Morning Light – April 16th, 2018 – Luke 12 Part 2: Jesus speaks of stewardship and reward

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[Today: Luke 12 Part 2] In this portion of Luke 2 Jesus speaks of stewardship and reward in a context that is familiar to us but at the same time greatly undiscerned for its spiritual richness. He begins with observation about the things that a man treasures and the degree to which those priorities are always top of mind and in fact producing and radically impacting the character and quality of our lives.
[Luk 12:34-59 KJV] 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 35 Let your loins be girded about, and [your] lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find [them] so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. 41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? 42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom [his] lord shall make ruler over his household, to give [them their] portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes]. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. 49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! 51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. 55 And when [ye see] the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. 56 [Ye] hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? 57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, [as thou art] in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.
In part 2 of Luke 12 Jesus continues teaching to a great press of people resorting to Him in Galilee. In verse 34 He makes the statement in teaching about trusting God for everyday needs, that where a person’s treasure is there will there heart be also. This is another way of saying that you are where your attention takes you. Whatever you value will be uppermost in your mind, and conversely whatever is uppermost in your mind will be that which you value. For this reason the apostle Paul in the letter to the Colossians said:
Colossians 3:2 KJV [2] Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
What moves you emotionally is very close to your heart or your spirit, your inner man where God lives. What are the implications of this? Solomon declares in Proverbs 23:
Proverbs 4:23 KJVm[23] Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
If you don’t like what is in your life, change what is in your heart. Whatever is in your heart in abundance will be reflected and produced in your life. That is why giving to the gospel is so important because you are retraining your heart, your spirit to value, substantively value the things of God and in so doing the things of God will come in abundance in your heart, because of the value you place on them, and then begin to dominate your life and cause your life to conform to the standard of “as in heaven so on earth”.
This inner discipline is what Jesus in verse 35 calls “let your loins be girded about and your lights burning…” What Paul taught as girding your loins, the creative part of your human spirit with the word of God because whatever girds or encompasses your mind, your inner man will be produced in your life in abundance. When we execute this discipline we then become (v. 36) like men waiting for our lord … putting ourselves in a position to receive Him and receive FROM Him immediately. What this tells you is that you can not only randomly wait for but actually PROVOKE a SUDDENLY by following the counsel and implementing the discipline of life and heart Jesus is espousing in v. 34-37.
In verse 38 Jesus says in effect, when you learn this lesson of what is in your heart in abundance, that it does’nt matter whether you are in the first watch, or the second or third watch, you will be blessed because (v. 39) the thief cannot break through. What can the thief not break through? Go back to v. 34: the thief cannot break through the heart of the person who has set the kingdom as his treasure through the disciplines of spirit that will be reflected in your giving, your meditation and the narrative that you allow to dominate your heart. If you walk this path it is impossible to come to penury. You will incontroveribly be blessed because the law of God, the law of seed time and harvest is activated in your heart to produce highest heart’s desire and greatest dream fulfilled and is ratified by the actions you take in alms, giving and sowing into the kingdom in the various ways you are directed to do this. V. 40 sums this up by saying that this is how to “therefore be ready” for the suddenlies of God, not only the eventual return of Jesus in glory but the immediate manifestation of God in your life’s current situation. When v. 40 says be ready, Jesus is referring to what He has said in His immediate remarks, because you know not when Jesus is going to show up not just in the Parusia, the Rapture, but show up in your situation. You are ready by the disciplines reflected in His remarks in this chapter.
In verse 42 Jesus questions who is going to be a wise steward. Here again, the theme of stewardship, treasure, faithfulness. How could we read this passage and not get what Jesus is teaching us? In v. 43 we are to be found “so doing”. So doing what? What He calls for in His prior remarks, yes? In stewarding the treasure of your heart in like manner as Jesus describes, you then become (v. 44) RULER over all that our Lord has. What does it mean to be a ruler? The word “ruler” means one who is set and appointed over a thing to superintend and administrate.
In verse 45 we see the opposite of stewardship, and the heart of stewardship in the attitude “My Lord is delaying…” Have you ever accused God of delay? Have you ever asked God “how long…” This is territory in your heart that is very close to accusing, standing as an accuser against God. The person who says “God is delaying… their breakthrough, their answer…” will not walk the love walk but will beat their fellow servants and handmaids. This is done today and we call it good preaching! God says the person who cannot resist accusing Him of delay or malfeasance, or attributing to God that which God has no part in will be appointed the outcome of the unbelievers, being “cut asunder”. Have you ever felt like you were “coming apart”? Perhaps this is the insight of God and the answer, to exercise the disciplines of stewardship as Jesus lays them out in our chapter.
In verses 49-53 Jesus acquiesces to the fact that these things are divisive. If you are going to be the steward God calls you to be, members of your own household will not get it and will oppose you. What are you going to do about this? Retreat? No, we must press in!
Jesus concludes the teaching by suggesting to us that we look at the climate of our life and judge not what we accuse the hand of God in doing, but what our hearts, wherein are the issues of the life we are facing today have produce. The circumstance doesn’t tell you something about God it tells you something about yourself and the heart condition inwardly that is ruling your life outwardly.