Stewards of the Master
Definition – a steward is one who is put in charge of the household or affairs of another for a set time and season
I. God has entrusted to each one of us certain resources and opportunities.
a. What do the talents represent in your life? Everything He gave us
II. Parable in context
a. Before the Talents – Parable of the 10 Virgins
i. The story about the 10 virgins is that even Christians must be ready to meet the Lord when He returns in glory from heaven
b. After the Talents – Jesus separating the sheep & goats
i. The story is the eternal separating of those who were faithful to loving others and those who were not.
c. Purpose of the Talents parable - The story before and the story after speak of being ready to meet the Lord, through waiting and obeying. The message of each is an end-times message: be ready to meet the Lord when He comes, and be ready to give an account of what you did on earth. This is the exact message of the parable of the talents. The point of the Parable of the Talents is the accountability for faithful service to our Master.
d. Players – Jesus is the Master and each of us represent the servants
III. What Jesus is saying…
God has given us talents. And when we use those talents for God, God’s kingdom “increases” or “profits” from our faithfulness. That is, God benefits. AND God is overwhelmed with joy & happiness (20-23)
a. God wants to (and He will) reward us
i. Heb. 6:10 tells us "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them
ii. Hebrews 11: 6 declares: "God rewards those who diligently seek Him
iii. Matthew 6:33 Jesus says: "Seek first the kingdom of God
IV. It didn’t matter how many talents each servant had (vss. 20-23). The SAME PRAISE was given to each.
a. God doesn’t look at what we do. He looks at our effort with what we have
b. Look at v. 27 - God wasn’t concerned with the size of what was accomplished. He just wanted His servants TO DO SOMETHING with what they were given.
i. Illustration – My kids wanting to help as toddlers w/ carrying groceries
V. Spiritual truths in the parable –
a. Each of us has been entrusted with treasures, talents and time
b. Just as in the parable, all that we have was never ours but is on loan from the Master
i. Our treasures
ii. Our talents
iii. Our time
iv. Our bodies – 1 Cor 6:19 – our bodies are not our own, we’ve been bought w/ a price
v. WHEN CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED, HE PAID THE FULL PRICE FOR EVERY LAST ONE OF OUR SINS. NOT SOME BUT ALL. SO HOW CAN WE AS LACKADAISICAL CHRISTIANS TURN BACK AND TELL HIM WHO GAVE SO MUCH THAT WE JUST DON’T HAVE THE TIME, ENERGY OR MONEY TO DO WHAT YOU ASK US TO DO FOR YOU??
c. We are expected to use our treasures to gain more for the Master
i. 2 Corinthians 8:12 - For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have
ii. We should use our treasures and not worry about what other people are doing w/ their valuables
d. Even Our time should be used for the Lord’s use
i. Some can’t give Him an extra hour a week to pray or worship, but they can commit to several hours a week for exercise, fresh air, a garden or a lawn. Doesn’t He deserve to be put first in our time?
e. God rewards and blesses those who give of themselves to Him
i. Jesus taught that if you use what you’ve got, God will multiply it. Maybe if you took what few treasures you have, what few talents you have, what little time you have, and used them to please God in all you do, you might find yourself with more.
ii. Illustration – feeding of the 5000 w/ a few fish & loaves
f. The third thread of truth Jesus taught in this parable, and perhaps the scariest one, is that we will be accountable to the Master for how we used our valuables
i. The master returned, and so will ours. And He will ask us to give an account of how we spent our treasures, our talents, and our time.
ii. As Christians we are glad that when we face the Lord, we do not have to worry about eternal judgement
iii. That was settled when we asked Jesus to forgive our sins and become our leader
iv. But we do face a judgement yet. We will face the believer’s judgement, when Christians are judged for how we lived our lives.
v. Don’t we want to hear those beautiful words, “well done thou good and faithful servant?”
Finally, what do the talents represent in your life? They represent everything God has given you which is everything you are and everything you have. What do you have that you did not receive from God? Paul asked that question to the Christians in Corinth. 1 Cor. 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Here is something we must remember as we journey through life. Every ability I have, every dollar I have, every opportunity that comes my way, the very air I breathe come to me from God. I am not my own. I am bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. Everything really belongs to God. He has simply entrusted you and I with it during this brief event we call life.
The moment I think that the money I have belongs to me to do with as I please is the moment I am already thinking wrong about life. The moment I think I have success because of my capability or my efforts is the moment I am already thinking wrong. Do you have good health? Do you have a good job? Do you have money? It is all on lend to you for a brief season. Deut 8:18 "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth...
1 John 2:28 - And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
Bible commentator Herbert Lockyer summed up Jesus’ message of the parable with 5 words: Use it or lose it. You have been given treasures – are you using it for God’s glory? What about your talents – are you burying them, or multiplying them for what God wants? And how do you spend your time – do you waste it, or do you use all you can to obey God?