3 Excuses, 3 Expectations, 3 Promises

3 Excuses, 3 Expectations, 3 Promises

Matthew 25:14-25:30

Many Christians speak regularly of their desire to hear Jesus tell them, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” This is the passage that that phrase originates in and herein Jesus has a lot to

say about how we make sure those wonderful words are in our future.

We’re going to look at three excuses, three expectations, and three promises.

THREE EXCUSES:

I. “God hasn’t give me anything to do.”

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

A. Many talk as if God didn’t give them any spiritual gifts,

but this passage clearly indicates that each servant had

“his goods” “delivered” to them.

1. You were created for ministry (Eph. 2:10. 10 For we are

God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good

works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

2. You were saved for ministry (2 Tim. 1:9). 9 who has

saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of

anything we have done but because of his own purpose

and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before

the beginning of time,

3. You’ve been gifted for ministry (1 Peter 4:10). 10 Each

one should use whatever gift he has received to serve

others, faithfully administering God's grace in its

various forms.

II. “I can’t do as much as So-And-So.”

- v. 15.

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

A. Each one was given a different amount.

1. One was given 5 talents

2. One was given 2 talents

3. One was given 1 talent

b. God will not ask whether we did as much as the

person sitting next to us, only what we did with

what He entrusted to us.

1. God hasn’t given me anything to do.

2. I can’t do as much as So and So.

3. “God is asking too much.”

- v. 24 and v. 26.

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.

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?

A. Notice that ‘reaping’ and ‘gathering’ are the same in both

Statements

1. The servant wants to put the blame on his assertion that the

master is a ‘hard man,’

2.The master correctly places the blame on the fact that the

servant was ‘wicked and lazy.’

B. New Christians begin to read the Bible and see Jesus high expectations (like ‘Take up your cross. . .’), they feel ready to turn back because they think He’s asking too much of them.

EXPECTATIONS:

Every once in a while in the world of Chicago area high school boy’s basketball, a player will emerge with incredible talent and skill. He and his team become the focus of a great deal of media attention. He will become one of the most talked about high school athletes in the country. Recruiters from big-time colleges from coast to coast will attend games just to watch him play. They dream of his potential as a collegiate player, and how he could lead their school to the national championship. Recruiters have a term for high school players with this kind of potential – “CAN’T MISS.” Anyone who lands this prospect “can’t miss” having a superstar on their team.

But not every player who’s labeled as “can’t miss” seems to be able to steer clear from missing. Such is the case of a young man named Ronnie Fields. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Ronnie Fields played for Farragut Academy in Chicago. He and his “can’t miss” prospect teammate, Kevin Garnett, took Farragut to the High School state tournament in 1995. Garnett, a high school senior, turned pro and went to the NBA that year right out of high school. Fields had one more year left. And in his senior year, this 6’3” guard averaged 33 points and 12 rebounds per game. He was named Illinois’ Mr. Basketball for 1996.

Some predicted him to be the next Michael Jordan; because of the way he could seemingly defy gravity and float through the air effortlessly. He accepted a scholarship from DePaul University, and seemed to be heading for stardom.

But then life fell apart. In February of that same year, a serious car accident left him with a fractured vertebrae in his neck. In July, DePaul withdrew its scholarship offer when Fields failed to qualify academically, in September, Fields pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual abuse and was sentenced to 2 years probation and counseling. Then in December of ’96 Fields became a benchwarmer for the Rockford Lightning, a professional team that’s part of the CBA, a far cry from the National Basketball Association where the real stars play, and that is, where his high school teammate, Kevin Garnett in October of this year signed a $123 million contract, the richest in the history of sports.