Sermon Central
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Responsibility-What God Expects
Contributed by Martin Wiles on Sep 21, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: God gives his children gifts and talents to use as we await death or his Second Coming.
Responsibility-What God Expects
INTRODUCTION
A. Show entitled “Millionaire” that was once on.
1. Each week a wealthy man looked for someone to give one million dollars to.
2. Some recipients were wise and frugal and some were foolish and wasteful.
B. Regis’ show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
1. What would you do with a million dollars if you won?
2. We might imagine that some would pay off debts, quit work, travel, keep working, or give to charity.
C. Aunt Bee on Andy Griffith show winning prizes on a television show.
1. Came back to Mayberry and showed them off to her friends who in turn got jealous.
2. Found out she would have to pay taxes on them.
3. Before Andy could tell her, Aunt Bee decided to sell them to pay the taxes and return things to normal.
D. People who spend money for a chance to win the lottery.
1. My experience at IGA in Graceville, Florida, during my last year in college when there was a large jackpot at stake.
2. People stood in line for hours and kept coming all day long from opening to closing.
3. All of them had some idea of what they would do with that money.
E. How responsible are we with what we have now?
1. Do we pay our debts and on time?
2. Do we charge more than we should on credit cards-more than we can pay off the next month?
3. Do we knowingly write checks when we don’t have funds in the bank to cover them?
4. Do we buy more things than we need?
5. Are we using our money and other resources to meet our family’s needs?
F. God also has expectations for us.
1. He gives us abilities, gifts and talents.
2. He expects us to be responsible with what he entrusts to us, and Jesus’ parable speaks to this matter.
3. How responsible am I in my Bible reading, prayer life, witnessing, serving, faithfulness in church attendance, supporting the activities of the church?
4. If my example was the example other Christians looked at, how responsible would they be spiritually?
G. Those in the parable faced the same question.
1. Their master was going on a long journey where he would be crowned king and then he was to return.
2. Before leaving, he entrusts ten pounds of silver to ten of his servants for them to invest while he was gone.
3. When he returns and called them to account, he finds that some of them have been responsible and some have not.
GOD EXPECTS US TO BE RESPONSIBLE WITH WHAT HE GIVES
A. Look at the elements of the story.
1. A certain nobleman was called to a distant empire to be crowned king.
2. Before leaving he calls ten of his servants and gives them ten pounds of silver to invest.
3. The nobleman’s people hated him and sent a delegation after him to tell who he was going to be crowned by that they did not want him as a king.
4. After returning, the new king calls in his servants to whom he had given money.
5. The first servant had gained ten times (a 1000% profit) as much as he was given, and the king commended him and gave him ten cities to govern.
6. The second servant gained five times (a 500% profit) as much and was also commended and given five cities to govern.
7. The third servant brought back only the original amount he was given.
8. The king rebuked him for not putting the money in the bank where it would have at least drawn interest.
9. His money was given to the one who had been the most responsible.
10. The others objected: “Yes, the king replied, but to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.”
B. The elements explained.
1. Jesus’ listeners could relate to the story.
C. Herod the Great ruled until his death in 4 B.C. It was prescribed that the kingdom would be divided into three parts and given to his three sons. Archelaus was given Judea, which included Jerusalem and Jericho.
D. When his father died, he took the rule. Wanting to establish his power and elevate the fear of the people, he slaughtered three thousand Jews at the first Passover. He was not trying to endear himself but rather terrify the people. As a result, the people hated him.
E. The time came for him to go to Rome to receive the official imprimatur of Caesar on his right to rule. The people detested him so greatly that they sent a delegation of representatives following him all the way to Rome. And while he was appealing for Caesar to give him the right to be the king, they were appealing to Caesar saying, "We do not want this man to reign over us."
