end of his kingdom?
And I would like to show you this evening three reactions you find here, in the parable, about what people can think about the kingdom.
First, you have the really shocking scene of those who reject this kingdom.
You see that there is no future for them.
Those who have said, I don't want him, ask him, they will not have him.
Forever.
For an eternity.
Without him.
And this is a shocking reality.
What we face here is the danger we all have when we say that we prefer our dreams, our goals, our ambitions to what God showed us through Jesus Christ.
And one day, this is the message again and again in the gospel.
We will have to face him.
And then he will be the king.
We don't have the last word.
This is the hard thing for us.
To realize that we have to take a second place.
He must be the first.
And it is not the question if you want to, if you like to.
The truth is that he is going to rule.
And there is only two possibilities.
Or you are under his rule, no?
Or you are against his rule.
And if you are against it, there is no future for you.
Because the whole message of the gospel is his victory.
He has finally not only got the last words, but there will be no enemies in that kingdom.
No dissenting voices.
Everyone will worship him.
Everyone will acknowledge and assault him.
Because he is the king of kings.
And all kingdoms will be under his throne.
And he will be forever, the whole eternity, the only king.
So there are only two possibilities for us.
Or we submit to him.
We surrender to him.
Or we will see one day what it is to resist him.
And after this serious danger, we find another two reactions.
And these two are surprising.
Because all of us think that the purpose, the goal of our lives is what we can achieve.
What we can get.
But we see how different really is at the end of the day.
First you have some servants who come before this king.
And they show him what they have achieved with their lives.
With their resources, the endowments, the talents, the minus they have received.
There has been a lot of discussion in the commentaries about what does it mean, no?
These minus.
Some people say, well, maybe it's the gospel.
What we have done with it.
Others have said, the Holy Spirit, the greatest gift we can receive from the Father.
That is the minus.
And others think that the way we use our resources, everything we receive in this life from him.
I would say that probably all those things are included in the minus.
Like in so many parables, it's easy to get lost in the trees, no?
Not to see the forest, the purpose of it all.
And the truth is that he is not anymore with us.
That is what he is saying again and again to his disciples.
And as we have remembered one Ascension Day recently, we don't have our Lord upon this earth.
We cannot organize pilgrimage to the Holy Land to see him.
It would be a disappointment, you know?
So long queues, no?
So a difficult journey just to be, just for a moment, to see his face for an instant.
It's a blessing for us.
So the Lord says, it's better for you that I don't stay here.
Because I have something better for you.
That is someone.
Someone who is another Christ, the Conforter, in my place, the Holy Spirit.
And this is the greatest gift we can receive now.
And it's interesting that this is introduced in the way the Lord Jesus speaks to us about God as our Father.
He says to him, if you, who are not good, but bad parents, when your children ask you something, breath, are you going to give them a stone?
When they ask you for food, are you going to give them a snake?
Being not good and being evil, if you do that, why do you think your Father in Heaven is not going to give you better things?
So the Lord concludes that section.
Ask them the greatest gift of all, the Holy Spirit.
So this is the reality we can have today.
The Spirit brings us the life of the Son to us, Jesus Christ.
And we can understand about Him through His testimony.
It's through Him that we realize what good is to come.
He is the assurance we have that we are His children.
So the testimony of the Spirit goes not only with His words, but works deeply inside us.
The Apostle John speaks about this inner testimony that you are children of God.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 8 speaks about how this sonship awareness comes through the work of the Holy Spirit.
And what a great difference makes in this life to know that you are not alone.
That you don't have to face this task and existence without a Father.
You are not an orphan anymore.
You have God as your Father.
And the Lord teaches to pray to our Father in Heaven.
And you see, this is the problem of the last servant.
The last servant, what view has he got of God, of the ruler, of the king?
When the Master comes, his first words give us exactly the view of God.
And he is so close to us, so familiar to us.
He is afraid of Him.
I don't know how much you have been afraid of God, but it depends on how good you feel.
When you think that you have a problem with Him, it is when you realize how far you are away from Him.
That is probably what Luther said when he said that before you have Christ as a friend, you have to see Him as your enemy.
In a way, there is no way to come in a relationship with Him if first we don't realize the distance.
How far away is from Him.
But not only the distance, the fact that He has something against us.
That our sin has made this big problem which we cannot resolve.
Then we are afraid of that day.
Some of you have the privilege of being raised in a Christian family.
I am one of the few Spanish evangelicals who had that opportunity.
And it is an advantage.
And at the same time, of course, it can be a problem sometimes.
But I remember always that this fear of what it meant the responsibility I have.
When I was growing up in the 70s, we used to have a lot of comics.
It was the entertainment of those days before the computers came.
And there were even Christian comics.
You know there is a Christian alternative for everything.
We have built a subculture like that.
And some who have been growing in the church, we have grown in the subculture.
With the Christian music and everything Christian.
And one of these comics is rather worse.
A publishing company in America.
Very fundamentalistic.
It is called Chick Publications.
Chick Publications has a very low series of comics.
Very popular in the States between Americans.
And one of them was the expectation of what could be the last day.
And that last day, there would be a film.
So, in a big screen.
And you could see in the drawing all the people around the hills
looking like a cinemascope screen.
Well, the younger ones don't know what is cinemascope.
But it was a very big screen, you know.
Like in the old cinema.
When the theatres were very big, you know.
And there were crowds, you know.
Going to the cinema on the weekends.
And the nightmare I have, you know.
Is that the story of that film was my life, you know.
And what you will see is what I would not like you to see.
The things I must say of.
The realities I have.
And that was a nightmare.
To think that one day you have to face yourself.
The reality of who you are.
And this is really the greatest hopelessness of it all.
And that is what that wicked servant experienced.
The fear is God, no?
That he has to face such a demanding master.
Someone who is going to ask you, what have you done with your life?
And he has this distorted view of him.
Because when you think about it, he is not so mean.
He has given them not only the minas.
All these gifts.
And that is what he is sharing with them.
In fact, in that kingdom.
It is not someone who is exploding them.
Who wants to use them for his own benefit only.
He wants to share with them what it means.
The goodness of that kingdom.
But that wicked servant thinks only in his fears.
And that is very often the truth when we look at ourselves.
When we look at ourselves, we realize how much we miss.
How much we miss first in us.
We are not the people who we would like to be.
We realize how far we are to be the good servants.
Who can hear that day.
Good and faithful servant.
Come with me.
Some are afraid that that day we will not hear good and faithful servant.
And like that man, our gifts, everything we have received from him, is well kept.
Hidden, preserved, conserved, but not used for him and his kingdom.
Why?
First, because of this self-pity.
Maybe we think like this man, what have I got?
If you notice the difference between these servants and the others.
There is also a different number.
He has got only one man.
The others have got several.
And it is multiplied.
They got more with that.
But this man has only one.
And very often we think of our lives like that.
What can I do?
I am not such a great person.
Maybe if I have the ability to speak well.
Or I could be a preacher.
Or if I would not be so shy.
I could tell more to the people.
This good news from the kingdom of God.
You wonder if you would have more money.
What I could do for God's kingdom and his purpose.
If I would have the abilities.
What I don't have.
But here we see.
This is exactly what the Lord does not expect from us.
He is not going to judge us according to how much gifts we have received.
How much talents.
How much abilities.
How much resources.
Endowments.
Is not the number.
It is clearly the lesson of the other servants.
The servants got.
Because of the use they have done.
Of the miners.
They received citizenship.
And some have got a greater number than others.
But it doesn't matter.
The point is not how much have you got.
It is not how much do you achieve in your life.
As we usually say.
It is not success.
But faithfulness really.
But how is faithfulness here seen.
It is interesting that those of us who are more conservative.
In a biblical and theological way.
Tend to be conservative in everything.
So very often.
We are afraid.
So much.
Of everything.
That.
Not trying to put in danger.
But we have got.
We have gambled on.
The greatest loss of it all.
Trying to keep.
The things we have got.
Because you see here.
That the greatest risk.
We can take in this life.
Is doing nothing.
Do you remember that.
The thing Luther wrote to Melaton.
Melaton was a very shy person.
Who was afraid.
Of the steps they were taking.
In the reformation.
In the 16th century.
In Germany.
No.
And Luther sometimes was fed up.
No.
With the.
The way.
He was always.
So paralyzed.
By his doubts.
No.
And there is a very well known sentence.
He wrote to Melaton.
Seen both leads.
This sentence is something used by Catholics.
To say.
Yeah.
What is this message of God's grace.
Seen both leads.
Said Luther.
But.
Luther mentioned to.
And said to Melaton.
We've seen both leads.
Seen both leads.
Was the fact that he.
Had to take risks.
That.
The.
Responsibility.
We have.
Means that.
We can make mistakes.
No.
But we have to do something.
Something.
With what we have received.
And it is exactly.
What you see here.
No.
The great difference.
With our lives.
Is.
When you see.
The goal.
The purpose.
Of it.
This often.
The story told.
Of.
This man.
Working.
Building.
No.
And you.
Ask one person.
Who is just.
A.
Hammering a rock.
No.
Working.
On the stones.
No.
And.
They ask.
What you are doing.
No.
Breaking a stone.
No.
Doing.
The work.
He is doing.
And you ask.
The next person.
And.
He.
Could say.
Well.
I am earning.
My money.
I am.
Trying to.
To provide.
My family.
With what they need.
And of course.
The story is that.
Only the last one.
Is able to say.
I am building.
A cathedral.
He has got the purpose.
The goal of it all.
No.
Jesus.
Cannot see further.
Of what they are.
Doing.
At this very moment.
And.
That is why.
Hope.
Is so important.
For us.
Because.
Really.
Not only.
Our life.
And our work.
Worth.
Value.
But really.
It means.
That.
We have.
This.
Salvation.
That we.
Hope.
To get.
From our.
Jesus Christ.
Christ. And the Lord
showed us that that day he is going
to come to this earth and bring
this kingdom. It's not ourselves who are going
to bring the kingdom of God between the people
at this present moment. This is of course the greatest
mistake of much contemporary theology, of much
of the humanistic Christianity, which
speaks very boldly about what the work
of the Church is achieving between the people and this world today.
As if they are building the kingdom in the sense that they are
bringing finally this new world of justice
just because of the service, the sacrifice,
the commitment they have for God.
But to pray
that the Lord will come
means also that our salvation
will come from heaven.
He will bring this kingdom.
And what we here face
is what we have to do
while we ask
that thy kingdom
will come.
what we have to do
is something.
This is the point
of this story.
You cannot just
sit down
and wait.
You need
to do something
with your life.
And
the greatest
the clearest point
of the story
is that you have to take risks.
That there is a danger.
In this investment
there is the possibility
of a great loss.
But
what here we learn
is that finally
there is no loss at all.
Like this missionary
who was going in Ecuador
to the Indians
through these plains
in the 50s.
And they were
killed
by the spears
of those Indians
when they were going
to preach them
the gospel.
You know the story.
Nathan and Sainz
all these
men we still remember.
One of them
wrote
these words
in his diary.
It's not
fool
to put your life
in danger
when you don't have
nothing to lose.
What do you want
to keep
if you cannot
lose it?
So
the only way
we can take risks
that we can
bring our lives
to danger
is when we realize
that we are safe.
That we don't have
nothing to be afraid.
This is why
the Lord says
so often
to his disciples
don't be afraid.
The peace
be with you.
Because
it's the fear
which paralyzes us.
It's the fear
which makes us
not able
to do anything
in this life.
You know
what are
the greatest fears?
The fears
of the unknown.
The fears
which are not
based on reality.
The irrational fears
we all have
that could happen
one day
our
greatest nightmare.
What we are
more afraid of.
And this
experience
of fear
is
that make us
so difficult
to do anything
with our lives.
So the Lord
shows us
and he says
to his disciples
don't be afraid
my beloved
flock
because
the pastor
has
care
upon you.
There is
a shepherd
a father
in heaven
who is
taking care
of you.
And we
need
not only
to hear that
but to
experience it.
So
the whole
purpose
not only
of the Bible
but of the
work of the
Holy Spirit
is to have
this assurance
this confidence
that we are
his children.
If we know
that we are
his children
then there is
nothing
we have to
be afraid
of.
This is
certainly
the great
lesson
of the
suffering
church
in so
many
countries
and for
so many
centuries.
Why
how
they were
able
to put
their lives
in so much
danger
to sacrifice
themselves
for God's
kingdom.
I think
that
there is
only one
possible
explanation
the assurance
they have
that they
were
God's
children
that there
was no
danger
in that
death.
I remember
reading as a
student
when I was
in the
Christian
Union
the beginning
of the
Christian
Union
at the
University
of Madrid
there was
an American
book called
Sacrifice
and this
holiness
teacher
was asking
from the
very first
page
what have
you sacrificed
for the
kingdom.
Oh
then I
realized
the
sacrifices
are not
so big
maybe.
So I
started to
worry
how great
is the
sacrifice
I've done
and you
get sometimes
this
a bit
insane
illy
spirituality
that
very sick
that
what can
you sacrifice
for the
Lord
what thing
can you do
extra
more
but of
course
this is not
the point
of Christian
life
Christ
has done
everything
there is
no greater
sacrifice
that he
has done
so the
Christian
life is
not about
our
sacrifices
it's about
his
sacrifice
to acknowledge
that
to realize
that
and to
live
according
to that
so here
the Lord
shows us
that it's
not through
our sacrifices
we achieve
things
is the
way we
see our
lives
the way
we use
them
the ways
we put
our faith
in practice
because as
you know
there are
two mistakes
you can do
to think
that you can
be saved
by your
works
moralistic
legalistic
religion
but you
have the
opposite
mistake
the fact
that so
many
Christians
can think
that they
don't have
to do
anything at
all
but here
it's clear
to us
that what
we have
to do
is not
to achieve
or to
get something
to earn
salvation
what we
have to
do
is
the
result
the
consequence
of our
confidence
of being
God's
servants
and
it seems
unfair
the end
of the
story
when you
read
the words
of our
Lord
that this
man
who
has
only
one
mind
will
be
taken
yeah
there's a
bit
harsh
it's
really
too hard
to cope
with
yeah
you have
pity
for the
poor
man
but
is
this
shock
at the
end
of the
story
that
make us
awake
of the
danger
is
not
that
when you
have so
little
you are
expected
so
little
this is
not how
it works
in the
kingdom
of God
who am
I
what can
I do
the only
thing I
can do
is to
keep the
faith
to be
faithful
at the
end
and that
is the
only thing
I can
expect
to do
here
is
in a
very
striking
way
seeing
the
fact
that
even
the
ones
who
have
something
this
could
be
taken
from
them
of
course
we
think
about
Israel
and the
way
that
the
Jews
have
received
such
great
blessings
as
God's
people
it
is
often
said
by
commentators
that
of
course
in
that
time
as
in
the
reformation
the
usury
the
lending
of
money
was
forbidden
so
that
this
business
aspect
of
that
story
probably
was not
possible
between
Jews
so
some
people
think
that
it's
here
this
story
understood
better
when we
think
in terms
of
Jews
and
Gentiles
so
that
here
the
Lord
Jesus
is
saying
you
have
to
do
something
with
your
faith
as
God's
people
as
Jews
with
the
Gentiles
with
those
who
needed
this
light
but
independently
of what
it means
originally
in that
context
you see
here
the
importance
and the
responsibility
we have
so that
the
privileges
we receive
doesn't
matter
we are
Jews
or
Christians
the
privileges
we
have
it
means
a
responsibility
what
you
do
with
it
and
you
cannot
hope
like so
many
years
that
while the
temple
was there
in
Jerusalem
then you
don't have
anything
to be
afraid of
because
God
can take
away
that
temple
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
said
I
can't
destroy
it
I
can
take
this
life
and
give
the
life
to
other
people
you
don't
have
to
think
that
because
you
are
children
of
Abraham
you
have
everything
and nothing
to be
worried
about
if
you
don't
do
anything
with
this
blessing
you
have
received
it
can
be
taken
away
from
you
and
this
is
of
course
a
great
lesson
for
the
church
for
us
all
in
this
country
as
in
my
continent
the
fact
that
we
have
been
so
much
blessed
in
history
through
centuries
it
doesn't
mean
just
that
we
have
to
be
grateful
for
what
we
have
it's
a
responsibility
are
you
going
to
share
what
you
have
with
others
so
this
Sunday
you
are
thinking
about
mission
what
it
means
that
we
are
here
in
this
life
for
a
purpose
and
the
need
that
we
have
to
invest
our
life
our
resources
our
gifts
now
and
today
before
he
comes
because
we
have
a
mission
to
do
now
and
what
we
have
received
we
have
to
use
them
to
use
it
and
to
invest
it
for
their
kingdom
and
finally
I
want
to
lift
you
this
glorious
perspective
what
for
what
is
the
purpose
of it
all
that
one
day
when
he
will
come
back
he
will
say
good
and
beloved
servant
what
it
means
for
us
the
acceptance
the
approval
of
the
Lord
certainly
as I
say
for
many
is
the
fear
we
have
that
one
day
when
we
will
see
him
we
realize
how
much
are
our
shortcomings
that
we
would
be
so
afraid
even
to
look
at
him
but
this
is
the
distorted
view
of
the
wicked
servant
the
wicked
servant
is
here
portrayed
almost
psychologically
to us
in the
story
the
others
is not
much
safe
about
how
they
look
at
the
master
what
was
their
thinking
and
feelings
about
it
but
here
in
the
wicked
servant
you
see
really
how
he
was
seeing
him
as
someone
so demanding
that you
have to
be
afraid
and
we
realize
that
he
will
have
this
responsibility
it's
not to
think
that he
so demanding
that he
would not
be
easy
to
satisfy
the
point
is
exactly
that
he
is
satisfied
through
Jesus
Christ
there
is
nothing
really
he
has
against
us
so
what
he
expects
from
us
is
the
trust
is
the
confidence
so much
that we
take
on
risk
our
lives
then
we
have
to
ask
ourselves
once
more
if
we
willing
to
take
this
risk
to
use
even
our
small
little
gifts
in
our
eyes
it
doesn't
matter
how
small
and
little
are
in
our
eyes
but
what
we
are
doing
with
our
lives
and
the
truth
is
that
there
is
not
much
time
it's
coming
back
and
then
one
day
it
will
be
too
late
so
our
responsibility
is
what
we
are
going
to
do
today
tomorrow
the
only
way
we
are
able
to
do
something
is
looking
at
him
in
a
different
way
than
this
wicked
servant
if
you
think
of
him
in
the
terms
of
this
man
who
said
that
he
was
such
a
lord
and
master
that
he
was
so
afraid
that
he
will
be
condemned
then
we
will
do
nothing
but
only
when
we
feel
the
confidence
the
trust
that
he
accepts
us
that
we
are
not
only
his
servants
but
his
children
then
we
can
do
something
with
our
lives
shall
we
pray
to
our
father
that
we
have
this
assurance
that
we
are
God's
children
that
so
much
we
have
this
confidence
that
we
are
able
to
take
risks
to
put
our
lives
on
dangers
to
invest
our
resources
our
gifts
for
God's
kingdom
so
we
pray
that
he
help
us
and
enable
us
to
do
it