Experience TRUTH - #12

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Call 866-WINASIA or to see chickens and other animals to donate, go to CritterCampaign.org. This is Darren Kuhn with the Masculine Journey podcast, where we search the ancient paths to find ways that God brings light into a dark world and helps set men free from the struggles that we all face on a day-to-day basis. Your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it. Share it. But most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network.

I'm Stu Epperson. This is Experience Truth. With me is Robbie Dilmore, who's back for another week with me as we're journeying through Luke 19, verses 11-27. Robbie, read this parable, my friend.

So fun. The Parable of the Ten Minas. When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that they might know what he had, that he may know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him saying, Lord, your mina has made ten minas, more. And he said to him, Well done, good servant, because you've been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities. And the second came saying, Lord, your mina has made five minas.

And he said to him, And you are to be over five cities. Then another came saying, Lord, here is your mina, which I 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. 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 did not deposit and reaping what I did 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 ten minas. And they said to him, Lord, he has ten minas.

I tell you that to everyone who has more, 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. Some heavy words there from this parable in Luke. We're journeying through Luke here on Experience Truth. Robbie Dilmore just read the passage. Robbie, I want you to ask this question again, because we do have some more insight from the perspective of the Master Himself and the King Himself about this servant, but read that question again as we delve into this.

Yeah, it's a question we all kind of ask ourselves, right? What was wrong with the servant hiding his mina or mina and playing it safe? How was his view of the Master misguided?

Obviously, I think we're sympathetic with him because we're all like him in our life, if we're honest, if we're really transparent. But when you look at what the Master said to this man, you have three of these stewards reporting back. This is different from the parable of the stewards, by the way, because each person is giving the same dispensation here of minas, whereas in the parable of the stewards in Matthew's account, everyone's given a different amount, there's a different end, it's more of a stewardship thing.

This is more of a general life stewardship of what are you doing with what God has given you, and how are you occupying until He returns. So, the Master comes back and these guys give a count. The first guy puts his two and gets ten, the second guy receives the words, Well done, good servant, because you were faithful and very little, you'll have authority over ten cities. The second one gives his two invest and gets five, and he's greeted with a very similar response.

The third one says, I feared you, you're an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit and you reap what you did not sow. He basically gives an excuse to say why he kept it in a handkerchief. He gives it right back exactly what the Master gave him, he gives right back to the Master. Now, here's what the Master said to him, Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.

Pretty strong words. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank? That at my coming you might have collected it with interest. I mean, for Pete's sake, there's a two percent yield CD you could have put this in. Knowing that I am, at least I would understand you're a low risk dude, but at least you're going to put it in the bank instead of just hiding it in a handkerchief. Which was very common in that culture, you take it, you hide it under a rock, you hide it like we do with cash or gold today, currency, that we don't deposit in a more traditional bank, savings and loan, credit union, so on and so forth. So, he said to him, to those who stood by, take the meaner from him.

Take it away from him and give it to the guy that's got 10. So, very interesting how he was misguided. There's a frivolity in this guy that's exposed. There's a fakeness and is exposed by the master. It's not clear whether this guy is an unbeliever or a believer that got sideways, that kind of made it as by fire like 1 Corinthians 3.15 talks about. But I don't think that's our place to speculate.

God knows. But the point is, there's a lot of rebuke in scripture over people like 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians. These people were sitting on the roof waiting for Christ to come back. They were doing nothing with what God invested in. He said, if you don't work, you don't eat, for Pete's sake. Get to work.

Occupy till I come. He was the message of Paul to 1 Thessalonians church, the church of Thessalonica. So this idea of investing, MacArthur says about this verse in 1 Corinthians 3.15, which talks about the believer who's carnal and barely is saved by fire. He says, the believer who has little or no fruit is like the one who runs through the fire and doesn't get burned, but he carries the strong smell of smoke. So there is an idea of a fruitless believer, or a believer that God's going to chastise you and take you home.

In the case of this guy, that's not exactly what happened. But more is given about him, but the application is huge about the priorities of what you risk. And it says right here, it says, they said to him, Master, he has 10 minas already, why are you giving it to him? And Jesus says, for I say to you that to everyone who has will be given, but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. When I hear that, I think about on Kingdom Pursuits every week, we hear how people have taken this passion that God's given them and use it to build a kingdom, so he puts it on their heart to write a book. That's a pretty risky thing, or you put it on their heart to do a radio show, or to go to Africa to be a missionary. He gave them this passion, he gave them this, but in order to go do that takes a phenomenal amount of risk. But that's where the fruit comes in, and we live that out based on the things that he has entrusted to us.

And then you've got to go figure out how to invest it, which is part of the adventure. You've got to lean into him and the beauty of trusting him, which clearly this guy didn't trust him. And therein lies the lack of faith that is the real issue here. And we know what happened to his enemies. Earlier it talked about they hated him, they didn't want to rule over him. It says in verse 27, Bring me those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them and slay them before me. So there is a certain execution, there is a certain judgment upon folks that don't want his reign and his rule. He will come back. He's on his way in this passage toward the end of his earthly ministry, Luke 19, to the cross, to the passion, to be subjugated and subject to some horrible torture and mocking and pain and excruciating pain and separation from his father so we could be saved. He's on his way to that, but when he returns a second time, he's alive from the dead, he ascended to heaven, he's coming back to rule and to reign, and there will be great bloodshed on those that don't receive him. So he's saying, look, there's a lot at stake here.

The life and death, the souls of men are at stake, so go and occupy. So this question brings us right here to this question here, Robbie, which is, we wrap this up. Why don't we risk more in our Christian lives? Which, again, when you think about this guy, the reason he was wicked, which is really a great question, why would you call that guy wicked? Because he has his thought on himself. He's concerned with how this is going to work out for me.

He's not concerned on how it's going to work out for the kingdom. And so this is the deal. If you don't believe God is going to be with you in the risk, you won't step out in faith.

And there you go. And the risk is found in investing ahead, giving ahead. It's all about the kingdom. It's not about building my kingdom here on earth. It's about conveying living in his rule and reign in my heart and spreading his love and grace on this earth. One pastor observed, quote, the pay is really good in heaven.

I like that. It's important that we'll lay all of our crowns at his feet. It's all of his grace. John Newton wrote, "'Twas grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home." And on this journey of grace, the question is, God has deposited the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in us. The Holy Spirit of God has sealed us till the day of redemption, Ephesians 1. How am I letting this infectious grace flow out of me, through me, into the world that desperately needs a Savior in a world that will be judged, that will be cut down, that will be bloodied, that will suffer the judgment?

Because if your sins weren't paid for on the cross, you will be bloodied and paying for your sins for eternity. That should cause us to go share Christ in love with every unbeliever we know. So, Robbie, we wrap up here.

Ask these final questions to get us home. So how am I maximizing all that he entrusted with me? What risk are you taking for the Kingdom of God in light of the King's return?

So, boy, that's a great question, and that's really something we want people to pray about and think about. What has God given you? And that's what I love about your programs, Robbie. Everything we do, all of our affiliates that carry this program, we're trying to challenge people.

Take what God's given you. If it's bouncing a ball, if it's writing a book, if it's making music, if it's tutoring a kid that needs some help, investing everything you have into others for the glory of God. And it's fun. You talk to any of those people on my show, and you can see when they stepped out in risk and walked with God, he took them on an adventure they had no idea they were going to go on, and they're having a blast.

So if you will have faith, walk out in what you feel he's calling you to do, and tell them, oh my goodness, he will come through. And not only do you get the 10, but you get 10 more. You know what I'm saying?

It way multiplies, but you get the other guy's 10. We see a glimpse of the fruit on earth, but in heaven we'll see a whole lot more. Here's a few questions that I want to just ask everyone out there as you're thinking about this. What's your spiritual gift?

Do you even know? Do you know the spiritual gifts of the people in your family? Everyone, as they say, they're a Christian.

Well, here's a good way to find out where they are. What's your spiritual gift? There's hundreds of ways to find out.

There's a cool test you can take. How are you using your gift to invest in eternity? How are you using your money to invest in his kingdom? It's really his money anyway, so quit being so selfish with it. Next guy that says, I need a good donation for my mission strip, give him money.

Okay, who are we? Quit being parsimonious. Share the goodness through money. How are you using the money God's given you to give to others, to your church, to missionaries, to the kingdom, to Christian radio that you're listening to on here? What's the greatest risk you've ever taken for Jesus? What are you risking right now for the kingdom of God to expand? Who are you discipling right now and investing your life in to multiply the gospel? How are you going, sending, giving to gospel work here and abroad? Remember, it's the power of the gospel in us that by faith enables us to pour our lives out for him. We don't know how much time we have until death or until the king returns in glory. Amen? Amen. Please share about this program with others and be a part of bringing others to the good news, the message of the gospel, that a loving God sent his only son Jesus to die for a wretched sinner like me to bring us to him. And now we have the chance to work in his harvest, to be on his team, to share others, to recruit others to this great, awesome kingdom that's coming, that is here. And we thank you for partnering with us, everyone out there, and for listening to Experience Truth.