Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be with you today, and I hope that everyone has had a good week so far. For those who read the blog in the United States, I would like to wish you all a happy Labor Day weekend.
I want to thank the Lord that my uncle and his family made it through the hurricane in Texas with no problems. Thank you for your prayers in this matter. We all need to continue to pray for those in Texas and elsewhere who have been and are being affected by this terrible storm.
While much of the world has been focused on the storms in Texas, there has been terrible flooding in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Over 1,000 people have lost their lives. Let us all pray for these folks that the flooding will stop and that they will receive the aid that they need to recover.
I would like to thank the Lord that I've had quite a lot of writing business. I am still wanting to find some additional work, and I ask that you would pray for me regarding this matter.
Please continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world. The war goes on and on in Afghanistan. Pray especially for this nation this week.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for the nations of Myanmar and Tunisia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus in these two countries and around the world.
We are rapidly approaching the end of our series on the parables of Jesus. We have only a handful of messages in that series left.
Today our focus will be on a parable Jesus told about the proper attitude of those who would serve Him. This parable is found only in Luke in chapter 17 verses 7 through 10.
As I begin today, I want to say that I find this to be a very difficult parable to understand. I have a way that I believe that it should be interpreted. You may disagree with my interpretation, and that is certainly your right. I do think that the overall point that Jesus is making in the parable is clear.
Jesus begins this parable by asking a question. He asked who among the people would say to their servant, "Come here immediately and take your place at table?" Instead, Jesus said that a master would have the servant prepare the master's meal and then the servant could get something for himself.
Jesus said that when we have done what is commanded we should say, "We are unprofitable servants, we have done what we were obliged to do."
So, here is what is difficult in this parable as far as I am concerned. First of all, this is not the way that Jesus would act Himself. Jesus said that He came to serve and not to be served. He also gave us the Golden Rule saying we should do unto others as we would have done unto us. Also, Jesus said that He no longer calls us servants, He calls us friends.
What I think Jesus is doing here is two things. First of all, Jesus is using an example of how things worked in the world that He lived in. This is the way masters and servants interacted. I am sure that He is not condoning it. I also do not think that He is downplaying the fact that the Lord is pleased when we follow His commandments.
Here is what I think is the important thing that Jesus is trying to teach in this parable. We are to follow those things that the Lord has commanded in His Word. There is no doubt about that. When we do this, we aren't to pat ourselves on the back and think about how good we are. We are just doing what we are supposed to do.
I think that Jesus is saying more than this. Just doing what you are supposed to do is what a servant does in interaction with a master. The servant does not go above and beyond because there is no reason to do that.
Jesus has called us friends, and we are His friends when out of hearts filled with love for Him we go above and beyond what we have to do in service for the Lord.
Let me try to illustrate this. Some people are known for their outstanding service to the Lord. They have given there entire lives to the service a Jesus because of their great love for Him. In this same way, Jesus calls us to go above and beyond to serve Him because we love Him.
Even then, we are to have humble hearts and realize that no one ever does all they can for the Lord. We can never do anything to earn His favor. Everything that we have comes by His grace.
This is what I understand this parable to be saying. Like I said, you may have a different understanding.
As I close the message I just had something that I wanted to discuss. Over the last couple of weeks, I've had a few comments in the sermons of what people might say were of a political nature. I think they were based on the moral teachings of Jesus. Some people were upset by what I said, and they don't want to read the blog now. I do not back away in any way from what I said. There is no place for racism in the church. It is against everything Jesus preached. Also, Jesus stood for the poor and the oppressed against the powerful and those who oppressed others. Jesus loved everyone, and He included everyone. I believe in these things with all of my heart.
Right now in my country, many evangelical leaders are standing up for the powerful against the powerless. They are not standing as Jesus stood on the side of the poor and the oppressed. I won't do this even if no one ever reads the Weekend Sermon again.
I do thank all of you who have read the blog over the years. I will keep posting messages about the Lord Jesus and what I believe He preached and stood for. I hope that you will join me.
Next week, we will continue with our series of messages on the parables of Jesus. I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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