Title: “Why Should I Give of my Treasure, Time, and Talents?” Script: Mt. 25:14-30
Type: Series – Part VI Where: GNBC 6-30-02/Reworked 9-21-08
Intro: Recently my wife and kids and I received an updated version of the old game Monopoly. Carol’s brother sent us an edition with all the properties being found in Maine. However, there are still some consistencies with the 1950’s version we had has kids growing up. You can still find that very useful card: “Get out of Jail Free”. J. McArthur, in a criticism of the growing “No-Lordship” movement among American Evangelicals has stated: “No-Lordship theology utterly ignores the biblical truth that grace instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age (Tit. 2:12). Instead, it portrays grace as a supernatural “get out of jail free” card, w/ no string attached, opened ended package of amnesty, indulgence, forbearance, leniency, immunity, approval, tolerance divorced from any moral demands.” (Faith Works, p.57) God does have a right to make demands on our lives. Today I want us to look at three basic areas in which the Christian must face Christ’s Lordship.
Prop: Why should a Christian give of his/her treasure, time, and talents to the Lord’s work?
BG: 1. Essentially, what I am talking about here is our need to understand Xst’s Lordship.
2. There are far too many Christians today who bespeak their salvation in Christ, and yet withhold crucial areas of their lives in discipleship. This is a matter of Lordship. If Jesus Christ is God, and He is, and He is your Savior, then He is also to be the Lord of your life and you need to respond to His claims over every area of your and my life.
3. Section of Script. examine today is found in Mt. 25, interesting to realize whole of chapts. 24 & 25 (Olivet discourse) relate to Christ’s 2nd Advent. It is important for us to grasp this is no mere coincidence in light of the parable of the talents which we will examine today. Our lives are to be lived out with a goal in mind. Jesus Christ is going to return one day. With that in mind, we must ask ourselves “How am I to garner the resources God has allowed me to steward: Treasure, Time, Talents for His greatest glory?”
Prop: Examining Mt. 25:14-30 we will see 3 areas of our lives we must place under Christ’s Lordship. By doing so we will be able to answer the question: “Why should I give of my treasure, time and talents to the Lord?”
I. 1st: Why Should I Give of My Treasure to the Lord? Vv.14 -
A. The Master of the Slaves Entrusted a great deal to the Servants.
1. IN this Parable the Master Entrusted the Servants with his treasure.
a. vv. 14 –15 – master going away – parable illust. Christ’s going away, entrusts 5, 2, and 1 talents respectively to 3 different slaves. Now, talent as used here was a Hebrew unit of money, equal to about 3,000 shekels, shekel being day’s wage! So, slaves were responsible for roughly 10, 20, and 50 yrs. of wages!
b. In the parable, Xst makes it clear that the master entrusted his own possessions to the slaves. This is a principle must clearly understand whether talking about treasures, time, or talents, God has entrusted you and me with something of His, and to be used for His glory. “Whether treasure, time, talents, each can be either misused, abused, or properly used.” Regardless, 1st principle is to recognize that it is HIS and not MINE!
2. God has entrusted you and me with wealth to use for His Kingdom’s glory.
a. Illust- I know what some of you are thinking. You are thinking the illustration breaks down at this point Chris. The slaves were taking their master’s money and investing it. This is our money. STOP RIGHT THERE! The Bible teaches (Rom. 6) that we were once slaves to sin and that death was ultimate end product of our servitude. Now, however, for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, Rom. 6:18 – “and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” We are now servants of Christ!
b. Are you controlled by your possessions? Are you always working just to get the next or newest thing? Or are you working just to pay for those items or to fix those items? Has life, with all of its joys become tiring cycle? Have everything, and yet still not happy? Possibly it is because you still think you are the owner of everything. Need to release your ownership and realize ultimately it is all Gods and you are to be a faithful steward.
B. Have you been a faithful Steward of that which Christ has financially entrusted you?
1. Having Wealth is not inherently evil and in some instances can be a sign of God’s blessing.
a. Illust- I hope you know there is nothing inherently evil or unspiritual in having wealth, even great wealth. Look at Job, Patriarchs, look at what God did for Israel – in one night paid them for 400+yrs of back wages!, Joseph of Arimathea, others. It is true, however, wealthy people are under God’s greater scrutiny (Mt. 19:24 – Illust- Camel to go thru eye of needle than rich man enter the KOG). However, can be used as great blessing to Church and its mission and meeting needs. (God has blessed America to be a blessing. PS. 67)
2. Initial step for the Christian to take in beginning to demonstrate Xst’s Lordship is to tithe.
a. Illust- What does the tithe do? Causes us to first of all obey God’s Word: Mal. 3:10 – “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says the Lord of Hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” Lordship over our treasures is by beginning to tithe. (Incredible verse, one of very few places in Bible where God challenges us to test Him. States very clearly that if not tithing (10%) you are robbing Him. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have to answer to law for robbing Hills or US Bank then face God one day on His terms.
b. Illust- I know some of you might be thinking, how can I afford to tithe? Can’t afford not to! Your and my security is not found in our paychecks, our jobs, our investments, our retirements plans. In fact, it is a wrong use of money (according to God’s design) to use it for security. And yet, we cling ever so tightly to it. As a pastor friend of mine used to say: “God can only give to the one who’s hand is open.”
C. Applic: Have you entrusted your treasures to Christ’s Lordship? Need to.
II. 2nd: Why Should I Use My Talents (abilities) for the Lord? V.15 (own ability)
A. God Knows that We Each Have Different Abilities.
1. The Master of the Slaves gave them responsibilities in direct relation to their abilities.
a. v. 15 – each according to his own ability… - Having done a bit of coaching over the years you learn the importance of placing players in key positions according to their talent or ability. If had a kid who never pitched in life and called on to attempt to save a very important game, would be my fault and not his if did not perform well and lost.
b. Recognize what this statement says. The slave didn’t have any excuse why he couldn’t have seen his talent of money grow. The master knew his ability and entrusted the amount that he could handle to make a profit.
2. This Parable tells us that God also knows the Abilities we have.
a. Illust- This is why a Christian should never compare him/herself to another Christian. God knows the gifts and abilities we have or don’t have. It is freeing to know that I don’t have to be like Billy Graham or RC Sproul, or Al Mohler, TD Jakes or whoever else. However, it is sobering to know that I have to maximize every gift and talent He has given me (and you) for His kingdom.
b. The message of both Romans 12 and I Cor. 12 is that whatever spiritual gift(s) you and I have received, we are to use them for the building up of the body of Christ. These gifts are to be used to minister in the church for God’s glory, and the distribution of these gifts are varied and dependent upon the HS’ distribution.
B. God still requires that We Use the Talents we have for Him.
1. This Parable teaches in some ways that Good Works are proof of Discipleship.
a. The one slave who did not invest the talent given him represents false disciples. The statement he makes in v. 24 says in effect that the work of investment would not have profited him, because the master would have taken both the profit and the principal. So, he was unconcerned.
b. Illust- I never will forget the day a woman who had been a faithful worker in the church in SC came to me and said: “I am in my forties now, my children are grown, I really don’t think I am going to work in the church any more, but I am going to relax and take it easy and be served.” Didn’t see how would directly affect her, so no longer concerned w/ ministering. (God is asking each of us, what we’re willing to do with the abilities He has given us so that this congregation can grow and minister more effectively.)
2. What did this ungrateful slave fail to consider?
a. This slave did not consider the possibility of sharing the master’s joy (which is really a figure of eternal reward) or of being cast out (a figure of eternal punishment).
b. If you are a Christian, you need to seriously consider the implications of an attitude that says “No!” to God.. I am telling you that many of Christians will not receive the eternal rewards we could have because we were too concerned with receiving temporal rewards here. I am convinced this is in at least part due to the fact that the things that give God joy no longer give us joy. If that is the case with you or me, we need to fall on our faces and ask God to forgive us of a Laodicean Spirit and return to our first love.
C. Applic: Are you using your talents and abilities for the Lord?
III. 3rd: Why Should I Use My Time for the Lord? Vv. 16 -18
A. The Profitable Slaves Prioritized their time.
*Illust - Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with
$86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course! Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.
1. Notice the Principle of why two of the slaves were Profitable and one wasn’t.
a. v. 16 – immediately – I don’t know how many times I have read this passage, yet, I saw it fresh this time. The first two slaves, although they had different abilities (v.15) realized the urgency of being about the master’s business. Made it the priority should be.
b. Illust: Do you remember what I said earlier? Time can be misused, abused, or properly used. Some of us here today need to realize that we are simply too busy doing too much and the result is we don’t have any time for the things of the Lord. Possibly, like the Parable of the Soils (Lk 8:4-8) we need to recognize that what Jesus said about the seed that fell on the thorny soil: v.14 –“these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”
2. What did the unprofitable servant do with that with which he was entrusted?
a. vv.17-18, 25 –27. He buried his talents (unit of money) because he was afraid. Yet, what does his master give as the reason: v.26 – wicked and lazy – You and I need to recognize the urgency of God’s plan, we cannot take security and comfort in the fact that Christ has been gone 2000 yrs., and lull ourselves into thinking He won’t come again. As Keith Green said twenty years ago: “This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of the lost!” Illust- I love to study the history of revivals: I can tell you about 1st and 2nd Gr. Awakening, about 1856 (?) Ulster, Welsh (1904), great campaigns of Moody and Sankey. But I shudder to think that when I stand before God He will not ask me about the historical details of those revivals, but might in fact ask me why Iowa City never experienced revival while I was here.
b. One reason revival has yet to hit this church and this community is because we Christians do not make the Lord the highest priority in our lives. We don’t see the urgency or necessity of His business.
B. The Time We are Allotted under the Sun is Not Equal.
1. There is no guarantee that the years you are given will be many.
a. Illust- I must be getting older because I have begun looking in the obituaries of the paper. I don’t seem to really think too much when I see that someone in his/her 80’s or 90’s has died. However, when see someone in 30’s or 20’s or younger, tempted to think some great injustice has been performed. Yet the truth is that every day people both young and old die. For whatever reason, God doesn’t give us all an equal amount of time here below.
b. With that in mind, it is vital that you start living for Him today. A better time and opportunity is not going to present itself. Do it now or won’t do it later.
2. The time we are given in this day is equal (24 hrs.). What will you do with it?
a. An a lifetime the average American will spend:Six months sitting at stoplights
Eight months opening junk mail One year looking for misplaced objects 2 years unsuccessfully returning phone calls 4 years doing housework 5 years waiting in line 6 years eating
(Survey of 6000 people polled in 1988, U.S. News and World Report, Jan 30, 1989, p. 81.)
b. Now, contrast that with what Martin Luther said: “I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first 3 hours in prayer.”
C. Applic: How are you spending your time? Does God have it all?
