Parable Of The Talents - [Luke 19:11-27]

Open our Bibles up to Luke chapter 19 tonight And I want to preach tonight on this parable in Luke 19 that reveals one of the most under preached doctrines of the church one of the most under preached doctrines of the church

It's a doctrine we don't really like to talk about very much I would say it's not only wonderful, but it's also shocking

One of the songs we talked to we list saying tonight discusses this very issue and it is the judgment of Christians Sounds funny almost doesn't it the judgment of Christians?

I think I could be more precise It talks about the judgment of Christians deeds

Not sins those have been dealt with but this deals with God judging what you have done

While you're on earth for the glory of God and there will be a judgment day for Christians not our sins that has been dealt with at Calvary, but we will be judged for what we do for the

Lord and Jesus is going to correct that notion to his disciples and then we'll talk about what that means here at our local church

Church bulletin board once said work for the Lord the pay is not much but the retirement plan is out of this world

John Gershner said we have an opportunity on earth to do something you could never do in heaven You currently have an opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven be

Christian theological capitalists in Heaven you enjoy your treasures, but you cannot add any more to what you have only on earth

And that's what Jesus is going to talk about in this parable in Luke chapter 19 what do we do from the time that he has come?

The first time has died has been raised from the dead and then waiting for him to come back the second time

What do we do in the interim? What do we do in that interval time? Now, let me read the parable and then we'll kind of work through it

Luke 1911 is the parable today. You see it sometimes in your notes. Maybe the parable of the pounds

English pound versus the the Hebrew Mina or Mina Luke 1911 and while they were listening to these things

He went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately

He said therefore a certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return

And he called ten of his slaves and gave them ten means and said to them do business with this until I come back

But his citizens hated him and they sent a delegation after him saying we do not want this man to reign over us

And it came about that when he returned after receiving the kingdom He ordered that these slaves to whom he had given the money

Be called to him in order that he might know what business they had done We're 16 the first appeared saying master your

Mina has made ten minutes more He said to him well done good slave because you have been faithful in the very little thing be an authority over ten cities

Second one came saying your Mina master has made five minutes He said to him also and you were to be over five cities and another one came saying master

Behold your Mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief Or I was afraid of you because you are an exacting man and you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you

Did not sow He said to him by your own words. I will judge you you were enslaved.

Did you know that I? Did you know that I am an exacting man taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what

I did not sow Then why did you not put the money in the bank and having come

I could have collected it with interest He said to the bystanders take the Mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minutes

They said him master. He has ten minutes already. I tell you that to everyone who has

Shall more be given but from the one who does not have even what he does have shall be taken away

But these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them bring them here and slay them in my presence.

I Question to you is tonight. How do we interpret that parable and I mean that question to elicit a verbal response tonight

Who how do we interpret that parable? What are some of the things that we should go through to figure that out? Anyone pardon me

Context. Okay. Great. We'll look at that. What else? It's pretty good so far

Wesley, okay. Try to find the main point. Excellent. Good Okay, why did he say it what was the occasion or the situation and by the way

Aren't you glad you came to Sunday night service last Sunday night the Patriots didn't even score anything Come and worship

God and then go home and do the do the rest of this stuff I was so glad we had a service I got on the internet and was listening to Al Mulder the president of Southern Seminary last week

And he said I was preaching on Sunday night. He said what kind of what what does it send? What kind of message does it send a church where you say we're canceling

Sunday night service for a football game? And I was sitting there in my office going. I'm glad we have a service.

Whoa What kind of message is that Let's back up a little bit and I want you to think about the timing to all this look at Luke chapter 9 verse 51 and I want to set the scene for you and I want to make you think the way these disciples and other people were

Thinking and that the the import of the message will really come to bear When you think like these

Jewish people thought of I mean thought Look at Luke 9 51 Now here

Jesus has a mission and he came to die. Remember he's not the victim of circumstances He had a purpose for for coming to earth

Living the perfect life and then now dying Luke 9 51 and it came about when the days were approaching for his

Ascension that he Resolutely set his face to go to Jerusalem. Why was that?

He knew there was going to be that day where he was going to die for sinners And it was a purpose and he set his face towards Jerusalem.

He has a destination all according to the father's plan Look at Luke 18.

Let's go ahead a little bit He tells the disciples about this

Suffering and this death that's going to take place at Jerusalem the center of the universe if you will

I still think it is The city of Jerusalem Luke 18 31 And he took the twelve aside and said to them behold

We are going up to Jerusalem and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished

For he will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon and after they have scourged him

They will kill him and on the third day. He will rise again And they understood none of these things and the same was hidden from them

Comprehend the things that we're saying the disciples are on their way to Jerusalem With Jesus and they are close.

They've just left Jericho with Zacchaeus and Luke chapter 19 verses 1 and following They're 16 to 17 miles away and they're approaching and with every step that Clock on Times Square is getting closer to midnight.

They're counting down. Can you imagine? Jesus has told them he's going there to die, but they couldn't figure that out.

That's been hidden from them They're on the way to Jerusalem for the kingdom to come they thought Rome is going to be abolished here comes

Jesus and all the prophecies that led up to it You could just imagine every step towards Jerusalem.

It's actually from Jericho to Jerusalem it's going up in elevation

So they're going up to the city if you will and so they're going there and they thinking this is it The ball is going to drop and it's going to be freedom from the oppressors

Let me show you some of that go to Zechariah chapter 8

They are this is a fever pitch thing. This is going to be freedom from them and all the

Bible points to it You just didn't know there was going to be a difference between the first coming and second coming

But look at Zechariah chapter 8 with passages that give us the flavor that these disciples must have been tasting

This is it. This is like a kid Waiting in anticipation counting down the days and hours till Christmas morning

This is important for them. You could also think this is like those people in Holland when

Nazi Germany as as Taken over their country and liberation is soon Zechariah 8 3 thus says the

Lord remember when it's all capitals Lord it means Yahweh the covenant -keeping God I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.

Then Jerusalem will be called the city of truth The neat name for a city and the mountain of the

Lord of hosts will be called the holy mountain God is coming back to make Jerusalem that city skip forward a chapter chapter 9 verse 9

Rejoice greatly Oh daughter of Zion shout in triumph. Oh daughter of Jerusalem behold.

Your king is coming to you He is just and endowed with salvation Humble and mounted on a donkey even on a colt the foal of a donkey here.

We come the new City the kingdom is coming Jump in a few chapters

Zechariah 14 of verse 4 These Jews knew their Bible.

They know what was going on. And here's Jesus taking us to the city and in that day

His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which is in front of Jerusalem on the east and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley

So that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half towards the south Verse 8 and it will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem half

Of them towards the Eastern Sea and the other half towards the Western Sea and it will be summer as well as winter

They are singing that song. We've got high hopes Except it's probably a little bit more spiritual and that's exactly what the

Bible taught That God would bring the kingdom to Jerusalem except it's not this coming. It's the next one

So Jesus gives this parable to correct and did you see in Luke chapter 19 11 if let's go back to Luke 1911 it says while they were listening to these things

Jesus went on to tell them a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they Suppose that the kingdom of God was going to appear what?

Immediately here comes the kingdom and all its glory And Jesus wants to correct what they're thinking and he wants to make sure they're thinking properly about the kingdom of God Now look also at Luke chapter 19.

I know we're not in the text yet, but that's okay Luke chapter 19 verses 1 through 10 Whoever said context

I think it was Steve. That's exactly right. What's the context? You can't just dive into verse 11 and parachute in and figure out what's going on here.

We have Zacchaeus that wee little man in chapter 19 verse 1 you say how does it tie in this is my favorite part about my study this week verse 19 chapter 19 verse 1

And he entered and was passing through Jericho 1617 miles away.

I think the old city was 16 miles the new city 17 and behold there was a man Called by the name of Zacchaeus and he was a chief tax gatherer and he was rich two strikes against him

He was trying to see who Jesus was and he was unable because the crowd but he was small in stature

The wee little man part. Is that because that's a Scottish song something from Scotland wrote that he loved

Scottish eggs Okay and he was trying to see who Jesus was verse 3 now verse 4 and he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in Order to see him and sometime by a manners and customs book and you can see the sycamore trees have these low branches

They're just kind of slope out that are perfect for climbing trees When we go on a little hike in the woods our kids can surely spot dad.

That's a perfect tree to climb That's a good tree climbing tree Sycamore trees were easy to hop right up Where he was about to pass through that way and when

Jesus came to that place He looked up and said to him Zacchaeus hurry and come down for I must stay at your house today

And he hurried and came down and received him gladly when they saw it they all began to grumble saying he's going to be the guest of a man who's a sinner and Zacchaeus stopped and said to the

Lord behold Lord half of my possessions I will give to the poor the text doesn't say it but this man has been

Saved the text says it just a second I and if I have defrauded anything of any anyone of anything

I will give back four times as much and Jesus said to him today Salvation has come to this house because he too is a son of Abraham For the

Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost and you know what the disciples are thinking now

Jesus has come he saves Zacchaeus salvation has come to the house of Zacchaeus today

Zacchaeus Although he was saved salvation was not going to come to the house of Israel today

Did you get that Zacchaeus is saved today? And they're thinking salvation has come to this tax gatherers house now

We're on the way to Jerusalem and salvation is going to come to the nation today You know,

I've read that passage. I don't know how many times there's Zacchaeus. Here's the parable not trying to figure it all out unable to figure it out

Salvation coming to the house, but Israel is going to be delayed and so Jesus corrects things now

Let me also give you one last thing before we get in the text. This parable has a historical setting

It's almost unlike any other parable It's the last parable in Luke But more importantly there was a historical thing that happened when

Jesus was a boy that everyone knew about and Jesus is just using it as a mirror image

Think about what we have if I say 9 -11. What do you think of? All those people that died if I say remember the

Alamo, what do you think of? Yeah, think of a Bowie knife or something, you know

Davy Crockett kind of thing if I say Pearl Harbor you think of December 7th 1941 personnel killed in Pearl Harbor United States 2388 personnel wounded 1178

Ships Sunker Beach 12 ships damaged 9 aircraft destroyed 164 aircraft damaged 159 and there was a man named

Archelous that came along and killed 3 ,000 Jews at a Passover service

He was a man who was under Roman authority and he had to go to Rome as a king as it were to try to His authority to rule over Jerusalem and there was a big to -do you can read about it in Josephus and he killed 3 ,000

Jews and the Jews never forgot about it It was 30 years before and Jesus is going to use this story about Archelous who was matter of fact

The son of Herod the Great who goes to Rome to secure this Kingdom as it were to rule over the

Jews and these people had it in their mind as Jesus starts telling the story They start thinking about 9 -11.

They start thinking about the Alamo They start thinking about Pearl Harbor because 3 ,000 Jews were killed by this maniac during Passover celebration

All right. Now, let's get to the parable You know, one of my favorite things about Bible study is before you even get to this passage.

There's all this stuff first Now it starts coming alive While they were listening to these things.

Let me read verse 11 again He went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they suppose that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately this fever pitch thought thinking was

I was Understandable at least Few days towards till the crucifixion

He said therefore verse 12 a certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return and that was

Archelous 30 years before they all knew the story But he's using this historical thing and now he abuses it in a parable because he knows it's going to catch their attention

And in those days you would have to go to Rome to receive kingdoms Far country

Rome has Conquered Jerusalem and he called his ten of the slaves and gave them ten minus and said to them do business with this until I come

Back. What's a minor? How much is a minor? Does your Bible tell you what a minor is? Hundred days wages.

Okay, so three months three and a half months of pay. How many weeks is that? Somebody hundred divided by seven thirteen something, right?

14 weeks of pain There you go for here's 14 weeks of pain in my notes

It says a minor was 1 60th of a talent ten servants each one gets one

And he says do business till I come. What's the King James Version say? Occupy what's that mean?

We think of occupy like Somebody is living in the space Well in those days occupy meant

To trade or to make money or to make a profit employ it in business Do business with this money till I go and was this a common thing back in those days here take some money while I'm out

Of town and make it happen make some interest make some dividends Invest the money properly if you give money to fidelity or pain

Weber they better make you some money or you're going to be changing your brokerage firm and And did you notice it is a specific order do business till I come

Occupy till I come make some money for me and you are my slave and you will do what I say

Again, it's an everyday occurrence and he says do business till I come Shorthand for do business while I go and then come back

Verse 14 but his citizens hated him now This is the one parable in all the Bible that I think you can import a little bit more

Parallels and make it walk on all fours in a sense than then you can other ones because it's this Historical sense and so you can just imagine his citizens hated him and as the

Jews Hated Arculus and actually sent a delegation of 50 people to Rome to say, please don't give him rule over us

Please don't give him rule over us and Rome did anyway These citizens are hating the fact that this king is going and going to come back to rule over him now

Who does that sound like to you? It sounds like the Jews for sure In Texas, they were hating him and perfect tense.

They were hating him as a lifestyle They hated this guy you can read about Arculus in Matthew chapter 2 sometime

Well, there's a reckoning verse 15 and it came about that when he returned after receiving the kingdom

He ordered that these slaves to whom he had given the money and by the way gave specific commands to use it

Be called to him in order that he might know what business they had done Okay, what's the return on investment gives what's the

ROI and The first appears saying master your

Mina has made ten minutes more Wow 1 ,000 % gain times ten you gave me a hundred days wages.

There's three years worth of wages. I've earned What did he say? Well done.

I want to say good and faithful servant. Don't you you can just see the parallels, but he says well done good slave

I mean, yeah, of course you should have done that but you really did a good job You've been faithful on a little thing money be an authority over Amazingly, there's not the same proportion here.

You do something well business be an authority over ten cities Wow With a

Briefer version of the same story verse 18 and the second came saying your Mina master has made five minutes nice good return 500 % increase

He said to him also you were to be over five cities same condom same commendation and Now the most verses we have are about this last guy and another came saying master beholder

Mina I kept put away in a handkerchief and if you stop there you think he didn't he just he didn't want it to get corroded

He kept it in that little napkin I think one translation keeps it a little towel and they would tie everything up and make it nice and careful

Here's like a nice place to keep your well time is money and money itself can either lose money or make money here

He didn't even put it in the bank for interest or do anything and now he tells us what his real motives are verse 21

I never thought you're coming back number one and number two. I can care less about you I was afraid of you because you're an exacting man and take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not

So he's not into manufacturing. He's into service. He deals with deals with other people's things

He says I you were an austere man Austere means hard it comes from the root word to dry.

It means I Was a restaurant a while ago and I got some mango in the mango salsa

The food was good, but the mango salsa the mango in the salsa was just hard.

I mean, it wasn't even right It just cut up mangoes in the salsa

Just hard chewy and here this word to dry means

Sometimes it means so applied to unripened fruit just hard and dry and You're severe.

You're hard. You're oppressive He said to him Well, if you know what

I was like, you would have done the right thing By your own words, I will judge you you worthless slave that word worthless could be translated malignant wicked worthless vicious evil you're evil

Did you not know I'm an exacting man taking up what I did not lay down and reap what I did not So you knew all about me?

No pleading the Fifth Amendment here if you knew that I would be rigid and firm and expect an exacting then why didn't you motivate?

You could at least done verse 23, then why don't you put your money in the in the bank? Having come

I would have collected it with interest. I could have got a little something And he said to the bystanders take the mean away from him and give to the one who has ten

He said he's got ten already. I tell you everyone who shall has shall be given more From the one he does not have even

I said that wrong. Excuse me I tell you that to everyone who has shall more be given but from the one who does not have even what he does

Have shall be taken away Darrell Bach said this Jesus applies a mathematical warning to the third slave nothing from nothing leaves

Nothing the one who has no trust in God's goodness, even though he had he or she has a connection to God Connection has no relationship with God and ends up with nothing from him in the end such a servant loses even what he thinks he had

And what happens amazing verse 27, but these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them

Bring them here and slay them in my presence Slaughter them literally cut them down.

Well, what are we to make of this? What point is he trying to make to us to his readers

Anyone out loud Okay.

Excellent. What God has given you used to advance the kingdom more Jonah Okay, be serious about it because certainly

God was serious about it good He's coming get busy, that's right

You put all those together Jesus is coming back. He's entrusted things to us. Make sure you get busy

We don't have to be the you know that Fred gets up on the roof all the time So Fred this is not against you

But we don't need to get up on the roof and sit there and wait for Jesus to come Fred gets up there to work.

By the way, he has a cell phone I have my phone in here and he's like if I get in trouble, can I call you? Sometimes I'm I just go outside and I look

But Fred's not waiting for Jesus to come up there He's trying to be busy with the talents that God has given him to do business till God comes

That wasn't in my notes as Archuleta's left for Rome and return so Jesus on the appointed time is going to return

People try to study the newspaper and find every little thing that somehow coincides with prophetic stuff

You want to study the newspaper? That's fine, but get a move on with the gifts that God has given you Do business till I come and What did

Zacchaeus do by the way, did you get that? Zacchaeus who had Just been talked about in chapter 19.

What did he do? He made everything, right? He did business while Jesus was on his way back.

Did you notice? Hey, I'm gonna make everything right and by defrauded people I'm gonna take care of it and Jesus is almost like here's what happened is that kiss?

He doesn't say this but I could say it because at least the principles true as that key us did business with what he had

Till Jesus comes you do the same This is what we call for Christians the

Bema seat are the judgment of Christians deeds Everyone in this room who is a

Christian you will stand before God and answer for what he has given you Don't you turn to a passage that talks about that 2nd

Corinthians chapter 5 one of my favorite ways to teach a parable I did it last week and I'm doing it this week as you go through the parable and then you find a

New Testament Passage that's very similar that's directed right to the church because you may say well

Here's this parable and it's for those people in those days. And how does it apply for me? It certainly applies by principle and here is the judgment seat of Christ.

I Want to say it again for maybe the fifth time tonight your sins If you're a Christian have been paid for already by Jesus Christ You're not going to be stand standing before God and somehow having to answer about the sins that you've committed

Omission commission, etc But you will stand before God and he will say I've told you to do business till I come

I told you to use your spiritual gifts. Today is the day of reckoning And it's not going to be you get hell for it if you don't do it, but it will be rewards 2nd

Corinthians 5 10. I know we're just jumping into a verse here, but Paul is writing here

It's probably the fourth letter to the Church of Corinth. The second is inspired one. He says Earlier he's talking about our our bodies going to waste away and we're

Not going to live forever we walk by faith etc verse 10 though We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ Paul puts himself in with the category along with the

Corinth Saints that each one may be Judged for sins no recompense for his deeds in the body according to what he has done whether good are

Horrible translation mine says bad who has that's NES who has ESP Steve you have

ESP whether we either good or evil Okay, anybody else Doug what's what's a be safe?

whether good are Good or bad. Okay goes along with NES who has an IV Who's an

IV positive here? Okay Good it says bad. Okay good any others

Nate you have a parallel translation. They're all good or bad. All right

Well, you know if you look up the word, you know what the word is Worthless This is not saying good righteous or evil unrighteous or somehow good or bad

He's saying God is going to judge you whether your sins are good and profitable or if they're worthless So you have all the wheat in your hand and God looks at your life

This is all by the way one big lump sum that he may be recompensed for the deeds in the body according to what he has done singular and God takes all your works as it were and puts it his hand and there are all

These kernels and goes like this Blows away all the chaff and here's what he rewards you for what you've done as a

Christian that don't get burnt off And back in those days the beam of seat was this elevated seat if you watch the

Olympics ones the next Olympics Oh four And you'll see those three risers right the top one.

That's for first place Second place in third place and there was this bench that the that the judge would sit up there and he'd bestow these judgments

And Paul uses this this very apt Illustration that would be in people's minds that God is going to bestow judgments on what you have done or not done

What you have done are not done with the gifts. God has given you with their spiritual gifts There's no condemnation in those who are in Christ Jesus, but God will judge us

So tonight we were talking about judgment in the songs There is a judgment but not kind of the judgment of condemnation

It's a judgment for what we do what we've done and I want to talk a little bit about service I found some research from some crack staff researchers and it's underneath the address of evangelical exercises a beating about the bush 75 calories it takes to do that jumping to conclusions 200 calories climbing the wall 150 passing the buck 50 dragging your heels 175 making mountains out of molehills 500 adding fuel to the fire 150 tooting your own horn 25

Looking over the fence at greener grass 10 it's kind of funny, but God has given you a spiritual gift and you're to use it and you're to do business till he comes

Don't you turn to feed first Peter chapter 4 if you would for a moment And I want to tell you what the

Bible says about end time living if Jesus is coming back soon. How do you live? This is one of my favorite passages in all the

Bible on what we should do What we should do in the end times

Now as you're turning there, I do want to say before I forget that as the citizens as the

Israelites Hated Jesus and didn't want him He certainly judged them and maybe part of that judgment or part of the judgment was 70

AD when the city was wiped out And all those hundred thousand Jews were killed but now

I want to talk a little bit about 1st Peter chapter 4 verse 8 And I want you all to know that if you're a

Christian you have at least one spiritual gift and God wants you to use It Jesus is coming back

Verse 4 says of 1st Peter 4 the end of all things is at hand therefore and then it tells us what to do number one it says be of sound judgment

Have a protected mind is what that literally means have a safe mind a reasonable mind a prudent mind

Don't have necessarily a politically correct mind tolerance Don't have a mind that is

Open -minded, you know, it's not a good thing to have an open mind by the way, if you're thinking biblically an open mind is a

Horrible thing to waste an open mind is not good Why if you were a

Jew and you said I have an open mind all the other Jews like They'd snicker at you why because open mind means you don't care what comes in and you don't care what goes out a

Closed -mind is you're careful what comes into your mind and careful what you let out This whole thing.

Oh, we've got to be open -minded. I just like to kind of goad people on I know it's not my character or personality, but I just like to say people

You know, I don't want to have an open mind and here the end of all things is at hand

He says I want you to have a protected safe mind Mind that's set on eternal things.

Oh, he goes further. He says you must be of sober spirit He's not talking about don't drink alcohol, although it's the same kind of word, but he says

I don't want you mentally to be intoxicated I want you to think properly Be in full possession of your faculties, which could include certainly not being abusing of alcohol for what reason?

Why should we not have a cluttered our selfish mind? Because you're to pray and when your minds all cluttered, isn't it hard to pray?

I'm not saying my mother doesn't have it, but I talked to mom today and I said, how's it going and everything else? And she said it's just good to be around other

Christians. I went to church today and they just encouraged me and I Excuse me,

I told one of my friends I just have a hard time praying because every time I start praying I start to think about the cancer and everything else.

I Sometime emotional about my mom. This is an emotional She said

Every time I start praying I start thinking about these things and then one of the other Saints At lunch or at church said well, you know the good news is

It's been so good to be around other church people because no one is an island And you need those things and here if your minds all every which way and your minds just all cluttered and everything

It's hard to pray, isn't it? That's why I sometimes say facetiously if you have a to -do list and you forgot what's on that list just get down on your knees and begin to pray because Everything in the world is gonna start coming back to you except that one thing that you're supposed to be praying

You're me thinking I should have stopped at the driveway. I should have chopped up all that ice while it was still warm I should have another and you just you don't think about those things and Paul says our

Peter says in the end times I want you to think properly Eternal matters are at stake

Shortness of time should be motivation for living He goes on to say something else verse 8 above all keep fervent in your love for one another

Stretch it out make those tendons strain and stretch For your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins

And then he says the most amazing thing of all

I think Verse 9 be hospitable to one another without complaint.

It's the end times. What do you do? Jesus is coming back soon. What should you do? Oh Love the strangers

It just doesn't sound like any kind of in time stuff that I know about. I read a

Dear Abby column I've said this before from the pulpit I'm presently completing the second of a three -year survey on hospitality or lack of it in churches to date

This reader said of the hundred ninety -five churches I have visited I was spoken to only in one by someone other than the official greeter and that was

To ask me to move my feet And you know,

I true confessions when I was younger in the faith I used to think hospitality was the first Peter first Timothy chapter 5

Godly ladies show hospitality, you know, it's a qualification of an elder to be hospitable to love strangers

It's the end times and beloved on Sunday morning when strangers come through that door just between you know us here on Sunday night

Would you love on them and invite them over do something and I don't want people to walk in and say oh, you know they were okay and nice and everything and the only time somebody ever talked to me is because they

There was a LA Times writer and they wanted to check how friendly churches were and so they gave him a rating system

Greeters at the door got two points. So this morning we got two points. Did we have greeters by the way? we didn't have bulletins, but I Don't want anybody to know what the sermon is about The pre -packaged form letter from the pastor got three points if somebody writes their name

I give that to Anita and she forges my signature and sends it off. So there's three She doesn't forge

I've given her permission to do that It's a difficult thing to do coffee hour got about five points.

You have some coffee over there So how many that ten? Introducing yourself in a cordial non -threatening way was ten points

I saw both Deb and I saw Dallas over there talking that lady who drove in today. So we were up to what 20 points this reporter

Then also said He gave personal invitations to dinner 60 point.

I thought that is the love for strangers If you get to know some strangers, you're gonna be going. I mean, did you guys do that today?

Lost a reward and honor No lover of strangers and that is just exactly what we're to do

It's the end times what we do we show love to people and you can see Jesus up there saying or Jesus saying that to the

Disciples in the parable do business till I come. Okay. Well, what kind of business? Will think properly love people cover other people's sins.

I think I want my sins covered as much as You know, if I say to myself

I should cover other people's sins because I know I like mice and then be hospitable.

Well, what else does he say? This is amazing. What's the next one? use your spiritual gifts as Each one has received a special gift employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God And if you look at that negatively,

I think it is fair to say if you're not using your spiritual gifts You could care less about the manifold grace of God that you received right

Each one as each one emphatically in the Greek as each one has received it. So I don't know what my spiritual gift is

I don't like those spiritual gift inventories that you do Because you usually go through and you have some kind of I have the gift of like apostle ship

Because they're usually put together by some kind of crack people who don't understand theology and so I don't usually like those

Here's what you do. You say what does the church need? I see some things over here that aren't getting done

What I'd like to do that and secondly then do what you'd like to do What does the church need and what do you like to do and eventually you'll get put in the right place

I'll never forget as long as I live a Ken Doerr when he was he left and retired First Baptist of Levenster and he came here and he said

Mike I don't want to get in your way and I know you're the pastor and I don't want to be the retired pastor who sits In the front and you have to do everything for me

He said you tell me what you want me to do at this church. I'll be wow I said well tell me this

Ken. What would you like to do at the church? And I said I bet you what you like to do will match up to what we need here at the church

He said I'd like to do some discipleship not counseling but discipleship and I'd like to teach some

Sunday school classes I said, you know what we need around here people who teach discipleship and to teach some classes

So you look around you say what does the church need to have done? You don't need to know what your spiritual gift is, you know Nowhere in the Bible to say you need to know it just says use it my favorite all -time story of people serving

I still think we should have some kind of ministry around here like this there was a follower of Zwingli named

Thomas Platter Zwingli the Reformer and he wanted to learn

Greek and Hebrew so badly He did anything it took this guy was a blue -collar worker

We would call him to work night and day with manual labor. And so at night, you know how he studied Greek and Hebrew He wanted to study

Greek and Hebrew so badly so he could rightly divide the word so he could use his gift of teaching to Tell other people so how did he study at night?

Didn't have no dose back in those days He put sand in his mouth I Have to tell you

I love that Thomas Platter is a hero of mine. Stay up late at night with sand in your teeth

Now if you're 12 or under you need to talk to your dad And your dentist

You know, it reminds me the funny story you've all heard it but it's still funny at Sunday night, so You know,

I just have to do it Pastor said to this man by the door. You need to join the army of the

Lord friend replied I'm already in the army of the Lord pastor. He goes on to say what

I Don't see you do anything. Well, what kind of service you in the secret service?

Paul says Peter says excuse me use this gift as good stewards of the manifold gifts of God gift of God You've been entrusted with this ministry now use it and if you're not using your gifts here at this church the body suffers

We limp along very pleased with so many people serve here, but it's kind of the rule where it's 20 % of the people do 80 % of the work.

I wish that wasn't so As good stewards of the manifold grace of God and he goes on to say verse 11

Whoever speaks if that's your your gift Let him speak as it were the utterance of God if you preach or teach it better be the

Bible Or than the other category of gifts serving speaking and serving let him do so as by the strength which

God supplies So that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever

We have this great opportunity to work for the King of Kings. There couldn't be a better job Somebody said well,

I'll be there your the best job you could ever have when I was a kid I used to want to be a pro basketball player something fierce

And I would play and I would practice and and still to this day. I have a pretty good jump shot

I like to have the 18 year olds over and then just school them a little bit They're like I could have learned like 18 languages all the time.

I spent playing basketball I mean I would eat with my left hand because Nate Archibald one time said if you eat with your opposite hand you can become more

Dexter you have better dexterity and you can just learn to be Ambidextrous that's what

I was looking for and now I get to have the best job in the world and I get paid for it

I used to do exactly what I do now Except just to a smaller group of people in Los Angeles and I wasn't chewing on sand

But I was up till 2 and 3 at night just trying to study now I get paid and now you don't get paid Money, but you get paid in eternal rewards for serving the

Lord of Glory on this earth, but serving one another Sometimes it's not so fun.

That's why it says be hospitable without grumbling. There was an African missionary and He was asked if he really really loved his missionary assignment do

I like this work? He said in great shock. No, my wife and I do not like dirt. We have reasonably refined sensibilities

We do not like crawling into vial huts through both refuge refuse, but is a man to do nothing for Christ He does not like God pity him

Liking or disliking has nothing to do with it. We have orders to go and we go love constrains us

Do business till I come Father thank you for this night where we can get together with these dear saints, and I pray that you'd especially bless them

Father, I know they're not coming to earn more favor in your sight because they've already Been recipients of all your favor because of Jesus Christ, but father,

I pray that you'd bless them I pray that you'd encourage them through the word. I pray for those that are serving here some dear workers who

Just burn themselves out in your ministry. I pray that you'd give them encouragement I pray that you'd give him sight towards the end where there'll be a reward for their faithless faithful service

And father for those that are here, maybe even some new people the church who still don't have a ministry here I pray that they might

See needs of the church and then quickly fill those father I pray that our church might be typified as a church that is longing for the second coming and as we do that We would be people who would be a loving people a hospitable people and it's serving people in Jesus name.