Please open your Bibles this evening to the Gospel according to Luke, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 12, Luke chapter 12, we'll take up the reading of Scripture at verse 35 and read through verse 48, our text this evening we'll pick up at verse 41, for those here for old years service you'll recognize the Scripture we're reading, we considered verses 35 to 38 last on that evening. We're going to pick up the remainder this evening. Hear now the word of God from the Gospel according to Luke. Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It would be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table, and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this, if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Peter asked, Lord, are you telling this parable to us or to everyone? The Lord answered, who then is the faithful and wise manager whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, My master is taking a long time in coming, and he then begins to beat the men servants and maid servants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready, or does not do what his master wants him, or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving of punishment will be beaten with few blows. For everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Here ends the reading of God's Word and we thank Him for it. Our text this evening, beginning in verse 41, comes on the heels of two parables that Jesus told in verses 35 to 40. Parables in which Jesus began to prepare his disciples for his departure, even more than his death, for his departure, for that time that he would go away. He wanted to prepare them that they would be aware and be diligent about serving him in his absence. Now that he's ascended to heaven, we as his disciples today, even as they were to do in that time, are to continue serving Jesus, watching and ready for him to return at any moment. He will come like a thief in the night, he says, at a time that we do not expect him, and therefore we are to live life with Christ at the threshold, just outside the door, ready to knock. At any time, ready to receive him, to welcome him, to show him our love for him. and with this expectation that Jesus gives to us, this commandment he gives to us to be ready, he attaches a promise of incredible blessing for those who are found watching and waiting when he comes. Now, the picture of that blessing in the two prior parables was about those who had served at the table being served at the table by their master. A picture that was a blessing beyond comprehension, magnificent beyond all measure. And the Lord will come and will give it, not out of gratitude, not out of obligation, but out of grace and love for His servants. And in response to Jesus' teaching, Peter raises a question in verse 41. He says, Lord, are you telling this parable to us or to everyone? To whom does this parable apply? It seems that Peter had understood the implications of Jesus' parable. If those found watching and ready would be blessed, well, then those who weren't watching and ready would not be blessed. And he wanted to know where to draw that line between those who would be blessed and those who would not. Now, it would be an easy distinction to draw, and one that we are prone to ourselves, to think that that line is between those who are among us, we'll be blessed, and those who are out there, them, they won't. To draw the line at the circle of the covenant community, to draw the line at the edge of the visible church. But Jesus had been speaking to them directly, so Peter has to ask, who's this for? Is this for us or for everyone? Is it possible that within the visible church that there will be this distinction between those who are found ready and blessed and those who are not ready and will not be blessed? That's the question. And if Jesus is talking to us who call ourselves disciples, is it possible that even among us within the visible church this distinction will be found? Jesus proceeds to answer Peter's question with another question. answering him indirectly by way of a parable to draw Peter in. See, Peter was standing at the wrong point of perspective. He was looking from himself out and seeing, where do I draw this line? Who's outside? And with this parable, Jesus draws Peter in to take heed to himself and to ask of himself, will I be found among those waiting and ready when the Lord returns? And by the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, Jesus leads each of us to hear this parable, all of us who claim to be his disciples and to take heed to ourselves and ask ourselves, am I to be counted among those who are watching and ready when Christ returns? And so in verses 42 through 48, Jesus gives a preview of the final judgment. He gives us the end game, the final picture against which we are to measure ourselves. And he does so by promising reward, by pledging retribution, and by preserving righteousness. In verses 42 and 43, Jesus reiterates and intensifies what he's already taught in the preceding parables. Promising reward. But he turns our attention from servants in general to a particular kind of servant called a steward. Translated manager in your NIV. Now a steward is a servant, but he's appointed to manage household responsibilities. And what he's given to manage and the manner in which he's to manage them are prescribed by his master. And he is given with that prescription the authorization to fulfill his master's will and only his master's will. And he is to perform these duties when the master is absent. He just takes his place. He runs those things for him while the master is away. And according to verse 42, the steward in this case was one whom the master put in charge of his servants to give them their food at the proper time. Not only did he have authority to manage other servants, he was responsible for their well-being. He was to manage their food. And by this narrowing of focus from servants in general to the steward in particular, Jesus was narrowing the focus from the disciples in general to Peter and the apostles. to those who were closest, to those who had been given authority within the church, who had been given positions of management and of provision in the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul would later write in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, speaking of himself and of all the apostles, he says, this is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. And in Colossians chapter 1, he said of himself, I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you. Paul certainly understood the distinction if he had been there with them that day. He would have understood immediately and I have to believe that Peter and the rest understood the distinction as well. And none of the apostles could avoid the question that Jesus posed to them. As stewards over the household of God, the apostles were appointed for the continuing care of the church in the absence of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory. And as we read in the form of installation and ordination this evening, on the Lord's behalf, they established three offices to carry on their stewardship. Therefore, Jesus' question puts the focus on these officers here today, just as it put the focus on the apostles on that day. And this focus is not set upon them to set them apart for special treatment. Just the opposite. It's to remind them and all the saints that no one is above or beyond what Jesus has to tell us here. No one has the king's ex. No one stands beyond the pale. Not even church officers. Not even apostles. And it also serves to highlight the truth that with greater knowledge and opportunity comes greater responsibility. as we'll see. Therefore, everyone will do well to take heed to this parable, certainly the officers of the church, but every member of the church, to take heed to yourself and consider your life, your faith, in this picture that Jesus will paint for us this evening. Jesus asked, who then is the faithful and wise manager? Well, he's the one whom the master finds doing his duty when he returns. he is found doing his master's will exercising oversight over the servants and caring for them the fact that he was found actively watching and ready reveals that he believed his master's promise that he was coming back that he was expecting him and that he was serving him according to his will therefore Jesus continues in verse 43 it will be good for that servant that steward is blessed as I explained on Thursday evening in one sense the master's return is its own reward servants even stewards who are exalted to a position of authority and responsibility who love their masters are blessed are happy when he comes back they've missed him they've longed for his return and upon his return they're delighted to see him they're blessed they're happy and if that's all there were that would be enough that would be enough because nothing more could be hoped for by a servant even a steward from his master not even stewards deserve gratitude nor did they earn reward for performing their duties but even so the master proceeds to bestow on this steward a reward that is all of grace neither earned neither merited Jesus says I tell you the truth this master will put the steward in charge of all his possessions. This promised reward is a magnified expression of that which the steward had already been doing. This steward will be rewarded in a manner that reflects the character of his service in the household of God, but to a much greater degree. It's amplified, it's expanded. There's a correspondence between what he was doing in this world and what will be rewarded in the next. He had been appointed over other servants, a particular and a temporary service. The master will appoint him to a greater service, to a greater appointment. He gets a promotion. He'll be appointed over all his possessions. Forever. Permanently. This promise illustrates what Jesus said in Luke chapter 16, whoever can be trusted with very little things can be trusted with much. And we see it applied here. Well, so far, more good news. Reinforcing and amplifying what Jesus had already taught. But now in verses 45 and 46, Jesus makes plain that he has thus far only alluded to what he has implied. As Jesus previews final judgment, he spins us around to face the bad news. pledging retribution to disobedient servants. He begins in verse 5, But suppose the servant, the same steward, does otherwise. Suppose he says to himself, My master is taking a long time in coming. Suppose the steward is a scoffer, as Peter would describe him in 2 Peter 3, scoffing and following after his own evil desires, saying to himself, where is this coming that he promised? Suppose his acceptance of his master's trust and promise of faithful and trustworthy service was only lip service. That he had no intention of serving his master's will or of watching and waiting for his return. Suppose he is what is called in the Bible a hypocrite, a charlatan, a fraud, pretending to be something, someone he is not in order to serve himself at his master's expense. Suppose this servant has no faith that he is in fact an unbeliever though serving in the house of God. Well, if so, it won't stay hidden forever because as Jesus said, no good tree bears bad fruit and no bad tree bears good fruit. Each tree will be known by its own fruit. And this unbelief will show itself. At first, the steward may think he's very clever. He can stop any time he wants. He can cover up his mess and he can get things in order. If, in fact, the master comes back, he has time. He can handle it. But as time goes on, sooner or later, he will give up the charade and he'll do what he pleases. Jesus continues. He then begins to beat the men servants and maid servants and to eat and drink and get drunk. He abuses his office. He abuses the other servants. He helps themselves to their food and he beats them up in the process. He's violent, destructive. He shows himself to be unfaithful and ultimately foolish. Peter, the apostles, church officers, and each one of us should now know the answer to Peter's question. He was speaking to us that it is possible that even among us within the visible church, the distinction will be found that some will not be about their master's business when Christ returns. In fact, it's not only possible, it is certain. As Jesus taught directly in Matthew chapter 7, beginning in verse 21. He says, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But only he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Now we know today what Peter didn't know that day. We know that among the twelve apostles there was just such a steward. A hypocrite. Pretending to be someone that he was not, who had not revealed his unbelief to the rest. No one suspected him. Even when Jesus announced at the Last Supper, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. No one knew who it was. But Judas Iscariot finally cast off all restraint and he betrayed his master with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver. And unfaithful stewards have continued to plague the church throughout our history. Paul called out the so-called super-apostles in 2 Corinthians. He called these men false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. That's pretty forthright. These were men who were in positions as stewards, who forsook their office to serve themselves. To such as these, Jesus pledges retribution when the master returns. He's picking up in verse 46. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. And what will he do? He will cut the unfaithful steward to pieces. Literally, he will saw him in half and assign him a place with the unbelievers. Now, before you tune out because this punishment seems too horrible, too cruel and unusual a punishment to be used as a picture of God's justice, you must remember that Jesus is telling a parable. And he's painting pictures with things that the disciples would recognize and know, with things from their experience, things from their knowledge base. And the phrase sawing in two very literally refers to a form of capital punishment known among the nations in those days, in fact, practiced by some of the wicked kings in Israel. Hebrews chapter 11 tells us that some prophets were martyred this way. They were sawn in two. So he's drawing a picture and bringing before them a picture of extreme capital punishment. The worst punishment. And just as the promised reward is a magnified expression of the faithful steward's management, he gets a promotion to like service in a grander way, so also the pledged retribution is a magnified expression of the unfaithful steward's violence. Worse of the same, this steward had sown the wind and will reap the whirlwind. This unfaithful and foolish steward will be judged like the unbeliever that he is and to the extreme. Well, Jesus has set before the disciples and all of us the stark contrast between these two extremes of the final judgment. And he closes his preview with the assurance that he will be preserving righteousness as he executes it. And by this I mean his final judgment will be completely just. Completely just. In the first sense it will be completely just because no one is exempt. There are no exits, there are no side doors, there are no king's exes, there are no excuses. Everyone will be filtered through this judgment. On the last day, all mankind will be divided into the two groups Jesus represents here. In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus said that he will sort out these two groups like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. On his right hand will be those he finds actively watching and ready, doing their master's will when he comes, like the faithful and wise steward. And to these he's promised reward. According to Matthew 25, he will say to them, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world. And on his left hand will be those who do not get ready. They do not do what the master wants, like the unfaithful and foolish manager. To these he has pledged retribution. And according to Matthew chapter 25, he will say to them, Depart from me, you who are cursed. Into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And between these two groups, a great divide will be established that cannot be crossed. Forever. And what is the standard by which Jesus will sort and divide these two groups? We must be careful here because this parable speaks much about obedience and faithfulness and doing and working. We would be wrong to understand that this divide is determined by how much we've done and how well we've done it. The basis for this divide stands at the root of that fruit. Whether it be good fruit or bad fruit, what's at the root is what separates the two from one another. Reward is promised to those who not only confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, but they believe in their hearts that God raised them from the dead. They know their sin and misery. They know they don't deserve this reward. They know that they could never earn it. But they know that Jesus Christ alone is satisfied for them. And out of gratitude they desire and they exert themselves to obey His will as they eagerly await his return. Those with faith in Christ are rewarded. The faithful and wise steward was active doing his master's will, watching and ready because he believed his master. When his master said, I'm coming home anytime and I expect you to be ready. And that servant was glad to be ready. Retribution. It's pledged to those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, even if they say so with their mouth. Like the unfaithful and foolish steward. Even when they're troubled by sin and misery, which they will be in this world, they trust in themselves to handle it and usually it's somebody else's fault anyway. I don't need a Savior. And they live without gratitude to God, living on their own terms with no concern for the will of God. The unfaithful and foolish steward was busy doing his own thing, following his own will with no concern for that of his master. He was not watching and ready because he did not believe the master when he said he was coming back. And in this he just betrayed his unbelief. So the line will be clearly drawn as clear as this aisle down the middle of this church. So don't take this personally when I do one side or the other. But it's going to be that clear. Those who have trusted in Christ will receive the reward and those who have denied Him will receive retribution. And that's how it will be forever. No mulligans. No do-overs. But until that day, or the day in which you die, whichever comes first, you can escape retribution and you can inherit reward as long as the Lord delays in coming. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the opportunity to find reward. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. He alone has earned the reward that is promised. He alone has taken upon himself the retribution that is due. And by his merits and his satisfaction, he gives to his people all that they need if they'll only trust in him to have done those things for them. And why is it so? Because God has so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, categorically not condemned. But whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. Today is the day of salvation. But this day of salvation will come to an end. final judgment will come because Jesus will come back. And when he comes, he will administer the final judgment with justice in another sense. Not only will everyone be encompassed, there will be no exceptions. Not only will it be crystal clear, be one or the other. Even within each of these groups, there will be justice administered. In verses 47 and 48, Jesus announces that distinctions will be made in regard to the degree of punishment when retribution comes. There will be degrees of punishment that unbelievers receive. He says there that that servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants, like this unfaithful steward, will be beaten with many blows. He's the extreme example. He's the ultimate example. And like him, all who deserve punishment for their unbelief will be punished. There will not be a pardon apart from faith in Christ. But he goes on, the one who does not know, that is, he does not know his father's will, his master's will, and does things that deserve punishment, he will be beaten with few blows. It won't be good for him, but it won't be as bad for him. See, no one will escape retribution apart from hearing and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. They will remain in their sin and they will be judged for it, but the punishment they receive will not be as severe as that received by the one who has heard the gospel and despised it. Why? Because, Jesus says in verse 48, from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. All that deserve retribution will be punished, but the punishment will fit the crime. It will be perfectly fitting. It will be just. It will be proportionate. And in the same way, all who have saving faith in Jesus Christ will be rewarded with eternal life. Life to its fullest, without the imperfections and disturbances of this life. life that is without end, that is always joyous, fully joyous, perfect, full in every sense. There will be no discontent in glory. But at the same time, there will be distinctions made with regard to the degree of reward each believer receives. Perfectly apportioned, justly administered, and always graciously. Because as the people of God know, there is nothing we can do to deserve whatever our master will give us. And we just have to look at the examples from Jesus' parables to see a glimpse of how this plays out. The reward of the servants who waited on tables is pictured by a glorious feast at which they're sat at tables, served by their master. There's a correspondence between the service they rendered and the reward that they receive. The reward of the steward who managed other servants is pictured by a magnificent promotion doing more management. But on a greater scale, there's a correspondence to what he did with what God will give him as his reward. These two classes, these two groups of people will receive distinct rewards, both of them gracious, both proportionate, and will be pleased for one another for the goodness that God has shown us in them. well Jesus has given us a preview of the final judgment pretty stark but he's done it for a purpose each of us here tonight who claims to be his disciple is to take heed to himself or to herself in light of the final judgment to come and you are to consider and see whether you are among those who are watching and ready for Christ's return and the place you start is to ask yourself do I trust in Christ alone for my salvation and if that is true for you the next question is does it show in how I live we're all sinners even those of us who trust in Christ and we ask that question does it show in how I live not always not perfectly but you can know that if your faith is in Christ alone the promised reward is yours and you can be in prayer to the God of your salvation to increase your desire and to make you more faithfully in your exertion to follow our Master's will every day as you wait for Him to come and to bring you home to glory. I pray that you receive this as the word of God to your encouragement, saints of God. And to your warning if you despise the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for Jesus' instruction to us about what is coming at the end of days. When our Master returns in glory to find and discover and expose the hearts of men. exposed in their service or lack thereof, exposed in their desires, whether pure or defiled. We pray, Lord, that as we contemplate the gospel of Jesus Christ, that He has merited the reward that we certainly ought to want. And He's paid the price, the retribution, which we justly deserve, Lord, that we would be grateful servants, Pleased and eager to be waiting for You. Looking to You for the strength that we need to fulfill the duties that You've showered upon us, whether they are hidden or prominent, whether they are everyday servants or stewards. We thank You, Father, that You will be gracious to us in the judgment for all who believe in Christ. Lord, we pray for those who have yet to believe the gospel, to believe that they need a Savior, that you would work in them a fear of the judgment to come, an awareness of the sin that mars them forever, that they would seek out the Savior, Jesus Christ, repent and believe, and be saved. We ask this for the sake of Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.