Risen: Week One - Pastor Michael Landrum

The kingdom of God arrives with both promise and responsibility. Jesus frames a clear vision: followers work as ambassadors while the full reign of the king awaits completion. The narrative in Luke 19 places the parable of the nobleman and the minas right before the march into Jerusalem, showing that resurrection and kingship will come, but that the interim carries urgent duties. Believers receive entrusted resources—time, talents, worship, influence—and the gospel calls for active stewardship, not passive possession. The mina functions as a concrete test: servants must invest what belongs to the king so the kingdom expands during the king’s absence.

The parable exposes two responses. Faithful stewards risk their entrusted resources, engage in kingdom business, and multiply what was given; the text rewards them with authority and broader responsibility. Conversely, fear, worldliness, or listening to hostile voices leads some to bury or hoard their gift, returning it unchanged and facing severe judgment. Scripture ties spiritual fruitfulness to categorical accountability: every believer will give an account for stewardship, and God will reassign what remains unused to those who advance the mission.

Kingdom freedom proves not the absence of submission but the liberation found in devoted service. True freedom appears when a life recognizes purchase by the king and embraces service as primary vocation. The parable also reveals a sober reality about opposition: some will openly reject the king and face judgment, underscoring that allegiance matters. The risen king will return to vindicate faithful labor and to confront rejection.

Pastoral application issues a twofold summons: discover and own the specific assignment that aligns with given gifts, then act. Risk accompanies faithful service, yet risk leads to increase because God gives more to those who use what they have. The present season—especially the lead into Holy Week—calls for repentance where gifts lie idle, revival where courage wanes, and renewed commitment to multiply influence for the kingdom. The narrative closes with an invitation: respond now, steward well, and live in the accountability that precedes the coming reign.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Steward what God entrusts to you. Faithful disciples view every gift as stewardship rather than personal property. Investing time, worship, teaching, or compassion into the community honors the king and enlarges his rule; failure to invest amounts to returning the king’s goods unchanged. This parable forces a reorientation: responsibility precedes reward, and stewardship shapes future authority. [19:02]
• 2. Use gifts; receive greater responsibility. Kingdom economy follows a multiplier logic: active use produces enlargement and new opportunities for service. Practical skill and spiritual fruit both attract further trust, so small acts of faithfulness prepare the soul for larger trusts. The promise compels risk because growth flows to those who step out on what they already possess. [32:06]
• 3. Do not hoard; risk yields reward. Hoarding springs from fear, cultural noise, or false views of freedom; it stunts spiritual growth and invites loss. The parable exposes how listening to hostile voices leads to inaction and judgment, while calculated risk on behalf of the king produces increase. Faith demands stepping into uncertainty because the kingdom advances through obedience, not safety. [27:35]
• 4. Know and own your assignment. Every breathing believer carries a God-given responsibility that requires naming and assessment. Clarity about specific assignments—family, neighborhood, gifts—creates accountability and directs daily practice toward measurable fruit. Identifying the task removes excuse and opens space for repentance and renewed action. [45:46]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:31] - Opening prayer and posture
• [01:05] - New series: Risen
• [02:13] - From Luke 10 to Luke 19 overview
• [04:52] - Context before Jerusalem
• [11:16] - Parable begins: the nobleman and minas
• [19:02] - Stewardship explained
• [31:28] - Reward and judgment contrasted
• [39:19] - Practical application: own your assignment
• [50:56] - Invitation, repentance, and altar call

Based on the sermon summary and transcript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

Bible Reading
Luke 19:11-27 (ESV)
As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

Observation questions

1. According to verse 11, why did Jesus tell this specific parable to the crowd that was following him?
2. What were the two different outcomes for the servants who invested their minas versus the one who hid his? [31:28]
3. What reason did the third servant give for hiding the mina, and how did the nobleman use the servant's own words against him?
4. Besides the servants, who else is mentioned in the parable, and what was their stated desire regarding the nobleman? [21:28]

Interpretation questions

1. The mina represents what has been entrusted to us. Based on the sermon, what are some of the specific things believers have been given to steward? [14:43]
2. The servant who hid the mina said he was afraid. What kinds of fears, worldly influences, or "hostile voices" might cause a person to hide or neglect what God has given them? [26:48]
3. The principle stated is, "to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." How does this principle work out in the practical, spiritual life of a believer? [34:35]
4. The parable ends with a severe judgment for the citizens who rejected the nobleman's reign. How does this sobering reality underscore the importance of our allegiance and daily choices?

Application questions

1. Steward what God entrusts to you. [19:02] What is one specific resource—such as your time, a specific talent, or your capacity to worship—that you know belongs to God and not to you? How will your management of that resource look different this week now that you see it as a mina to be invested for the King?
2. Use gifts; receive greater responsibility. [32:06] What is one "small act of faithfulness" you feel prompted to step into, even if it feels risky or uncertain? What is holding you back from starting?
3. Do not hoard; risk yields reward. [27:35] Where have you been "playing it safe" spiritually, hoping that simply not losing what you have is good enough? What would it look like to take a calculated, obedient risk with that area of your life this week?
4. Know and own your assignment. [45:46] If you were to take out a sheet of paper and write down your God-given assignment based on your gifts, relationships, and circumstances, what would you write? If the answer is "I don't know," what is one step you can take this week to seek clarity from God on what He has for you to do? [43:12]
5. The more you give, the more he gives for you to give. [34:03] Reflect on your past week. Would you describe it as "boring" or filled with divine opportunities? What change in perspective or action is needed to move from a life of maintenance to a life of multiplication? [47:15]
6. Servants understand they are bought with a price. How does remembering that you belong completely to Christ liberate you from the fear of what others think and free you to serve Him wholeheartedly? [49:04]