Journey Through Matthew: How Talented Are You?

Introduction

Good morning and welcome back!

If you will start turning in your Bibles to .

This morning we are going to be looking at verses 14-30, focusing on the Parable of the Talents.

And in this parable Jesus is going to be sharing with the people what God’s expectation is for His disciples.

Remember for the last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about watching and being ready for when the Lord comes.

And then last Sunday night we moved into what I would call sort of a transition parable, talking about the parable of the 10 virgins, who needed to have their lamps trimmed and filled with oil for the bridegroom.

And the lesson in all of that was that we are to be filled up withe the oil or the anointing of God, the Holy Spirit.

And we are to stay continuously filled up so when the Bridegroom comes we are ready.

This morning though we are going to be looking at one of the reasons why we should stay filled up.

Because Jesus is now going to go into what we should be doing while we are waiting for His return.

Many people have the idea that when we are saved we should then just sit down and wait.

And that is actually the furthest thing from the truth.

We God saves us and Sanctifies us, we don’t just sit down and wait.

We get up and get to work.

And the enabling factor behind our getting up and getting to work is the anointing of God, the Holy Spirit.

So being filled and staying filled is the first step, but now Jesus is doing to teach us a lesson about the actual work.

And he is going to do so in the form of this parable.

So, if you have found in your Bibles, I’d invite you to stand with me.

Again, we will be covering verses 14-30 this morning but I’m going to read just the last two verses that sum it all up.

Matthew writes . . . .

Scripture Focus

Matthew 25:2

Matthew 25:29–30 NIV - Anglicised

29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Giving of Talents (vs 14-15)

Alright, so we have seen how it all turns out, now lets go back to the beginning of the passage to see how Jesus got to where he was going with this.

First, he sets the stage, and again he is teaching them in the form of a parable, and again he is comparing different aspects of the Kingdom with a landowner and some some servants . . .

Matthew 25:14 NIV - Anglicised

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.

Matthew 25:14

And just to let the cat out of the bag a bit, the “man on a journey” is Jesus and the property being entrusted to his servants is basically the world.

He is telling his servants that he is going to be gone a while and while he is gone take care of things, make this place a better place, share the blessings I have given you with others, turn over a prophet for my investment.

And so . . . .

Matthew 25:15 NIV - Anglicised

15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

Matthew 25:15

And I want to point out something very important about this verse that I think we sometimes miss.

And that is the phrase, “each according to his ability.”

And I point that out because many times, just like I talked about last week, we are always after what somebody else has.

Somebody else’s talet.

Somebody else’ anointing.

But that is not how things work.

God calls us and uses us according each of our own abilities, not somebody else’s.

And if we think about it a minute that is really how it has to be.

God is not going to set us up to fail.

Now God may stretch us because God wants us to reach the fullness of our abilities, but God is not going to give us anything that through Him we can’t accomplish.

And many times when we fail, it is not because it is outside our ability but rather we are trying to operate outside our ability.

We are trying to do the job God has given us the way somebody else has or would have done it.

And that will never work.

We do what God calls us to do according to the abilities God has given us.

And also, one other point before we move on— We can’t do what God has called somebody else to do.

We can’t get stuck in the pattern of doing “just because.”

Just because nobody else will do it or just because we think it needs to be done.

it all goes back to being in tune with the Holy Spirit.

Which is why the man in our parable gives each servant different amounts of money.

The first one he gave five talents.

The second one two.

And a third servant one talent.

And the expectation was that he was going to leave them, trusting them with these talents, and when he returned he was expecting there to be an increase, or a return on his investment.

The Return of Investment (vs 16-27)

And here is what happens . . .

Matthew 25:16–18 NIV - Anglicised

16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Matthew 25:16-

The first two servants, not too shabby.

They took the initial investment and doubled it.

And if we are thinking about souls being added to the kingdom, then the first one added 5 more souls to the kingdom and the second one 2 more. They had increased the impact of the Kingdom of God on the world by 7.

However, with the third one we have a problem.

The talent that the man gave him, he didn’t do anything with it.

Instead of going out and using it to further the Kingdom, he decided to go and bury it in a hole somewhere for “safe keeping.”

Which is precisely what we see people doing everyday in the Church world.

God saves and calls people to go out and use the “talents” he gives them to further the Kingdom and some go and do exactly what God has told them.

They take what God has given them and do their best to use it.

But then we have some who receive their “talents” and are too scared to use them.

And their fear is driven mainly by a lack of Holy Spirit influence in their life.

Remember Jesus says that the Holy Spirit gives us power and authority, a boldness to do what God has called us to do.

But those who are lacking in this area, will typically be afraid to invest what God has given them.

They are more afraid of people’s reactions and being rejected than they are of being true to God and true to their following.

So they tend to bury those talents deep inside of themselves for “safe keeping.”

The only problem is burying your talents in a hole is no use to the Kingdom and that continued disobedience to God hardens your heart to the point that you disobey and refuse to listen to God and don’t give it another thought.

And when that happens, you are lost.

So, the stage is now set and the talents have been invested all they are going to be invested . . .

Matthew 25:19–23 NIV - Anglicised

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ 23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Matthew 25:19

So the Master of the house is pleased!

He sees what these two have done and and gives them the response that all servants of God long to hear…Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!

More responsibility but also much, much more joy in life!

So things are going well, very well actually, until we get to the third servant . . . .

Matthew 25:24–25 NIV - Anglicised

24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

Matthew 25:24

So, his excuse was he was afraid he would not be able to increase the Master’s investment so he didn’t even try.

He was so afraid the Master would be angry if he failed, he was unwilling to even try.

And there is the thing about the Master.

He is not looking for success, but rather obedience.

If we are obedient, then we have already succeeded.

Our success and failure in the things God has called us to actually have nothing to do with what we would call success or failure in our eyes.

It all has to do with how willing we are to be obedient to God in all things.

Because success is when we add to the Kingdom of God, whether it be 1 soul, 5 souls, or 500 souls.

So, we really need to stop and think about things and stop measuring success in human terms, but rather Godly terms.

The real question to ask is are we being obedient?

If we are then we have succeeded in God’s eyes.

We have returned His investment.

But when we get to the point that fear causes us to not even try, then we have truly failed.

And this last servant had failed.

He had disobeyed the Master and had done nothing the entire time the Master was gone.

Took what the Master had given him to use and buried it.

And the Master was not pleased . . . .

Matthew 25:26–27 NIV - Anglicised

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

Matthew 25:26-

The Master is not pleased at all and he calls it what it is, you wicked, lazy servant.

And the reason he is so harsh is because #1, wickedness is no different than him calling the servant “sinful,” and it is sinful to not use what God has given us.

The reason it is sinful is because God gives it to us and tells us to use it and when we don’t we are disobeying God.

And disobedience to God is sin.

And one reason this servant was, and many are disobedient is laziness.

Face it, sometimes it is hard work, and some people are allergic to work.

And these are the ones who have all these great ideas about what the Church should be doing but when you try to get them to take part in it, they are nowhere to be found.

Laziness…At the very least they could show up and help with things or put the money on deposit…to draw interest into the Kingdom.

But no, they just sort of disappear when the work starts.

And the point that Jesus is making is do something.

Don’t just stand around and watch, get involved, get to work!

Altar Call (vs 28-30)

And as a result of all of this . . . .

Matthew 25:28–29 NIV - Anglicised

28 “ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Matthew 25:28–30 NIV - Anglicised

28 “ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 25:28-

So, we, in essence have a choice to make.

Altar Call

We can either be rewarded for our obedience or we can be thrown into the darkness where there will be weeping or gnashing of teeth, for our disobedience.

And again, it has nothing to do with our success or failure in human eyes.

It has everything to do with our willingness to be obedient to the call of God.

The reason being, our obedience is a direct reflection on the condition of our heart before God.

Now, all of us get scared at times, but those who’s heart belongs to God will overcome that fear.

They will seek God and seek strength from God.

But those who’s heart is not right with God will not do this.

They will go out of their way to avoid God and try to hide from God.

Well, that doesn’t work.

And this morning we need to ask where we stand with God.

Are we using the talents that God has given us?

Not, are we successful but are we obedient?

And if the answer is “no” then why not? What is holding you back this morning?

Is it fear or is it just disobedience?

Either way God can help you with that this morning, if you are willing to give it to him.

The time has come to make a decision. What will your’s be today?