Dont waste your talents!

If you have a bible open it up to Matthew 25. I have titled the message this morning. Dont waste your talents!

So-What is a talent biblically speaking- John MacArthur says- A talent is a measure of weight, not a specific coin, so that a talent of gold was more valuable than a talent of silver. A talent of Silver ( the word translated money in verse 18 is silver ) was a considerable sum of money. The modern meaning of the word talent, denoting a natural ability, stems from the application of this parable to the stewardship of one’s natural gifts.

We must understand that every single one of our gifts we have we received from God. We may have worked hard on our talents, but make no mistake if you are good at something truly, its a gift from the lord.

Everything is a gift from the Lord from your talents to your finances and everything in between is a gift from God, and we are called to be good stewards of it.

So what I want you to see today as we dive into the text is this for our main idea…

Christians use and invest their talents to glorify God because he is the one who gave them to us.

Matthew 25:14–30 (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. 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. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 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.’ 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.’ 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.’

For those taking notes or following along today in our bulletin I have several things I want you to take note of the first is this..

God is the giver of talents.

I really like the Englishman J.C. Ryle says.. We are all God’s “servants.” We have all “talents” entrusted to our charge.

The word “talents” is an expression that has been curiously turned aside from its original meaning. It is generally applied to none but people of remarkable ability or gifts. They are called “talented” people. Such an use of the expression is a mere modern invention. In the sense in which our Lord used the word in this parable, it applies to all baptized persons without distinction. We have all talents in God’s sight. We are all talented people.

Anything whereby we may glorify God is a talent, Our gifts, our influence, our money, our knowledge, our health, our strength, our time, our senses, our reason, our intellect, our memory, our affections, our privileges as members of Christ’s Church, our advantages as possessors of the Bible,—all, all are talents. Whence came these things? What hand bestowed them? Why are we what we are? Why are we not the worms that crawl on the earth? There is only one answer to these questions. All that we have is a loan from God. We are God’s stewards. We are God’s debtors. Let this thought sink.

The bible says every good and perfect gift comes from above. We so often fail to understand the grace God gives us not only with his Son but also the the gifts and the talents and the abilities and those things he gives us are meant to serve him and advance his kingdom.

I really find the words of Ryle humbling for a few reasons. If it was God’s will we could be be but a worm. Crawling upon the earth waiting to be picked off by the birds of the sky.

But God chose mankind to have authority over this earth, and if you are a believer he has given you his Son and all that comes with that, which far exceeds even our talents and as great as they may be, are just loaned by God for a time for us to use them for his glory, and we owe everything we have to God, to invest it for his glory.

The text makes it clear this master is clearly God and He gives 5, 2, and 1 talent, and does so in accordance of their own abilities.

Scholars say its hard to put an exact amount on how much it would be in todays times but one valued the total of all those gifts at 1,977,600 dollars between the three servants thats a-lot of money if you ask me.

Never the less the three gifts given by God all have a response to those gifts. We see two of them do the Lord’s work really without delay. They don’t sit on what the Lord has given them they invest it for the glory of God. The 5 gets another 5 the 2 gets another 2, but in this parable we have one who just buries it in the ground. Which was common practice at the time. When they wanted to save money.

2 were faithful the other was not, which brings me to my second point…

All will be judged based on what they do with their talents.

The text says the master returns after along time and came and settled his accounts with them. This is two fold one Jesus is coming back, who is the master and we will give for account on this life. Unlike the quote from Adrian Rodgers i used two weeks ago another man said.. , “Live as though Jesus is coming back today; plan as though he is not coming back for a hundred years.”

Two of these servants I believe lived with that thought in mind. They thought our master is coming what can we do with what our master has given us until he returns, and when he returned they went and came forward proclaiming what they did with the masters talents.

The first servant who had received 5 talents brought 5 more, the one who received 2 talents brought 2 more, and the Master had the same response to those 2 faithful servants. He said 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.

He is rewarding them for their good work. For being faithful for what he had given them.

I couldn’t help but be moved by the words of one man that said, “ the Key to understanding Jesus' point in this parable is the realization that this is not simply about an employee-employer realationship that is cold, hard, and focused on the bottom line. See, for example, the joy in the relationship between these first two servants and their master.

Hear the excitement in the first servant's voice: "Look, Ive earned five more talents" (v. 20). One commentator imagined the scene this way, The man's eyes are sparkling. He is bubbling over with enthusiasm, is thoroughly thrilled, and, as it were, invites his master to start counting" ). And then his master says to him, "Well done, good and faithful slave! ... Share your master's joy!" (v. 23). There is intimacy between the master and the servant, and this is God's design for us as well. The question becomes, Will you be commended for your love? Do you keep watch for Christ in such a way that love is the overflow of your waiting for Him?

I thought of it like this.. In your Love for God will you give all to God for God and for his glory seeking to approve the master over men. Will you let the joy of serving the Lord drive you to use your talents for his kingdom.

This is what I believe two of these servants did. But we have the one servant the outlier in this text that did nothing with what the Lord gave him. And so this one man comes with an excuse before his master and tells him I know you are a hard man, reaping where you do not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so i was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here have what is yours..

Church I thought of it like this.. Self preservation does not = glorification. ( We can’t worship God fully if we are sitting at home or sitting only in these pews all the time and not working for the praises of God )

I quoted J.C. Ryle earlier but he provides another great insight. He says, “To hide our talent is to neglect opportunities of glorifying God, when we have them. The Bible-despiser, the prayer-neglecter, and the Sabbath-breaker,—the unbelieving, the sensual, and the earthly-minded,—the trifler, the thoughtless, and the pleasure-seeker,—the money-lover, the covetous, and the self-indulgent,—all, all are alike burying their Lord’s money in the ground. They have all light that they do not use. They might all be better than they are. But they are all daily robbing God. He has lent them much and they make Him no return. The words of Daniel , are apply to every unconverted person: “the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.” (Dan. 5:23.)”

So the master who gave this man a talent was very upset at the man calling him wicked and slothful.. He doesn’t go after his other sin’s does he goes after the fact that he was a lazy no good steward of what God had given him. To often we get caught up not losing things and in turn we don’t gain anything for the Lord.

Remember self-preservation does not = glorification. But this man also did something else he created for himself a master who was harsh, and mean. Alot of us do this.. And we know alot of people outside of the faith do this as well. This man created this image of a hateful master that would punish him if he lost what he gave him, and with that he made an excuse to not be faithful. ( because he really did not know the master ) Our view of God dictates how we use our talents. The problem is He actually didn’t believe that the master reaped where he did not sow and gathered where he did not scattered seed. Because if he did he would have been faithful with that talent.

See a wrong view of God leads to a wrong walk with God. God expects obedience. He expects faithfulness, he expects you to take what he gives you and invest it in things that belong to the Lord.

If we are honest; sometimes we are like the man who buried their talent more than the other two. Because we like the man who wasted his talent don’t have a proper view of our master who is gracious, and kind who ultimately died on the cross for us. And when we loose our right view of God it distorts everything from how we worship him, how we serve him, to how we give back to the church, and everything in-between. A thankful heart will serve the Lord with Joy.

So Jesus finishes with this man telling him. You could have at least invested my money with the bankers and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

Now the law of God prohibited charging fellow Jews interest with one another, but when they loaned it to others outside of the faith the gentiles it was fine. Some scholars say they could earn up to 12 percent.

But I believe the point Jesus is trying to make is just do something with what I have given you. Don’t let it go to waste. Don’t bury it in the ground letting it sit and do nothing with it. To many churches are like this man. Afraid to Lose what is God’s.. Hear that this morning..

I think about this suggestion by Jesus when I think about what we do when you give, not all of that goes to me or the buildings or the rest of our staff.

It goes out into the world. God hasn’t given us the resources of a bigger church, but this church can be faithful with what we have.

Now when we give things like the cooperative program every dollar we give is distributed like this I have shared this before but many people don’t know… 42 cents of that money goes to things in this state, some of those things are fall’s creek, cross timbers, baptist collegiate ministries, ( If you remember from falls creek we had people that went with our church who made critical decisions about their walk with Jesus, remember I got to baptized two of those people just two weeks ago) That is the Lord using your money to invest in his kingdom )

another 15 cents goes to things like obu, waters edge, Oklahoma baptist children's homes, baptist village communities, These things serve our widows, orphans, children who have great needs.

The remaining 43 cents of that goes to the sbc as a whole who uses 2 cents for convention things like the annual meeting stuff like that.. 9 cents goes to the 6 southern baptist seminaries one of which I went to southeastern and you guys helped train me theologically before you ever knew I would be your pastor, and you are helping cutting the cost of those who want to use their lives serving the local church. 10 cents of that is going to the North American Mission Board that goes and strategically plants churches in North America. 22 cents goes to the International Mission Board that supports 3500 missionaries across the globe. ( SO they can do the Lord’s work and not worry about raising funds ) So when you give it matters, when you use your talents to serve the local church and the places you live it matters, because there are over 1800 churches in this state, and 50000 in the country that say its better to use what we have and invest it together than just sit on it and waiting until the Lord returns.

I say this because if it appears to you that the money you are giving is not manifesting into real results, you can see trust me it is.

Together we get to make a local, and global difference for the gospel, and not be like this man in the text who sit on their money. Buried it in the ground, and waited until his master came back.

God will achieve his goals no matter what, I have always thought of as a smaller church we are the one who was giving the one talent, let us not resemble the man who the master took his talent away and gave it to someone else and be casts off to the side, because we are not being faithful with what we have.

another point for you.

The use of our talents have eternal implications.

I’ve got another quote from J.C. Ryle that captures the heart of this passage. He writes,

“The best of Christians is a poor frail creature, and needs the blood of atonement every day that he lives. But the least and lowest of believers will find that he is counted among Christ’s servants, and that his labour has not been in vain in the Lord. He will discover to his amazement, that his Master’s eye saw more beauty in his efforts to please Him, than he ever saw himself. He will find that every hour spent in Christ’s service, and every word spoken on Christ’s behalf, has been written in a book of remembrance. Let believers remember these things and take courage.—The cross may be heavy now, but the glorious reward shall make amends for all.”

That’s a beautiful truth: what we do in this life really matters. The way we use what God has given us — our time, our talents, our resources including our dollars — has eternal implications.

In this parable, the one who was faithful with the most was given even more, while the one who buried his gift lost everything. This isn’t the “prosperity gospel” — it’s the reality of spiritual life. God entrusts His people with resources and responsibilities, and when we use them faithfully for His glory, He multiplies their impact.

As one writer put it, “Anyone who has a talent and fails to use it forfeits it. But the one who uses it to the full finds that it develops and grows. This is a law of the spiritual life.” The servants who used what they had saw it grow; the one who refused to use what he had lost it.

So, church, what I’m asking of you is this: take what God has given you — whatever it is — and use it for His glory. Work for the Lord, serve Him, love Him, and invest in His kingdom. Live as though Jesus were returning today, but plan and labor as though He may not come back soon.

Now don’t miss that.. Jesus is the Master who entrusts His servants. The master in the parable represents Christ Himself — the One who has given us the gospel, the Holy Spirit, and spiritual gifts to steward until He returns. Just as the master went away on a journey, Jesus has ascended into heaven and left His church to continue His mission (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 1:8).

Jesus is the Faithful Servant who fulfills what we could not. Where we are often fearful or lazy, Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father’s will. He invested everything — even His own life — for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners. Through His death and resurrection, He multiplied life for all who believe (John 12:24).

Jesus will return to settle accounts. The master’s return points to the day when Christ comes again to judge the living and the dead. To those who trusted Him and served faithfully, He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Master.” But those who rejected His grace will face eternal judgment.

And here’s the sober truth: one of the servants in this story wasn’t a true disciple. He was near the things of God but never knew the Master. It’s a warning that proximity to Jesus is not the same as relationship with Jesus. Works don’t save us — but fruitfulness is the evidence of a saving work of Christ in our hearts.

Our Response: Living Faithfully in Light of Eternity

1. Recognize your life and gifts as grace. Everything you have — your resources, abilities, influence, and opportunities — are gifts from God. We didn’t earn them. We’re stewards of His grace, and that truth should fill us with humility and gratitude.

2. Be faithful, not fearful. The faithful servants acted in trust; the unfaithful one buried his gift in fear. Fear says, “What if I fail?” Faith says, “I’ll obey because He’s worthy.” Remember this: self-preservation does not equal glorification.

3. Have a right view of the Master. The unfaithful servant called his master “a hard man.” His distorted view of God led to spiritual paralysis. But when we see Jesus rightly — gracious, generous, joyful — we’re moved to serve Him with glad hearts. A wrong view of God leads to a wrong walk with God.

4. Use what you have, not what you don’t. The master gave to each “according to his ability.” God isn’t looking for equal outcomes, only faithful effort. Don’t compare your calling to someone else’s; be faithful with what’s in your hands.

5. Remember eternal consequences. The way you live now has eternal weight. Faithful servants will share in their Master’s joy, while those who reject His lordship face judgment. While works don’t save us, they reveal whom we truly love.

6. Invest your life for the gospel. Everything we give to Jesus — our time, our energy, our finances, our gifts — will be redeemed for His glory. Nothing done for Christ is wasted. As Ryle reminds us, “The cross may be heavy now, but the glorious reward shall make amends for all.”

A Final Charge

Ryle said,

“Let us leave this parable with a solemn determination, by God’s grace, never to be content with a profession of Christianity without practice. Let us not only talk about religion, but act. We are not told that the unprofitable servant was a murderer or a thief — but that he did nothing, and this was his ruin.” Let’s beware of a “do-nothing” Christianity. Instead, let’s live as a people fully surrendered to Christ — ready for His return, faithful in His work, and eager to hear those words on that day: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

To use and invest our talents to glorify God because he is the one who gave them to us.

Let us pray…