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Well Done
The Parables, Week 14
Previous Messages
Well Done - The Parable of the Talents
Jesus will return and generously rewards the faithful and punish the faithless. The Parable of the Talents is a beautiful promise that God rewards those who delight in serving their Master and a sobering truth that God will punish those who reject his kindness.
What Shall I Do?
Jesus told a poignant story about tenant farmers. Every time the landowner sent a servant to collect his rightful share, they beat up the servant and sent him away. Until the landowner sent his own son. This time? They killed the son.
We are the ones who have rejected and killed the Son. Each of us will either be broken in our sin and submit to Jesus, the Cornerstone, or we will be crushed underneath it. What Shall I Do?
Am I The Fool?
Jesus is teaching a crowd when a guy interrupts and asks him to intervene in a dispute the guy has with his brother over his inheritance. Instead, Jesus tells a story. In that story, a wealthy landowner experiences a bumper crop. His response? I'll build myself some bigger barns and then I can kick back in the recliner, crack open a cold one, and enjoy life. But his life would be required of him that night. Then what of all the stuff he acquired?
The Fig(less) Tree
Summer in the Parables kicks off with a challenging parable that Jesus told in Luke 13 about a fig tree that didn't produce any figs. In the parable, we are the fig(less) tree. We have been provided the opportunity to produce the fruit of faith but have not. But instead of cutting us down, the Servant (Jesus) tends to us and nurtures us: not with manure around the base of the tree, but by the spilling of his own precious blood as he hung upon the tree.
Colossians: Gospel Community
Philemon is the story of Onesimus’ running, as well as his returning. It is the story of the power of the gospel first to draw people to Jesus and second to restore broken relationships. But it is also the story of a local church that was called to embrace Onesimus as one of their own.
Pivoting over to Colossians, the church that met in Philemon's house, we see what God is calling us to become (kind, humble, meek, forgiving and more) and that it is only possible as we believe what God has declared us to be (chosen, holy, beloved, one body).
And then we ask, wouldn't you want to be part of a gospel community like that? A church that was able to give and receive the mercy, grace, and hope of Christ to one another?
Onesimus: Gospel Usefulness
Onesimus had been transformed by the gospel. He was not the same guy anymore. He had a new status (not as a runaway slave but as precious son) and a new purpose (no longer as a bondservant but now as a beloved brother).
But he still had to go back to Philemon in humble repentance, confessing how he had wronged Philemon. If we want to see our relationships changed by the gospel we, like Onesimus, must become people quick to repent of our mistakes.
Philemon: Gospel Forgiveness
Philemon was a man known for his faith, his hospitality, and his generosity. But what happens when he is asked to apply the gospel to the person who broke his trust and harmed him? And how will we respond when people harm and hurt us? When they betray our trust? Will we respond with the forgiveness that we have received in Christ?
Paul: Agent of Reconciliation
Yes, Paul was calling Philemon to see his relationship with Onesimus changed by the gospel. But he was also living that call as well. In this message from the book of Philemon we see:
1) Paul was the recipient of the transforming work of the gospel in relationships.
2) Paul modeled the transforming work of the gospel in his relationship with Mark.
3) Paul was an ambassador of transformed relationships, imploring people to be reconciled to God.
Peace: The Goal of Gospel Reconciliation
How does a vertical change in our status with God lead to a horizontal change in our relationships with others? Paul's letter to Philemon invites us - all of invites - to pursue gospel reconciliation and see how the peace we have with God enables us to pursue peace with those around us.
Things That Are Written
John ends his gospel by telling us twice (John 20:30-31 and 21:24-25) that he didn't write down everything Jesus said, did, or taught. But the things he did write down were for a purpose: to reveal that Jesus is the Son of God and to call us to believe.
John's gospel opens with Jesus' divinity (the Word became flesh) and closes with Jesus' divinity (the Son of God) and seven times in the gospel Jesus uses the phrase "I am", a direct reference back to the name the Lord revealed to Moses in Exodus. We look at each of those phrases and the call to believe that Jesus is both fully God and fully man.
Resurrection that Restores
The kindness of Jesus always precedes our repentance and is the power of our restoration.
This message looks at:
1) The kindness of Jesus
2) The depth of repentance
3) The power of public restoration
4) Application: A call to kindness
5) A beautiful truth: Kindness leads up to repentance
Gone Fishin'
When we are inclined to hang up the Gone Fishin' sign and escape, the resurrected Jesus greets is with his gentle words and bountiful provision to give us confidence in the mission.
Move Out or Miss Out
Guest Speaker Steve Spencer brings a challenge to be open to divine interruptions where we think we are headed in one direction but God closes that door and opens another based on Paul's experience in Acts 16:6-10. Paul wanted to go to Ephesus. But God wanted him to go to Z Macedonia. And from there, take the gospel to Europe. When we experience those divine interruptions, we have opportunity to move out in obedience or miss out on the mission of God.
Do Not Doubt, Only Believe
In this message from John 20:24-29, we see that "Doubting Thomas" is the most unfortunate nickname of any character in the Bible. Instead, he is a guy who missed our on Jesus' first resurrection experience. During a week where the others disciples were experiencing exuberant joy, he was unraveling inside.
And then Jesus appeared, not condemning Thomas, but with kindness and gentleness. Seeing the resurrected Jesus, Thomas declared, "my Lord and my God."
A Trinitarian Plan
And what does Jesus reveal about the character of God and the heart of God in his first appearance to the disciples after his resurrection? John 20:19-23 teaches us about:
The Peace of God: We can only experience peace with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Plan of God: In the Covenant of Redemption, before the foundation of the world, God had a plan to redeem us from our sins.
The Three Persons of God: God is three persons and one God. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The same in substance and equal in power and glory. And yet distinct persons of the Trinity.