Ownership: It All Belongs To God Series

Scripture

I am going to preach a two-week series on stewardship that I am calling “Money and Possessions.” This week’s sermon is titled, “Ownership: It All Belongs to God.” And next week’s sermon is titled, “Stewardship: It’s All Under Our Management.”

The text for this week’s sermon is Matthew 25:14-30. This is a parable of Jesus. It is actually part of a set of four parables given by Jesus to explain how and why his disciples should be prepared for his return at his second coming. The parables are the homeowner and the thief (24:42–44), the good and wicked servants (24:45–51), the ten virgins (25:1–13), and the talents (25:14–30).

The last of these parables—the parable of the talents (25:14-30)—is our text for today. The parable is about a man going on an extended journey who entrusts the management of his property to three servants. Two servants manage their master’s assets well, whereas the third servant does not.

So, let’s read Matthew 25:14-30:

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ” (Matthew 25:14-30)

Introduction

A man frantically rode his horse up to the famous preacher, John Wesley, shouting, “Mr. Wesley! Mr. Wesley! Something terrible has happened! Your house has burned to the ground!”

Thinking for a moment about what he had just heard, Wesley replied, “No. The Lord’s house burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me.”

A psychologist may say that Wesley was suffering from “denialism,” which is when a person denies reality to avoid the truth. But that was not the case with Wesley. He was actually affirming a basic biblical truth—that everything belongs to God, and we are simply his stewards.

In our study of this week’s text—the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30—I want to focus on the biblical truth that everything belongs to God.

Lesson

Matthew 25:14-30 teaches us that everything belongs to God.

Let’s use the following outline:?

1. God Is the True Owner of All Assets (25:14)

2. God Trusts Servants to Manage His Assets (25:15)

3. God’s Will Is Final (25:19)

4. God Rewards Servants Who Prove Themselves Faithful (25:16-17, 20-23)

5. God Punishes Servants Who Prove Themselves Worthless (25:18, 24-30)

I. God Is the True Owner of All Assets (25:14)

First, God is the true owner of all assets.

Jesus said in verse 14, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.” The “it” to which Jesus is referring goes back to verse 1 of this chapter, and it refers to “the kingdom of heaven.” Without getting too technical, “the kingdom of heaven” in this parable (and in the previous parable) refers to the visible church, the people who profess faith, the members of the church. In both parables, both genuine and counterfeit believers, true and false church members, are represented. We shall see this more clearly as the parable progresses.