Sunday Service – Today Jesus 90

7/5/06
<Luke 12:41-48>

WHOEVER HAS BEEN GIVEN MUCH, MUCH WILL BE

DEMANDED

• God wants us to light up our lamps because He wants us to see that His love
on us had never departed from us before
• The treasure of God is with my life, my family, all my interpersonal
relationships and even problems
• God would not have ask us to light up our lamps if we will never face any
problem in this world
• We are not fighting a battle by our own means. God Himself is our background.
Therefore, when a person has resolute on his lifetime goal for the Kingdom, his
days will equal his strength. God’s grace is definitely enough for us in all
circumstances.
• Take heart, for we have a Master. Therefore, we should act and think in
accordance in Him. Rely on Him wholeheartedly.

Read <Luke 12:41-48>

v.42 we must be the faithful and wise manager
v.45 it means that we do not care about the people whom God had placed among
us and our only concern is ourselves and things of this world
v.47 you have know God’s will but do not want to submit, therefore more will be
your discipline

• There are many different types of people in this world, but we can group them
into two types generally: Those with a Master and those without

1. The servant who has a Master

• They did everything after seeking the will of their Master. Whatever they
think or do, they always seem to be asking a master.
• They are different from ordinary people. They might not be very rich nor
has great frame, but they have full assurance in all the things they do.
They live uprightly.
• Help and strength seems to always come from their background.
• On the other hand, a person who does not have a Master will react directly
to the information they receive
• They can love today, but filled with hatred the very next day. The moment
they hear good news, they will have peace; but they quickly become
worried at the turn of events. However, a person who has a Master will not
change much
• A person who does not have a Master will not have any fixed perspective.
Therefore, the way they look at yesterday, today and tomorrow events
does not have a link.
• A person without Master gets hurt very easily as they have very strong
pride. This is because their motivation in considering and doing everything
is for “self” (i.e. themselves)
• Servants who have a Master are blessed
• However, we must know what sort of Master we have:
• He is the Lord who created all things in the heaven and earth. He
displays Himself to me using all the created things surrounding me. We are
all living in the world created by God, the artist. Are we always living in joy
and amazement in this world because of its beauty? We are often too busy,
especially in our hearts, and not able to see His creation
• He is the King of kings. Therefore, in all our problems and
 circumstances, we can claim victory. God Himself is our background and
our conditions. He is always helping us with the heavenly hosts and angels.
• He is the Lord of peace. Therefore, all who serve Him are messengers of
peace. In whatever situation, we can bring peace. However, many a times,
people brought quarrels into the church. They form sects inside the church
and often gossip.
• He is the Lord of righteousness. He will exercise his judgement at the
correct time and circumstances. He will give the servants their food
allowance at the proper time. Therefore, all who serves Him know that
vengeance belongs to Him.
• He is a Lord of love. Therefore, all who serves him receives his love. But
many a times, we saw many who serve him become stressed up and filed
with pettiness. This is because they have yet to see the Lord of love.
• He is a Lord of abundance. We should have enough and be contented
no matter how much we earn each month. Paul says that he can be joyful
whether when he has plenty or when he is lacking because he knew that
God’s provision will be there at the proper time. Therefore, all who have
Him as our master can live abundantly and with great contentment.
• He is the Lord of eternity. Therefore, those who follow him have an
eternal purpose of making disciples of all nations. Those who really have
Him as master will not live a life that is motivated by flesh only.
• Why do we struggle in our lives (every week, everyday)? The answer is
simple: We do not have a master.
• We are actually created beings, yet we want to control our own destiny,
live our own lives, live the way we want, etc.
• We get bitter and frustrated when we cannot achieve or get what we want
• Man always says that he is his own master. However, when we look at him,
we can see that his master is actually money, entertainment, the desires
of his flesh, etc.
• In fact, his real master is the ruler of the air, Satan. Therefore, he will be
bitter everyday. He will struggle at the slightest thing.
• Therefore, in a person’s entire life, the most important thing that must take
place in our lives is to change Master. This is Salvation / Born Again
• Therefore, we have to be sure who is this master? Has he given his all to
me? Is he worth following? Is he worth giving our whole lives to? Are all
good things within Him?
• Therefore, if we are clear, let us use our whole lives to follow him. Only
then will we enjoy true freedom and true power. This is because the master
Himself will work in all areas of our life and bring about his fulfilment to
me.
• This is then what we call – to die with him, buried with Him and resurrect
with Him. When we fully submit to him, He bears every
thing/area/concerns in our lives.
• And this is our assurance when we have him as our master.
• Born again is not just about going to church or being baptised. A person
who is born again must change his master in every area of his life.

2. Give food allowance at the proper time to those whom God had entrusted
them with
• Most things will remain the same even after we are born again. E.g. we still
have the same parents, the same job, the group of friends, etc. However,
upon having our master changed, all these things are the very work of God
Himself.
• My actions of eating, travelling, having family lives are all the work of the
Lord.
• Therefore, we have to know what did God really entrust us with?
• We ever attend special spiritual rally where the speaker will invite all those
who want to dedicate their lives to do God’s work to step out and the
speaker will pray for them. But this is not what Jesus Christ would have
done.
• The majority who didn’t step out will receive hints that they still belong to
the world and feel guilty. For those who had stepped out, they will resolute
to serve the Lord and from then start learning how to serve in the church.
They are not serving as a result of having seen and hear the Lord on a
personal level. And this is where problems come.
• God is not telling us to set apart our time, our devotion, our heart to be
used by Him. In fact, upon having Him as our master, we must see that
everything that belong to us, i.e. our background, our families, our career,
our time, our gifts, our past, present and future, are all his wondrous work.
Upon understanding that, we can then be true witnesses for God.
• Those who cannot see all things are from God will complain about their
conditions, possessions and ask God to change them. They will only testify
when they receive what they had wanted. Such testimonies are not the
very testimonies that God desires.
• God wants us to be a living sacrifice
• We must know that the anointing of the Holy Spirit comes only when he
realise that his life is a vessel, fully to be used by God. Anointing does not
come from having some pastor lay hands on you or by having a one off
resolute to serve God or by learning how to serve God.
• Anointing of the Spirit comes when a person becomes a living sacrifice and
sees God’s doing in every area, every situation, every history, every
condition of his life.
• Therefore, anointing of the Holy Spirit equals to being able to receive Holy
Spirit conviction and knowing what God is doing in all things.
• Only when you’d received such anointment will you able to have the
message that provides others with the answer that drives out the spirit of
disbelief. (All our problems come from disbelief)
• All things will be good when we’d cast out the spirit of disbelief
• Our roles in the church are not fixed by man. A person who plays a role in
the church comes about when there is content in his life (i.e. he sees God’s
doing upon him and people around him, thus receiving God anointing and
calling upon him).
• A lot of people who serves in the church want to quit when the people in
the church do not agree with them or when they meet with mounting
problems. However, did they realise that their roles/positions in the church
are given neither by church nor by pastor, but by God Himself.
• We are always told to bless those around us but we have the struggle
because we can’t love them
• We can only truly bless others when we’d personally receive God’s calling.
Only one who had seen that it is God who placed His love/burden upon him
will be able to share with others. This is because he sees his life with
importance and he values the mission God has placed upon him.
• He will do everything for God because God has entrusted His tasks to him.
He will still want to continue doing even when he faces hardship, because
he knows that it is God’s entrustment.
• We go to church not for the sake of the preacher but for God. Therefore, we
have to know where our motivation comes from before we can truly
become a living sacrifice and receive the calling of God.
• <Luke 19:11-27> The parable of the 10 minas
• This parable tells us that all those who are saved will have the same
possibility and potential to take charge of 10 cities, 100 cities. We will have
the same conditions and identity as Paul and Moses. We receive the same
father, the same lord, the same spirit, the same fellowship, the same
 heavenly background, etc. We are given birth to by our parents and have
the same interpersonal relationships around us.
• Since God has given us the same potential, we should not compare
ourselves with others and claim that others have more. We must thus
strive to make the best of what is given us.
• We see similar parables like this in other verses. However, all these
parables have different meanings.
• E.g. <Matthew 25:14-30> The parable of the talents
• This parable tells us that each of us have different missions, talents and
gifts. When we use our talents / gifts, we will be rewarded accordingly.
• A good manager will give the food allowance at the proper time. It means
he will do in accordance to the Holy Spirit’s guidance
• How to go in pace with the Holy Spirit’s guidance?
• There is a systematic way in the way our life grows.
• We must have life in us before we can be sanctified. And we must be
healed first before we can serve the Lord effectively.
• If we do not see the work of God, how are we able to serve in the church,
where there are a lot of “not adorable” people?
• We are dealing with the lives of people. It is thus easier to be the leader of
this world than to be the leader in the spiritual realms.
• We can see that how much work is needed to win just one vote from a
person. How about winning over the life of a person?! It is extremely
difficult to win the life of a person. And it is impossible to do it if you do not
have the Holy Spirit’s guidance in you.
• A person needs to have life first → get healed (i.e. able to give thanks for
all things) → testify
• In shepherding or praying for our loved ones, we must always see how the
spirit works, and let the spirit works, and compliment how the spirit works.
We should not pressurise, oppress others to change, for this will not bring
about true transformation.
• We teach, correct and rebuke others not because we are angry at them but
as result of our love for their lives and know that God will work in their
lives.
• If we are guided by the spirit, we will not be disheartened easily for things
that do not take place in the way we wanted, since we know that we are
not the master
• We will have to rely on God’s will and timing. We should teach, rebuke,
correct, but we must understand that ultimately, it is God who brings about
the transformation. It is God who brings one to true repentance and
correction. And this must be our assurance as we prayed for our loved
ones or go about shepherding the sheep of God.
• Therefore, when we pray and shepherd others, we must do so in
accordance to the guidance of the Holy Spirit
• We will only hurt ourselves and others if we do everything by our own
means

3. Given much, much will be demanded. Entrusted with much, much will be
asked
• What was given? It is not just talking about material things
• The real treasure God talks about is the level of the spiritual truths we
know (i.e. who is God, who are we, what is the kingdom of god, and how to
use the authority of God to drive out demons…etc)
• If we have seen that all men are helpless and harassed, weary and burden,
and we ourselves possess the true answers to set people free, how can we
keep quiet? Would we not as a result have great mercy on others?
• Therefore, Paul says: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel”. Paul is
 actually compelled to preach the gospel (because of his love and empathy
of others), not by responsibilities.
• God will demand more from those who has seen the spiritual truths, rather
than those who are in ignorance.
• Peter denied Jesus 3 times. But this is pre-allow by God (Jesus has told
Peter beforehand that Satan will sift him). But Jesus Christ allows it
because he knew that this will benefit him and the church. Therefore, Peter
was reprimanded for denying Christ, but of not much a degree. This is
because he hasn’t opened his eyes to the truth and preciousness of Christ
yet.
• But when he received the filling of the Holy Spirit, he preaches to 3000 and
converted them. He even allow himself to be slain for the gospel and
remain in peaceful sleep though he knew he was about to be a martyr the
next day.
• We serve in the church or give our offering not because of accusation or
under pressure but by how much we open our eyes to the spiritual truths
and God’s love for us.
• And with that, one will realize that God has put in different individuals
different talent (i.e. money, time, gifts, missions, testimonies, family
background, etc). And God wants us to use them with care, knowing that
to which is given more, more will be demanded. Thus, we have to match
the use of it to the Kingdom.
• Therefore, we do not need to envy others. In fact, we should rejoice when
our brother/sister in Christ is better off than us for this is God’s way of
using them.
• And lastly, we should not start courting our rewards only when we are
about to leave this world. We must court our blessings and rewards
everyday!
• E.g. At the end of each day, we must ponder how much have we live for
the Lord, how much have we thought of the Lord, and how much favour
have we seen from the Lord, etc.
• As we begin to do this everyday, as time goes by, God will make plain to us
His plans and timetable for tomorrow. This is how one receives vision in the
Lord!

Prayer & Sharing Topics

1. Do I have a “master” in my life and living? Do I speak and work in
accordance to His instructions? Did I live (serve) by relying on the
wisdom and strength provided by the Lord? Did I ever enjoy the
peace, free, abundance and hope that comes from believing in the
Lord?

2. The Lord says “who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the
master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food
allowance at the proper time?” Do I possess the “food allowance”
(Gospel, answer, testimony) that can be used to feed others? Who are
the people whom the Lord had entrusted to me to feed, currently?
What are the contents of our daily conversation? What are their
views on me? Does it need improvement?

3. The Lord says “From everyone who has been given much, much will
be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much,
much more will be asked.” Do I know the task that the Lord had
drawn out for my entire life? What are the fruits in my life that I had
acquired since my blessedness? Do I have the habit of counting my
fruits every night with the Lord? Do I often see the praises and
rewards from the Lord?