Introduction:
This sermon outline was outstandingly been suggestive in a way by one of the most popular global TV show nowadays, “America’s Got Talent”. And there is one great Parable of a Talent Show inspired by the Lord Jesus Christ more than 2000+ years ago... as usual, He is the first Talent Show Host....
(America's Got Talent, often abbreviated as AGT is a televised American talent show competition, broadcast on the NBC television network. It is part of the global Got Talent franchise created by Simon Cowell, and is produced by FremantleMedia North America and SYCOtv, with distribution done by Freemantle. Since its premiere in June 2006, each season is run during the network's summer schedule.
The show attracts a variety of participants, from across the United States and abroad, to take part and who possess some form of talents, with acts ranging from singing, dancing, comedy, magic, stunts, variety, and other genres. Each participant who auditions attempts to secure a place in the live episodes of a season by impressing a panel of judges - the current line-up consists of Cowell,Howie Mandel, Mel B, and Heidi Klum. Those that make it into the live episodes compete against each other for both the judges' and public's vote in order to reach the live final, where the winner receives a large cash prize, paid over a period of time, and, since the third season, a chance to headline a show on the Las Vegas Strip.
Since its premiere, America's Got Talent has helped to unearth new talent and kickstart/boost the careers of various performers who took part in the competition, while the show itself has been a rating success for NBC, drawing in on average around 10 million viewers per season.)
(Wikipedia.org)
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called His servants and entrusted to them His property. To one He gave five talents, to another two, to another one, TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY.
Then He went away.
“He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid His master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, You delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of Your Master’. And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, You delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew You to be a hard man, reaping where You did not sow, and gathering where You scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid Your talent in the ground. Here You have what is yours.’ But His master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested My money with the bankers, and at My coming I should have received what was My own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:14-30 ESV)
“And unto one He gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability;(v.14).
Just like the Show, “America’s Got Talent”, this is a wonderful story called the Parable of the Talents. Bible readers are drawn to it because it is simple, clear and easy to understand. It’s lessons are impossible to miss, that is why I correlated it to one of the world’s popular talent show. The Parable of The Talent is not only the world’s popular talent show but a talent show for all eternity! ...till our Savior come.
This parable tells us what to do while we wait for Jesus to return.
In biblical times a talent meant a weight of money, a considerable weight. It would equal in value about $1,000 dollars or more.
So the Lord, when He went away, distributed money among His servants, a considerable amount. Now the talents represent something definite in our lives, When they spoke of a many-talented man in Bible days, they did not mean someone with great natural gifts; they meant somebody very rich. To put your talents to work meant you invested your money.The talent here in this story represents something that belongs to God, not to men. It is not something we have; it is something He owns and distributes among men according to His will.
I- A SHOW OF TAKING RISKS
It is not stated directly, but it is clearly implied. It is, that these talents are something the Lord gave in order that they might be invested. They are something that can be risked, something that can be ventured. These men were to put them to work earning more. They were to risk them, invest them. Thus the talents represents something that is God's property, given to us on the basis of natural gifts, and which can be put to work, invested, risked. It is clear from this story that the investment of talents is made on behalf of the absent Lord, not the servants. IT IS SOMETHING THE SERVANTS RISKS TO BENEFIT THE ABSENT LORD who travelled into a far country. It is something they do in order to help their Master. There’s a risk. The benefit will belong to the Lord. It is God's property, not ours, but is distributed to each of us who profess to be Christians on the basis of the natural abilities we have; it is something we can risk, but not for our sake but for the Lord.
We now live in society that is less “risky” than in the past, we live under a governing system that has made it its job to secure us from as much of it as possible. Seat belts, helmets, social security, even weather forecasters who tell us what’s the weather condition on the coming days ahead... that is why more workers in the Vineyard of our Master is calculatingly safe in their allowances and honoraria.... less of the rolling off of sleeves and take that risk. With all this “help”, it seems we are rapidly becoming obsessed with living safely over living faithfully.
II- A SHOW OF TAKING THE EXTRA-MILE
How will we take the extra mile?
Here’s a good illustration from ministry127.com:
Three men were hiking through a forest when they came upon a large, raging, violent river. Needing to get to the other side, the first man prayed, “God, please give me the strength to cross the river.” Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs. He was able to swim across in about two hours, having almost drowned twice.
After witnessing that, the second man prayed, “God, please give me strength and the tools to cross the river.” Poof! God gave him a rowboat, strong arms, and strong legs. He was able to row across in about an hour after almost capsizing once.
Seeing what happened to the first two men, the third man prayed, “God, please give me the strength, the tools and the intelligence to
cross this river.” Poof! He was turned into a woman. She checked the map, hiked one hundred yards up stream and walked across the bridge.
While we are waiting, we are to work for the Lord, not just ordinary work but an extra-mile work for Him. The extra-mile is a call to go beyond what’s expected. But originally there was much more to it. It was a challenge to show love. Jesus took the Ten Commandments and then says to do more.
The former two servants went the extra mile.
Is it fondness for their Employer, or is it just a finely developed sense of responsibility and love?
They prove worthy of the trust, they turn over all their proceeds to their Employer. Later on in the Parable, They had been rewarded with increased responsibility–and happiness.
The third servant however, had a miser attitude–(one who is extremely stingy with money a miser who had a wealth of fortune but lives in a shanty) he does not want the Master to harvest where He has not sown.
He does not want to do anything more than the minimum, and has no interest in being a blessing to his Master. No interest in the extra mile.
III- A SHOW OF TAKING THE REWARD
The third servant thought he knew his Master, but he didn’t. In verse 24 he plainly says, “I know you,” but he was wrong. He thought his Master was a hard, cruel, unfair man who made a profit off the labor of others. But if he really believed what he said, he would have at least invested the money in the bank and gotten a small return. He didn’t even believe his own excuse, because of his stinginess, he lost what was given to him and was thrown out with an “X” hung over him! Many professed Christians today are like this 3rd servant. Why? Because, No one likes to go to church and be told they might go to hell. But it’s true. Those who live entirely and only for themselves, who claim to be Christians but live as if they were the center of the universe, they who were entrusted with enormous talents but became “miser”, who have no time for or interest in the things of God who will wake up one day in hell because they are “worthless servants” who really never knew the Lord.
Whereas, the generous, helpful servants are rewarded. The rewards given to them is a promised to us now, and to those who faithfully use their “talents” in the service of Christ and his Kingdom. In the parable, the Master says the same thing to the first two servants: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, 23, ESV). What are their rewards?
First, there is commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Second, there is promotion: “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.”
Third, there is satisfaction: “Enter into the joy of your master.”
They got approval from the Judges’ and witnesses’ vote in order to reach the live finals in heaven, where winners receives large amount of double talents and a chance to headline a show on the Heavenly Strip.
They got the “golden-buzzer” from our Master Host!
CONCLUSION:
It’s time to serve the Lord.
Let us all put our talents and risks more. Let’s do more of soul-business for this is the most profitable business more costly than silver and gold.
Let’s go the extra-mile. Learn, relearn, a little tweak there, adjust here, crawl if we can’t stand, what matters most is that we gain ground for the Lord till He comes.
Our labour would not be in vain...
“... Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them.” (Heb. 6:12 msg.)
“Whatever (we) do, work at it with all (our) heart(s), as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since (we) know that (we) will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ (our Master Talent Host), (we) are serving!” —(Col. 3:23-24, emphasis mine).
Let us now invest our talents....
For: LuzonBibleCollegeA/G12:46am06september2018thursday
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