E-pistle for May 28, 2010
Posted by: info <info@...>
E-pistle
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation May 28, 2010 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Foundation of Faith
(Luke 16:1-31)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Jesus told the parable of the unjust steward, vv. 1-13.
2. Jesus taught about the law, the prophets and the kingdom, vv. 14-18.
3. Jesus told the story of the rich man who died and went to hell, in
contrast with poor Lazarus who died and went to heaven, vv. 19-31.
II. Meditation: on the many contrasting pairs of words in verses 10-13.
1. Least vs. much, v. 10.
2. Faithful vs. unjust, v. 10.
3. Unrighteous mammon vs. true riches, v. 11.
4. Renter (tenant) vs. owner, v. 12.
5. Hate vs. love, v. 13.
6. Loyalty vs. despite, v. 13.
7. God vs. mammon (spiritual - material) v. 13.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications seen here
1. Faithfulness must be demonstrated in the small things . . . in the
"least" things, v. 10.
2. Persons who are faithful in these small responsibilities can be trusted
with larger, more important responsibilities, v. 10.
3. Persons who have not been faithful in "unrighteous" things (not
spiritual, but physical or material things) will not be given assignments
related to "true riches" . . . Spiritual truths, v. 11.
4. Persons must prove themselves faithful as servants (tenants; stewards)
before they will be entrusted to become owners, v. 12.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Recognize that God looks for faithfulness to an assigned task, not
necessarily results, Matthew 25:21.
2. Understand that "promotion" in the Kingdom of God means greater
opportunities of service and weightier responsibilities . . . not ease
or wealth.
3. Realize that faithfulness to tasks in the material/physical world are
predictors of the degree of faithfulness in the spiritual realm. (One
cannot expect an unethical person in business, for example, to become
an ethical church leader . . . without God's miraculous grace).
4. Comprehend that divided loyalty is unacceptable in God's sight, v. 13.
(It's not "God first" . . . it's God ONLY ! He's either Lord of all . . . or
not Lord at all!)
Unprofitable Servants
(Luke 17:1-37)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Jesus warned against offenses and taught unlimited
forgiveness, vv. 1-4.
2. Jesus taught about the power of faith the size of a mustard
seed; He taught about the duty of servanthood, vv. 5-10.
3. Jesus cleansed ten lepers, but only one expressed gratitude, vv. 11-19.
4. Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is within (spiritual), vv. 20-21.
5. Jesus promised His return in days similar to those of Noah, vv. 22-32.
6. Jesus taught that "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and
whoever loses his life will preserve it," v. 33.
7. Jesus taught that some persons would be taken and others left, vv. 34-37.
II. Meditation: on the context of the unprofitable servant parable
1. Jesus taught His disciples to continue to forgive . . . even a person
committing the same sin seven times in one day, vv. 3-4.
2. The disciples, realizing their ability to do this, asked Jesus to increase
their faith, v. 5.
3. Jesus illustrated (with the mulberry tree parable) the power of even
small faith . . . which, in fact, they already possessed, v. 6.
4. Then, lest the disciples would misunderstand the mulberry tree story,
and think that God owed them everything they asked, Jesus told the
parable of the unprofitable servant, vv. 7-10.
III. Revelation: on the lesson about the unprofitable servants
1. Do not expect to quit before all assigned tasks are completed; this
servant not only was a farmer/shepherd, he also was a cook/waiter.
2. In due time, the servant may rest and eat; the priority is to serve the
master first; afterward the servant's needs will be met.
3. Doing the minimum required does not deserve any thanks; the minimum
is paid wages; the over-and-above is paid a bonus (a "thanks"); God's
servants should not expect otherwise.
4. To the Master, doing the bare minimum is like breaking even; the profit
is in the extra effort; we "trade" our eight hours of work for a set wage;
overtime deserves extra compensation and thanks. (Example: God does
not thank us for HIS tithe, but for OUR offering!)
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Do no less than what is my full duty and responsibility.
2. Know that my needs will be cared for, but that I must not fizzle out!
3. Make no attempt to "renegotiate my contract" . . . nor expect a bonus
for merely doing what was agreed upon originally.
4. Realize that, as a servant of God, I should not expect high praise for
good results because: 1) On balance, I may have done as much harm
as good, and 2) Whatever good I may have accomplished is due entirely
to God's power and grace.
"If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If
you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you
indicate that I have made an impression on you.
Remember my name and you add to my
feeling of importance."
- Dale Carnegie
Remember our Veterans
and Servicemen on
Memorial Day!!
--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: epistle2equip-unsubscribe@welovegod.org