Luke 19:11-27, Consider The Account You Will Give To King Jesus
1. You Will Give Account For Your Submission To Jesus (v12-15, 27)
2. You Will Personally Give Account For Your Own Efforts (v13-15)
3. You Will Give Account For Your Faithfulness In Little Things (v16-17)
4. You Will Give Account For Your Diligence In Doing Your Best (v18-19)
5. You Will Give Account For Opportunities You Neglected (v20-26)
Here in Luke Chapter 19 we have this powerful parable and this is one of those parables that always causes me to hold my breath for a minute. It causes me to really stop and reflect. And consider what it is that the Lord is saying this for me as I read through these things. This is one of like the the most heavy parables that Jesus teach. And it's one that always kind of stops me in my tracks and makes me think about and contemplate the life that I am living in. So I've titled the message this evening. Consider the account. You will give to King Jesus. Consider the account that you will give to King Jesus. That's really what this parable is designed to do. It's designed by the Lord to cause us to stop and think, to stop, and consider and reflex. Right? On the end, and a picture that position of standing before King Jesus, not little Baby Jesus in the Manger. But standing before King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus and giving an account. To to give. An account to talk through and explain and justify the decisions that we made. The actions that we took the way that we lived the way. That we served him. And so this is a powerful parable, an important one for us to consider. The Lord wanted us to consider and and in looking at this parable he wants us to have. In our minds. That day of standing before him. Now what I find really interesting and kind of stood out to me extra this time around was in verse 11. It tells us why Jesus told the parable. It says he spoke another parable because he was near Jerusalem. He was on his way to Jerusalem. It's really his final journey to Jerusalem. This side of the cross and and as he is heading to Jerusalem, there's some anticipation building. People are expecting great things they're expecting. Him to announce himself as the Messiah, which he will do. The triumphal entry happens next. But the events are not going to play out as people are expecting as they're looking for an earthly Kingdom immediately. Jesus, knowing their hearts, knowing where they were at because he was near Jerusalem, and because they thought the Kingdom of God would appear immediately. The Lord here is addressing in this parable this condition of their mind, their thoughts they were expecting and anticipating. An immediate appearance of the Kingdom of God. And so verse 12 says. Therefore he said, and so you could see this parable is designed to specifically address. In our minds. The misunderstanding of the timing of the coming of the Kingdom of God. To encourage us to teach us. That there is. An appropriate way for us to respond and prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God, but we won't prepare appropriately if we misunderstand. The appearance of. The Kingdom of God and the timing of it. And so he tells this parable for that purpose, because they thought the Kingdom of God would appear immediately. Now on the one hand, we are encouraged to live with the expectation that Jesus could return at any moment. And indeed, that is. What the scriptures teach. I just swallowed a. Little bit of my cough drop and. Messed up my throat. The Scriptures teach that Jesus could come back at any time, and as you look at the prophetic scene, you know we could spend a lot of time on that. We need to be careful not to say that all of these other things need to happen before the rapture of the church or before Jesus returns for his church. That there is some, you know, some dangers. In going that far. But at the same time, we also need to understand that Jesus wanted people to know there is some time that will elapse and there is some important things to focus on in that time. Be ready for the. Return of Jesus. But that doesn't mean don't do anything. That means really be faithful and diligent. Because you will stand before King Jesus and give account and so I want to walk you through this parable looking at five points to help us consider the account that we will give to King Jesus to consider that day and try to prepare ourselves. To hear those words well done, good and faithful servant so. Point number one we're gonna look at the first couple of verses briefly here. Verses 12 through 15 as well as verse 27 here in Luke Chapter 19, point number one is you will give account for your submission to Jesus. First looking at verse 12, it says therefore he said he said a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants delivered to them 10 miners, and said to them, do business till I come. Verse 14. But his citizens hated him. And sent a delegation after him saying we will not have this man to reign over us. As Jesus tells this parable, there's almost like a Side Story here that happens with this group of people that are opposed to the role to the rule of this certain nobleman. Now as we walk through this parable, we can identify the nobleman Jesus is Speaking of himself. And in verse 12 as it talks about him going to a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return. This is a very clear picture of Jesus ascending into heaven being seated at the right hand of the throne of God, who will one day return the second coming of Jesus and and will receive the Kingdom. Right, I think it's some chapter 2. The father tells the son sit here until I make your enemies your footstool. That that there is this time period that's going to happen where the father carries out his plans to deliver the Kingdom unto Jesus. And so it's a picture of Jesus. His ascension, his presence in heaven, and then his return that is to come. And so because of that he has servants and he says you guys aren't coming with me, you're staying behind. So he calls a meeting. Here's what I want you to do servants. Here's 10 minutes do business till I come. But there's this other group of people, and before we get to the servants, we need to address this. In verse 14 his citizens hated him. Reminds me of John chapter one. He came into the world, his creation. Although the world was created through him. The will did not receive him. His citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying. We do not want this man to reign after reign over us, so the nobleman goes to receive the Crown and the citizens try to prevent that. Try to put a stop to that. It's not successful though, because at verse 15 it says and so it was that when he returned, having received the Kingdom. So the citizens tried to prevent it, but they were unsuccessful. The nobleman comes back. He is king. And this is an important point. To understand Jesus will be king. The citizens of this planet. Might hate it. Might send delegations to try to prevent it. They might gather together and create unions and conspiracies and try to rebel and do everything that they can. To reject and to exclude themselves from the Kingdom, to keep Jesus from ruling. But Paul tells us in Philippians chapter 2 every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And so first thing to consider is that we need to understand Jesus has ascended. He's not here physically, right? In front of us. But the reality? Is we will give an account for our submission to him? And if we hate and resist and refuse the rule of Jesus, then we will be lost completely. Verse 27 jumping down to the end of the passage, he comes back as king and now having had the meeting with his servants as he returned, he deals with. Those who rejected his Kingdom in verse 27 but bring here those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them and slay them before me. That's not typically the picture we think of when we think of Jesus, right. Slay them before me, right? But but that is the reality. Those who reject Jesus as king who refuse to let him. Reign over them. Will be lost. They will lose their lives. The only way to have life. Is to submit to Jesus to submit to his rule to submit to his reign. Jesus said in John 14 six. I am the way, the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me. There's no other way. There's no other opportunity when you stand before King Jesus, you will give an account. For your submission to him, he will be king. It cannot be stopped. It cannot be prevented. It's going to happen. The author of Hebrews talks about this in Hebrews chapter 2. How all things have been put in subjection under him. But at the same time, we do not yet see all things put under him. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 8. You can check that out. The reality is, there he's king, but we don't yet see the full results. But we will. Jesus as King will return and we will all give account. For our submission to him. Well, now focusing our attention on the servants, we move on to verses 13 through 15 for point #2 you will personally give account for your own efforts and and this is something again that it causes me to stop and. Reflect to stop and consider when I work through this parable. The idea that one day there will be this one-on-one. You and the Lord. And a call to give account. For your actions, for your decisions, for your thoughts, for your efforts. Verse 13 says so. He called ten of his servants delivered to them 10 miners, and said to them, do business till I come. And then verse 15. And so it was that when he returned, having received the Kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trade. Just these two verses by themselves. Verse 13 and verse 15 we could. Spend a lot of time feeling lots of weight right. The master says do business till I come. Here's some money. When he comes back, he calls all those same servants to his presence. They're all gathered together 1 by 1. They're going to come up now and give an account of what happened with the money that he gave them. Specifically, it says that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. What's the assumption of the king when he comes back, the servants will have gained. There will be progress. There will be growth. There will be more. Then when they had started. And so he calls 10 servants. He gives them one minor each. The word Mina. It's a sum of money. Believed by most to be about 3 months wages. So if you want to think about your annual wages as you're preparing your tax returns, right, three months of that. Take 1/4 of your wages for the year, that's. The type of money that was given to these servants, let's call it $10,000. The king gave the servant $10,000. And he gives instruction with it. He says do business till I come put this to work. Doing business is not spending money. You know don't don't spend at all. He's not saying go shopping, he's saying do business. If you're not making money, you're not doing business right like that is the expectation here do business. Take this $10,000 and turn it into something more. Invested in some former fashion. He didn't require. Specific methods or means in this instruction, says servant. You figure out how to make this money. Grow and develop and produce more. Now this parable is really interesting for. A lot of reasons, but one of them is how similar it is to the parable of the talents in Matthew Chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25. That's the same idea. Servants are given sums of money instructed to put it to work. Later on, the master comes back. The servants are called to give account and they deliver the results to their master and are rewarded or punished accordingly. Very similar pattern here, but but there's a major difference between the parable of the miners and the talents. In the talents different amounts were given. To each servant. But in the parable of the miners, the same amount is given to each servant. Each one gets the same amount. And that that provides some different perspective about what the Lord is speaking to us and what he is talking about. As we think about serving the Lord and giving an account for what he has given to us, what he has. Entrusted to us. There's a lot of. Aspects to this that we need to understand we we cannot give account really for the end result. Well, we don't know the exchange rate. We've talked about this for the past couple of weeks. It's been kind of a a subject that has been highlighted throughout the Book of Luke. So far as we've been studying it together that. That old saying you can't take it with you, but you can send. It ahead. That there is the opportunity to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. But we don't know the exchange rate. All that we know what the Scripture tells us is the things that we do for the Lord here. Exponentially will have even greater value as reward in eternity. Our light and momentary afflictions are storing up for us. A much heavier weight of glory in eternity. And so, in some ways, we're all starting with one. We're all starting from the same spot. And we don't really know the end results. And so this account that we give to the Lord is not necessarily, even though we're gonna look at the 10 and the five and. The one right? It's not so much about the ending balance. What we're going? To give account for as we stand before the Lord. Is the effort and the diligence. That we put into come to that balance. We're not even going to know the value of the account until we enter into eternity. In fact, it's the Lord is gonna reveal to us the value of the end account, but. But what he will call us? To give account 4. Is how? Much effort we put into. That one that he gave us. There's some things that are universal. We all have the same amount of time in each day, unless of course our time is cut short and we. Enter into eternity. We all have the same scriptures. We all have the same gospel message. We all. We all have the same. We all have one and you can think about it in those terms. And and the Lord has entrusted to us opportunity. And there is the need for us to recognize that opportunity and to recognize the charge that is given. What God intends is for you to put some effort into doing business. Now the parable is about money and growing money. The lesson the application is not. Growing money necessarily right? It's not about earning more or doing more. It's not necessarily about more activities. It's about growth and effort and responding to what it is that God has set before you and called you to. We all have the same opportunity to respond to God's calling in our lives and to respond with obedience to his instruction upon our hearts. And we are going to stand before King Jesus to give accounts of how well we listened to him and responded to what he called us to. In second Corinthians chapter 5, the apostle Paul talking about similar things says therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well. Pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done. Whether good or bad? Now in the parable when the king returns. Having received the Kingdom, he has a meeting with two groups of people he meets with his servants. And he meets with the citizens who hated him. In a similar way, when Jesus returns, there is 2 judgments. There is the judgment for those who rejected Jesus, and they will be cast into the lake of fire. But there is also a judgment for believers. Paul says we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and so this meeting that this king has in the parable with his servants this. Forecasts and shadows for us. The meeting that you and I will have with Jesus when we appear before. The judgment seat of Christ. And notice what Paul explains here that each one may receive the things done in the body. Each one it speaks of. The individual. And so that's why I make the point. You will personally give account. For your own efforts. There is going to be this occasion where we are there before the judgment seat of Christ and individually 1 by 1, not just in a group like all right? Oh, living water. You know you guys did all right. So welcome in well done, good and faithful servants. Just accept you as a group and you're good to go. No one by one. Not family by family. OK Simmons. All right, you guys did pretty good. So here's your reward and well done. Enter into. The joy of your Lord. No one by one. One by one we will all give account, so there's no kind of skating by on somebody else's efforts. We will stand before the Lord and recount for him. The efforts. That we put forth in obeying him and following his instruction and responding to his call. You will stand before Jesus. No lawyer. No one to kind of. Speak on your behalf. You will have to speak. You will have to be face to face with Jesus and say Jesus. Here's what I did for you, but also you may have to say Jesus. I know I had opportunity and I did not do. I know you wanted me to, but Jesus, I I'm sorry I did not do. I know you wanted me to. But I pursued my flesh instead. We will stand eye. To eye face to face and give account. And everyone of us will do that. And again, it's not so much the end balance that we will give account for. It is the opportunity. It is the one that has been given to all of us. Think about it this way, Billy Graham does not have an advantage on you in this. He doesn't have an advantage over you like. He's guaranteed he'll stand before Jesus and no problem face to. Face eye to eye. He's for sure the. 10 and you're probably the one you know that that came back. No, no, we we all have the same opportunity. It's about faithfulness and response to what the Lord leads and speaks and calls us to. Not necessarily the visible results. Or the obvious rewards. That we can identify. Paul explains in First Corinthians chapter 12. The body has been composed. By the Lord. So that the less significant or what seems to be the less significant parts they're actually crucial, they're necessary. And there's actually greater honor for those parts which seem to be lacking in honor, and seem to be less essential. And so we can think about all kinds of examples of someone that we might identify and say, well that that person you know must have great reward, and I'll probably have, you know, hardly no reward. Here in this parable, Jesus is reminding us. There is reward. There is a responsibility. An individual accounting will be given. For our own efforts, our own response. And there is the potential for you to have as much reward as anybody else who has ever walked with God. There is the opportunity and potential for you to have as much eternal reward as anybody else who has ever lived who has ever walked with the Lord. The opportunity here is great. You will personally give account for your own efforts. Your response to the Lord, your. Audience to his instruction and to his leading. In your life. Commentator Paul Weaver says during his absence his servants believing disciples need to invest what God has given them for his glory. This parable clarifies that while salvation and entrance into the Kingdom come by faith in Jesus, Rewards for service rest on the believers works. We're talking about your efforts. Not for salvation. For God's glory. Your efforts in response to your energy, your attention, your focus, your your action. Based upon what God has set before you. We thought the Kingdom of God would appear immediately. And if Jesus allowed them to maintain that thought and stay in that pattern. They would not have prepared for the return of the king. But Jesus says, no, no, I want you to understand. I'm coming back. There's gonna be a gap. There's gonna be a time and in that time it's intentional. You have opportunity. You have responsibility. And when I come back you are going to tell me why you did or did not do what I entrusted to you. In that time. You will personally give account for your own efforts. Your wife is not going to give account for you. Your husband is not going to give account for you. You're not going to. Rely on somebody else will load my spouse. You know, I really had my career to focus on and so but you know, that was, you know, so that my spouse could, you know, do the things of the Lord and I, I you know, supported her in that, and so that you know that's what I did. I I contributed in that way, maybe. But you're not going to get away with any excuses. If the Lord called you to something different and you pursued a different path than he set before you. There's no, well, you know I made-up for it. God, I know I wasn't supposed to do that but you know I gave extra and supported more missionaries so that they could. And so. That makes up for me neglecting what was entrusted to me. No, no, no. That doesn't work. You will give account for your own efforts. Did God call you to support great then support? But if supporting is a way to neglect or sidestep what it is that God has entrusted to you, it's not going to work. You will stand face to face with Jesus, eye to eye. And give a count. For what she did and why you did it well, moving on to point #3 looking at verses 16 and 17 point #3 you will give a count for your faithfulness in little things. Such an important point because we oftentimes. Are focused on big things and we seek to be faithful in the big things, and we hope that faithfulness in the big things make up for faithfulness in the little things. But here the master recognizes a faithfulness in this first servant, verse 16 and 17 says then came the first saying, master, your Mina has earned 10 minutes. And he said to him, well done, good servants, because you are faithful in a very little. Have authority over 1010 cities. In this meeting, the master is calling all of his servants to give account. You can kind of picture. Them gathered together all tender. They're standing there. Master says you. Give your report. And this first servant comes. And wow, what a report 10 times returned not 10%. Not added a 10th. But ten times that's 1000% return master, your Mina has earned 10 Minas. I had the one that you gave me. And through business, working hard and investing and making wise choices that one has now grown and now the account has 10 minus. And so the master says, wow, 10 times return great job, well done, good servant. But notice how he addresses it or attributes it to. Because you were faithful in a very little. Now again, if you're talking about three months wages, that's not necessarily what you would call a little amount of money, right? If I was walking out the sanctuary today and three months of wages fell out of my pocket, it wouldn't be like, you know, it's just a little bit of. I mean, that's a significant amount of money to us, right? But it's insignificant. Maybe when you think about the reward. 10 minus. Now here's 10 cities as the reward, so perhaps you could think about the very little in comparison to the reward. In comparison to, you know all of the money in the world. 10 minutes isn't you know that much. But but I. Think what the Lord is saying here and what the master is saying is you didn't get to 10 miners by. Goofing around in the little things and really just focusing on the the big opportunities. This servant has the biggest gains of all the servants. And it's reasonable to understand that he had those gains because he was faithful. With the little things. Understand how a business meeting would go. Fill out this picture that Jesus is. Painting here a little bit. You are entrusted with money from. Your superior from your boss. Instructed to put it to work, you come back and you say? 10 times I'm able to bring back 10 times more by the investments I made and the bus goes great. Alright moving on No 10 times. How did you do that? Let's walk through the days that I was gone. The boss would say let's walk through the decisions that you made. Let's let's kind. Of debrief a little bit over the the course that was taken and and here in doing that the master is saying look you you were faithful. In all of the little decisions you are faithful in what time you would get up and what time you would go to sleep so that you could have a clear head to make good decisions. You were faithful in what you ate so that you wouldn't, just, you know, expend all of these resources on things that would have no further life. You, you, you were faithful in all the little. And and it's the faithfulness in those little things. That add up. To become something big, something great. If you want to think about it in a different way, you can think about it like working out. If I could just do, you know, one big workout for the year and then be done and have all the benefits of working out all year long. I would almost kill myself to try to. Do that, but it's. Not the way it works, right? How does it work? It's the little by little the day by day you can't do it all at once. You can't tackle it all at once. Faithfulness in the little that then grows to be something substantial. This servant didn't win the lottery or make some big gamble and he just like by luck happened to get 10 minus in return. This this was the result of diligent, faithful efforts in the little things being attentive. And focused. On those things. That we might easily overlook. I'd really encourage you to meditate. On this point. Because of course there's the little things that we could think about in our lives, but there's also the little things that we could think about in. The service of the Lord. And and it was causing. My mind to go back a couple. Of weeks ago. To Luke Chapter 9. You might remember. That Sunday morning I shared a little bit and I got to share the example of being a fun Theo right? Oh, how you know? Crazy it is to. Come home. And play red light green light. The butterfly game with Isabelle. Talked about how you know it can be hard coming home after a long day, I'm. Tired and you know? But all this she is opportunity, perhaps is there ahead as I invest in a relationship with her and build that connection and it's worth it. The sacrifice right? But but please understand, I understand. Like I described, being fun, Theo. I'm the fun parent, right? Meanwhile on those days. Kim's back home with her all day long, right? Not mistaking that there is much greater opportunity. That some of you have. Than I have. They're in Luke Chapter 9, the title of the message that. Sunday was to be great. Making the point, you should want to be great. In response to what God has done for you, you don't want to be great. You don't want to earn 10 minutes and stand before him and give account and say Lord what you gave me. The result now is 10 times more. I have opportunity to be a fun Theo. But many of you have opportunities. To train children, how to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Jesus. And it requires infinitely more effort and patience, and deliberate focus. It's much. Greater sacrifice. And and yet. That child that you are ministering to. Could easily be counted as one of the little things. If you're not careful. And the idea here is that you by faithfulness in the little things, with perhaps those little things that frustrate you sometimes and test your patience and and stretch you faithfulness in those little things is what grows to become something significant. Listen, it's much sacrifice to train a child up in the way that. They should go, but it's worth. It and you will be great in the Kingdom of God. There will be 10X return. On that investment. Many of you have. The opportunity to care for someone who cannot care for themselves. There's the younger years of life, and then there's the older years of life. It's much sacrifice. And counted by many in our society as. The little things. And so we have homes, you know, with filled with people who. Are just sitting around and waiting to enter into eternity. Family has kind of moved on and forgotten and just living life as. Though they were already gone because well to do anything more requires much sacrifice. But listen that sacrifice is worth it and God values the life. Now there's the young, there's the old, there's those who perhaps. Are in between, but just not. Fully capable Our society says hey, you should abort children that are inconvenient, or maybe have Down syndrome, or you know that's going to be a really hard life. For you, if you do that. And and so little just esteemed as nothing. Just get rid of that. What a hindrance to your life. For God's perspective, looking on would say you're going. To give a count. But Lord I. Got rid of those little things. Ignored those little things so I could really focus on the big things for you. No, no, no, that doesn't work. Your focus on the little things that God has entrusted to you are just as important as the big things. This servant didn't get to 10 X returns by just focusing on the majors. He was faithful in the little things. And so he had great returns and great reward have authority over 10 cities. He had greater opportunity. To be part of the work of the Kingdom because of his faithfulness. In the little things you will give account for your faithfulness. In the little things. Moving on to point #4 and verse 18 and 19. You will give account for. Your diligence in doing your best. As we stand before the Lord again, we don't know the end result of the account. We share the gospel. It's not our responsibility. If someone responds to it or not, we don't have the power or the capacity to have a say in that. We have to do our part. What we will give account for as we stand before the Lord face to face is our diligence in doing. The best that we could with what God had entrusted to us. Verse 18 and 19 says the second came saying, master, your miner has earned 5 miners. Likewise, he said to him, you also be over 5 cities. Here we get the second servant who is. Turn it is to give account and this time. It's not the same. Not 10 minors. This guy brings in five minors. Half as much. He has half as much as the previous guy. But notice it. Says in verse 19. Likewise, he said to him. You also be over 5 cities. You can read a lot into that. Likewise, he told the first guy, well done. It's safe. You can do that. Read that in. Likewise means this guy said to the servant the master said to the servant, well done, good job. But he only got 5, not 10 like the other guy. Still, the master says good job. Let that wrestle in your mind a little bit. Presumably we could say this servant had the same opportunity to earn 10 miners as the previous servant. We could argue that. We could have that expectation. This guy earns 10 second servant. Why couldn't you? Why didn't you? But this guy is not punished for not measuring up to the previous guy. He brought in five, and the master said, good job, here's your reward. It's proportionate to what you brought in, but it's a great reward. You brought in 5 minutes. You'd be over 5 cities. Again, trying to picture this in the workplace, how giving an account goes. A lot of times. In those situations where you're sitting down to give account for what you did and and the actions that you took and the decisions that you made, the final number is not always the main focus of those conversations. You could see a boss saying hey, this guy earned. 10 You earned 5. Let's talk about what happened. And we could imagine some scenarios while this servant says, well. So the first thing I did was. I tried this. There was this Prince from overseas and he really needed some help and I thought I could help him so I got scammed. I lost. A little bit of the money. But then I found this other opportunity and I I bought this horse and then I was able to sell it for a little bit more, and so I gained some of it back. And and then I I invested in this and then I bought this field and worked it and I I was able to from that field and and harvesting it myself. And, you know, produce a fruit from it and. And so the servant here is explaining. I invested in this, I didn't really pay off. It seemed like a good investment. I got all the counsel I could get, but it just didn't turn out as well as I hoped. It didn't turn out as well as I thought. Some things I I you know worked on and invested in. It brought in great returns, so wow it was great and kind of made-up for some of. Those that didn't work so well. The master is walking through the situation through the decisions through the actions with the servants. And at the end he says, well done. Listen, you don't have to be the best. To do a good job. You don't have to have the most. At the end to. To have been the one who did the best. What what the Lord is? Calling to each of us is for each of us. To do our. Best, and that doesn't mean we all get the same results. And it doesn't mean. We all get. The same reward. But what we're accountable to? Is what we did. With what we were given. And how diligent we were in doing our best with those things that the Lord gave to us. And you can apply this to time energy, the gospel, the Scriptures, spiritual gifts, children. Parents, family, workplace opportunities. You can apply this across the board. It's anything in life that God has entrusted to you. You know Paul said later on whatever you do in Word or deed. Do it with all your hearts. Unto the Lord Jesus for his glory. You're going to give account. For your diligence in doing your best. We're not to be involved in things. Where we're not doing our best. Not in a legalistic way, but. It's like a general thing for us to meditate on and consider the things that we just kind of do on the side for God's glory. Like, uh, just kind of like. Threw some stuff at it. Hope it worked for God's. Glory like no no. Do the best that you can. Yes, your resources might be limited. Your time might be limited. There might be restrictions and you work within those restrictions, but within those restrictions. Do your best, do the best that you can with the wisdom that you have with the family that you have, or with those opportunities that you have. Do the best that you can for the glory of God. This is what Paul is expressing in First Corinthians Chapter 9. He says, do you not know that those who run in a race all run but one receives the prize run in such a way that you may obtain it? Paul is not saying only one servant and all of God. 's Kingdom will be rewarded. He's saying think about this illustration in a race. The one who is diligent in doing their best, that one receives the prize. Use that as inspiration and live your life for God that way. Everybody who serves the Lord will be rewarded. But don't just choose because, well, everybody's going to be rewarded. He says. Run in such a way that you would obtain the prize that if there was the scenario where only one person got the reward, you work hard to. Get that reward. You do your best to run that race that God has set before you. He goes on to say everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. This approach to winning the prize affects every aspect of life temperate in all things. And so when we give a count for our diligence in doing our best, it's going to factor in all things. And and we need to evaluate that and consider yes. We could say. I did my best in that situation. But neglect to factor into that equation. Well, yes, I could have done better if I hadn't spent four hours the previous day, goofing off and watching TV, and playing video games and not studying like I was supposed to. And if I had done yesterday what I was supposed to do and and diligent yesterday, then today I could have. Accomplished something for the glory of God, much greater. And so I can't forget about yesterday's neglects. I need to be diligent temperate in all things. Paul says they do it for a. Perishable crowd they. They limit restrict their whole life. They govern their whole life, their diet, their eat, their you know, eating times their sleeping times. Their exercise, they they govern their whole lives to attain something that will not last and is not. Very valuable in the long run. But we for an imperishable crowd. And so Paul says, I run this way, not with uncertainty. Boy, I have my focus on what God has called me to, and I am running. I'm fighting not as one as just throwing blows. You know at the air. I am working hard disciplining my body, bringing it to subjection. Lest when I've preached to others, I should, I myself should become disqualified. I'm doing my best, Paul says, knowing I'm going to stand before God and give an account. For whether or not I did my best. And the calling that God had given to me. Well, finally point #5 looking at verses 20 through 26. You will give account for opportunities you neglected. You're going to give it count to the Lord. You're going to stand face to face. Look at that open door. Jesus says explain to me. Why would you not go through that door for me? We see Jesus. It was going to be really hard and I had a lot going on right then. And you know, not. Not not a lot of. Resources I wasn't real comfortable. I didn't have anybody with me and so I didn't. You wouldn't go through that door for me. I mean, now I see I look back, I should have. I could have. I wish I did. I'm sorry Jesus, I didn't. Verse 20 then another came saying, master, here is your Mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and you. Reap what you did not sow. And he said to him, out of your own mouth, I will judge you. You wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank? That at my coming I might have collected. It with interest. This last servant. Shows up with one Mina. I would suggest to you this. Account would read differently if the servant had tried. And failed. As opposed to not attempting at all. In order to preserve the one. Sum of money. There was opportunity. What the master said when he left was do business until I come. And so the whole time the master was gone, there was opportunity. The servant had the resource. There was opportunity, even if he missed the opportunity on the first day or the first couple of weeks or the. First couple of months. There was still time for him to come to his senses and say I really need to try something. I know I'm scared. But I should try something. There is the possibility that we have. Opportunities resources. Responsibilities that have been entrusted to us by the Lord. And we neglect them now. No need to panic. OK, that we just live in paranoia like. What am I? What if I miss? And then God's going to just judge me and strike me because I missed that opportunity. No, no, no go go easy on that aspect of it. Listen if you seek first the Kingdom. You won't miss anything. Of course the problem is I don't always seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, but but that needs to be my focus when when I my focus is on seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. My focus is on the Lord. He's going to show me, and even if I missed. That First off ramp. I keep walking with him. He'll show me OK. You can get off. You can still get there. All is not lost. But what we also need to watch out for or what we do need to watch out for is I know. That's my exit. But I'm going to keep going. The neglect this is what this servant did. Out of fear. I knew you were an austere man. You're you're a shrewd businessman and you work hard and you, if you had the minute, you would have some kind of return for it. You would have invested it. You would have worked it hard. You would have brought back some kind of return. I'm not like that. I'm not good at those kinds of things and so. I just kept it. I just hid it away. And the master says I'm going to judge. You, with your own words. You knew this is how I behave. You know this is how I value things. You could have done. The minimal. At least then, if you just put it in the bank. You're not taking huge risks. You're you're not doing some big gamble. If you if you would have just done the most basic the the most simple then at least I would have collected it with interest. But the fact that you did nothing makes you a lazy wicked servant. His reward is not his reward, but his Mina is taken away from him and given to the one who has 10. No opportunity in the Kingdom after that. No reward given. For preserving the one. Not that he loses salvation in this picture. But he definitely loses reward. Paul tells us in First Corinthians chapter 3. Talking about building the Kingdom, he says if anyone's work, which is built on it endures, he will receive reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved. Yet so as. Through fire. And so there is the opportunity to build and have reward. There's also the opportunity to neglect and lose that. There's also the opportunity to build, but. The wrong heart. The wrong motives, not for God's glory, and have it be burned. But it's not. About losing salvation, it's about losing that reward and that opportunity. And some people at that point will say, Oh well, that's fine. Then, as long as I get to heaven. Listen, you don't want to be great for God and for what he has done for you. What's wrong with you? If you don't want to be great in the Kingdom of God if you don't want to present to the Lord a great return. For what he has entrusted to you and invested in you. You will give account for the opportunities you. And so consider. The account that you will give to King Jesus. Picture that day, stand before him. You're gonna walk through your life. Decision by decision. Opportunity by opportunity. And you're going to give a count now. I want to finish with one last thought and it's not. I'm not going to develop this thought a whole lot, but just something that was kind of rattling around in my mind. The context, as Jesus has given this parable we saw from the beginning. It's because you know his disciples and they were expecting the Kingdom of God to come immediately. But the context is they encounter with Zacchaeus. And in verse seven it says that when they saw Jesus hanging out with Zacchaeus and all his friends, they all complained saying he's gone to be a guest with a man who is a Sinner. And there was this once again. Whole drama that was. Around the idea of Jesus associating with sinners. I want to suggest to you that this perhaps is part of the intention of Jesus. Here in this parable. Think about the opportunities neglected. In the sense of the religious leader saying. Because I feared you, Lord. I know you're so holy. So I didn't spend anytime with sinners. And they're shocked. Angry at the idea that Jesus would. And when they stand before God. There will be an account. I think sometimes we. Confuse ourselves with our mission and our purpose here. And we kind of try to build this Christian bubble. And and kind of our expectation is when we get to heaven, there's going to be great reward for the bigger your bubble was, the greater reward you get. Show up and stand before Jesus and say, look Lord, I lived a Christian. Life and I went to Christian School and I sent my kids to Christian School and we only listened to Christian music and we only had Christian friends and I only went to that Christian mechanic and I made sure to get that Christian insurance agent, and my landscaper was a Christian too. And you know there was that one guy that I you know I wasn't sure about. But but you know that he only came over once. You know, Lord, the rest were all Christian, Christian, Christian. You're welcome God. I kept myself holy because I feared you. And the Lord might say, take that mine away from that. Guy and give it to the one. Who reached out? Who didn't try to seclude themselves from everything? But took advantage of opportunities. Think about the other parable that Jesus told about the shrewd business manager, right, who? Took advantage of the position the opportunity in order to secure themselves a better future. There there is a reality that we need to consider. Yes, I understand that there's a safety there in that Christian bubble, but at the same time, there's such a neglect in that Christian bubble. Of the world around us that needs to know the Lord and hear the gospel and so. Something to consider as you consider. Standing before Jesus to give account. As you walk. Through your life and explain all your decisions. How's it going to go? I pray that we all hear well done. Good and faithful servant, and no matter how we've done up to this point. It's not too late, don't think well. I've already buried the Mina so might as well just keep it that way. Now is the opportunity. It's not too late to start investing. And working and doing business with what God has entrusted to you. Lord, I pray that you would help us to see. Or the reality and the clarity Lord that you desire to. Give to us. That we. Your will for us your calling our lives and the opportunities that we have. Lord, many of those are going to be in little things. We're going to esteem them low. We're people around us are going to esteem them as little. Lord, we're going to trust you because you say they're big. You say they're valuable. You say they're important. Help us, Lord. To be diligent and faithful with all that you call us to help us to do our best. To see those opportunities. And to always keep before us. That picture, that vision that expectation. Standing before you Lord, all of this we do for your glory. Because you've done all for us Lord, that we do not deserve. May we live our lives for you. I pray this in Jesus name.