Advent #3 2017: Prepare to Invest

Parable of the Talents Notes:

“Our call to salvation is equal (20:1-16), but our calls to service are apportioned by a wise Lord’s knowledge of each servant’s ability (dynamis).” Bruner 553

“Our call to salvation is equal (20:1-16), but our calls to service are apportioned by a wise Lord’s knowledge of each servant’s ability (dynamis).” Bruner 553

“The work’s value to its Giver is immense, so immense that its use (or misuse), as we see at the Last Judgment, determines salvation or damnation. How we use the grace of our work determines destiny.” Bruner

“The good life in the midst of real life” (Davies and Allison)

“Even a single talent is approximately a whole lifetime of wages” (Margueret via Bruner).

It is work based on grace. Grace is given, we are called to build on it.

“The work’s value to its Giver is immense, so immense that its use (or misuse), as we see at the Last Judgment, determines salvation or damnation. How we use the grace of our work determines destiny.” Bruner

Talent= money? Time? “More fruitful is the idea that a talent is any opportunity at all, each day, and this would include many realities: work, family, play, community, and even interruptions. Finally, talent has passed over into English usage as a name for a personal aptitude, and this, too, can be a valuable way to discover one’s responsibility before God. Whatever a talent is- and a talent can be as provocative to conscience as the wedding garment (22:10-14) or the oil (3,4,8)- it is whatever the Lord gives now and will ask about later.” Bruner

“Immediately”

“Went to work”

“Won” (ekerdesen)

Returns and Settles Accounts:

Lazy Servant Verbs: Recessive:

“Went away” vs. Moving Out

“Digging a hole” vs. “Going to Work”

“hiding” vs. “Winning”

“Avoid the dangers of mixing in this world

“

Returns and Settles Accounts:

“The life of faith is not just receiving gifts; it is also giving accounts.” The life of faith lives between grace and judgment. Paul stresses the former without neglecting the latter; Matthew stresses the latter without neglecting the former.” Bruner 557

Recognizing grace “Lord, you gave me...”

Matthew’s account: “Look! I made five more talents” “Both are right, in that order: grace, work).

Look up word: The cross is fructifying

Come on in to the joy of the Lord! Invitation to the feast.

“Heavenly rewards are not beds of rest; they are posts of duty.” Bruner

Come on in to the joy of the Lord! Invitation to the feast.

“The man perceived God and the world as dangerous realities, so sees himself as a victim, and ‘therefore he is a victim’” (Bruner and D.O.Via).

Skleroes:

1: Hard or strong- flattering. God is indifferent to human action because God is so strong.

2. Harsh Cruel mean, or unfeeling.

“I think that Matthew suggests both surface flattery(sovereign-hard) and inwards bitterness (harsh-hard).

If God can do anything he wants, he doesn’t need our help. Isn’t it better “not to take oneself too seriously at all; not to think that what one little person does matters all that much? The servant is justifying his puzzling, non-activity with a theologically sophisticated argument.” Bruner

(you are sovereign, who does whatever you want, and so you don’t need me.”

Servant expecting praise! Lit, “Look, you have your own!” I did little, but I actually have done lots because here’s your money.

“Is it so evil to do nothing at all?” Bruner

“This parable is unique in attacking humility.” Bruner

“The servant did nothing, not really because he believed in a God who needs nothing, but because he wanted to do nothing.” Bruner 561

Light investment is even good. Just don’t hide my grace!

“unused muscles atrophy, unused talents damn, unfruitful tress are felled for the fire.” Bruner

Talents of omission

Problem:

Self-pleasing, self-protecting.

Regrets of lost opportunities, misspent chances, stupid choices. Bruner

Shares stories not to scare people but because I love them: Bruner

Fructifying Work: Costly grace

Costly grace

Gift not used… Cheap Grace

Problems in the Text:

Burying our gold

Why? Because God is a ‘hard’ God.

Problem in this World:

Christians burying their work. Apathy. Don’t care enough

Christians who are given grace may be cast away.

Gathering in places where you didn’t sow

Gifts of talents. Grace= fructifying work

Grace in this World:

Gathering in places where you didn’t sow

Gathering in places you did not scatter

That’s a massive misunderstanding and misperception of God.

God is not a harsh God. He’s a loving God.

God has the power to do what He wants, which includes sending his people out into the world for the harvest. The talent is for the harvest, not the ground!

Outline:

Misconception of Grace

Jesus died for me to save me from my sin.

“Not only saved from sin, we are saved for service.” Bruner

Jesus died for me to save me from my sin.

Jesus died for me to give me the grace to serve the world.

Lazy Servant Verbs: Recessive:

That’s a massive misunderstanding and misperception of God.

“Went away” vs. Moving Out

God is not a harsh God. He’s a loving God.

“Digging a hole” vs. “Going to Work”

“hiding” vs. “Winning”

God has the power to do what He wants, which includes sending his people out into the world for the harvest. The talent is for the harvest, not the ground!

“Avoid the dangers of mixing in this world

The servant is blaming God for his inactivity.

“The man perceived God and the world as dangerous realities, so sees himself as a victim, and ‘therefore he is a victim’” (Bruner and D.O.Via).

Misconception of God

Our misconception of God

God is a God of love

What’s the point of investing if God is going to gather in the harvest anyway? God gathers in places he didn’t sow...

Jesus died for me to give me the grace to serve the world.

That’s a massive misunderstanding and misperception of God.

God is not a harsh God. He’s a loving God.

God has the power to do what He wants, which includes sending his people out into the world for the harvest. The talent is for the harvest, not the ground!

“The servant did nothing, not really because he believed in a God who needs nothing, but because he wanted to do nothing.” Bruner 561

Misconception of God

So what are we supposed to do?

Multiply the grace God has given us through works.

Recognize that you have gifts God gave you! Spiritual gifts=talents=strengths

Aggressive/active words:

“Immediately”

“Went to work”

“Won” (ekerdesen)

Strengths are for the harvest!

Strengths Finders: Balcony and Basement

Discovering those gifts and nurturing them!

“Even a single talent is approximately a whole lifetime of wages” (Margueret via Bruner).

Luke’s account: “Your pound has made ten more pounds.”

Matthew’s account: “Look! I made five more talents” “Both are right, in that order: grace, work).

Fructifying Work

Gift not used… Cheap Grace

See

Find a problem and fix it. Don’t build a business first. First find the problem.

Planted 5,000,000 trees

775,000 patience

900 water projects

30,000 grassroots leaders

18,000 artificial limbs

Website: “Since the opening of the Training Center in 1994, over 30,000 local and 3,000 international representatives from NGOs, governments and healthcare professionals have been trained in the CRHP approach.”

Ramon Magsaysaw Award: 1979Drs. Raj and Mabelle Arole

Ramon Magsaysay Award

Lord doesn’t just commend, he also rewards!

“Heavenly rewards are not beds of rest; they are posts of duty.” Bruner