7-14-13
In 1967 a vibrant seventeen-year-old girl, named Joni Eareckson, dived into a Chesapeake Bay and hit bottom. The accident left her paralyzed from the neck down. How do you process an event like that in someone’s life? What do you do when you are the most capable, hardest worker at your job, but the boss gives the promotion to somebody less qualified and less diligent? Jeanie and I attended Bible School together in Texas before we were married. Two sisters, Becki & Debbie attended with us. They got married in a joint wedding to two other students in the school. Both young brides were full of hopes and expectations; both couples stepped into full time ministry. One husband turned out to be a faithful, caring man who served on the mission field for several years with his wife. The other husband turned out to be a pedophile. How do you process the difference in experience?
My purpose in this chapter is to give you three life principles that serve as points of reference in processing the events of your life. Actually Jesus gave us these principles in one brief story, the Parable of the Talents. Perhaps the most profound literature in all the world is found in the parables of Jesus. In them Jesus communicates vital wisdom for navigating your life journey. For example, the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) reveals the heart of God toward people. If a person can really understand the message of that parable, he or she will without hesitation go to God for help, no matter what is going on in his or her life. To do life successfully, you’ve got to know God for who He actually is. That brief story reveals what God is really like. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) communicates the difference between superficial religion and authentically loving people. Genuine faith proves itself in action toward the needs of others (James 1:26-27). The Parable of the Talents tells us what life is all about, why we’re here, what we’re supposed to be doing while we’re here —and Jesus does that in just a couple of paragraphs. Isn’t that amazing?
Come with me to the Parable of the Talents and open your heart to what God would show you today.
Matt 25:14-18
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money” (NIV).
The first thing we notice is that the master (who obviously represents God) did not give each man the same amount. He gave one man five times as much as he gave another. And here is the first principle of life that we need to understand.
I. Life is NOT FAIR
A talent represents a great amount of money. It is worth approximately 6000 denarii and one denarii was a normal day’s wage. So, one talent is fifteen to twenty years’ wages. Even the man who got one talent, received something very significant. Often when this parable is preached, the message focus is on one particular ability you may have that must not be wasted. But I believe the talent represents everything you have—not just a couple of abilities that we call talents—it’s everything. It’s your family heritage, it’s your friends, it’s your physical body, it’s your health and strength, it’s spiritual revelation, it’s the favor you have that gives you influence, it’s the doors of opportunity that open to you, it’s your musical ability, it’s your IQ. God has handed you a package in life, metaphorically represented here as talents.
But, let’s talk about the inequalities in the packages. Jamie Johnson is heir to the Johnson and Johnson fortune. All Jamie had to do to be worth $ 600 million was to be born into that particular family. He didn’t have to do one day’s work to get it. Can you imagine how much overtime you would have to work to get your finances on an equal footing with Jamie Johnson? How many Dave Ramsey principles would you have to apply? Jamie got it and didn’t have to do one thing to get it. Something in me says, “That’s not fair.” William James Sidis was born with a phenomenal intellect. By the time he was two years old he could read English. At four years old he was typing original works in French. He entered Harvard when he was twelve and graduated cum laude before he was sixteen. His IQ was somewhere between 250-300. He was given twice the IQ most of us have. Something in me says, “That’s not fair.”
By the time Mozart was five years old, he could read and write music. At age six he was already writing compositions.
Now contrast all that with the 300,000 babies born in 2011 with HIV. Stephanie Zepeda was born August 19, 1985 to a heroin-addicted mother who was so high on drugs and alcohol that at first she didn’t even realize she had given birth to Stephanie. Stephanie was born with AIDS. Stephanie had never committed one sin. Stephanie just arrived on the scene with a very big problem.
Not everybody gets the same package. Life is not fair. Not everybody begins at the same starting line.
Why am I focusing on this depressing fact? Why is it important that we stop for a moment and simply acknowledge this truth? We begin at an early age saying things like, “That’s not fair.” One kid gets a bigger piece of pie and the issue comes up. By the time we’re adults we know that life is not fair—but we spend a lot of energy complaining about it. Have you ever worked for a company that underpaid you, manipulated you, and used you to keep the profit line looking good? Have ever come home from work shaking your head and saying, “That’s not fair”? So we know life’s not fair, but we don’t quite stop and face the reality either. Here’s why we’re talking about this. As long as we think life is supposed to be fair, we’re going to be frustrated. We’re going to struggle with some things.
It can create resentment in the heart. Why do I have to work my guts out to just make it, when boss’ daughter is on a shopping spree with money she inherited? We make the comparisons with friends or fellow workers. And the difference is just enough to drive you crazy.
I used to resent pastors who had it all handed to them. Their dad was a pastor of a mega church. The heritage went back several generations. They grew up in a godly family absorbing social skills and and attributes of a godly person. Then when he comes of age daddy hands him the pulpit. I, on the other hand, began on a different starting line. As a child I was bombarded with wickedness during the formative years of my life; living in poverty; living in an alcoholic home with of violence and immorality. When I got saved, I had to climb over all kinds of habits and temptations and bondages just to get started. Everything I did, I did with nothing. If I did get handed a church, it was because the whole thing was collapsing and nobody else wanted it. So there I am with a problem—mumbling under my breath, “That’s not fair.” But at some point I had to get over the victim mentality. At some point I had to stop making the comparisons. I had to accept the fact that life is not fair—it’s not even supposed to be fair—and it’s never going to be fair. Get over it! My mission, should I be willing to accept it, is to get my eyes off of other people and get on with the job God has assigned to me.
Resentment can have a profound negative effect on our spiritual lives. It can poison the well. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (NIV). That means it can even make us physically sick. Get your eyes off of people who have it easier than you.
On the other side of the coin, we can become prideful when we don’t stop and recognize these inequalities of life. You may be doing pretty good in comparison to somebody else, but maybe they didn’t have all the advantages you had. Maybe they weren’t born with a 200 IQ. Maybe their upbringing was a nightmare compared to yours. Paul asked a probing question “For what makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? “ (1 Cor. 4:7 NIV). Even if I worked hard to get it, wasn’t it God that gave me the motivation and strength to do that?
So this leaves us in a poor position for judging others. We all received different packages to begin with. We all received different help along the way. And things are not always as they appear. This week I read the story of a traveler in North Carolina. As he was going down the road he looked over and saw an elderly black man sitting on a chair in his garden hoeing. The traveler began to chuckle as he thought about how lazy the guy must be. But as he looked back in his rear view mirror, he saw a pair of crutches lying on the ground by the old man’s chair. What seemed to be the height of laziness, now is revealed as something bordering on heroic.
So instead of being judgmental of others, we become thankful for what God has given us. Instead of being resentful toward the five- talent people, we focus on the course God has set before us. Life is not fair—but that’s ok because:
II. Life is just.
Or perhaps I should say God is just and will do justly.
Matt 25:19-30
"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.' His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "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. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 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' (NIV).
First notice that each servant was only required to give account for what was entrusted to him. The man with one talent did not have to give account for the five talents received by the other servant. I don’t have to give account for the money God has entrusted to Jamie Johnson—I only have to give account for the money I have. I don’t have to give account for the evangelistic gift Billy Graham had; I just have to give account for the grace and abilities God has deposited in me. So what we learn is to stop making comparison; stop competing with other people; stop looking down on people who can’t do some of the thing you can do; stop envying people who can do more. Be faithful with the talents God has entrusted to you. Get focused on that. Look up to heaven and ask,” Lord, what would you have me to do?”
There is a balancing of the books that will happen in eternity. Jesus told the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. There was nothing fair about their relationship in this life. The rich man lived it up and Lazarus lived in misery. The rich man enjoyed luxury and Lazarus struggled to exist. But when both men died, everything changed. Now Lazarus is being comforted in paradise and the rich man is suffering in hell. In Luke 16 the rich man is crying out to Abraham for some relief and Abraham says to him, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony” (NIV). People don’t talk a lot about heaven or hell these days, but Jesus had a lot to say about it. Americanized Christianity has almost forgotten there is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be shunned. Martyrs laid down their lives throughout history because they believed it. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:19 “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (NIV). Without an eternal perspective, life is not fair; but, when you look at the big picture you see that God is indeed just.
Every Christian will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ and receive just reward for the deeds done in this body (2Cor. 5:10). It’s not a judgment of punishment because Jesus has already borne the Christian’s punishment. But it is similar to these servants in our text reporting back to their master. It is a place where not every Christian will receive the same commendation. It is a place where you and I want to hear the Master say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Bottom line: nobody pulls one over on God. Life here is often not fair; but in the end justice will prevail.
Why do we need to pause and consider that? Because knowing that makes it much easier to handle the injustices of life. Knowing that makes it a lot easier take the wrongs that come our way. You don’t allow yourself to develop a vengeful spirit. It’s not that you get attitude of I’ll be glad when they get theirs. That’s not the spirit of Christ. But what you do is understand that it’s not your prerogative to sort it all out. It’s not your problem to make everyone be just. Rom 12:19 says it this way, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (NKJV). Knowing that justice will ultimately prevail, fortifies your soul to do that.
There are times when God’s justice prevails in this life. It happened for Joseph. Even in this life God vindicated Joseph. His brothers unjustly threw him into a pit and left him for dead. God eventually raised him up to an exalted place in Egypt and his brothers had to come bow before him. It was safe for God to do that in Joseph’s life because Joseph had a forgiving, Christ-like spirit toward his offenders. He was able to put their evil acts into the context of God’s greater plan—“ Joseph said to them, ‘But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them (Gen 50:20-21 NKJV).
The ability to respond the way Joseph responded is not just found in gritting your teeth and trying to be a nice guy. It is found in understanding the things were talking about here this morning. Joseph did not spend his life stewing because life is not fair. He saw the bigger picture. God is just. He will make it right whether in this life or in the life to come. We need to know that at a level in which we can rest in God’s care and protection. “So then,” (Peter wrote), those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:19 NIV).
Having said all that, let me give you the ultimate justice for the Christian.
If you have Christ, you have everything you need—everything. 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (NIV). Do not underestimate the awesome privilege of being “in Christ.” As joint heirs with Christ by faith we can draw upon all the resources of God that we may need today. It’s not fair that your body is sick; but Jesus is the healer—call on Him for that healing. It’s not fair that you lost your job and can’t pay the rent; but Jesus is your provider—call upon Him now for provision. Hudson Taylor was a great missionary who reached thousands in China with the gospel of Christ. At one point the resources were depleted. He wrote to his wife, “We have 25 cents and all the promises of God.” I’ve been getting that in my spirit all week. God I’m thankful for the 25 cents in my pocket; but what I’m really counting on are all the great and precious promises you have given us in your word. That’s more valuable than a $ 600 million bank account. $ 600 million is finite. The promises of God flow out of an infinite God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think.
We have faced the fact that life is not fair. We have found comfort in the fact that justice will ultimately prevail. Now we consider perhaps the key point in this parable.
III. Life is an opportunity
Two of the three servants increased as a result of their investments. One went from five talents to ten talents and the other went from two to four. This is the opportunity you and I have in life. Oh that we could get up each morning and see the day as a chance to bring honor to our Redeemer—to possibly introduce someone to the King of Kings—to invest in the lives of others—to execute the will of the Father wherever we go. There is a power in viewing each day as an opportunity to serve the King. There will be no salvations in heaven—everyone will already be saved. There will be no need for healing—no need for deliverance—no need for a word of encouragement. Those opportunities are in the here and the now. Two of the servants understood that and their lives made a difference.
As I read verse 14, I was struck by the word “called.” The master “…called his servants and entrusted his property to them.” Have you heard the Master’s call on your life? Noah heard the call of God on his life and built an ark. Abraham heard and obeyed God’s call; the result was increase. He became the father of many nations.
Nehemiah was a man that God called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. When he heard of the deplorable condition of God’s chosen city, he was grieved in his spirit. He could not ignore the problem because God had deposited a solution to the problem inside him! I look around at the condition of the church in America. There are walls that have fallen down. There are areas where the enemy is trampling over the debris of broken dreams and broken lives. There are people of God who are oppressed and depressed. The Bible says that Nehemiah wept and prayed when he heard how the walls of the city were broken down and how the gates had been burned. Feeling the call—feeling the call—feeling the call. He felt the call at an emotional level. Can you feel the call of God as you look around you?
When David walked into the camp of Israel in 1 Samuel 17, he heard the insults and defiance coming from Goliath; he saw the fear and intimidation in the Israelite soldiers; and something in him rose up to meet the challenge. When everybody else could only see an insurmountable obstacle, David saw opportunity to glorify God. Opportunities usually look like obstacles on the surface. Opportunities have to be seen through the eyes of faith. David saw a defeated enemy before the physical battle even started. He told Saul, “God enabled me to defeat a bear; God enabled me to defeat a lion; and this giant is coming down just like they did.” Look past the obstacles and see the opportunities in your life.
Nehemiah could have rationalized away the call of God for his life. He was in a position to simply ignore the condition of Jerusalem. As a high official in the Persian palace far away, he could have said in his heart,” That is so sad—it’s too bad what is happened to Jerusalem—of course, it is the consequences of their own choices. They made their bed, now they’ve got to lie in it. But I am very sorry to hear they are going through all that.” He could have been self-absorbed like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan. He could have just made a wide path around the problem and gone on with his life. On the other hand, he could not do that because he felt the call—that reality was too strong to ignore.
What causes you to rise up on the inside and say, “Something ought to be done about this?” Is it a family matter? Is it a spiritual condition? Is it a social issue? I have been in enough genuine revival over the years that the status quo of American Christianity is disturbing to me. This cannot be the full expression of what Jesus died for? A prayerless, powerless church cannot be the Bride Jesus is coming back for? Defeated, depressed, shattered Christians cannot be the plan. Broken marriages, addicted believers, lukewarm—half-heated Christianity is not acceptable. I’ve been part of the problem. I am accountable for the influence I have. I want God to do something in me that causes me to rise up and turn the obstacles I face into kingdom opportunities. Let the cry of my heart before God be “Here am I. Send me!” Let that be the cry of your heart as well. The first thing a servant needs to do is hear the master call.
What has God entrusted to your stewardship? Everything you have is His. Everything you are is His. My money is not my money; it’s God’s money and I’m entrusted with it. My time is not my time; I am accountable for how I use it. The gifts and abilities we have are to be used for our Lord. The Apostle Paul is a good example of this. He had the ability to make tents. Paul did not use that ability to accumulate extra things for himself or to make his own life more comfortable. He worked harder than everybody around him so the gospel could be spread. At the end of his time on earth he knew that he had stewarded that which had been entrusted to him. Listen to what he says at the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” 2 Tim 4:7-8.
In the late 70’s Nolan Bushnall could have bought one third interest in Apple Inc. for $ 50,000. That investment would be worth $ 140 billion today. He missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Ronald Wayne passed up a similar chance with Apple. Neither of those men could see the possibilities in Apple, Inc.; otherwise, they would have made the investment. Of course, now they can see it; but now it is too late. The key to capitalizing on an investment opportunity is to see it in a timely manner. If you and I had bought Apple stock in January 2009, it would have cost $ 90 a share. We could have sold it in August 2012 for $ 665 a share, a 200% annual increase. Investment opportunities missed!
One of the servants in our parable missed the opportunity of a lifetime—literally, his life package was an opportunity for increase, and he let the opportunity pass him by. I don’t know what he was doing while his talent set there in the ground; but, he was not doing what was expected of him by his master.
It’s interesting to me how much freedom the master gave his servants to decide how they would handle the resources entrusted to them. The master did not force them to use the their talents in a particular way. They were free to choose how they would invest (their life package). This reality confuses many people. Since God allows them that much freedom, some people assume the money is really theirs. Some people assume the ability that God has entrusted to them belongs to them to do with as they please. It really doesn’t register in their minds that they are simply caretakers of the resource and will give account of what they did with it all. Warren Buffett is one of the richest men in the world. His life package includes a lot of financial resources and a brilliant mind in that arena. From 2001 to 2012 he contributed $ 1.2 billion to abortion organizations. Does Warren Buffett realize that money belongs to God and he is just a steward of it? I doubt it. There is a day of reckoning coming for every soul on earth. People may be able to choose by their free will what they do with the talents entrusted to them, but we will all give account of what we did.
The devil has propagated a huge Ponzi scheme on people. He has told them they can invest it all in themselves and get a good return on the investment. He has told them to bury it in their own back yard and everything will be nice and secure. The one-talent servant in our parable did that; it did not turn out well.
The one-talent servant in this parable had a significant problem between his ears, in his thinking, in his attitude toward life itself. It’s obvious that he did not use what he had to advance his master’s kingdom. But why did he do that?
It was because of his mindset. He lived with a survival mentality. He could see nothing but problems. The master is a hard man; it’s too risky. Life is hard. I had better just hunker down. Instead of focusing on the opportunities life offers, he was self-absorbed and in a survival mode.
When Israel got ready to enter the Promise Land, Moses sent 12 spies to check it out. Ten of those twelve went into survival mode. There may be some opportunities out there, but the challenges are too great and giants are too big. Let’s just go back into the wilderness and settle with that. The Bible says Caleb was of a different spirit. Even in old age, he saw the opportunity before him. I’ve got to take one more mountain. God is with us; we can do this!
When the devil gets us in a survival mindset, we lose our peace; we lose our courage; and the joy of living is gone. We become vulnerable to temptations, vulnerable to addictions, depressed, and maybe even bitter. Life ought to be a pursuit of opportunities, an investment in the will of God.
When I am seeing life as an opportunity, I am a freight train on the way to its destination. But when I get into survival thinking, I lose my momentum. I lose heart. And I lose perspective.
I’m talking about how we view life, because that was foundational to the one-talent servant’s failure. First he viewed God in a wrong way (that’s a whole message in itself). But based on that, he viewed life as a negative experience. He saw it as something hard, something to be endured. I will tell you honestly, life can be hard at times. One person said it this way, “Life is hard, but it’s worth it.” I think that’s pretty accurate. The trick is to not forget the second half of the statement. When we understand the opportunity God has given us in life, then we have to conclude that it is worth it—even in the hard times. I never hear the Apostle Paul saying life is easy. In fact, I hear him say in 1 Cor. 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable” (NKJV). I hear him say in 2 Cor. 4:17-18 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (NKJV). It’s a problem when we start thinking that life is hard for us, but easy for everybody else. That can bring on self-pity, depression, and even resentment. You can’t always see the struggles that your neighbor is going through. We’re very aware of our own; but don’t assume they have none just because you can’t see them.
When we’re thinking right, we can get up in the morning and see the new day as a chance to experience increase—a chance to invest ourselves in people we love, a chance to introduce someone to the Lord, a chance to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a power in viewing life as an opportunity.
That should be the natural way of view life because we are designed by God for increase. That principle runs through God’s creation. An peach tree is not designed to just exist as an peach tree. It is designed to produce fruit that contains seed that produces more peach trees.
God’s first command to Adam was “Be fruitful and multiply.” There is a lot of revelation in that first command. Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over….’” Fruitfulness, increase, rulership are in our DNA—we are designed for increase! When that’s not happening, we are not fulfilling our purpose.
I want to talk a little about the kind of increase opportunities God has placed in our lives.
(1) Of course, there are natural opportunities we may have in marriage. Children are a heritage of the Lord. When God gives us children he gives us opportunity to train them in the way of the Lord—opportunity to impact future generations through them and through their children. In the New Testament Timothy was a man of faith influenced by the faith that was in his mother and grandmother (2Timothy 1:5). He in turn influenced many people toward the Lord. Our first opportunity for increase is in those of our own household.
(2) Increase also comes as we lead others to the Lord. Your role in that process may be to plant seeds in the hearts of others that prepares them to receive Christ; you may be used of God to water the seeds others have planted; or you may have the privilege in some cases to lead a person to receive Christ. It doesn’t matter how God uses you in the process, influencing others to receive the Lord is vital increase for the kingdom of God.
(3) Increase may also involve strengthening others in the faith so that they are more effective in spreading the gospel. The important thing is that we are investing our lives in others.
There is another opportunity for increase that is essential. It only happens as you yield your life to the Lord.
(4) I’m talking about the development of your inner man toward the kind of being God intends for you to be in eternity. Most Christians are not aware of how important that is. In Western theology our focus is on forgiveness of sin and not so much on spiritual growth. We know the importance of the new birth. Jesus explained it to Nicodemus in John 3. The only way people enter into natural life is by being born into it. The only way people enter into the spiritual life of God’s kingdom is by being born into it. There is no getting around that. Everyone needs to make sure that is a part of your spiritual experience. When that happens, God’s Spirit will bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16). Do you have that inner assurance that you have been born again?
Now that’s the beginning point. From that point the Christian should be experiencing increase and growth just as a baby in the natural grows after it is born. 1 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ….” The writer of Hebrews told a group of Christians that their spiritual growth had not developed the way it should have. They had been believers long enough that they should have been mature; but they were still babies in Christ (Hebrews 5:12-14). This is a typical problem in most American churches. People are going to church every week; but there is no significant change in their spiritual maturity. We know from this passage in Hebrews that can happen. Time alone does not bring spiritual maturity. Church attendance alone does not develop us into the men and women of God that we’re destined to be. Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2 NKJV). He prefaced that statement by saying, “Lay aside all malice, all deceit, all hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking: (1 Peter 2:1 NKJV). In other words, there are moral choices that have to be made for Christ’s character to be formed in us.
A lot of Christians live their lives as if being born again was the end objective of their faith—a ticket to heaven. But God’s not just trying to get you to a place called heaven; He’s trying to get heaven into you! He’s shaping you into the kind of creature that will be comfortable in heaven. Your ability to enjoy heaven will be measured by your willingness to be conformed to it here and now. It’s here and now that you’re being shaped into the creature you will be there. A two-month-old baby is just as human as mommy and daddy. That infant is just as much a part of the family as mommy and daddy. And the little one lives in the same house. However, his capacity to relate to the world around him is limited. He cannot speak his thoughts; he cannot walk on his own; he certainly can’t carry the responsibility that the mature members of the family have. And of course, he can’t safely operate in the same level of authority.
The kingdom of heaven is the same way. If you’ve been born again, you will be in heaven by the grace of God just like everyone else. If you have allowed God to work growth in the core of who you are and mature you in Christ, then He will entrust an appropriate level of authority to you there. If you do not invest in kingdom growth, you will be a child of God that carries less capacity in the eternal kingdom. In our text, the reward for faithfulness is authority, “You have been faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” Your place in eternity is at stake. Not every Christian will have the same level of authority. I would even go one step further. Not every Christian will have the same level of joy in heaven—not because God wouldn’t give it; but because their capacity for it had not been fully developed.
Every moral choice we make moves our character in one direction or the other. Inch by inch you and I are becoming the creatures we will be for eternity. There are investments to be made in this life; and while we are making those investments we experience increase in a number of ways. We are impacted while we are impacting others. We are delivered from self-absorption and made ready to enjoy God forever!
Conclusion
We have drawn from the Parable of the Talents three facts of life to embrace, three points of reference for navigating our journey in this world. First, life is unfair. The resources entrusted to one person are never the same and never equal to the resources entrusted to another. Rather than getting caught up in comparisons and completion, we need to focus on investing that which God has entrusted to us. Second, life is just. Each servant is only required to give account for his life package whether it be five talents, two or one. In the end God will deal with each of us justly. Finally, life is an opportunity for increase. As we invest our lives in others and live in obedience to God we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. We become prepared to enjoy the eternity God has prepared for us.
End Notes:
i Jonie Ereckson Tada, http://www.joniearecksontadastory.com/ (accessed July 10, 2014).
ii Jack W. Hayford, executive ed., New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2002, p. 1337. Resources will vary as to the exact value of a talent; however, the important point is that it represents something very valuable. When God gave you your life-package He entrusted something to you of great value!
iii The Greek word, talanton, in the text was originally a measure of weight and then a unit of coinage with value varying with the metal involved, such as gold, silver, or copper. (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature/ revised and edited by William Fredrick Danker, 3rd ed., (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000) p. 988). The English word “talent” is commonly used today in reference to a special aptitude or natural endowment. With this concept in mind people often limit their understanding of the parable to the usage of a few specific abilities rather than accountability for everything entrusted to a person by the master.
iv Meredith Galante, “The World’s Most Eligible Bachelors,” Business Insider, November 28, 2011, http://money.ca.msn.com/savings-debt/gallery/the-worlds-most-eligible-bachelors?page=11 (accessed July 10, 2014).
v Abraham Sperling “A Story of Genius” in Psychology for the Millions, F. Fell, 1946, 332-339, http://www.sidis.net/Sperling.htm (accessed July 10, 2014).
vi Tejvan Pettinger blog, Mozart Biography, http://www.biographyonline.net/music/mozart.html (accessed July 10, 2014).
vii Associated Press March 4, 2013, “Baby Born with Aids virus Appears to have been Cured,” http://www.biographyonline.net/music/mozart.html (accessed July 10, 2014).
viii Susan Schindehette, “Born with Aids,” People Magazine, July 2, 2001, Vol. 56, no. 1, http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20134791,00.html (accessed July 10, 2014).
ix F. H. Cheley., Stories for Talks to Boys, NY: Associated Press, 1923, p. 343.
x In Psalm 73 Asaph struggles with the inequities of life until he saw everything in the light of eternity in verse 17. He realized the truths we are talking about in this chapter, stopped fretting, and started resting in God.
xi John 5:24. Referring to people in this parable as “servants” does not necessarily mean they are Christians. God has entrusted natural life and resources to every human being and all created being are his servants and accountable to Him.
xii Nick Harrison, Power in the Promises: Praying God’s Word to Change Your Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013, p. 23.
xiii Nehemiah 1:4
xiv My paraphrase of 1 Samuel 17:34-37.
xv Luke 10:31-32
xvi Isaiah 6:8
xvii “Nolan Bushnell, Atari's Founder and Steve Jobs' Former Boss, Reflects on Creative Thinking, The Associated Press, March 28, 2013, http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/nolan_bushnell_ataris_founder.html (accessed July 19, 2014).
xviii Zach Epstein, “On this day in 1976, Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $2,300,” on April 12, 2012, http://bgr.com/2012/04/12/on-this-day-in-1976-apple-co-founder-ronald-wayne-sold-his-10-stake-for-2300/ (accessed July 19, 2014).
xix Apple Inc. (AAPL) –NasdaqGS, Yahoo!Finance, http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=AAPL (accessed July 19, 2014).
xx Dan Gainor, Warren Buffett Has Given 1.2 Billion to Abortion Groups, Fox News, May 13, 2014, http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/05/13/warren-buffet-donates-12-billion-to-abortion-groups/ (accessed July 19, 2014).
xxi The way people bury their talent is to simply consume it in one way or another on their own desires (James 4:3). It is possible for a person to think he is not burying his talent because he is very active employing it; however, if all the revenue is selfishly spent on his own comfort and pleasure, it does not produce kingdom increase.
xxii Numbers 13
xxiii 1Corinthians 3:6-8
xxiv 1Peter 1:23
xxv In 1Corinthians 15 Paul teaches about the glorious change that will occur in the resurrection of the just; however, he also points out “…star differs from star in splendor, So will it be in the resurrection of the dead….” 1Corinthians 15:41-42.
xxvi C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001) p. 92.
