I. Introduction
A. The outline for this message came from “The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible,” by Leadership Ministries Worldwide
B. An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and were returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged, and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions. No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President's entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "Something is wrong. Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us." "Dear, you shouldn't feel that way," his wife said. "I can't help it; it doesn't seem right." When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President's arrival, but no one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city. That night the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly." His wife replied, "Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?" A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?" " The Lord settled it with me," he said. "I told him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home.
C. In our Passage this morning Jesus tells the parable of the talents
1. Before we begin lets make one thing clear, Jesus is still talking about the time at the end of the tribulation period
a. Jesus is talking about and to Jews
b. That being said, the principles being outlined here apply to the church as well.
2. Jesus said that the point of this parable was twofold.
a. First, while Jesus is away, the believer is to do something: work-work faithfully and diligently.
(1) We must remember that in the church are many people who are determined to serve the Lord anyway they can
(2) And there are people in the church who will sit in the pew on Sunday, and do nothing else
b. Second, while Jesus is away, the believer is to know something: his work will be greatly rewarded or severely judged.
3. Christ was dealing with His return.
a. He went "into a far country"
b. And "after a long time, the Lord" returned
c. Christ was teaching a much needed lesson: we must be faithful and diligent.
d. If we are not, when He returns, there will be severe judgment.
4. Our passage may be broken up as follows
a. The Lord went to a far country
b. The Lord entrusted His goods to His servants
c. The servants treated the Lord's goods differently
d. The day of reckoning came
e. The reward for work well done: more work to do
f. The punishment for work not done: stripping and separation
5. Jesus is probably using money to describe what He is talking about because money is one of the most understood commodities anywhere on earth.
a. The talent spoken of is a weight not a coin.
b. The value of a talent varied as to whether it was gold, silver, or copper.
c. Christ was teaching that His followers are to be faithful and diligent in whatever He gives them, whether a gifts, abilities, responsibilities, material mercies, opportunities or blessings.
d. In other words, the responsibilities of our stewardship and the rewards of that stewardship
(1) Lets begin by turning to Matthew 25:14
II. Body
A. The Lord went to a far country
Matthew 25:14 (NKJV)
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
1. Christ foretold that He was like a man who was traveling to a far country, and what He foretold happened.
a. He traveled away from the earth and ascended into heaven for a specific purpose: to sit at the right hand of God.
b. He is to sit there until His servants complete the work He has given them to do.
c. When He returns, it will be the time for reward and for judgment.
(1) Lets read verses 14 & 15 and see that
B. The Lord entrusted His goods to His servants
Matthew 25:14-15 (NKJV)
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. {15} "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
1. In this particular point Christ says three things.
a. First, the Lord called His own servants.
(1) The word for servant is bond-slave.
(a) He called those who were supposedly His own (a very precious thought don’t you think?)
(b) These servants were supposedly faithful and responsible to His service.
i) He had bought them.
ii) They were to be His own and to serve Him
(2) Notice why He called them
(a) To put His goods into their hands while He was away.
(b) His property had to be looked after and increased and bettered while He was away.
i) Now we can understand that Jesus used money as an illustration
ii) But, in the reality of our stewardship, He means us to be faithful and diligent in whatever He gives us, whether gifts, talents, abilities, responsibilities, material mercies, opportunities or blessings.
b. Second, the Lord gave each servant a different portion of His goods to look after
(1) The point is that each person was given a special responsibility, no one was left out
(a) In Ephesians we read this
Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV)
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
(2) Each servant was given a special responsibility, therefore expected to work and serve
c. Third, the Lord gave to each servant according to his ability.
(1) Four factors are important here, we don’t find them in the passage, but these things are true
(a) Factor one: No two servants have the same ability: environment, opportunity, genes, heritage, training, mind, heart, discipline, initiative.
(b) Factor two is found in 1 Corinthians 12:11
1 Corinthians 12:11 (NKJV)
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
i) God endows His goods as He wills, knowing each servant perfectly.
(c) Factor three: Each servant receives all the gifts he needs and can use.
(d) Each servant has equal opportunity to be faithful in using what God has given him.
i) We are to be judged on our faithfulness, not on the number of gifts or the size of the work we are assigned
2. Some very precious and wonderful thoughts
a. We are "His own." We are God's, His possession
b. We are taken care of by Christ.
(1) Each one is given "His goods," very special gifts, abilities, and responsibilities to look after for God.
(2) God gives us exactly what we need to fulfill our lives and to give us purpose, meaning, and significance in life—to conform us to the very image of Christ
c. The church is taken care of by Christ.
(1) During His absence, He has provided all that is necessary to care for and to advance the church.
d. And every believer has at least one gift.
3. As we have noted before the Lord’s goods, those talents are gifts, talents, abilities, responsibilities, material mercies, opportunities and blessings
a. Now turning to Matthew 25:16 - 18 we find that
C. The servants treated the Lord's goods differently
Matthew 25:16-18 (NKJV)
"Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. {17} "And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. {18} "But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.
1. The Lord endows His gifts as He pleases
a. Each servant receives all the gifts he needs and can use
b. I believe that each believer is given all the gifts, talents, responsibilities, opportunities, material mercies, and blessings that he or she needs, can use, or can handle
c. Now the talents were the Lord's; they are merely entrusted to His servants.
d. Different men have different capacities for different ministries
2. The servants treated the Lord's goods differently
a. Two servants were responsible, very responsible
(1) They went to work immediately.
(2) They lost no time and began to serve quickly.
(3) They were faithful and diligent.
(4) They used their abilities and energy immediately.
(5) They exerted themselves, expended their energy and effort to use what the Lord had given them.
(a) We must take notice that the less gifted servant worked and labored as much as the more gifted servant.
(b) He did not have as many gifts, but he exerted the same initiative, energy, and effort
(6) They were successful.
(a) Each one gained and doubled what the Lord had given him.
(b) Each servant's gifts bore fruit in proportion to his gifts.
(c) The one given more (five talents) bore five more
(d) The one given less (two talents) bore less, but in the end had four talents
(e) But both were equally successful, doubling what the Lord had given them.
b. The last servant was irresponsible.
(1) He simply did not use the Lord's gift.
(2) But note: he was somewhat active.
(3) He spent time and energy to go out and bury the Lord's talent, he hid it.
(4) His days, his time, and his energy were to be the Lord's; but he took his life and days into his own hands.
(5) What was he doing? We are not told, but his efforts were not spent in the Lord's cause.
(6) He served only himself.
3. We should take note of four lessons.
a. Immediate work—immediate action—immediate use of God's gifts are expected.
(1) Each hesitation—each hour—each day where maximum energy and effort are not given is a lost opportunity.
(2) Each lost opportunity equals unfaithfulness and slothfulness.
(3) What a strong example the two faithful servants were!
b. The efforts of the faithful and diligent will bear fruit
(1) The servant who uses his gifts faithfully and diligently will witness a manifold increase in the goods of his Lord.
c. The person with only one talent is as responsible to use his gift as the person with many talents.
d. Too often, a person who is gifted with little feels his service matters little, that it is not really worth the time and effort it takes.
(1) This attitude forgets something: the gift is not ours; the gift is the Lord's.
(2) We are to be faithful, even in the single gifts—always faithful and always using what we have for the Lord, even if it is a single gift.
(a) Looking at verse 19, we see that
D. The day of reckoning came
1. Jesus Christ will return, but only "after a long time."
2. By the time Christ returns, it will have been a long time in the eyes of men.
3. Christ says the Lord did return, and He returned to reckon with His servants, not with the world, but with His servants
a. Christ is talking about His servants in this passage-professing believers
(1) Some genuine believers
(a) The five wise virgins
(2) And some professing believers who are making a false statement
(a) The five foolish virgins
(3) Turning to 2 Peter 3:9
4. We must always remember this: the Lord is not slack concerning His promise to return.
2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
a. 1 Peter 4:5
1 Peter 4:5 (NKJV)
They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
5. He is ready to judge the living and the dead
a. He is ready now, but He is longsuffering, wanting more and more to come to repentance
(1) As Larry mentioned to me last Sunday, until the last individual comes to know the Lord
(2) Now we turn to Matthew 25:20 - 23, this is the real crux of the matter
E. The reward for work well done: more work to do
Matthew 25:20-23 (NKJV)
"So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' {21} "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' {22} "He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' {23} "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
1. They both acknowledged God's gifts and graces:
a. There is appreciation, thankfulness, privilege, and a sense of responsibility expressed.
b. The two servants had counted it a privilege to serve their Lord
c. He had given them purpose and meaning in life, and the greatest privilege in all the world: the privilege of serving the Lord Himself.
d. They were appreciative and thankful.
2. Therefore, they were bold in approaching the Lord
a. Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them "Behold, I have gained.
b. Their boldness was not in a boastful spirit, but in a spirit that knew it had been faithful in what the Lord had said to do.
c. Both faithful servants were rewarded the same
(1) I don’t believe that the return, five for five, or two for two, is the point
(2) I believe it is the faithfulness of the servant
3. The Lord commended the two servants and gave them great rewards: rulership and joy, the joy of the Lord.
a. The Lord commended them for being good men (kind, gracious, moral, disciplined) and faithful in the trust He had given them.
b. They had worked and worked hard.
c. They had been the kind of men He had wanted them to be and they had done the work He had wanted them to do.
d. They were both good and faithful servants.
e. The point is this: the first two servants did what the Lord commanded them to do
f. The Lord rewarded both servants greatly.
g. He gave them a twofold reward.
(1) First, they were given rulership: the responsibility and rule over many things in the Kingdom of Heaven after the Lord returned
(2) Second, they were given entrance into the joy of the Lord. The servants were to be ushered into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, where there is nothing but joy. The joy is the joy "of the Lord" Himself—a joy which He Himself possesses within His very being. Joy is the state of the Lord's being because He is perfect; His perfection gives rise to a fulness of joy. Believers also experience this joy because of heaven, for heaven is perfect; and where perfection is, there are no tears, pain, or sorrow. There is only joy.
4. His lord said unto him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
F. Back to the story of the missionary couple
1. That night the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly." His wife replied, "Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?" A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?" "The Lord settled it with me," he said. "I told him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put his hand on my shoulder and simply said, 'But you're not home yet!'"
2. Yes, there are rewards for faithfulness, but not necessarily down here.
3. I am going to stop here
a. We are faithful in the things the Lord has given us
b. We see the fruit of our labor in this community
c. We know that God is glorified in this place
G. A reminder
1. This parable was told to and about Jews at the end of the tribulation period
a. But the principles of loyalty to our Master
b. Of obedience to the Master’s directives
c. Of love for the Master
d. Of brightening the corner where we are still applies to you and I today
(1) It is very interesting to me that this money the Master entrusted to his servants was called a talent
(2) We each have been given gifts, talents, and abilities with which to serve the Lord
(3) The point of this parable is to take those talents, gifts, and abilities and serve our Master
(a) Faithfully
(b) Loyally
(c) Honestly
(d) And lovingly
