The Farmer And The Servant - [Luke 17:7-10]

Father, thank you for this beautiful morning for the grace and love that you pour out on us each and every day Lord as we even consider life and what a blessing it is. We thank you even in for every breath that you provide for us Lord, we know that you sustain all life Through your care and through your grace father.

Would you be here this morning as we study your word as we? Look What you and what you've said about Faithfulness and about service and about ministry father. Would you bless our time in Christ's name?

Amen? Well, we've been Spending our summer in the parables. I thought we might do so again this morning. I haven't really decided if I'm going to start a new series next week or do another parable, but This morning we're gonna look at the parable of the farmer and the servants.

When I was looking at Different parables and considering this is Labor Day weekend. I thought this is perfect a Little work on Labor Day weekend. What you ever think about that? Why is it on Labor Day?

We take a holiday. I Don't really. I'm not really sure I understand that but as we know with parables There's usually a given setting a situation that sort of sets up the parable and there's a main point and that is made with real-life situations used to illustrate a given particular spiritual truth.

Context Is Vital for Understanding the Parable

Let's go ahead and go to the quiz and we'll Take our time and sort of walk through this text. Number one true or false when studying a parable. One needs to focus on the situation not on the context. False.

I miss. Last last week was Casey who chimed right in and told us why that was false. That's the same reason here because part of it is False and therefore all of it is false and which part of it is false the part about studying a parable.

No. The part about one needs to focus on the situation. No, sorry. It's the third part not on the context. You always want to say the context. How can you know what the situation is if you don't you know throw in a little contradiction?

They're trying to throw people off. So sometimes it works. False context is always vital. In fact, what are the three primary points of hermeneutics? Context. Context. Context hermeneutics being how we Understand what the scripture is saying.

We always need to understand the context. By the way, we're in Luke chapter 17 verses 7 to 10 in case you don't have a copy of the quiz. By the way, how are we doing so far who has a 95 or above average?

I'm just kidding. We we don't grade the quizzes you keep score at home and we count on you to turn in your own grades. No, that's All right context is always vital. Let's look at the context. Luke chapter 17.

We're gonna look at verses 1 2 first and we're just gonna kind of set up this parable Luke 17 verses 1 2 and he said to his disciples Temptations to sin are sure to come. But woe to the one through whom they come.

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea. Then that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. What are just a couple things that we can pick up from that those two verses?

Okay, there are gonna be stumbling blocks. Yes. It's a pretty serious thing to malign the gospel. It's a pretty serious thing to cause a young Christian to fall. Well, what do what can we see about. I Mean we can't categorize all sin this way, but what can we see about some sin at least?

What's its source. Satan. Satan in these two verses situations. Situations in these two verses. What's the source of sin that's talked about here? They who are people Temptations to sin are sure to come which is true and those temptations are going to come through.

People that's what he's talking about here. It's not saying every sin. It's going to or temptation is going to come through people necessarily. But here it is by people and he says it would be better.

I mean imagine a millstone is Something that's finely honed and very small and you tie it around your neck, but it's oh. What's a millstone used for it holds a ship in place? Like a gigantic anchor. So what Jesus is saying is listen.

If it is better for you to tie an anchor Around your neck and throw yourself into Lake and drown. Does that sound like a good way to go? It wouldn't be one of my top three. Says it's better for you to die like that than it is to cause someone else to stumble into sin.

Forgive the Brother Who Repents

Okay moving on in the context versus three to five. Pay attention to yourselves if your brother sins rebuke him and if you repents forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times of the day and turns to you seven times saying I repent.

You must forgive him. The Apostle said to the Lord Increase our faith. Listen what a kiss to marker says he says just as it is wrong for disciples to entice others into sin. So also it would be wrong for them not to be forgiving when others sin against them.

They should reprove the offender and if he repents they should be quick to forgive him. What does Jesus say in Matthew 18 if your brother sins? Confront him. Go to him. Talk to him in private if he repents you have won your brother and if he doesn't.

Give up bring someone with you bring one or two witnesses with you. And then if he doesn't repent then you take it to the church. But it's also interesting here. He talks about If someone sins against you seven times a day.

He also talked about that with Peter. Does he is there a limit. Is it seven times? Is it seven times 70. Ultimately the answer is no. If someone genuinely repents you forgive them over and over and over again.

Pam. Mm-hmm okay. Pam brings up the point that the NAS says in Matthew 18 that if he listens to you. It's interesting too that it doesn't just say if he hears you you know if he listens to you which would imply what?

Listening to what you're saying considering it and then Taking action on it. I mean in other words if someone's in sin, and you go and confront them and they say. That is intriguing. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

That's not repentance. You know well I listened to him, and that's not the point of the of the matter. So what we see here in the context is we're to steer clear of causing other people to Stumble and on the other hand we need to be ready to forgive those who sin against us.

So what are the disciples say? Increase our faith. This is tough. We have to avoid causing other people to sin and when they sin against us We need to forgive and forgive and forgive and forgive. There's like We're just a group of guys.

What do you want us to do? Increase our faith give us more faith so we could be more like you so that we could do the right thing. Look at verse 6 and the Lord said if you had faith like a grain of mustard seed you could say to the mulberry tree.

Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you. What's he what's Jesus saying there you want increased faith? Start talking as if you had increased faith, and then you will have increased faith talk command mulberry trees to go into the water and Believe it firmly and they will.

Is that what he's saying? What is he saying you're saying to me disciples that if you? Are to do these things you need increased faith, and I say to you If you had any kind of faith you would realize that what God causes or what God commands you to do.

You can do faith is not. The faith we're talking about here is not the belief in yourself. It is a belief in God working through you so he says look if you guys just believed in God. And asked for his help in these things you could actually do them.

And if I had faith the size of a mustard seed I wouldn't have put my pages out of order in here really out of order like backwards or something okay, so Kissed a mocker notes. He says based on what Jesus has just challenged them to do.

He's basically said listen if you guys had any kind of faith at all you could do what God commands you to do. But with what sort of spirit will they do it that is the question that Jesus addresses in this parable.

We all have things that we need to do in life. How do we approach them? How do we do them? Let's look at the parable. Will any of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field?

Come at once and recline at table. Will he would not rather say to him. Prepare supper for me and dress properly and serve me while I eat and drink and afterward you will eat and drink. Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?

So you also when you have done all that you were commanded say we are unworthy servants. We have only done. What was our duty? So I get question number two on the quiz. Number two true or false. Christians are humbled to a fault.

It's a tough one. Knowing your own humility you probably struggled with it. I don't know anyone. I have a little phrase you know and sir insert needle reduce psi which just means that our sense of self.

You know our head size, it's over inflated. We need to reduce the psi the pressure. There's just too much. You know we've got too much air in here. Think tires are supposed to be inflated to 32 psi and we're running around at 55.

If we lived in light of the gospel truth in light of what we deserve. We would be overjoyed all the time. If we lived in light of what we know we would be overjoyed all the time. You say well. How is that when people say I mean there are two purposes when I say?

You say how are you doing, and I say much better than I deserve. There are two purposes. One is that's true. The second one is what? Fixes my eyes, and I need to remind myself of that truth. You know in light of what I deserve.

I'm doing great. Number three the primary focus of this parable is a Faithful service obligates the one to whom it is rendered B. I just like the way that one sounds B. Faithful service is its own reward C.

Faithful service is what is expected of faithful servants or D? Faithful service is needed to run a farm. How many of you say D. Well it is true. Yeah, that's not the primary focus of the parable though, so.

And by the way, you know what I learned is If you put a lowercase C, and you put parentheses around each side of it. You know what word does I? Learned this while I was typing this up. It turns it into the little copyright thing which I thought was pretty cool.

C is the correct choice. I Gave it away all right. So faithful service is what is expected of faithful servants, and he points that out. Look at verse 10, and we're gonna backtrack a little bit, but look at verse 10 our Duty, what is our duty at the very end of the parable do all the things that we were commanded?

This is a call this parable is ultimately a command to full obedience. It's a call to full obedience to all the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. Number four we're gonna keep Going on the text, but I have to get through the quiz because each one of these quiz questions is Valuable in and of itself.

Number four true or false. Jesus was definitely a supporter of labor unions. There's nothing in here about labor unions. That's a silly question whoever wrote that should stop writing true or false questions.

Number five true or false generally speaking a laborer needs to stick up for his or her rights. Well, if your rights are violated go to the shop steward immediately. A. Or point a yeah, that's false. Jesus asked a question of a situation that would be quite normal for that time period.

Look at verse 7. Will any of you as a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field? Come at once and recline a table. Now it's very likely that some of his disciples did have.

Servants did have people that were in their employ because that was very common. And if not, they'd certainly understand the idea anyway. This kind of servant is or was typically a male slave. This is the exact Definition a male slave as an entity in a socio-economic context that really helps doesn't it the concept?

Though was really more of what we would call An employee today, but had a lot more obligations to it. In fact, I think the closest thing I could liken it to is today. It's become more and more common for people to work to have a contract where they could work anywhere from you know, 30 hours a week to 70 hours a week and they get the same amount of money.

I mean, that's kind of this sort of Situation here, it's an employee, but he works at the whim of the employer. There were strict lines of Propriety. What was okay? What was not? Okay. I mean these were when it says Sokio Sokio socio-economic Context it meant that not only was there an employee employer relationship, but there was a Master servant there was you know, these these guys were like two different classes.

It wasn't like after work they went out and you know went to the movies together or something like that. I don't think Cecil B. DeMille was even making movies back then. But anyway, I digress they they weren't.

They weren't expected to be social friends. There was a very strict kind of delineation between the classes and. So when he says here in verse 7 come at once and recline at table. Here's a picture the picture is the servants been out working the field.

Feeding the sheep doing what servants did and now he comes into the house and the master says hey You've worked hard today. Take a load off. Why don't you just go sit down at the table and I'll go bring you some food.

Jesus says would you expect that and of course, they all know what the answer that is. The answer is no, it's not how it worked. It's like he's saying what's wrong with this picture. You have a servant.

He's been out all day working hard. He comes in you say, you know, take it easy. I'll go serve you. Let me ask you this. What kind of servants in that context would expect his master to serve him? And I think it goes back to the PSI thing.

It's one who has an Overinflated head somebody who thinks too much of themselves. Somebody who forgets their place as Christians that ever happen to us. Do we ever feel like God is obligated to us? Do we ever ask ourselves questions like why is God allowing this to happen to me?

You ever heard anybody say that ever said it yourself. How about this one? Why can't I have? Why can't I do. It's a question of not having a right view of God and a right view of ourselves. In fact the right situation the correct situation the right understanding of the situation is in verse 8.

Will he not rather say to him? In other words the master to the servant. Prepare supper for me and dress properly and serve me while I eat and drink and afterward you will eat and drink. A Master would make demands of his servant.

That's the way things should be as Jesus presents it here. Instead of serving the servants. He would expect his servant to serve him. That's why he's a servant. Servants serve. The servant would be expected to make it doesn't matter that he was out there all day long.

Dusty and dirty and sweating and working on behalf of the master. He comes back into the house. The master says hey. You're a mess go clean up put on some nice clothes and then feed me dinner. What then does the master owe the slave who has performed his assigned tasks?

What does he owe him? Look at verse 9. Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? In other words he came back in master said okay now clean up change of clothes. Make me dinner bring it to me.

And then the servant says, you know, hey, hey pal. What about the tip? Have a little. Thanks a little gratitude if you please. I Love what the King James says here. I mean there the reason the reason some of your Texts might be a little bit different at the end is because the the newer text the Byzantine text answers the question.

The other one just kind of leaves it the Alexandrian text leaves it Unanswered. But the King James says I trial not. What is it? I don't even know what trial is. TROW, you know, I put it in there and the spellcheck goes crazy.

You know, it's like just about crash the program. I trial not. But anyway, it's basically I think not. You know. This is a rhetorical question. In other words, it's just the questions just left there hanging.

Why because the answer was obvious? It's absurd to think that the master would somehow be Obligated now to the servant to say hey, thanks great job. You know who would have thought that you could work out all day in the Sun and sweat on my behalf and then come in and Serve me dinner.

That's what was expected. Yeah, and that's true. And that could be the point here or that could be the issue here. But in Many instances people became Basically voluntary slaves just just as a means of Making a living because they had no other way of doing it.

And so they would just go look I will basically indenture myself to you if you will provide for me. So that could be the case. Let's talk a little bit about Attitude even when it comes to the work environment.

Imagine your boss Standing at the time clock in the morning. Presuming you have one of those kind of jobs and you clock in he says good job. Great job punching the clock. Good job way to go way to start the day off.

At the end of the day he's standing there again he goes hey, I noticed you only took the required breaks. You did everything that you were supposed to do all day and now you're clocking out. Whoa. Awesome we're laughing because we know that's absurd.

If the boss is waiting at the time clock, it's not gonna be a good job. It's gonna be like hey, hey pal I need to talk to you. Does your attitude at work? Impact anything? Let me answer that question myself.

Yes. When I when I got my first evaluation and patrol after I got off training and They've they you know. They always pull you into the sergeant's office and give you the evaluation. And I looked at it and I I pretty much knew what to expect when I got in there.

You know because they never give you your first evaluation is always going to be competent straight across the board because they don't want to set any kind of Situation up where all of a sudden they're having to justify marking you down or anything like that.

So there's competent and then there's very good and then there's outstanding. And so I get this competent evaluation and You know at the end of it It says it is the consensus of deputy Cooley supervisors that he does just enough to get by.

I Got to tell you I almost choked. And I did what I would do frequently. When I got frustrated I went and I took that evaluation and I put it in my locker. Because I thought I don't want to say anything right now I'm just gonna put up my locker come back to it in a day or two so I did.

And I went back to the sergeant Sergeant Bard not Brad Bard Smith, and I said sergeant Smith I have a problem with this because I just don't think this is right. He goes well. I'll tell you what he says.

This is back in the early days of computers, so I was pretty amazed. You know I mean computers took up entire rooms the size. He said I'll go through and I'll look at all the statistics, and I'll prove to you that this is sure that's okay.

So we come back in a couple days later. And he's got this print out and he goes. Here are all the guys and gals who work basically the same schedule as you and he goes if you look down the list at all.

The statistical things whether it's arrests or tickets or whatever. Says you're gonna find that you're number one in every category. Except for parking tickets where you're number two. I said sergeant not helping me, and he goes well.

I'll take that part out you know. Not I'm gonna Re-evaluate the whole thing and move you up. It's just I'll take that out. Why was that well looking back on it now I Can see where I did some things that weren't too pleasing to people like I remember one sergeant.

My supervisors one sergeant took we used to have to do these paper logs to show what we had done during our shift and He wrote you know that I'd done something wrong. On this continuation is complicated, but anyway He said that I did something wrong, and I knew that I hadn't done anything wrong because I knew the the manual.

So I photocopied the manual page put it back in his box and told him nope. Sorry you're wrong, bro, and I Don't know somehow. He didn't like that. I don't know the problem. I had Again, I was on say the problem.

I had was I knew that I was smarter than my bosses, and I took really no Small effort to kind of let them know that so they were reminded pretty constantly of that. Just small little things like that your attitude makes a lot of difference even in the secular World so my question for you this morning is how much more when we are serving the Lord.

Do we serve grudgingly is our attitude are we worried more about what? People will think or How we're inconveniencing ourselves, or are we thinking about? We are in the kingdom of God, and we need to act like it.

Listen what a kiss to marker says. He says in the kingdom of God the realm in which God's sovereignty is gladly recognized. Matters are entirely different than in the secular world. God's children aim to do his will but they do it with gladness of heart in the spirit of love and gratitude.

It's not I can't believe I have to get up on Sunday morning and go to church. I Can't believe I have to make a meal for so-and-so. I can't believe I you know my husband volunteered me for that. I can't believe my wife said we would go do this.

I can't believe I can't believe. I can't believe. Wrong attitude this servant in this parable did what he was supposed to do, but it's quite possible the spirit of Slave had taken possession of him not in the sense that he was possessed Demonically, but in the sense that he was grudgingly doing what he had to do.

Doing what we are told to do. Doing nothing more and then expecting to hear great things is not how we should view our role. Look at verse 10. So you also he's talking to the disciples now his inner circle.

You also when you have done all that you were commanded say. We are unworthy servants. We have only done. What was our duty? Jesus is simply saying this at the end of the day. We should all have the attitude of ourselves that we are God's unworthy servants his unworthy slaves and whatever good we do.

Not only is it to his glory and by his grace that we've done it, but it's only our duty. We've only done what we should have done. And If a servant if a human servant should not expect to be waited on by his human master.

Or wait to hear great work for doing work that he was assigned to do how much more should those who serve the Living God? Think to themselves we are unworthy and have only done what we should have. Now the disciples lived in a climate were merits demerits.

All those kind of things were always being argued about and bannied about. I mean think about it. They argued what? What are the disciples argue among themselves on multiple occasions? Who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

I've done so much more than you do. No, not a chance. I mean these kind of little childish things. I mean there really are kid like Jesus in order to set the example. What did he do to show them what a servant is.

Wash their feet. Leon Moore said this whenever we complete a task. We cannot claim that we have done more than we should. Unworthy is a difficult word there in verse 10. But it seems to mean not yielding gain.

We've not produced a profit is what he's saying our best servant our best service does not bring gain to God. Does not give us a claim on him. At best we have done. What was our duty. And in the same spirit a rabbi wrote this.

He says if thou hast wrought much if you've done much in the law if you've obeyed it. Claim not merit for thyself. For to this end thou were created. What are we supposed to do? We're supposed to obey God.

So why would we think that somehow that is meritorious? We were saved unto good works, right? Which God prepared? Beforehand for us to walk in them, but we don't rack up Brownie points. We don't rack up over time.

We don't rack up anything. Anybody who is doing things with the idea that somehow God should appear whether in a cloud or otherwise. Interrupt the space-time continuum and say hey great work. Keep going is the same person who expects their boss to meet him on Tuesday morning by the time clock.

Punching in and saying hey nice job punching in didn't know you could do that. Question for you. Will God reward good works? Will God reward good works. Brian. Yes. So therefore we had to do them and then await our reward.

God will reward good works, but under what circumstances. Your heart is right motivations, right? Anything else in Christ, okay, so in faith or. Done in faith and with the right motives. Let's look at number six on the true or false quiz.

One of the interesting aspects of this parable is the division of the spiritual life from our careers. I'm just. I don't know who wrote these questions, but they're terrible false. Number seven it is likely the farm and the parable is quite large.

Somebody says true. Let's think this through for a minute. It's quite large. Let's just say for the sake of argument. How many servants are we told about in here? We're told about one, right? And he works all day in the field and then or you know Tending the sheep or whatever he's doing then he comes back in and there's no house servant.

There's nobody to take care of the meal inside. Sounds like there's only one. This sounds like a pretty small place. So from all appearances, I mean we can't say for certain but it seems like it's a small farm.

Number eight true or false. The farmer is the Lord Jesus. I hear a lot of truths. That's false. That's absolutely false. It could be true if this is an allegory, but it's not. Jesus never says I am the farmer and in fact what he does at the end is he changes the situation.

Right seven eight and nine or this situation on the farm and then in verse 10 He says so you also when you've done all that you've committed say we are unworthy servants. Number nine. True or false. If you are really faithful, you can earn merit with God.

True false. Who wants to argue the true side? Who wants to argue the false side? Okay, go ahead very. Cannot earn merit towards justification because everything we do is tainted by sin. Okay. Okay. Now who wants to argue the true side?

Whoever it is say 10 our father. Oh, sorry Dr. Dr. Roscoe one of my professors says this we are never exalted in ourselves. Worthy in the sense of merit in other words exalted or worthy in the sense of merit putting God in our debt for our service.

However, sacrificially great is only our service. However, sacrificially great is only what we ought to do no matter how great a job we think we've done and Sometimes don't. I mean come on in your heart of hearts.

You can just say yes, I do sometimes don't you just think I Really did a good job there. I think it's okay to sometimes think you know, that was really neat. I really like how that worked out that went really well.

That's not the point. Yeah, the point isn't you should never feel that way. The point is you should never feel that way and go. Hey God. That that's just not right at all. That wouldn't be the right way to go.

Kiss Mocker and his book on parables said this God Does not employ his servants in order to reward them for their services. No servant can ever say God is indebted to me. Same idea. God you really owe me now.

You know the typical cliffhanger scenario. It's not even God if you get me out of this, I'll do X Y Z. It's like God don't you remember when I did such and such and such and such you really need to get me out of this situation.

No. No number ten. True or false. The slavish not slavish by the way in case you're thinking of some kind of ethnic deal the slavish Slavish spirit gets no promotion in business life or in the kingdom of God.

Give you a moment to ponder. Question and then require or request merit for your correct answer. True or false the slavish spirit never or gains no promotion in business life or in the kingdom of God.

Yeah, Pam said It's a matter of if you if you view yourself as a slave as put upon. Now the slavish spirit gains no promotion in business life or in the kingdom of God. That is true. It's a quote from a T. Robertson.

I really like it. What he's saying is whether you are in The secular world doing your job or Doing spiritual service and the question is, you know, is there ever anything that's non-spiritual. Your work is also spiritual by the way.

Wherever you are if you have this attitude that you know I'm just gonna I just want to get this done. You know punch in punch out. Yeah, I'm gonna take all my breaks. Yada. Yada. Yada I'm gonna do whatever I have to do to get by.

That's the wrong attitude and by the way, even like in my situation If your attitude is such that it covers up The work that you do that's not good either. Pam right the example of Philemon and Anisim is I can't even say it this morning.

It doesn't really matter. Point is slave owner. Slave as brothers in Christ had a completely different relationship than they would have had apart from that very true and Ultimately what we're talking about here is the idea that nothing should be done grudgingly, nothing should be done with this idea of being put upon and really it transcends just what we think of as spiritual things and I wish we could get that notion out of our head that there's somehow a bifurcation a division between Secular and sacred when it comes to work and other things everything that we do I mean is God going to evaluate, you know talk about tough evaluations.

Is God going to evaluate what we do? Spiritually and what we do in the secular world. Does he evaluate our work and our spiritual life. Yes. Yes for Lessons here from the parable from dr. Roscoe. He says first of all, you can never do more for God than all the details of His will for your life covers.

In other words God's planned everything out for your life. So don't think that you've somehow exceeded what his plan was for you. Secondly, everything has its proper place. First duty and duty done rightly.

Then later delight in the reward, you know, is it we talked about earlier? Are we going to be rewarded for the things that we do in faith? In the will of the Lord. Yes but I think it is a dangerous thing to somehow think that we deserve that reward and You know, I I think this way basically I don't and I don't know.

I mean, I don't know if I've ever done anything so faithfully. So well that I'm ever gonna get any kind of reward. I Know I'm in and I'm not gonna then sit around and wait and go. Okay, when's the award ceremony?

It's just a Just wrong thinking. I think we'll be so taken up by the presence of Christ that other things will fade a truly thankful spirit as. In the leper episode that follows this Ross cup notes is a tonic that sweetens and enlivens us for long.

Demanding days of service. What he's saying here is if you serve someone and then they come back and thank you for that, how does that how does that help? Jesus heals ten lepers and what happens. One returns right it says hey, thanks.

What about those other nine people. I mean, you know Jesus could go those in grades. I'm gonna give him something worse than leprosy. They think they've seen problems. Finally, he notes Ross cup notes great and sturdy faith.

Comes out in long faithful service in a willing gracious spirit. Such faith also prevents many a grievous hurtful attitude and you know, I Don't want to make this about a man, but when I think about dr. Ross cup, of course.

You've never met the man. I don't know how old he is now 80. And I I just think I have never known a more Christ like man Than dr. Jim Roscoe who so gracious always. Whether you met him in the hallway.

Whether you were going to a class whether you were trying to explain why your paper was late and he was refusing you. He was always gracious. Cared for his wife who was sick for many many years. Driving long hours, but I think the most amazing thing about dr. Roscoe.

Was that if you asked him to pray for a given situation? He not only prayed for it, but He prayed for it. He kept praying for it kept praying for it. Remember once telling him about a situation and didn't then see him on campus for a while and he asked me and it must have been months and.

So I ran into him in the elevator and he said hey Steve whatever happened. I Was like, oh, I didn't tell you because I knew he'd been praying for it. So Christlike so Servant minded our attitude drawn from this parallel or parable needs to be what?