Parable of the Talents, #1 (Matthew 25:14-29)

Introduction: Context of Christ's Return and Sermon Series

0:01 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, November 25th, 2001, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. The following sermon was delivered at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey, by Pastor Albert N. Martin. This is another sermon in the series entitled, The Return of Jesus in New Testament Belief and Experience.

0:34 Well, now I and you know why it's in the section on the evening hymns. In going through the thing, I missed that word tonight, and was even seeing how we could pick out a different word and make it rhyme with the last line. But now I feel satisfied there was a good reason to put it in the section of the evening hymns, and before 20 people told me that at the door when the message is over, I thought I would acknowledge it. My verbal gaffes generally meet me less than five minutes after the close of a service, and I appreciate the fact that you find me.

1:15 I feel the liberty to give me some innocent ribbing when I've mixed things up. Now, in seriousness, let us turn to the word of God this morning, to the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew.

1:32 Those of you familiar at least in a cursory way with the structure of the Gospel of Matthew and the major deposits of truth will know that in Matthew chapter 24, our Lord is answering a question raised by his disciples, with respect to the destruction of the temple and the end of the age. And in what follows, in chapter 24, commonly called the Olivet Discourse, our Lord is speaking of those two events, one being the precursor of the other, the climactic and final event taking many of its lines of reality from matters that pertain to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., and the chapter... The chapter division is unfortunate because after completing what we call the Olivet Discourse proper and clinching it with the emphasis of verse 44, be ready for an hour that you think not, the Son of Man comes, then there follow three parables.

2:38 There is the parable of this unrighteous servant, the parable of the ten virgins and a wedding, and then the parable of the master who gives talents, to his servants. Follow then as I read these three parables, because I will make a passing reference to two of them while we park on the third. So we begin the reading at Matthew 24 and verse 45. Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his Lord hath set over his household to give them their food in due season?

3:14 Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he comes, shall find so doing. That is, giving the people in the house their food. The master set him over his fellow servants to make sure they were fed properly, and he says, Blessed is that servant whom, when the master returns, finds that the servant given charge over other servants is doing precisely what his Lord told him to do. He is not blessed if he's outside in the front porch, spending all his time looking to the horizon to see if his master, is coming.

3:49 No. The Lord says, Be ready. But he says, Readiness is not dreaminess and an irresponsible rejection of present responsibilities. The servant is blessed at the return of Christ, who is doing what his master told him to do.

4:06 Verse 47, Verily I say unto you, that he that is the master will set him over all that he has. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord, tarries, and shall begin to beat his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken, the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expects not, and in an hour when he knows not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom, five of them were foolish and five were wise. For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there is a cry, Behold the bridegroom, come forth to meet him.

5:14 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Her adventure there will not be enough for us and you. Go rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came.

5:39 And they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward came all, so the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I do not know you.

6:00 Watch, therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour. For it is as when a man going into another country called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, to each according to his several ability. And he went on his journey.

6:28 Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them and made other five talents. In like manner he also that received the two gained other two. But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money. Now after a long, long time the Lord of those servants comes and makes a reckoning with them.

6:55 And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, you delivered unto me five talents. Lo, I have gained other five talents. His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things.

7:16 I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. And he also that received the two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered unto me two talents. Lo, I have gained other two talents.

7:34 His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

7:48 And he also that received the two talents said, Lord, you delivered unto me five talents. The one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter. And I was afraid, and I went away and hid your talent in the earth. Lo, you have your own.

8:10 But his Lord answered and said to him, You wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I sowed not and gather where I did not. And I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where I did not scatter. You ought therefore to have put my money to the bankers. And at my coming, I should have received back my own with interest.

8:32 Take away therefore the talent from him and give it unto him that has the ten talents. For unto everyone that has shall be given and he shall have abundance. But from him that has not, even that which he has shall be taken away. And cast out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.

8:57 There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

9:04 Now let us again ask for God's help and blessing upon our consideration of his word.

9:14 Our Father, we acknowledge that we take upon ourselves in these coming moments a very solemn responsibility. Have mercy upon your servant that he may act in the right way. Accurately expound and apply the word of the Lord Jesus. Have mercy upon each one who sits before the preached word that there would be a willingness to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

9:42 May that word run and have free course among us this morning. O Lord Jesus, come and ride upon your gospel charger in conquest and in peace. By your strength, what power shall I have that I can now try to achieve is of strength? In your name.

10:24 Amen.

10:28 Amen. Indeed. This is a marriage we argue that the minister hasPower this morning we plead for your dear namesake. Amen. September 11, 2001 is one of those dates which has already been described as a defining moment in the history of the United States if not in the wider theater of world history. In the outworking of his gracious plan of redemption, God has ordered the drag Certain events which are truly defining moments, not in the history of this nation, another nation, or all of the nations, but defining moments in the history of redemption. That is God's work in rescuing sinners and bringing them to a knowledge of his grace, that great work of showing mercy to sinners through the person and work of the Lord Jesus. That is what we mean when we speak of the history of redemption and the great defining moment of the future with respect to that history of redemption. We have considered, for some.

11:17 Several months, namely, the coming of our Lord Jesus in glory and in power at the end of the age. I said a few weeks ago that preachers have a solemn responsibility constantly to traffic in giving an answer to the two questions, what does the Bible say and so what? That is, to open up accurately the text of scripture and to apply responsibly the truth contained. In that text, or texts, as it may be.

11:52 And so, for a number of weeks, we were wrestling with the what of the Lord's return, seeking to open up most of the major passages in the New Testament, describing one or another aspect of that return of the Lord Jesus that is certain to occur, even as the two angels said to the eleven disciples, this same Jesus who is taken from you. Into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go into heaven. And having completed our study of the what of the Lord's return, we're now concerned with examining some pivotal passages that answer the question, so what? In other words, how does the Bible itself apply the doctrine of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ? And I suggest. I suggested to you in our last study, two weeks ago, that for my present understanding, I believe the so what can be ranged under two major headings. First of all, the gracious consolations derived from the return of Christ.

13:05 And secondly, the manifold motivations rooted in the return of Christ. And we saw from considering a number of scriptures that when we are keeping the truth, the truth of the Lord's return, where it needs to be kept as a constant companion, waiting for, loving, anticipating, neck stretched out, yearning for the return of Christ, we should then know the peculiar consolations derived from that reality. Consolation in the midst of the ordinary afflictions of life. Secondly, consolations in the face of suffering.

13:47 For the sake of Christ and consolation in the face of death, both hours and the death of our loved ones. Then I proceeded to show from the scriptures some of the manifold motivations rooted in the return of Christ. And we saw from the scriptures that the return of Christ should be a motivation to persevering faith, a motivation to spiritual sobriety and watchfulness, and a motivation to the spiritual life. And we saw from the scriptures that the return of Christ should be a motivation to the serious pursuit of personal holiness.

14:22 Now this morning, and again this evening, we're going to consider the fact that the return of Christ, here is the fourth area of motivation, the return of Christ ought to act as a powerful motivation to the faithful use of our God-given gifts and opportunities to serve Christ. I give it to you again. The return of Christ ought to act as a powerful motivation to the faithful use of our God-given gifts and opportunities to serve Christ. Now in addressing this category of truth, I'd plan to open up the parable in Matthew 25, 14 to 30 this morning. Bring the application of it tonight. And God willing, next Lord's Day, we will take the parable, so that we have the opportunity in your favor, to share the words of the Lord. To bring the use of the parable.

Distinguishing the Parable of the Talents from the Parable of the Minas

15:15 In the image, we are going to see a parable of the iPod inconvenience that comes with us in buildings and it is a copy of the Bible because we know that if we don't open it, whether it is when we've originally built it or not, it is so easy to come and take it or not, it is to establish that child that was first taken over, not in the outer comfort. And this is the divine victory that we're going to проход. parable that is not an exact parallel. It has many overlapping elements, but a distinctly different parable, as I will try to demonstrate when we come to it, found in Luke chapter 19.

15:31 But today we're going to sit and park in Matthew 25, verses 14 to 30. When I originally marked out my direction at my desk and in my study, I thought I would be able to cover this parable this morning and the one in Luke 19 this evening, but all of the time will be used up, just opening up the passage with very little application, and tonight will be all application. If I lived in the days of the Puritans who preached two-hour sermons, you'd get both installments this morning, but I'm not in that age. I doubt there are few or many here who would like to be brought into that age, and so we'll get primarily exposition this morning, and observation and application, or in the Puritan terminology, uses 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. I've read some Puritan sermons where the uses get up into the 20s. We would be here till midnight then, but here we go. This morning we're going to take up this parable, a different parable from the one in Luke 19, and let me say by way of easing you into this parable, the comments of Leon Morris in his commentary, on the Gospel of Matthew, are very accurate and helpful at this point. There are resemblances

16:52 between this parable in Matthew 25 and that narrated in Luke 19, 11 to 27. Indeed, some scholars see the two as differing forms of the same parable. The liberals love to do this. They have no record of what Jesus actually said. Matthew looks at it this way, and Luke looks at it this way, but what Jesus said, nobody knows. Well, I hope none of us is even remotely tempted to do that. But the difference is in the two accounts are formidable, and that is the proper way to pronounce it. I thought there were two pronunciations, but I checked it early this morning. The only accepted one in my dictionary is accent on the first syllable. So there are

17:37 accounts, the accounts, the differences are formidable. Therefore, it's better to see them as two distinct parables, though with the same basic theme of servants trading with their master's money. See what he's saying? Different parables, but they have a common denominator, and the common denominator is servants trading with their master's money. But in Matthew, the amounts of money are large, while in Luke, they are relatively small. In this Gospel, that is Matthew, the amounts vary from servant to servant, five to one. In the parable in Luke 19, it says, In the parable in Luke 19, the disposition of the wealth is even. Each one receives a pound or a minor. The story in Luke teaches that all the servants of God have one basic task, that of

18:31 living out faith. This one starts with the fact of the different gifts to be found in God's servants and brings out the way they use or do not use those gifts. So we come to the parable in Luke 19, the disposition of the wealth is even. Each one receives a pound or a minor. The העבֹם��� retiring And our full Oui, yes, yes, yes, CE CE CE CE CE so the Lord's return. I've already mentioned to you the Olivet Discourse in Matthew chapter 24.

The Parable's Secure Nesting in the Second Coming Context

19:20 And our Lord then gives three parables, all of which cluster around the reality of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the parable of the unjust servant in Matthew 24, 45 to 51, there is the emphasis upon the coming of the Lord. Verse 46, the Lord, when he comes, shall find so doing. Verse 48, but if that evil servant shall say, my Lord tarries, in other words, he's not coming, the Lord of that servant shall come.

19:56 And here we have this pervasive emphasis right on through the parable of the ten virgins or young ladies, five wise, five foolish. Everything focuses upon this matter of the bridegroom returning. And Jesus clinches it with the exhortation of verse 13, watch therefore for you do not know the day nor the hour. Day nor hour of what? Your death know of the return of the bridegroom, the coming of the bridegroom and our going forth to meet him.

20:29 And then at the end of our parable, 14 to 30 is sandwiched in between these strong pointers to the second coming. Verse 31. Verse 31 of Matthew 25, when the son of man shall come in his glory.

20:48 So wherever we look out from the eyes of this parable, backward, forward, upward, down, we see that the parable is nestled securely in a context weighty with instruction on the second coming. And therefore it is right for us to focus our attention upon it as we seek to answer the question. In the light of all scripture teaches concerning the return of Christ, what he'll do with his own, what he'll do with those who are not his own, what he'll do with the devil and his angels, what he will do with the created order, it is vital that we get into our spiritual bloodstream the truths of these parables in which God is answering for us the question, so what? What does all of this mean to me? What pressure? What pressure ought it to exert upon me in my day by day living and experience?

Exposing Hypocrisy and Unfaithfulness in the Parables

21:47 The setting then of this particular parable that we're going to examine this morning and again this evening, God willing, is obviously a setting of the second coming of our Lord Jesus. And not only does our Lord highlight in all three parables pictures of the true children of God. In the parable. At the end of chapter 24, the true children of God are likened unto servants who are faithful in the task assigned to them.

22:20 When their master returns, he finds them doing what they are called to do. In the process, our Lord exposes hypocrites. He's not satisfied simply to say what will happen to the faithful servant when he returns. He is saying at his return.

22:43 Hypocrites will be exposed. Likewise, in the parable of the ten virgins at the outset, Jesus says five are wise, five are foolish. And this is the ancient division of all men into the righteous and the wicked, the saved and the lost. And while our Lord is giving us a marvelous picture of what it means to be watchful and waiting, that we have something more than the mere lamp of profession, but that we have the oil of vital, genuine experience, our Lord here is exposing formal, unconverted, professing Christians.

23:22 Exposes hypocrites in the previous parable. In the parable of the ten virgins, he exposes formal, unconverted, professing Christians. And in the parable we're about to study this morning, he exposes the unfaithful and wickedly slothful. He has fulfilled the appropriate Bill by arguing that it will abandon all what is pure and that it will abandon all truth. He exposes an impoverished soul, an Jordani. And now in the parable he exposes the wretched soul. And podcasting Christians demonstrating that they will join the hypocrites, who go to the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

24:10 Join mere formal believers who are passed out, shut out from the marriage feast. And those who in the language of our parable are the unprofitable and evil servants, who are sent to the place where there is the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. teeth. I trust then, I've persuaded your judgment, that we must approach this parable expecting that it will be loaded with biblical data helping us to understand how the coming of the Lord Jesus is to impact us in the way of motivation. All right, now we come then to the basic elements in the parable explained. Verse 14. For it is as when a man goes into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Now you have a very condensed verbal structure at the outset. You may have a translation that shows some of the words in

Basic Elements: The Master's Departure and Distribution of Goods

24:57 italics. We have to put some words in to make it in anything that looks like smooth English. For you Greek students, you have hospergar, the word hospergar is a connective. For immediately tells us it is connected to what precedes. That is the parable of the 10 virgins, which in turn, according to verse one, is connected with the coming of the Lord Jesus. And so our Lord makes it very plain by the language used by Matthew that there is this parallel between the things he's about to describe and matters related to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus, for it is as when a man going into another country called his own servants delivered unto them his goods. Here in verse 14, you have an introductory summary statement. You have our

25:52 Lord Jesus bringing into sharp focus a very wealthy man who was planning a relatively lengthy journey some distance from his home. And in preparing to leave, he called his own servants. It's the standard New Testament word for slave, but it does not mean necessarily that they had a ball and chain around them and did dog work. No. Often in the Roman Empire, slaves were given tremendous responsibility. And in this particular incident, it is obvious that he, the master, the Lord of the man. Manor has confidence in some of these servants, confidence enough to deliver to them large sums of money. Now, in verse 14, it simply says delivered unto them his goods, but that it was money is clear from remaining elements in the parable. You'll notice in verse 18, the third

26:53 servant with the one talent digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money. They're the proper word for money. They're the proper word for money. They're the proper word for money. They're the proper word for money is used. It's used again in verse 27. The master says to this servant, you ought therefore to have put my money to the bankers. So here is the picture. This wealthy man is going to take a long journey for a considerable length of time. And he has some choices before him. Those who have studied Middle Eastern culture in the first century tell us the story itself is true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God.

27:32 And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. The life of that period. For when a wealthy man was leaving his home for a while, two courses were open for him to the arrangement or for the arrangement of his affairs. Either he might make his confidential slaves, his agents, committing to them the tilling of his land, giving to them his money to be used by them in trade, or he might take advantage of the money changing and money lending system which had been introduced by the Phoenicians. and which was at that time in full operation throughout the entire Roman Empire. In the case of our parable, the Lord adopted the former of these courses.

28:14 In other words, our Lord is describing something that would have immediately resonated in the understanding of his hearers that here was a wealthy man doing something that wealthy men were known to do when they were taking long journeys into far countries. They didn't have email, they didn't have instant access to their accounts at the local bank. Take yourself out of the 20th century communication milieu and put yourself back into that first century. And this is a sagacious and wise businessman, and he decides to have his money be working for him through the hands and minds and ingenuity of these trusted servants.

28:56 That's the summary statement. Now we come in verse 15. To a detailed account of how the master made the distribution of his goods. Verse 14 says he simply delivered unto his servants his goods.

29:11 Verse 15 tells us precisely how he did it. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one. To each according to his several ability and he went on his journey. In a more detailed account of the distribution of the wealth among his servants, it is said that he gave differing amounts to three trusted servants.

29:41 The distribution among the three was made in terms of their previously manifested ability. You see that in the text, according to, kata, by the measure of the individual ability of these slaves. While they were under his control. While they were under his control.

29:59 While they were under his control. While they were under his oversight, governance. He discerned that certain of the slaves had greater ability in trading, in organizing a work crew to go out and till the land efficiently, so that the profit margin was greater under servant A than servant B, and greater under servants A and B compared to servant C. So the master made a judgment about the ability of his slaves, and he chooses to give a disproportionate stewardship to the three slaves.

30:35 To one he gives five talents, to one he gives two, and to another he gives only one. Now, the word talents here is really a transliteration from the Greek, and it's unfortunate because when we say talents, we think of native abilities. He's not a very talented man. She's a very talented young woman.

30:57 What we mean is, that we discern certain capabilities or the absence of them when we say not talented. But here the word talent was a word that could be used as a measurement of weight. It is used that way in Revelation 16, 21, where hailstones are described as weighing a talent. And some of the experts in these things tell us that that would be 125 pounds or something.

31:28 However, talent was used primarily to describe a measurement of money, of hard capital. You'll notice it's used this way earlier in Matthew's Gospel in chapter 18. Chapter 18, verses 23 and 24.

31:48 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king who would make a reckoning with his servants, and when he'd begun to reckon, one was brought to him that owed him 10,000 talents, and he was given 10,000 talents. He owed 10,000 talents. He owed a sum of money described as 10,000 talents. Now precisely what was a talent?

32:12 And here it's interesting, when you read a number of commentators, on many things you come to the conviction God simply hasn't made it clear enough to dogmatize. And some are quite dogmatic, and you read others and they tear apart their perspective. But one thing is clear. Whether this was capital, whether this was coinage in gold, silver, or copper, it was a large amount of money.

32:40 According to Matthew 20 and verse 2, the denarius was sufficient compensation for a common laborer's work for one day. You remember the master goes out into the marketplace, he finds people idle, and he says, look, go out into my field, I'll pay you. They agree for one denarius for a day's work. There is relatively good evidence to point to the fact that a talent was worth 6,000 denarii.

33:12 Now figure that out, and you come up with almost 16 and a half years of a laborer's wages, working seven days a week to have a talent. So obviously. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33:30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34:00 bucks. He was loaded. He could go around with rolls of $100 bills in all of his pockets and stick some behind his ears. And that's critical in understanding the parable. Without having to dogmatize as to the precise current value of a talent, we do know from the consensus of historical studies and responsible exposition that this was a lot of money. This was big bucks entrusted even to the one who only got one talent. And the problem you see with many of the commentators, they converted that into the present currency, either English pounds or American dollars, and that fluctuates. So you must think in terms of the buying power of a given amount of money. One

Servants' Actions: Trading and Hiding the Master's Money

34:53 denarius would buy a laborer for a day. You would need to pay 6,000 laborers a day's wages to make up a talent. It was a lot of money. All right? Having seen the summary statement in verse 14, the specific way the master distributes his goods, now in verses 16 to 18, we have a description of what they did with their master's money. Straightway, without any delay, he that received the five talents went and traded with them and made other five talents. The one who had this big bag of coins, whatever they were, probably gold or silver, he immediately sets out to trade. He is validating his master's judgment that he has a good business head, that he's diligent, that he has a sense, of his stewardship. He wastes no time. He goes out and immediately begins to trade with his

35:57 master's money. And before too long, he has brought back a hundred percent increase. Now, wouldn't you like to have a servant like that? Give him 50 bucks. And in a couple of months, he comes back with 50 more. And you give that back. And well, this, this is what this man did. Second one, verse 18, but he that reached, I'm sorry, enlightened.

36:22 Like men are verse 17 also that received the two gained other two. He did exactly what the other fellow did. He goes out with his two talents, his not so big bag of coins, and he trades and he invests. And before long, he has doubled as well, a hundred percent increase. Now, the third fellow, verse 18, that he that received the one went away and digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money. He did something. There are a couple of verbs here. He went away. He digged and he hid. The only work he did was to dig a hole and put his bag of money in the hole and cover it up. Obviously would do it in a way that we read about in the parable of the hidden treasure. You remember in Matthew 13, a man is out, not thinking he's doing anything but plowing and his plowshare hit something hard and he pushes the earth aside and lo, he finds a treasure test in the field. Well, our Lord has picking up on that again. That was common in that society with no local bank, with a safe deposit

37:28 box and no metal line safes to keep in the basement. This was the way you secured money, not the way you traded with money and got gain with money, but it was the way you would secure the safety of that money. So there's the description of what they did with the master's money. Now, verses 19 to 30, we have the record of the master's reckoning with the three servants when he returns. The master's reckoning with the three servants when he returns. Verse 19. Now, after a long time, how long a time? The Lord does not say.

The Master's Reckoning and Commendation of the Faithful Servants

38:08 He just intimates. It's not a day, not a week. It's a long time. It is a long stretch of days and perhaps months. The Lord of those servants comes and makes reckoning, with them. That term makes reckoning is the same Greek construction as we found in Matthew 18, when the master wants to settle accounts. It's the kind of commercial terminology you would use if you were asking someone to come in and go over your books and settle your accounts. Someone dies and we say that so-and-so settled his accounts. Well, this is what the master does, the Lord of the manor does upon his return. He makes a reckoning with them. And very interestingly, in the original, these two verbs, comes and makes reckoning, are in the present tense. Those of you who were with us for the expositions of Mark a number of years ago will remember, I trust, how often Mark used what they call historical present tenses. That's intended to cause the reader and the listener to try to

39:19 use his imagination and put himself in the present tense. And that's what the master does. And that's what the master does. And that's what the master does. And that's what the master does.

39:22 And that's what the master does. And that's what the master does. And that's what the master does. So the spirit of God says to the hearers of Jesus and through the written word to us, stir up your imaginative faculty. Think of these three men. It's all right if you picture them.

39:39 One of them's bald, the other one's got a bushy hair ahead, and the other one's got a beard coming down to his knees. It doesn't matter how you picture them. They are distinct three individuals. Now, the master has returned. He is returning, and he is sending out notice. We're going to have a reckoning, a settling of the accounts. Picture the three men then coming in. One of them with two huge bags of coins staggering under the waiter, and he plucks them down on the ground. The second guy comes in, a bit smaller bags, but pretty well-ladied, one in each hand. He plucks them down. The third character comes shuffling in. He's got an empty hand. He can hold what he's got in one hand. It's less than what was in the right hand of the first man and the second man, and he comes in, sort of lingering in the shadows, plucks it down because he knows it's reckoning time. The master has sent for his servants not to chew the fat about the weather patterns while he was gone, not to talk about their Aunt Susie who had triplets two weeks ago. He comes to settle accounts.

40:51 That's it. It's clear in the text. After a long time, the Lord of these servants is coming, and he's making a reckoning with them. Jesus said that it was only after much time that the Lord of the servants comes and makes this reckoning. Now, verses 20 and 21 record the Lord's dealings with the first servant. The Lord's dealings with the first servant. 20 and 21. And he that received the five talents, came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, you delivered unto me five talents. Lo, I have gained other five talents. His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few things. I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy

41:46 of your Lord. Here, as our Lord paints the picture of the master dealing, with the first servant, the servant comes into the presence of his master and obviously with no shame upon his face, but a sense of accomplishment. And he knows the master well enough to know that when a slave served him well, this was his track record. He was not a harsh, cruel master. He entrusted megabucks to slaves. They knew his heart that he was a gracious, a kind, a beneficent man. And I can just picture that first man coming in, plunking down his two bags of coins and looking up with delight in his face and a sparkle in his eyes, saying, Lord, look, you gave me this. I've gained this. He just tells the Lord the reality that by trading, by wise industry, by whatever other means, he had doubled his master.

42:53 He had doubled his master's investment. And so he tells the Lord, not bragging in a sense of swagger and self-importance. He's just declaring the facts. Lord, you delivered to me five talents. I've gained other five.

43:09 Now, how does the Lord respond to that? And here again, it's a privilege to study the word of God in the original text. There are so many surprises at times. Our Bibles say that the master, the master responded by saying, verse 21, his Lord said unto him, well done.

43:30 The two words, well done, are an attempt to translate one little Greek word that's two letters, EU, if you transliterate it. And rather than saying, well done, it's like the Lord of that servant sees the two bags and sees that he has doubled the money entrusted to us. And he says, Bravo. I have a preacher friend of mine, and I ask him, how was such and such a ministry?

43:55 And he says, Bravo. I have a preacher friend of mine, and I ask him, how was such and such a ministry? And he says, Bravo. I have a preacher friend of mine, and I ask him, how was such and such a ministry?

43:55 And he says, Bravo. I have a preacher friend of mine, and I ask him, how was such and such a ministry? And I can hear him say outstanding. He doesn't say it was outstanding. He just says outstanding.

44:03 And you can see the exclamation points popping up before your very eyes. If you've got mental eyes, this is what the master does. Bravo. Fantastic. Standing. Superb.

44:19 He speaks in this terse language to let the servant know he's pleased with what he did. And then having declared that, notice what follows. The Lord of the servant identifies the character and the performance of this first servant in two telling words. Look at the text.

44:41 His Lord said unto him, Bravo, outstanding, good and faithful slave. You have been faithful over a few things. I'll set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

45:00 Two simple words. Good. Faithful. The first focuses upon the essential character of that servant.

45:09 He is a good man and a good servant. This is the standard word used when our Lord is contrasting the wicked and the righteous. You remember in Matthew 5, 45, he said, Your heavenly Father sends his rain upon the just and the unjust. Upon good and good.

45:30 And evil man. Matthew 12, make the tree good and its fruit good. Or its tree evil, bad, and its fruit bad. Our Lord commends the character, the essential character of this man.

45:45 He was a good man. Now, he was not good in a theological sense. He was not perfect. He had not been exempted from his solidarity in Adam, our first father.

45:57 But he was good in the way Acts 11, 24. Describes Barnabas. He was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord is describing a man whose character down to the depths of its inner sources was a good man.

46:14 That had to do with his character. The word faithful had to do with his performance. Faithful. Trustworthy.

46:21 The opposite of untrustworthy. Unfaithful. Our Lord uses this term again in other places. In Luke 16, 10.

46:31 He that is faithful, trustworthy in little, is faithful, trustworthy in much. And then 1 Corinthians 4, 2 has peculiar relevance here. Paul likens his ministry and his companions to that of stewards. Those who have been given a trust from the master.

46:49 The commodity put in their hands, they did not create. They did not make it. They did not buy it. It was entrusted to them to be used.

46:59 After the orders of the master. With a view to being accountable to the master for how they handled that stewardship. And in that context, Paul says here, moreover, in this life, it is required of a steward that he be found faithful. Trustworthy.

47:19 In other words, as the master smiles and sees the two bags of coins and hears the words of the servant having said, Outstanding. Bravo. This is the result of what you are in your character. A good man.

47:39 And what you are in your performance. You are trustworthy. And then the word faithful is repeated. You have been faithful.

47:50 Trustworthy. Over a few things. I will set you over many things. Now once the Lord identifies with these two words.

48:00 The essential character. The nature of the first servant and the performance of the first servant, then the Lord rewards him in two ways. First of all, he is given a larger sphere of stewardship. Look at the text.

48:15 His Lord said, Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few things. Now think of it. Tens of thousands of dollars.

48:24 And the master said, That's a few things compared with the things over which. You will be set. I will set you over many things. In other words, he says to the steward, You've been faithful in what the world would call is a large block of my massive fortune.

48:48 However, what I entrusted to you when I went off into the far country for a long time is compared to that with which I will entrust you because you're a good and a faithful.

49:05 He promises him. A larger sphere of stewardship. That's the first part of the reward given by the master. And the second is he is ushered into the joy of his Lord.

49:17 Again, look at the text. I will set you over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Now, what is the joy of thy Lord?

49:27 Who is his Lord? He's speaking there, not of the Lord Jesus. This is the master of the house, the Lord of the servants. And now he says, You will not only in the light of.

49:37 Of. What you proved yourself to be in character and demonstrated yourself to be in trustworthiness. You will not only be given a greater and a much enlarged stewardship, but you are going to enter into the joy of your master, of your Lord. Now, what is the joy of the master?

49:56 I don't know. And I haven't found a commentator that knows it could be enter into the joy that your Lord has in seeing you perform. As you have vindicated that you viewed me as a reasonable man worthy of your endeavors of giving it your all enter in to that joy that is mine. I have the joy of having made a wise decision, having dispensed a responsible stewardship.

50:28 I want you now to be enveloped in my joy. Others suggest that it could mean enter into the joy of thy Lord and that our Lord is really making. An allusion to the final consummation of redemption when all the faithful servants of Christ will be gathered home and sit with Christ at the marriage supper of the lamb. I'm not sure what it is.

50:53 I'm continuing to pray and search that I might have a greater sense of certain knowledge. But one thing is clear. It was good stuff. It was good stuff.

51:04 So the reward is given in terms of a. Larger sphere of stewardship and entering in to the joy of his Lord. Then finally I'm not finally versus twenty two and twenty three. You have the Lord's dealings with the second servant and that only takes a couple of moments because they are precisely the same as his dealings with the first servant.

51:28 Again look at the text verse twenty two and twenty three. And he also that received the two talents came and said Lord you delivered. Unto me two talents though I have gained other two talents just as the first man came in and said Lord you gave me five. I present five more this one comes in face bright uplifted sees the gleam of approbation in the master's eye and said Lord got nothing to hide.

51:58 Here's the bag you gave me. Here's a bag of equal weight and equal worth. This is what I present to you my master and lord of the manor. And how does the Lord respond to him with exactly the same words and way that he responded to the first.

52:17 He says to him verse twenty through well done.

52:22 Outstanding Bravo well done. Good and faithful. Service. This man's essential character was goodness.

52:33 The description of his. Performance he has been faithful good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things a few things I will set you over many things enter into the joy of your Lord. Now you don't need to know a word of Greek to know that this second one receives exactly the same commendation and the same proportionate reward exactly the same but now we come versus twenty four to thirty the Lord's dealings with the third.

The Master's Confrontation and Condemnation of the Wicked Servant

53:11 Sir. And isn't it interesting. That in the space it will take to cover this one servant. The spirit of God has given us the basic description of the two honorable service.

53:23 Holy Spirit is it where. Draws the magnifying glass a little closer.

53:30 And surely God is saying something to all of us in this. While we ought to stand is it we're looking in. And beholding the light in the eye of these two servants. The gleam upon them.

53:43 On their masters face as he's able to speak in this way of approbation commendation and reward that he gives them. God wants to sober us with this third character. Let's look at him. He comes before the master and unlike the other two who give a brief and accurate account of their stewardship for that's what the other two did just glance up in the text when the first came he says Lord you delivered.

54:13 This is what. I present a brief account of the stewardship. This man does not give a brief account of his stewardship. He starts out by making a speech.

54:27 And in his speech he accuses his Lord of being a hard man a sclerotic man arterial sclerosis hardening of the arteries. That's the word in the Greek.

54:44 I knew you to be a hard man. And furthermore I knew that you reaped where you did not sow and gathered where you did not scatter what in the world is he saying this is what he's saying you're the kind of man that either you personally or your other slaves they do not reap only in fields where they have expended labor to put the seed in the soil. But you reap on the field sown by others and furthermore you gather where you have not scattered once the wheat was gathered in they had to winnow it and they take a winnowing fork and throw it up into the air and the wind would blow away the chaff and the wheat would fall to the ground he says you not only on the front end of the harvest are unscrupulous hard driving indifferent callous capitalist.

55:48 You reap where you never sowed you gather where you never scattered and furthermore because of what you are and what you do I was brought to the paralysis of fear I was afraid and went away hid your talent in the earth many sheep you see reaches down picks up his bag and plunks it in front of the master and he says to the master. And know your can't you see any. Standing there witnessing this and the whole context indicates that we're all together so that the end god can christ can take sorry the master can take the bag of that server to had the warning it to the one who had to hide and produce the ten. No this man's slinks off in the shadows his own constantly accusing him and as so often is the case. With the movement ofOL pulled him. accusing conscience it tries to blame shift and he says in essence i'm sure my master you've seen that i've come with only one bag and the bag looks very very much like the size it was when you

57:05 entrusted the one talent to me but master things are not like they appear the reality is i am not coming with more than one talent because of who you are and what you do we talk about wicked blame shifting he calls the master unscrupulous unrighteous a hard driving callous businessman then he says here lord i give you what belongs to you anyway that's his little speech how does the lord respond unto that look at the text verse 26 you and his lord answered and his lord answered and said unto him thou wicked and slothful servant you knew that i reap where i sowed not and gather where i did not scatter you ought therefore to put my money to the bankers and at my coming i should have received back my own with interest this is the lord's answer to the excuse making and the blame shifting

58:30 of this this is the master's verbal response and as we saw with respect to the good service our lord focuses in upon this man's prevailing moral character he's a wicked and he gives an assessment of his performance you are a lazy master and he gives an assessment of his performance you are a lazy servant The other two, good, faithful. This one, evil and lazy. You see the contrast? Marked contrast.

59:11 The words good and faithful spoken twice were probably rankling around in his brain. The Lord opens his mouth and says to him, You are wicked. Your essential character is that of an evil man. And your performance was that of a lazy, indolent man.

59:33 And then the master does what Proverbs 26.5 says we must do sometimes. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceits. Jesus puts into the mouth of the master a beautiful example of someone doing exactly that.

59:53 So the master says, you say that I'm a hard man. I'm unscrupulous. I reap where I didn't sow and I gather where I did not winnow. That being so, now look at the Lord's words to him.

60:09 You should have put my money to the bankers and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Verse 26, he calls him wicked servant. He then says this is what you ought to have done. If I am what you say, I am.

60:31 You are a hard man. I was afraid. No, the issue is you're a wicked man and a slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter.

60:44 Here he's answering the fool according to his folly. I'll take your words, Mr. Servant Man. And indeed, if you knew me, and the structure of that statement earlier is very powerful.

60:55 I really had the inside track on what you were all about, master. I really knew you. A word is used that speaks of internal, perceptive knowledge. I really had a handle on who you were.

61:09 The master turns around and says, well, if you did, then surely you would have taken that money and gone down to one of those tables where the changers of money sit and where they're prepared to let you invest and have a return. You would have, if I were that kind of a man, you would have been driven not into labor, but into laziness and irresponsibility, but to at least let the money work for me if you weren't going to work for me. But you see, once he had buried the talent, he could go about doing what he wanted to do. Trading with his master's stuff did not become the focus of the energy of his mind, of his soul, and of his body.

61:51 And the Lord responds, answering the fool according to his folly, exposing him for what he really was. That's what the master says. Now look what the master does. Two things.

62:03 Verse 28. Take away, therefore, the talent from him and give it unto him that has the ten talents.

62:14 The master says, having not invested what I gave, it's now time to take what I gave and give it to another. And our Lord gives it to the one who had shown prior to the original disposition of his funds, this servant who had shown the greatest capacity and diligence and brilliance in administration and trading, knowing that he handles big responsibilities well, he gives him more and begins to fulfill his promise right in the parable. You've been faithful in a little. I'll give you much.

62:51 And he already begins to give as this man's talent is taken and given to the first. That's the master's action. There is this telling of the servant. The talent will be taken from you.

63:08 And then there is the master's action with regard to the person himself. Verse 29 says that there's a principle that's operative. God willing, we'll examine that more fully tonight. Operative in the whole administration of the kingdom of God.

63:28 That principle is now being manifested. But having. Spoken to the servant, the third one, and identified his character and his performance, wicked, lazy, having taken from him his talent and given it to another. Now the master does something to the person of the evil servant.

63:49 Cast out. Ek balo. Throw out. Would be a more blunt, literal rendering of the verb.

63:57 The master says, throw him out into outer darkness. There and the there is not in the original. Again, it is not simply a simple future. It is using and identifying definitive pronoun there in that place shall be the weeping and the mashing of teeth.

64:23 The final description given by the master. Worthless, lazy. The final destination is cast out. Into outer darkness.

Pastoral Exhortation: Self-Examination and Ultimate Ends

64:36 Where there is the weeping and the mashing of teeth. Now it's taken all my time to just set before you the setting of this parable. The substance of the parable, as I indicated in my introduction, God willing, tonight we'll look at the abiding message of the parable. But as I close, may I entreat all of you to do several things.

64:58 First of all, I entreat you to read and pray over the passage. Asking God to help you to see where you fit in the parable. Because we're all there. We're all there.

65:16 We are all there in the parable. And when Jesus comes, we will be summoned before our master. We will either say, good and faithful, enter. Or wicked, soulful.

65:44 And there is no third category. I beg you. If you value your never dying soul. Find some time this afternoon to get alone with God.

65:59 And I trust with some of the helpful explanation of the various elements of ancient Middle East culture and all of the rest. You'll be able to reflectively read through the passage. With the prayer, oh God. Help me to see myself now as you see me.

66:22 For what I really am now is what I will be in the day of judgment. Apart from the intervention of God's grace. I urge you. I plead with you.

66:35 I entreat you. If you value your soul. Spend some time in this passage this afternoon. Asking God to help you.

66:46 To identify yourself. Good and faithful. Wicked and soulful. And then weigh the ultimate end.

66:57 Here's the contrast. Joy of thy Lord. Gnashing of teeth. No middle category.

67:09 Says of Moses that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. Rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. For he had respect. Unto the recompense.

67:21 Recompense of the reward. He had sense enough to look beyond the finery of the Egyptian palace. Its wealth. Its voluptuous women that he could have just with a glance of his eye.

67:36 All the security of being the son of Pharaoh. He said no thank you. Why? His eye to the tinsel and the toys and the things he could touch and have.

67:50 And he saw the yawning mouth of hell. And the one hand. And he saw the city which hath foundations. Whose builder and maker is God.

67:58 And the other. He said only a fool would choose that. There's my choice. God says but between here and there.

68:06 It's affliction with my people. He said bring it on Lord. Bring it on. That's where I'm going.

68:12 May God help us. We will enter into that spirit. And say the issues at stake. Here they are.

68:20 Having Christ say to me. Enter. The joy of thy Lord. Have my own experience expound.

68:27 What I can't expound this morning. I have to say I don't know what it means. The issue is if you have reason to believe you will know. Solid biblical reason.

68:37 One of two. No middle ground. And then don't forget what follows. For if you read on in this chapter you come to chapter 26.

Salvation by Christ's Cross, Leading to Faithful Service

68:51 It says it came to pass when Jesus finished all these words. The words we've examined this morning. Along with more words. About the general judgment and resurrection of the last day.

69:04 You know that after two days the Passover comes. And the son of man is delivered up. To be crucified. When Jesus spoke this parable he was not teaching.

69:16 We are saved by our faithfulness. No. He's on his way to die on the cross. Because it's by the virtue of his substitutionary death alone that we are saved.

69:27 However. Saving faith that is a no good faith. Him that works not but believes on him that justifies the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness.

69:48 Romans 4 chapter verse 5. That no doing saving faith that takes hold of Christ. Never leaves us doing no good. Christians.

70:05 It makes us good men and women. It makes us faithful men and women. Jesus went to the cross to die. Not only to settle the accounts in the court of heaven.

70:17 But to make us by his spirit what we were created to be. The cheerful servants of the living God. Let's pray. Our Father.

70:33 How we thank you for this portion of your word. And we earnestly pray. That you would help each one of us. To shut ourselves in with you.

70:44 And with judgment day. Honesty. Have heart dealings with you. Oh Lord Jesus.

70:52 May your word by the blessing of the spirit. Fasten itself. Upon all of our hearts. We pray that you would preserve us.

71:01 And bring us back together tonight. You would help your servant. As he would seek to open up. The abiding message of the passage.

71:10 That we who are your people. May be stirred with renewed zeal. To labor and to labor hard. To be willing to bear.

71:20 To spend and to be spent. In trading. With our masters talents. We ask you our Father.

71:28 To hear and answer our cry. Because we believe the things we've asked. Would glorify you. And for your praise and glory.

71:37 We ask them. Amen.