Sermon #89 Luke
Sermons
Title: God’s Servants—The Faithful and the Evil
Text: Luke 12:41-48
Subject: Characteristics of Faithful and Evil
Preachers
Date: Sunday Evening—
Tape # X-32b
Introduction:
The title of my message tonight is God’s
Servants—The Faithful
and the Evil. My text is Luke 12:41-48.
(Luke
12:41-48) "Then Peter said unto
him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? (42) And
the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord
shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat
in due season? (43) Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when
he cometh shall find so doing. (44) Of a truth I say unto you, that he
will make him ruler over all that he hath. (45) But and if that servant
say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the
menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; (46) The
lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and
at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint
him his portion with the unbelievers. (47) And that servant, which knew
his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his
will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (48) But he that knew not, and
did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men
have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
Poor Peter, he seems to always have his foot in his
mouth. But how many of us, like him, have heard a message, maybe a little
biting, and thought to ourselves, if we did not openly ask, “Was he talking to
me?” Peter just blurted it out. He said, “Lord, were you talking to us or to
everybody?” And the Lord Jesus seems to have just ignored the question. But he
really didn’t. He gave the same instruction again, in more detail.
In these verses our Savior again gives us a parable
in which he describes two servants, one faithful, the other evil. Notice that
both the faithful and the evil are the Lord’s servants. The fact is, all
things serve the gracious purposes of God toward his elect (Pro. 16:4;
21:1; Ps. 76:10).
(Proverbs
16:4) "The LORD hath made all things
for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil."
(Proverbs
21:1) "The king's heart is in
the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it
whithersoever he will."
(Psalms
76:10) "Surely the wrath of man
shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."
·
Satan is as much the servant of God, though unwillingly, as Gabriel is
willingly.
·
The fallen angels, the very demons of hell, are as fully the servants
of God, though they despise him, as are the angels of heaven who adore him.
·
Every human being is the servant of God, too.
Some of us rejoice in that fact. What a privilege is
ours, to serve the living God! Others despise the thought of God’s dominion;
but they are nonetheless under God’s dominion and serve his purposes (Rom.
(Ephesians
1:11) "In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"
However, the point I am making is this: Even those evil men who are false prophets
and messengers of Satan, deceiving the souls of men with their perverse
doctrine, are the servants of our God, sovereignly used by him to accomplish
his purpose (1 Cor. 11:19).
(1
Corinthians 11:19) "For there must
be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest
among you."
Proposition: This
parable is a word of instruction, inspiration, and warning to those men who
stand in the house of God as his servants.
Divisions: My message tonight will have just two parts.
I want to talk to you about God’s faithful servants first. Then, I will take
just a few minutes to talk to you about those who are here described as evil
servants.
I. In verses 42-44, our Lord gives us a
description of God’s faithful servants.
Without question, the instruction of the parable may
be applied to every believer in his particular calling in life. We who believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ gladly bow to his dominion as our Lord. We are his
servants. Our lives are spent in his service. Whatever your particular gifts
are, whatever your station in life may be, that is the place of your calling
and service in the
Those men who are gifted of God to be preachers and
teachers in his church, but are not called and gifted as pastors, are also his
servants; and ought to be highly regarded as such. God has gifted this
congregation with some men who are clearly gifted of God as preachers and
teachers of the Word. Lindsay, Ron, and Larry are all gifted to preach the
gospel of God’s grace. They are all gifted teachers in this assembly, though
none of them are called of God to be pastors. They are, therefore, to be heard
and treated with the respect that their gifts demand, as the servants of God.
But our text is talking about that specific group of men who are trusted with
the care of God’s household as pastors of local churches (v. 42).
(Luke
12:42) "And the Lord said, Who then
is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over
his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?"
What a great trust!
(2
Corinthians 4:7) "But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of us."
(Ephesians
3:7-8) "Whereof I was made a
minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the
effectual working of his power. (8) Unto me, who am less than the least
of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ;"
Perhaps you think, “The message tonight has no
bearing upon me. I am not a pastor, and never plan to be.” Do not be so foolish. You may never be a pastor; but you will, as
long as you are in this world, need the services of a faithful pastor. You will
be wise to know what to expect from God’s servant, how to pray for him, and how
best to assist him in the work God has put in his hands. And you need to know
how to recognize and distinguish between a faithful and an evil servant. So I
ask you to give me your careful attention, as I endeavor to explain to you the
things here taught by the Son of God.
In these verses, our Lord Jesus Christ describes his
faithful servant, a faithful gospel preacher, a faithful pastor by four things
in which he is distinguished from a self-serving false prophet. These four
things describe and are characteristic of God’s true servants in every age of
the church and in every place where gospel churches are found.
A. His Position—God’s servant is here
described as one “whom his Lord hath made
ruler over his household.”
The
(1
Corinthians 3:16-17) "Know ye not
that ye are the
(Ephesians
3:15) "Of whom the whole family in
heaven and earth is named,"
(1
Timothy 3:15) "But if I tarry long,
that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,
which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth."
In the family of God there
are some fathers, some young me, and some children. There are some who are
strong and some who are weak. There are some who are very independent and need
little attention, and some who need a good bit of attention. Each one has been
placed in his house and family exactly according to the Master will.
God ordained pastors have been placed by him as
rulers over his household.
They are not tyrants, dictators, or lords over God’s household, but rulers, placed
over the house to govern it as stewards under Christ.
·
Acts
·
1 Timothy 3:4-5
·
Hebrews 13:7, 17
Most preachers these days
are Junebug preachers. The church, the deacon board, the board of elders, or
the denomination has a string tied to his leg and controls everything he does,
like a little boy ties a string around a Junebug’s leg. Not God’s servants.
God’s servants serve his people, but they are not controlled by them.
Note: Where in the Word of God can you find a prophet,
or a preacher, who was ruled, governed, or even influenced by the will of the
people to whom he was sent to preach? The only preacher like that you can find
in this Book is a hireling prophet! God’s
servants are responsible under God to rule his house...
·
By His Word (2 Tim.
·
According to His Will.
A faithful steward rules his
Master’s house exactly according to his Master’s will. As he does, all in the
house are expected to honor and obey the steward in charge of the house. And
that household is most honorable and most happy that is well-governed, with
each member of the family knowing his place, working together with every other
member in love for the welfare of the whole family.
B. His Work—The pastor’s work is “to give them
their portion of meat in due season.”
How I wish I could make this
generation understand that it is the work, the calling, and the responsibility
of gospel preachers to feed the
·
Jeremiah 3:15
·
Acts
It is not the pastor’s work
to be a good socializer, an analyst, a therapist, a counselor, a priest, or a
community door knocker. God’s servants are preachers! They feed the house of
God by preaching the gospel, by opening the bead of life and dispensing it to
the family. If a pastor does that, he has to spend his time in his study, not
running the roads (2 Tim.
(2
Timothy 2:15) "Study to show
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth."
1. It is the work of
the pastor “to give,” not to take
(Ezek. 34:7-8).
(Ezekiel
34:7-8) "Therefore, ye shepherds,
hear the word of the LORD; (8) As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely
because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the
field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search
for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;"
2. That which is to be
given is “meat.”
It is not our business to
enact laws, but to give meat. It is not our business to regulate the lives of
men, but to feed their souls. And that with which God’s servants feed his
children is the sweet meat of the gospel, not the husks of intellectualism, the
mists of mysticism, the stones of useless doctrinal speculation, or the poison of
heresy. God’s servants come with the meat of saving grace in the knowledge of
Christ, declaring
·
Ruin by the Fall!
·
Redemption by the Blood!
·
Regeneration by the Holy Spirit!
3. We are to feed the
saints of God with “meat in due season.”
The Word of God must be
rightly divided; and each member of the family must be fed with the meat that
is suitable for him at the time.
·
Grace for the Guilty!
·
Pardon for the Fallen!
·
Redemption for the Ruined!
·
Righteousness for the Wicked!
·
Cleansing for the Defiled!
·
Reproof for the Wayward!
·
Comfort for the Troubled!
·
Strength for the Weak!
·
Christ for All!
C. His Character—Our
Lord describes his servants as men with these two traits of character: “faithful and wise.
1. God’s servants are
faithful men (1 Cor. 4:2).
(1
Corinthians 4:1-2) "Let a man so
account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of
God. (2) Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found
faithful."
God’s servants are stewards
of the mysteries of God, of the manifold
grace of God,
and of the
unsearchable riches of Christ (1 Cor. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:10; Eph.
3:8).
·
Stewards of the Mysteries of God
·
Stewards of the Manifold Grace of God
·
Sent to Preach the Unsearchable Riches of God’s Grace in Christ
“They are faithful to the
trust reposed in them... They preach the pure gospel of Christ, and the whole
of it; conceal no part, nor keep anything of it; seek not to please men, but
God; neither seek their own things, their ease, honor, and profit, but the
glory of God, the honor of Christ, and the good of souls; and abide y the
truths, cause, and interest of the Redeemer at all costs.”
(John
Gill)
“A faithful minister of
Jesus Christ is one that sincerely designs his Master’s honor, not his own;
delivers the whole counsel of God, not his own fancies and conceits; follows
Christ’s institutions and adheres to them; regards the meanest, reproves the
greatest, and doth not respect persons.”
(Matthew
Henry)
2. As they are
faithful, God’s servants are wise.
They are neither faithful
nor wise by nature; but God has made them both faithful and wise by grace and
by his gifts upon them, making them fit and able ministers of the gospel. They
are well-instructed in the things of God, given a clear understanding in the
doctrines of the gospel, and wisely exercise their talents and gifts for the
glory of God.
They seek constantly to
improve their knowledge, make the best use of their time, and manage their
lives to best serve Christ and his people. God graciously gives his servants
wisdom to guide and direct his people and to care for them, like a father
guides and cares for his family.
3. Notice this too: The
faithful and wise pastor is a man who is doing what God called him to do
(v. 43).
(Luke
12:43) "Blessed is that
servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing."
God’s servant always has
something to do. And he is always found doing what he has been sent and called
of God to do. He is not found dreaming, or loitering, or talking, but doing his
Master’s will and work, feeding his sheep.
Illustration: John Calvin, “What,
do you want the Lord to find when he comes?”—“I want him to find me not idle
when he comes?”
·
This implies that God’s servant is constant in his labor.
·
It also implies that he perseveres in the work God has put into his
hands.
D. His Reward (v. 44).
(Luke
12:43-44) "Blessed is that
servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. (44) Of a
truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath."
The Scriptures nowhere
teach, or even imply that there shall be degrees of reward in heaven. That is
contrary to everything taught in the gospel (Rom.
1. Those who are
faithful over a few things shall be made Lord over many things (Luke
19:17). Frequently, God honors faithful service by giving greater service to
perform.
2. God’s servants
shall find immensely great reward in seeing those for whom they have labored
around the throne of Christ in glory (1 Thess. 2:19).
3. And God’s faithful
and wise servants shall themselves inherit all things with Christ in glory
(John 17:5, 22).—“He will make him lord over all that he hath.”
II.
In verses 45-48, our Lord describes those men who are evil servants in the house of
God.
(Luke
12:45-48) "But and if that servant
say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the
menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; (46) The
lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and
at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint
him his portion with the unbelievers. (47) And that servant, which knew
his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his
will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (48) But he that knew not, and
did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men
have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
Here again, our Lord gives
us four things which are descriptive of that man who is a false prophet, an
evil servant in the house of God. I will not say much about him. But you will
see immediately what such a man is.
A. His Character—Unbelief (v. 45) “My lord delayeth his coming.”
B. His Conduct -(v. 45)
(Luke
12:45) "But and if that servant say
in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the
menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;"
·
He is Judgmental.
·
He is Legalistic.
·
He is Self-serving.
C. His Astonishment (v. 46)
(Luke
12:46) "The lord of that servant
will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he
is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with
the unbelievers."
D. His Doom (v.46-48)
(Luke
12:46-48) "The lord of that servant
will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he
is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with
the unbelievers. (47) And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and
prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten
with many stripes. (48) But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed
much, of him they will ask the more."
Application:
(1
Thessalonians 5:12-13) "And we
beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in
the Lord, and admonish you; (13) And to esteem them very highly in love
for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves."
(2
Thessalonians 3:1) "Finally,
brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course,
and be glorified, even as it is with you:"
(Isaiah
52:7-8) "How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (8) Thy watchmen shall lift up the
voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye,
when the LORD shall bring again Zion."
(Isaiah 62:6-7) "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O
Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that
make mention of the LORD, keep not silence. (7) And give him no rest,
till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth."
(Isaiah
56:10-11) "His watchmen are
blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot
bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (11) Yea, they are greedy
dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot
understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his
quarter."