What's Your Lane (3)?
What's Your Lane? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Please turn to John 15 and Matthew 25. We’re in a series called “Go.” We’ve been talking about Your Lane. I thought I had typed that into the computer, but apparently, I did not. The autocorrect come back with – “You Lame.” The idea of your lane comes from Matt. 28 and what we call the Great Commission given to us by Christ – “Go and make disciples,” meaning as you along in your life, in your lane, live in a way that makes Jesus visible - be the guide that points others toward Jesus. What I call our lane, the Apostle Paul calls members of the Body – some are hands, feet, armpits.
So, what's your lane? Scripture is clear - if you are a follower of Jesus, you are chosen. Somewhere in your life God said, “I want you on the team,” and you responded. God said, “Great, now here's what I expect from everyone on the team,” which we find in
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
So
God’s expectation is that our lives will produce something that has eternal value in the lives of others.
I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear (produce) fruit - fruit that will last.
Turn to Matt. 25. Context is critical when understanding Scripture. The context of Matt. 25 is found at the beginning of chapter 24. The disciples asked Jesus, “When is the end of the world? When will you setup your Kingdom?” Jesus responded with the world will hate you, wars, calamities, tube socks will be back in style, there will be a great and final judgment etc. In the middle of this dialogue are two lessons (parables) about being prepared for Christ’s return– the parable of the 10 virgins and parable of the talents (our focus this morning).
If perhaps you are perplexed with the point of a parable, please allow me permission to prepare your per-spi-cacity (intellect). Parables are propagated and prosaic (common) stories purposefully employed to proclaim Biblical principles that are precisely apt to be pondered with patience and put forth to be perpetuated and practiced by God’s pious people. In other words,
Parables are stories with a Biblical lesson, and you better pay attention.
These two parables serve as warnings regarding being prepared for the End. Being prepared means being in a saving relationship with Christ, but that’s only one side of being prepared. The other side is knowing how to live prior to Christ’s return, and both parables answer that question. (everybody has an end)
A few things to know about this Parable of the Talents. Again, it answers the question of how we should live while we wait for Jesus - so keep that in mind. The talent Jesus referred to was an enormous amount of money. One talent is estimated to be equivalent to 20 years of wages. As you will see, the servants were entrusted with a lot of money – even the servant who received one talent. Nonetheless, this lesson is not about money, but it is about investing.
The talents in the story represent many things - our abilities, skills, strengths, personal resources, spiritual gifts – whatever God has entrusted to each person and congregation. The overall purpose of this parable is to convey how we ought to live in our lane until we meet Jesus. See, the servants in this story were given a lot of money – and with that came a lot of expectation and a lot of personal responsibility. Here's the “take away” I want us to keep in mind as we go through this -
Do what you can with what you’ve been given.
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
The man is Jesus. Christ came, died, rose again, ascended into Heaven, and will come again. Until He returns, we His Church, His people have been entrusted with His world and His mission. That’s huge – but He didn’t leave us empty-handed.
The master gave something to the servants – and we see that throughout Scripture - God giving. He gives wisdom, abilities, desires, resources - apostles, prophets, shepherds … to the church; He gives spiritual gifts.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
Bottom line – we all have something. God intends for us to use whatever He’s given to expand His Kingdom, to serve one another, to make Him visible, to push back the chaos …. God intends for each of us to do what we can with what we’ve been given.
So the Master gave this enormous amount of money to His servants and said, “I’ll be back.” But what’s missing? Specifics. We’ve seen this before - God does not always tell us what to do or how to do it – but there is an implied expectation that we will do what we can with what we’ve been given. Like we said two weeks ago, there’s freedom in that, excitement, creativity, exploration, mystery and trial and error, and even personal flare. Again, do what you can with what you’ve been given and do it for the glory and mission of God.
With freedom and expectation comes something we call Personal Responsibility and Accountability.
Every Christian has the personal responsibility and will be accountable, as we’ll see in the parable, to do what we can with what we’ve been given.
Understand,
This is not about comparing, but it is about context.
The single parent with 2.5 children and struggling to survive has a different context than a married couple in their 60s and kids are gone, retired …. Or the context of a person confined to a wheelchair is different than someone who can run 5 miles a day. Context plays a part.
Regardless of context, the motivation to serve Christ should be love – that we do what we can with what we’ve been given as a response to the love and grace God has given us.
Oswald Chambers said this –
“The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God.
Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love.
Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of His nature.” ~ Oswald Chambers (17 Jan).
Service, doing what you can in your lane with what you’ve been given should be the overflow of love and devotion to Christ. Gears should be turning – questions going through our minds …. “Am I serving out of love? Am I serving in my lane? Am I doing what I can …?
Service is the overflow.
He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.
So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
Love and devotion toward their master compelled them to do what they could with what they had been given – without instruction.
Understand, this parable and doing what you can with what you’ve been given is not about doing more or being busy (for some). This is about faithfulness, responsibility, attitude, mission, and about a God who calls us to participate with Him in making disciples. Think on that ….
We’ll continue this next week. As we prepare for Communion, think about a couple of things. No intent to beat up anyone, but this is a challenge to think about your life and to affirm what Christ has given you. For some you know. For others it will take some intentional thinking and maybe asking others. This is a challenge to think about your life, affirm what Christ has given you and ask the question – am I doing what I can with what I’ve been given.
Jesus did all that He could with His life so that we, who have nothing to offer could be saved, forgiven, and reconciled with our God who loves us and wants us on His team. So come and partake of Christ’s blood and body.