2026 Mid Summer

Intro

Welcome back to Midweek. As you all know we’ve taken a bit of a break from midweek services, however we haven’t just been doing nothing. We’ve been doing slip n slides, we’ve been to Matthew 25 Ministries, we’ve done lake parties. And tonight we’re doing a Mid Summer Midweek.

Now the reason we’re doing something like this is because there is no reason we should go 2 whole months without doing this. Studying Gods word and talking with your small groups is very important to your faith. Even if you don’t have anything major to share just to get together and say “hey y’all this is what I’ve been up to”. Its good to catch up with people you haven’t seen in a while. But its even better to meet with those people and study Gods word together.

So tonight is not part of a larger series, there is no over-all theme. Tonight we will be looking at Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:14–30 ESV

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 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.’ 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.’ 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.’ 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.’ 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, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 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? 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. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 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. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Point 1: Stewardship

We only have a couple points we will run through tonight and the first one is simply the word “Stewardship”.

The word stewardship means this: The process of being responsible with someone else’s property while it is entrusted. In Christian traditions, stewardship is the recognition and faithful management of God’s gifts, including time, talents, possessions, and resources, for the purpose of advancing God’s kingdom and serving others.

Some of you might have heard someone say the phrase “be a good steward”. Or they’ve said “I’m trying to be a good steward of ____”.

All this means is that we are taking care of the things we have been entrusted with. And thats whats so great about this word is that it can mean a bunch of different things, it all just depends what you want to apply it to.

So for the sake of this study we’re going to apply it in the broadest way that we can. If we believe as Christ-Followers that everyday on this Earth is a gift then we need to be good stewards of the gift that we have been given.

Stewardship is not something that is only applied to certain gifts, stewardship is not only applied to money, or your assets, but rather stewardship is an every day choice.

To wake up every day like the man in the story and decide I’m going to be a good steward of the opportunities God has given me.

Luke 16:10 ““One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

This verse specifically touches on the idea of Christ calling us to be good stewards of the things we’ve been entrusted with. Even if all that means is you are a good steward of your every day blessings.

Point 2: Poor Stewardship has consequences

This may sound harsh but its supposed to be. Jesus wasn’t just trying to portray this man in the story as stupid but he was telling us this as a warning. And the warning is this:

When God blesses you with things and you either don’t take care of them or take advantage of them, don’t be surprised when he takes that thing away.

There are really a couple different sides to this story. There is the spiritual side of the story that has to do with the things God has blessed us with and how appreciating those things bring us closer to him.

Then there is the practical side of it, when you’re a bad steward of the things you’ve been given, you won’t get those things anymore. And that is purely practical! Some of you don’t take care of the things you’ve been blessed with and you know what it says about you? You take that thing for granted. Fill in the blank I don’t know what it is for you but there is something in your life that you don’t take care of when you know you should and whether you realize it or not you take it for granted.

And as practical as that is, God still works his way into this. God has blessed each of us in ways that we take for granted all the time. And sometimes we need a harsh reminder to let us know what we’re doing. Sometimes we need God to remind us that poor stewardship has consequences.

Story

I can remember a friend that I had when I was younger. He lived down the street from me and we went to the same elementary school. His name was Doug. Me and Doug hung out quite a bit back then when we were kids, he would walk over to my house and we would throw football or play basketball. And I can remember one day we were at school and one of the kids noticed that Doug had a rope tied around his pants. And someone said Doug why you got a rope tied around your pants? And he said because I dont got a belt. Some other kid said buy one, and I’ll never forget this, Doug said “my mom said we can’t get a belt this week because we gotta buy food”.

Y’all it wasn’t until years later that remembered that conversation and I thought to myself “thank God I don’t have to choose between a belt and food”. Theres some of you in this room that have never even heard something like that. You got your shoes and your phones and your clothes and you eat whatever you want and you get to go out and do whatever you want.

Now heres the thing theres nothing wrong with doing those things and having those things. But it is of the UTMOST IMPORTANCE that you are AWARE of how truly blessed you are.

It is important that you are a good steward of the things you’ve been blessed.