Sermon for Lord's Day November 6, 2022 Luke 19:11-27

Luke’s Setup for the Parable of the Nobleman

Praise the Lord.

Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Luke chapter 19. We'll be beginning in verse 11, right where we left off last week. Our Lord, our God, our great King, we come before your throne this morning just to give you praise, honor, and glory for the simple reason that you and you alone are worthy.

Lord, had you done nothing good or kind for us, you still deserve our praise. And we give you that today. But we give you praise more specifically this morning for your goodness, for your mercy, for your grace, for your kindness, for your longsuffering, for your patience toward us who deserve death and hell.

You chose to set your love on us. And for that, we give you praise, honor, and glory specifically today. Thank you for this time that we have to go to your word. My prayer is, Lord, today that you would help me as I preach.

God, my mind is a blur. My body is tired. But the spirit of God in me causes me to go on. I pray that you would be magnified in the preaching and teaching of your word. I pray that the hearts and the minds of the saints of God today would grow in grace and in the knowledge and the truth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And that, Lord, for the lost that may hear this, wherever they may be, here or out in the world somewhere that hears this down the road, that they would without a doubt hear the gospel message today proclaimed, and that they would be saved by your grace and by your glory.

For it's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Amen.

Stand with us, if you would, to honor the reading of God's word. Luke chapter 19. And we're going to be reading verse 11 through verse 27 in your hearing today. Hear now the words of the living God. As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, 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 mina 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. 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.

The first came before him, saying, Lord, your mina has made ten mina 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 mina. 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 are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit and you reap what you did not sow. And 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 do not deposit and reaping what I do 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 mina.

And they said to him, Lord, he has ten mina. 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.

Thus far as the reading of God's holy word, you may be seated this morning. If you are taking notes and want to put a title, a header at the top of your notes, you can put this. The nobleman, his servants, and the citizens of his country, and their responsibilities and accountability.

This is what we see in this section of the scripture. We see the nobleman mentioned, we see his servants mentioned, we see the citizens of his country mentioned, and we hear the responsibilities that was given to the servants, and we see the accountability that the citizens of that country had.

And so as briefly as we can this morning, as we go through this text, just by way of introduction, I want to say that what we see demonstrated in the text of scripture thus far, as we mentioned last week, there are multiple truths that we find.

In the text of scripture, throughout any text of scripture that we look at, we see the faithfulness of God. That God is faithful. We see the glory of God demonstrated in the fact that all of the prophecies concerning the Jewish Messiah were fulfilled to the jot and to the tittle.

Now you may have noticed that I said specifically the Jewish Messiah. I said this intentionally to accentuate the point that although the Jewish nation was considered God's chosen people, yet both then and today, many deny that he is the Messiah.

So what's the point? It is to show that although many Jewish people deny the Messiah, yet the truth still remains that Jesus perfectly fulfilled all that the prophets had spoken concerning him. We see this perfectly fulfilled in the text of scripture and throughout time.

Throughout the entirety of the Old Testament, we see types and we see shadows of our Savior. And in the New Testament, we see these types and these shadows become reality. All that we see in the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ in our catechism.

How were men saved before Christ came? By looking for the Savior to come. How were men saved after Christ came? By looking to the Savior that came. That is it. All that the prophets had spoken were accomplished concerning our Redeemer.

Now what many Christians fail to understand is that Israel as a people were very much a type in the shadow of the people of God throughout the ages. For the Bible tells us plainly that the gospel of Jesus Christ is what?

It is the power of God unto salvation. Chronologically to the Jew first and also to the Greek or to the Gentile. So what Jesus did, Jesus told his disciples leading up to where we are now three times.

He told them three times that he would suffer and that he would die and that on the third day he would arise and yet they still could not see. It is much like one of those times. Have you ever had a family member or a friend that you have a particular issue that you talk with them about and you talk with them about it a hundred times?

And it is like they never seem to grasp hold of what you are saying. And then all of a sudden one day they get it. And they come to you and they start explaining to you what the scripture says and you are like I have told you this a hundred times.

So Jesus had told the disciples leading up to this three times specifically about his death burial and about his resurrection. All three passion prophecies are given only to the twelve disciples. All three times Jesus said the same thing.

He will be killed, he predicted his death burial and his resurrection. Jesus' focus on the goal of Jerusalem and his passion and his particular passionate suffering, death, burial and resurrection was a fulfillment of the prophecy from Isaiah.

When Isaiah states the Lord helps me. Therefore I am not disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like a flint and I know that I will not be ashamed. This is Christ.

This is what Christ has done.

He set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. And the great accuracy with which Jesus foretold of his passion is yet another clear evidence of his deity. And that is why, and this is why brothers and sisters, why we gather together on the Lord's day.

This is why we pray. This is why we sing. This is why we hear God's word taught and preached. We gather with the expectation that being obedient to the Bible that Christ himself will be magnified. That Christ will be exalted and that his body, the church, would be edified and would be encouraged.

It is our prayer weekly church. It is our prayer weekly for you. That you who are here, that you would go away from this place saying today we have heard the words of the living and the true God. So that in your daily walk with Christ, as the burdens, the trials and the temptations of this life come.

As you are buffeted both physically, mentally and emotionally. That you have a rock on which you can stand. And that is the true and the living word of God. So concerning the words of Luke here. Last week we left off in verse 10 but today let's actually jump back to that one verse.

For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost. So concerning that statement of Christ. When Jesus makes that statement. Jesus says plainly the son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.

The theologian John Gill puts it very succinctly. He says this concerning the fact that he came to Zacharias personally. He says that though he comes not in person to others where they are. Yet by his word and by his spirit he comes to them before they come to him.

If you are saved by the grace of God. If you have been born again by the spirit of God. It is not because you sought out Christ but it is because Christ has sought you. Christ was not the one in country terms who was lost.

I was lost.

I was dead in my sin. I was unable to move toward the living God. But God in his grace and God in his mercy gave life to the dead man. He gave hearing to the deaf. He gave sight to the blind. Gill goes on to say this.

He found them. He comes to them. He is found of them and he finds them who sought him not. He is made manifest to them who ask not for him. And in this, Gill said, he acts the part of the good shepherd that leads the ninety and nine in the wilderness and goes after that which is lost till he finds it.

And agreeably to his character as savior and to the end of his coming into the world which was this. To call sinners to repentance and to seek and to save that which was lost. So that is verse 10. Here in verse 11 as we pick up in the text, the scripture says as they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable to them because, notice again what the text says, because he was near to Jerusalem and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

The Jewish people were looking for an immediate physical and a political kingdom. This is what they were looking for. They were looking for an immediate physical and a political kingdom contrary to all that the scripture had previously said.

So much like what they were accustomed to seeing with the Romans. Let's not forget as well just likely a few days before this, if you go back in chapter 17 study throughout the week, remember the Pharisees came to Jesus and the Pharisees said, when will the kingdom of God come?

And what was Jesus' response? The kingdom of God does not come with observation. It's not like the kingdoms of this world, but the kingdom of God Jesus told them is in your midst. The king came, incarnate Jesus Christ, born of the virgin.

The king of the kingdom was there before them at that very moment. The kingdom that they were looking for was not the kingdom that had come. So let's keep in mind again, as Luke told us previously, how Jesus steadfastly set his face toward Jerusalem.

Again, we see the faithfulness of God, how Jesus steadfastly set his face toward Jerusalem. And now just in verse 1 through 10, when we read about him entering into Jericho and finding Zacchaeus, calling Zacchaeus down off and out of that tree, calling Zacchaeus to obey him, telling him that he was going to come to his house.

Here we see 700 feet below sea level in Jericho. Jesus makes his way out and begins his ascent. He begins his royal ascent to that city that stones the prophets of old. He makes his way to that for which he came into the world.

And that was to seek and to save the lost. We're talking about the Christ, not a Christ, not a little Christ. We are talking about the Christ, the virgin born, the Savior, the one who Isaiah prophesied of, who said, in him there is no form or comeliness in him.

This is the Jesus that we are proclaiming. And it is this Jesus who enters in upon this ascent, the final march to the cross from to which he will shortly give his life. For what? As a ransom for the sins of many.

Isaac Watts, in 1707, penned the words to one of the great old hymns that we sing. Alas, and did my Savior bleed and did my sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I? Oh, was it for crimes that I had done that he groaned upon that tree?

Amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree. And he went on, he said, well, might the sun in darkness hide and shut his glories in? When Christ, the mighty maker, died for man, the creature's sin.

Thus, I might hide my blushing face while his dear cross appears, dissolve my heart in thankfulness and melt my eyes to tears. But he said this, but drops of grief can ne 'er repay that debt of love that I owe.

Here, Lord, I give myself away. It is all that I can do. I'm glad today that it may be 2022, but whether it's 2022, 1902, 1802, 1702, when you were just a little girl, Miss Lincoln, back in the 1700s, that it's still the gospel of Jesus Christ that can save men and women today.

People are no different now than they were then. We are sinners standing in need of salvation. So moving forward, though Jesus is going to the cross, he's going to that cross. Why? To atone for the sins of his elect.

He is also be certain of this. He is also going to come in judgment and damnation for those who hate him and for those who would love their sin more than they love the Savior. Verse 12 states this. He said, therefore, a nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.

The Nobleman’s Kingdom, Christ’s Ascension, and the Father’s House

Oh, my goodness, there is so much in this text. Looking forward to his ascension, Jesus points his listeners here in verse 12 to a parable, to the parable. He points them to the nobleman who went into a far country for what?

To receive his kingdom. Now, there are some who would say that this is a reference to Jesus in his coming to earth. But I think it's a more accurate interpretation here if we understand what as the scripture says, that it speaks of Jesus returning to heaven after he has come to earth.

Now I say that for this reason. Who is this nobleman being referred to? We can rightly assert that it is Jesus. The nobleman has gone to receive a kingdom. Now, stay with me here. Stay with me for we know that after Jesus' death, after his burial and after his resurrection, that according to Matthew's gospel in the 28th chapter, what does Jesus say?

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on the earth. Where did Jesus go when he died? And when he arose and then he ascended back, he went to be at the right hand, according to the scripture itself, to be at the right hand of the throne of God, where he ever lives and where he ever makes intercession for us.

This nobleman is King Jesus. He is, not was, not shall be, he is and ever has been the King of heaven and earth. He is the King of heaven and he is the King of earth, here and now and forevermore. Again, one of the old hymns in 1851 was penned.

Crown him with many crowns, this lamb upon his throne. Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns, all music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee and hail him as thy matchless king, win through all eternity.

Crown him the Lord of life, for he has triumphed o 'er the grave and he rose victorious over the strife. Why or who for? For those he came to save. His glories now we sing, who died and who rose on high, who died eternal life to bring and lives, and he lives that death may die.

Jesus Christ is King. So you see, dear brothers and sisters today, this far country that is being spoken of parabolically here, it says the nobleman went into a far country, spoken of parabolically, but as God's people, we can rightly understand and interpret this, that we have a city, according to the scripture, which has foundations in which we look, amen?

Whose builder and whose maker is the Lord God Almighty. Again, where did Jesus go with his ascension? Ascended to the right hand of the Father where he ever lives and he ever makes intercession for us.

Now it's likely you have heard it said that heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. I would say true on that. What did Jesus say to his disciples in John 14? He said, beloved, do not let your hearts be troubled.

You believe in God, believe also in me. For in my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. But Jesus goes on and says, behold, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am there,.

You may be also.

Confidence, our assurance, our peace does not lie in peace coming to this globe on which we live. Our hope, our assurance, our peace, our looking forward to is that city that has foundations, whose builder and whose maker is God.

The Puritan, Thomas Case, says it well. In his book, Correction and Instruction, Thomas Case said this. Afflictions make heaven appear as heaven indeed. To the weary, it is rest. To the banished, it is home.

To the scorn and the reproach, it is glory. To the captive, it is liberty. To the soldier, it is conquest. And to the conqueror, it is the crown of life, of righteousness and of glory. To the hungry, heaven is the hidden manna.

To the thirsty, it is the fountain of life. To the grieved, it is the fullness of joy. And to the mourner, it is pleasures forevermore. Case went close and he said this. In a word, to them that have lain upon the dunghill and kept their integrity, it is a throne on which they shall sit and reign with Christ forever and ever.

This nobleman traveled into this far country, the Scripture says. Now, in the latter portion of the verse, notice this, that Jesus does not, does not, capital N, capital O, capital T, Jesus does not leave out the fact that he is coming again.

The nobleman went to the far country and the nobleman was certainly going to return again. So, what follows next in verse 13, let's notice. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten menna and he said to them, engage in business till I come.

Now, if you'd had a camera on Kenny and I this morning before anybody got here, we were back, he was going over his lesson, I was going over the Greek word there that's used for doing business and we pressed the little sound button and it enunciated the Greek so, you know, we don't have to worry about trying to sound too hillbilly when we say Greek words.

I'm not even going to try to pronounce the Greek word. Kenny, would you like to?

Okay.

But the Greek term that's used here is used just only one time in the Greek New Testament. When he says engage in business, that phrase there, that's used one time in the Greek New Testament and again, this isn't the same parable that Matthew communicates.

Matthew's communication of the servant giving the talents is a whole different time that Jesus is speaking. But notice what Jesus said here. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten menna and he said to them, engage in business till I come.

In other words, don't sit on what I give you. Now, again, let's go to the text. Let's let the Scripture interpret the Scripture. I'm not going to try to explain in my own idea, in my own thought process what these gifts are.

All I know is this, that the Scripture tells us plainly, the inspired text of Scripture tells us plainly that God gave gifts to his church. In 1 Corinthians 12, verses 4 -7, the Apostle Paul in writing to the church at Corinth says this,.

There are varieties of gifts, but it is the same Spirit. There are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit to what end? For the common good. And then, in 1 Corinthians 14, in verse 12, again, hear the words of God. Paul states this,. So with yourselves, since you are eager for the manifestation of the Spirit, strive to excel in the building up of the church.

Why has God given gifts to his church that his church might be built up? So that his people might be edified, edified how and in whom? Edified through the Word of God in Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 14, again, more along the lines of these gifts that he has given.

Paul writes to the Romans in Romans 14, 5 -12,.

And he says this,.

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.

The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us live to himself, and none of us dies to himself.

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. And it is for this end, Paul said, that Christ died and that he lives again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

So then, each one of us will give an account to God. So we see there just a short section, a few passages of Scripture, many more that you could look at throughout this text of Scripture concerning the gifts that God gave there.

But notice, he not only gave them gifts, but he expected them to do something with those gifts. I mentioned a minute ago, right? He doesn't save you just so that you can sit on your hands. He didn't save me just so that I could sit on my hands.

He saved me, and when he saved me, when he saved you, he gave you a testimony, a testimony to communicate and to share.

The blind man.

My goodness, some will say, that blind man had a way better testimony than I got. I was just a mean kid. Oh no, it's the same thing. You're the same kind of sinner that that blind man was. You're the same kind of sinner that that demon-possessed man was.

You're the same kind of sinner who suffered death,.

And Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave.

We are the same. Sinful, wretched, poor, naked, blind, and miserable, but God in his mercy, God in his grace, God in his great love,.

Sent forth his son into the world, born of a woman, born under the law,.

Perfectly fulfilled God's law,.

Suffered, bled, died on the cross,.

Buried, raised again on the third day, so that we can have eternal life. So, our responsibilities, what are they? Notice, he comes and he calls them to an account, right? He comes, although before that he doesn't negate to mention that the citizens of this country, who are the citizens of this country?

The citizens of this country, again in this parable, can be rightly interpreted and explained to be the Pharisees, the scribes, the people of Israel, who thought they knew what was going on,.

But they missed it.

They could not see it. And the scripture, by the way, does also tell us in the gospels that the very people, the very Jewish people, who were supposed to love and worship God, were given the ultimatum.

Do you want us to give you Barabbas, or to give you Christ? And they said, give us Barabbas. The question was asked, what will you do with this, what shall we do with this Jesus,.

Who is called Christ?

And they cried out, crucify him, crucify him. And they said, his blood be upon us. They hated him. They did not want him to reign over them. And so, when he returned, he came and began to take account.

He ordered these servants, who had been given the money to be called to him, the one with the ten, he said, you'll be blessed with ten cities. The one with the five, he said, you'll have five cities. And then that one came to him and said, sir, I was just afraid of you, so I just buried what you gave me.

Here it is. Well, he could have done something with it. Church, there is something that you can do. You say, Sarah, you may say,.

I'm just a little seven-year-old girl.

My friends, there's plenty that you can do for the Lord. There is plenty that you can do for the Lord. Miss Lincoln, you're 348 years old. There's much that you can do for the Lord. Kenny, he's been winged with his shoulder surgery, but Kenny, there's much you can do for the Lord.

Bill, you're retired now, but guess what? There's more now that you can do for the Lord. You got more time. There's much that you can do. But that is not for me to tell you what that is. I can tell you what I think you should do.

So we see this giving of an account, and then down in verse 25 or 26, we hear this stern, somber, serious word of judgment. For Jesus said, I tell you that everyone to whom has more will be given, but from this one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

You say, that's not fair. Take that up with the Lord. But as for these enemies of mine, Jesus said in this parable, as for these enemies of mine, Jesus was not trying to sugarcoat the issue. He was not trying to beat around the bush.

He was not trying to tiptoe around the tulips. He was not trying to make it palatable. He simply and directly called these people his enemies. And my friends, if you are outside the saving grace of God, you are at enmity with God.

You and God are not homeboys. You're not buddies.

You're not pals. You're not friends. The only way that we can be made right in the sight of God is by and through what Jesus Christ himself alone did and believing and trusting in that and that alone for our justification.

So he said, as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me. Stay with us if you would this morning.