What a joy. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, team. Wow, don't you love singing God's praise? Well, I wanna welcome you as well to Blacksburg Christian Fellowship. It's such a joy. Boy, when it was snowing the past two weeks and then yesterday like ice, like, oh no, Lord, please let us get back together. So I'm so glad we're here. We're able to just be together. And for those in different venues in the building, those at home, we're so glad that we can gather and worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We are living in a time of American history where there's great divide. Opinions are so deeply polarized. There are times I just wonder, will the fabric of civility and community endure the kind of tension and strife that's all around us? But the same sort of tension filled the nation of Israel as Jesus approached Jerusalem for the last time, for his last Passover. The air was buzzing. Some said that it was then that Jesus would bring the kingdom at that moment. It's no wonder. At that point in history, massive crowds were hanging on his every word. He was like a Hebrew rock star. He was healing. Multitudes of sick, giving sight to the blind, lame were walking. And he fed thousands from one boy's bag lunch. He walked on water and calmed the raging seas. And for those who had eyes to see, it was powerfully evident that this indeed is the promised Messiah of God. And so it's no wonder as Passover is approaching and this popularity and fame that people would wonder, has the moment come to cast off Roman oppression and usher in God's kingdom? It was because of that dynamic that Jesus shares what we will study today in the parable of the minas. If you would please turn with me in your Bibles, Luke chapter 19, we'll be reading from verse 11 through 27. Luke 19, 11 through 27. Here, God's word. As he heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near to Jerusalem and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said, therefore, a noble man went to a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten miners and said to them, engage in business until I come. But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, we do not want this man to reign over us. When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him saying, Lord, your mina has made 10 minus more. And he said to him, well done, good servant, because you have been faithful in a very little. You shall have authority over 10 cities. And the second came saying, Lord, your mina has made five minas. And he said, you are to be over five cities. Then another came saying, Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow. He said, I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant. You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Then why did you not put my money in the bank? And at my coming, I might have collected it with interest. And he said to those who stood by, take the mina from him and give it to the one who has 10 minas. And they said, Lord, he has 10 minas. I tell you that everyone who has more will be given, but to the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this moment to pause and to ponder the teaching of your son. And we pray that you would open our hearts and by your spirits, you would write the word on our hearts, that you would prepare us for a life of faithful service as long as your son tarries. Lord, use this word to work in us your power, your light, and your love. We pray it with thanksgiving, in Jesus' name, amen. So today we consider the parable of the miners. This may be a surprise to you, but in the Bible, a miner is not a bird. It's actually a sum of money, a significant sum of money. It's the equivalent of a hundred denarii, which is about three months' wages for a working man. And so here it is that we see Jesus giving this teaching, and so today I'd just like us to walk through and see how these principles affect us in our daily lives. But just to begin, a little reminder that a parable is a teaching tool that Jesus used to teach primarily one central principle, to focus on one main point. We can't write significance into every detail of the parable, but here Jesus wants us to know that his kingdom will be a long time in coming. and he wants to prepare us for his return and teach us about what that will be like. He's headed to a distant country. Traveling to faraway places in those days took a long time, which implies that Jesus would be a long time before returning to establish his kingdom. And so he wants to prepare us for the long haul. Now, before his departure, he calls his servants and to each one he gives them a mina. Now you may have noticed there are quite a lot of similarities between this parable and the parable of the talents that Matthew records for us in chapter 25. And yet there's one major significant difference between the parable of the minas and the parable of the talents. And that is this. In the parable of the minas, the master gives all his servants equal portions. Everyone receives the same amount. And so that would lead us to ask, what is it that the master has given us that everyone shares equally? We're not all the same size. We don't all have the same abilities. Some have different intellects. We all have different backgrounds, different races, different personalities, different talents. What is it that we as God's people all share equally? Well, the scripture is clear in that answer. The treasure given equally to all of us is nothing else than the treasure of the gospel. It is the gospel treasure, the gospel of our salvation, this free gift. that Jesus has given to all equally. And so it is that we who have put our trust in Christ, we who have loved him and received this gift of eternal life, have this common treasure that everyone shares alike. And so it is with the gospel treasure that we are called to do business and to profit until he returns. Two points here. First, he commands his servants to do business. The master gave servants ample resources and then sends them to profit with what he's entrusted to their care. No problem with capitalism here. But what sort of investment does the master want his servants to make? Jesus makes this clear. The moment before he departed, Matthew records for us, as he was preparing to ascend, in Matthew 28, 18 through 20, Jesus says, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. This parable highlights that all of us have received the common gift of good news. Common in the sense we all share it together. And that blessing of eternal life is entrusted to us so that we would invest it and profit by blessing, by discipling others. We're to do business with this treasure. I want you to see how practical this is. You may realize that BCF in a particular way wants to make a big deal of this very command. We emphasize, if you're new around BCF, we identify ourselves in this way, quote, we seek to be a fellowship of ministers growing in the Lord Jesus Christ, sharing God's love and the joy of knowing him with the world. We seek to be a fellowship of ministers. The point is, because you have received the gift of eternal life, you are a minister. You have treasure intended to be used to invest, to bless for the advance of the kingdom. and for the demonstration of the power of God. And so every one of us has a treasure, has received this treasure, and is commanded to work long and hard, diligently, faithfully, until the return of the King. Now sadly, there are churches that just ignore this truth. They paint a caricature of the church that's more like a school bus. They have a minister. He's like the bus driver. And the rest just pile in the back, take a seat, and our job is to cheer for the bus driver, yay! Or if he takes a curve too fast, we can complain a little bit. But boy, that's the church. And hold on tight. Other churches paint a caricature of the church as a show. And so we have a rock band, we have smoke machine, and an emotionally sensitive message. So they will all go home feeling so much better. And yet, it's not what we see in the scriptures. That's not what Jesus calls us to. He's given us a treasure. And he says, do business. do business until I return. And so this parable affirms that the master not only will leave, but he will return. And so how long are we to labor? What is to be our goal line we're pressing forward to in the effort of service to Christ. The goal line is the return of Christ. I still appreciate that last song, thinking about Jesus, my Redeemer, and all we have in Christ, and the joy that we're going to see Him face to face. And that is our end goal. We're here to serve, to love, to sacrifice, because our goal is pressing to the end, and the end is the coming, the return. He left as our master. He now returns as our king. And so we fix our minds and our hearts on the coming of Christ, who promised just as he left that he would return. I don't know if you remember the first part of the book of Acts. You know, the disciples watched Jesus go up, and these two men in white appear. Boom. And the apostle just, whoa. And those men in white say, this Jesus who has departed from you, he will return in the same way you saw him depart. And so they went to Jerusalem to wait until they received power from the Holy Spirit. This Jesus will return. Notice, he says, as a master departs, the citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, we do not want this man to reign over us. The crowd perked up when Jesus said that, because just recently in their history, they'd had an event. Herod the Great had wanted his son, Archelaus, to reign after him, but he didn't have the authority to crown him in Judea. And so Herod sent his son, Archelaus, who was a cruel, wicked, and evil man, off to Rome to be coronated by Caesar so that he might come back. But as Archelaus was departing, this massive crowd came and said, don't come back, stay away, we don't want you to rule over us. So when Jesus shares this in the parable, people are like, whoa. And in the same way as we have this tremendous conflict, so it was at that day. Why though, why would Jesus use this example when referring to himself? It's because first he wanted to identify the attitude of the Jewish leaders toward him. There were many who loved Jesus, but there were many who hated him. And already at this moment, they were planning, strategizing, calculating, how can we kill him? His death was 10 days, two weeks away. But you might ask, how could anyone hate Jesus? And we tend to have this picture of Jesus, kind of like Mr. Rogers, but instead of a cardigan sweater, he wore this Roman toga, and he was so sweet. And yet the fact is, most of the people then, and most people today, prefer to ignore Jesus. They didn't like what he said, and they hated what he stood for. To be sure, going around saying that you are God's son, the only way to the Father, the judge of all the earth, doesn't win popularity contests. Declaring that you are the good shepherd of all humanity, what if someone doesn't want to follow the shepherd? And so, most people prefer to ignore Him. And if they can't ignore Him, they would rather remove Him. The sad fact is, all of us are rebels. We're accustomed to making our own gods or seeking to be our own god, which means that in those moments and attitudes, we would prefer that Jesus were simply erased. John Calvin puts it this way, all whose hearts are far from God's righteousness would be glad if his judgment seat, which they know is set for the punishment of all unrighteousness, were overthrown. Jesus continues, when he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these servants whom he had given the money be called to him so they might know what business they had done. The first appeared saying, master, your miner has made 10 miners more. And he said to him, well done, good servant, because you have been faithful in a little thing. You are to have authority over 10 cities. The second came saying, Lord, your man has made five minas. And he said to him, and you are to have authority over five cities. The first servant was so eager to see his master, he just couldn't wait to tell him the amazing Result the fruit of his labor investing that minor and so he was eager to declare that Ten times I mean how can capital grow that much it's amazing and the way it can grow is by multiplication Just not long ago, I was talking with a Bishop brother who mentioned he was going through a difficult time in life. And a friend shared with him how knowing Christ had given peace and joy. And so this brother just realized, you know, the problem was he didn't have Jesus. And so he believed in God's love and trusted in the gospel, received the gift of eternal life. Well, he was changed, went home and told his family about his new faith and two of his family members trusted Christ and were saved. I'm not sure what's going on further as the blessing continues, but Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is like leaven. just a little bit can transform the entire loaf. And so it is the gospel treasure that you have received is designed, the very nature of the treasure is that it multiplies. He believed the Lord would bless and increase because he was selling a treasure. Psalm 20 verse two through four tells us, may the Lord send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion. May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor all your burnt sacrifices. May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans. Is that your attitude toward investing the gospel treasure that you've received? Do you believe the Lord is working even when we don't see him? In contrast to the parable of the talents, this parable of the minas is talking about our investing the treasure of the gospel and sharing that gospel reality with others. And so we see, but it is yet more than simply sharing the words of the gospel. It is advancing service for the kingdom, which could be helping in the nursery so parents can come and listen, concentrate on the word of God. It could be working in the library or praying for our missionaries. Please pray for Wendy this week. God needs to open a door for her. It is serving in a way that advances the work of the kingdom of God. And there are many creative ways that we can do that. But our aim is for the knowledge of the love of Christ to advance and to multiply as we live for Him. One of the reasons that the gospel expanded like leaven throughout Europe is because when the plague struck the collapsing Roman world, it was Christians who committed themselves to caring at the risk of their lives. They cared for the sick, they buried the dead, and they consoled the families of those who had lost loved ones. And as people watched these Jesus lovers serving and loving and sacrificing and declaring. The reason they could serve is because they were seated with Christ in the heavenly places. They had an eternity that was secure. They knew they had peace with God. And so they could take risk. because Christ was in them, and Christ was blessing through them, and the gospel spread across Europe because of their faithful, humble service. And so it is, sharing the good news in some way, it's like marketing an investment plan. Now if you have this investment plan, you're trying to market, but you aren't personally invested in the plan, it probably means that you're not really convinced that's a good plan. And so if you've got no investment there, it's not likely that you're gonna be really good at helping others to sign up. And so it is, if forgiveness of sin peace with God, and the confidence of eternal life with Christ, don't fill your heart with joy, that you probably won't be energized or effective in helping other people to experience the love of Christ and to trust in Him as Savior and Lord. But the fact is that first servant believed his treasure would multiply. And so he poured it out and invested it and saw a tremendous return. The second also brought a glowing report, five minus more. But did you notice how the king replied, well done thou good servant, because you've been faithful in a very little thing. You are to have authority over 10 cities. You see what Jesus is saying here? He's gone to be crowned as king. And when he returns, he shall invite us to reign with him in his kingdom. He's entrusted you with good news so that you would use it. And in so doing, you would be prepared for greater authority in the kingdom to come as you trust him to use you in humble, faithful kingdom service. The Lord is preparing you. for service in his kingdom, for authority over, he says here, cities. I want you to know we're talking about a real kingdom with populations that need governance, order, and public works. We don't have many details, but Jesus here pulls back the curtain and lets us see that there will be dominion, that his dominion will extend over all the earth, and we who are his faithful servants will reign with him over the nations. And so he gave these servants a treasure. He later said, oh, that was a small thing because he's comparing it with the greatness of the privilege and responsibility that will be ours because of our humble, faithful service to the king who is to come. He longs to bless you. He longs to increase your faith, your love, your hope, so that you might be blessed with dominion in the kingdom to come. So why be faithful here? Why go the second mile? Why endure hardship as a good soldier of the cross? Why share Christ? Why put yourself in an awkward situation? It might be uncomfortable talking about Jesus. Why risk life and limb to go to the unreached people groups in Asia, in the Amazon? Because the King is coming. And because he wants his treasure to multiply across the face of the globe. You know, you may have heard that some people say, you know, I'm not really excited about heaven. I don't like playing the harp and sitting on a cloud all day, playing the harp and singing Jesus loves me. That's really not my thing. That is so far from the truth. Do you see, he's talking about real authority, reigning with him in the kingdom and serving him in his power forever. And so we need to fix our eyes on the King to come. The pain, the trials, the sleepless night, the struggles. Paul says that I suffer the pangs of childbirth, of labor, until Christ be formed in you. All your struggles in service to the King will be rewarded at his coming. He wants to commend you. and to entrust you with greater authority. Do you see how he loves you? There's one more servant who needs to give report. Listen again to verse 20. Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow. He said to him, I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant. You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank? And at my coming, I might have collected it with interest. This servant has done absolutely nothing with his mina. He's kept it as shiny and new as the day he received it. You know, there are Christians like that. They've got a Bible, and that Bible is so shiny. It looks like the day they got it. They may bring it to church, but don't worry, they're not gonna open it all week long, and so it's, boy, it looks so new. And yet, what a tragedy. They call themselves Christians. But if you look at their calendar, or their bank account, or their conversations, there's no indication that Christ has place in their hearts. This servant not only did nothing to serve with his mind, but he came accusing the king of greed and oppression. How common. From Adam's sin, we've been looking to blame the Lord or anyone else for our failures, our selfishness, and our lethargy. Quite a while ago, as Julie and I were serving in Spain, one evening, we were out in the streets talking to people about Jesus, and we ran into a young Spanish man who told us he had actually lived with an American family. They were a Christian family, church-going, and so, because he thought this would be a great cultural experience, he started going to church with these folks, and actually it became a time that he enjoyed. There were other young people there, and one Sunday morning, there was a special message, an invitation, to receive Christ. And he said, you know, he prayed a prayer and was later baptized. And I thought, wow, this is fantastic. So I said, well, tell me, how is your relationship with Christ going now? How are you responding with the gift that you've received? What are you doing? And he says, well, nothing, nothing really. I said, well, I mean, have you told your friends? Do they know that you've trusted Christ? Are you crazy? They would think I'm crazy. Of course I haven't told them. Do you have any idea how complicated that would make my life if they knew that I were baptized a second time? Sorry, just thought I'd ask. How easy to take a treasure and roll it up in a handkerchief and stick it under a pillow. The servant actually served no one but himself. Rather than honoring the king, he intimated, if he weren't so harsh and so cruel and scary, there's no telling. what his mina could have produced. He's saying it's the king's fault that his mina didn't bring return. Nah, anything that he'd done, no, no, it was that bad king. He's the guilty one. He says he's afraid. And the fact is, for those of us who know Christ, there's a healthy fear A holy fear, but a fear that leads us to worship, to service, and to obedience. A fear that causes us to give glory to His name. Who will not fear Him and give glory to His name? For you, O Lord, are worthy. But that servant had a different fear. A fear that led him to passivity, A fear, an ignorant fear that only excused his lack of engaging with the treasure he said he'd received. Didn't want to do business with that mind because he misunderstood the one who gave him that treasure in the first place. It's easy for people to think God is harsh, God is cruel, too demanding. It's too hard to spend time serving Christ when we have important jobs, important hobbies, important friends to spend time with, and that King, He's so hard. And yet, how often do we have the same attitude? It's easy to complain about those in authority over us, to complain about how hard the situation of life, how difficult, our experience, and yet God has granted tremendous resources in the Holy Spirit. We have treasure to use and to bless others with. It makes me think of Paul and Silas in the book of Acts. Remember, they were preaching Christ, and for their proclamation of the good news, they were pitched in prison in Philippi. And instead of being there, you know, licking their wounds and having a pity party, they decided to start singing hymns and praising the rock of their salvation. And as they did that, God rocked the earth. And it was that evening that they had the joy of leading the Philippian jailer and all his family to Christ. See, God is on the move. You may not be able to see him with the eyes of your face, but with the eyes of faith, You know that the Almighty Christ has promised, I will be with you always. And so we invest our lives and we share good news because we know God will bless that work. Jesus continues, verse 24, he said to the bystanders, take the mine away from him and give it to the one who has 10 minus. And they said to him, master, he has 10 minus. I tell you that everyone who has, more shall be given to him. But from the one who does not have, even what he has shall be taken away. Sounds unfair, doesn't it? The hearers at that moment felt the very same thing. But God's economy is not like man's economy. If you stash away the gifts you've been given, don't be surprised if they disappear. There's no use wasting God's good treasure on those who don't treasure them. Jesus wraps up this kingdom parable on a severe note. Again in verse 27, but these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here. and slay them in my presence." These words would be very hard to receive had not Jesus himself spoken them. Solemn words that show us the severity of our King. Jesus gives life and breath to all. He has authority to give life, and he has authority to take it away. The Scripture tells us the day of the Lord will be a day of thick darkness and wrath on those who hate Him and practice evil. Sadly, those who don't want Him to rule over them fail to understand there is no life outside of Christ. And so, those who don't want to submit to Him are ushered into the second death. Here in Jesus' parable, we see all the glory of heaven and the torments of hell. He calls for each one of us, for each of us to engage in gospel business, to labor, to spend and be spent for Christ's sake, for the sake of his kingdom. His coming is far closer than the day He shared these words. But whether He tarries for a short while or for longer, may we be serving humbly, faithfully, using the resources He's granted us for the advance of His kingdom until we see Him face to face. He wants the joy of inviting you into His joy, to look you in the eyes and say, well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master, receive authority in the kingdom to come. As he tells us in Revelation chapter two, be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life. Let's pray. Father, thank you for these penetrating words. And I pray that you would search our hearts, that we would be energized and engaged to invest the treasure that you've entrusted to us. Lord, might we be found faithful until we see you face to face. We pray with thanksgiving because Christ, by his death and resurrection, has made all this possible. We thank you for your love and for the joy to look ahead, to serve with you in the kingdom to come. We give you thanks in Jesus' name. Amen.