IN THE WORD DAILY
with Brother Rick
Luke 12: 47, 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.
V- 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 will they ask the more.
In this text, Jesus teaches a
lesson that is unpopular in the religious circles. Religion has come to a place
where nothing is sacred, the scriptures are not considered holy, God's house
has become a social gathering place and the responsibilities of running the
Christian race and performing the work of the church lies squarely on the
shoulders of a few. But Jesus contradicts our way of thinking. Until the time
of Jesus, that was the way God set it up. God put priests in the office and
they went to God for the people. The responsibility of knowing the law and
communicating it to the people, was in their hands. But Jesus fulfilled the law
and opened the door for all believers to know the law of God and follow it.
Yes, you can know just as much about God's word than the Bible scholar with the
PHD. You can know about the God that you serve, and Jesus opened the door not
only for you to know about him, but you can know him. Galatians 4: 8, 9 says, “Howbeit
then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no
gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how
turn ye again to the beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in
bondage?” I'm glad I know him this morning. But even greater than that;
I'm glad he knows me!!!
Here's where the rubber meets
the road. Now that you know him, what are you going to do with him? We have a
duty to walk as he walked, talked as he talked, and do as he did. There is a
reckoning day coming, and we will be judged, of course, by his words. And we
will also be judged according to the riches of the free gift that we have been
given. Has God given you anything? Anything at all? Has God taught you
anything since you believed? If so, you are accountable to be a good steward
with the gift. 2 Corinthians 4: 2 says, “Moreover it is required in
stewards, that a man be found faithful.” God has given us his Son. What
will you do with him? God has given us salvation. What will you do with it? God
has given us love, joy, and peace in the Lord. How will you transfer these
graces into the lives of others? God has given us power from on high to reject
this world's system and live holy lives. Have you used the power yet? It's hard
to tell these days who is Christian and who is of the world. We are to be in
the world, not of the world.
The text lays the fruit of
our salvation at our feet, not the feet of the preacher, not the feet of the
deacons, not the feet of paw paw, and maw maw. We are responsible for the gift
we have been given. Today's religious crowd wants a Christianity that costs
them nothing. We serve when its convenient. We tithe when we have it. We pray
when no one is looking. We worship to stir the flesh. We study as if we're
terrified of the Bible. We bebop into God's house like we would a night club or
a ball game with no reverence to the God of the Bible. We will all stand in
judgment over this complacent, carnal attitude into which we have evolved. You
and I will not by-pass the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5: 10 says, “For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad.” I'm here to tell you this morning, that you have been
given much, and God will require it at your hands. God will be looking for
fruit. God will be looking for gain. God will be looking for service. God will
be looking for faithfulness. God will be looking for evidence that you are a
new creature in Christ. Are you a new creature in Christ? Are old things passed
away, and have all things become new? Friend, there is more to being a
Christian, than just sitting on the pew, and singing in the choir. There is a
price to be paid. Jesus paid a debt he didn't owe, because we owed a debt we
couldn't pay. WE OWE HIM!!!
I think its time we counted
the cost and started pulling our weight. How about you?
