INTRO.- Talents, money and judgment. Do these sound bad? In the light of this scripture they sound somewhat bad.
ILL.- A young Bible college student was witnessing in Atlanta, GA. As he approached one house an elderly gentleman was sitting in his chair on the front porch. He asked, “Are you a Christian?” “No, I’m a Smith. The Christians live two doors down.” “I don’t think you understand. I mean, are you lost?” “No, sonny, I ain’t lost. I’ve lived here for 25 years.” “But are you ready for the judgment day?” “When’s it going to be?” “Well, it could be today or it could be tomorrow.” “Don’t tell my wife. She’ll want to go both days.”
No, I don’t think anybody will want to go to the final judgment two days in a row! Judge Judy would be a piece of cake by comparison. One time will be sufficient and we will have no choice about that.
ILL.- A curious fellow died one day and found himself waiting in the long line of judgment. As he stood there he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the pearly gates into heaven. Others, though, were led over to Satan who threw them into the burning pit. But every so often, instead of hurling a poor soul into the fire, Satan would toss a soul off to one side into a small pile. After watching Satan do this several times, the fellow’s curiosity got the best of him. So he strolled over and asked Satan what he was doing.
"Excuse me, Prince of Darkness," he said. "I’m waiting in line for judgment, but I couldn’t help wondering, why are you tossing those people aside instead of flinging them into the fires of hell with the others?"
"Ah, those..." Satan said with a groan. "They’re all from Seattle; they’re too wet to burn."
What’s wrong with this story? It’s all wrong. God is the person who does the judging. Satan has nothing to do with it. He is only the accuser. And God is the one who punishes people, not Satan. Satan has no power except what God allows him to have. And in the end, he will have no power on anyone who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.
ILL.- H. L. Mencken, the agnostic editor, died an unbeliever. At his funeral, following his request, there was no song and no sermon.
During his life Mencken admitted he might be wrong in his views about God and the immortality of the soul. “But,” he explained, “if I am wrong I will square myself when confronted in the after life by the apostles with the simple apology: ‘Gentlemen, I was wrong.’”
Brothers and sisters, Mencken was wrong. Totally wrong. When he found out how wrong he was in the next life it was too late to apologize and he wanted to apologize to the wrong person. And our text deals with the judgment.
PROP.- Let’s examine three key points to this parable about talents, money and the judgment.
1- God entrusts His property V. 14
2- God requires accountability V. 19
3- God punishes the wicked Vs. 28-30
I. GOD ENTRUSTS HIS PROPERTY
Matt. 25:14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.”
God has entrusted His property to us. What property?
Everything material and then some: the house you live in, the car you drive, the job you work at, the food you eat, the mate you have, the children in your house, etc.
I 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?”
LB “What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something on your own?”
No one is self-made. We don’t live by the philosophy, “I got everything I have by hard work. Nobody gave me anything.”
ILL.- After my father died in Dec. of 1982 mother lived another 20 years. She passed away in June of 2002. Mom never drove. She never got her driver’s license so she always had to depend on others to go somewhere. Mom had several male friends after dad died. They often went out to eat or go to the local Senior citizen’s center in Webb City, MO, to eat and play cards.
One of her male friends was a guy named Ralph Lee. Ralph was older than mother and died a year or so before mom. He was in his 90’s. Ralph worked hard all his life to make money. He often worked seven days a week. He was a part of owner of some business in Webb City and also built houses. I think he bought houses, renovated them and then sold them to make money.
One time many years ago when I was visiting mom, he saw me out doing my daily run. I would go for a fun even while visiting mom when I was still running.
Ralph stopped his car one day, rolled down his window and said, “If I had your energy I could make some money.” Well, he did make a lot of money in his lifetime. He was worth over a million dollars. And he always interested in making more money.
One sad thing was this: I don’t think he ever recognized where his money came from! I think he believed too highly in himself, thinking that nobody ever gave him anything and that he worked hard for everything he had.
We know however, that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift.
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
ILL.- Someone put it this way: “Not only count your blessings, but consider their source as well.”
Ps. 103:1-2 “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS.”
In considering your goods, don’t forget the Giver. Thank Him. Praise Him. Praise Him daily. Praise Him continually.
II. GOD REQUIRES ACCOUNTABILITY
Matt. 25:19-20 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 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.’”
The master returned and settled accounts with them. Accountability is a tough word. It simply means that we are accountable to someone: to mom and dad at home, to the teacher at school, to our boss or manager at work, to the government for taxes, etc., and to the Lord.
ILL.- Life was sometimes rough was a kid. Do you remember? My older brother and I got into an argument or a fight when I was little. He was bigger than me so instead of trying to fight with him one time I threw an orange at him and it splattered all over the wall.
I don’t recall but I’m sure I probably got into trouble for that. I doubt mom and dad were worried about my misuse of that orange as much as my misbehavior.
Mom was pretty good cook. At least, I now think so. But if there was something I didn’t like on my plate I waited for her to go out of the room and then I fed it to the dog underneath the table. My plate was licked clean! That probably wasn’t the best stewardship in the world of mom’s good cooking. Of course, I never threw away her fried chicken. And as far as I know, mom never knew how much of her food went to the dog. Otherwise, she would not have been happy!
We all could share a few stories like these. And even more from school, the armed service or work. However, we never will be as accountable in this life as we will be to God for what He has entrusted to us. How accountable? I don’t know. The scripture is somewhat frightening about certain things but more so about our behavior than our belongings.
We all just need to be aware that everything we have or possess belongs to Him. We’re just managers or caretakers of these things.
Rom. 14:11-12 “It is written: "’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ’every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Matt. 25:24 “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.”
A hard man. Some people are harder to work for than others. Some are hard-nosed men and women, bosses, managers, etc. Some non-Christians view God as a hard man, but we who know the Lord know Him for His greatest characteristics.
Ps. 103:8, 10. God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and does not treat us as our sins deserve. To Him we must cling and trust and be the best steward possible.
III. GOD PUNISHES THE WICKED
Matt. 25:28-30 “’Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 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. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Why does God punish some people? Because of their bad behavior! In other words, because of their wickedness! According to Matt. 25:41 God prepared hell for the devil and his angels and when people act like the devil they deserve to be with him!
ILL.- I know that you heard about 101 year old Rosie Morat who was attacked in her apartment building in New York as she was leaving to go to church. The mugger was caught on camera. He pretended to help her and then hit her several times in the face and took $33 from her purse. The people of New York are outraged and you can’t blame them. Somebody beating on a 101 year old woman! Whoever heard the like?!
One 59 year-old man said he wanted to beat up on the attacker if he caught him and then he said, “They can put me in jail.”
The bully who attacked Rosie also attacked 85-year-old Elizee Solange, and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly’s primary concern was capturing him before he victimized anyone else.
They were also left with a hint as to how a person such as Rosie Morat lives to be over 100. And part of the key may be not allowing even cowardly punks such as this one to poison your spirit. She said, “I have no hate for the man. I just don’t want him hurting any more people." GOD BLESS ROSIE!
The people are outraged but there is a worse rage coming from God. And as bad as that deal was, there is worse.
ILL.- TAMPA, Fla. — A 9-year-old girl was raped, bound and buried alive, kneeling and clutching a purple stuffed dolphin. Jessica Lunsford’s body was found March 19 buried about 150 yards from her house, about 60 miles north of Tampa. She was reported missing on Feb. 24.
Jessica died of asphyxiation, according to a coroner’s report. A convicted sex offender, John Evander Couey, 46, is charged in her slaying.
Brothers and sisters, if this doesn’t outrage people and God then I don’t know what would! Judgment’s coming and there will be little mercy for people like John Couey.
Matt. 25:30 “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Now, what about us? Does this verse or can this verse apply to Christians? Are you worried about not being a good steward and then being cast into darkness?
One writer put it this way: Good deeds are the FRUIT of your salvation. They are not the ROOT of your salvation.
Christian people will use what God has given them to bless others and honor God. This doesn’t mean that we will be perfect in spending God’s money, etc. If God expects us to be perfect then where does His grace enter in?
Titus 3:5 “He (Jesus) saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Brothers and sisters, we cannot buy our way into heaven with good deeds or by giving money to church or missions, etc. If we could buy our way into heaven, we would probably go nuts trying to figure out if we’d ever done enough to please God.
The non-Christian person wastes what God has given them on earthly or worldly pursuits. They don’t care about the things of God. The worthless servant in this text was not a true servant at all! So don’t worry! Trust God. Trust in the mercy and grace of God! But do the best you can in your stewardship of the things He’s given you!
CONCLUSION---------------------------
Brothers and sisters, there is sometimes a vast difference between people and God and especially, when it comes to being judgmental.
ILL.- The little boy had misbehaved and as his mother was about him to give him a tongue-lashing, he said, “I’d like to talk to God.”
His mother said, “Why? Have you done something else that you’re ashamed to tell me about?” The boy replied, “Oh, no, but you’ll yell and yell and God will listen and forgive me.”
We have a God who is altogether lovely and loving! He is forgiving when others are not! We must put our trust in Him and do the best we can in our stewardship of the things He’s given us.
