Work What You Have To Work with and What You Have to Work With Will lead to Abundance.

Matthew 25:14–29 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.

Introduction:

Are you living the kind of life you want to be living?

Are you living where you want to live?

Are you doing what you want to do?

Are you helping how you want to help?

Are you serving how you want to serve?

if you answer no to any of those questions I have two more questions to ask you.

What is the driving force behind your desires?

What are you action are you willing to take to get there?

1. Like all of The Lord’s creation He created us to be to some degree self-sustaining.

(The Lord Created us to be interdependent. In order for us to play our part we have to be engaged in our own development and deployment.)

Matthew 25:14 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.

Notice the phrase “His own servants.”

We Know that in this verse “The man” is God the Father.

We also know that we are His servants.

He is more than our master-He is our creator. Like the master in the parable God knows how and for what He made us.

Like when he created fruit trees He put seeds in them to continue building fruit trees; He gave us the seeds to supply all the answer to all the questions I asked in the beginning.

He knows what he put in us.

2. He knows our own abilities.

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.

He has prepared works for us to do.

Genesis 1:28 NKJV

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

We where called to be fruitful. Then to multiply.

Ephesians 4:28 NKJV

28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

He called us to work, He created us to work, he built work for us to do.

What is a talent?

Faithlife Study Bible (Chapter 25)

25:15 five talents The Greek text indicates an amount equal to 75 years’ wages (see note on 18:24).

Faithlife Study Bible (Chapter 18)

18:24 ten thousand talents The servant owes roughly 150,000 years’ worth of wages—an absurdly insurmountable debt intended to shock Jesus’ listeners and pale in comparison to the much smaller amount demanded by the servant in v. 28. The Greek text’s reference to 10,000 talents represents the largest number used in ancient calculations and the highest monetary unit at that time (one talent was equivalent to 15 years’ worth of wages).

Of course a talent is payment for fifteen years work.

The Lord gave each of His servants provision according to their abilities.

The Lord Expects us to use what he has given us to what he has called us to.

many of the people of God are not using what God gave them.

3. Just because you where given a talent doesn’t mean you don’t have to develop it.

Matthew 25:19 NKJV

19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

He gave them a long time because He knew it would take them time to discover their talents and the field in which to use them.

If you grew up in a small church then you know what it is to deal with people who have a little talent and never seem to take the time to develop it.

In my generation this was often seen when you went back to your home town and those people who feel their best years where in high school. The cool job they had when we where all kids seems beneath them.

What happened? They got lazy.

The things that God gave us must be developed.

Tell them how you are taking speaking lessons.

Tell them how you are developing your own leadership skills

4. If you are faithful over a few things, you will rule over many.

Of course this last point is taken from verse 21.

Matthew 25:21 NKJV

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.’

I have never known the will of God to come from Sky writing.

Discerning the will of God comes from an honest inventory of all ones gifts.

it comes from an honest inventory of ones personality.

it comes from starting by deploying those gifts.