Five Life Changing Resolutions
Part 5
I Will Give My Talent
Matthew 25:14-15
Scripture Reading
Matthew 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
I. The Allegory of the Talents
What is an allegory? It is a work in which the characters and events are to be understood as representing other things and symbolically expressing a deeper, often spiritual, moral, or political meaning. “Pilgrims Progress” by John Bunyan is probably the most famous allegorical work of all time. Jesus used this type of literary tool quite often. Here he seeks to teach his disciples truth concerning the kingdom; his ascension, his return and the “reckoning” with his servants at that time.
a. His course – He is going into the “far country,” an allegorical name for heaven. Jesus told his disciple on several occasions that he would be leaving them. This journey is the ascension of Jesus into heaven to assume his rightful place at the Father’s right hand.
b. His call – His servants are those who are peculiarly his. The servant here can be translated slave as it is in many cases in the NT. They belong to him and as they have nothing that they can rightfully call their own, it is an act of sovereign grace when he distributes the talents. He does so at his own prerogative and according to his evaluation of their capacity (ability) to use the gifts that he entrusts them with.
"Nothing we have is attributable to our own strengths and talents. People think so. It’s an attitude that was expressed very effectively by James Stewart’s character in the movie, “Shenandoah”. He was the patriarch of a large Southern family, running a very successful plantation when the Civil War broke out.
Early in the movie the family sat down for dinner, and as they all bowed their heads, this is what he prayed:
’Lord, we cleared this land, we plowed it, sowed it, and harvested it. It wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t be eating it if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same anyway for this food we are about to eat. Amen’
Spoken or unspoken, I think that may be the attitude of far too many hearts, even Christian ones.
But the truth is that the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the very air we breathe, are a fresh gift from God every day, for every man woman or child, saved or unsaved. Nothing is ours; nothing."
c. His charge – He gives his graces, goods, gifts in trust. He gives offices and opportunities. Notice that they go to work immediately, that they work diligently until the return of their lord.
Ephesians 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
II. The Application of the Talents
Matthew 25:16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
a. Their use – Notice that they all received a minimum of one talent. We all receive talents as well, some more than others but all have some. Two of the men who received talents from their lord produced a return on their investment.
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“God has placed in our trust a measure of time, a unique set of talents, and sufficient resources to carry out His will for each of our lives. Our task as faithful stewards is to manage those blessings in order to bring the maximum glory to His name.”
Bill Bright
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26 year old Kyle MacDonald had a red paper clip and a dream: Could he use the community power of the Internet to barter that paper clip for something better, and trade that thing for something else — and so on and so on until he had a house?
He advertised the paperclip on craigslist.com and two women swapped a fish-shaped pen for it.
Later that same day, MacDonald was able to trade the pen for a small ceramic doorknob with a smiley face on it.
He traded the doorknob for a Coleman camping stove.
Next, a US navy Marine swapped a generator in return for the stove.
Then a guy from New York swapped "instant party package" (a beer keg and a neon Budweiser sign) for the generator.
The beer package went to a DJ in Montreal, in exchange for a snowmobile.
By this time Macdonald was starting to attract attention and he was invited onto Canadian TV to tell his story.
As a result, he was able to trade the snowmobile for an all expenses paid trip to an obscure little town in Canada called “Yahk.”
He then traded the trip for a 1995 delivery van.
He gave the van to a musician wanting to haul her gear around in exchange for a recording contract, with studio time and a promise to pitch the finished CD to music executives.
He swapped the recording contract with a singer who gave him a year’s accommodation in a house in Phoenix Arizona.
He exchanged the accommodation in Arizona for a day with Alice Cooper. And the day with Alice Cooper he swapped for a snow globe of the band KISS! Now if you thought that was a weird swap get this. The KISS snow globe was swapped for an acting part in a movie! Apparently the actor Corbin Berenson is an avid snow globe collector and was particularly interested in the KISS snow globe, so he swapped his part in the movie for the snow globe!
Finally, a local municipality in Saskatchewan Canada, handed over the title deeds for a house for the movie role.
That is the amazing story of how Kyle MacDonald turned a red paper clip into a house! Macdonald says he has offers from Hollywood studios to turn his story into a film. Now, Kyle MacDonald is an amazingly talented negotiator/salesman. And he has used his talent to turn a paper clip into a house. But to what end?
Jesus’ Parable of the Talents is a glimpse of the future; a glimpse of the first day of eternity. It teaches us to leverage the gifts, talents and abilities we have been given. We are to turn a kingdom profit and live a life that is pleasing to our God.
Friends, the message contained in this parable ought to change the way you walk through life.
If one man can turn a paper clip into a house just with some motivation and a little bit of sales technique, imagine what God could do through you if your gifts, talents and abilities were totally his.
b. Their disuse – All three men made decisions about the use of their talents. The third man’s decision to “hide” the talent he was given shows a total lack of appreciation of what he had been given, why it had been given to him and who had given it to him!
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Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?
Benjamin Franklin
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Calvin Coolidge – Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
c. Their misuse – I have included this category also because it is possible to use the talents we have been given in the wrong way. History is filled with the accounts of those who have received much in terms of talent and abilities only to use them in and unworthy manner.
A guy came to his pastor and said, “Reverend, I only have one talent.”
The pastor asked, “What’s your talent?
The man said, "I have the gift of criticism."
The pastor was wise and replied, "The Bible says that the guy who had only one talent went out and buried it. Maybe that’s what you ought to do with yours."
III. The Accounting for the Talents
Matthew 25:19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
a. The ability of the servants - He who receives much, must make proportionate improvement; and, from him who has received little, the improvement only of that little will be required.
Luke 12:48 …For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…
Offer up Your Gift - Antonio Stradivarius
A young boy Antonio loves music, but his voice was high and squeaky, and so he did not make the tryouts for the Cremona Boy’s Choir. When he took violin lessons, the neighbors persuaded his parents to make him stop. Yet Antonio still wanted to make music.
His friends gave him a hard time because his only talent was cutting things up. When Antonio was older he served as an apprentice to a violin-maker. He learnt to cut out wood and developed the skill of carving. His hobby became his craft. He worked patiently and faithfully. By the time he died, he left over 1,500 violins, each one bearing a label that read, “Antonio Stradivarius.” They are the most sought-after violins in the world and sell for more than $100,000 each.
Antonio couldn’t sing or play or preach or teach but he used his ability, and his violins are still making beautiful music today.
Our potential is God’s gift to us. What we do with it is our gift to Him.
b. The accountability of the servants – This word “reckoneth” is a business term that means to settle accounts. Here it applies to an inquiry into their faithfulness, and to reward or punish them accordingly.
1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
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The late great Presbyterian clergyman and Christian author, Rev. James Russell Miller (1840 - 1912), once wrote:
"Too many people are not faithful in little things. They are not to be absolutely depended upon. They do not always keep their promises. They break engagements. They fail to pay their debts promptly. They come behind time to appointments. They are neglectful and careless in little things. In general, they are good people, but their life is honey-combed with small failures. One who can be positively depended upon, who is faithful in the least things as well as the greatest, whose life and character are true through and through, gives out a light in this world which honors Christ and blesses others."
What kind of a light are you giving out?
(From a sermon by George Dillahunty, "Ever Ready!")
c. The appearance before the sovereign – Implicit in the “reckoning” of the servants is an appearance in the presence of their lord to hear his judgment concerning their
Matthew 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
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Bill Wilson pastored an inner city church in New York City. His mission field is a very violent place. He himself has been stabbed twice as he ministered to the people of the community surrounding the church. Once a Puerto Rican woman became involved in the church and was led to Christ. After her conversion she came to Pastor Wilson and said, "I want to do something to help with the church’s ministry." He asked her what her talents were and she could think of nothing---she couldn’t even speak English---but she did love children. So he put her on one of the church’s buses that went into neighborhoods and transported kids to church. Every week she performed her duties. She would find the worst-looking kid on the bus, put him on her lap and whisper over and over the only words she had learned in English: "I love you. Jesus loves you."
After several months, she became attached to one little boy in particular. The boy didn’t speak. He came to Sunday School every week with his sister and sat on the woman’s lap, but he never made a sound. Each week she would tell him all the way to Sunday School and all the way home, "I love you and Jesus loves you."
One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered, "I---I---I love you too!" Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big hug. That was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. At 6:30 that night he was found dead. His own mother had beaten him to death and thrown his body in the trash......."I love you and Jesus loves you." ....Those were some of the last words this little boy heard in his short life---from the lips of a Puerto Rican woman who could barely speak English. This woman gave her one talent to God and because of that a little boy who never heard the word "love" in his own home, experienced and responded to the love of Christ.....
What can you give? What is your "colt". You and I each have something in our lives, which, if given back to God, could, like the colt, move Jesus and His message further down the road.
SOURCE: Mark Adams, "The Roads He Walked - Palm Avenue." Illustrations for April 13, 2003. www.esermons.com
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"A pastor tells of standing by his father’s tombstone and reading the words, "Born 1884 - Died 1970." It suddenly occurred to him how much the little dash between those two dates symbolized". (Herb Miller. Actions Speak Louder Than Verbs. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1988, p. 124). It is what we do with the talents that God has entrusted to us that determines how much or how little is represented between the dashes. That is the part of the responsibility that is up to each one of us. We are responsible for what we do with the dashes between the dates of our births and deaths that will appear on our tombstones.
