Wednesday, November 3. 2021 PM

Pray together and rejoice together Lord I pray that you would grant us grace to worship you tonight

To trust in you to grow in our faith. You pray these things for Christ's sake.

Amen Luke 12 Luke chapter 12.

I'm gonna begin reading in verse 35 read from verse 35 to verse 48

Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning 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

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

And if he should come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so blessed are those servants 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 Therefore you also be ready for the

Son of Man is coming at an hour. You do not expect Then Peter said to him

Lord. Do you speak this parable only to us? or to all people 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 and do season Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing

When he comes truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has

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 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 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

But he who did not know It committed things deserving of stripes shall be beaten with you

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 so we just finished a

Section here in Luke 12 where Jesus warns against Greed he warns against covetousness

And then gives an example tells a story about a man who? Hit it rich and he

Decided to store up all that he possessed into bigger bourns and to arrange things to live a self gratifying life

That was his goal in life is to gratify the self Supply amply for the self, but he was not rich toward God and so Jesus warned against covetousness and encouraged

His followers to be rich toward God, and then he proceeded to tell his disciples to not be worried

About the morrow do not be worried about what to put on or what to eat and so on and to think about What a good and powerful

Consistent and faithful God that we have and that we can trust him and we should not live in worry

And in fact we should be so confident in God's goodness and supply That in seeking his kingdom first before all the rest that we can we're freed we're freed from the enslavement and Imprisonment of worry and anxiety and we can be generous

We can give generously And and and and be gracious to others and be hospitable and we do not have to fear constantly fear about the morrow

So this brings us up to where we now come to verse 35 and Jesus begins to Play upon a metaphor and his his metaphor has to do with a with a household

The Greek word for household is wickle namas we get our word economy from it and a household in Jesus day would be a very busy place it would be some place where there was a wife and children and slaves of various kinds sometimes upper level

Household servants and stewards and then lower level slaves and so on and a great business would be booming out of this house

They would have fields to harvest they would have vineyards To harvest they would have fig trees

They would have various industries going about on their household and the in the in the story that Jesus tells

Has an example of of those who are the servants or the doula so the doula in the

Greek the slaves How do they how do they work when the master is away? Hmm or my jobs in college

I worked for a man named Russ Ford and his job was construction cleanup and so we go to construction sites and we'd haul off all the

The waste left behind at these construction sites. This was prior to 2008 It was a building boom before the building crash

And they were slapping these houses together so fast that they had trash everywhere.

And so our job was to haul it all off Well, I was the new new guy on the job and there was an old hand there his name was

Shane and As soon as Russ got in the truck to drive it off to the dump to go dump the trailer

Shane went over to the half -finished house and went to the front Step and sat down soon as the boss drives off Shane takes a break

Time for a smoke, you know The the masters away time for the servants to play

And so and but one time that backfired one time that backfired because Russ drove off and Break time ensued, but Russ had forgotten something

So he he pulled back around this neighborhood and all was in there Shane sitting down. He's all

I got caught You know that kind of thing Here Jesus is saying after he's instructed us about What we're to be using our stewardship for how we're to think about our possessions

He gives an example of those who should be busy about their master's will

While he's away and that it matters how we

Live our lives it matters how we live our lives and how watchful we are how alert we are how

Active we are in doing the things that we know that we're supposed to be doing Because just think of it when the master comes back and the servants and the slaves have been maybe they've been laboring

Maybe they've been doing a good job, but maybe they haven't been maybe they thought ah, well, he's gone time to do what

I want How I want he's not gonna be back for a long time We know that feeling we know that that sense of Every child knows what it's like to you know, the parents are out of the house time to have fun and then the feeling

That you get when you hear the car pull up. All right. Oh Okay, what's out of order?

What do we need to do quick? and That's the kind of feeling that we have here and Jesus is relating to his audience or his disciples in this way

But it's interesting too because he doesn't just keep it in the sense of the master could come home at any moment

What are the servants going to be working or not? He even he begins to bring in other metaphors

What about the master of the house? Imagine a master of the house who suffered a theft.

Well if he had known what time the thief was coming had it been Scheduled and announced he would have been awake and ready for the guy, right?

So but he's keeping with the theme of household, but he's he's telling it in different ways and talking about what?

watchfulness alertness readiness being on point on task and Then Peter asks a very important question

He wants to know is this only for us or is it for everybody when you're saying this? I mean does it only pertain to you know

Those who know you Jesus those who love you follow you your disciples or are you kind of talk about everybody here?

And Jesus does not answer Right away, but I think he does answer that question in the following material as he talks about The different types of servants there is the kind of servant who who knows his master's will and and labors and then when the master comes back he finds the servant doing exactly what he wanted him to do and he

Here you've been faithful with this. I will give you much more now

Okay, Jesus had a way of another parable that he told in you know, you've been faithful with little here's here's much

And then he talks about other types of servants There's the kind that knows exactly what the master wants

But he is in full rebellion to the master this slave beats up and and harms the other slaves and He takes what's the master's and uses it only for himself.

He's gluttonous and he's a drunkard and When the master comes back because this servant he wasn't ready.

He wasn't watching. He didn't care When the master comes back he executes this slave

Right and interesting here Jesus it's not really kind of breaking the fourth wall, but that's what he says and will

Appoint him his portion with the unbelievers Like we all of a sudden

Jesus is is kind of letting us know Some of the idea of what his parable is about did this this extended metaphor?

Has to do with judgment and and the one who knew better the one who knew better Well, they're going to be judged as an unbeliever

And then there's others like a servant who knew his master's will but didn't you know, they they just didn't do they weren't ready

They didn't prepare well, and well, there's gonna be some a chastisement He doesn't get executed.

He doesn't get thrown out with the unbelievers, but there's gonna be some some punishment some dealing with some things there

But what about someone who didn't know? What about someone who didn't know? Well beaten with a few stripes because she didn't know you know

And then he says for everyone who to whom much is given from him much will be required and to whom much has been committed

Of him they will ask them more and we've already seen Jesus talk about you know It's more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for Capernaum Because if the things have been done in Capernaum and Chorazin and Bethsaida if the miracles of Christ have been done in Sodom and Gomorrah They would have repented

They were given more revelation more light over here. And so they are more responsible for the rejection of the truth

So we we're kind of following along we understand the basic themes here

Jesus is the master we could think of the of the Lord as the master and he's saying that when he comes

When he comes it's judgment time. It's evaluation time. There's a there's a big spotlight shown on what has been going on and There's going to be some apportioning of rewards and Judgment some apportioning of blessings and and punishment and I think

Jesus answered Peter's question that it's not simply about Just disciples or just believers, but has to do with Everyone as in one of other

Jesus parables as he said the field is the world and out of this field

There are there's wheat and then there are the tares All right, so just kind of paying attention to how

Jesus tells his parables is it is is important now, I think we need to Do our best that we do not restrict

Jesus's parables unnecessarily to something that we fail to make good application of The action is the

Son of Man coming the Son of Man Coming the master Coming.

Okay, that's the that's the action When you think of the Lord's coming, what do you think of relief?

Okay in times?

Yeah Trumpets trumpets in times relief escape triumph joy

We have a lot to look forward to in the scriptures

God comes more than once You may have noticed this In the

Hebrew the word is picad means visit he comes for a visit

Shows up You know when he shows up what happens? It's judgment and deliverance all at the same time

For instance all the way back in Genesis 11 verse 5 What's going on Genesis 11?

the tribes of the earth or the the people the humanity on earth and the descendants of Of Noah have gathered together in the plains of Shinar to build for themselves to make for themselves a name by building a

City and a tower that reaches up to the heavens This thing was so Short that God had to come down to see it

This happens in Genesis 11 verse 5, but the Lord came down Came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built now.

He God came The Lord came in Genesis 11 5 and what happened when he came

Judgment he sorted everything out didn't he it was a sorting out moment It was a cataclysmic moment for the people on the earth when the languages got confused and the tribes split up It was judgment time.

It was sorting time in Exodus chapter 3 verse 8 God declares through Moses to Pharaoh this so I have come down To deliver them out of the hand of the

Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land to a land flowing with milk and honey to the place of the

Canaanites the Hittites the Amorites the Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites God announces to Pharaoh through his prophet

Moses. I Have come He came down and what happened to Pharaoh and the land of Egypt and the children of Israel when

God showed up Judgment happened didn't it and there was a sorting of things wasn't there and there was deliverance of God's people

In the face of the judgment that God brought down on their enemies and his enemies

Exodus 19 verse 9 and the Lord said to Moses behold I come to you in a thick cloud that the people may hear when

I speak with you and believe you forever so Moses told the words of the people to The Lord now so the

Lord comes and it's at Mount Sinai now what happened to Mount Sinai when the Lord came did it? blossom and little white flowers

Thunder lightning and smoke and a terrible sound that frightened all the Israelites and they like Moses you go talk to him

We can't handle this. We're gonna die a Smoking mountain that no man could touch That's when that's when the

Lord came at Exodus 19 9 and then what happened in that context? It was it was a moment of judgment was a moment of sorting things out and the

Ten Commandments were issued And the holiness of God was put on display and the people of Israel put in their place

I'm gonna read the next part I'm gonna give you the reference and you got to tell me what happened what the event is Okay, so this is kind of a little trivia

You have to guess what book of the Bible it's from first and then you tell me the event, okay All right, and if you already know, well,

I guess you have to say but you're Then the earth shook and trembled The foundations of the hills quaked and were shaken

Because he was angry smoke went up from his nostrils and devouring fire from his mouth coals were kindled by it

He bowed the heavens also and came down with darkness under his feet and he wrote a cherub and flew

He flew upon the wings of the wind He made darkness his secret place his canopy around him was dark waters and thick cloud to the sky

From the brightness before him as thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire What book of the

Bible? Psalms what Psalms 18. What was the event?

What was the event was written for at the very beginning of the chapter?

It was written To tell the story of how God gave victory to David over all of his enemies including

King Saul when you read it It looks like The earth just ended

But what happened no God showed up God came Now when David had victory over all of his enemies

When we read the stories the intrigues of what happened between David and Saul and so on Do you ever remember?

Hailstones and coals of fire falling down on like, you know Abner and Saul and stuff like that ever see that No, no that never happened

The Bible is not telling a lie. This is descriptive of The power with which

God comes and when he came guess what he brought judgment upon the house of Saul just like Samuel said what happened at the end of 1st

Samuel 6 15 and God was the one who gave the victory to David did David do it by his own power and his own

Ideas. No, it was the power of God God came in judgment when he came. This is this kind of stuff that happens judgment upon Saul deliverance for his people

Isaiah 19 1 through 4 the burden against Egypt the whole the Lord rides on a swift cloud and he will come into Egypt The idols of Egypt will totter at his presence and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst

I will set Egyptians against Egyptians Everyone will fight against his brother and everyone against his neighbor City against city kingdom against kingdom the spirit of Egypt will fall in its midst

I will destroy their counsel and they will consult the idols and the charmers the mediums and the sorcerers and the Egyptians I will give into the hand of a cruel master and a fierce king will come to their aid

Over them says the Lord the Lord of hosts, but notice he says that he comes He came against Egypt in the days of Isaiah He came against and what happened judgment

We can read about this time and again Isaiah 31 he comes and rescues

Israel in Michael 1. This is interesting Michael 1 verse 3 for behold the

Lord is coming out of his place He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth The mountains will melt under him the valleys will split like wax before the fire like waters poured down a steep place melted mountains melted

The valleys split like wax the earth melts God shows up in the earth melts when did that happen?

586 BC was What is the trance was all this is for verse 5 the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? See in the context what's going on?

It sounds like the earth is being Decreated it sounds like this the end of the world. Well, it was it was the end of the world for it for these sinners

It was God showed up and what happened judgment happened. He sorted all things out Do you see that?

now I Think this is important because when we read in the New Testament things that Jesus is saying and the

Apostles are saying They grew up with the Old Testament and grew up with this language Okay, and they know the stories when

God comes and God shows up And when he comes and he shows up stuff happens and judgment happens and people are sorted out

Of course, we have that yet to come Matthew 25 the Lord comes back goats on the left sheep on the right

All right, he sorts everything out when he comes But my point in bringing us through this is that I want you to see that the

Lord We have a coming that we're looking forward to okay, but the Lord has come many times

Now when Jesus comes back he comes back just like the angel said There in Acts chapter 1 is going to come back bodily just as he left.

So he comes back Okay, and he's gonna set all things, right? But we have to see the fact that that God is involved in the world today

He's involved in the world today. Jesus Christ is reigning from the right hand of the Father We are assured many many many times and this doesn't mean that he is estranged from us and Not involved that like pilot he's washed his hands with water and he's done with the world for a long time

He's gonna ignore everything. No, he's active He's active. He's building his church and he's active in the world

And he still brings judgment Okay, Jesus is still ruling and reigning and he still brings judgment

There are moments and there's going to be a moment coming up There's a moment coming up for his disciples and for everybody in the known world a moment is about to come up in the life of his present audience of the generation to whom he's speaking the

Generation to whom Luke is writing this gospel a moment is coming up When Rome almost perishes with internal civil war and Jerusalem is destroyed in 80 70 the

Old Covenant passes away and there's chaos and and upon chaos and This is called a coming of the

Lord He said you're not going to go through you're not going to you're not going to be able to preach the gospel to the cities

Of Israel before the Son of Man comes and all these things will happen in this generation So he's saying

What? You've got to get ready You've got to be on point. There's going to be a sorting out of things

That's coming up and you need to be focused now that there are there is a servant.

There is a kind of servant who? Says oh, well

Whatever. I'm going to do what I want What what happened to the unfaithful servant of the kingdom?

right, and then and and ultimately as Jesus talks about heaven and hell and the sorting out as He's on the throne, that's what happens, but he also talks about remember the vineyard the tenants in the vineyard

What did they do? they killed the Sun and Cast him outside the vineyard.

What did the Jews do? They killed the Sun and cast him outside the walls of Jerusalem and Then what did the what did the owner of the kingdom do?

What are the owner of the vineyard do? He destroyed them and gave the kingdom to others who produced the fruit of it

Well when you read this text there is a steward who does the will of the master and then there is a steward who?

doesn't do the will of the master and one is blessed and given responsibilities to continue and then there are those who don't continue, but they are judged as unbelievers

Okay, so what Jesus is saying here has application to us But its primary intent was pointing at the generation in front of him

Okay, because something was going to come up. There was a sorting out coming up and they needed to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and not be obsessed with Padding their own lives like the

Pharisees Sadducees Herodians and so on that we're doing Application to us is simply this there's we live every generation lives through a sorting out period

Okay, every generation has a sorting out. There's no generation in the year of our

Lord in the years of our Lord Hey has been raining for you know almost 2 ,000 years now from the right hand of God Every generation has had their own sorting out of things

There have been crisis moments for every single generation There have been famines there have been wars there have there have been scarcity.

There has been great heresies There have been great falling out there have been all sorts of Diseases and plagues there's always been a sorting out in every generation and it clarifies.

Who's who we're living through one right now And it's sorting out who's who and he's bringing judgment 60 million

Babies dead. Yeah, he's bringing judgment. So yeah, the

Lord comes again and again. He sorts things out He purifies his church and he builds his church and to make application is simply this

That we would be about his business in his way Be about his will in his way and when the sorting out moments come

We will know that his his favor and his blessing his favor and his blessing. All right.

Well, that's Kind of a whirlwind through that Portion, but we're going to come back to some of these very same things in the next passage