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RR Luke 19:11-27  

"Wise Investing"     

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I believe that in the past few weeks that most of us have looked
at the world around us and wondered to ourselves what the events
taking place about us have to do with our understanding of
prophecy, and our expectant waiting for the Second Coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope that one reaction that you have had is to go to your
Bibles and look at the prophecies and teachings more carefully.

I am certain that while the economic aspects of what is going on
are what is on everyone's mind primarily, I am quite sure that
the economic troubles are just a smoke screen for the real
issues of the time.  

We as Adventists have always understood that spiritual issues
cannot be separated from financial issues in the last days.

And while that is becoming even more clear as the world careens
towards what many of us believe to be the last events of this
old world, Satan has hidden from us the fact that financial and
spiritual issues have always been connected.

One of the great tests of the world that we understand clearly
is that of giving God 1/7 of our time.

The other test is 2-fold.  God requires 1/10 of our income as a
sign of His authority and ownership.  He watches for offerings
beyond that to see how much we care for our fellow travelers on
this spinning planet.

Kind of sounds like the two great commandments, does it not? 
Love for God, and Love for man.

I believe that it is possible that God is going to give us just
a little more time to do His work.  Perhaps this is the last
warning to prepare for the end-time events.  It is also possible
that these events are the last drum-roll before it all falls
apart.

Regardless, we need to learn what it means to be faithful in our
finances.  And we can learn the hard way or God's way.

That is what the parable that we have today deals with.

And there is a lot more here than meets the eye.

A very similar parable is found in Matthew 25.  In face, I am
comfortible that they were the same parable, with some of the
details being remembered differently by the Bible writers.

 I have probably touched on this parable more times in my
ministry than any other.  The reasons are, as I look back,
these:  The parables of the talents have end-time implications. 
Both given in the context of the end times.  The parable in
Matthew after that grand end time chapter, Matthew 24.  In Luke
the parable comes after the trip to Jericho, in which Zacchaeus
was converted from loving money.  

As the introduction to the parable, we are told in 

Luke 19:11  Now as they heard these things, He spoke another
parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought
the kingdom of God would appear immediately.

If you were to walk from Jericho to Jerusalem, it would take
about 8 hours to cover the distance of 15 miles (24 km) and you
would climb about 3400 feet  Not counting breaks, the distance
could be walked in six and a half hours, if you were in
reasonable health. 

So they were not too far from Jerusalem.  But Jesus knew that
going to Jerusalem was an end time event for Him.  He knew what
waited for Him there.  This was to be His last trip up that
grade from Jericho to Jerusalem.

Jesus was anticipating his death.

The people were looking forward to Jesus setting up his kingdom.
 There was the expectancy that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, it
would be as a king.  And that part of their expectations was
fulfilled.  Jesus did come in as a king, riding on a colt.

But we are getting ahead of the story.

Jesus gives a parable.

A nobleman is going to recieve his kingdom.  This may reflect a
historic event.  For Archelaus received the kingdom of Judea by
the last will of his father, even though a previous will had
given it to his brother Antipas. He was proclaimed king by the
army, but would not assume the title until he had taken his
claims to Caesar Augustus in Rome. Before setting out, with the
utmost cruelty he put down a rebellion of the Pharisees, slaying
nearly three thousand of them.

When he was in Rome he was opposed by Antipas and by many of the
Jews, who feared his cruelty; but in 4 BC Augustus allotted to
him the greater part of the kingdom (Samaria, Judea, and Idumea)
with the title of ethnarch until 6 AD when Judaea was brought
under direct Roman rule 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Archelaus

All of the Jews would have been familiar with this story.  They
had lived it out.  And as Jesus spoke this parable, they could
clearly envision it.

Some of the noblemans' men were given an amount of money to
invest it for their master.  In Luke, 10 men were given 1 pound
or mina.  This is not a large sum of money.  It is rougly
equivalent to $16.00.  

In Matthew 3 men share a considerablely larger amount of money. 
And the difference besides the amount is that each person was
given according to their abilities.  The sums ranged from about
$10,000 down to about $2,000.

As we compare these, we see how the parables coordinate:  We all
are given the same amount of certain things.  Time, air to
breathe, a body.  And we are all given differing abilities as
God sees we are equipped to serve.

We are not to waste any of the gifts that we have been given,
whether they are large or small.

Whether rich or poor, how we respond to God is important.  And
that is the real issue of the parable.

That is why it is irrelevant whether the Luke version is more
accurate, or the Matthew version is more accurate.  Both deal
with the most fundamental issue of life:  How are we going to
relate to our Master while waiting for His return?

We have read the parable.

In Luke all 10 of the servants are given a certain amount to
invest for their master while he is on a dangerous journey. 
There are surrounded with people who would be very glad if the
nobleman would never come back.  He was not popular.  As people
listened to the parable, they knew that to invest for an
unpopular ruler put a great big X on your back.  If he did not
receive the kingdom, they would be first in line for a purging.  

The servants knew that, also.  But at least two of them boldly
did their best with the abilities that they had.  They bought
and sold, traded and invested, and increased the amount given to
them.  One of them increased the amount of money by 1,000%.  In
other words, he received $16.00 and returned $160.00.

A rather small amount.  BUT, a rather large increase.  

That's a pretty good return on the investment.

Even so, his aggressiveness on behalf of his master was rewarded
beyond his wildest imaginations.  He was made ruler over 10
cities.  He was trustworthy because he had stood up for his
master when things were difficult, and prospered.

Another of the servants came and produced an increase of 500%. 
The master responded as he had with the first, and rewarded the
man with 5 cities.

Then comes another and pulls his handkerchief out of his pocket
and presents the master with the one mina that he had received.

He said:  'For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You
collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'

More than that, if the truth were probably were known, he not
only feared his master, he disliked him, too.  Fear and hatred
are very often connected.

And he probably feared the enemies of the nobleman.  By
carefully taking care of the one mina that he had, he was
probably hoping to have it both ways.  To the enemies, he could
say:  "He gave me money to invest, but I would not do it.  See,
I really do not support him."

To the nobleman he could say:  "I was afraid that if I invested
your money I might lose it, so I kept it safely wrapped up right
here in my pocket where I could protect it all the time."

But things did not work out exactly as planned, because the
nobleman saw right through it, and responded according to the
situaiton.

Luke 19:22  "And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will
judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere
man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did
not sow.

23  'Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my
coming I might have collected it with interest?'

24  "And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him,
and give it to him who has ten minas.'

25  ("But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')

26  'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given;
and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken
away from him.

27  'But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me
to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"

Judgment is pronounced on those who labored against the nobleman.

And the Matthew account goes as far as for the nobleman to call
for the destruction of the unfaithful servant.

So once again we need to ask, "What does this parable have to
say to us today, living in a nation that has it's investments
swirling down the drain?

First, what are the treasures that God has for us now?

Psalm 119:162  I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great
treasure.

Proverbs 15:6  In the house of the righteous there is much
treasure,

Isaiah 33:5  The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has
filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

6  Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And
the strength of salvation; The fear of the LORD is His treasure.

Verse 6 is a little scarry, for there is little true wisdom or
knowledge in the world today, and we are certainly seeing
instablilty.  But OUR times, our home can find stability, and
the treasures of the Lord.

Second, how are we to react to the events that are going on
around us?

Luke 12:29  "And do not seek what you should eat or what you
should drink, nor have an anxious mind.

30  "For all these things the nations of the world seek after,
and your Father knows that you need these things.

31  "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be
added to you.

32  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33  "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money
bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does
not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.

34  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

35  "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;

36  "and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master,
when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and
knocks they may open to him immediately.

Matthew adds

Matthew 6:19  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;

20  "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in
and steal.

We are to live in anticipation of the wedding feast.  We are not
to hoard up treasures for ourselves.  We need to live lightly,
in preparation for the journey out of Egypt.  Think Passover. 
We should be storing our treasure in heaven.

While I never have expected to retire on this earth, my personal
retirement account has lost 1/3 of its value in the past 90
days.  I fully expect it to totally go down the drain.  But I
can rejoice in what I have been saving up in the kingdom of God.
 Because I have been investing in that retirement account for a
lot longer than my mutual fund.  And a lot more.  Yet as I think
about it, I need to be investing even more, for what I try to
keep down here is soon going to be valueless.

We are not seeking the same things that the world is seeking. 
If we make the wrong investment in regards to the kingdom, it
will not just be expensive, it will be deadly.

How is God going to deal with those whose investments are all
earthly?

James 5:1  Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries
that are coming upon you!

2  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.

3  Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will
be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You
have heaped up treasure in the last days.

4  Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which
you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers
have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

5  You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have
fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.

6  You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not
resist you.

In these verses James describes the evil of the times.  Then he
warns the Christian about end time living

7  Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter
rain.

8  You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of
the Lord is at hand.

So, Christian, be patient.  Invest generously and openly for
God.  Be not an obnoxious Christain, but an obvious one.  Let
your loyalties be known to all.  Put your treasure in heaven.
Let God sweat the details.  He has promised bread and water down
here.  And an eternal feast of food and fellowship in heaven.

Are we in the last throws of history?  I think so. But maybe
not.  Are we to be investing wisely for God right now. 
Absolutely.  Now and every day that we live until the Lord
returns.  AMEN?

Now, I want you to close your eyes for a minute.

Today I want to ask two questions for response.  If you want to
say, "Lord give me wisdom how to conduct my life for wise
investing of my resources, " would you raise your hand right now.

God bless.  Put your hands down now.

My second question is this for those who have never made Christ
their Lord: "Today, are you ready to give your life to the only
one that can take you through end times into the kingdom?"  If
that is what you would like to say right now, please raise your
hand.  

Pastor Laurie DeWitt