Your Unique Gifts and Talents

We all have been given different talents. Some of them are natural abilities in which we were born, others are learned skills, and still yet god grants us spiritual gifts.

I remember a time in my life where I felt very much like how Napoleon Dynamite felt in the scene we just watched. See, growing up I had 3 brothers who were each born with natural athletic abilities. My younger brother Chris whom I am closest to in age, was a ferocious soccer player, BMX Biker, speed skater, and hockey player. I on the other hand was an intellectual computer nerd from a very young age. I was dreadful at sports, was the last brother to have his training wheels taken off his bike, and the only outdoor activities I was ever good at was roller-skating ,and backyard wrestling, both of which took many years of awkward and uncomfortable practice as I beat myself to death.

Wow! I still remember coming home from the skating rink or my friend’s backyard with a fresh set of bruises and my dad telling me “Now if any of your teachers ask, you got these playing football with your brothers!”

Yes, talent is a strange animal and if I’m perfectly honest, I’ve never been much for those people that seemed to be good at everything. But the truth is that there are some who have many talents, some who have few, and some who have peculiar talents like we see in the next scene.

[Video from Mrs. Doubtfire where we see Robin Williams’ unique skill with voices.]

Thesis: Tonight as we look at Matthew 25:14-30, we will see that we each have unique talents and we are entrusted with their use.

Transition: Three Truths from the Parable of the Talents

I. We’ve each been entrusted with talents by God (Our Master)

a. Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven (the people of God) to a man who entrusts his property to three servants before travelling to a far country. (vs. 14)

i. When the owner of a house went on a long journey, he would give his servants the responsibility of caring for his property. In this case, the owner gave varying sums of money to his servants before he left.

b. One Servant is given five talents, another two, and another one. (vs. 15)

i. It’s important to know that the word that’s translated her as “talents” is actually the Greek word “talanton.”

ii. This word in its original meaning was actually used to describe a large amount of silver, equal to about 82.25 lbs. One talent on today’s market would be worth about $17,000.

iii. Centuries later, “talanton”became the Old English word “talente”which came to mean “special ability.” This is where we get the word “talent” that we use today.

c. So it is in our own life. We’ve each been given special and valuable talents by our master, God. Some of us have been given one, others 2, others 5, and still others have been given more. But each of these talents comes from God and is very valuable.

d. And just as the case was in this parable, our master has gone away to heaven to prepare a place for us and he has entrusted us with these valuable talents. So what do we do with them?

II. We’re responsible for how our talents are used

a. Check out what it goes on to say in verses 16-18

i. The servant with 5 talents went and invested and made another 5 talents. (vs. 16)

1. It says that the servant with 5 talents “went and traded.” That is to say that he went to work with what he had been given to make the best of it. From his labor he doubled what his master gave him.

ii. The servant with 2 talents went and invested and made another 2 talents. (vs. 17)

1. Likewise the servant with 2 talents made the best of what he had been given. He too doubled what his master had given him.

iii. The servant with one talent dug in the ground and hid his lord’s money. (vs. 18)

1. Meanwhile, the third servant takes his one talent and hides it away for himself.

b. So it is in our lives, that we are each given different levels of talent and have been entrusted with how those talents are used.

c. We are each granted opportunities to use our talents to bless our master and his people.

d. It’s interesting to me that the fellow who didn’t show responsibility was the one with only one talent. That’s often where the danger lies with us as well.

e. The person who realizes he has a great musical gift will more often than not develop his gift and seek to use it. But the person who says, “I can’t sing. I can’t preach. I can’t do miracles,” often buries his one talent, whatever it might be.

f. Beloved, we all have been given at least one talent. “Not me,” you say. “I have no talents and no abilities. I can’t do anything.”

i. Can you change a diaper? Sign up to help in the nursery.

ii. Can you listen? Call on people at the rest home.

iii. Can you feed a child? Spend a month at a mission.

III. We’re held accountable for how our talents are used

a. Check out what it goes on to say in verses 19-30

i. The master comes back and wants an account for what was done with the talents he gave his servants (vs. 19)

ii. The first servant brings his 10 talents and is rewarded for his faithfulness (vs. 20-21)

iii. The second servant brings his 4 talents and is rewarded for his faithfulness (vs. 22-23)

iv. The third servant brings his 1 talent back, and is punished for misusing what he had been given (vs. 24-30)

b. Two of the servants were faithful in caring for what the master had given them and were accordingly rewarded for their faithfulness with additional wealth, additional responsibilities, and sharing of the master’s joy.

i. It is significant that the two successful servants receive identical commendations from the master, even though the scale of their original responsibility, and therefore of their achievement, is different. But to have a lesser ‘gift’ does not excuse us from appropriate effort.

1. It wasn’t the size of their achievement that mattered, but that they were faithful with what they had been given.

2. God does expect and reward use of the opportunities for service which are open to us.

c. Here, Jesus is telling us that we will give an account for that which has been entrusted to us. If you are one who doesn’t think you have been given much, you are one who needs to be especially careful that you don’t bury that which you do have.

Conclusion: How are you using the talents God has given you? Do you seize every opportunity to use your talents, skills, and abilities to serve God and his people? Or are you using your talents for yourself or the world.

I pray that our desire would be to take our talents, skills, and abilities to bless God and bless his people.