Talents, Money And Judgment

INTRO.- Talents, money and judgment. Do these sound bad? In the light of this scripture they sound somewhat bad.

ILL.- A young Bible college student was witnessing in Atlanta, GA. As he approached one house an elderly gentleman was sitting in his chair on the front porch. He asked, “Are you a Christian?” “No, I’m a Smith. The Christians live two doors down.” “I don’t think you understand. I mean, are you lost?” “No, sonny, I ain’t lost. I’ve lived here for 25 years.” “But are you ready for the judgment day?” “When’s it going to be?” “Well, it could be today or it could be tomorrow.” “Don’t tell my wife. She’ll want to go both days.”

No, I don’t think anybody will want to go to the final judgment two days in a row! Judge Judy would be a piece of cake by comparison. One time will be sufficient and we will have no choice about that.

ILL.- A curious fellow died one day and found himself waiting in the long line of judgment. As he stood there he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the pearly gates into heaven. Others, though, were led over to Satan who threw them into the burning pit. But every so often, instead of hurling a poor soul into the fire, Satan would toss a soul off to one side into a small pile. After watching Satan do this several times, the fellow’s curiosity got the best of him. So he strolled over and asked Satan what he was doing.

"Excuse me, Prince of Darkness," he said. "I’m waiting in line for judgment, but I couldn’t help wondering, why are you tossing those people aside instead of flinging them into the fires of hell with the others?"

"Ah, those..." Satan said with a groan. "They’re all from Seattle; they’re too wet to burn."

What’s wrong with this story? It’s all wrong. God is the person who does the judging. Satan has nothing to do with it. He is only the accuser. And God is the one who punishes people, not Satan. Satan has no power except what God allows him to have. And in the end, he will have no power on anyone who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.

ILL.- H. L. Mencken, the agnostic editor, died an unbeliever. At his funeral, following his request, there was no song and no sermon.

During his life Mencken admitted he might be wrong in his views about God and the immortality of the soul. “But,” he explained, “if I am wrong I will square myself when confronted in the after life by the apostles with the simple apology: ‘Gentlemen, I was wrong.’”

Brothers and sisters, Mencken was wrong. Totally wrong. When he found out how wrong he was in the next life it was too late to apologize and he wanted to apologize to the wrong person. And our text deals with the judgment.

PROP.- Let’s examine three key points to this parable about talents, money and the judgment.

1- God entrusts His property V. 14

2- God requires accountability V. 19

3- God punishes the wicked Vs. 28-30

I. GOD ENTRUSTS HIS PROPERTY

Matt. 25:14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.”

God has entrusted His property to us. What property?

Everything material and then some: the house you live in, the car you drive, the job you work at, the food you eat, the mate you have, the children in your house, etc.

I Cor. 4:7 “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”

LB “What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something on your own?”

No one is self-made. We don’t live by the philosophy, “I got everything I have by hard work. Nobody gave me anything.”

ILL.- After my father died in Dec. of 1982 mother lived another 20 years. She passed away in June of 2002. Mom never drove. She never got her driver’s license so she always had to depend on others to go somewhere. Mom had several male friends after dad died. They often went out to eat or go to the local Senior citizen’s center in Webb City, MO, to eat and play cards.

One of her male friends was a guy named Ralph Lee. Ralph was older than mother and died a year or so before mom. He was in his 90’s. Ralph worked hard all his life to make money. He often worked seven days a week. He was a part of owner of some business in Webb City and also built houses. I think he bought houses, renovated them and then sold them to make money.