Doing The Best, You Can with What You Got!

Matthew 25:14–30 CEV

The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned. The man knew what each servant could do. So he handed five thousand coins to the first servant, two thousand to the second, and one thousand to the third. Then he left the country. As soon as the man had gone, the servant with the five thousand coins used them to earn five thousand more. The servant who had two thousand coins did the same with his money and earned two thousand more. But the servant with one thousand coins dug a hole and hid his master’s money in the ground. Some time later the master of those servants returned. He called them in and asked what they had done with his money. The servant who had been given five thousand coins brought them in with the five thousand that he had earned. He said, “Sir, you gave me five thousand coins, and I have earned five thousand more.” “Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!” Next, the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, “Sir, you gave me two thousand coins, and I have earned two thousand more.” “Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!” The servant who had been given one thousand coins then came in and said, “Sir, I know that you are hard to get along with. You harvest what you don’t plant and gather crops where you haven’t scattered seed. I was frightened and went out and hid your money in the ground. Here is every single coin!” The master of the servant told him, “You are lazy and good-for-nothing! You know that I harvest what I don’t plant and gather crops where I haven’t scattered seed. You could have at least put my money in the bank, so that I could have earned interest on it.” Then the master said, “Now your money will be taken away and given to the servant with ten thousand coins! Everyone who has something will be given more, and they will have more than enough. But everything will be taken from those who don’t have anything. You are a worthless servant, and you will be thrown out into the dark where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain.”

Topic of today’s message is

Doing The Best You Can With What You Got!

I wanted to raise that question today being the 4th Sunday of a new year. While the tradition is that with the New Year, we make resolutions of things that we resolve to take care of in the New Year. Things vary....one of the most popular is I resolve to Lose Weight, eat healthier, I’m going to get back in shape. Some might be I’m going to go back to Church, I’m going to stop smoking. Here’s a big one I’m going to stop cursing in 2024.

We make all kinds of resolutions that usually only last for the first 30 days of the year and then we go back to things as usual. Well I’m not going to give you a hard time today about your resolutions. Somebody say Thank you Pastor!!!!!

Today’s message before us will make us think about how we handle the things that God has left us to take care of while He’s away. How do we handle the things that GOD left?

Within this parable that Jesus shared there is a twofold message. First, while Jesus is away, the believer is to do something: WORK ---work faithfully and diligently. Second, while Jesus is away, the believer is to know something: your work will be greatly rewarded or severely judged.

There is a contrast listed between those that will make use of God’s gifts and those that will NOT.

In verse 14 Jesus is making it known that the Master will be travelling to “a faraway country” or more simply going abroad. Not giving any indication of the time when He would return. But he called His servants together in order to give to them His goods. The master is leaving His possession in their hand to work while He’s away so they are not idle and His valuables will go to waste. This was not an uncommon thing that the master was doing. He would place people in charge of his valuables to care for them until his return. And upon his return the expectation was that things would be better than when He left.

Now in verse 15 it describes the Master distributing the talents. It says that he gave to everyone according to their ability. God will give us gifts or talents to use that HE know we can handle. Romans 12:6 says it like this: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;” Now it’s important to note that in the parable it does not indicate that they were all given the same talent or gifting. It’s says that one got five, another got two, and the other one. All the talent though the number was different was equal in importance. We must understand that it doesn’t matter how much you got, but are you Doing The Best You Can With What You Got!

 Go ahead and ask your neighbor are you Doing The Best You Can With What You Got!

 Verses 16 & 17 Indicate that the servants that had received five talents and the two talents immediately went to work on doubling their talents. What this tells us is that they were so excited about what was entrusted to their care that they immediately went to work to honor the trust that was placed in them by the Master. God has placed something in each one of us to handle, to be responsible for while HE’s away, how are we handling it?

Charles Wesley wrote it in hymn like this: A charge to keep I have, A God to glorify, A never-dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, My calling to fulfill: Oh, may it all my pow’rs engage To do my Master’s will!

Doing The Best You Can With What You Got!

Our faithfulness and relationship to Jesus our Lord can be defined by the way we handle what HE’s given to us.

Just think about what the Lord has given you…………………..

Cars that we won’t give others a ride….

Homes we never opened up to share meal or fellowship someone in need….

Money that we won’t give back to God or to help anybody but ourselves……

A smile that we refuse to share……

And the list goes on and on……

1 - Each Person has their appropriate gift!!!

You are to understand that there are different qualifications for different individuals. There is a great deal of erroneous comparison when a man says: “Oh, if I only had that man’s faith, or that man’s money, or that man’s eloquence, how I would serve God.” YOU Better take the GIFT that God has given you and employ it in the right way for God’s GLORY. The old Preacher used to say, that before the stone and timber were brought to Jerusalem for the Temple every stone and piece of timber was marked; so that before they started for Jerusalem, the architects knew in what place that particular piece of timber or stone should fit. And so, I have to tell you we are all marked for some one place in the Great Temple of the Lord, and do not let us complain, saying: “I would like to be the foundation stone, or the cap stone.” Let us go into the very place where God intends us to be and be satisfied with the position. GOD HAS TAKEN THE TIME TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT GIFTING TO HANDLE WHAT HE HAS CHARGED YOU WITH DOING. AND YOUR GIFT HAS YOUR NAME ON IT!!!!!

2 - Faithful Management Has Its Rewards

In verses 20 – 23 The Master rewards the servant that took and doubled the talents given to them. When we are diligent in handling the things that God has placed in our charge God will say to us as HE did to the faithful servants. Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

The hymn writer said it like this: If when you give the best of your service, Telling the world that the Savior is come; Be not dismayed when men don't believe you; He understands; and say, "Well done."

3 - Misuse of God’s Property Will Be Judged

When in verse 24 – 27 the servant with one talent explained to His lord why he didn’t use the talent that he had but buried and hid it in the ground. The master was angry with him because he misused what was given to him. Church today on this 4th Sunday in January let me tell you that when you have been given a gift by God to be used for His Glory and you decide that you are going to sit on that gift and not use it for the Kingdom of God you are slapping God in the face and saying the faith that you placed in me was misplaced. I can’t do what you required of me to do. When you say that to GOD you will be judged. The master said to him “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 

Doing The Best You Can With What You Got!

Will you use what you got to gain more for the Kingdom of God Or will you Bury IT?

In Acts 3 it tells us a story.

There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate, was a man who had been crippled all his life. Every day he was carried to this gate to beg. He would ask for money from the people going into the Temple. The man saw Peter and John going into the Temple and asked them for money. Peter and John looked straight at him and said, “Look at us!” The man looked at them; he thought they were going to give him some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you: By the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth—stand up and walk!” Then Peter took the man’s right hand and lifted him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping, and praising God.

The Lord NEED TO KNOW CAN HE COUNT ON YOU?

Doing The Best You Can With What You Got!