Losing What’s Not Ours
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Nobody likes to lose. We always want to win in life. Whether it is in recreation/hobbies, our job, conflicts/arguments, politically, and especially in our finances.
Losing is bad enough, but what’s worse than that is when we Lose What’s Not Ours. That’s the paradox we’ll look at tonight, Losing What’s Not Ours, because it wasn’t ours to begin with.
Text; Mt. 25:14-30
Matthew 25:14–30 (NKJV)
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.
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.
18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
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.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
There are two main things I want to point out in the beginning of this parable that Jesus told His disciples so we can understand it.
1. Servants and the Masters Goods; 14
1. Servants and the Masters Goods; 14
Servants- {doulos} slaves, bondservant; common laborers and household servants as well as of skilled craftsmen, artists and highly-trained professionals. Regardless of their level of service they had one thing in common, they were the personal property of their owners, who often had the power of life and death over them.
Paul often called himself and those he was writing to as slaves and bondservants of Christ. That’s what a believer is, a servant of Christ because He owns us!
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Masters Goods- everything that the servants had belonged to their master. [v.14]“He delivered his goods to them”
We need to remember that everything we possess—from our body, soul and spirit, to our home and its furnishings, our financial resources, and even our daily schedule—all comes from the Lord and belongs to the Lord. We are simply stewards of God’s blessings and must use what the Lord gives us to serve and honor Him.
21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Servants don’t own anything and what we have comes from the Master!
2. The Fairness of the Master; 15
2. The Fairness of the Master; 15
The master knew his servants and he distributed his goods to them according to their own ability.
Ability- possessing the means or skills to do something; talent or proficiency in a particular area of service or knowledge
The master gave each servant a fair opportunity to prove themselves with his goods according to their known abilities. He didn’t over burden some and didn’t underestimate others.
We might all be created equal [same manner/nature] but we are not all equal in the same skills, talents or spiritual gifts.
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
DNA- a self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information. The fundamental and distinctive characteristics or qualities of someone or something, especially when regarded as unchangeable:
There are certain things I am not cut out for and I could never become. I know that and so does God. He created me that way! And that’s okay!!
Among the Twelve disciples there were different levels of responsibility. Peter, James, and John were clearly the inner circle, and of that group Peter was the most prominent.
Yet James became the leader of the church at Jerusalem
And the Apostle Paul was set aside for the gospel to Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel.
God gives us opportunity according to our abilities and His spiritual gifts.
3. Losing What’s Not Ours; 16-30
3. Losing What’s Not Ours; 16-30
Each servant had the same opportunity to serve his master by looking after his goods, according to their ability.
Each servant had different abilities but the same opportunity
Matthew 25:15 (NKJV)
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.
God disperses His goods [resources/gifts] as He wills
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Each servant received all the resources/gifts he needs and can use
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
Each servant had equal opportunity to serve and be faithful
Matthew 16:27 (NKJV)
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
The difference between the first two servants and the third one is his lack of love for the master [v.24-25].
He saw his master as demanding, hard and taking credit for the work others did. But his master treated him fairly and with respect even though the master knew he was wicked and lazy to start with.
Paradox- Losing What’s Not Ours
Matthew 25:28–30 (NKJV)
28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The servant thought the talent was his so he buried it to protect it until the master claimed it, and ended up giving it to the servant with the ten talents!
Several people in the NT [Bible] thought they had something when they really had nothing, and their “nothing” was taken from them.
Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11)- they tried to copy Barnabas by selling land and giving money to the church but held back part of what God had blessed them with in the sale of property and their lies cost them their lives
Rich young ruler (Mark 10:17–22) - he asked how to obtain eternal life, and after Jesus told him, he forfeited eternal life because he loved his wealth more than his life.
Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:15–20)- I think the saddest truth of one who lost what was not theirs is Judas Iscariot. He took his position as a disciple/apostle of Jesus for granted and buried his resources in the ground, and eternal life was forfeited while he took his own!
Wiersbe, W. W. (2016). Truth on Its Head: Unusual Wisdom in the Paradoxes of the Bible (p. 131). Lexham Press.
3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Close;
We are nothing but servants of the Most High God with the same equal opportunity to serve and bring glory to Him according to our ability, resources and gifts He has entrusted us with!
We should never lose what is not ours, especially what God has made us stewards of!