NEWSLETTER 043 MESSAGE

Message: Faith And The Unprofitable Servants

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” Luke 17:10

I doubt you have heard very many messages on the above verse. It is one of the sayings of Jesus we like to avoid because it conflicts with want we what to believe.

The context is interesting. Jesus begins by talking about forgiveness. The disciples realize how impossible it is for them and ask Him to increase their faith. Jesus responds by saying you can do great things with only a small amount of faith and then launches into the story of unprofitable servants.

With this story Jesus strikes at the core of pride. It is easy for us to think that we are giving God what He deserves. We can become proud because we are giving so much, or giving up so much, or suffering so much for the kingdom of God. We begin to view - unconsciously - God as lucky to have such wonderful people as ourselves working for Him. We pat ourselves on the back or perhaps have a little pity-party.

Jesus had no time for such nonsense. He cuts right to the heart of the matter. If we offered God perfect obedience - if we did everything He asked exactly when He asked it - and did it perfectly in a joyful attitude, we would still fall far short of giving God the honour and service which is His right. We would not have given anything more than what it was our responsibility to do anyway. As frail human beings we can never give God all that He deserves - let alone more than He deserves. We can never place Him in our debt by our wonderful service or expect that we have earned His favour in anyway.

We - at least in North America [I don’t about the rest of the world] - have such a negative view of servanthood. It is looked down upon as inferior. It is a sinful attitude. To be the servant of a great master was a tremendous honour. It is the highest honour possible to offer God our best service and obedience. Servanthood is not something to be dreaded or avoided whenever possible. It is to be joyously embraced. Our goal should be to be the best and most productive servants possible while at the same time realizing that our Master is so great we can never give Him all that He deserves.

If we truly understand servanthood we will want to obey. We will want to give our lives in the service of the Master. No cost will be considered too great, no effort too much. If the “want to” isn’t there we have yet to see the greatness of God and the honour of serving Him in whatever capacity He places us. We are, in effect, making a god out of our own sinful desires, preconceived ideas, and will and serving that god. It is a god without honour, only momentary sensual pleasures. But either way we are servants. No matter what we think or do we can never rise above that position. Embrace servanthood and serve the greatest Master and King of the universe. There is no higher calling.

Jesus joined this teaching on unprofitable servants with faith. We know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. But how does faith grow? That is what the disciples - as disciples of all ages - wanted to know. The answer of Jesus is simply: faith grows by humble obedience.

It is as we obey God we exercise our faith. We show that we believe He is real and expects obedience. We show that we trust Him above our own limited sight. It takes faith to put God’s way and will above our own. As we obey, our faith in God and our love for Him will grow. Faith and obedient servanthood are linked. They will grow together or they will shrivel and die together.

Announcements

Work is underway on the Bible Study Methods course which will have sample lessons on the free site. For the full benefit of this and other courses; however, you need to join the Joshua Club. There are many advantages - including having complete Bible courses in PDF - and when we have enough interested members we will open a forum where the ways of God and what He requires on the earth can be discussed and new ideas brought out. None of us has a “corner on truth.” Only the Word of God is 100% true and we need to work together to understand AND apply it in our lives and in our world.

Some of you may be interested to know that every month we have visitors to our site from every continent and over 20 countries. If you have family or friends who would benefit from our reports or courses don’t hesitate to tell them about us.

God bless you,
Glenn Davis
Free Bible Study Lessons
Joshua Club