WE WILL NOT HAVE THIS MAN TO REIGN OVER US

Text: LUKE 19:11-28

INTRODUCTION:

1.     In our text this morning, our Lord is approaching Jerusalem (19:11; cf. 19:28).  The disciples knew something big would soon be happening and they thought, “that the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (19:11b).

2.     They were right about something big about to happen, but wrong about the timing of the kingdom.  There had to be the cross before the crown.

3.     Our Lord would soon be crucified, and the kingdom of God would be postponed.  The kingdom will not be established until the second coming of Christ.

4.     This is something the apostles did not understand (cf. Acts 1:6-11).

5.     To illustrate all of this our Lord gave the parable of the ten pounds  (19:11; also “He said therefore…” (19:12).

6.     In this parable, our Lord likens Himself to a certain nobleman who had gone “into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom” (19:12).  Our Lord was returning to God the Father up in heaven.  During His absence He would confer a responsibility on His servants (that is you and me).

7.     Our text starts off in Luke 19:11 with, “And as they heard these things…” What things?  “These things” would include repentance and restitution (19:8) and salvation (19:9, 10).

8.     We are to “occupy” until Christ returns (Luke 19:12, 13).  We do not know when our Lord will return but we do know that it could be at any time.  In the meantime we are to keep busy serving till He does come back.

9.     This means we are to be busy soulwinning (Matthew 28:18-20).

10. We must be busy supporting missions (Acts 1:8).

11.There is plenty for us to do.  Our Lord said, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13).

I. INTERPRETATION OF THE PARABLE

1.     This “certain nobleman” (19:12) represents our Lord. He anticipated an extended absence.  He was going “into a far country” (19:12).  But he promised to return (19:12 - “and to return,” and 19:13 - “till I come,” and 19:15a).

2.     It seems to us that our Lord has been gone a long time (II Peter 3:3-9).  Second Peter 3:8 says, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

3.     So from our Lord’s perspective, He has only been gone about two days.

4.     Since this nobleman anticipated being gone for some time, he called his ten servants and gave to each one a pound.  A pound was approximately three months wages - a considerable amount of money (19:13).

5.     The nobleman’s instructions were very clear - “Occupy till I come” (19:13).

6.     These servants were held responsible as stewards for the use of money entrusted to them.  The application is simple.  As Christians we too are stewards.  First Corinthians 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

7.     Our Lord has gone back into heaven and soon He will return.  In the meantime we know what we have to do. Our orders are easy to understand: “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13).

8.     What does it mean to “occupy”?  Unfortunately, some Christians think it means, “to sleep.”  They say, “I’ll just occupy this couch till Jesus comes back” (cf. Mark 13:34-37).

9.     The apostle Paul says in Romans 13:11, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

10. Back when the King James Bible was translated, the word “occupy” meant to “trade” (cf. 19:15b).  Vincent’s Word Studies says, “The word occupy has lost the sense which it conveyed to the makers of the Authorized Version - that of using or laying out what is possessed.  An occupier formerly meant a trader.  Occupy, in the sense of to use, occurs in Judges 16:11.”

11. In Judges 16:11, Samson says to Delilah, “If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied (used), then shall I be weak, and be as another man.”

12. “To occupy” means to do business.   Queen Victoria called one of her noblemen and told him she needed to send him overseas on an urgent mission.  He told the queen that he could not go because he had important business to attend to.  The queen said, “You take care of my business and I’ll take care of your business.”

13. “To occupy” means to do business.  Our business is winning souls, baptizing them, discipling them, and sending the Gospel out all over the world.

14. We must remember, and we must obey the last words our Lord said before He ascended into heaven (Matthew 28:18-20).

15. So if “occupy” means to do business, then this nobleman was saying to his servants, “Put my money (the ten pounds) to work,” by either investing the money or by purchasing goods and selling them for a profit.

16. The idea is that they were to give back to their master more than what he had given to them (cf. Luke 19:15-19).

17. Now that we have a good understanding what “occupy” means, let us consider the significance of the ten pounds.  I do believe that there is no one here today without a pound.

18. This parable should not be confused with the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30).  In that parable, one servant received five talents, another received two, and another one received one talent - “to every man according to his several ability” (Matt. 25:15).

19. But here in the parable of the ten pounds, it is equal opportunity for all.  Each person who serves Christ has, in one sense, the same thing - one life to live for Him.

20. “‘Tis one short life, twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

21. You have your pound and I have mine. Now what are we going to do with it?

22. “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15, 16).

23. Are you walking circumspectly?  Are you redeeming the time?  What are you doing with your pound?  Are you occupying till Jesus comes back?

24. The pound is a deposit - it is the Gospel.  “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak” (I Thess. 2:4).

25. “According to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust” (I Tim. 1:11). 

26. Our business in this world is to proclaim the Gospel.  Our business is the Lord’s business, and He says that it is not His will “that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).

27. If we do what God wants us to do, He will bless us.  And He will give the increase.  Notice the servants said, “Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds” (19:16) and, “Thy pound hath gained five pounds” (19:18).

28. In verse 20, we see that one of the servants did not occupy.  He hid his pound in a napkin.  Too many Christians are like this servant - hiding their pound in a napkin instead of going out and using it.

29. The servant who did not obey His lord is called a “wicked servant” and He is punished (19:20-22).

II. WHY DO PEOPLE HATE JESUS?

1.     Luke 19:14 says, “But his citizens hated him…” (Cf. Luke 22:63-65).

2.     For nearly 2,000 years now people have been saying, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (19:14). 

3.     In John 19:15 we read that the chief priests cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him.”

4.     Pontius Pilate saith unto them, “Shall I crucify your King?” They answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

5.     “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). 

6.     Why do sinners hate Jesus?   The Lord Jesus Christ is not welcome in our government; He is not welcome in the public schools; He is not welcome in the universities; He is not welcome in the entertainment industry, in the newspapers, on television, etc.

7.     He is certainly not welcome in politics.  When politicians like President Bush or Governor Palin publicly professes faith in Christ, they are strongly criticized and mocked and hated.

8.     Oh, it is OK to be religious.  But to be genuinely saved is another story. 

9.     “But his citizens hated him…” (19:14).  And it is still the same today - “We will not have this man to reign over us” (19:14; cf. Psalm 2).

10. Why do sinners hate Jesus?  Because Jesus gives the true testimony of what this world is like.  And they resent Him for that.

11. They hate Jesus because our Lord demonstrates that the works of this world system are evil.  

12. They hate Jesus because of His exclusive claims.  Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

13. John 3:18-20 says, “He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because He hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

14. John 3:36 says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

15. The world hates the Word of God.

16. They hate Jesus because He shames this world because of His purity of life.

17. On Sunday, November 9, 2008 thirty homosexual activists staged a surprise attack in the Mount Hope Church (a large Assemblies of God congregation) in Lansing, Michigan.

18. They sat quietly through the song service and announcements, and then launched a coordinated and disgusting attack on the congregation.

19. The attackers were a part of a liberal organization known as “Bash Back Lansing” and their website called on perverts from across the state and the region to converge on Lansing for what they referred to as an “action.”

20. Their website declared, “I can tell you that we are targeting a well-known anti-queer, anti-choice radical right wing establishment.”

21. In other words, Mount Hope Church was chosen for the attack because they are opposed to abortion and so-called “gay marriage.”

22. Therefore, they were denounced as a “radical right wing establishment,” and over 30 demonstrators showed up wearing secret-service style earpieces and microphones.

23. They sat quietly during the service until they received the “go” signal from their ringleader.

24. The pastor had just finished praying when men and women stood up in pockets across the congregation, on the main floor, and in the balcony. They shouted, “Jesus was a homo,” among other profanities and blasphemies as they rushed the platform.

25. Protesters pulled fire alarms and terrorized the congregation.

26. Some pushed their way through rows of women and children to try to unfurl a vulgar profane banner from the balcony while others began tossing fliers and condoms into the air. Two women made their way to the pulpit and began to kiss.

27. Other props included a video camera, a megaphone, noisemakers, buckets of glitter, confetti, and pink fabric.

28. The sodomites brought along a news reporter.  He was tipped off ahead of time about the attack but did not have the decency to warn the church or the police.

29. Not surprisingly, no arrests were made, and the mainstream media refused to report what happened.  But it is all over the Internet.

30. We can expect more and more of this wickedness because this world hates Jesus.  They are shaking their fists at heaven and shouting, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (19:14).

31. They sell bumper stickers and tee shirts and coffee mugs that say, “So many Christians, so few lions.” 

32. Some might say, “Well, it is true that many people hate Christians, but that does not necessarily mean they hate Jesus.”  But according to the Bible they hate us because they hate Jesus (cf. John 15:18, 19; II Tim. 3:12; I John 3:13).  The church is the body of Christ.

30. We should not be surprised at the way this world hates God and hates the Bible and hates Bible-preaching churches.

31. But we must consider this: why is it that so many professing Christians say, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14)?

III. WHY DO CERTAIN CHRISTIANS REFUSE TO ALLOW JESUS TO REIGN OVER THEM?

1.     Our Lord said in Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

2.     This is a question many professing Christians have to answer.

3.     If Jesus is LORD (and He certainly is) then we must obey Him in all things.

4.     Jesus said in Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

5.     Jesus said in Matthew 6:19, 20, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”

6.     Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

7.     These are the terms of discipleship.  But many Christians ignore these terms, and they chafe at these terms, and they say, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14).

8.     What a terrible mistake to disregard the claims of our dear Saviour!  How foolish to disobey our Lord!

9.     This parable in Luke 19 reinforces what the Bible teaches regarding the second coming of Christ.  He will return as King of kings and Lord of lords.  It is at that time that He will establish His kingdom (19:11-15; cf. Rev. 19, 20).

10. The extent to which a Christian will rule with Christ during the millennial kingdom is determined by the measure of his faithfulness in this life - i.e., what he has done with his pound (cf. II Tim. 2:11, 12; Rev. 3:21, 22).

11. Notice that the reward for good work is more work (Luke 19:16-19).  This is why so many Christians never get involved in God’s work - they are afraid that if they volunteer to do something, someone might ask them to do more work!

12. If we do not use our opportunities for the Lord, they will be taken from us (19:24-26).  Then we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

13.Those who truly love the Lord and desire to serve Him are given ever-widening areas of opportunity - the Lord keeps opening up doors of opportunity. 

14.“It is always so - the gracious and faithful man obtains more grace and more means of usefulness, while the unfaithful man sinks lower and grows worse and worse.  We must either make progress or else lose what we have attained.  There is no such thing as standing still in religion” - CH Spurgeon.

CONCLUSION:

1.     C.T. Studd (1860-1931) was an English missionary who faithfully served our Saviour in China, India, and Africa. His motto was: “If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

2.     Another of his famous quotes was, “Some wish to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop
within a yard of hell.”

3.     CT Studd was born to a very successful English family with vast real estate and business interests all over the British Colonial Empire.

4.     As a young man in the 1880’s, he inherited a substantial amount of money - worth tens of millions of dollars in our day.

5.     Before knowing the exact amount of his inheritance, CT Studd sent £5000 to DL Moody, another £5000 to George Müller (£4000 to be used on missionary work and £1000 among the orphans); as well as £15,000 pounds to support other worthy ministries. In a few months, he was able to discover the exact amount of his inheritance and then he gave some additional thousands away, leaving about £3400 pounds in his possession.

6.     Three years after arriving in China, CT Studd married a young Irish missionary from Ulster named Priscilla Livingstone Stewart. Just before the wedding he presented his bride with the remaining money from his inheritance.

7.     She, not to be outdone, said, “Charlie, what did the Lord tell the rich young man to do?”

8.     “Sell all.”  “Well then, we will start clear with the Lord at our wedding.”  And they proceeded to give the rest of the money away for the Lord's work!