194: Luke Jurevicius - Harnessing Doubt For A Stronger Believer

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to Good Burger. Selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian. Thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast. We select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:51

   Welcome to the good christadelphians talks podcast. This is brother Brian. This week’s talk is a class that was sent in by a recommendation by Brother Luke gervase has, which was given at the Hebron young people’s gathering in Adelaide last. October. I believe there are few other classes by other speakers, but brother Luke gave to on the theme harnessing doubt for a stronger believer. And it’s the second class that we’re listening to now will provide the length of the first class as well as all the Heparin classes in the description below. So the second class did not appear to have its own title. So I might unofficially call it.

3. 1:38

   Do you know your father? Brother Luke opens reflecting on his own, very touching relationship with his father brother. Vit, gervase has who we also have some classes coming down the pipeline for in the coming weeks. But whether Luke brings up how critical the relationship of Jesus to his father, is to the entire message of the gospel and how the faith and confidence that we share as fellows. Lauren and heirs can be muddied or broken if we allow our doubts about God to cause us to overlook or forget who he really is.

4. 2:26

   And that, that is that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. I found it very touching class for the sobering, reminder of how hard it may be. For some who have not had positive relationships with their human. Father growing up. To then be asked to imagine how good of a father God intends to be when perhaps in their own life.

5. 2:57

   They might not have had that as a healthy reference point. The role of a father being a role model for his children is a game-changer. I see the adverse effects of that on a daily basis. Being a teacher in the public school system here in America. And I compare that to the Mountain Moving display of love that my own dad showed me, that was a critical role in Faith growing up.

6. 3:38

   So I really hope that you enjoy this doll for reminder by Brother Luke of how important it is. And the process of maintaining our faith to cleat to keep a clear concept of who our father is and why he wants to reward us. As always, we hope to strengthens your faith and brightens your day for Luke.

7. 4:02

   Gervase has harnessing doubt for a stronger believer. Hey, sorry that was a very casual beginning. I just noticed change. Do I like change? No, I anyway I’ve been handed a blue card, which says finish at 1:15 sharp. So I’ll get straight to it. I took the hint. So I’ve been very fortunate, I think to be able to speak about the theme of Doubt, which we’re talking about sort of this morning at a number of other different meetings around Australia and also into Victoria, which is also a part of Australia.

8. 4:50

   When you when you read back your notes you realize it only at the worst moments of what you’ve just written but one thing. That struck me. When I was visiting different occasions is the fact that not every single person not everyone has experienced. What it’s like to have a decent loving caring, father. Like a caring dad and you might ask the question. Well, that’s it.

9. 5:18

   That’s a bit of an odd way to start your talk. Luke. Where’s this coming from? That’s a good question because you see Jesus has a lot of things doesn’t need to say about dads and he uses Earthly dad’s Earthly fathers by way of a comparison and by way of a contrast to A straight and a firm a very, very wonderful fact or wonderful facts about our heavenly father.

10. 5:52

    You see Jesus in Matthew 7 says this, he says in verse 9, what man? Is there among you who, if his son shall ask him for bread, will offer him a stone? Verse 10. Or if the son shall ask him for a fish. Will he offer him a snake? And so, let’s just just pause there for, just, just, for a bit. Jesus.

11. 6:20

    He knew this, and you knew this better than anyone that there are and there will be Earth. Lead ads, Earthly fathers, who sadly and tragically offer Stones instead of bread who give their kids metaphorical snakes instead of And these types of parents exist in the world, don’t they abusive dad’s? But Jesus is not making a comparison here specifically to a reprehensible dad. He’s talking about your everyday father, who emits the stresses of Life, the stresses and strains of life. And in the toil of the day, still is willing and still is wanting to give their own children’s gifts, or presence as its translated in the Greek, but see, I’ve had various brothers and sisters, a lot of them who are elderly actually who come up to me in when giving these talks and said, Luke, I’ve had a terrible dad and I’m like, wow.

12. 7:27

    Okay, they’ve said I’ve had a violent Dad. I’ve had an abusive Dad or I never knew my dad because he was absolutely just wasn’t there or he left us. When I was a little kid. Like I’ve heard stories like this really heartbreaking and and obviously my heart and I’m sure your hearts would melt for anyone who has ever felt like they’ve been in a situation like that with a parent.

13. 7:54

    But Jesus goes on to say in verse 11, it goes. So if you dads who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your father in heaven? Give good things to those who ask him. In Weymouth translation that uses a substitute for the word evil, which might be more helpful that says if you then imperfect imperfect as you are know how to give good gifts to your children.

14. 8:30

    How much more will your father in Heaven? Good, give good things to those who ask him. Well, you know what? It’s actually a really good question that Jesus asked, isn’t it? It’s a good question. I mean. How much more will God give Good gifts to ask you ask. It’s a really good question. I mean, how can we possibly quantify? How much more I mean?

15. 8:56

    What do you think? What do you think? How much more do you think 10 times more 100 times more a thousand times more. Can you actually quantify know? It must be infinitely more since God is eternal. You see, this is what I find hard to comprehend. And this is where it gets a bit personal.

16. 9:19

    See might get bit choked up. You know, I might let’s see because I actually count myself as extremely, extremely blessed. I’m extremely fortunate to have a dad who seriously loves me and probably some of you have been to Heritage. You probably know my dad, Uncle Vito of it.

17. 9:42

    And he’s a kind of dad that would just drop everything to help me or us kids for whatever we wanted anything at all. Any time of the day, wouldn’t matter what it was. Whether it was emotional support, whether it was financial support, whether it was spiritual support, physical. I know for a fact that Dad would be there for any of us kids.

18. 10:04

    If we are so, any time and he knows this too, that I would be there for him at anytime to if he needed me. Type of relationship that we have. And so what’s difficult for me to imagine is how any other father, could do better than my dad. And yet, here in this passage. Jesus is telling me this.

19. 10:26

    And this is something that I’m hoping that you’ll listen to really intently. I’m paraphrasing this, but it’s kind of like this Luke. Jesus says, to me, when I read this passage. Yeah, I know about your father of it and and it’s commendable on his part. But you see vit your Earthly, father who you love.

20. 10:48

    He’s evil. His imperfect as weymouth’s, is it. In fact, actually, I’m sorry to tell you this but your father who you love is just a flickering shadow of your good father who dwells in heaven and Luke. I desperately want you to know this and for all those who are listening hear this message right now. I want them to know this too.

21. 11:17

    That even the best human. Father is just a flickering shadow of Our Father in heaven. So Jesus speaks to me when I read these passages and he asked me, Luke. Do you believe this? Do you believe this to be possible? What about you younger people here? Like do you believe that? Do you have a good? Father?

22. 11:37

    Good, but good mum, good dad. They’re just flickering Shadows of how good God is. How much more? How much more will your father in heaven? Give good things to those who ask him. The answer has to be infinitely more.

23. 11:56

    It’s the same message in Psalm 103 verses 13 and 14, which says as a father shows compassion on his children. So the Lord shows compassion to those who fear to those, who Revere him. Why? Because he knows our frame. He knows that he knows it. He pities us and he has compassion on us.

24. 12:22

    He remembers that we are dust. That’s why. He remembers that we dust see. God knows our fragility, doesn’t he? He knows how fragile we are. He knows our fragility. He knows our failings. In fact, God knows all the ins and outs about how we tick. Doesn’t he? He made us after all, he knows us better than we know ourselves.

25. 12:52

    He knows what’s going on. Inside my heart. He knows what’s going on inside your heart. Arts, he knows what we think. And so it’s clear in Scripture that God wants us to see him in the same way that we see ourselves as parents to our own children in perfect as we are. And so, Jesus, draws the comparison and contrast to us Earthly parents. I’m talking about myself as an Earthly parent, who actually know how to share and show care and compassion, patience, kindness and gentle, correct.

26. 13:26

    And also to our kids who we feed and clothe, and dedicate Our Lives to on a daily basis. Except for this one, key fact that God’s good gifts and his care for us is just way, way more than we can ever fully comprehend, because he’s God and is not man. And so one of the key ways that we can exercise our faith and bring glory and bring joy to God is to just fully accept to fully accept this.

27. 13:59

    Great fact about God, and to believe that our father in Heaven cares for us, far beyond the care, and love that, the perfect greatest possible. Human parent has ever walked the Earth. This in itself. This simple fact gives us every reason to dispel our doubts and confidently. Hope in him. Now, I could probably just sit down and just finish the talk there and you guys could play sports to whoever you want to do, except. I’m not quite at 1:15.

28. 14:34

    So I’ll keep going it, just that because you see Jesus. He’s got a lot more to say about the reality. Of God as our true father, especially when he was combating, the sort of hypocrisy and the authority of the scribes and of the Pharisees. And so he says in Matthew 23 verse 8. He says these words, he goes, you might have been curious about this.

29. 15:04

    He goes, you are not to be called rabbi. For you have one teacher and you’re all brothers. And then he says, in verse 9 of Matthew 23 and call no man, your father on Earth for you, have one father who is in heaven, and he says, neither be called instructors or guides or Masters, or I’ve been to India before and they call their guides gurus because you’ve got only one instructor or Master the Christ and then he says therefore the greatest among you shall be your servant and that’s the point.

30. 15:46

    And so Jesus was very very concerned. He was very concerned that the teachers of the day that there was a culture where they were using the title of father as a term of power and is a term of authority, especially in regard to their religion and their religious practices. But they needed to understand says Jesus that they too are to be as little children before God their father in Heaven, but the problem was, is that they were not seeing themselves as little children, though. They were using the title of father or Rabbi or master or Guru, if you liked it as a power play. So, Jesus says know your place.

31. 16:38

    Verse 11. He says the greatest among you shall be your servant. So it’s kind of odd, isn’t it? Don’t you think that maybe in some Churches? You’re probably thinking. Well, this is odd, isn’t it? This seems to clash with what the Bible says are. There are some Churches made probably the Catholic. Church is a good example. They refer to their regular priests don’t they as father bless me?

32. 17:00

    Father for I have sinned. So the term father is used in this particular context in in fact actually the word. Pope is derived from the Greek word purpose, meaning father or Papa. And and so we see even today that this church practice of calling just normal religious men. Father is just a carry-on or a legacy of Ferris, a good tradition.

33. 17:28

    Interesting. Don’t you think? And as we read Jesus clearly spoke against this practice. Call, no man, your father on Earth for you have one father. Father who is in heaven and Jesus understood it and he exalted God’s fatherly presence in his life. Didn’t he? Especially in his hour of great distress and need. And when was that?

34. 17:52

    When was that key? Our of great distress and need. Well, we remember when Jesus was in The Garden of Gethsemane, don’t we remember that when he pray to God? And what did he say in great, anguish and Industry? Is he cried out to God in prayer and he used the words, our bar father? And you won’t Epi means does anyone know? It means it means daddy.

35. 18:22

    It means daddy or Papa. That’s what it means. And, and when Jesus was in agony, and when he was great distress in the garden, before his crucifixion, he cried those words, Papa Daddy. Our Bure. Father, Papa Daddy. All things are possible for you to take this cup from me. Please yet. Not as I will, but as you will, And so Jesus wants us to understand the intimacy by which we too can actually cry to Our Father in Heaven, you know, the relationship of a very little child to his. Daddy is an extremely important one and I think our here we go. Hey, I’m fine.

36. 19:12

    Are you fine? I’m fine. I think about my own kids when they call me daddy, like Like, one day, God willing, you might have a kid of your own. And when you have that moment where they call you Daddy, right? It’s the most heartwarming and the most beautiful thing ever to experience. The intimacy of that relationship is like happy.

37. 19:37

    It’s like it’s so it’s like honestly it’s like Yeah. And there isn’t a single thing that we as parents wouldn’t do for our own children, even though we’re imperfect, even though we’re evil you. See now. Do you remember back in Matthew chapter 18, this incident when the disciples were rebuking, remember this when they were rebuking and there are Banning parents from getting their kids and their babies blessed by Jesus.

38. 20:09

    You remember that dream of that incident. Well, if you don’t that’s what happened. They were mums. Probably mostly and probably parents dads that were just wanting their, their babies that they’re little kids their children to be blessed by Jesus that they could just get there and just put their child on the lap of Christ, then they would get a blessing.

39. 20:32

    And, and they, and what was happening, is that the disciples here. We’re just going. No, I’m sorry. Not important. Give the Lord some space and, and, and they were probably infected by the culture of the day. There are probably infected by the culture of the Pharisees of the leaders, that would be putting up walls and for preventing people from getting close into close relationships with God. Through what they Just and so many, many moms in particular. We might think we’re desperate to have their children blessed by Jesus in a blessed may be so that they could be strong in good health, maybe their children need some healing or maybe a blessing that they might just grow to be wise or perhaps just to give their child that precious moment to just remember for the rest of that their lives that they were there. They were Were there physically with the Lord that they would be able to just remember that and that they were blessed by Jesus Christ himself, but because of this cultural example of the Pharisees that disciples had been influenced by it and there are forbidding the children from the presence of Jesus as if to say, no, no, no, Jesus got better things to do with his time.

40. 21:53

    It was a type of attitude that said that kids should just be seen but not heard and back then, in society kids took probably the lowest position in society. Well, in marks record, Jesus says that he was indignant towards his disciples when he saw that was going on. Indignant means that he was much grieved.

41. 22:16

    He was angry. He was incensed. And you don’t often hear it about gzi. Often hear that Jesus was incensed or that he was indignant. You only read it a few times in the Bible, but he was super grieved by this.

42. 22:36

    And so, in this case, it was because the little children were being barred from his presence. And I have to tell you, I find this extremely comforting, don’t you? I think it’s really, really comforting, and I think it plays into our confidence in in Jesus and it plays into our confidence in our heavenly father. I’ll tell you why.

43. 22:59

    Because, because it’s so comforting to to see Jesus as a protective parent as the representative of his father in Heaven here on Earth, representing all the things that his father stood for rising up like this protective Big Brother Bear heaping. Indignation, and anger on anyone. Even his friends who would dare prevent little kids from being in his presence for a blessing.

44. 23:26

    It’s a beautiful thing. Don’t you love it to see this kind of passion and protection towards The little ones towards the young people towards you that are here in the room. And in another place, Jesus actually calls his child brings her child over. I think about maybe my own child, Charlie maybe drags Charlie over and puts her in there in the midst of all of his disciples and he says truly I say unto you unless you turn and become like children, you will never ever enter the kingdom of heaven.

45. 24:07

    And a few verses later. It says see that you do not despise. One of these little ones. For I tell you that they’re in heaven, their Angels, always see the face of my father. Who is in heaven. So what do you think? Jesus thought about little kids about young people? I think we have had the case made very clearly put before you.

46. 24:32

    See just because you are young. Do not ever make the mistake of thinking that you have no value in the eyes of God, and his son, Jesus, you do. You’ve seen the evidence of just presented it for you. Jesus gave kids even babies and infants or infants, the time of the day and in heaven.

47. 24:56

    Jesus says that your angels see and behold the face of God every day. Pretty nice, huh? Pretty special as these are pretty affirming things.

48. 25:08

    But at the end of the day, Jesus really only sees only one true father and even though we’ve got natural mothers and fathers who we love, who we are told to also respect and Obey. They really only is one who has the right to possess that title of father and that was his father and his Our Father God.

49. 25:35

    And so Jesus wants us to also respond to his father and our father, our heavenly father and believe in him and believe him, like little kids who trust who believe the words of their own parents with wide-eyed under under with wide-eyed, wonder and or, you know, I’ve told my my kids so many furphy stories.

50. 26:01

    I can’t even begin to describe how A, I’ve told and they just like, really and I’m like, mmm. They believe, don’t they which is why we need to be more responsible as parents. Hmm. you know, one of the things, I feared, the most of all as a kid, and I don’t know, you probably got all your old, probably got your own story about things that you feared as a kid, but And this is serious. The thing that I feared the most was dinner time. Because I was terrified that my mum would put on the plate. Baked peas, peas.

51. 26:51

    Yes, those little green devils and my mum went through a phase where she would buy only the minted peas. Of course, my pet hates were mint and peas. So just to even the idea of just putting toothpaste on a pay, is just a horrendous. It’s It’s I mean, who does that? Only a torturer would do such things?

52. 27:16

    But here’s the thing over time. Not the mint, but the peas? Yes. Over time. I developed this taste for pays. I thought. No, this is impossible. I would never ever would eat a pee, but I am telling you now. I love pays like mashed pays cook pays piece at paying ham soup. You name it. It actually at one stage, I even wanted to name our first child p.

53. 27:47

    Juliet wasn’t impressed. We went with Charlie instead. Anyway, why tell you such a deep story like that, Psalm 34 Verse 8, says taste and see that the Lord is good blessed or happy is the one who takes refuge in him. Happy is the one who hopes who seeks protection who takes shelter under the shadow of his wings. Psalm 34 Verse 8, beautiful taste and see that the Lord is good, you know, all of Psalm 34 is an incredible chapter worth reading through, but this passage is a pillar passage. It’s a pillar passage of hope that we can hold onto when life, seems too hard.

54. 28:36

    It’s one of those quotes that needs to be printed on a squishy plaque. You see. And it’s really a call. Isn’t it to sample God to sample? God? It’s actually using words that are associated with our lusts. And if you knew that see Eve saw that the fruit was good and that it was good to The Taste and her eyes were opened.

55. 28:57

    But in this case, we are invited to taste God and your eyes will be opened to his Supreme compassion and goodness. you know, taste also means to perceive to perceive to seek out and to discover to develop a consciousness of and that’s really the core of our next passage, which is John 17 verse 3. This is what John 17.

56. 29:24

    Verse 3 says, says, now, this is life eternal, that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent pillar Passage. See tasting to see, God is critical. It is how we get to know God and his son to sample to seek out to taste. See Jesus said something so controversial that most of his disciples just up and left. You know what that was, you know, he said that really caused conniptions.

57. 30:04

    He said, eat my flesh and drink, my blood taste. Him is what he said, right? Pretty gross sounding, isn’t it cannibalism? That’s what that’s why they left him. That’s what they thought that he was saying, but they didn’t understand what he was talking about. So, what was he talking about anyone? What did he mean?

58. 30:26

    How do we eat and drink Jesus? It can be so awkward karna to call out amongst three hundred people. So I don’t expect you to do that. Jesus said, didn’t he that my words, my words. They are spirit and they are life. Okay, so we consume his words, don’t we? We want to find out everything that there is to know about Jesus and consumer to eat it up. His words are Spirit, they will transform you and they are live life eternal and so in doing.

59. 31:09

    So in feasting on his words, we develop this conscious awareness of God. And what else do we do? We also, by constantly tasting of the words of Jesus. We develop a correct perception of who God actually is a correct perception. On who God is. But here’s the sort of alarming thing. Our perception of God can be so easily skewed and distorted by a lack of tasting. And a lack of taste leads to a lack of familiarity to not constantly eat peas, May regress. And so, the danger here is that we can allow so many other trains of thought, human thinking human ideas, to completely and utterly distort.

60. 32:09

    Our view of who God really is. This is the threat of all ages, but I’m telling you, it’s especially the threat right now. Now we just read, didn’t we? The parable of the talents and here, it shows really graphically how problematic it can be. For us, if we have a completely skewed version of God in our minds.

61. 32:37

    And you see God doesn’t want us to have a distorted view of who he is. He wants to us to be inspired by truth about the truth of who he is about his kindness and his goodness. It’s actually his kindness and his forbearance and his patients that causes us to change our ways. That’s what Romans do verse four cents. And so anyway, we come to the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, verse 14 to 30.

62. 33:05

    And we were, we probably know this pretty well and we just had it read for us. So we’ve got an idea what it’s about. But basically, we remember that the Master of the House he was off on a journey and he entrusted Three of his servants with this measure of, of cash with this measure of money talents as it says.

63. 33:27

    And so what did this master want? Well, he wanted them to do something with the talents. He wanted something. Didn’t he? He wanted an increase. He wanted to see a return on his property that he gave to them. So according to their individual abilities. He allocated this measure of money. So 21 he thought.

64. 33:50

    Okay, he’s got the most ability. I’m going to give this guy 5 talents. Then to another, I’ll give two talents according to his ability. And then while this guy servant, number three, I’ll give him one Talent according to his ability as well. Now, any return on the investment is fine. The master just wanted a return. Incidentally, a talent is not actually a small amount of money.

65. 34:15

    A single Talent is actually worth 20 years of a laborers, annual wage. So we’re not talking about small bicky’s here. We’re talking about a lot of money. So even the person that had one Talent was holding something of quite a lot of value. It wasn’t a small investment. And so, as The Story Goes servants, one and two, What they do.

66. 34:35

    Well, they doubled their money and the master. Well, he was overjoyed, well done. Good. And faithful servant. You have been Faithful over a little is what he says, so I’m going to set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. What an incredible saying. Brilliant, so far. So good, but hold on.

67. 35:01

    Hang on a minute. What about this? Servant number three with the with the one Talent? Well, what did he do with his talent? Well, if we’re looking at that section verse 24 of Matthew 25 says this. Well, he came forward saying Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and and Gathering where you scattered no seed.

68. 35:28

    So, I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you are. He is. What’s yours? That’s what he said. Bit more dramatize than normal. So what did he do with his talent? Well, he did nothing. Well, actually, he did do something. He went to the effort, didn’t he went to the effort of digging a hole and hiding it maybe to protect it, who knows?

69. 35:54

    Hiding it in the ground. So why why did he do it? Why did he bury it in the ground? He did it because he had constructed a completely fictitious picture of what and who he thought his master was like. That’s why he did it. In his mind. He had concluded that. His master was a hard man. The word is austere, which actually means harsh. It means violent unyielding.

70. 36:28

    And stubborn. That is who he thought his master was. So he buried it. That’s why he did it. In his mind. He told himself things like you’re impossible to serve. I’ll never please you. You demand things of me that are way too hard. You are constantly dissatisfied of me and you are, and you are constantly presenting things to me that are just not achievable fear, fear, fear, paranoia.

71. 36:59

    Is this is this what our perception of God is like at times? Is it is this what it’s like, Do we think that God is too hard core? So, why bother? Well, the servant with the one Talent did, that’s what he thought and what was the result of his thinking. Well, he was afraid, he was fearful his doubts about his master’s, goodness about his master’s kindness. His doubts about them were turned into convictions. He had convicted or he convinced himself of these things and that’s why he was inactive.

72. 37:43

    And then he would actually later use these To rationalize or justify his inactivity and is laziness. He thought, what’s the point? What is the point? The Masters not going to be satisfied with my efforts? Anyway, I’m just the little guy. I am the loser. I’m the one Talent guy. Remember, look at me one Talent guy. I’m not important to the master.

73. 38:14

    He doesn’t care. So, you know what? I’m not even going to try. I’m just going to bury his talent. I’ll keep it safe. And then when I give it back to him, you know, I wipe the dust and I’ll give it back to him if he ever comes back.

74. 38:31

    But then the master returns doesn’t he and he’s caught by surprise and what’s more? He’s called up to greet the master. And here’s the thing. He’s just seen he shocked. He’s just seen this. Joyful response. Of his master towards these to Faithful Servants who did something. And he’s just so confused, his like home, a man.

75. 38:53

    This is mind-blowing. I’m shocked because he sees the kindness. He sees the generosity and the joy in his Master’s face that he had never ever seen before. It’s an inspiration to behold. He also sees the Joy on his two fellow servants, who celebrate together. And he is the master. Say to them. You’ve been Faithful over a few things.

76. 39:19

    So I’m going to put you in charge of many things, and the servant is just shocked again. Wow, I did not say that coming.

77. 39:30

    But all of a sudden there’s this horrible, horrible, realization that creeps all over his body because he’s just realized that his master is not the man that he thought he was. Not even close. And now it’s his turn and he can imagine him. If This Were Real, he’d be a blithering mess. Just a blithering mess in this.

78. 39:55

    Parable, and as the master turns to him. He’s thinking of all the things that he could have done in retrospect to make some return on that. Talent matter could have done this. I Coulda Woulda Shoulda And so all the servant can do is just tell him kind of apart truth. You guys are my I thought you are harsh. I thought you were impossible to please. I thought you demanded the unachievable from me. I thought you didn’t care.

79. 40:29

    I was scared of you. So I did nothing. Oh, oh, hang on. Wait. I have your talent. I kept it safe for you. I wasn’t going to keep it. I buried it. Here you go. Oh, just let me wipe off the dirt. That’s the least I can do. But the master looks at this faithless servant with immeasurable sadness and disappointment.

80. 40:49

    And, and says, who do you think I am? If you knew, I was all the things that you thought I was harsh violent hard, then why didn’t you just take my talent to the bank and just get a little trickle of Interest?

81. 41:09

    I don’t know what bank you bank with but I bank with the Commonwealth Bank, okay. And I’ve got an everyday saver account where I get an interest rate, massive of 0.33 percent per annum. Now. I’m no mathematician, but I did the calculations took me some time. But if I had a thousand dollars in the bank at the end of the year, I would get a grand total of three dollars and thirty cents set, right?

82. 41:37

    Yeah. It’s a pretty miserly amount, isn’t it? But Jesus is saying in this Parable I would have In satisfied with that. I would have been satisfied with that. If you done something just small showing some business acumen. I would have been satisfied with that. That’s what Jesus says in this Parable. Doesn’t he? And then we cause to think about this, if you weren’t busy with my talent.

83. 42:08

    Then what were you doing? And so he says, I’m sorry, but I cannot accept your excuses. You never knew me. And that’s the point, isn’t it? You never ever knew me. You never knew me and towards this, man, Jesus, you some very in phatak and sobering language doesn’t, he says this take that Talent from him, give it to him who has ten talents for to everyone who has more. Will be given and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

84. 42:52

    So everybody who is God to you. Who is he to me, is God, the harsh figure that this servant is shown To Us by. Jesus is got a harsh figure. Is he too, is he exactly as As described by the one Talent man. Or alternatively is God just a passive being that neither invests, nor cares for us.

85. 43:24

    Are we just like an experiment of sorts that that that God allows to exist until the to the world leaders decide to blow us up into smithereens. Or is the God. We worshipped based on the goodness and Truth as expressed in his word, you know, when it comes to God, that really is just one distinct impossibility. According to God, that will separate us from an eternity with him and his son and you know what that is, and it’s imperative that we understand.

86. 44:04

    This fact. T’ about God. It’s Hebrews 11 verse 6. Let me read it for you says, but without faith, it’s impossible. To please God, because anyone who approaches him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly or diligently seek him. Well, we saw from the parable of the talents that the one Talent servant did not believe that his master was a joyful rewarded, did he? He didn’t he wasn’t propelled by the joyfulness and the joyful rewarding component of his master. In fact, in his mind.

87. 44:50

    He developed this view of the master that said it’s impossible to please you. No matter what I do. You are angry with me all the time. You are harsh only by the skin of my Teeth. Will I scrape into the kingdom of God, but the master said to the faithless servant, why didn’t you just take my money to the bank? $3.30, at least then, when I returned, you could have provided me with this $3.30.

88. 45:20

    But your view was so skewed, it was so wrong and so full of ignorance actually and fear and doubt that you did nothing. But just a trickle of Interest would have filled me with joy and you would be there with the other two servants.

89. 45:43

    You know, Jesus says these beautiful words to us all worth putting on a squishy plug. He says fear not fear. Not do not be afraid Little Flock for your father is pleased to give you the kingdom, you see? God is glad to give us the kingdom. I mean he is a true father better than any human dad, better than any human mother. He is, well, content is what that means. He’s pleased, he is well, content to give us the kingdom. He prefers to give us the kingdom to all other options. God takes Delight in giving us the kingdom, but there is one thing that he cannot take Delight in and it’s imperative. A matter of life and death that we understand and believe it that it’s impossible to please God, if we allow our irrational doubts to defeat our faith in him. Hebrews 11 verse 6 says, without faith. It is impossible to please him.

90. 46:56

    For whoever would draw near to, God must believe that he exists number one, and that he rewards those who seek him. You know what? It doesn’t say without faith, It’s Tricky. It doesn’t say without faith. It’s real difficult to please. God. No, it says without faith. It’s impossible to please God. And so, we’re going to ask ourselves some important questions. Who wants to please God, you don’t have to put up your hand. I am, I can do it.

91. 47:27

    Okay. We have one we all do, right. We all want to please God. We all want to bring Delight to Our Father in Heaven. Don’t we? We all do. Of course we do. Question 2. Do you believe in God that he exists? Yes, of course. Question 3. Do we believe that God rewards those who earnestly seek him? Yes, of course, right.

92. 47:51

    But the real question is this number four. Do you believe that God will reward you for earnestly seeking him. That’s the real question. And that is the question that we struggle with, isn’t it? Because our struggle is no. Some it’s not so much believing in his existence. Although it is for some butt.

93. 48:14

    But it’s not so much that nor is it the struggle to believe that God will reward others. Our struggle is believing that God is pleased and Overjoyed to reward me. And you personally, that’s a struggle and this is what God has to contend with. Isn’t it each day dealing with our weaknesses for which he knows all too well.

94. 48:40

    And our doubts and our unbelief because you see our spirit is willing to go all the way with God, but our flesh is so weak, isn’t it? And so, in our hearts, we cry out to God. Lord, I believe, please help my unbelief do something, please. God to just keep my doubts at bay. That’s a fine.

95. 49:03

    Predator-prey, don’t you think? That’s okay. Sometimes we almost have an innate resistance. Don’t we, we have this innate resistance to presume God’s rewards on ourselves. We don’t like to presume God’s rewards on ourselves, do we? But God wants us to see him just like our own capable fathers and mothers. Even though they actually are far less capable than Almighty Father in heaven. So, it’s irrational.

96. 49:36

    Therefore Case Closed to think that it is not God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom of God, as our true father. You know, sometimes we steer away from, from what we might call a churchy expression like I have been saved. We dismissed them as churchy or presumptuous. But here in this verse God is saying that you cannot you cannot please me unless you have faith and believe.

97. 50:09

    Unless you have faith and believe in my reward. So that as my mum said, is not such a good saying, but put that in your pipe and smoke it. Okay, I might be corrected after this talk for actually saying that, but there seems to be some smiles from the hosts. We’re all fine.

98. 50:28

    Clear. We’re in the clear. It was a bubble pipe. It wasn’t anything anyway. So back on track. So God is actually saying isn’t he? You must believe in me. And in order to encourage you or want you to understand that I love to reward. It’s my joy to reward you. So seek me, so crave me and I’m going to show you things that no mortal eye has ever seen, or is ever heard.

99. 51:04

    All the things that I have planned for. You says God. Love me and my son and find out. Says God. Now, I’ve been given the timeout. So I’ve got a I’ve got to stop here. So I’ll finish on this think about it. It is far better. Isn’t it far lesser risk to believe in God’s love for you than it is to doubt it? Because the worst thing that will happen to you for believing its eternal life.

100. 51:40

     All right. Thanks everyone. Thank you for listening to the good christadelphians talks podcast. We hope this talk helped you in your walk. If you would like to hear more, please subscribe for new episodes and leave a review and apple podcast or whatever service you are using to help more people find the show when they search for it.

101. 52:13

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102. 52:53

     Thank you for listening. God bless and talk to you next week.