"Our Role in the Coming of the Kingdom"(Luke 19:11-27)

Our Role in the Coming of the Kingdom 

Luke 19:11-27 

We know that John the Baptist was the first to preach about Christ, and he told the people to repent because the Kingdom of God was near. What does it mean that the Kingdom was near when Jesus was preaching? 

In the Bible the Kingdom refers to the concept of God reigning over the people. God would rule over the people. Jesus’ presence declared that the reign of God had begun and the Kingdom is progressing to its completion. 

When Jesus called on the people, He told them that if they believe in Him it would be the will of God to give them possessors of the Kingdom.  

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 

Luke 12:32 ESV 

As with all kingdoms, there is a king. Subjects of the kingdom are expected to be loyal to their ruler. Are we loyal or rebellious to our king? Our confession as a believer means we need to act as possessors of the Kingdom of God. We have tasks to perform right now. We have to come to possess the power of God and we have to live like servants of Christ. We have to ask ourselves, “Is Jesus really my king?”

In the parable from Luke 19, Jesus narrates a parable in which a nobleman had to travel far a way to receive his kingdom and then come back to rule. Before he goes, he calls ten servants to do business while he is gone. The servants are given ten minas to invest and do business.  

Jesus goes on to say a delegation was sent to stop the nobleman from receiving the kingdom; however, the nobleman succeeds despite the malcontents protests.

Later the nobleman returns as the ruler and one by one the servants come to declare what they had done. Two servants are commended positively. One servant says he did nothing with his investment. Jesus doesn’t tell us about the other seven servants, but we can speculate that the other seven had done nothing with the resources given to them. 

From this parable, we understand that all those who have been called into the kingdom have been given gifts to advance the kingdom. This means we will be required to present what we have done with the gifts entrusted with us when Jesus returns. We are expected to expand the Kingdom of God. 

What does Jesus expect? 

1. 

They have to know that the calling has been given to everyone and they must carry on whether the master is around or not. The master has given ten minas. At that time, one mina equals one hundred days' wages. This sounds good, but for a nobleman it would not be very generous. The ruler intentionally gave a little and was pleased that the servants who could do much with little.  

And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' 

Luke 19:17 ESV 

It may appear that we have been given little, and this could turn others away. Right now the Kingdom may look insignificant, but in the future it will be powerful, and your benefit will be great. We have a responsibility to act now. Only ten servants came to receive the minas. The other servants did not even come. Only a few of the ten servants who came did anything with their talents as the lord had told them. Invest the minas into business. The accountability would be did you put it in business or not instead of whether or not it made a profit. 

2. 

The Kingdom operates on the instructions given. The third man gives his version and tries to avoid the investment instructions. God requires obedience from us. How much do we follow God's commands? It is important how we strive to be obedient to God since the results do not determine our success. Sometimes it seems that our results are failures, but to God, in His Kingdom, they are successful when we are obedient. 

3. 

Our rewards are based on our actions. If we put into practice what we have been given for the Kingdom, we will please God. None of us have been brought into the kingdom with nothing. We must intentionally use these gifts for God. 

4. 

Rewards and punishments are given on knowledge of the Kingdom. The Lord will not condemn those who do not know about the kingdom. We have been told what to do. We know what we have been given and who it is from. We know what it is to used for.

'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

Luke 19:26 ESV 

As we wait for Jesus’ return, let everyone of us daily invest wisely and diligently into His Kingdom.

"Called to a Gracious Hope"(1 Peter 1:3-8)

Called to a Gracious Hope

1 Peter 1:3-8 

One common feature of religions with deities has a life after death. Christians have one difference from these religions which is hope and grace. Other religions have a hope for life after death, but they operate on determinism. You need to do perform and a better life after death is set by your actions. With Christians, Christ has done this and salvation is a gift of grace. There are no strings attached. 

"Grace is solely operated by love", C.S. Lewis 

Grace operates like the rail of a train. The train cannot travel without the rail. Grace is the beginning and the end of our spiritual journey. Grace operates on His love and not by our merits. We need to know how to use this grace in our journey. 

In Peter's first epistle, he addresses a group of believers going through difficult times. Nero had exiled the Christians from Rome and many Christians were being persecuted. Peter encourages the Christians to focus on the hope that has been given them. Peter also tells these Christians to remember where they came from and how they have been saved. Every believer has been brought into the same hope which Peter speaks of, and we need to pattern our lives to the challenges ahead. 

Here are three patterns to allow us to live within this hope.

1. Develop a deeper understanding on how they were brought into this hope. 

...According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3 

These people were  given hope through the mercies of God. We must remember that grace operates on unconditional love and is different from mercy. Mercy operates on the understanding that the helper needs to help because you would be harmed or even destroyed otherwise. The recipient has no choice but to receive the hope. God brought us in because of His mercies when He saw we could not save ourselves. 

  

2. Actively bear in mind the implications  of this unmerited hope. God's mercy sustains us and saves us. We often say that we are born again and being born again means that something is restored back to life. Considering how undeserving we are of God's mercy and grace, we therefore have an obligation to yield to the transforming work within us.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 

Colossians 1:21‭-‬22 ESV 

We understand that an animosity was created between man and God when Adam sinned. We need to understand that we are no longer enemies of God. God's mercies have brought us back to  Him.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 

Romans 5:10 ESV 

It is not by own effort that we are saved or sustained. We also have the responsibility to live a life that is aligned with God, and yet it is not in our strength. 

At the time of this letter, hundreds of Christians had died and many had gone into hiding because the persecution had been so great. 

who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 1:5‭-‬7 ESV 

3. We should live with the conviction that our earthly life is all but temporal. 

The happy and sad moments are temporal. Our lives are seasonal but there are reasons we go through these seasons. It is up to us to search the reason and know the purpose. We should also remember that God will strengthen us to endure.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV