NOTE:
My manuscripts are basically my thoughts on paper. Typically, I use them as a guide, not verbatim. Very rarely do I preach my message exactly the way I wrote it. If you would like to hear the message preached, please visit Abundant Life Fellowship’s multimedia page at http://www.abundantlife-lompoc.org/multimedia.html
A few weeks ago, we began talking about your “stuff”. We defined our “stuff” as those things that God has given us to accomplish His plan and purposes for our lives and to pour into the lives of others. We looked at the third chapter of Acts where Peter and John went to the temple and healed the lame man. We saw how Peter and John used the “stuff” that God had given them to turn lame legs into leaping legs.
This morning, I want to us to come to the realization that we have been blessed to invest. God has blessed His children in order for them to turn around and invest into the expansion and building up of His church. Let’s take a look at our scripture text found in Matthew’s Gospel the 25th chapter. If you’ve received a complimentary Bible, you can find our passage on page 689. Let’s begin reading with verse 14.
In this passage we find Jesus speaking with His disciples on the Mount of Olives. He begins telling them of the signs of times regarding His return. In the verses just before our text, Jesus tells His disciples a parable about ten bridesmaids, or virgins depending upon which version of the Bible you are reading. Jesus uses this illustration to teach His disciples and His church today about being prepared for His return. But here in verses 14-30, Jesus wants to teach us about being faithful with what He has given us between His ascension and His return.
As we look at our text this morning, I want to draw a few applications from it.
1. EVERYBODY HAS SOMETHING
The Word tells us that the Master (Jesus) called his servants together and gave them talents. Now, please bear in mind that a talent in this sense doesn’t refer to giftings and abilities, although the same could apply to those, but this is referring to an amount of money. We see here where one servant received five talents, another two, and the third received only one according to their abilities.
Paul tells us in Romans 12:6 that “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well” (NLT). Notice that Paul doesn’t say that we have developed our own abilities to do things well, but it is as God gives. God has definitely blessed us beyond measure. In this parable, Jesus says that the master gave his servants different measures of talents. Now, according to Nave’s Topical Bible, someone who has five talents would be a multi-millionaire. Which tells me that even the servant that received the one talent was still well off. And why shouldn’t he be? Everything that we look at and call our “stuff, is really God’s. The Word tells us “No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right” (Psalms 84:11 NLT). Everything that the Lord gives is costly, worth more than we could ever do on our own. So even if you feel like the servant who received the least, remember that it’s still costly.
The nails that pierced the hands of Christ that caused the redemptive blood from the spotless Lamb of God to flow, which paid the price for you to receive a blessing that all the money put together on the face of the earth couldn’t purchase. Just before Jesus ascended into the heavens, He said that you would receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (Acts 1:8). He also told His disciples that when He went away that we would do the same works He did, and even greater things (John 14:12). You have been blessed, but not just to hold on to it, or bury it the way the third servant did, but to invest it. So again, you’ve been blessed to invest.
2. DON’T COMPARE YOUR MONEY BAG TO ANYONE ELSE’S
Be faithful with what you have been given. Be thankful for what you have been blessed with, rather than belly aching about you don’t think you have enough. The Word tells us that the Master gave His servants a portion according to their ability to handle it. Face it, not everyone is capable of handling large responsibilities. We have to start out small and prove ourselves faithful with the small things in order to handle larger responsibilities.
So instead of looking at everyone else’s abundance all the while you are looking at what you might think is a measly blessing (is there really such thing?) and feeling sorry for yourself, begin investing. I’ve known people who started off with small amounts of money and invested it and had an incredible return on their investment. But the thing with that is, they were taking “their” money to invest in somebody else’s stuff. What I am talking about here is God’s stuff. He has given you a fortune to invest back into His stuff. There will always be a return on investment!!! There are no risks investing your blessing.
3. WE ARE NOT EXPECTED TO PRODUCE THE SAME RESULTS
Also notice that the servants were not required to produce the same results. The servant who was given one talent wasn’t expected to produce the same results as the one given five or two. However, he was expected to produce something.
We see when the Master returned, symbolizing the return of Christ, there was a day of accountability. We see here where the servants who were given five and two talents respectively, doubled their blessing. We see where the Master speaks a blessing over them, and bestows upon them more responsibility and brings them into fellowship with Him.
But then we come to the third servant. And instead of bringing the Master and increase, the servant brings excuses. And if you look at the excuses he was offering (I know that you are a hard man, etc), it seems as if the servant really doesn’t know the true character of the Master.
Notice that the Master didn’t have a certain value of return He was expecting. However, He did expect something in return.
4. USE IT OR LOSE IT
Again, God has given all of something to invest. Jesus states in this passage that those who utilize, or invest, what they were given, they would be given an abundance. But, to those who don’t invest, or are unfaithful with what they were given, they’d lose it.
So basically this morning, if you have buried something that the Lord has blessed you with, even if you think it is miniscule, dig it up and begin investing!
In closing, I would once again like to drive home the point that ALL you have is the Lord’s. There is nothing that you have that is your own. How many of you ever watch the “Antique Road Show”? I like watching people who bring anything and everything to see how the appraisers will value their property.
There are those who bring in very lavish items hoping that the appraisers will tell them that they have the valuable of a lifetime that is worth a fortune. Sadly, more often that not, these people have a forgery or a knock off that isn’t worth nowhere near what they were hoping for. They smile politely, and walk away disheartened.
Then there are those who come with a small trinket that to most would be anything that would be worth a second glance. To them there are there just for the novelty of the experience. Then they find out from the appraiser that what they have is worth more that they ever dreamed.
The people who are hoping to hit it big with their extravagant item is much like us thinking that we can impress God with what we have. Only to find out that it isn’t nothing. But I want to speak to those of you who think that what you have been given isn’t very much. You have been given a treasure from God that no one can put a value on. You, much like these folks on the Road Show may realize that that small item is, in fact, valuable. But what you have been blessed with isn’t valuable as far as a monetary value, but rather one of Kingdom proportions.
If you are here this morning and you have come to a realization that you have buried your blessing, would you join me here at the front to seek God on helping you dig it up and begin investing it.
