The Business of the Kingdom

Luke 19:11-27

 

            Max Gualke once wrote, “The Kingdom of God exists first and always to articulate the true nature of God and his righteous rule among men…The entire object of God’s Kingdom and rule is to save men from sin.”  This is the type of kingdom that took the world by storm when Jesus Christ entered the scene.  He came with the full power of heaven and the spiritual resources to fundamentally change the fallen race of mankind, and his intent was nothing less than transformation of hearts, lives and the culture of the people who would bear his name.  This purpose is what Jesus taught when he told this parable in the 19^th chapter of Luke. 

            Jesus Christ came to replace the hard hearts of man with a new heart; a heart that is sensitive to the work of the Spirit whom Jesus sent to write the law of God’s Kingdom on our hearts.  Consider the prophecy of Ezekiel, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26).”  In his book, The Message of Holiness, Derek Tidball writes, “When a country is taken over by a new power, wholesale changes often follow: cities are renamed, signs are redone, customs are reconsidered, and sometimes even the language is replaced.  So it is with the Holy Spirit.  He works both to secure a new position for believers and a new practice in their lives as well.” 

            Jesus taught his disciples of a master who went into a far country to receive a kingdom.  While he was gone he left his servants with a sizable amount of money and the command, “Engage in business until I come.”  But what kind of business was Jesus talking about, and what does this instruction mean for those of us who serve him today?  In our lives, what does it mean to engage in Kingdom business?

 

            The business to which Jesus called his people was a commerce that would change the world they were invading – not by revolutionary force – but by the spiritual investment made by their master.  He did not simply send empty-handed servants into this foreign land, but invested in the work he sent them to do.  Despite the defeatist attitude taken by many in the church today, God prepares His people to succeed in their endeavors for the Kingdom.

            The investment made in our lives by God is eternal in nature.  It will have effects that last far beyond our own lifetimes.  Events that took place long before I was alive have affected my own spiritual life.  In 1914 a young man named Blair Radaker was saved during a revival service in Middle Run, Pennsylvania.  Blair was my great-grandfather.  He felt God’s call to begin preaching as a teenager and the influence of that ministry was felt for generations to come.  I preach the word of God for the fourth generation because of the investment God made in the life of that teenage boy a hundred years ago.  Blair accepted the invitation God gave him to do the business of the Kingdom and lives continue to be affected because of that investment so many years ago.  Henry Blackaby explained this call, “God’s call is His invitation to invest in eternity by making our lives available to God when He calls and letting God work His eternal purposes through our lives, for God’s glory!”  The lives of many who have come before will affect countless generations through all eternity.  The investments made in Moses and the prophets, the Apostle Paul and the disciples have paid great dividends in the Kingdom of God.

            The investment God has made in these lives – and continues to make in our lives – is not something that limits the success of His work in our lives.  Like the master in the parable of Jesus, God has given us more than we need to do His work.  “A mina is the equivalent of about one hundred days’ wages…Because of exorbitant interest rates in the Greco-Roman world and because only a few had significant capital, those doing business could quickly multiply their investments (Keener).”  The amount of money given to the servants was more than enough to have an immediate impact on the local economy of a poor kingdom.  This is the type of investment God has made in each of us.

            The only thing that limits the work of God in our lives is you and me.  When we doubt His goodness and His power we will never see the fullness of God’s investment of power in us.  The Spirit sent by Christ inhabits our hearts and instills within us the full authority of our King and creates the image of that King in our character.  His blessings bring with them the strength to influence the world that is being invaded by Heaven’s Kingdom.  None of the servants were given minas for their own pleasure, but for the work of God.  Likewise, we are given the blessings of God so that His influence can be felt through each of us by a world that has largely forgotten Him.  Investment was not optional for the servants in the parable, and it is not optional for the servants of God today. 

 

            When you give your money to an accountant for investment what do you expect?  Most of us would not give it to them for safe keeping.  We don’t even put money in the bank for that reason, but we always shop around for the place that will give us the highest interest rate.  We make every effort to expand our investment portfolio and broaden the influence of our money.  We buy shares of businesses so that the money will be taken and used to expand the scope of the business.  Then we will gain from the profit of that expansion.  The investment of God is not that much different.

            The investments of God are given for a specific purpose.  During the time of the Roman Empire it was a common practice for someone of influence to go to the emperor to ask for permission to rule a province or kingdom.   The servants in this parable were sent ahead to influence the people of that place and testify to the people on behalf of their master.  They would influence the lives and economy of that place with what they had been given and provide a preview of the rule of that specific person.  His influence began to expand before he ever arrived.

            The work of God is called to continually grow and expand.  We have never been given instruction to settle and stay where we are, but to continue onward and upward as the influence of heaven works across the earth.  Jesus instructed us, “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…”  The purpose of God’s investment is the same today as it was all those years ago, to see His Kingdom brought from heaven to the hearts of those who are desperate for His holy reign over their lives.  Simple maintenance of what He has given us is never an option, the call is always for expansion as a return on His investment.

 

            God has also called His people to the business of stewardship.  Wrapping money in something perishable like a handkerchief was considered one of the most irresponsible things one could do with it.  This servant believed that as long as he still had the investment when his master returned he would be accepted, and maybe even commended.  This was not the case, the master wanted more.

            One of the greatest hindrances to the work of God is the idea that we can take what He gives us and just hope to maintain.  We have forgotten the purpose of God’s investment, and we have allowed this to happen in the name of stewardship.  If we are honest with ourselves we will admit that much damage has been done in the church over the years under the guise of stewardship.  We take the resources God has provided and save them for presentation the day our master comes back, but when Jesus returns he will not be looking for large bank accounts.  Jesus will want to know what we have done with what he invested in us, and how we have used it to minister to the lost around us.  “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand more (Luke 12:48).”  Dennis Kinlaw said, “The greatest enemies to God in our lives are the gifts and the goods He has given us.  There is where the competition is.”  We must be stewards of these gifts without allowing them to keep us from forging ahead in the work of the Kingdom. 

            As we live in stewardship of this investment we must always remember the gravity of this work to which we are called.  God wants to multiply His work through our stewardship so much that He even commanded us to test Him.  “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Mal. 3:10).”  God’s work is carried out on the blessings of the people whom He has called.  It is done through their financial blessings, their time, their efforts and energy.  These things are powered and moved by the greatest blessing of God, the Holy Spirit.  If we will turn our God-given resources over to God’s Spirit and allow Him to work.  This is real stewardship: that we submit to God all that we have.  “We can live our days out in fearful hesitation and second-guessing, or we can ‘let go and let God.’  God’s plan for us is not about who we are and what talents we bring to the table.  It’s about the resources and grace God has promised us (Cymbala).”  This stewardship is not something to be taken lightly.  The way we handle what God gives us will have an effect on eternity.

 

            The business to which we have been called is one that requires accountability.  We will be held accountable on the day that our master returns to collect the interest on his investment.  We understand the expectations that are placed on us by understanding the One who has called us.  This is where the servant erred in the parable of Jesus.  He believed his master to be the kind of man who would condemn him for losing what was entrusted to him, but this misconception caused judgment he had not expected.  Charles Childers explained the situation in The Beacon Bible Commentary:

 

            "The servant represents the man who has allowed a spirit of resentment and bitterness to displace love and loyalty.  He has become a self-appointed judge of his lord’s methods…He also represents the man who thinks that stewardship consists solely in not stealing his lord’s money.  His ‘goodness’ is negative, not positive.  He does no harm (so he thinks), but neither does he do any good.  In reality he is a thief in spite of his illusion of self-righteousness, for in being useless he has robbed his lord of the gain he might have had."

 

            The business we conduct for the Kingdom will be directly affected by our ideas of God.  We must know who He is and what he is like if we are going to stand before Him and answer for the business we have conducted.  Dennis Kinlaw said, “If your concept of God is wrong, the more religion you get, the more dangerous you become to yourself and everyone else.”  Our business is done for one with whom we live in relationship.  We do not follow vague commands, but the instruction of One who we know and love.  It is within this relationship that the work of the Master is done through our lives. 

            Whether or not we acknowledge the fact, we will one day stand before our Master and answer for what we have done with what He has given us.  The master in the parable went to gain permission to rule the kingdom, but he did indeed return.  When he came back he had expectations of what had been done with the funds and investment he left.  This return teaches us of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.  His coming is a fact and cannot be ignored.  “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7)…”  Jesus said, “Then the Son of Man will appear in heaven…and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30).”  The Apostle Paul taught, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God (1 Thess. 4:16)…”  

            The purpose of Christ’s return is for judgment.  When he comes back it will be to see the results of what his servants have done with his investments.  Jesus said in Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to each according to their works.”  Will he find our works worthy of His Kingdom? 

            Leonard Ravenhill reminds us, “God has nothing more to give to this world.  He gave His only begotten Son for sinners; He gave the Bible for all men; He gave the Holy Ghost to convict the world, and equip the Church.  But what good is a checkbook if the checks be unsigned?”  God has provided us with the power to make a difference in the world around us.  But that will require an investment in His Kingdom.  A Kingdom can be costly, requiring financial support as well as time and energy.  It can require great sacrifice at times.  God has called you to conduct the business of such a Kingdom.  How are you conducting that business?  When Jesus comes to gather His people what return will he find on his investment in you?

A World Without Prophets

The people of Israel waited 400 years for a word from God.  As they looked around their country and watched the Roman soldiers move in and out of their cities they anxiously awaited the day when God would bring judgment on the pagan nation that occupied the land of His people.  With each passing year the discontent with their situation grew and with it their desire to see God’s mighty work.  More than anything in this earthly existence they hoped to see the Messiah come and set up God’s Kingdom in Jerusalem so that they could become the ones who occupied other nations.  The people wanted the nations that had oppressed them for so many years to bow before them and live in subjection to their rule. 

Year by year they waited without so much as a word from God’s prophets until – seemingly from nowhere – the most unlikely man appeared in the desert.  He was clothed in animal skin and ate things that would turn the stomach of most.  But the message he carried was the one that Israel had waited hundreds of years to hear, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 3:2).”  People left Jerusalem and flocked to the desert to hear this man proclaim God’s Kingdom.  Many were sure this was what they had been looking for, but was it?

When Jesus came onto the scene, the one who John the Baptist had proclaimed and for whom the people waited, His presence and teaching were met with excitement.  God was finally going to place all the enemies of Israel under their rule.  But Jesus came teaching a different kind of kingdom than the political reign that they expected.  He was not interested in rewarding a nation that had lost sight of God in the midst of all their ritual and tradition, but He came to call that very nation to repentance.  The same people who waited with great anticipation for the Messiah were confronted, not with the message they wanted to hear, but with a call to leave their self-righteous lives behind and return to a God whom they didn’t even realize they had left.

Have you ever been confronted with a time when God’s instruction was not what you hoped it would be?  We all have high hopes and great expectations regarding what we think God should do for us.  We spend countless hours talking about His mercy and compassion (and rightly so), but how often do we consider the judgment of God?  Do we ever consider the words He has for those who may have strayed, or nations that have turned their backs on Him?

God’s judgment is likely to be the least popular topic in all of Christianity – rivaled only by preaching or teaching about Hell.  In a society that is focused on feeling good about yourself and the way you live it is difficult for preachers and teachers of the Bible to proclaim God’s words of judgment against the sinful things of the world.  Some people treat the prophecies and passages of God’s judgment as some type of caricature, or an idle threat made by a God who would never really punish anyone for anything, despite the fact that Jesus said, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline (Rev. 3:19)…”  And the writer of Hebrews reminded us, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him.  For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives (Heb. 12:5, 6).”

That the judgment of God is clearly proclaimed throughout the entirety of Holy Scripture is clear to see.  Many refuse to acknowledge the judgment proclaimed in Old Testament times, but it is quoted and restated in the New Testament.  Some type of warning against straying from God is apparent in almost every book of the New Testament, and it is difficult to read more than two or three chapters of the Bible without seeing reminders that God is jealous for our love and devotion and will not settle for anything less.  But if this is the case, why do we not hear more preaching and teaching about God’s judgment?  If Jesus really “rebukes and reproves” those whom He loves, why is it not clearly proclaimed throughout the church today?  Surely there must be things happening in the world around us – and maybe even in the church – that are not pleasing to God.  In a day when sound doctrine (yes, some of us still consider that important because Scripture teaches that it is) is compromised in the name of numbers, and standards of personal holiness are all but nonexistent there must be a word of reproof from the God who loves us. 

As we consider the fullness of the Word of God and the revelation of His character that comes from the Bible it becomes very clear that God will not simply smile and wink at sin among His people.  In fact, He continues to judge sin when it occurs among them.  “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God (1 Peter 4:17).”  God told the people of Israel in Old Testament times, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities (Amos 3:2).”  Sadly, many Christians today can go a lifetime without hearing a single sermon, or even a lesson in a Bible study or small group on Scriptures like these.  They seem to continually be overlooked.  But why the hesitation to address these verses and others like them?  Why the nervousness about boldly proclaiming the Word of the Lord?

The reason we do not hear the Word of God in its entirety is because we live in a world without prophets.  In Old Testament times God would call people to deliver His message to the masses who had forgotten Him.  When the wealth and comfort of the people began to take their attention from God He would raise up a prophet to proclaim, “Hear the Word of the Lord.”  Men who would carry the message fearlessly to a hostile people; who took their lives in their hands every time they relayed what God had revealed to them.  Amos told the people of his day, “the Lord does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).”  When the people seemed beyond hope, and their relationship with God had faded into little more than a distant acquaintance, God sent His prophets to warn the people of His impending judgment – not because He no longer loved them, but because He wanted to discipline them and give them an opportunity for a new beginning and a fresh start.  Even when God flooded the earth it was so that Noah, who was a “righteous in his day,” could begin anew without the corruption of sin in the world around him.  Each time a prophet cried out, each time they uttered God’s judgments and commands the people were given a chance to repent and return to God.

Unfortunately, the prophets were commonly met with receptions of anger and violence.  Many were beaten and killed because the people just refused to heed the Word.  Even Jesus was met with scorn and ridicule when the Word He delivered from God was not the word that the people of His day wanted to hear.   When Amos proclaimed the Word, Amaziah the priest accused him of conspiracy and told him to leave the people and not to continue to prophecy (Amos 7).  Even after thousands of years the reception of God’s messengers has not changed.  People expect to listen to sermons each Sunday and go home feeling good for the week.  Many even expect to feel good about – and at times be commended for – their sinful lives.  If the preacher to whom they listen will not give them what they expect they will go down the street and find another who will.  No matter what community they live in people can always find someone who is willing to proclaim less than the fullness of the Word of God. 

Preachers in our day do not help matters.  There are always preachers who are willing to “tickle the itching ears” of the people.  They have found that if they continually work to please people that they can accumulate great numbers and build large programs and function on vast budgets.  In the process of all this, the prophets who will boldly proclaim the Word of the Lord - His love as well as justice, and His mercy as well as judgment – have essentially disappeared.  The “watchmen” that God has set over His people have failed time and again to sound the alarm and give warning of the impending judgment of God.  Scripture teaches us that God’s wrath will be shown from heaven against those who “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth (Romans 1:18).”  Notice, this is not an Old Testament prophecy that many so easily right off, but a New Testament truth.  That God’s judgment is at hand when we compromise His Word is no secret.  Yet the years go on, and the sin increases and the warnings never come.  There are many who will be accountable for the things they have taught, but also accountable for what they refused to teach.  “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes ANY ONE of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand (Ezek. 33:6).”

It is difficult to be a watchman, given the charge of proclaiming the Word of God whether it is pleasant or difficult for the people to hear.  But God has called people to do it nonetheless.  Based on what we are taught in the New Testament we have to believe that God is speaking to His teachers today about the sin and depravity that are not only prominent in society, but have become a “normal” part of life within the church.  God is calling people who will preach His Word with fear and trembling (not of the people, but fear of the one who called them).  Though the people may try to suppress this truth it must be proclaimed.  It must be taught and shown to those who are struggling through life in sin.  God has a Word for us in our day just as He had for the people of Israel so many years ago.  Where are those who will fearlessly deliver it?  Where are those who are so consumed by love for God, so committed to His Word, so recklessly faithful that nothing will stop them from telling others what He is revealing to them?  “The lion has roared; who will not fear?  The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy (Amos 3:8).”

Scripture makes no pretense that it is a fearful job to proclaim the Word of God.  People will leave churches, and some will mock and ridicule the prophet.  A.W. Tozer spoke to the current situation when he said, “I do not know what the future holds.  But I know one thing: Rather than betray the sheep of God, rather than lie to them and deceive them and keep them agitated and stirred up with all kinds of popular topics rather than take my material from Time magazine, I’ll preach the Word to empty seats and sigh and cry for the abomination that is in the earth.” 

Though our times may seem difficult and even impossible, and the world speeds on at a torrid pace to Hell, the charge given to preachers remains the same, “preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2)…”

Submission

As Ezekiel stood among the exiles by the Chebar canal he saw a vision.  He saw four figures, each with four faces.  They represented the people of God - each face representing the banners of the tribes of Israel.  The details of the creatures in the vision are important, but there is one that jumped off the page at me the other day.  "And each went straight forward.  WHEREVER THE SPIRIT WOULD GO, THEY WENT, without turning as they went." (Ezekiel 1:12) 

Even in this Old Testament vision given to the disobedient captives the people of God (represented by these images) are guided by the Spirit of God.  They go where they are led by the Spirit without turning to the side, without stopping to admire and  chase the worldly things around them. 

The whole of Holy Scripture teaches submission to God's Spirit, and as Christians we claim the Bible to be authoritative.  The Word of God, inspired by His Spirit.  I believe all of those things to be true.  But if that's the case, why are we so afraid to submit to Him?  Why do we continually refuse to give up our control of things and let God be God?  This is why we don't see the holy people of God.  Holiness is God's love and His character showing through our lives.  If we do not submit to Him, how can He make us something better than we were before?  Without a full submission we simply cannot live the lives that God requires us to live.

Our refusal and fear of submission make no sense whatsoever when we really take the time to think about it.  How many people have ever had everything turn out exactly like they wanted it to?  How can that be since "we're in control?"  No matter what methods we employ to control our circumstances, things never happen like we had thought, or hoped, they would.  Yet we have convinced ourselves that we know better than God.  He created the universe, sent His son to die for us, performed all of the miracles that we read in Scripture, and we still will not submit.  The danger is this:  Historically, when the people of God refuse to submit to God they are judged.  Over and over again this has taken place.  This is the place in which we find Ezekiel.  We can keep telling ourselves that we are smart enough and powerful enough and rich enough to guide ourselves, but history has proven different since the beginning of time.  If we are ever going to see a revival of holiness within the church, and awakening of God's people, it will be when we learn to submit EVERYTHING to God.