Parable of the Pounds, #2 (Luke 19:11-27)

Introduction and Review of the Parable's Setting and Elements

0:01 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday evening, December 2nd, 2001, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:13 Now, as I indicated this morning, our study in the Word of God this evening, and God willing, next Lord's Day morning, will be an effort to apply the abiding message and the practical application of the passage we studied together in Luke chapter 19, so I would urge you to turn with me to that passage again and follow as I read verses 11 through 27.

0:45 And as they heard these things, he added and spoke a parable because he was nigh to Jerusalem and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear. He said, therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. And he called ten servants or slaves of his and gave them ten minor and said unto them, Trade till I come. But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, We will not that this man reign over us.

1:29 And it came to pass when he was come back again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these slaves unto whom he had given them, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. And the first came before him, saying, Lord, your pound or minor has made ten minor more. And he said unto him, Well done, you good servant, because you were found faithful in a very little. Have authority over ten cities.

2:03 And the second came, saying, Your minor, Lord, has made five minor, and he said unto him, Also, be you also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is your minor, which I kept laid up in a napkin, for I feared you, because you are an austere man. You take up that which you did not lay down, and you reap that which you did not sow. He said unto him, Out of your own mouth, will I judge you, you wicked slave?

2:42 You knew that I am an austere man, taking up that which I did not lay down, and reaping that which I did not sow. Then wherefore did you not give my money unto the bank? And I, at my coming, should have required it with interest. And he said unto them that stood by, Take away from him the minor, and give it unto him that has the ten, and they said unto him, Lord, he has ten minor.

3:15 I say unto you, that unto every one that has shall be given, but from him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. But these my enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slaughter them before me. Now let's again pray and ask God, bless our reflection upon this portion of his word.

3:46 Our Father, some of us have been made to think of some of your dear ones who in years past sat among us and sang the songs that we have just sung. And the memory of their godly lives lingers with us. And as we seek to picture them before the throne, praising you with perfected spirits, we do long, we do long, we do long, we do long, that we would join them. And we pray that while we are yet here, that we may, by your grace, have our lives shaped and molded by your holy word.

4:24 And that as we come again to this portion, that the Lord Jesus who spoke it would be present by the Spirit to bring it home into our own hearts and lives, that we may feel the pressure of its truth and be molded and shaped by its precepts. We look to you, we look to you for the help of your Holy Spirit upon preacher and listener alike. Oh God, hear our cry and meet with our needy and waiting hearts. Amen.

4:56 Well, as I indicated this morning, we've come to this passage in the course of our series of studies on the return of the Lord Jesus in the place of New Testament belief and experience. And I've been seeking to demonstrate from the scriptures that this is the place of the Lord Jesus. This truth, I'm reluctant to say this doctrine, the word sounds so cold and detached. This truth concerning our Lord Jesus and the reality of his coming is found throughout the scriptures as a truth which is to shape and mold and motivate the people of God as well as a truth which should constantly comfort them

5:41 and give them encouragement in their pilgrimage. And so we've come to this point, we've come now to look at a fourth area in which the doctrine of the Lord's return is to exert a powerful motivational pressure upon the people of God. Namely, it should motivate us to be faithful in the use of the gifts and privileges that have been given to us by Christ. And having looked at the passage in Matthew 25 where we see the Lord Jesus giving a parable that underscores the principle that unequal distribution of gifts joined to equal faithfulness in the use of those gifts

6:26 will bring equal commendation from the Lord. But in this parable, though there are many parallels, there is another aspect of truth that is emphasized and set before us and hopefully we will see that in our application tonight. All I had time to do this morning, was to highlight the historical setting which surrounded and precipitated this parable. The setting in which Jesus is heading to Jerusalem to die, to procure the redemption of His people.

7:02 And in that very setting, His disciples and any others of the Jews who were in their company at this time as He makes His way through Jericho, they, according to verse 11, supposed that, that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear. And so as we look at this parable, we must understand the pressure of that historical setting which both surrounds it and precipitated the parable itself. And then secondly, I sought to identify and explain the major elements in the parable. This nobleman who goes off to the imperial center of the empire in order to gain,

7:46 uh, official credentials to reign in the territory which he leaves. And then we looked at his slaves to whom he gave this deposit of money. And then his citizens who hated him, who did not want to submit to him. And how the Lord deals with both the slaves and the citizens upon his return.

Abiding Message 1: The Delay of Christ's Return

8:10 Now tonight, we begin to consider the abiding message and personal applications of the parable. And we will take up just two of them. And I trust in a way that will be helpful as we prepare to come to the Lord's table. What are the abiding lessons?

8:29 What are the personal applications that we ought to make of this portion of the Word of God? Well I suggest that the first is this. This parable informs us that there was to be a considerable amount of time between the first and the second coming of our Lord Jesus. It informs us that there was to be a considerable amount of time between the first and the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

9:03 Remember the setting. Jesus speaks this parable in the way that he speaks it because they suppose the kingdom of God was immediately to appear. And therefore when he begins the parable with these words, he said, therefore a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then to return. When our Lord has the master apportioning this mina to ten servants and saying to them, trade until I come.

9:43 The concept of the far country, opportunity and time to trade, bringing alongside of it the parallel in the previous parable in which the language of our Lord in that parallel parable was that the master distributes the talents, goes into another country, but in 2519 Jesus said, now after a long time, the Lord of the world, of the slaves comes. And so in this passage, bringing alongside the added testimony of the parallel but not identical passage,

10:27 our Lord was informing his disciples and any who had ears to hear that there would be a considerable amount of time between the first and the second coming. That receiving a kingdom, the activity that would go on, in the imperial headquarters, in terms of the logistics of having the right ones brought together, hearing the case for this man being officially designated as the lawful ruler of that area, all of those elements indicate that this was not a weekend trip. What he was going to do was not going to take just a day or two,

11:11 but a considerable length of time. And here we sit tonight, and already nearly 2,000 years have passed, and the master, the rightful king, has not yet come back.

11:28 Should we allow cynicism and doubt to take over our hearts and begin, if not outwardly, inwardly to say as Peter says, scoffers and mockers will say in the last times, where is the problem. the promise of his coming for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation where is this promise of his coming and we need to remind ourselves as peter reminds his readers don't forget this one thing if you forget everything

12:10 else in conjunction with the lord's return don't forget this that one day is with the lord is a thousand years and a thousand years as one day how many days has the master been in the far country receiving his kingdom two days not even a full weekend thousand years as one day in other words time as we reckon time does not in any way affect the promise of his coming we are not to think of it

12:51 in terms of our categories of time the master has left the minor with his servants he has left the talents with his servants he has gone off with the promise that he will return and even as we come to this table we come with biblically ordered thoughts and perspectives only if we bring near to the eye of faith the promise of his coming the concluding words of institution are these we'll hear them read again tonight first corinthians 11 26 as often as you eat this bread that is ordinary bread

13:35 set apart and designated as the symbol the representation of his body as often as you eat this bread as often as you eat this bread as often as you eat this bread as often as you eat this sacramental bread and drink this cup ordinary fruit of the vine placed in a little cup to be dispensed among us as oft as we eat this sacramental bread and drink this sacramental fruit of the vine we do so until the lord come so that coming to the table his promise that he would come we feed upon it we relish the delight of knowing that soon we shall gather not to this

14:19 table but we shall gather to the marriage supper of the lamb and though our lord intimates that a considerable length of time would unfold before the first and the second coming this element of time is not in any way to tarnish in the eyes of the soul the luster of the travelled the And so I say, the first abiding strand of the message of this parable is that it informs us

Abiding Message 2: Responsibility for Common Gospel Gifts

14:59 that there was to be a considerable amount of time between the first and the second coming of our Lord Jesus. And then secondly, this parable informs us that while the Lord Jesus delays his coming, we are responsible to be faithful in the exercise of the common gifts, graces, and privileges conveyed to us by the gospel. This parable informs us that while the Lord Jesus delays his coming, we are responsible to...

15:38 be faithful in the exercise of the common gifts, graces, and privileges conveyed by the gospel. Those of you who were here last week will remember, I trust, that we noted in the Matthew 25 parable of the talents, it is diversity and uncommon gifts and opportunities that are highlighted by the master giving to one slave five talents, to another three, and to another but one. And so our Lord there is emphasizing that in the dispensation of his sovereignty in

16:19 ordering the affairs of his church, he will sovereignly give an uneven distribution of gift and opportunity for usefulness in his kingdom. The one with five. The one with five trades with his five faithfully and is commended. The one who trades with his three trades faithfully and is commended.

16:43 The one who simply digs a hole in the ground and buries his one, he is unmasked as no true servant. He is unmasked for the hypocrite that he was. He is the wicked servant who is cast into outer darkness. But here in this parable, the ten slaves all receive an identical portion.

17:09 And surely that difference lies on the very surface of an initial reading of both of the parables in the former and uneven, unequal distribution of the talents, referring to the diversity of gifts and opportunities here, an even handed distribution of the minor among the ten. Each one receives one minor without being absolutely dogmatic to the point where I'd be willing to spill blood over it. This does strongly suggest to me, as I trust it does to you, and it obviously has to the

17:51 great majority of the responsible commentators that I've consulted in preparing for these expositions. I trust it does persuade you. That here there is a deliberate emphasis upon each slave receiving the same commodity. Each one receives one minor pointing to those common gifts, graces and privileges conveyed by the gospel.

Defining the 'Mina': Common Gifts, Graces, and Privileges

18:25 If someone becomes a true servant of Christ, are there things that he receives in the way of gifts, graces and privileges identical to that which any other Christian receives? And I believe the Bible is absolutely clear in answering that question. When we turn to the doctrinal passages in the New Testament, we can then begin to understand what makes up this minor of what are the hundred drachma worth, what is this minor in terms of doctrinal gospel.

19:02 What are the common gifts, graces and privileges conveyed by the gospel to everyone who receives it in faith? Well surely you would include such things as these. There is equal acceptance before God in the beloved. Paul can say in Ephesians 1 to a congregation made up of masters and slaves, mothers, fathers, children, Jews.

19:32 He can say of all of them, he has made us accepted in the beloved. The apostle Paul was no more accepted in the beloved than the humblest servant of Christ. This is a common commodity. This is a gift that comes with the believing embrace of Christ and his gospel.

19:57 There is equal justification of our persons in the court of heaven. Ephesians 8 verse 1 says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. And the most impressive gifted man or woman and the most limited unimpressive man or woman. There is no diversity in the justifying righteousness that is credited to them.

20:26 Equal acceptance in the beloved. Equal justification of our persons in the court of heaven. And equal status as adopted children. Galatians chapter 4 makes this abundantly clear.

20:40 John 1 verse 12, As many as received him, to them gave he the right to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name. In spite of all of the breadth and full spectrum of diversity, of giftedness and opportunity, when it comes to the common gifts and graces and privileges conveyed by the gospel, there is equal status. As adopted children, there is equal reception of the gift of the Spirit. Romans chapter 8, If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

21:13 Paul can say in Galatians 4, But you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Equal acceptance, equal justification, equal status as adopted children, equal reception of the gift of the Spirit, equal representation at the throne of grace. He is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them. He makes no more intercession for the holiest, most devout, energetic servant of Christ in the world, and the humblest, weakest, most needy of his struggling saints.

21:53 Hope in the resurrection, confidence in ultimate glorification. Need I go on, I'll let you complete the list throughout the week. What is the minor? The minor points to those gifts, graces, and privileges that are the common lot of all who embrace the gospel in penitent faith.

22:15 Further, in addition to the equal gifts and graces, equal privileges. I've already mentioned one. Equal, no, I haven't mentioned it. Christ is there on our behalf in that wonderful representation, but we have equal access to the throne of grace.

22:31 We have equal right in all the promises of God in Christ. We have an equal pledge of God's presence, I will never leave you nor forsake you. We have equal privileges to remember the Lord here at his table. And we could go on and on.

22:50 These are just specimens of what constitutes the minor. The money that is put into the hand of every servant. Those common gifts. Graces and privileges conveyed by the gospel.

Diligence in Trading with the Common Mina

23:04 Now, the issue in this parable is what the varying servants did with their common minor. One of them so engages his own mind and effort and talents and energies that from the one he's able to give to the master at his return, ten. Another takes his one. And he's able to give to the master at his return, ten.

23:32 And with less diligence, with less consistency, with less industry, or to use the in-term in athletics now, with less focus, everybody says, well, how do you think you're going to do in the game? Well, I've got to remain focused. That's the in-word. Focused.

23:48 Well, this guy didn't have quite the focus of the man who brought back ten. He was industrious. He had a measure of energy. He was not an evil, lazy, faithless, worthless servant.

24:01 But you see, the emphasis falls on the fact he was able to present more as the result of his diligence in the use of exactly that which the other had. They all had one minor. One comes before his master with ten. One comes before his master with five.

24:23 And what is the difference? The difference is not in the fundamental character. Both of those first two are good and faithful servants. One receives a larger reward than the other.

24:35 Why? Because from the human perspective, this one traded more effectively and energetically and consistently with discipline of mind and energy than the other. And our Lord is laying out that reality that we see continually before our eyes in the fellowship of the church. Just say, what about that third slave?

24:59 Remember what that slave did? He was a slave. What the Lord says to him? He says, take his minor and give it to him who has ten.

25:07 What's he doing? He's showing that this man really never had any true possession of gospel realities. In Luke 8, 18, Jesus says, take heed how you hear, to him that hath shall be given. From him that hath not shall be taken away that which he seems or appears to have.

25:28 Now you don't expect the theology of Romans 5 or 4. You don't say, well, this man was a true servant. He was justified and adopted and received the gift of the Spirit, and now he's lost. No.

25:43 Romans 8 makes it clear that once within the orbit of grace, we can never, never be taken out of it. From eternity to eternity, whom he foreknew, he ultimately justifies, sanctifies, glorifies every single one of them. But as with the parable of the sower and the soils, there are degrees of fruitfulness from the same seed. The seed falls on good ground.

26:13 That's the generic description. It brings forth fruit, some thirty, some sixty, some a hundredfold. One servant comes and brings ten from his one. Another brings five from his one.

26:27 What's the difference? The difference from the human perspective. What's the difference? The difference from the human perspective lies in the diligence, the enterprising determination to get maximum returns with common gifts and graces and privileges conveyed by the gospel.

26:47 It's not only illustrated in the parable of the sower. It's dealt with in the plainest terms in a passage such as Hebrews chapter 5. The writer to the Hebrews says, I have many things I want to tell you concerning our Lord Jesus as the fulfillment of the typology of Melchizedek, king and priest. But he said, I can't give them to you.

27:09 Why? For the time that you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again the very ABCs of the gospel. He says, you're bringing forth barely thirtyfold, but by now you ought to be hundredfold. That's what he's saying.

27:31 And as we sit here tonight, I want to tell you something. I want to tell you something. I want to tell you something. I want to tell you something.

27:32 Every night, every one of us who is truly in Christ, the responsibility lies heavily upon us so to trade with all of those things that we have in common that we shall be able to present to our Lord in the last day the largest returns for the investment that he's made in us, not only in terms of our distinct and peculiar gifts and opportunities, but not only in terms of our distinct and peculiar gifts and opportunities, but in addition to

28:16 having a heart sensitive to and passionately committed to bringing forth optimum fruit from our distinctive gifts and opportunities, we need to have an equal passion to bring forth maximum returns. In addition to having an equal passion to bring forth optimum returns, we need to have an equal passion to bring forth optimum returns. In addition to having an equal passion to bring forth optimum returns, we need to have an equal passion to bring forth optimum returns. Do you see that?

Self-Examination: Are You Trading Diligently?

28:41 Am I making sense? Now, are you ready? Are you ready to put the mirror in front of yourself? Let me ask you, is there anyone here who could stand up this evening and say, I have Scripture to prove that I have an additional warrant of access to the throne of grace above and beyond what any of my brothers and sisters know?

29:06 and sisters have i don't think there's anyone so foolish and ill-taught to claim that i could go right down the line with regard to acceptance justification our status as adopted children the gift of the spirit christ our representative at the throne of grace all of these things we have them in common why are some of you accumulating 10 some five and some alas nothing it's because some of you avail yourself of your privileges with greater diligence you don't pray

29:44 when it's convenient you don't allow the attraction of a certain program on a given evening to keep you up so late that you sleep in the next morning and you miss your time of communion with christ no you treat with holy jealousy the sacred times set apart for your god there's some of you you you you don't have that diligence and you see brothers and sisters around you trading with the same common stuff with which you trade and yet they're outstripping you in their returns not because they're god's pets but because they are more diligent and faithful and determined to have

30:27 optimum returns and you see it's what we're doing now that is going to come to light then we may fool one another and we may have people think of us well surely that man that woman that guy that gal they're going to be able to present ten minor it's not what others think we may present it's what we're able to present in the presence of him whose eyes are as a flame of fire and before whom all things are naked and laid bare it's one of the joyful but also grievous things in a lengthy pastoral ministry to see people you

31:07 and others you have to go back year after year with a magnifying glass to see if you can even find a blossom it's one of the joys but as well one of the griefs if john could say i have no greater joy than to hear you say i have no greater joy than to hear you say i have no greater joy that my children walk in truth what is a greater grief than to see your children stunted and not walking

31:50 and running but halting divided mind messed up priorities and the very influences that cause some to flourish and to use the monetary concept the same spiritual economy in which some are flourishing with double digit returns you're barely keeping up with inflation some of you why? it's because you're not giving yourself with all diligence to the priorities by which alone you will be able to bring forth tenfold

Occupy Till I Come: Remembering Christ and Diligent Service

32:32 struck me in reflecting upon these things this afternoon that the Lord Jesus who spoke this parable and he has the master say to his servants as he does in chapter 19 and in verse 13 he called his servants and gave them ten minor and said unto them trade till I come the NIV is more interpretive but it's a good interpretation put this money to work till I come as long as I'm in the far country the master says you as

33:16 a servant you are to be occupied in trading putting this money to work not until it brings a two three four fold return but put it to work for maximum return up to the point where I return the old authorized says occupy till I come well I've already referenced first Corinthians 11 26 but in bringing this meditation to a conclusion I want you to look at this text with me again as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you preach forth the Lord's death till he come this

34:01 is my body broken for you this do in remembrance of me this cup is the new covenant in my blood this do in remembrance of me and in that remembrance there is proclamation and that proclamation and that remembrance has a terminus until he come now bring the two till he come passages together occupy till I come trade with this money put this deposit of common gifts and graces and privileges that I've given to all of you as my people put that stuff to work until I come work in the light of the fact that

34:45 I shall come work in the light of the reality that when I come the measure of your work will be unfolded before the assembled universe labor until I come in the confidence that I'm not an austere man I'm a gracious master I've given things no servant could demand of me all of the gifts all that constitute the talents and the minor are gracious gifts therefore the true true servants the two true servants have sense enough to say Lord your minor has brought forth ten your minor has brought forth the five and so as we come to the table

35:29 we are to remember him show forth the truth that our only hope for life and salvation is in a crucified savior affirm afresh what we heard about in the Sunday school hour that we consciously repudiate any confidence in what we are and have done and what we ever hoped to be as the ground of our acceptance that our hearts are fastened upon the righteousness of God in Christ and received and retained by faith alone so that we bring the two together what is my task to remember him to show forth his death till he come just to go around

36:13 with my head in the sky meditating upon Christ crucified no we're to occupy we're to put our his money to work till he come well are we sold to work that we become time bound and creature bound and service bound no no your heart and your affections are there the eye of faith sees through the world of sense and time and with the patriarchs sees the city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God and the master will return to take us there to himself so as we occupy we occupy till he come anticipating his coming

36:56 but as we do we see our sin our failure and we know that if we were to stand before God based on our performance we would be in that third category of the wretched wicked slave cast off rejected all semblance of any gifts of grace withdrawn and so we must continually show forth and remember the Lord's death till he come remembrance of him till he come occupy till he come holding those till he come realities in equal grasp with the hands of the soul so as we come to the Lord's table tonight

Application at the Lord's Table: Renewed Determination

37:38 what do you have as your minor you have all of those things that Christ purchased for all of his people without distinction you have in Christ everything that God graciously confers upon any and every believer here at the table we remind ourselves of that the language of our soul is nothing in my hands I bring simply to thy cross I cling foul I to the fountain fly wash me savior or I die but what a better place as we contemplate all that has come to us

38:21 as God's gracious minor because of a crucified savior what better place to say oh Lord Jesus thank you for all those common gifts of your grace given to me in Christ oh Lord Jesus help me to shake off every vestige of laziness and spiritual sluggardliness and and mental indifference to growing and understanding more fully and obeying with greater alacrity what you have said in your word and the Lord Jesus himself will be pleased with us if he sees us at the table not only showing

39:06 forth his death till he come but coming to the table with renewed determination that we will put the money of the gifts of his grace to work until he come that we may glorify him and as we shall see God willing next Lord's day morning have fuller and more expansive usefulness and delight in the age to come as the reward of his grace for being good servants with the deposits of that grace let's pray our father

39:49 how we thank you for this portion of the scriptures and we pray that insofar as we have rightly represented your mind in it we pray that the Holy Spirit would write it upon our hearts that he would stir up our affections that he would prod us to greater diligence earnestness consistency in the use of those things so freely given to us in Christ continue with us as we seek in loving obedience to come to the table in remembrance of our Lord Jesus be present with us Lord Jesus for your name's sake we plead Amen