The lesson this morning is in
Luke chapter 12, verses 41 through 44. Because of Peter's anxious question to the
Lord, he sets before us two types of servants. An evil servant,
or a wicked servant, and a faithful servant. And I tried to include
them both in one lesson, and I just didn't have much success,
so I'm going to divide them up. So this week we'll talk about
a faithful and wise servant. Let's read these verses together.
Luke chapter 12, beginning with verse 41. Then Peter said unto
him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us? or even at all. And the Lord said, who then is
that faithful and wise steward? Who is this man I'm talking about?
Whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household to give them
their portion of meat in due season. Blessed is that servant
whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. of a truth
I say unto you that he will make him ruler over all that he hath."
Now Peter says what some of us have asked, having heard a message
with a little bite in it. Are you talking to me? Huh? Isn't that what he's saying?
Are you talking to us? Or are you just talking? Is this message particular or
just general? Who are you talking to? And I won't answer for the Lord,
but from my own perspective, I hope I'm talking to you. It was your faces I saw before
my eyes when I prepared the message. It was your names that I called
out to the Lord. as I prepared the message. And
your souls that I've been charged to watch over, I hope I'm talking
to you. And yes, He was talking to them. He's always talking to them,
whether He's talking about them or not. He's always talking to
them. And His teaching here actually
goes all the way through verse 48, but for time's sake, I'm
going to limit this to the faithful and wise servant. And may the
Lord himself, as he did on that day, be pleased to teach us these
things. When the Lord uses terms, ruler over his household, I believe
he's pointing these things concerning three specific offices. Number one, the ones that he
was talking to were apostles. He tells you who they are. We
studied that earlier in the Book of Luke. These men were apostles. What is an apostle? An apostle
holds the highest office in the church. Apostles have been done
away with. But an apostle was the highest
office in the church, and they were given as this last time is being established,
and local churches are being established, and there's no longer
that priesthood economy. We're under the New Testament
economy. And these apostles were chosen
at the beginning of the gospel age to establish these churches,
and then done away as the churches were established. And these men
were all given special gifts and evidence to validate their
calling in their office. They raised the dead. Do you
know, people brought their sick ones out and just laid them down
lest the shadow of Peter when he walked by would heal them.
They were given special gifts. There was no doubt about their
calling, no doubt about their office. You know, Catholics still
today, that's all that Pope is, is a pretend-to-be-apostle, and he's establishing the Word
of God, and he changes it every so many years, it changes, and
he said, no, that's not what it really meant, here's what
it means, and so on. There are no apostles, and these
apostles had signs, God gave them signs. Hebrews 2.4, God
also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and divers
miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will. They were not elected or appointed
to office by any means other than the personal calling of
God. And then the second office that he is referring to here
is evangelists. Evangelists are what our generation
calls missionaries. They're evangelists. The Bible
knows nothing about missionaries. It talks about evangelists. And
they carry the gospel unto new lands and places where there
are no churches. And then thirdly, and I think
most directly, this is what he's talking about, pastor teachers. This is whom he's addressing.
And it seems to me to be what our Lord is referring to, if
not altogether. And Brother Don made this statement
about pastors one time. He said, you may never be a pastor. You may never be chosen to be
a pastor. But if you're a believer, you'll
always need one until God takes you out of this world. Don't
ever get the idea you don't need a pastor. And if you'd be wise,
ask God to teach you what to expect from a pastor and how
to treat him and how to pray for him for the good of your
own souls. If this is the man God uses,
don't you want him to use it to the best of his ability? Well,
sure you do. And if these few verses, our
Lord describes those he has appointed over his household, and he gives
us four things about them to help us recognize them and their
calling. I may not get through all of
these this morning, but I'll get through as many as I can.
And as I said before, I pray the Lord will teach us these
things. The first thing our Lord tells us about these men is their
position. His servant is a man, he says,
who he has made ruler over his household. The kingdom of God
is so different, so different from the world. Religion has
nothing else to pattern their religion after except the world.
And that's why they have committees and councils and they vote and
they do this and they do that. They don't have a pattern. They
don't receive the instruction of God. Religion patterns their
government after the government or governments that they have
around them and they structure laws and rules and committees
and councils and they organize denominations and appoint representatives
of all the churches to serve and govern. Show me one example
of that anywhere in the scripture. The church of God is not a democracy,
it's a theocracy. God's at the head. Christ is
the head. And these things are just not
so in the kingdom of God. I remember Brother Mahan telling
a well-meaning believer one time who wanted him to form a type
of reformed church. And I'll never forget what Henry
said to him. He said, if you organize it,
you'll kill it. You'll kill it. That's not God's
way. And God appoints a man over a
local assembly, and he works not only in the heart of that
man to rule, but in the hearts of the people to obey. You show
me a church that has a pastor, and the people can't stand him,
and the pastor can't stand the people, and he's always, always
just whipping them, whipping them, every week whipping them.
And they go out the door, and they talk behind his back. That
man ain't no pastor. He ain't no pastor. If God calls
me to be a pastor, he's going to work in your heart the same
as he did in mine. If he works in my heart to love
you, he'll work in your heart to love me and obey me. Trust
me. See me as a man of God. If you
don't, what's the point in having him? You go out on the street
and get somebody. His rule is not a law-backed
rule. All religion, all of it, I don't
care what it is, is all law-backed religion. All of it. You do this
or else. No sir, his rule is a loving
and gracious rule. Turn with me to 1 Peter chapter
5. Well, if this man is a ruler
over God's church, then he's a dictator. No, sir, he ain't. He's not. Pastors are not dictators,
though they have full authority over God's house. Listen to this, 1 Peter 5, verse
1. The elders, that is the pastors,
which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness
of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory
that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God which is
among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly, not for filthy lucre or gain, but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being examples to the flock. A pastor is to take the oversight
of that assembly where God sent him and to see over it. That's
what an overseer does. He sees over it. He looks all
about them. He watches for their souls. He's
an overseer. And then secondly, he tells that
this oversight is not by constraint. That is, it's not by force. I couldn't force you to obey
me. How in the world could I do that? That's an impossibility. In Ezekiel 34, I want you to
listen to this. You don't have to turn over there.
But in Ezekiel 34, God addresses the shepherds of Israel, or under-shepherds,
rulers, And he tells them, the diseased have you not strengthened? Neither have you healed that
which was sick. Neither have you bound up that
which was broken. Neither have you brought again
that which was driven away. Neither have you sought that
which was lost. Now listen to this. But with
force and cruelty have you ruled. That's what he's telling us over
in Peter. It's not by constraint. Not by constraint. God's rule
is a rule. And this rule has to do with
a healthy fear of God. And I don't mean by that that
you tremble. I mean by that you understand
who He is. And it's established in the hearts
of His people. Paul said, I know your election
of God. These are Gentiles who heard
the gospel and were converted. And Paul tells them, I know your
election of God. How do you know their election
of God? Because they become followers of us and the Lord. Willingly. No constraint. And we take the
oversight, not by constraint, but willingly. When does a congregation
become willing in the day of God's power? They're not just
willing to receive Christ, they're willing to receive all of his
means. They're willing to receive his
rule, whatever it is. And the preaching of the gospel
is the power of God unto salvation. That's that power. And he said,
feed the flock of God, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly. Or in another sense, you might
apply it to the pastor, talking about Peter himself, not by constraint,
not forced to be there. Nobody forced me to come here. Or because a man can't do anything
else, that's what most people think preachers are, and they
might be right. In the broad sense, they can't
do anything else other than preach. No, sir. And it's not by being
influenced by friends or even friends of a religion trying
to gain favor. They come there willingly, both
of the will of God and by their own willingness. And these men
are ready to spend and be spent. They hold nothing back. Show
me a man who holds everything back, I'll show you a man not
called to God. He told these apostles when he
sent them out, he said, don't even take an extra coat. Don't
take a script. Don't pack your lunch. You don't
take anything. I'm sending you out and I'll
take care of you. I'll work in the hearts of those
who receive you and they'll feed you and clothe you and anything
you need, I'll give it to you. And not for filthy lucre, financial
gain, but of a ready mind. What's that mean? Ready to do
what his Lord opens the door for him to do? Ready to bear whatever burdens
are laid upon him? ready to give himself for the
ministry of Christ. His position is of the Lord. He put him there, and he can
take him out. We have examples of that in our
day, not too long ago. And then secondly, our Lord describes
his servants' work in Luke 12, 42. He says they are to give
them their portion of meat in due season. Believers are made meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of saints in might or enlightened
saints. God's enabled them to feed from
the gospel. He's enabled them to be comforted
by the gospel. Natural man's not able to do
that. He receives not the things of the Spirit of God. But his
people have been made meet. And their portion is the gospel
of Christ, which is, of course, His person. That's the portion. I'm to feed them their portion. What's that mean? That means
I need to get out of politics. I need to get out of the affairs
of this world. I need to drop everything else
and give them this one thing, their portion, which is the gospel. In Acts 20, 24, Paul summed up
his ministry to the Ephesian elders, and he said that he testified
the gospel of the grace of God. And having done so, he said,
Wherefore, I take you to record this day that I am pure from
the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare unto you
all the counsel of God. How did he do that? By preaching
the gospel. The gospel of the grace of God
and the person and work of Christ is what the flock of God eats,
and that's what they have an appetite for. When I was little,
we'd have chicken on Sundays. Oh, how I looked forward to that
fried chicken on Sundays, and mashed potatoes, and gravy, and
green beans. We'd have a big meal on Sunday,
and all my brothers and sisters that lived close would come over.
Great big meal. I looked forward to it. But every
now and then I got liver. Oh, I didn't like liver. And
I'd have to eat it. She'd always cut me off a little
piece, you know. You'll get where you like it.
I never did. And then she'd tell me about
the starving kids in China, and I said, please send it to them,
because I don't like it. But we'd get our portion. And
sometimes our portion is liver. He corrects. He reproves. Has a bite to it. Brother Mahan
told me one time, he said, I know you don't like these things.
But he said, the best thing to do with a bitter pill is swallow
it quick. Swallow it quick. Don't chew
on it. You can chew on the fried chicken
and mashed potatoes, but don't chew on the liver if you don't
like it. The gospel of the grace of God
and the person and work of Christ is what we have appetite for. But know this, by this gospel
men are taught doctrine, they are reproved, they are corrected,
and they are instructed in righteousness. All of these things are included
in the gospel. And if you do these things apart
from the gospel, you've ruined your hearers. You've destroyed
their motive. You destroyed how it glorifies
God. We do these things through the
gospel. And these things, he says, comes
in a season. When is the season? That's when
we assemble. That's the season. That's what
he's talking about. There's a time for all things,
but generally Speaking, he's talking about that designated
time of assembly. Wherever it is, whenever it is. There's a time to eat at God's
table. He says, come and dine. They
wasn't dining out in that boat, floating around on the lake.
No. And when they realized who it
was, and Peter yelled out, the Lord said, come and dine. It's
all ready. Come and eat. That's when the
saints assemble together. It's God's table. It's time to
eat. And let me tell you this. Be thankful that God has divided
for you a portion. Literally today, millions live
their lives with no meat at all. No gospel at all. No spirit. No pastor. No shepherd. No instruction,
no reproof. They sit under law and are miserable. He calls them blind leaders of
the blind. But the great shepherd of the
sheep, he feeds his sheep. Peter, do you love me? Feed my
sheep. Feed my lambs. And then the third
thing our Lord uses to describe his servants is their character.
Luke 12, 42 again. He calls him a faithful and wise
steward. A faithful man is a man who truly
believes and truly serves. He's faithful. Everything he
does is by faith. It's because of faith. It's an
outgrow of faith. His character is one that reflects
the character of his Lord. It's not his house. It's his
Lord's house. You think that servant, when
his Lord left, said, now I'm going to get my way. Oh, no. No, no. That man was chosen by
his Lord on purpose. On purpose. And that man, when
his Lord left, tried to run everything in that house just like his Lord
did. It was patterned after him. Not his house, but his master's
house, and his master requires him to have this character. Paul tells Timothy, be strong
in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Be strong, be strong have
in the grace, in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And he tells
them to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Hard
accusations. You're not going to preach this
gospel and not get hard accusations. I used to wonder when I was in
religion, I'd say things and nobody was upset. I'd preach
a message and nobody was irritated. But I'd go into scripture and
every time they'd preach, they'd take them out and stone them
or beat them to death. What's wrong with this? There's
something wrong with this. And I didn't know what it was
until I learned the truth. He that liveth godly in this
present word, what's he going to do? He's going to suffer.
What is he going to do? He's going to suffer. And you
got hard, hardness, hard accusations, hard times, hard situations,
and hard hearts. And what you tell him to do?
Endure hardness. Don't get upset. Don't get upset. But for the grace of God, there
goes I. So we endure it. And hold fast,
he said, that form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in
faith and in love, which is in Christ Jesus. Don't get entangled
in the affairs of this life, in politics, schools, and worldly
issues, and so on. And be ye kind one to another. Is that the character of our
Lord? All my soul. I tell you, Peter, I got no flesh in me. When Peter
talked back to the Lord, it's a wonder to me he didn't just
smack him in the mouth. He stuck his foot in his mouth
every other day. But you know what? The Lord was
kind to Peter. He said, Get thee behind me,
Satan." He knew what was wrong with Peter. And he said, Peter,
he said, Satan hath desired to sift thee like wheat. But he
said, I pray for you that your faith fail not. He was kind to
Peter. He'd been kind to me. So it shouldn't
be hard for me to be kind to you. Huh? Be kind one to another. Tenderhearted. forgiving one
another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Pastors
have a loving rule, a merciful rule, a gracious rule. And also
our Lord tells us he's wise. He's wise. Paul said God sent
him to preach the gospel not with wisdom of words, lest the
cross of Christ should be made of none effect, And then God
says right after that in 1 Corinthians 1, I'll destroy the wisdom of
the wise. He's not talking about this man
that he's appointed ruler over his house, this pastor, evangelist,
apostle, whatever he is. He's not saying that he's wise
in worldly wisdom. He's saying he's wise in the
things of God. He's wise. And here it says,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I'll bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent. Who's that? That's the guy with
all the answers. I'll destroy him. And then he
says this, you're so enamored with these wise men of the world,
where are they? Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of the world, their philosophers and so-called scientists, principals? My friend, God says in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. But it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believed. The wise servant's
not wise in his own conceits. That's another warning he gives
us. Be not wise in your own conceits. What's that? That's this. That's what that is. That's being
puffed up and proud. He's not wise in his own conceits,
but he's wise in the revelation of Christ. The wisdom of God's
revealed in Christ. What wisdom? How God can be just
and justify that sin. That's the wisdom of God. How
He can be righteous, righteous and forgive you your sins. That
takes the wisdom of God. Wisdom of God revealed in Christ
showing us the harmony of God's perfections. All God's perfections are active
at all times and in perfect harmony. And here's the indictment of
God toward this ungodly world. Professing themselves to be wise,
they become fools. And they change the glory of
the uncorruptible God into an image made like an incorruptible
man. If you listen to the preaching
of this day, it's all patterned after man. They try to imagine
God being like them. God's not like you. That's what
He said. You thought I was altogether
such one as yourself. He said, I'm going to reprove
you. I'm going to show you who I am. Oh, may the Lord teach
this poor servant to minister in His name and teach you how
to obey from the heart. That form of doctrine. Isn't
that what he said? You have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine. All right. Thank you.