His Investment in You
Erlo Stegen's sermon highlights God's unconditional love and the responsibility we have to serve Him with our lives in light of His sacrifice.
Erlo Stegen emphasizes the profound investment God has made in each of us, illustrating that we all receive the same love and salvation from Jesus, the Nobleman who created the universe. He warns against neglecting this great salvation, reminding us that our lives should be dedicated to serving Him in gratitude for His sacrifice. Stegen uses the analogy of the Voyager 1 spacecraft to highlight our smallness in the universe, yet God's immense love for us. He stresses the importance of turning away from sin, as our actions can impact future generations. Ultimately, he calls us to behold the loving face of Christ, who gave His life for us, urging us to prioritize our relationship with Him above all else.
Text
Luke 19:12 - 27
This parable is different to the one found in Matthew 25. Here everyone receives the same, whereas in Matthew the servants received different amounts. Jesus also spoke the one to His disciples and the other to the crowds.
This text teaches us that each of us has received the same from God with regards to what matters most. God loves each of us. He created us, and gave His life so that we might be saved. We have no excuse if our life is not spent in His service. We will stand condemned if we neglect so great a salvation.
We read that a "nobleman" went into a far country to receive the kingdom and then to return. Who is this nobleman? He is Jesus. He was referring to Himself. He is indeed the Nobleman of noblemen, the Pedigree of pedigrees, King of kings and Lord of lords.
In 1977 NASA scientists sent out the Voyager 1 spacecraft which had been travelling away from the earth and the sun ever since. In 1990 they commanded the spacecraft to turn around to photograph the solar system. One image Voyager returned was of Earth, showing up as a 'pale blue dot' in the grainy photo. The picture was taken using a narrow-angle camera at "more than 4 billion miles away". Earth takes up less than a single pixel - NASA says only 0.12 pixel in size.
But our solar system is only a spec in our Milkyway Galaxy which consists of billions of stars, many of which are bigger and brighter than our sun. And our Milkyway Galaxy is only a spec in the billions of other Galaxies in the known universe.
And this Nobleman created all of this!
He said that His love reaches to the end of the heavens which He had created. Yet you sigh and complain that God doesn't love you and that your sin is too great for His grace?
When He forgives us, He casts our sin away as far as the east is from the west! God's forgiveness is simply greater than your wildest imaginations!
He came to this tiny spec Earth in this giant universe He had created to love us, die for us and save us from our sin.
Each of us are born with a sin-nature - inherent sin. God also said that He will judge the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation. Fathers, see what you do to your children if you refuse to turn to God and part from sin! You bring God's judgement upon your children too. Take this very seriously and let God deal thoroughly with sin in your life.
The people of Jesus' day - even His disciples - thought that He was going to set up a political kingdom upon the earth. He went away to indeed receive the Kingdom to Himself. But it was not a political earthly kingdom. He fought and conquered by His own power and sat down at the right hand of God.
He is true nobility seated in power.
He is coming back to judge each one of us what we have done with His possessions He entrusted into our care to do business with. He created us, and loved us so much that He gave His life for us! We have received so much! We have no excuse if our life is not spent in His service. We will stand condemned if we neglect so great a salvation.
The story is told of king Cyrus who conquered another king and held him, his wife and two sons in captivity. But he showed him mercy and asked him, "What would you give me if I should release to you your one son?" Immediately he answered, "I would give you half of my kingdom." When he asked about his other son, he replied, "My whole kingdom." Then he asked him, "And what would you give me if I should release your wife?" He replied, "Then I would give you my life and be your servant till death." At those words king Cyrus released him and his whole family and gave him back his kingdom. As the family left king Cyrus, the other king asked his wife, "Did you see the mercy in king Cyrus' face?" "No," his wife replied, "I only saw your loving face; for I could not take my eyes off the man who would give his life for me."
Do you behold the Loving Face of Him who loved you so much that He gave His life for you to save you from certain eternal death? May the things of this world grow dim as you gaze on Him for all eternity.
Only utter fools would reject such unconditional love. Forget about girlfriends and boyfriends. He is the true lover of your soul!
Sermon Outline
- I points: - Introduction to the parable of the nobleman - Comparison with Matthew 25 - Understanding God's equal love
- II points: - The identity of the nobleman as Jesus - His authority and power - The significance of His return
- III points: - The vastness of creation and God's love - The concept of sin and its consequences - The importance of turning to God
- IV points: - Misunderstanding of Jesus' kingdom - The true nature of His reign - Judgment based on our stewardship
- V points: - The story of King Cyrus - The depth of sacrificial love - Our response to God's love
- VI points: - The call to behold Christ's love - Rejecting worldly distractions - Embracing our identity in Him
Key Quotes
“God's forgiveness is simply greater than your wildest imaginations!” — Erlo Stegen
“Do you behold the Loving Face of Him who loved you so much that He gave His life for you?” — Erlo Stegen
“Only utter fools would reject such unconditional love.” — Erlo Stegen
Application Points
- Reflect on the depth of God's love and how it impacts your life.
- Commit to serving God with the gifts and resources He has entrusted to you.
- Avoid distractions of the world and focus on your relationship with Christ.