Greater Works Shall you do Sermon

Luke 19:11-27 Sermon Text

“Be faithful with the deposit”

mpt-God has made us stewards.  Whether we are faithful stewards or unfaithful stewards there are consequences for both.

Read 11-12 for an intro

*1* What does the minas represent?

• God has given each of His servants something more valuable than money, he has given us His spirit
  • Ephesians 1:13-14 – inheritance

• Read vs 13

**2** What is the business that we are to engage in with Holy Spirit God has given us?

• The works of Jesus
  • john 14:12
  • Ephesians 2:8-10
• Internal works and external works 
• Internal works-personal holiness & sanctification
  • 2 Timothy 2:19-22
• External works-Christlike things we do in the kingdom for His glory
  • Mark 12:30-31 Loving our neighbor (sums it up)
    • Simply put, if you were in the shoes of those in your sphere, how would you want to be loved and treated
    • Secondly, if Jesus was here, what would He do for them, that is what He has called us to do
    • Does your neighbor need a friend, does your neighbor need salvation, does your neighbor need grace, does your neighbor need God’s wisdom, does your neighbor need spiritual tough love, does your neighbor need healing, does your neighbor need to be invited to the party, is your neighbor broken like the recipient of the good samaritan’s care, these are the Christlike things we do in the kingdom for His glory
  • What does this business powered by the spirit look like?
  • 1 corinthians 12:12-19- We are a massive Jesus made up of millions of people filling the body of Christ and doing His work on the earth!
    • (18) God has uniquely designed and prepared you for good works in your own lane!
      • Example of vbs, we worked as one body, doing the work of evangelizing and discipling children, but some were in the kitchen, some taught, some watched the door, so on and so forth
    • We do the works of Jesus and the works of the kingdom with in the unique contexts of life that the Lord has placed us:

***3***We will give an account to God about our internal and external works that were powered by the Spirit

16-19  Here is the criteria…God is looking for faithfulness in our stewardship!  

• Faithful stewardship will be rewarded, but unfaithfulness will be punished
  • Read 20-24
    • We must ask ourselves, was this person really God’s servant?
      • He talked negatively about the master
      • He didn’t show any effort to follow His commands and be fruitful
        • That servant is like the branch in John 15:1-2, 8
      • If he was not truly His servant, if we are not truly His servants vs 27 is for us.
• 2 Corinthians 13:5
  • Let us examine ourselves in this matter
  • What are my internal works like?  
    • Am I living in sin, am I indulging in sin, do I seek to grow in my sanctification or am I living unto myself, do i love the lord with all my heart soul mind and strength, do I seek out holiness in the scriptures to apply to my life?  Would my spouse or family member or close friend describe me as pursuing holiness and piety?
    • These are just tools to help us examine ourselves, here’s a clue, if you feel conviction and desire to improve and understand your sinfulness and unrighteousness, you are likely on the right track!
      • We never will check all the boxes, but we will always say yes!
  • What are my external works like?
    • Do I care for my neighbor? Does my care ever turn into a verb?  Would those in my context describe my life as demonstrating the good samaritan or those who crossed the road, is my christianity centered mainly on myself or also unto others, does the work of the church have a high priority in my life? Would jesus describe my life as “conducting faithful business with His mina”
• Read vs 25-26
  • This is a hard saying, everyone who has, more will be given, from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away
  • This doctrine of rewarding faithful stewardship and punishing unfaithful stewardship is found throughout the gospels
• Mark 4:23-25 what you use is what will be given to you 
• matthew 24:45-51 (master of house promoted to greater responsibility or put in with the hypocrites)
• Luke 16:10 faithful with little faithful with much
• Who was faithful and given more and unfaithful taken away?
  • Ruth 2:11-12, 4:13-17
  • Saul 1 Samuel 15:10-28

Matthew 25:30 (parable of talents)

Luke 16:10 faithful with little faithful with much

1 corinthians 4:2 stewards are to be faithful