Luke 12:45-48

Luke chapter 12, I want to begin reading with verse 42 and read through verse 48. Our focus this morning is on verses 45 to 48. 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? blessed is that servant whom is Lord when he cometh shall find him so doing of a truth I say unto you that he will make him ruler over all that he have but and if that servant saying his heart my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to beat the men’s servants and maidens and to eat and drink and be drunken, the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 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. 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. God blessed to us his sacred and holy word this morning. Mexican jails are not known for their tidiness nor their cleanliness. Years ago, shortly after having taken office, the then president of Mexico, Louis Echeveria, decided to do something about Mexican jails, and he would make unexpected visits to them. midnight just to see what was happening. Well, he found the guards away from their posts, the prisoners not being properly taken care of, and other discrepancies between what should be happening and what was actually happening, the reality. So the president proceeded to fire people and try to clean up the system. When Jesus Christ put stewards in charge. charge of his church, he expects them to faithfully carry out their duty. But sadly, unfaithful ministers often occupy the office and abuse their authority, which is what Jesus is talking about in the latter verses here of this section I’ve read. When Christ unexpectedly returns, he’s going to catch these unfaithful men off guard and they will be cast into the lake of fire. You’ll cut them and sunder and then punish them severely. For knowing their duty and deliberately and deliberately disobeying it and not fulfilling their duty puts them in a position in which they will be treated harshly by the Lord. They’re doing what they pleased to do instead of what Christ has given ministers to do. Last week we spoke on faithful ministers and the reward. And today we see Jesus talking about unfaithful ministers and their punishment. So let me start with the marks of an unfaithful minister here from verse 45. But and if that servant is saying in his heart, my Lord, delay us, is coming and shall begin to beat the men’s servants and maidens and to eat and drink and be drunken now the cause of their wicked behavior we need to consider now the first thing it’s interesting to note here is Jesus knows what you say in your heart they may not say it out loud they may not say it publicly but what they are thinking in their heart Jesus Christ knows and that’s what we see here and they say in their heart by Lord Delayeth is coming the unfaithful minister thinks Christ is not coming back any time soon and therefore concludes well he may never come back and I think he’s thinking along the lines of what we read in the book of 2nd Peter 3 Where is the promises of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. Nothing’s happening. Scripture clearly teaches that Christ can read the thoughts and intense of men’s hearts. And so he tells us here exactly what they’re thinking and what it leads to. all the churches shall know that I am he that searches the reins the inner man and hearts Revelation 2 verse 23 you should never think you could keep anything secret from the Lord it’s impossible so Christ knows what you say in your heart now any perceived delay in Christ coming is greatly abused by the wicked ministers here. When Christ’s coming is looked upon as doubtful or at an immense distance, the hearts of men, the sons of men are fully said and then the do evil. And that’s what we find here in this text of Scripture. In Ezekiel’s day, the rebellious house of Israel refused to heed God message through the prophet why here’s what they said the vision that he seeeth is for many days to come he prophesied of times that are far off Zechal 1227 ah that’s not for us that’s a long time off do you remember what happened to Israel when Moses tarried up on the Mount when he was getting the law from the Lord. What happened? We what not is become a him. Therefore they declared, up, let us make us gods, and they began to worship the golden calf. Now Moses was the mediator, just like Christ is the mediator. And a similar thing is if Christ, if you don’t see Christ coming back and you’re thinking, eh, he’s not going to come back. And so, so they get that attitude. So the cause of their wicked behavior is this idea that, well, Lord delays is coming. He’s not going to bother us. He’s not going to trouble us. Now, the specifics of their wicked behavior, two things are mentioned here. First, persecution of God’s people. Shall begin to beat the men’s servants and the maidens. Now, those who are stewards of God’s house, and remember we said the stewards were pastors or preachers, Titus I 17, for a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God. God’s house is, of course, the church. They look upon the other servants of God, and because they are fellow servants, they began to smite them. In fact, Matthew says, he began to smite his fellow servants. Ministers are forbidden to lord it over God’s people who are also serving Jesus Christ. Jesus called his disciples unto him and said to them at one point, you know that the princes of the Gentiles exercised dominion over them and they are they are great they that are great exercise authority upon them. but it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister and whosoever will be chief among you, let them be your servant. But wicked ministers are always ready to abuse their position, and they use the authority they think they have from Christ to do so. I find it interesting in connection with this passage of scripture that in the Song of Solomon in Chapter 5, that the bride goes out looking for Christ and is terribly abused by the watchman. You remember that? Passage. The watchman that went about the city. The watchmen are the pastors. the elders who are supposedly taking care of the church. They found me, they smote me, they wounded me. The keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. Song of Solomon Chapter 5, verse 7, fits right in with what he’s talking about here. They abuse the true people of God. And that’s what they do. Stewards of God’s house or look upon other servants as Christ’s fellow servants. Now, it’s not unusual to find evil ministers abusing those under their authority. Look with me at Jeremiah 23, verses 1 to 4. Jeremiah 23 and verses 1 to 4. This is an old problem. This is not a new problem. Woe the under the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, said the Lord. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people, ye have scattered my flock and driven them away, have not visited them. Behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doing, said the Lord, and I will gather. the remnant of my flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them and will bring them again to their folds and they shall be fruitful and increase and I will set up shepherds over them which will feed them and they shall fear no more nor be dismayed neither shall they be lacking said the Lord so we see that this has been a problem for quite some time and Jesus emphasizes it here. Now, when we talk about smiting, there’s a couple of things we should mention. One, there is the thing about smiting with the tongue. The Bible uses that come, let us smite him, speaking of Jeremiah, with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words Jeremiah 1818. To attack his reputation to put upon him a bad character so that no one will listen to what he has to say. To throw enough mud on him that no one will pay attention to it and ruin his good name. He’s a danger to the country. He’s a troublemaker. And so this is the problem. So the scourge of the tongue will give stinging lashes to people. The book of Job declares it a great mercy to be hid from the scourge of the tongue, Job 521. You can smite with the tongue, but you can also smite with the hand. When Jesus was brought to trial in Luke chapter 22, verses 63 and 64, we read in the men that helped Jesus mocked him and smote him, and they struck him on them. the face. Remember what Jesus said, if I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, but if well, why smiteest thou me? Remember Paul, when he stood before the high priest, Ananias, we find the high priest commanded them that stood by Paul to smite him on the mouth, Acts 23-2. Smack on the mouth, shut him up. Jeremiah in chapter 20 and verse 2 then pastor smoked Jeremiah the prophet and put him in stocks. In all these three cases, it was always the religious leaders that were doing this. They were abusing the true people of God. So the steward mistreats God’s people under the guise of his, you know, of the master’s authority. Yea, the time will come that whosoever killeth you will think he doeth God’s service. Jesus once said, John 16, verse 2. So we see the persecution of God’s people. We see secondly here the profaneness of these unbelieving ministers, to eat and drink and be drunken. He has close fellowship. with them who are the worst kind of sinners. He associates with them. And he’s like them. He walks according to their counsel. He approves their ways. He sings their songs and enjoys sharing in their wickedness. Now when he says here that he eats and drinks, this is not just regular eating of a meal. This is excess. and to drink here shows and be drunk is excess as well. This minister likes the sinners, you see. Drunkenness is a great wickedness. Those who are addicted to drink are never self-controlled. They’re never temperate. And they’re unfit for office. Because if you read the scriptures, you’re not to be given to wine. you become a slave to alcohol and it becomes the doorway to all kinds of sins because your inhibitions are weakened when you’re drinking. Scripture plainly says no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God 1 Corinthians 610. These men are not going to heaven. We can be sure of that. So the persecutors of God’s people have commonly been been immoral men. They delight in harming the people of God. These stewards over God’s house may be eloquent. They may be gifted in their speech, but their wicked lives spoil everything. They are wells without water. They are clouds carried with a tempest to whom the midst of darkness is reserved forever is, 2. Peter 2.17 tells us. They are trees whose fruit is withered without fruit, twice dead plucked up by the roots, as Jude tells us in verse 12. So these are the marks of the unfaithful ministry. We see the cause of this wicked behavior is he doesn’t believe Christ is going to return anytime soon. And the specifics of his behavior have to do his mistreatment of God’s people and his drunkenness is wickedness in that direction. Now the doom of the unfaithful minister is founded verse 46. The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and an hour when he’s not aware and will cut him in sunder and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. We see the surprise. that will accompany the doom of these men. The master of the house is going to return, and he’s going to catch them off guard. They must give an account to the chief shepherd, Jesus Christ himself. Being a minister or teacher brings you under greater scrutiny and a more harsh judgment by the Lord. So you’re putting off thoughts of Christ coming doesn’t mean that he’s not going to come. The unbelief of men cannot make God’s promise about Christ’s return of no effect. So Christ’s coming will be a dreadful surprise and catch these people off guard. They’ll be caught red-handed in these evil actions that they’re taking. They’ve cast off God’s word, they’ve hardened their own consciences, and they banish any thought of standing before Christ as the judge, and therefore they’re going to stand guilty before the bar of justice, and they’ll be without excuse. So the cries that will accompany his doom, the severity of his doom, death caught him in sunder, This word sunder here means the you in pieces, cut up in pieces. Sort of like Samuel when he slew Agag the king. He needs to cut down as a tree cut down that cumberth the ground, something of that cumbers the ground, something of that nature. The Lord will cut him off from the land of the living. In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Second, Thessalonians 1, 8, and 9. The Lord is going to separate him from the congregation of a righteous. You know, in the law, the soul that was evil was cut off from the people. of God. And so here we have that same situation. So death. And then there’s damnation. For he says here he’s going to appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. Because he’s an an unbeliever. There is a place of everlasting misery in the next world. The unbelieving shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death, Revelation 21. 8. My friends, you get placed under God’s indignation and wrath. This is the portion of a wicked man that comes from God. Hell is the proper place for hypocrites. And Matthew’s Gospel says he’s going to appoint them a place with the hypocrites. So he looks upon them as hypocritical. They pretend to be God’s servants when actually they’re wicked men. And Luke’s gospel calls him unbelievers. Wicked ministers are going to have their portion with the worst of sinners and they earned it. So the doom of an unfaithful minister. Now thirdly, the aggravation of the sin and punishment of an unfaithful minister is found in verses 47 and 48. 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 but he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes for unto whom soever much is given of him shall be much required and to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the more. Ignorance of your duty lessens the seriousness of the seriousness of the sin. As verse 48 tells us. Now, James seems to be alluding here to what is stated in the law of God. There are what we call sins of ignorance and there are also deliberate sins. Let me give you an example of a sin of ignorance. When Paul stood before the high priest Ananias, he spoke against him because he called him a whited wall. Why are you hitting me and smiting me? They’re going to speak this way against the high priest? He said, I didn’t realize that he was the high priest. And the scripture says I shouldn’t do that. So in ignorance, he spoke against this man and he realized I did the wrong thing and mentions it there. Jesus seems to be alluding though to that idea of sins of ignorance and deliberate sins. If a soul committed trespass and sin through ignorance in the holy things of the Lord, Leviticus 515, he gets treated differently. For ye shall have one law for him that sineth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel and for the stranger, the foreigner, that sojourneth among them. Treat them the same. But the soul that doeth ought presumptiously, the deliberate sinner, whether he be born in the land or a stranger, the same has reproached the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from among his people, Deuteronomy 15, 29, and 30. No degree of ignorance make you entirely guiltless. You’re still doing wrong. But while it’s considered a sin, God takes into account you did it ignorantly. The punishment, therefore, is lessened for those who sin through ignorance of God’s law. Your ignorance is part of sin, however, and you should know better is the point that we’ll make here. Now, let me just say, for example, it’s very possible for you today to accidentally marry someone closer related to you than you realize and violate God’s law of Leviticus 18. But you should be more careful in investigating these things. Well, with all the marriages and divorces and everything else, it’s possible that that could happen. In our society, things can get very confused. The law also speaks about the number of stripes given to someone who does what is evil in God’s sight, and it’s based upon the nature of the crime. But it must not be more than 40 stripes according to the law of God. That means if maybe you did something in ignorance and you weren’t aware, you could get beat with 10 or 20 stripes. But if you deliberately did it, either going to get cut off, or if it’s a lot of it, or if it’s not It’s a sin that you wouldn’t get you cut off. At least it would be something, it would be a maximum amount of stripes. Usually 39 minus one. They were always careful not to overdo it. So those guilty of lesser crimes got lesser punishment as decided by the judge. And the Lord seeming to indicate to us here that he, as the judge, will do a similar thing. if you sin through ignorance, you’re guilty of sin, but it does lessen the severity of the punishment. But the knowledge of your duty is an aggravation of your sin. And that’s the problem with these ministers. If you know the Lord’s will and you do your own will, you deliberately disobey God, then he says you’re going to get beaten with many strikes. God will justly inflict. more punishment upon you. And I have always taken this in the sense of not just in this life, but we should look at this as there are degrees of punishment in hell, depending on the nature of our sin. And if we defy the knowledge of God’s will that we possess, we’re going to be held accountable. To whomsoever ever much is given. given by way of spiritual knowledge of him, much shall be required by God. Now, the lesson taught here has wide application and certainly goes beyond that of the minister. Every Christian should give attention to Christ’s teaching and expect God to to treat you in like manner. You have the scriptures at your disposal. And there’s Therefore your judgment will be far more strict than he than, let’s say, in some foreign area, Africa or maybe South America somewhere, who has never even seen a Bible. There’s a difference between the two. You who sit under sound teaching from a faithful minister certainly are more accountable than those who sit in the Roman Catholic Church and don’t have any clue. really about the truth of God. A child that’s been raised in a Christian home and taught the word of God from their youth up and hear sincere prayer, you’re far more blameworthy if you sin than someone who is raised in a worldling’s home. So you’re always going to be judged according to the light of the knowledge of God’s word that you have. And we should never forget this. So ask yourself, what am I doing with the biblical knowledge that God has given me? Are you using it wisely for a good purpose? Like speaking to others about God’s truth? Are you chaining up your children using the biblical principles you’ve learned? Make sure your scriptural knowledge is put to use. and the light you are given is followed. Otherwise, you come under condemnation for it. And that’s what the scripture says. There’s an aggravation of sin and punishment for the unfaithful minister who ought to know about her. Well, the president of Mexico, trying to improve Mexican jails, began those surprise visits and firing guards and wardens who were not doing their job properly. When Christ suddenly, comes, unfaithful ministers will be held accountable for their failure to properly carry out the duties of the office. Christ is not going to excuse them. And there are many men who are in the ministry that have much to answer for as they stand before the Lord. Well, let’s close with a word of prayer.