Sermon Tone Analysis

Prayer

Intro

Please open your Bibles with me to Luke 17. We'll read verses 5-10 as we continue our "Firm Foundation" series this morning.

We've been working through a series since the beginning of the month by looking at key foundational aspects in the life of an obedient follower of Christ.

So far, we have covered the disciplines of daily studies, developing disciples, and devoted giving.

Today we'll continue by studying "Dutiful Service."

Too often, we strive to do mainly the things that will get us noticed.

How often have you or someone you know done something that may not have been necessary but was deemed to be "good for your career" or considered helpful if you wanted a promotion?

Each of us has a job to do, and the employees that go "above and beyond" seem to be the ones who are handed the bigger bonuses or better promotions.

From a worldly perspective, this may be the way to success.

Is it what Scripture calls us to, however?

Should we focus on only the big, flashy, noticeable actions, or should we do everything, big and small, to the glory of God?

Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, believed Christians should do all things wholeheartedly, not just those actions that can be seen.

He reasoned, "As our Father makes many a flower to bloom unseen in the lonely desert, [let us] do all that we can do, as under His eye, though no other eye ever takes note of it."

As we consider the idea of dutiful service, we need to understand what our duty as followers of Christ is for.

Are we serving God as a means to earn something, or are we serving Him as slaves-or bondservants, having been bought with a price?

Today we will begin with a passage that may not be what we want to hear, but it will help us understand what we've been called to do.

Jesus tells us that we are to consider ourselves unworthy or unprofitable servants.

We will see that the discipline of dutiful service means that we understand our duty, and while we may be unprofitable, in a sense, we are, by no means, to be unproductive in our service.

With that said, let's look to the Word together.

Reading from Luke 17, beginning in verse 5:

**CHANGE SLIDE**-Scripture

Without context, this may seem to be a shocking passage.

Is Jesus saying that if you have a servant in your home, you are not to thank them but rather treat them as less than you, merely a hired hand?

Absolutely not.

We need to understand the context for this passage to make sense to us.

With the 17th chapter of His Gospel, Luke is wrapping up a section that involves the second mention of Jesus' trip to Jerusalem, which runs from chapter 13 through the middle of chapter 17.

Throughout this section of Scripture, Jesus taught through several parables as he instructed His disciples on issues involving discipleship, God's love, forgiveness, and servanthood.

Immediately preceding our central passage for today, Jesus explains that temptations will happen in this life, but we should beware of those who try to tempt others.

In this life, knowing the reality of living in a fallen world, we will face continual stumbling blocks.

It's inevitable, yet, those who entice and lead others to sin may face severe consequences.

As an example, Jesus tells His disciples that for the one who causes a little one (which can mean a child or a young believer or follower of Christ), it would be better that he have a millstone tied to his neck and thrown into the sea.

The understanding is that while drowning with a millstone tied to your neck is severe, the consequences may not be eternal.

Causing others to stumble and fall is seen to be significantly worse than dying by being thrown into the sea.

Right after this, Jesus says, "Pay attention to yourselves!

If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him."

This is not to say that forgiveness is only possible if there is repentance, but that you must forgive when there is repentance.

We are not required to analyze or investigate their repentance.

If the offending brother says, "I repent," then forgiveness is obligatory.

In Jewish culture at that time, extending forgiveness on three separate occasions to someone was considered honorable.

Yet, Jesus instructed His followers to go beyond the cultural standard and continue extending forgiveness.

The Disciple's response to this heavy teaching is found where we began our passage of study.

**CHANGE SLIDE**- "Increase our faith!"

"Increase our faith!"

Jesus gave the disciples a seemingly impossible task.

Forgive someone seven times a day?

How can anyone put up with being sinned against and yet forgive over and over?

This task was far beyond their abilities, and the disciples asked for help.

They asked for precisely the right thing: if they were to serve as Christ commanded, they would need greater faith to guide them.

We understand their struggle with his command, though.

It's hard to rebuke another person's sin but even harder to lead them to repentance.

That said, it's extremely difficult to turn and forgive them when they've hurt us.

It's nearly impossible to forgive, faithfully, someone who sins against you repeatedly, yet, Jesus commands us to take forgiveness to the extreme and forgive the unforgivable.

The disciples knew they would only be able to do what Jesus asked if He increased their faith.

And Jesus said, 'If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it will obey you.'

One commentary says, "Jesus is telling them that they already have enough faith to implement this.

He is not asking them to command trees to be uprooted and planted in the middle of the sea, although they could do that if they had just a tiny amount of real faith.

What he asked of them may be difficult, but it is not as difficult as moving trees.

The slightest bit of faith is all that is required to forgive people because if we understand anything about Christianity, we should understand forgiveness because we are by definition forgiven people."

The issue is not how much faith someone has but rather the reality and utilization of that faith.

If you have enough faith to be forgiven by Christ, you have enough faith to forgive others.

No person on this earth will ever be able to sin against you as often or as harshly as you've sinned against Christ.

To forgive others, we need to trust in our received forgiveness and rest in it.

Jesus then turned his teaching toward the work of a servant.

We're here to discuss dutiful service, but I wanted to get to the heart of His teaching on forgiveness because, as His servants, we have been called to be people marked by forgiveness.

Let's look not at His instruction concerning "unprofitable, or unworthy, servants."

**CHANGE SLIDE**-Unworthy Servants

Unworthy Servants

Again, Jesus said:

7 "Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'?

8 Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'?

9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?

10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

Regarding servants, in context, the word "unworthy" can also be translated as unprofitable.

In the sense that it is used here, it means:

Not useless, but having rendered no service beyond what was due.

"The profit does not begin until the servant goes beyond his obligation."

(Word Studies in the New Testament (Chapter 17))

Every follower of Christ is called to ministry.

We're called to see that all of the tasks of the kingdom take place—that the poor are ministered to, the gospel is proclaimed, the Word of God is taught, and worship takes place."

Each and every one of us is called to obey everything Christ has commanded us.

In other words, we are called to perfection.

This is why we cannot assume or believe that we somehow merit any justification from God.

We are incapable of going above and beyond in our service to the king.

We will never measure up to His demands, yet He loves us, forgives us, and continues to use us in His service.

The point Jesus was making here was that a slave, or servant, must fulfill his duty before he can attend to his own needs.

The servant does not expect his master to be grateful because, as a servant, he knows he is doing nothing more than what has been commanded.

The servant does not inquire about rights and privileges; instead, he understands obligations and responsibilities.

So it ought to be with us.

The apostle Paul was writing to the Corinthian church when he asked, "What do you have that you did not receive?

If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"

(1 Cor.

4:7b)

As Christians, we must remember that all our abilities, opportunities, and blessings come from God.

Therefore, we must remain humble and not boast; instead, we are to engage in dutiful service for His glory, knowing we cannot do more than He has commanded and cannot hope to earn any special standing with Him as a result of our works.

There is no room for boasting in the dutiful servant's life.

About this passage, R.C. Sproul is quoted as saying, "Remember, [God] commands us to be perfect, and we can't improve on perfection.

We can't even hope to reach that goal.

I have no "profit" of my own because I earn nothing by doing what I am required to do.

That's why our redemption is by grace and grace alone.