Be and Make Disciples

Living in Light of Jesus' Return  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  26:41
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How many kinds of waiting we can think of. Those of you in the congregation who have little children will know that if you turn to your child and say, “It’s only ten minutes till dinner,” it’s not going to stop them from being a shadow till you give them a snack to eat. And yet, if I’m in my study and I’m working on next week's Bible talk and I hear “ten minutes,” well, ten minutes is just not long enough. And so, things get a little crazy as I try to finish what I’m doing in time. One author said, “It’s the same length of time, but one is waiting in one way and one in another way.”
Then there’s the kind of waiting that you enjoy when you meet the man or the woman of your dreams. Time always seems to pass too quickly, and you wish the moment could be frozen. It’s as if you want the time to stand still so that the magic of that moment can continue for hours and hours and hours. And yet, there does come a moment when you’ve got to let it go. Then there’s the waiting experienced when you’re desperately ill, waiting for the wretched effects of another chemo treatment to pass you by, feeling like Job crying out, “How long, O Lord? How long?”
So, as we delve into Matthew 25, which is fundamentally about waiting for Jesus, we need to ask, “What does Jesus say about how we, as Christians, are to wait for His return? – As we wait for Jesus to return, be busy – be busy making the Gospel known.

1. Some context:

Now, as we come to our passage, there are approximately three days until Jesus is crucified. And there is a sense of urgency as He teaches His disciples. Jesus is pressing home the reality that a day is coming when He will die and go to be with the Father. And his disciples will not be ready for His return. And so, in chapter 24, Jesus teaches us to wait and not to be surprised. When He returns, it will be like the days of Noah. People will be getting married, there will be funerals, there will be births, there will be celebrations and parties. And then, in a moment, in a flash, one will be taken, and one will be left. And so, we are to wait and be ready.
Then, in chapter 25, the first thirteen verses, Jesus tells us to wait as if His return will be delayed. In other words, need to prepare for the long run, for the long haul. And then in chapter 25, verses 31 to 46, the verses that are after our text, we wait, knowing that there will be a separation of sheep and goats – a separation between those who are faithful and those who have been unfaithful.
And then, in our passage, Jesus highlights what we are to do in the time before the separation. And we are to wait for the Lord as servants who are busy making improvements to our master’s assets. Do you see what Jesus is doing here? He’s saying, “Do not be surprised,” and “Prepare for the long haul. And when that day arrives, there will be a separation of sheep and goats, but before that day, you are to be busy servants. So, what I want us to do this morning is look at a couple of details in the parable, and then I want us to take some time to apply the parable to our lives.

2. The parable:

This parable – it’s simple – it’s about the story of a wealthy master who is going on a long journey. So, the master calls his three servants, and he inform them that he’s going away. And he entrusts his wealth and his property to them.
Matthew 25:15 ESV
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
And he implores each one of them to go and be busy and use what they have been given wisely and be profitable.
Now, a “talent” is the weight that was used to measure out a precious metal like gold, silver, or copper. Like a kg. Now, one talent was approximately 20 years' wages. So, one of these servants was receiving a hundred years’ wages, the other forty years, and another twenty years. What Jesus is doing is trying to show us that the Master in the parable is giving his servants something precious.
And, the master tells each servant to be busy and use what they have been given wisely and be profitable. So, the master goes his way, and sometime later, he returns, and then a day of reckoning takes place
Matthew 25:19 ESV
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Explain the rest of the verses.
Now, remember that Jesus is using this parable to teach his disciples what they ought to be doing as they wait for his return. They are to be busy, use what they have been given wisely and be profitable. And we see as Jesus moves from the parable to the spiritual reality behind the parable.
Matthew 25:29–30 ESV
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Now, what is the precious thing that the Lord has given to us? Well, it’s not our abilities or gifts. As good as these are. No, the precious thing that we are to be busily using and profitable as we wait for the Lord to return is undoubtedly the Gospel. As we wait for Jesus to return, Jesus wants us to be busy – be busy making the Gospel known. This is a parable what the focus of our life, our time our energy as we wait for the Lord to return. It’s a parable that calls us to busy – be busy making the Gospel known. And as such it confronts us with several truths – several truths about life and ourselves. So, let me mention a couple.

3. Application:

A. You belong to God:
Now, the first and obvious truth of this parable is that ‘you belong to God; you are not your own.’ The men in the parable are called servants because they belong to their masters. It was the master who took care of them so that they could serve him. Everything they had, including this large amount of precious metal that had just been given to them. It all belonged to the master.
And friends, this is true and us. It was God who created you. It is He who knew you from before the foundation of the world, and He’s the one who knitted you together in your mother’s womb. He’s the one that breathed life into you. He’s the one that gave you your life.
More than that, it was God who called you to himself. And through the precious Gospel brought you to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And now, having been bought at a price, we are no longer our own. In the words of Paul, we all say
Galatians 2:20 ESV
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
And as you come to Him, repenting and believing, you find that you don’t want to be our own. You want to serve the Master.
And ultimately, as you look at the text, I really do believe that what differentiates the way the servants respond is those who are faithful know their master. They know what their master is like, so they devote their lives to serving Him.
Friends, embrace this life Jesus has given you. As you wait for His return, use your His life, His time, His strength that is given to us, His gifts, and His money in the serve of your master. Everything you are and everything you have has been given to you so that you can serve Him. You are not your own. So, as you wait for Jesus to return, be busy – be busy making the Gospel known.
B. You have agency:
The second thing that stands out from this parable is that you have agency; that is, you are responsible for the decisions you make. In the parable, the wealth belongs to the master; it comes from him, and it is to be used for him. Yet the servant decides what he should do. No one forced them. They had agency. They are responsible for the decisions they make.
Matthew 25:20–23 ESV
20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
But equally, the last servant, based on what he thought His master was like, also made a decision.
Matthew 25:24–25 ESV
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
Now, there is nothing in the passage to suggest that the master was like this at all.
Remember Jesus is talking about how we live as we wait for his return. Jesus, in this parable, is saying some people claim to follow him, but the way they live their lives really isn’t all that different from anyone else. Rather than being busy making the Gospel known as they wait for their Lord to return, they bury the gospel. You see, Jesus is trying to warn his disciples about a way of living that is quite happy to be within the Church but unwilling to be committed to making disciples.
I knew a bloke; his name was Brian - Brian Clift. He grew up in the church and came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He loved the church. He loved Jesus. He loved the Scriptures. But because of a whole heap of things both in his personal life and in the life of the church, he slowly started to slip away, and eventually, he moved away from the church altogether. Now, several later years, by God’s grace, Jesus recaptured his heart. And the one thing I remember Brian saying as he shared his testimony was – “If only I hadn’t wasted so much time for Jesus.”
Brian had come to understand what a precious treasure the Gospel is. And that he had wasted all those years. Rather than being busy, as he waited for His Lord’s return, doing all he could do to grow in the Gospel and live a life dedicated to the growth of the church, he buried his talent. He had agency; he made decisions.
Let me ask you, how seriously do you take the responsibility that has been given to you. Jesus has changed your life from darkness to light to help others know Jesus. And many of you are doing that. You have agency, and you make decisions that prioritise making the gospel known. As you wait for Jesus to return, you are busy making the Gospel known. (Give examples). Praise God.
Let me say that God has created each of you uniquely, with your gifts, abilities and personality. As you wait for Jesus to return, be busy making the Gospel known. Love Lord Jesus Christ with heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbour and be faithful in that.
3. You Are Accountable:
The last thing id like to highlight is that parable teaches that we are accountable.
Matthew 25:19 ESV
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Friends, there is a day of reckoning. Jesus will return and we will have to give account for how we waited for him. Were we busy, or were we lazy? Were we faithful to the master and the task he was given us? Are you busy making the Gospel known as you wait for Jesus to return?
And the issue is not a return on the investment. The result of our activity is up to the Lord. This issue is devotion. You know, the image that comes to my mind as the master returns and asks for an account is joy. The two servants who had been faithful go in and they’re bounding with joy as they say, “Master, you gave us five. Look what we’ve done!” You’ve entrusted us with the Gospel, and we’ve been busy making it known.
And then the third servant comes in, he starts with excuses. Doesn’t he? “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, and so I did nothing,” Jesus tells us that the third servant was wicked and lazy.
Matthew 25:26 ESV
26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?
He was wicked for his wrong perception of his master, and he was slothful and lazy, not seeing the tremendous valuable of what had been given to him.
You are accountable to God for how you live in this world and how you use the time He has given you. As you wait for Jesus to return, be busy – be busy making the Gospel known. William Carey said, “I’m not afraid of failing. I’m afraid of succeeding at things that do not matter.”

Conclusion:

Let me wrap up by saying that we could summarise this parable by saying, “Don’t waste your life.” Jesus calls us through this parable to faithfully and joyfully get busy making Him known. The apostle Paul writes this at the end of his life. He says,
2 Timothy 4:6–8 ESV
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
What a remarkable statement to be able to look back and say, “Lord, as I have waited for you to return, I've been busy letting people know about your wonderful Gospel.”
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