Matthew 25:14-30 - God owns everything

When Hilary and I first got married, dear friends of our gifted us FPU.

We became more aware of how we were paying off debt and how we were using our money for the sake of the kingdom.

We had wrecked our truck and totaled it and needed a new car.

The same friends has a 2000 Toyota Camry that was totally paid off.

We didn’t want a car payment/more debt, so we were going to buy this little beater car.

We went to go buy the car from them, and they handed us a signed title.

We were blown away by their generosity.

This was a kind of generosity we see in the Bible.

This is authentic generosity.

Sermon series context: Generosity

This is not going to be a sermon series where we brow-beat you into giving.

Some of you are familiar with the phrase tithe or “tenth.”

The most common way we practice tithing is giving 10% of our income.

The biblical sense of the tithe is not merely tenth, but “first.”

In the Bible, when the people gave a “tithe” it wasn’t always merely money, but the “first.”

The first of their crop, their grain, their wine, oil, flock.

It was to communicate that their focus was to return worship to God by offering their first and best.

“He is our first priority. He is our worship.”

As we look at this series on generosity, what I’m hoping is that you find giving as more of an act of worship, than obligation.

Giving is to lead to joy because it is showing our devotion to the Lord.

The beginning of authentic generosity is worshipping God because…

Big Idea: God owns everything

Jesus is speaking about the kingdom of God, and he begins to tell them this story.

Stand to read

Matthew 25:14–15 ESV

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

Leader: This is God’s Word

Everyone: Thanks be to God

This man has hired these guys and trusts them with a lot of money.

A talent is worth about 20 years of wages.

The equivalent to $600,000 today.

5 talents = $3mil

2 talents = $1,200,000

1 talent = $600,000

Their job is to take what has been given to them and to multiply it.

Matthew 25:16–17 ESV

16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.

The first two “went at once” and started hustling.

They wanted to be good stewards of what had been trusted to them.

They wanted to work hard and honor the guy that hired them!

They had some giddy-up/didn’t wait.

They got to work.

They each doubled what had been given to them to steward.

The $3mil went and made $6mil

The 1,200,000 made 2,400,000.

They have been entrusted with an intense job to steward it well.

The master didn’t give them a quota, but they wanted to do their best with what was given to them.

Church,

We are responsible for great things that aren’t ours

The Lord has entrusted to us some incredible things to steward so that we are able to give glory to Him by our lives.

You are responsible for some amazing things.

Spouse/Children

Home/Vehicle

Animals

Work/skills/money

None of these things are yours by yourself.

The job you have is not because you did well in an interview.

The wife you have isn’t because you have skills, homie.

The Lord put that woman there and gave her to you.

The children you have are a gift from the Lord.

Everything we have we have been given.

The 5/2 both act with the talents that have been given to them—Not their own.

They do not operate out of their own strength, but out of the strength given by someone else.

Giving reflects the heart of God.

This is where we recognize that everything we own is not ours, but given from the Lord.

We have the opportunity to steward the things God has given us and use the for God’s glory.

Randy Deamron spent years defending his family’s 145 acres of land.

Gun fights were the norm for keeping people off his land.

Then the Lord revealed to him that the land actually belongs to the Lord and it was given to Him to steward.

He’s to take care of it.

Randy has invited my family, Bill, and many other visitors to come see God’s beauty in creation.

He wants people to recognize the wonders of God just by coming to a place of peace.

If you live a greedy and stingy life—You do not reflect the character and nature of God.

The first two guys combated a life style that doesn’t reflect the glory of God.

Transition

There’s an issue with our third fella.

Matthew 25:18 ESV

18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

This guy went out of his way not to multiply the money.

$600,000 is a pretty big stack to put in the ground.

That’s a lot of digging.

He used a lot of energy to do nothing with what was given to him.

He tried so hard to do nothing.

The other two were rewarded for their diligence.

Matthew 25:19–23 ESV

19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 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.’

There is an intense reward when we serve God’s will faithfully

When we use the lives the Lord has given us and leverage them for the sake of His Kingdom to see more disciples made, there is an intense joy.

They were rewarded with the joy/approval/presence of the Master.

Not with heaven, things—But with the master Himself.

He didn’t need to offer them the talents they took care of.

He simply invited them into His joy, love, and delight because it was the greatest gift He could offer.

We’d live a totally different way if we recognized God’s presence for what it’s worth.

If we had a right view of who God is, we’d be satisfied with His presence alone.

That’s how amazing our God is.

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.’

With intense arrogance, the guy goes on the offensive.

He was hired for a job, actively did not do the job, then begins to tell his employer, “You’re the problem.”

He was entrusted with something that wasn’t his.

Hired for a particular purpose.

Equipped to do the job.

Refused to work with what he was given

Blamed the master for his laziness.

He knew the guy prior to be “intense” and passionate about this business.

So he blames the master for his apathy and inactivity.

Doesn’t this sound like the Garden of Eden?

When Adam sinned against God, He blamed God?

“The woman whom you gave me” (Gen. 3:12).

This servant has rationalized his sin.

Just because Jesus is a holy and powerful sovereign, it gives the servant no reason not to serve faithfully with what He’s been given.

Jesus will have none of the blame game.

Matthew 25:26–30 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? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 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.’

“Oh, you know me?!”

Our wrong ideas about Jesus do not justify our faithlessness to submit to Jesus.

We don’t get to tell Jesus who to be—It doesn’t matter who we think He is.

He is the sovereign King of everything!

He is the one who laid down His life to save sinners and rose again after he defeated sin and death!

He is the one who rules and reigns over all creation.

He has given us this message of the gospel, commanding us to use everything He’s provided in our lives to see people come to know love and follow Him.

He’s given us this mandate to go and make disciples!

Church,

Don’t waste your life (because it’s not yours) (vv. 16-30)

How can you leverage your life for the sake of the gospel?

When you become a Christian, you are given the message of the gospel to take to the world.

Everywhere you live, work, and play.

Kyle works for Traditions Barber Co.

I’m continually encouraged by him simply inviting people to come to church with him.

I’ll cut your hair if you come to church with me.

No one has taken him up on it yet, but success is not determined based on that—He’s being faithful with what the Lord has given Him!

There are so many Christians who refuse to serve because “I don’t know enough.”

Be faithful with what you know.

Don’t wait to serve because you’re afraid you’re not impressive enough.

Jesus isn’t asking you to be impressive. He’s asking you to be faithful.

He didn’t say to either of the 5/2, “Well done, good and impressive…”

He called them faithful.

The two talent wasn’t jealous of the five talent/the 5 didn’t envy the 2.

They were each faithful with what they were given.

If you are not leveraging every aspect of your life for the Kingdom of God, you probably don’t know who God is.

Gospel presentation

Perhaps you don’t—The good news is, you can know who God is.

Each of us were created in God’s image to be in a right relationship and worship Him.

We were created to enjoy the presence of God and to delight in Him.

Each us of have rebelled against God in our sin.

We have been tricked to believe that the world revolves around us and we have worshipped ourselves rather than our Creator.

We have rebelled against God’s holiness and are guilty of sin, deserving judgement and hell.

But God is merciful.

He gave the greatest gift He ever could.

He sent us His Son, Jesus, to live perfectly according to God’s Word.

Jesus laid down His life on the cross to take the punishment for our guilt.

All so we could be set free from our sin and allowed back into the presence of God and into a right relationship with Him again!

The Lord of the universe owns everything, and He wants a personal and righteous relationship with you.

Our lives are not our own—We have given ourselves to slavery to sin, but Christ’s death purchased us on the cross.

What do you have to give to Him?

Nothing but the empty hands of faith.

He has given us new life so that we can return it in worship and service to King Jesus who is worthy of every element of our lives.

Don’t waste your life—surrender it to Jesus and receive eternal life.

Take the next step of faith toward Jesus.

Take the Next Step

Identify what are you holding onto that you’re not giving to the Lord.

Money? If you’re not tithing, you should start tithing.

Skills? If you see a need and you’re gifted there, you should be meeting it.

Family time? If you’re not being intentional with your time with your family, to grow them up in Christ’s love—Start.

Show me what you’re not willing to give up to the Lord and I’ll show you what you worship more than Him.

Start a text—Invite someone