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1st Service, Sermons, Neil Taylor 
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Luke 13:6-9
Key Point: God uses the difficulties of life (digging/dunging) to give us grace to grow into productive partners in mission
Planted on purpose for a purpose
Caretaker becomes caregiver – interceding with a promise
Process of care involved “digging and dunging” = promise??
Where are we being prepared for growth by the Caregiver?
Preparation is often painful
Preparation is often dirty and slow
Fruit = signs of the Caretaker
Process makes us empathetic “partners in pain”
Process makes us humble “there but for the grace of God”
Process makes us fruitful “fulfilling our destiny”
What is our destiny? Apple vs. entire orchard!
“When God blesses us, God also has someone else in mind”
“Praise God from Whom all blessing flow” – we’re designed to be a conduit for grace
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12:13 Then someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 12:14 But Jesus said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?” 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 12:16 He then told them a parable: “The land of a certain rich man produced an abundant crop, 12:17 so he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 12:18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 12:19 And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”‘ 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God.”
Key Point: God warns us against being tempted to use apparent good for inadvertent evil
Cry for rights = cultural characteristic
Where are we demanding our “rights” (covering our greed)?
Greed is an invisible, parasitical sin – cf. myth of King Midas
Parable invites us to reconsider our priorities:
It is not bad to have good things
But is too much of a good thing really good?
Many of our greatest temptations are not to do wrong – obvious evil; but to pursue too much of a good thing – to do good for ourselves, instead of serving God?
Only parable where God is a key actor Life is a loan with a “pay on demand” clause
God wants to give us His Kingdom of love; do we use resources to build a kingdom of self?
To be rich towards God = being generous towards others
Serving Jesus as our true Boss
“Psalm 23 For The Workplace”
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16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 16:20 But at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus whose body was covered with sores, 16:21 who longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs came and licked his sores.
16:22 “Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 16:23 And in hell, as he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. 16:24 So he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this fire.’ 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. 16:26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 16:27 So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father – send Lazarus to my father’s house 16:28 (for I have five brothers) to warn them so that they don’t come into this place of torment.’ 16:29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to them.’ 16:30 Then the rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 16:31 He replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:19-31 NET
Key Point: The Kingdom will not be a result of extraordinary, overpowering revelation; it comes in often unseen, surprising ways to repentant people who become “participants in the world of resurrection”
Jesus’ Kingdom’s welcome to ALL = sign of resurrection living
Point of parable?
Jesus 1st sermon = “Repent & Believe!”
Repent = Re _____ _____ _____ _____
How to become a Muslim?
Outcome: Change!
New eyes & ears=see a need and try to meet it in Jesus’ Name
Poor = invisible e.g. the “wretched of the earth”
Next steps: Where do we “fit” in the parable?
>For “Lazarus” Trust Jesus
>For “Rich Man” Get new eyes and ears
>For “5 Brothers” Don’t wait until it’s too late
>For “long-time disciples” Be “home-bringers”
Be the “gloves for Jesus’ hands” reaching out to a lost world
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14:12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid. 14:13 But when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14:14 Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
14:15 When one of those at the meal with Jesus heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will feast in the kingdom of God!” 14:16 But Jesus said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many guests. 14:17 At the time for the banquet he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ 14:18 But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ 14:19 Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going out to examine them. Please excuse me.’ 14:20 Another said, ‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’ 14:21 So the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 14:22 Then the slave said, ‘Sir, what you instructed has been done, and there is still room.’ 14:23 So the master said to his slave, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads and urge people to come in, so that my house will be filled. 14:24 For I tell you, not one of those individuals who were invited will taste my banquet!’”
14:25 Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus, and turning to them he said, 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 14:27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:12-27 NET
Key Point: The call to discipleship eventually has to supersede all other claims on our lives
Excuses, Excuses!
“Ya, But…!”
Possessions & even culturally valid family expectations can block our obedient response to the Divine invitation
#1 bought a field =
#2 bought 5 yoke of oxen =
#3 just got married =
We’re invited to a grand banquet – not a labor camp
2 invitations: _______________ _______________
What happens if we choose not to respond and come?
What happens if we choose not to invite others?
We’re a megaphone for God
Lighting the dynamite “power of the Gospel”
“Hate” isn’t a feeling word = positional term = to stand in opposition to; to let go of loyalty to…all that a disciple could love most (including family, even self) must not stand between the disciple and the Master = denying the self
Action Steps:
Those who don’t know they’re invited – accept the invitation!
Those distracted by excuses – set them aside!
Those faithful servants – don’t give up; keep inviting!
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