Parable of the Talents, #2 (Matthew 25:14-29)

Introduction and Review of the Parable's Setting and Elements

0:00 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday evening, November 25, 2001, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:11 Now may I urge you to turn with me in your Bibles to that portion of the Word of God that we began to consider this morning, Matthew chapter 25, and I shall read just the portion that has been the focal point of our earlier meditation today, verses 14 through 30. In a setting in which our Lord is giving clear and repeated instruction concerning the certainty and the circumstances of his return in power and glory at the end of the age, he says to his disciples, for it is as when a man going into another country called his own son to servants or slaves and delivered unto them his goods. 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. 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.

1:28 But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money. Now after a long time the Lord of those servants comes and makes a reckoning with them. 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.

1:54 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.

2:10 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. 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.

2:32 Enter into the joy of your Lord. And he also that received 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.

2:55 Lo, you have your own. Lo, you have your own. But his Lord answered and said unto him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I sowed not and gather 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.

3:18 Take away therefore the talent from him and give it unto him that has ten talents. For unto everyone that has shall be given and he shall have abundance. But from him who has not, that which he has shall be taken away and cast out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

3:49 Let us once again seek the help of God as we come to this very searching and sobering portion of the word of God. Let us pray.

4:01 Our Father, we have sought to take the minds you have given to us, the voices you have given to us, and to engage them in praising you, in worshiping you, in thanking you for your manifold gifts of mercy. And now we come pleading that as we are privileged to have our minds again exposed to your holy word, that you would cause that word to come home to every heart with clarity and with power. Amen. Amen.

4:31 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

4:32 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

4:32 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

4:32 Amen. You will give to your servant the felt taste of trafficking in a felt Christ as I seek to bring your word to your people. We ask that you would be merciful to those whom you identify as evil and lazy slaves, that you would have such dealings with them that ere this night is over, they will become the joyful, sincere, wholehearted bond slaves of the Lord Jesus. Speak to us, our Father, we plead as we draw near again in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

5:11 Amen. Now we come again this evening to continue our series of studies in the theme, The Return of Christ in New Testament Belief and Experience. Having already considered the major aspects of the biblical witness concerning the return of Christ, that is, what will transpire at the coming of our Lord Jesus in glory and power at the end of the age, we are now examining the so-what of the Lord's return. And I've suggested that the so-what of Scripture can be ranged under two major headings as we search the Scripture, seeking to discover what the Scriptures say concerning the ways in which the truth of the Lord's return ought to impact, in the practical outward working of life day by day. I've suggested that we can arrange what the Scripture says under two headings. First of all, the gracious consolations that are derived from the return of Christ, and secondly, the manifold motivations that are rooted in the truth of the Lord's return. And we began this morning to take up the fourth of those manifold, manifold motivations rooted in the return of Christ,

6:38 namely, 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. And I announced that we would be looking closely at two parables spoken by our Lord Jesus in conjunction with His return at the end of the age, in which the focus is upon this matter of the faithful use of God-given gifts and opportunities to serve Christ in the light of the certain return of Christ. The first of those parables is the one I have read again in your hearing, Matthew 25, verses 14 to 30. And God willing, next Lord's Day, we will look at the second parable, the one found in Luke chapter 19, verses 11 to 27. As we began our consideration of the parable here in Matthew 25, we first of all noted the setting of this parable. And by looking at the preceding and the subsequent context, we note that this parable is embedded in the midst of this dense instruction concerning the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

8:01 And therefore, any consideration of its truth that is detached from the reality of the Lord's return must to some degree lead either to misunderstanding or a skewed perspective with regard to the teaching of our Lord Jesus. And then having considered the setting of the parable, we then looked at the basic elements that are found in the parable. And what I did basically was to give a running commentary with a few little headings along the way, seeking to grasp the significance of some of the details of this parable set in the first century of Palestine, many things not being a part of our lives, but very much a part of the life of the ordinary Palestinian. And what I'm going to do now to summarize what is in there is simply to read two paragraphs from the most helpful exposition of this and many of our Lord's parables, given by a William Taylor, a very competent, able preacher of the 19th century. In a kind of summary statement, Mr. Taylor says, the story itself is true to the oriental life of the period.

9:19 For when a wealthy man was leaving his home for a while, two courses were open to him for the arrangement of his affairs. Either he might make his confidential slaves his agents, committing to them the tilling of his land and giving them his money to be used by them in trading, 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 Roman empire. It is obvious in this case that the master adopted the former policy and there was a tacit, unspoken, but real understanding that the servants would give an account to their master upon his return from the far country. This being the state of the case, the main lines of interpretation are not difficult to discover. The master is obviously the Lord Jesus Christ. The servants are, in the first instance, the twelve to whom the parable was originally addressed, but in a broader sense, all of the members of the visible church.

10:33 That is, all professing Christians. The talents are primarily, perhaps, the gifts received for his followers and dispensed to them by the ascended Christ. But we may view them in a more extended or expanded light as the opportunities of service which Christ has given to all who come in contact with his word. The going away of the master into a far country is the withdrawal of Christ as a result of the presence of the church and the return of the Lord after a long time as the second coming of Christ when the final reckoning and judgment shall be held.

11:15 The trading of the servants with the talents is the faithful use made by his professed disciples of the opportunities of service which Christ has given them while the treatment of the servants by their master on his return sets before us the moment of the coming of a new Jesus Christ. That is, by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we have had an opportunity to see that through the presence of the servants and the the principles on which the awards of the judge of all the earth will ultimately be made. So much, then, for that brief summary.

The Origin of Diverse Gifts and Opportunities

11:43 For any who were not here this morning, I'm sorry that I have to assume that we have some understanding of the content, the specific elements of the parable. And I want us now tonight, as time permits, to look at five or six of those things which, in my judgment, constitute the abiding message and the pressing relevance of this particular parable. I am not exhausting the lessons of the parable, but I trust I will be underscoring ones that your judgment will assess as being valid observations from the passage that has been expounded in your hearing. And first of all, we note that this passage contains a helpful explanation of the origin of the diversity of gifts and opportunities for service among the people of God until the return of Christ. When we look out upon the people of God, it soon becomes evident that there is a broad and rich diversity of gifts and opportunities for service in this present age. While we all live in expectation of the return of our Lord Jesus at the consummation of the age.

13:09 And when we ask the question, what is the ultimate origin of this rich diversity of giftedness and of opportunity for service among the servants of Christ, this passage gives us a very clear answer. Verses 14 and 15. For it, that is, the kingdom. The kingdom in its consummation at the coming of Christ is as when a man going into another country called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods.

13:43 And unto the one he gave five talents. To another, the verb he gave understood, he gave two. And the verb to give, again understood, to another, he gave one to each according to his several ability. And he won.

14:01 He went on his journey. Here in the parable, this emergence of diversity of the number of the talents, five, two, and one, is attributed directly to the master of these slaves. It is attributed to the activity, the judgment, the conferral of the Lord of the manner. Now granted, the distribution was neither arbitrary, nor unreasonable, but it was sovereignly administered by the House Lord.

14:39 And here, William Taylor again, most helpfully observes, first of all, we have an explanation of the diversity which exists between individuals in the matter of opportunity for service in the cause of the Redeemer. We all observe the fact that there is such a diversity. Some have received five talents. Some two, and some only one.

15:05 And at first, some dissatisfaction may be felt with what looks like inequality in the distribution. But here is the account of the matter. The master gave to every man according to his ability. The talents, therefore, do not denote primarily the original endowments and qualities which men bring into the world with them.

15:28 What God gives you when he knits you together, in your mother's womb, or the possessions into which they come by right of birth, that is, standing in society, wealth or no wealth, poverty, riches, culture, uncultured, etc. These talents do not represent primarily native endowments in our persons given to us in our mother's wombs, or those endowments into which we come by the circumstances of our birth. No doubt, Mr. Taylor, it is something that we should not consider.

16:00 out mr taylor goes on to say these also are gifts of god which ought to be held and used as stewards of his manifold bounties but it is evident that the reference here is not to these it is rather to those opportunities which have been given to us in consequences of our abilities and environment in his bestowment of spiritual opportunities christ has regard both to the natural abilities and providential surroundings of each man and as in the sovereignty of god there is diversity in the latter that is our providential surroundings so in the gracious administration of christ there is similar diversity in the former that is the bestowment of opportunities you no man has more opportunities of service than he can veil himself of to the full and every man has just as many as he can use with advantage when this principle is clearly understood it takes away all the ground of pride in those who have received five talents and all cause for discontent in those who have obtained but one just jealousy has no place here each has precisely what is fitted

17:27 to his ability and circumstances no more no less from hint it is received more talents the full improvement of all he has will be required but the lived to whom fear or have been given will be held responsible only for theudes that have been con or upon you and if youив u five less because he sees some other como Piccola must be none other than the którzy who don' t get chances to relax and Videos that would help to understand who I upon him and those who glaube in that gift have Felicia at a work bed mostly from all four of these that he has given you five other control elements of your goal in have you find your couch i would say that Chinese college cannot providejar directly to colors and resources he что Smoke 자 leuki lures my Sirius has broane many freedom are the experiences of teacher who speaks to the issues that you areımıiro that he knows well You are competent to deal even with them. And then he quotes another servant of God. And then at the end of this section, he calls upon us to observe this basic truth. Observe.

18:05 Quoting from Trench, who spoke of each vessel can be full, though the vessels differ in size one from another. Here, each vessel is filled, and therefore there's no room for jealousy between different individuals or for dissatisfaction with our specific opportunities, for each is endowed up to the measure of ability to use what he has received. The man with one talent may not be able, will not be able, to fill so wide a sphere as he who has five. But he can fill his own sphere.

18:42 And that is all that will be required. As his hand. It is of great importance that we should remember this principle. For there are few things that so paralyze the energy of the soul as, on the one hand, pride, because our sphere of opportunity is so large, and on the other, discontent, because our sphere of opportunity is so limited.

19:09 The practical result of both is uselessness, by reason, by reason of unfaithfulness. How important, therefore, that we should learn the lesson which this expression of the parable teaches and which the poet has put into the following lines. Be sober, then. Be vigilant.

19:34 Be vigilant, I'm sorry. Forbear to seek or covet aught beyond thy sphere. Only be strong to labor and allow thy master's will to appoint the where and how. Serve God, and winter's cold or summer's heat, the breezy mountain or the dusty street, scene, season, circumstances alike shall be his welcome messengers of joy to thee.

20:05 His kingdom is within thee. Arise and prove a present earnest down payment of the bliss above. That is, know your place, take your place, serve in your place, for that is the life of heaven to come for God's redeemed. His servants shall serve him.

20:26 They shall follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes. And in the age to come, there will be tasks perfectly suited to capacity, and there will be a heart perfectly and undiminished in its contentment with that which is apportioned. by our gracious God. And here in this parable, we are given a helpful explanation of the origin of this diversity of gifts and opportunities for service among the people of God.

21:01 Now this is the clear testimony of non-parabolic passages in the Word of God. When Paul is taking up the subject of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, a subject he deals with for three whole chapters, the first thing he wants to underscore is this. Now there are diversities of gifts, verse 4, 1 Corinthians 12, but the same Spirit. There are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord.

21:30 There are diversities of workings, but the same God who works all things in all, but to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit with all. Verse 11, But all these work the one and the same Spirit dividing to each one severally as He wills. Surely the words could not be more forceful in underscoring the principle that is illustrated in this parable. It is the Master, it is the Lord of the manor who brings His servants before them, and He sovereignly dispenses five talents, two talents, one talent, not capriciously, not arbitrarily, in terms of what He knows of the capacity of those servants. And as it would be wrong for the Master to give one talent to the man whose capacities could bear five, so it would be cruel to give five to the man whose capacities only warrant one. So God in His wisdom apportions that place for us in terms of, of endowment of gift and of opportunity. And it is our responsibility to seek to have a judgment about ourselves which matches God's sovereign disposition of the talents.

22:58 You remember in Romans 12, Paul says, I say to every man or everyone among you, verse 3, Romans 12 and verse 3, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but, so to think as to think soberly according as God has dealt to each man a measure of faith. God's dealing is to match our perception of our place and the measure and the nature of our gifts and opportunities. We could turn to Ephesians chapter 4 where Paul describes the activity of the risen Christ who sovereignly dispenses gifts, upon His church. But you may ask and say, well, are we not to covet the better gifts? Isn't that what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 14? Well, there's some question about the true significance of that, but surely, we ought to desire the greatest sphere of usefulness that we can know by the grace and by the enablement of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, but we are not, to have misjudgment about whether or not the Master has given us five, three, or one talent with which to trade

24:25 in light of the coming of the Lord Jesus. We are not to covet sinfully what the Master has given to another. The man with two was not to stand there with his bag of his two talents of gold or silver pieces and look squinty-eyed at his fellow slave, who had a bag full of five talents, and the one with one was not to look with unloving and narrow-hearted jealousy upon the one with two. Each was to embrace the wisdom of the Master manifested in the disposition of the talents.

The Certainty of Accounting for Our Stewardship

25:04 And that is a crucial thing in the life of God's people. And surely, our Lord, in opening up this matter of faithfulness to the stewardship of our Godly people, has given gifts and opportunities in the light of His coming, has underscored that forcefully in this passage. But then, secondly, the passage not only contains this helpful explanation as to the origin of the diversity of gifts, but it contains a sobering revelation of the certainty of our giving an account of our use of our God gifts, God-given gifts, and opportunities for service. It contains a sobering revelation of the certainty of our giving an account of our use of our God-given gifts and opportunities. And it will occur, obviously, at the return of Christ. Verse 19 of our passage, Matthew chapter 25, the language of verse 19, now after a long time, the Lord of those servants comes and makes a reckoning with them. The Lord of the servants is coming.

26:23 And in conjunction with his coming, He is going to have a reckoning with all of His servants. And when we read through the passage, we read that each one to whom a talent or talents plural was entrusted, appear before Their master, verse 20, he that received the five talents, came. He comes into the presence of the master in order to render up an account with respect to the deposit of the five talents. And likewise with the man with two talents, he appears before his master, also the man with the one talent.

27:05 Now, here in parabolic pictorial language is the thing Paul identifies in blunt language in 2 Corinthians 5.10 when he says, For we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, whether good or bad. We shall appear before the judgment seat of Christ. And it is a sobering thing to reflect upon.

27:35 Look upon this reality of God giving us some measure of deposit of a talent. He has given a measure of gift and opportunity for service. And we will stand before the Lord himself when he appears the second time and give an account of that stewardship. It doesn't surprise us then to see that when the apostle is writing his final words to his precious spiritual son, Timothy, his final charge, his final solemn words to his spiritual son, 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1.

28:16 I charge you in the sight of God and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom preach the word. Timothy, a gift has been given. He speaks of that in his letters to Timothy. A peculiar gift of ministry, a gift of opportunity sent by the apostle to Ephesus to accomplish specific tasks at the direction of the apostle.

28:50 And he says, Timothy, as you engage yourself in discharging that task, I charge you to do so with the shadow of the coming of the Lord Jesus and your accountability to him. To be constant. To be presently before you. Preach the word.

29:08 Be urgent in season, out of season. Do these things in the light of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, at which time he shall judge the living and the dead. So I say this parable contains a sobering revelation of the certainty of our giving an account for the use of our God-given gifts and opportunity. And this at the return of our Lord Jesus.

Governing Principles of Judgment: Equal Rewards for Faithful Improvement

29:41 Thirdly, the passage not only contains this helpful explanation concerning the origin of gifts, a sobering revelation of the certainty of our giving an account. But thirdly, it contains an unmistakable indication of the governing principles that will operate at the judgment seat of Christ. It contains an unmistakable. Indication of the governing principles that will operate at the judgment seat of Christ.

30:13 We noted this morning when the master speaks to the one who had five talents and brought five more to the servant who had two and brought two more, that their reward is precisely the same. There was a giving of equal rewards for equal impressions. Improvement of unequal gifts. You got it?

30:42 The one with five is told, good, faithful servant. Bravo! Outstanding! You've been faithful in a few things.

30:53 I'll commit many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Along comes the man who had been given the two talents. He presents another two.

31:00 He gets precisely the same reward. Equal rewards for equal. improvement of unequal gifts the five the two and that the man who had only one brought his one he would have been rewarded the same way and that should be a tremendously encouraging reality to us that we are not to measure our usefulness by comparing our lot with the lot of others what we have or do not have in the light of that which god has given to others we can anticipate that final day believing that this is the principle that will be operative there will be around us many of god's five talent men and women people to whom god has given a rich endowment of gift and a wide berth of opportunity for service and there will be son of god's little ones put off in a corner you somewhere barely a handful of people that will come to their funeral unrecognized by the world unknown by much of the church of christ but implying their labor with their one talent

32:17 they will hear things that some ten talent people will not hear who have been unfaithful to their stewardship of gift and opportunity the principle that is operative when christ returns calls his servants into his presence is equal rewards for equal improvement of unequal gifts the words good and faithful servant will be spoken to those of the most minute giftedness if they are in character good and in performance faithful what a practical word that is for us don't ivotally wish and into eighteen within your heart there are million alluring avatare fishes as with the group of friends fixed did this 本当 blue you know what he's doing we've par life assume all here now means more than enough lapd

33:34 indulge that that is only to cripple your usefulness and to incur the frown of your master think of the example of the apostle paul great apostle to the gentiles and when he's stuck in a roman prison and is experiencing periods of want when the bare necessities of life are not provided for him he can say in philippians 4 i have learned in whatsoever state i am there with to be content i know how to abound i know how to be in want i have learned this was a discipline of grace that it is god who sovereignly orders and directs our opportunities for service and out of paul's imprisonments which no doubt many felt were a major step to rid the world of this of this of this pestilence who was always preaching about christ get him off somewhere in a roman jail out of that jail has come what we call the prison of pistols some of the richest portions in all of the word of god that like a living stream from the throne of god have flowed out for centuries and assuaged the thirst of god's thirsty people throughout the world well then in the fourth place this parable contains a vivid illustration

Hard Thoughts of God Preclude Joyful Service

34:58 a vivid illustration of the fact that hard thoughts of god preclude any joyful service to god this parable gives us a vivid illustration of the fact that hard thoughts of god preclude joyful service to god here i ask you to look with me at verse 24 he that had received the one talent came and said lord i knew you i really knew what you're all about that you are a hard man that is you have no feelings for the concerns and needs of others you are without scruples you indulge in cutthroat business practices and this is my perception of you you are hard and here's a manifestation of that hard insensitive callous spirit i knew you that you are a hard man you reaped where you did not so you gathered where you did not scatter and i was afraid and went and hid your talent in the earth his conception of the master paralyzed

36:20 any joyful service to the master his conception of the master put him in a hospital In a context of crippling, paralyzing, enervating dread. I was afraid. Afraid of what? You're a hard man.

36:38 You don't understand that some of us when we attempt to ply our one talent. We are limited in our giftedness and in our opportunities. But because your heart is so detached from the common feelings of men. I was scared into paralysis that if I went and traded.

36:56 The bottom might fall out of the Palestinian stock market. Maybe the value of the goods. And I was fearful because you're a hard man. I could never explain to you.

37:07 I did my best. I worked my tail off for you. But I knew if I said that. You're a hard man.

37:15 You would simply say. Where's my money? I'm the one who squeezes blood out of turnips. Where's your blood Mr. Turnip?

37:23 You see that in the passage? I knew you. You're a hard man. You reap where you did not sow.

37:31 You gathered where you don't winnow. Where you don't scatter the grains of wheat. And I was afraid. And went away.

37:40 And hid your talent in the earth. What an incisive vivid illustration of a foundational fact. That hard thoughts of God preclude joyful service to God. And that explains precisely why some of you sit here tonight.

38:02 And the last thing you want to do is to serve God. You know why? You've got hard thoughts of God. God is out to clip my wings.

38:13 God is out to clog up every conduit of pleasure and delight. If I serve God as revealed in Jesus Christ. I won't do this. I can't do that.

38:24 I can't go here. I can't watch this. I can't. He is hard.

38:28 I'm a hard master. To serve him means I take risks for which I have no backup system. My friend, is that what you think of God?

38:41 That's exactly what the devil got Adam and Eve to think of God. And that's why they sin. You remember the temptation in Genesis 3? As God said, he says to Eve, You should not eat of all of the trees.

38:55 Oh, Eve says, yes. We may eat. But of that tree. We are not to eat it.

39:00 Nor touch it. Lest we die. And what does the devil say?

39:05 If you'll not surely die. Here's the real inside track. God has given you the impression that he loves you. That he is not a hard task master.

39:16 That he's a gracious God. He's tried to fool you. He has surrounded you with all this beauty and all these fruit trees. With the starry heavens above you and the soft grass beneath your feet.

39:28 And a handsome, perfect husband. Who loves you as he loves himself. But you see, God's done all of that to fool you, Eve. At the root of it.

39:38 You know why he told you to leave that tree alone? Because he's a mean God. He doesn't want you to have something that will enrich you. That will mean fulfillment for you.

39:51 The tree is a no-no because God's a meanie.

39:56 And when Eve believed that lie. The distance between her hand and the fruit. And her mouth shrunk immediately.

40:04 And that's the lie. The devil is telling some of you sitting here tonight. And it makes me angry. That he lies about my God.

40:16 My God who is revealed in Jesus Christ. He who has seen me has seen the Father. Come with me and stand by Bethlehem's manger. See the Lord of heaven and earth.

40:32 The eternal. The eternal word who spoke the worlds into being. By the word of his mouth. See him wrapped in your humanity and mine.

40:44 Wailing like a newborn on a pile of hay in a stable.

40:53 God so loved that he gave to God of Bethlehem's manger. Is no mean, narrow-hearted ogre who wants to spoil your fun. He has given his son. You see him in the manger.

41:12 Behold him as he grows up in a sinful world. With his spotless holy soul. Constantly traumatized at the sight of men's sins. We find him and the words in the original times are untranslatable.

41:29 Standing in the presence of death. He groans and roars within him like a wild beast. As he sees the ravages of death. He touches lepers whom no one would touch.

41:41 He welcomes harlots whom people treated with scorn. He welcomed the despised tax collectors. He touched every life that he touched. And John says we beheld his glory.

41:56 Glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. And then we follow him through his life. On to. That garden scene.

42:08 An incarnate deity now coming into this intensified contact with the sin that he vicariously bears. He sweats drops of blood. He allows himself to be bound and dragged off to the high priest. And on in the morning to Herod to Pilate.

42:28 And up to Herod and back down to Pilate. And he's hung upon the cross. The very one who said. Do you not think that even.

42:36 Now I could ask my father. And he would send me twelve legions of angels. Each legion six hundred angels. All I need to do is ask.

42:46 Lord Jesus. Why don't you ask. You let them beat you. Spit upon you.

42:53 Mock you. Put a purple robe on you. Take a stick and whack it on your head where they place the crown of thorns. Lord Jesus.

43:03 Why.

43:05 Because the son of man is come to seek and to save that which is. Lost. I lay down my life. No one takes it from me.

43:14 I lay it down of myself that I may take it again. Do you see why I say I hate the lie some of you are believing. The God who is manifested in Jesus. He's mean.

43:28 He's insensitive. He has no heart for who and what you are. That's the one who wants to damn your soul. Who not only whispers that lie.

43:39 He thunders it in the chambers of your heart and mind.

43:44 We see what it produced in this servant.

43:49 An aversion to the master. No desire to serve the master. You cannot delight at the thought of serving a heartless master.

43:59 It's impossible. Psychologically. Morally impossible.

44:04 The Bible is full of its witness to the fact. That when by the grace of God we've cast off the lies of the devil. And we believe. God's heart is revealed in the gospel.

44:17 He loves sinners enough to send his son to die. He raises him from the dead. Sits in his own right hand. And now authorizes his servants in the name of Christ to proclaim.

44:29 God's controversy with man is resolved in Jesus. God sends a word of reconciliation. He was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. We now beseech you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God.

44:47 Throw down your arms. Bend your stubborn neck. Cast off the rotten, foul lies of the devil. The master is exactly what he revealed himself to be in this scene.

45:02 The light in his eye, the joy in his heart, he says to that one who served him out of joy. Well done, bravo, outstanding.

45:15 You've been faithful in a few things. It's my delight to give you many things. Is that a stingy, narrow-hearted God talking? Into the joy of thy Lord.

45:27 A joy that is somehow measured by the immeasurable expanse of the heart of God. Is that a cruel master? I ask you, kids, men and women, I ask you, think with me, I beg you. You've been believing a foul, rotten, stinking lie.

45:47 And I'm sure there are many of God's people who feel a sense of loathsomeness and hatred when the devil, who is a murderer and a liar, Jesus said, his murder weapon is his lie. And as long as he's got it plunged in your soul and you welcome it, no hope for you.

46:07 You need to hear him who is the truth. The one who said, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will be like Rehoboam. Rehoboam, I will make your burdens greater. Is that what Jesus said?

46:23 No, he said, come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden. I will give you what? I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and be miserably constricted and oppressed.

46:35 No, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For my yoke is easy. My burden is light. John says in 1 John 5, his commandments are not greedless.

46:45 His commandments are suited to what we are as creatures. Made in his image. Made for communion with him. And for a community of love among our fellow human beings.

46:57 And in Christ, that's what he offers to us.

The Ultimate Fate of the 'Do-Nothing Christian'

47:01 This parable, I say, contains a vivid illustration of the fact that hard thoughts of God preclude the joyful service of God. And then we come in the fifth place to consider what the parable teaches in this area. It contains a sobering affirmation of the ultimate fate of a, and I wish I could hang them up here. These are quotation marks with a hyphen.

47:35 This parable contains a sobering affirmation of the ultimate fate of a do-nothing Christian. Do-nothing Christian. There is no such thing, but that's what we're calling it.

47:51 In other words, in other places of the word,

47:55 unsaved sinners are described in terms of what they did in active, hostile disobedience to God. Here, in this very context, I read it to you this morning at the end of chapter 24. Here, the evil servant, verse 48, is described in terms of what he did. He beats his fellow servants, eats and drinks with the drunken.

48:19 His wickedness is seen by what he does. But here, in Matthew chapter 25, not only in this parable, but in the description of the day of judgment, people are exposed and damned for what they didn't do.

48:38 They are exposed and damned for what they did not do. What does the master say to this one who simply buried the talent? He did not trade in that deposit of gift and opportunity. The master says in verse 28, Verse 26, You wicked and lazy servant.

48:59 Then he takes his own words. If you knew that I reaped where I did not sow and gathered where I did not scatter, you were under solemn obligation. A powerful statement again in the original. You ought, you were under obligation to do what?

49:15 You are obligated to have put my money to the bankers and at my coming, I should have received back my own with interest. By his do-nothing life, he robbed the master and the master nails it with it. He thinks that by simply preserving the talent, hiding it in the ground, presenting it to his master at his return, he's all scot-free. The master says, no, you're a liar and you're a thief.

49:42 You call me a hard man and you see in your very presence, my heart reflected in my dealings with your two fellow slaves. And furthermore, you must not think that because you did nothing to squander that talent all of those coins in riotous living like the prodigal recorded in luke 15 you think you're off the hook because you didn't do anything really bad and the lord says he is an evil and a lazy servant and he is sent into hell for what he didn't do in the very latter part of this chapter jesus says when he comes in glory he'll sit upon his throne gather the nations before him and on what basis does he condemn the wicked i was in prison you did not visit me i was hungry you gave me no food thirsty you gave me no drink and the wicked say lord when did we see you he says in as much as you did it not in as much as you did it not oh my god the holy spirit make those words reverberate in the chambers of the hearts of many of you

50:55 in as much as you did it not in as much as you did it not you did it not unto me depart from me into everlasting fire prepare for the devil and his angels a man is damned for what he didn't do he didn't trade with his master's � STEM goods that sober you it sobers me if he's damned because he didn't trade with one talent what will be the damnation of those who don't trade with their three or with their five or with their ten the scripture very clearly reveals there are degrees of punishment in hell may i see so bold as to say in the light of the teaching of luke 12 he that knew his lord's will and did it not shall be beaten with few stripes he who knew his lord's will and did it not shall be beaten with many stripes for to whom much is given of him they require much there's nobody in terms of opportunity and privilege in this building tonight who has but one talent of opportunity only god can measure how much he has deposited in terms of opportunity for you

52:22 to know your state is a sinner to know god's grace you the person and work of his son to have had earnest pleadings from father, mother, friends, and pastors and you do it not. What don't you do? You refuse to forsake your lies and the devil's lies and governing your own life and squandering. You see, this man thought he didn't do anything.

52:52 The Lord says you were a thief by not trading with what I gave you. May I state in a way that I hope will stick and shock some of you. You have no right. You have no right to use God's investment in you to your own ends.

53:11 Why are you sucking in air? Why does God keep your heart beating? Boom, boom, boom, boom. Why?

53:21 As a creature made in His image and accountable to Him, you have life and breath that you might love and serve and obey the God who made you and that you might trade with all that He's given you in the advancement of His kingdom and to the praise and glory of His name. You were not made to live to yourself. You were not made to expend God's deposit according to your own standards.

53:51 And here in this passage, we learn that whatever we may profess, if we are not consciously, deliberately engaged in seeking to traffic, with our deposit of gift and opportunity, we've persuaded ourselves it's not so bad to be a quote do-nothing Christian. As I mentioned this morning, saving faith is a do-nothing faith. We come, in the language of the hymn writer, nothing in my hands I bring simply to thy cross I cling. But a do-nothing faith never, never results in a do-nothing believer.

54:33 But Paul says in Galatians 5, 6, faith works by love. And when we've stacked arms and laid hold of God's offer of mercy in the person of Jesus Christ, God woos our hearts to Himself. We give up our lives about Him being a hard and a tight-fisted and a unreasonable God. And seeing His love and mercy placarded in Jesus Christ, by faith we embrace, and by the work of the Spirit our affections are fastened upon the Savior, whom not having seen, Peter says, you love, on whom believing, though you see Him not, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Well, these are some of the lessons that, to my judgment, lie on the surface of the passage. Remember the setting. All of this is set before us in the light, of the fact that the Master, after a long time in this passage, this Master, the Lord of the servants, is coming.

Call to Faithful Labor in Light of Christ's Return

55:43 He is coming. He is coming. And what He set before the original hearers in parabolic form, that which the Spirit of God brought to mind when Matthew penned this account, giving us the very words that God Himself wanted, the time is coming when the fulfillment and the reality will dawn upon every one of us. This same Jesus shall so come.

56:11 And when He comes, you're going to be summoned before Him. May God grant that we who know Him and love Him will see the irrationality as well as the wickedness of not trading to the full what God has given us. Content with what He's given to us, not envious of what He's given to another, but never content that we are plying with all of our might and vigor to bring as large a return to our Lord as we can bring by the power of His Spirit and the workings of His grace. One of the things that in my sober moments stirs me up and makes the thought of a formal retirement abhorrent to me is I say, Lord, could it be? That our greatest usefulness is yet ahead of us? Not envious of some of my close friends who preach to several thousands every Lord's Day? No.

57:17 Not desiring to have some international platform so that I become a household word around the world, but using to the full all of the deposit of God's sovereign grace and wisdom and every opportunity to make some interest money for the Lord Jesus. May God grant that in the days ahead, in the light of God's challenge to us during the pastor's conference, Pastor Donnelly's two messages, the challenge that came to us last week from Pastor McDiarmid, that which comes to us tonight from this passage as we wind down this series on the return of Christ, I yearn that God will forge us in his grace and power into not only a worshiping loving people but a people with our sweats on laboring for our master to give him the return of which he is infinitely worthy. Let's pray.

58:30 Our Father, we thank you again for this portion of your word. We thank you, Lord Jesus, for your willingness to bring these great and breathtaking truths down to the level of the common affairs of men in their business and in their rationalizings and in their misconceptions. We pray that you would take this portion of your word upon which we have sought to fasten our attention today and make it a saving word to some, a sanctifying, motivating word to each one of us. Lord, we confess with shame those times when we have sought to be do-nothing Christians. Forgive us. O Lord, forgive us. We do not believe the devil's lies.

59:24 We have tasted and seen that you are good, that you are a God who loves us, whose commandments are not grievous. And we pray that in the joy of communion with you we may more and more strive to serve you as we ought, to this end we ask you to seal your word to our hearts. Be with us as we leave this place, as we go into our respective spheres of labor, both in the business world and in the home, in the school, in the classroom. O Lord, help us to carry ourselves with the dignity, the solemnity, and the joy of servants who love their master and who cannot wait to see his smiling face saying, Bravo!

60:09 Bravo! Outstanding! Good and faithful servant. O God, help us that we will ever press toward that mark.

60:20 Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.