From Time To Time - Part Thirty Four Jul 14, 2024 by: John Herbert | Series: From Time to Time Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T017_20240714.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Mt 25:14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. Today we will continue to look at the companion parables of the talents and the minas. Sunday July 14th 2024 From Time to Time – Part 34 1). Mt 25:14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. We had finished our study last time with the introduction of the parable of the talents, the fourth of the four parables given by the Lord in Matthew Chapters 24-25, given with respect to Christians during this dispensation. And this parable must be studied alongside the parable of the minas given in Luke Chapter 19. The parable of the talents had been given by the Lord, to His disciples, after His entry into Jerusalem, at a time following His rejection, as recorded in the events of Matthew Chapter 12, and just two days before His crucifixion. And the purpose for this parable within this context was to give further clarity to that which He had taught concerning faithfulness and unfaithfulness, with particular reference to that seen in the parable of the ten virgins, as well as providing further commentary on the other parables which we have previously been studying. a). At the time when He gave the parable of the talents then, the Lord’s rejection was complete, and His crucifixion was now inevitable. The Kingdom of the heavens had been taken from national Israel and the house of Israel had been left desolate – Mt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ” And the spiritual condition of national Israel at this point, that resulted in the Lord’s crucifixion, put Daniel’s seventy-week prophecy on hold, with seven years of the full four hundred and ninety years still remaining to be fulfilled. The Kingdom of the heavens, taken from Israel, was now to be given to the Church, the one new man in Christ, the entity to be brought into existence when the day of Pentecost had fully come, to be the recipients of that which Israel had rejected. b). Within this overall context of Israel’s desolation because of serial unfaithfulness this parable was given. A parable, which forms the capstone to the previous three parables in which the Lord had taught about faithfulness and unfaithfulness among Christians. All four of these parables then, came following the Lord’s rejection, just days before His crucifixion, and were given by Him for the benefit of His Church before He brought the Church into being. And in a similar fashion to the parables recorded in Matthew Chapter 13, they present the end of the matter for the Christian, before the time when any Christian had even begun their race of the faith. c). And as we begin today, we will notice that the parable of the talents begins in our Bible the same way as the parable of the ten virgins, ‘For the Kingdom of Heavens is like….’ However, the phrase ‘the Kingdom of heavens’ has been added by the translators as an attempt to help the reader understand what the parable is about, but the addition of this phrase, although well meaning, doesn’t convey what the Lord had intended. If we look at the beginning of the parable as translated by Wuest, we will get a much clearer understanding – Mt 25:14 It is just as a man about to go abroad who called his own slaves…… Grammatically, the word translated ‘It’ at the beginning of v14, refers to the parable of the ten virgins that came before it. So then, we should understand that the parable of the ten virgins is just as, just the same as a man about to go abroad…… [with the detail of the parable of the talents to follow]. The parable of the talents deals with the same individuals, faithful and unfaithful Christians, within the same context, and provides added clarity to that seen through the ten virgins. d). In the parable of the talents, we see ‘a man’, picturing the Lord Jesus, traveling to a far country, picturing the Lord returning to His Father forty days after His resurrection – Acts 1:1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. A man, in the parable, who, as he left, delivered his goods to his own household servants. And this is the same as we see in the parable of the minas – Lk 19:12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ In Luke, ‘a man’ from Matthew, the Lord Jesus, is described as ‘a certain nobleman’. And in Luke the purpose for the nobleman’s departure is given to us, ‘to receive for himself a kingdom and to return…’ And in anticipation of receiving his kingdom and then returning, the nobleman called ten of his servants, picturing all his servants. Ten being one of the scriptural numbers of completion, we will remember the ten virgins, and he delivered to them ten minas, all his goods, and his own servants were then to ‘do business [with his goods] till I come.’ And the business the nobleman’s servants were to conduct with the goods they had been given, could only be with a view to the purpose for the man leaving in the first place, in anticipation of his return. Simply, what the servants were expected to do with the nobleman’s goods cannot be separated from the reason the nobleman left, to receive for himself a kingdom, knowing that he would later return once the kingdom was his. e). And what we can see by comparing the parables of the talents and the minas, is that all the Master’s servants are involved. All are given His business to conduct in his absence, and all are expected to work with what they have been given in anticipation of the Master’s return. No servant is excluded nor overlooked, and all are treated in the same way. And as we apply this to Christians during this dispensation, what is being taught here is obvious. 2). Jn 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you………….13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The beginning of Acts Chapter 2 describes the coming of the Helper who the Lord had promised to send in John Chapter 16, the Helper whose specific work among the saved in preparation for the Lord’s return, has continued throughout this dispensation. a). Now, to draw some of these things together for us we will need to go back into the foundation to some familiar verses – Ge 24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” Within the typology found in the chronological sequence of Chapters from Genesis, Chapters 21-25, the oldest servant is sent to find a bride for Isaac following the ‘sacrifice’ of Isaac in Chapter 22, picturing the Lord’s crucifixion, and the death of Sarah in Chapter 23, picturing the setting aside of national Israel and the desolation of their house, with respect to the Kingdom of the heavens. And he is sent before Abraham then married Keturah and became fruitful, in Chapter 25, picturing the restored and fruitful Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. And that which we see at the beginning of Chapter 24 is the foundational type pointing to that which the Lord promised in John Chapter 16, which was then fulfilled in Acts Chapter 2. b). With that established we can continue with Genesis Chapter 24 – Ge 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. Again, we see the number ten, ten camels, showing that all the master’s goods were in the servant’s hand. All that belonged to Abraham was given to Isaac, the son of promise, the son with the rights of the firstborn. And with this in mind, let’s recall what the Lord had said in John Chapter 16, All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He [the oldest servant, the Holy Spirit] will take of Mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit then, sent to the newly formed church in Acts Chapter 2, sent on the mission to search out a bride for God’s Son, came in possession of all that the Father had given to His Son. Which we see in the type through Abraham’s oldest servant showing to Rebekah, his master’s goods which he had brought with him – Ge 24:53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. And what we see presented in the type is, exactly what we find in the antitype, it couldn’t be any other way -1 Co 2: 9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit reveals the ‘jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold’, the deep things of God, to the prospective bride by taking the implanted Word of the Kingdom and working with that Word in the life of the faithful Christian, those who are presented as the Lord’s own household servants in the parables of the minas and the talents. Those same Christians with whom He works to achieve the ‘metamorphosis’, the continual filling of the Spirit. And it is these precious things with which the household servants are to ‘do business’ under the direction of the Holy Spirit, in anticipation of the Lord’s return – 1 Co 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss…… And the Holy Spirit effectively working with that which we have been given, through the continual filling of the Spirit, through the progressive ‘metamorphosis’, produces in us acts of righteousness, that will result in us receiving the antitype of the garments given to Rebekah in Genesis Chapter 24, commonly known as the wedding garment – Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. Re 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 3). The parable of the minas, we will remember was given to the Lord’s disciples, those who would form the basis of His church, before the terminal point of His rejection and the setting aside of the nation of Israel. We see, So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ Here we see the ‘Nobleman’s’ goods being ten minas that were distributed equally among all His own servants, each servant getting exactly the same amount, one mina, to work with. a). Coming after the Lord’s rejection and the nation of Israel being set aside, the parable of the talents presents this same picture slightly differently, And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Here we see again the distribution of the ‘Man’s’ goods to His servants. Each servant is given something, no one is excluded, but the amount each one gets is given ‘according to his own ability.’ Those with a greater ability are given more than those with a lesser ability. So, what does this mean? What ‘ability’ are we to have that will determine what the Lord will give to us? Well, to begin with, let’s not see this in the natural. This has absolutely nothing to do with having ‘ability’ as the world would understand it. This must be kept in the spiritual realm, the only place it can be. And because of what we see in the type in Genesis Chapter 24 where Rebekah determines to follow the oldest servant, and in the Book of Ruth, where Ruth determines to follow all of Naomi’s instructions to her, we will realize that this spiritual ‘ability’ has to do with being able to faithfully carry out the Lord’s business in the Spirit, and the conduct of this business must be in line with the purpose for this dispensation and the Holy Spirit’s work within it, in anticipation of the Lord’s return to establish His Kingdom. b). Those who have heard the Word of the Kingdom and therefore understand the purpose for the Holy Spirit’s present work among the saved and the coming of Christ and His Kingdom, those who because of having this understanding, allow the Holy Spirit to work in their lives with respect to being continually filled with the Spirit and the transformation of the ‘metamorphosis’, are the ones who have ‘ability’ in this realm. And then, according to the parable, within this group who have heard and understood, there will be those with varying degrees of ‘ability.’ Some will be zealous for good works, embracing wholeheartedly the work of the Spirit in their lives, actively seeking for every opportunity to submit themselves to the instructions of the Scripture, and conduct their lives in faithful obedience to it. Some though will not be zealous in the same way, they will not display the same degree of dedication and faithfulness as consistently as the others. Although the Spirit continues to work in their life, to fill them and work the ‘metamorphosis’, it will not be to the same degree as those who have the greater ‘ability’. Simply put, the more we are prepared to pay, the more we will die to self, the more will be able to receive from the Holy Spirit, the more fruit we will produce, and we will accrue a greater return on that which the Lord has given us – Mt 21:43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. Jn 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. Through the parable of the talents, we are taught that faithfulness is always to be rewarded – Mt 25:16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also……….20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ The servant with the five talents produced a one-hundred percent increase as did the servant with two talents. And both are commended equally, and both are rewarded. c). In the parable of the minas, each servant had been given one mina each – Lk 19:16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ 19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ At the time of accounting, when the nobleman returned, having received a kingdom, one servant had earned ten minas in addition to the one he was given. And because of this, he is commended and rewarded, and the same is true for the servant whose mina earned five more minas. But we also see, that the greater the profit, the more authority was given. And putting these two together will give us a complete picture of commendation and reward for the faithful Christian at the Judgment Seat. All those who have been faithful will hear the words, ‘Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.’ But within the Kingdom administration, some of the faithful will be granted positions of greater authority than others. And this must be this way because of what we are told in - Heb 2:2…….a just recompense of reward. We will also have noted from the parable of the talents, that one servant was given one talent, and he was given this talent, according to his ‘ability’ – Mt 25:15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. The servant entrusted with the one talent did not conduct himself in the same manner as those given five and two talents – Mt 25:18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. What this particular servant did with the talent entrusted to him has absolutely nothing to do with the amount he was given. If he had produced an additional talent to the one, he was given, he could only have been commended and rewarded along with the other servants. And this is corroborated for us in the parable of the minas, where each servant was given exactly the same amount, one mina – Lk 19:20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. This servant could have produced ten more or five more minas, as did the other servants, but he had chosen not to. He did nothing with what had been entrusted to him. d). And we can find this same picture in the foundational type, in Genesis Chapter 24 – Ge 24:53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother……………. 61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed. In the type, Rebekah pictures those Christians who are faithful, to whom the Lord has given according to their own ‘ability’, and those Christians who are unfaithful are pictured first as Rebekah’s brother and mother, and then as the maids who accompany Rebekah, taken by the oldest servant to meet with Isaac. e). The precious things given to Rebekah’s brother and mother equate with the one talent and the one mina, entrusted to the servants in the parables. And as we make a comparison between Rebekah and those who are not Rebekah, we see that only Rebekah has jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold and clothing. It is only Rebekah who covers herself when meeting Isaac, and only Rebekah who becomes Isaac’s wife – Ge 24:64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; 65 for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. Nothing more is said of Rebekah’s maids, as they are not the focus of the type. But if we want to know what happens to those in the antitype of the maids, we just need to go to the parables in Matthew 24-25. They are seen in the one left, the servant who became an evil servant, the foolish virgins and the servant who hid the precious thing that had been entrusted to him. We will continue with this next time, if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed. From Time To Time - Part Thirty Four Jul 14, 2024 Speaker: John Herbert Series: From Time to Time Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T017_20240714.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Mt 25:14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. Today we will continue to look at the companion parables of the talents and the minas. Sunday July 14th 2024 From Time to Time – Part 34 1). Mt 25:14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. We had finished our study last time with the introduction of the parable of the talents, the fourth of the four parables given by the Lord in Matthew Chapters 24-25, given with respect to Christians during this dispensation. And this parable must be studied alongside the parable of the minas given in Luke Chapter 19. The parable of the talents had been given by the Lord, to His disciples, after His entry into Jerusalem, at a time following His rejection, as recorded in the events of Matthew Chapter 12, and just two days before His crucifixion. And the purpose for this parable within this context was to give further clarity to that which He had taught concerning faithfulness and unfaithfulness, with particular reference to that seen in the parable of the ten virgins, as well as providing further commentary on the other parables which we have previously been studying. a). At the time when He gave the parable of the talents then, the Lord’s rejection was complete, and His crucifixion was now inevitable. The Kingdom of the heavens had been taken from national Israel and the house of Israel had been left desolate – Mt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ” And the spiritual condition of national Israel at this point, that resulted in the Lord’s crucifixion, put Daniel’s seventy-week prophecy on hold, with seven years of the full four hundred and ninety years still remaining to be fulfilled. The Kingdom of the heavens, taken from Israel, was now to be given to the Church, the one new man in Christ, the entity to be brought into existence when the day of Pentecost had fully come, to be the recipients of that which Israel had rejected. b). Within this overall context of Israel’s desolation because of serial unfaithfulness this parable was given. A parable, which forms the capstone to the previous three parables in which the Lord had taught about faithfulness and unfaithfulness among Christians. All four of these parables then, came following the Lord’s rejection, just days before His crucifixion, and were given by Him for the benefit of His Church before He brought the Church into being. And in a similar fashion to the parables recorded in Matthew Chapter 13, they present the end of the matter for the Christian, before the time when any Christian had even begun their race of the faith. c). And as we begin today, we will notice that the parable of the talents begins in our Bible the same way as the parable of the ten virgins, ‘For the Kingdom of Heavens is like….’ However, the phrase ‘the Kingdom of heavens’ has been added by the translators as an attempt to help the reader understand what the parable is about, but the addition of this phrase, although well meaning, doesn’t convey what the Lord had intended. If we look at the beginning of the parable as translated by Wuest, we will get a much clearer understanding – Mt 25:14 It is just as a man about to go abroad who called his own slaves…… Grammatically, the word translated ‘It’ at the beginning of v14, refers to the parable of the ten virgins that came before it. So then, we should understand that the parable of the ten virgins is just as, just the same as a man about to go abroad…… [with the detail of the parable of the talents to follow]. The parable of the talents deals with the same individuals, faithful and unfaithful Christians, within the same context, and provides added clarity to that seen through the ten virgins. d). In the parable of the talents, we see ‘a man’, picturing the Lord Jesus, traveling to a far country, picturing the Lord returning to His Father forty days after His resurrection – Acts 1:1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. A man, in the parable, who, as he left, delivered his goods to his own household servants. And this is the same as we see in the parable of the minas – Lk 19:12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ In Luke, ‘a man’ from Matthew, the Lord Jesus, is described as ‘a certain nobleman’. And in Luke the purpose for the nobleman’s departure is given to us, ‘to receive for himself a kingdom and to return…’ And in anticipation of receiving his kingdom and then returning, the nobleman called ten of his servants, picturing all his servants. Ten being one of the scriptural numbers of completion, we will remember the ten virgins, and he delivered to them ten minas, all his goods, and his own servants were then to ‘do business [with his goods] till I come.’ And the business the nobleman’s servants were to conduct with the goods they had been given, could only be with a view to the purpose for the man leaving in the first place, in anticipation of his return. Simply, what the servants were expected to do with the nobleman’s goods cannot be separated from the reason the nobleman left, to receive for himself a kingdom, knowing that he would later return once the kingdom was his. e). And what we can see by comparing the parables of the talents and the minas, is that all the Master’s servants are involved. All are given His business to conduct in his absence, and all are expected to work with what they have been given in anticipation of the Master’s return. No servant is excluded nor overlooked, and all are treated in the same way. And as we apply this to Christians during this dispensation, what is being taught here is obvious. 2). Jn 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you………….13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The beginning of Acts Chapter 2 describes the coming of the Helper who the Lord had promised to send in John Chapter 16, the Helper whose specific work among the saved in preparation for the Lord’s return, has continued throughout this dispensation. a). Now, to draw some of these things together for us we will need to go back into the foundation to some familiar verses – Ge 24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” Within the typology found in the chronological sequence of Chapters from Genesis, Chapters 21-25, the oldest servant is sent to find a bride for Isaac following the ‘sacrifice’ of Isaac in Chapter 22, picturing the Lord’s crucifixion, and the death of Sarah in Chapter 23, picturing the setting aside of national Israel and the desolation of their house, with respect to the Kingdom of the heavens. And he is sent before Abraham then married Keturah and became fruitful, in Chapter 25, picturing the restored and fruitful Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. And that which we see at the beginning of Chapter 24 is the foundational type pointing to that which the Lord promised in John Chapter 16, which was then fulfilled in Acts Chapter 2. b). With that established we can continue with Genesis Chapter 24 – Ge 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. Again, we see the number ten, ten camels, showing that all the master’s goods were in the servant’s hand. All that belonged to Abraham was given to Isaac, the son of promise, the son with the rights of the firstborn. And with this in mind, let’s recall what the Lord had said in John Chapter 16, All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He [the oldest servant, the Holy Spirit] will take of Mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit then, sent to the newly formed church in Acts Chapter 2, sent on the mission to search out a bride for God’s Son, came in possession of all that the Father had given to His Son. Which we see in the type through Abraham’s oldest servant showing to Rebekah, his master’s goods which he had brought with him – Ge 24:53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. And what we see presented in the type is, exactly what we find in the antitype, it couldn’t be any other way -1 Co 2: 9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit reveals the ‘jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold’, the deep things of God, to the prospective bride by taking the implanted Word of the Kingdom and working with that Word in the life of the faithful Christian, those who are presented as the Lord’s own household servants in the parables of the minas and the talents. Those same Christians with whom He works to achieve the ‘metamorphosis’, the continual filling of the Spirit. And it is these precious things with which the household servants are to ‘do business’ under the direction of the Holy Spirit, in anticipation of the Lord’s return – 1 Co 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss…… And the Holy Spirit effectively working with that which we have been given, through the continual filling of the Spirit, through the progressive ‘metamorphosis’, produces in us acts of righteousness, that will result in us receiving the antitype of the garments given to Rebekah in Genesis Chapter 24, commonly known as the wedding garment – Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. Re 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 3). The parable of the minas, we will remember was given to the Lord’s disciples, those who would form the basis of His church, before the terminal point of His rejection and the setting aside of the nation of Israel. We see, So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ Here we see the ‘Nobleman’s’ goods being ten minas that were distributed equally among all His own servants, each servant getting exactly the same amount, one mina, to work with. a). Coming after the Lord’s rejection and the nation of Israel being set aside, the parable of the talents presents this same picture slightly differently, And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Here we see again the distribution of the ‘Man’s’ goods to His servants. Each servant is given something, no one is excluded, but the amount each one gets is given ‘according to his own ability.’ Those with a greater ability are given more than those with a lesser ability. So, what does this mean? What ‘ability’ are we to have that will determine what the Lord will give to us? Well, to begin with, let’s not see this in the natural. This has absolutely nothing to do with having ‘ability’ as the world would understand it. This must be kept in the spiritual realm, the only place it can be. And because of what we see in the type in Genesis Chapter 24 where Rebekah determines to follow the oldest servant, and in the Book of Ruth, where Ruth determines to follow all of Naomi’s instructions to her, we will realize that this spiritual ‘ability’ has to do with being able to faithfully carry out the Lord’s business in the Spirit, and the conduct of this business must be in line with the purpose for this dispensation and the Holy Spirit’s work within it, in anticipation of the Lord’s return to establish His Kingdom. b). Those who have heard the Word of the Kingdom and therefore understand the purpose for the Holy Spirit’s present work among the saved and the coming of Christ and His Kingdom, those who because of having this understanding, allow the Holy Spirit to work in their lives with respect to being continually filled with the Spirit and the transformation of the ‘metamorphosis’, are the ones who have ‘ability’ in this realm. And then, according to the parable, within this group who have heard and understood, there will be those with varying degrees of ‘ability.’ Some will be zealous for good works, embracing wholeheartedly the work of the Spirit in their lives, actively seeking for every opportunity to submit themselves to the instructions of the Scripture, and conduct their lives in faithful obedience to it. Some though will not be zealous in the same way, they will not display the same degree of dedication and faithfulness as consistently as the others. Although the Spirit continues to work in their life, to fill them and work the ‘metamorphosis’, it will not be to the same degree as those who have the greater ‘ability’. Simply put, the more we are prepared to pay, the more we will die to self, the more will be able to receive from the Holy Spirit, the more fruit we will produce, and we will accrue a greater return on that which the Lord has given us – Mt 21:43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. Jn 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. Through the parable of the talents, we are taught that faithfulness is always to be rewarded – Mt 25:16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also……….20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ The servant with the five talents produced a one-hundred percent increase as did the servant with two talents. And both are commended equally, and both are rewarded. c). In the parable of the minas, each servant had been given one mina each – Lk 19:16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ 19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ At the time of accounting, when the nobleman returned, having received a kingdom, one servant had earned ten minas in addition to the one he was given. And because of this, he is commended and rewarded, and the same is true for the servant whose mina earned five more minas. But we also see, that the greater the profit, the more authority was given. And putting these two together will give us a complete picture of commendation and reward for the faithful Christian at the Judgment Seat. All those who have been faithful will hear the words, ‘Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.’ But within the Kingdom administration, some of the faithful will be granted positions of greater authority than others. And this must be this way because of what we are told in - Heb 2:2…….a just recompense of reward. We will also have noted from the parable of the talents, that one servant was given one talent, and he was given this talent, according to his ‘ability’ – Mt 25:15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. The servant entrusted with the one talent did not conduct himself in the same manner as those given five and two talents – Mt 25:18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. What this particular servant did with the talent entrusted to him has absolutely nothing to do with the amount he was given. If he had produced an additional talent to the one, he was given, he could only have been commended and rewarded along with the other servants. And this is corroborated for us in the parable of the minas, where each servant was given exactly the same amount, one mina – Lk 19:20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. This servant could have produced ten more or five more minas, as did the other servants, but he had chosen not to. He did nothing with what had been entrusted to him. d). And we can find this same picture in the foundational type, in Genesis Chapter 24 – Ge 24:53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother……………. 61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed. In the type, Rebekah pictures those Christians who are faithful, to whom the Lord has given according to their own ‘ability’, and those Christians who are unfaithful are pictured first as Rebekah’s brother and mother, and then as the maids who accompany Rebekah, taken by the oldest servant to meet with Isaac. e). The precious things given to Rebekah’s brother and mother equate with the one talent and the one mina, entrusted to the servants in the parables. And as we make a comparison between Rebekah and those who are not Rebekah, we see that only Rebekah has jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold and clothing. It is only Rebekah who covers herself when meeting Isaac, and only Rebekah who becomes Isaac’s wife – Ge 24:64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; 65 for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. Nothing more is said of Rebekah’s maids, as they are not the focus of the type. But if we want to know what happens to those in the antitype of the maids, we just need to go to the parables in Matthew 24-25. They are seen in the one left, the servant who became an evil servant, the foolish virgins and the servant who hid the precious thing that had been entrusted to him. We will continue with this next time, if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.