Text---Matthew 25:14-30
This story told by Christ himself has come to be known as the parable
of the talents. It is probably better defined as the parable
of the just and the unjust stewards.
By definition a steward is "someone who manages property or other
affairs for someone else". We are managers of those things
God has entrusted to our care and one day He will hold us accountable
for what we did those things placed in our care.
God has entrusted to us time, abilities and resources that He expects
us to use for His service and His glory. He calls us to
faithfulness in these areas.
Let's zero in on the word "faithful" today.
I. FAITHFUL WITH OUR TIME
"I just don't have time!" Do you know what
is behind that statement? Me! It's the big me. Everyone
has time and,
of course, some of it is nondiscretionary---it
must be used to support our family and do other things that just have to
be done. Then, with what's left over we
have decisions to make. We can use it any way we choose and that
is where
we fail God. We are quick to recreate,
to goof off, to hang out with friends and family and God gets lost in the
shuffle.
We must move past the temporal in our thinking
and spend time on things eternal. We must think past this present
age
and envision ourselves before the throne of Holy
God. We must be ready for the question, "What did you do with the
time I gave you"?
There are only two responses that we can make to that question.
A. "Lord, I took the time you gave me and I used
it to spend time with You. Then, I invested it in the lives
of others and,
see, I multiplied
your kingdom in their lives."
And the Lord will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
B. "Well, Lord, you see, uh, it seems I just did
not have enough time." I had to use what I did have to work and
I was so tired after
a day at the office I had to take time to recover. Lord, you did
say the sabbath was made for
man so I used it to recharge
my batteries, spend time with the family, catch up on things around the
house. I'm
sure you understand."
This sounds an awful like the fellow in the story that said, "I hid it
in the earth ."
Translation---I spent
my time on things of this world.
We know the response of the
Master to this in the parable today---"You should have invested your time
in the
work of My kingdom. Then
at my coming I should have received it back with interest compounded in
the lives of
those you used your time to
touch."
II. FAITHFUL WITH OUR TALENTS AND ABILITIES
But how do I know what my spiritual gifts are? The answer to that is to first surrender and then to wait.
Romans 12:1-8
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister
the same one to another, as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10).
There are only two responses we can make to the command of God concerning our gifts:
A. "Lord, I never felt very adequate or capable
but You promised I could do all things through Christ who strengthens
me. So, I took
that children's Sunday School class and for thirty years I was faithful---investing
my spiritual gifts
in the lives of those
young children. Lord, I see those kids here with me before your throne
and all the effort, all
the tears, all the time
was worth it!"
And the Master will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
B. "Lord, I never felt very adequate or
capable and there were people in the church that were far more qualified
than
I was. I was able
to use my talents in business and I even worked in the community---you
know, Little League,
blood drives---stuff
like that."
And the Master will say,
"You slothful and wicked servant. You should have invested your talents
and abilities in
the work of my kingdom.
Then, at my coming, I would have received it back with interest."
III. FAITHFUL WITH OUR RESOURCES
Listen to me carefully on this. The beginning
point of faithfulness in this area is the tithe. God made it easy
to figure
out. You do not have to be a math major
or a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Let's do a quick quiz
here. What
is ten percent of one hundred? Very good.
Now what is ten percent of $350? Man you guys are good.
So, you see, it is not very hard to figure out.
It is also a whole lot easier to figure your tithe on your gross income
than
to try to split hairs with God. I am not
sure we can be a cheerful giver then we are trying to see how little we
can get
away with in this area of stewardship.
Once again, there are only two possible reponses that we can make:
A. "Lord, there were times when I did not know
if we were going to make it and I just did not see where the tithe
was going to come from
or how we could make it with what was left over. But I read in your word
that you desired
faithfulness in that
area of my life and you would reward it so I trusted You. Lord, you
did not let me down. I
invested my resources
in the lives of others and multiplied the work of your kingdom and you
multiplied the resources
that were left after
my tithe."
And the Master will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
B. "Well, you see Lord, times were a whole lot
tougher than maybe even you realize (did you know about Johnny's
braces). Then the
car broke down in the summer of '98. There were ball uniforms, groceries,
union dues, piano
lessons, and don't begrudge
us a family vacation every once in awhile. But I did keep the first
dollar I ever earned
and here it is."
And the Master will say,
"You wicked and slothful servant, you should have invested my money in
the lives of others
so that at my coming
I would have received it back with interest."
The question is asked in Luke 18:8: "When the Son of Man cometh,
shall He find faith on the earth?" Sadly, I would have to
confess that I am not so sure He will. I have seen faith and
faithfulness drop off right here in the body of Christ. I know that
churches go through cycles but we cannot make excuses for what is
simply a lack of faithfulness. What will Jesus say to you at
His coming? It will be one of two things:
1. Well done, good and faithful servant
2. You wicked and slothful servant.
Which one would you rather hear from the Master? I would like to close with a song that pretty well sums it up for us today.
Find Us Faithful
Jon Mohr, Genevox Music Group
We're pilgrims on a journey of a narrow road,
and those who've gone before us line the way.
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary,
their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
Let us run the race not only for the prize.
But as those who've gone before us, let us leave to those behind
us,
a heritage of faithfulness passed on thru godly lives...
Chorus:
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.
May the fire of our devotion light their way...
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe.
And the lives we live inspire them to obey..
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone,
and our children sift thru all that's left behind.
May the clues that they discover, and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find....
Chorus