11/17/2020 - Law & Gospel Tuesday: Matthew 25:14-30 The Parable of the Talents

but uh thank you for joining us this morning this is um november 17 uh 2020 and i know a lot of things are going on in our in our uh world today with covid and and how that kind of changes the way we do things i think in so many different things in our life as we have adapted and adjusted in so many different ways uh but uh i know for church uh there is an adjustment there as well um we're always uh you know we're always on the lookout for uh how to go about things and sorry and uh yeah you know i think in the next couple days uh uh we'll probably send an email see what we're gonna or how to proceed uh in the future uh but or this week actually uh but um you know i thought about it and you know i know there's a lot of change and a lot of disruption uh you know there's all these colors red purple yellow i still am confused on i know purple's the worst but other than that um i know there's a hue many hues of colors uh that are kind of measured right and um you know i i've been thinking about a lot and uh you know it it's just the time that we're living in and always with our eyes on our neighbor always with the welfare of our neighbor right commandment uh uh what is it uh uh commandment five right um that we uh definitely uh thou shalt not murder that is not only murder but also care for our neighbor's body right uh and you know it's an interesting time in so many different ways but more and more we know that uh we're not just living on platitude such as we're just gonna roll with it but rather you know this is just an interesting time and and we simply uh live day by day under our lord uh knowing that uh he is he is with us and he is guiding us and and i think even for church i know there's a lot of changes but you know we just need to continue to kind of you know ride this this wave of this interesting time and be faithful to god's word be faithful and loving to neighbor and and uh you know just prayering that this virus would subside that we could get through this and that all of us are safe but um but yes uh you know just continue to pray and and know that uh uh through all things um you know our our lord is the father almighty maker of heaven and earth and uh yes uh we're just gonna with his piece go through uh christ and calamity this week thursday 9 15 uh 9 15 9 9 15 and we will go through chapter one your calamity so i want you to read that i want you to read that uh for thursday it's page one to eight that should be less than a ten minute read all right that should be less than ten minute read and what we'll do is uh we will go through several parts of the paragraph and paragraphs and we will talk about them and really kind of go deeper uh into what dr senbal wrote and uh again um what he writes is you know why i love his books is because it's always about jesus and what important thing that is so christ and calamity this week uh pages one to eight uh your calamity and we're going to talk about what that is uh in the midst of our our flesh and what we were born into all right why don't we begin uh long gospel tuesday according to matthew 25 14 to 30 sermon review the giving and gracious lord all right uh this week uh we we talk about the parable of the talents and that's what we're gonna kind of review today and go deeper into that let us begin with a word of prayer almighty ever living god you have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in you dispel from us the works of darkness and grant us to live in the light of your son jesus christ that our faith may never be found wanting through the same jesus christ our lord who lives and reigns with you in the holy spirit one god now and forever amen amen all right so today you know what we talk about uh the gospel texts and we will preach on this tomorrow for our midweek sermon uh midweek vespers on first thessalonians chapter five and they really do go hand in hand i mean when you read first thessalonians chapter 5 1 to 11 you know we talk about the lord coming i'm like a thief in the night right but while the world is complacent there is peace and security then then suddenly the uh the lord returns like a thief in the night and and people of the night and darkness are not ready they're sleeping they're drunk right they're distracted by the dissipations of this life children of light children of day who are sober ready uh spiritually um in the word in faith and love as we talk about the uh as we see in uh first thessalonians chapter five verse eight uh we talk about the armor of god the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet right the helmet of salvation right and it's interesting because again what does he say uh in the last verse there encourage one another just as he said last week saint paul to thessalonica uh and build one another up just as you are doing now as we continue here with that whole motif of like a thief in the night are you ready right um are you are you uh are your eyes open uh or are you uh are are you um in that light are you the children of the day uh are your eyes open and sober minded because the devil is like a prowling lion uh waiting to attack last week we talked about watch right uh with the parable of the ten virgins watch for you for you do not know the day nor the hour and this is just a continuation of that because again we're getting closer to the end of the church here and here we see the parable of the talents why don't we read it together matthew 25 verses 14 to 30. all right let us begin if you have your bibles uh read along if you want to listen the art of listening is great by the way uh listen and carefully close your eyes and just dwell upon the word of god hopefully my mic is working it probably isn't but check one two three i doubt it is a facebook i think has a little glitch in there i don't know there's a glitch with using external mics so um hopefully by tomorrow i'll figure out my other app and see if that'll work for the future all right verse 14 beginning jesus said for it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted to them his property to one he gave five talents to another two to another one to each according to his ability then he went away he would receive the five talents went at once and traded with them and made five talents more so also he who had the two talents made two talents more but he who received the one talent went what did he do he he dug in the ground and hid his master's money now after a long time the master of of of those servants came and settled accounts with them and he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more saying master you you delivered to me five talents and here i have made five talents more his master said to him well done good and faithful servant you have made you have been faithful over a little i will set you over much enter in the joy of your master and he also who had the two talents came forward saying master you delivered to me two talents here i have made two talents more his master said to him well done good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a little i will set you over much enter into the joy of the master he also who had received the one talent came forward saying master i knew you to be a hard man reaping where you did not sowing gathering where you scattered no seed so i was afraid and i went and hid your talent in the ground here you have what is yours but his master answered him you wicked and thoughtful servant you knew that i reap where i have not sown and gathered whereas i scattered no seed then you want to have invested my money with the bankers and at my coming i should have received what was my own with interest so take the talent from him and give it to him who has its own talents for to everyone who has will more be given and he will have an abundance but from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away and cast the worthless service into the outer darkness in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth this is the gospel of the lord praise to you o christ now it's interesting the last sentence there with the weeping and gnashing of teeth right you know and then we say this is the gospel of the lord and you know this is interesting because you know when we talk about our lord and the sermon title is good uh the giving and gracious lord i think right the giving and gracious god the giving and gracious lord but anyways uh you know when we look at these texts especially first thessalonians 5 even zephaniah right um there is that reminder of yes there is there is the wrath of god to those who well who reject and turn from god in his word right um and that's kind of a an angle i think i didn't talk too much about in my sermon um but we will talk about that today all right so what is the story parable kingdom of god what will it be like when he returns right talent five two one first two servants did what invested traded doubled five to ten two to four um and there you know i love this interaction here in the text if you have your bible out um they basically just said look i made five five more i made two two more but then the third one didn't say anything at all rather he he characterizes the master in a way to which well at the end of the day um not only was it uh uh uh not the right way of seeing the master but also you you see the uh the results uh that this servant uh was slothful that he was wicked uh that he was lazy that he was complacent and you know it really brings me back to reflections and patterns right now again one tension is this we make god for who we want him thank you carrie is my mic working by the way carrie i'm not sure can you i'm not sure can you check one two three i don't think it is but you never know miracles happen right uh but uh what we talked about and i'm glad you're back by the way terry or i think you're back anyways um uh what was i saying yes uh when we see god in a certain way now this man was interesting because you know he saw he saw someone who uh the master as someone who was hard uh someone who demands someone who takes someone who is all about himself this master now um now again it's interesting because even with that view you would think as i said in the sermon that uh this this servant would at least walk on eggshells and and try to uh try to please this hard man even though that was um ultimately the incorrect way of viewing god um but it just got me to that moment there i didn't talk about it in the sermon too much about patterns and reflections right actually i deleted it um in the morning i think i took it out i'm always you know when when you're preaching you know when you're a preacher you all the way up to the beginning of the service time you're you're um you're always editing and deleting and adding and all these things right it never stops so at least for me but um but uh that whole notion of patterns and reflections right that we reflect uh we pattern after who is before us we pattern after uh the the master uh above us right so what we talk about are our our reflection our pattern you know in the sermon you know i love to bring up the catechism well because you should never stop reading the catechism you should have that memorized right not memorized per se but you should have that in you you should be submerged in in all the the words and the understandings of the six chief parts right it should just kind of go clockwork to you you might not have it memorized word for word but at least have it with you so that as i talk about in catechism class always with that wavelength right always understanding uh what that uh how we thread through uh the linear understanding of the catechism of let's say the apostles creed which i brought up in the sermon but to bring out that full breath of what the catechism means you got to read it right and when you when you delve into especially the first uh second third all of them we see how god creates we didn't choose to be here that everything comes from our lord who provides and he still provides for us he still takes care of us again why as a reason the catechism out of his fatherly divine goodness without any merit or worthiness in me right i mean when you think about that you thank the lord uh as you look at the tnt bagels this morning before they went to school you thank the lord for all that we have cream cheese bagel milk you know we we thank the lord for uh uh for providing for them uh for sustaining them in the one true faith third article of the creed the work of the holy spirit not by human reason and strength right uh but through the word of god who has called us he called us right no free will no decision he called us by faith baptism anyways uh but also second article right i mean the redemption the blood of christ this is the great love that he has given to us now when we talk about god at the end of the day god is love now what is that love it is christ right it is christ and again understanding who our master is patterns um this life of faith right so if i believe that my god is a legalistic god that i have to ascend and take the steps to be that perfect christian um then i'm going to have a motivation of doing good works for that very sake to make that ascent to climb the ladder to salvation now other people might have a view of god as one a very great uh uh a permissive god someone who says all you know everything's a green light you know don't worry about the law you do you whatever uh you feel what whatever makes you feel good go with it because god is okay with that and again um how it uh how it reflects upon how we live right um you know and this is again that that that reflection and pattern our view of god is so important right the correct view of god is so important and even so you know we see the pitfall here and we see the tension is that in that journey of faith this one servant who dug that one talent what does it say jesus or this master said which is jesus at the end of the day i'm in the parable he says you wicked and slothful servant lazy wicked right lazy complacent wicked not so reminded a children of darkness drunk at night not sober knee deep or head deep or neck high in the drunkenness and dissipations of this life um and when that thief of the night comes just like we heard last week that there's no there's no two-minute warning right there's there's no um uh there's no uh uh what's it called uh uh we we don't know uh the hour of the season that the lord will return right uh there is no exact time we don't know god only knows and therefore i think uh we see the cautionary reminder of those that are well those that think that they know god by their own terms and soon enough our pride our our complacency our laziness comes into play and this is the constant tension that we see now i think another uh nugget here kind of a homiletical handle as we would call it uh would be and that's something again that whole uh what do we do in this pilgrimage of faith how are we to be ready again word and sacrament right in the word dwelling upon god in his word not as a work right uh but in the joy of his word there we are pointed to who there in the sacrament we are appointed to who father son holy spirit right but also i think uh in this text uh we see the life of stewardship right uh the life of vocation what we are called to do now when we talk about the first two they live their life right under the master under the joy of the master right when we uh live in this faith uh what a great joy it is because we are already set free right we're not gaining or earning or or amassing the merits we're already there the blood of christ his crimson blood has has has finished all things right and we are already there living under this master who ultimately even in his wrath sends the son jesus who takes on that cup of wrath and ultimately our lord our father who sent his son shows to us his love right you know like you know our kids you know um i think inherently they're not perfect uh but deep down inside you you know you always know that your kids uh well they whether they want to admit it or not uh they do enjoy um uh pleasing you as parents uh uh uh they want you to be proud of them right um ideally ideally no again we don't live in a perfect world so it can go you know here or there but but when it comes to our lord again we're patterned we by what he has done as we live under his name right uh when we know this gospel when we hear and receive this gospel that jesus died for sinners and he rose on the third day and yet that he has given you the victory to eternal life uh the living the life of a christian is not about eggshells right it's not about uh trying to please a legalistic god it's not about you because god has already stood in your place and died for you and in this life that we have we live under the master and in that life under the master they're in faith we continue to love and serve now when you hear those words love and serve again uh it's our legalistic heart that says well i have to do that right like our underneath our conscience might say well you know i'm dealing with this in my troubled conscience that well if i prove my worth or show more or do more well then my conscience will be better and again we need to go back to who is our master now when we are the master we will go through those hoops we will go through all those ways to justify ourselves because at the end of the day if it's not christ we are the master and when we are the master we we put god on our own terms rather than what his word says right what his word says is that ever since the fall into sin right that we were all born into sin and there uh by his love he gives us jesus christ to be the sacrifice for our sins now when we live this christian life it's not perfect daily we are called to repentance and that's not a work again when we hear repentance whether i have to do that no it's a life of faith that lives under the master and we confess our sins and our lord is faithful and just and he will forgive our sins because we know who our master is we struggle with sin we battle with sin and when we fall short into sin what do we do do we run away from god wondering uh you know do we run away and try to figure it out ourselves no we we go to him we confess we confess our sins and there we know and rest in the promise of christ right uh and through that understanding of who our lord is there we proceed to live the victorious life and how this shapes how we live move and have our being as children of the day as children of light which we will talk about tomorrow right and uh here we see it in the parable right um and uh you know again we see that tension and um i i think it's very easy as we talk about this more i think it's very easy to to make god who we want him to be rather than what his word says right and yes there is that whole last verse with and people don't want to talk about it right the weeping and gnashing of teeth that one servant who is cast out right this is this is our lord and his word um and those who again reject and turn and go on their own way right um that is that is always a destructive path and we see the result here right um and this is all too real uh when we are caught up in darkness um and you know again um as we look at this parable um how yes uh this fleshly nature can destroy us how how uh we can go on our way um in our sinful nature and yes uh for us christians uh we all fall short right this is not about measuring up but rather come to me who all you who are broken and heavy-ladened that there are brokenness there is christ right in our brokenness as luther would say the christian life one on one side he says this is a life of trial warfare and struggle the christian life right is what uh a life of repentance and even in in his deathbed as they found that uh paper um in his pocket uh yeah we are beggars and this is this is true uh at the end of the day it's about the life of faith that that trusts and clings to the master uh clings to the master for who he is that he is a gracious and giving god who forgives all of our sins who leads us in everlasting righteousness innocence and blessedness and this is most certainly true just as he has risen from the dead and reigns to all eternity right and thus daily we live under his word we live daily um in repentance we live daily in the joy of forgiveness and we continue on loving and serving all those who are around us all those that god has assigned to us we continue to live out this life of faith in the freedom of a christian and when that time comes when he returns we will be ready right we will be ready as we live under his name under under under the master all right uh yes very good uh i guess we'll end there um but um hopefully that we hit some kind of angles there with the text i know uh there's a lot of stuff here i think a lot of people have questions about these things um you know even the amounts of talents again i i don't that's not really the point um but again that's not really the focus here right uh but um you know i think again uh when we look at this text um i think the key point is who is god what does the word of god say about our lord right and what does that mean for us in a sense of how we live our lives everything is dictated upon uh completely controlled by the word of god when we turn from that then everything changes right our view of god the way we live our faith it all changes that is why it's so important uh when we talk about uh the creed to know what that means because when someone asks who is god where do you go boom boom boom article 1 article 2 article 3 apostles creed you go to that in your heart and mind as you have learned it and there you find who your god is right um anyways all right why don't we uh why don't we stop there this day uh let's continue with the word of prayer dear dear lord we we're so thankful for this day we'll do all things and we know that we live under your masterful care bless us the lord in this life of faith i'll grant us faith sustain us in this faith as we continue to walk in the pilgrimage of this faith lord as children of day keep our eyes open so reminded faithful in the word grant us comfort in the restoration given by your son who died on the cross and rose for us bless us in the gospel and lead us by this gospel knowing full well that the victory has already been won and that we live under the joyous status as children of god bless us in our callings those that you have assigned to us according to our ability and lead us the lord always in the freedom that you have given through your son bless us this week and and grant us your safety during covid and lord lead us by your peace through all things or we know uh that we are going through many things at this time and many things are up in the air the lord your comfort is eternal and by your grace and your gift we live under the refuge of your wing bless us this week and lead us always in your word we pray this in the name of father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen amen all right friends thank you for joining us today uh for whenever you're hearing this thank you carrie for being the um you should be a carrie you should be a courtroom uh annotator you know those people that type of quick because you're really good at that by the way right uh that's pretty awesome anyways uh again keep keep on keeping on right uh in the lord thursday 9 15 9 9 15 christ in calamity chapter one read it ahead of time pages one to eight your calamity chapter one and how we will do it is i will read excerpts and we will talk about it if you have questions live that is uh pre bring them down on the comments and i will answer them directly okay um but i hope to see you there if you need a book we do have extras i think we have 10 more books right 10 more books and you know i hope that we can run out of them because this is an important thing for our congregation for all of us to band together and read together and meditate together and dwell upon the words of christ together so if you know someone from church that doesn't have this book um please tell them to get it and they're at church right please tell them to get it and for those youtubers out there that are listening um again not too late amazon prime two day shipping right ten bucks on amazon plus tax probably eleven eleven fifty but um please join us it's not too late um and um i can't emphasize how important this book is all right have a wonderful day and god bless you all and until next time adios and goodbye

Channel: Faith Lutheran Church

Views: 28

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: lutheran, christian, sermon

Id: 34aG9MrAZNg

Length: 34min 5sec (2045 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 18 2020