Sunday of Last Judgment
\nNovember 6, 2016
\nLuke 19:11-27<\/p>\n
While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.\u00a0 He said:\u00a0 \u201cA man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.\u00a0 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas\u00a0 \u2018Put this money to work,\u2019 he said,\u2018 until I come back.\u2019\u00a0 But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, \u2018We don’t want this man to be our king.\u2019\u00a0 He was made king, however, and returned home.\u00a0 Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.\u00a0 The first one came and said, \u2018Sir, your mina has earned ten more.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Well done, my good servant!\u2019 his master replied.\u00a0 \u2018Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.\u2019\u00a0 The second came and said, \u2018Sir, your mina has earned five more.\u2019\u00a0 His master answered, \u2018You take charge of five cities.\u2019\u00a0 Then another servant came and said, \u2018Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth.\u00a0 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man.\u00a0 You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.\u2019\u00a0 His master replied, \u2018I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant!\u00a0 You knew did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?\u00a0 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?\u2019\u00a0 Then he said to those standing by, \u2018Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Sir,\u2019 they said, \u2018he already has ten!\u2019\u00a0 He replied, \u2018I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.\u00a0 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them\u2014bring them here and kill them in front of me.\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 (NIV1984)<\/p>\n Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if this is the norm, but never in my life have I seen a Voter Information Guide as extensive as the one I received in the mail a few weeks back.\u00a0 This Official Voter\u2019s Guide has Propositions that cover a whole variety of issues and claim to correct a whole variety of problems.\u00a0 For example, if you think there is a problem with the educational facilities in the State of California, look at Prop 51.\u00a0 It attempts to fix that \u201cproblem.\u201d\u00a0 If you think that the \u201cwealthy\u201d citizens of our State ought to pay more in taxes check out Prop 55.\u00a0 It extends by twelve years the \u201ctemporary\u201d tax increase that was enacted in 2012.\u00a0 If you have a problem with the State of California imposing the death penalty on certain offenders, Prop 62 and Prop 66 are ones that you will want to read very carefully.\u00a0 If you think there is a problem with who is allowed to purchase ammo in our State, check out Prop 63.\u00a0 And if you are concerned that the carry out bags at the grocery store may be having a negative impact on the environment, Prop 65 and Prop 67 are designed to address that issue.<\/p>\n The sheer size of this Official Voter Information Guide and the sheer volume of television commercials we are seeing reveal that there are a number of issues and various problems that people want to address here in our State.\u00a0 I commend them for their efforts.\u00a0 All too often people are more than willing to stand on the sidelines and talk (i.e. complain) about what needs to be done, yet they are not willing to roll up their sleeves and actually do something that may help.\u00a0 I also commend them for their goal.\u00a0 Anything that can be done to protect and provide for people, anything that can be done to protect and preserve this wonderful world our God has given to us is a huge step in the right direction.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t help but wonder.\u00a0 Are these propositions pragmatic?\u00a0 Are they practical?\u00a0 Can passing certain regulations and banning certain outward activities actually solve the problems we see in our society?\u00a0 Or, are they simply playing \u201cWhack-A-Mole\u201d with the outward \u201csymptoms\u201d while leaving the root \u201ccause\u201d of the problem untouched?<\/p>\n I am proposing to you today that here in our sermon text our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is reminding us of the <\/strong>\u201cSolution\u201d to the troubles that we see in our world today.\u00a0 With that in mind let\u2019s study our text under the theme:\u00a0 As Disciples of Jesus\u2014 We Need to be Very Pragmatic With the Gospel!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 What does it mean to be very pragmatic with the Gospel?\u00a0 It means two things.\u00a0 First, being pragmatic with the Gospel means that we treasure the message of the Gospel\u2014 as<\/strong> it was given to us by our King.\u00a0 Second, being pragmatic with the Gospel means that we need to actually use<\/strong> the Gospel that our King has given to us.<\/p>\n There are two things I want to bring out before we get to our text for today.\u00a0 First, you might be wondering how I came up with our sermon theme for today.\u00a0 This theme jumped out at me as I was translating this text.\u00a0 In verse 13 Jesus has the king say to the servants to whom he had given the minas, \u201cPut this money to work until I come back.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The verb which is translated here as \u201cput to work\u201d<\/em> is the verb \u201cpragmateuomai.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Very literally \u201cpragmateuomai\u201d<\/em> means, \u201cto do business.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 I see in this Greek verb the English word \u201cpragmatic.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 According to Webster\u2019s dictionary one of the definitions of pragmatic is:\u00a0 \u201cConcerned with actual practice, everyday affairs, etc., not with theory or speculation; practical.\u201d\u00a0 Since the \u201cmina\u201d<\/em> in this parable represents the precious Means of Grace (namely, the Gospel as it comes to us in Word and Sacrament) that our King has given to us and since Jesus Himself uses the verb \u201cpragmateuomai\u201d<\/em> in connection with this \u201cmina,\u201d <\/em>I came up with the theme:\u00a0 As Disciples of Jesus\u2014 We Need to Be Very Pragmatic (very practical) with the Gospel.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Second.\u00a0 Look at the opening verse of this text.\u00a0 Jesus gave us this parable for a very specific reason.\u00a0 That reason was, \u201c\u2026because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The crowd that was following Jesus had just seen Him miraculously heal a blind man.\u00a0 They had just heard Him say to Zacchaeus \u2014 a wealthy chief tax collector\u2014 \u201cToday salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham\u201d<\/em> (Luke 19:9).\u00a0 Now as they walked with Jesus as He was going up to Jerusalem, the beloved City of God, the people were sure that Jesus was about to establish the \u201ckingdom of God\u201d<\/em> right here on this earth.\u00a0 They were sure that Jesus was finally going to get rid of the hated Romans and \u201crestore the kingdom to Israel\u201d\u2014<\/em> with Jerusalem, of course, as its capital city. (See also Acts 1:6)<\/p>\n To correct this false understanding of the \u201ckingdom of God\u201d<\/em> Jesus tells the people a parable.\u00a0 The parable is about a \u201cman of noble birth\u201d<\/em> (that would be Jesus) who according to the custom of the day went to a \u201cdistant country\u201d <\/em>(might that be heaven?)\u00a0 in order to receive the authority to serve as \u201cking.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Before this \u201cman of noble birth\u201d<\/em> leaves He summons His servants (that would be you and me) and He gives to each<\/strong> of them the exact<\/strong> same thing\u2014 a \u201cmina.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This \u201cmina\u201d<\/em> represents the glorious gift of the Gospel as it comes to us in Word and Sacrament.\u00a0 Then the King says to us, His servants\u2014 and I paraphrase\u2014 \u201cBe pragmatic with the mina that I have given to you!\u00a0 Put My Gospel message to work, until I return!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 What this means for you and for me, my friends, is that no matter who we are\u2014 whether we are a pastor or a teacher, a parent or a child, and no matter what we do for a living\u2014 whether we work in an office or a factory, in the home or in the great outdoors or whether we are retired, when our King returns to this earth He will hold us accountable for how we used the \u201cmina\u201d<\/em> that He has given to us.\u00a0 Yes, our King (Pointing to the cross) will hold us accountable for how faithfully we used and how faithfully we shared the precious Means of Grace that He has entrusted to our care!<\/p>\n With that accountability in mind, let\u2019s see that as disciples of Jesus you and I do indeed need to be pragmatic with the message of the Gospel\u2014 as<\/strong> our King has given it to us!\u00a0 This means that we need to remember a couple of things about this \u201cmina.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 First, we need to remember that the \u201cmina\u201d<\/em> that our King has given to you and to me is not<\/strong> the \u201csocial gospel\u201d that is so prevalent in so many churches today.\u00a0 In other words, the purpose <\/strong>of the Christian church is not to \u201ceven out\u201d the \u201cinequities\u201d that exist in our society today.\u00a0 No rather, the purpose of the Christian church is to proclaim to a broken world the \u201cGood News\u201d<\/em>\u2014 the \u201cGood News\u201d<\/em> that Jesus, the true Son of God, willingly suffered and died to pay for your <\/strong>sins, the \u201cGood News\u201d<\/em> that Jesus, the true Son of Man, physically rose from the dead so that through faith in Him you can stand \u201cNot Guilty!\u201d<\/em> before God Himself.\u00a0 (See Romans 4:25)<\/p>\n We also need to remember that the \u201cmina\u201d<\/em> that our King has given to you and to me is not<\/strong> the \u201cprosperity gospel\u201d that is being peddled by preachers such as Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer.\u00a0 The \u201cprosperity gospel\u201d teaches that God wants<\/strong> you to be \u201crich.\u201d\u00a0 God wants<\/strong> you to be \u201csuccessful.\u201d\u00a0 God wants <\/strong>you to be \u201cprosperous.\u201d\u00a0 Now, if you<\/strong> want to be \u201cprosperous,\u201d if you <\/strong>want to be \u201csuccessful,\u201d if you <\/strong>want to be \u201crich\u201d then you <\/strong>need to be obedient to God and do this and this and this first!<\/strong>\u00a0 No, my friends, the purpose of the church is not to show you what you need to do in order to be \u201cprosperous\u201d and \u201csuccessful\u201d and \u201crich\u201d in this <\/strong>world.\u00a0 The purpose of the church is to proclaim the sweet simple message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ\u2014 the Gospel which Paul describes as \u201cthe power of God for the salvation<\/strong> of everyone who believes\u201d<\/em> (Romans 1:16), the Gospel which guarantees to you that through faith in Jesus you are <\/strong>\u201crich,\u201d you are <\/strong>\u201csuccessful,\u201d you are <\/strong>\u201cprosperous\u201d\u2014 on a spiritual level for all of eternity!<\/p>\n Once we understand that being pragmatic with the Gospel means treasuring the message of the Gospel as<\/strong> our King has given it to us, then it will be very easy to understand why being pragmatic with the Gospel includes actually using <\/strong>the Gospel message in a very practical way.\u00a0 Look at verses 15-24 of our text.\u00a0 When the \u201cman of noble birth\u201d<\/em> returned as king he summoned his servants so that they could give an account of how they used his \u201cmina\u201d<\/em> while he was away, to \u201cfind out what they had gained with it\u201d<\/em> as Jesus says here in our text.\u00a0 The first servant said, \u201cSir, your mina has earned ten more\u201d<\/em> to which the king replied, \u201cWell done, my good servant!\u00a0 Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The second servant came to the king and said, \u201cSir, your mina has earned five more\u201d<\/em> to which the king replied, \u201cYou take care of five cities.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 When the third servant was summoned to give an account to the king, what did he do?\u00a0 He came up with all these \u201cexcuses\u201d as to why he didn\u2019t even try to use the \u201cmina\u201d<\/em> the king had given to him.\u00a0 He simply \u201claid it away in a piece of cloth.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The king\u2019s reaction was both swift and predictable.<\/p>\n Being pragmatic with the Gospel message that our King has given to us does not <\/strong>mean that we wrap it up in a handkerchief and put it in our pocket or put it in our purse and take it out only when we are here in God\u2019s house on Sunday morning.\u00a0 Being pragmatic with the Gospel message that our King has given to us means that we \u201cput it to work\u201d<\/em> in a very practical way, that we let the Gospel do <\/strong>what only <\/strong>the Gospel has the power to do!<\/p>\n How do we do that?\u00a0 How do we apply this parable to our lives as disciples of Jesus living in 2016?\u00a0 Let\u2019s start by looking at the \u201cbig picture.\u201d\u00a0 If the Christian church today truly wants to be a part of the solution to the problems that our society is facing, then we need to be very pragmatic with the Gospel!\u00a0 This means that first and foremost, we need to expose sin for what it is\u2014 a futile rebellion against the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.\u00a0 Once a person is led to see who they are by nature then we can point them to the cross and proclaim to them me glorious message of the Gospel!\u00a0 Once the Gospel does what only the Gospel has the power to do\u2014 change a person from the inside out by bringing them to faith in Jesus as their Savior\u2014 then they will want<\/strong> to change what they are doing, then they will want <\/strong>to change how they are living as a way of saying \u201cThank you!\u201d to Jesus for all that He has done for <\/strong>them.<\/p>\n From the \u201cbig picture\u201d we can turn to the individual personal level.\u00a0 How can we be pragmatic with the Gospel on a personal level?\u00a0 Here is where we need to remember that our King expects <\/strong>us to use<\/strong> the Means of Grace that He has given to us.\u00a0 Our King expects <\/strong>that we will be here in His house to bring Him our praise, adoration and thanks on a regular basis.\u00a0 Our King expects <\/strong>that we will receive His holy Supper as often as we can.<\/p>\n Once we have applied the Means of Grace to our own hearts and to our own lives then we will want to broaden the circle out to include those we love the most\u2014 our family.\u00a0 As Christian parents and grandparents we want to do everything we can to make sure that our children and our grandchildren come into contact with Jesus!\u00a0 This means that we bring them to church and we bring them to Sunday school.\u00a0 This means that we not only teach them how to pray, but we model prayer for them.\u00a0 This means that we have home devotions so that they can see how important it is to read and study God\u2019s holy Word.<\/p>\n And then, if as an individual child of God you want to help someone who is experiencing trouble in their life\u2014 guess what you need to do!\u00a0 If someone is troubled by their sins or by their past, be pragmatic with the Gospel.\u00a0 Assure them that Jesus already suffered and died to completely pay for those sins.\u00a0 If someone is troubled by an illness or by the effects of aging, be pragmatic with the Gospel.\u00a0 Assure them that Jesus is the Great Physician of both body and soul.\u00a0 There is nothing that Jesus can\u2019t heal.\u00a0 There is nothing that Jesus can\u2019t carry them through.\u00a0 Also assure them that when Jesus calls them home to the glory and perfection of heaven all <\/strong>their troubles will instantly be gone forever.\u00a0 If someone is experiencing financial troubles, be pragmatic with the Gospel.\u00a0 Assure them that their heavenly Father will provide for all their needs<\/strong> by providing them with their daily bread as Jesus Himself taught us to pray.\u00a0 And then\u2014 here\u2019s a radical idea\u2014 be pragmatic with the Gospel by letting the Gospel of Jesus Christ lead you to help them by sharing with them some of the blessings that God has graciously given to you.\u00a0 I think it was the Lord Himself who said to us, \u201cI tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me\u201d <\/em>(Matthew 25:40; see also James 2:14-17).\u00a0 If that\u2019s not being pragmatic with the Gospel I don\u2019t know what is!<\/p>\n We do indeed live in a very troubled world, my friends.\u00a0 On a global level, on a national level, on a state level, on a city level, on a neighborhood level, on a family level, on a personal level troubles are everywhere.\u00a0 While we do indeed commend the efforts of the people who are actually trying to do something to solve these problems instead of just sitting on the sidelines and talking, as disciples of Jesus we know that there is only one <\/strong>Solution to all these troubles\u2014 the cross on Calvary\u2019s hill.\u00a0 Let this cross motivate you <\/strong>to help solve these troubles by being very pragmatic with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sunday of Last Judgment November 6, 2016 Luke 19:11-27 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.\u00a0 He said:\u00a0 \u201cA man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king 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