Matthew 25:14-30, The King’s Economy

this morning we're going to be looking at Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 through 30 in a parable that's been popularly known as the parable of the talents what I'm calling the Kings economy Matthew chapter 25 we're gonna again look at this amazing parable in verses 14 through 30 let's pray Heavenly Father we are grateful for your love we're grateful for Jesus for our Savior and Lord that you've sent the Holy Spirit to convict us concerning sin and righteousness and judgment Heavenly Father I pray that this parable would do what you always intended it to do to reveal the truth from to those who want the truth Lord we know this powerful parable will conceal the truth from those who have no interest in the truth whatsoever Lord we pray that we would be men and women who are interested and what you have to say that Lord we would not only wait for the coming of our Savior but that we would faithfully serve our Savior while we wait in Jesus name Amen Matthew chapter 25 beginning in verse 14 we read for the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them and to one he gave five talents to another two and to another one to each according to his ability and immediately he on a journey then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents and likewise he who had received two gained two more also but he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lords money after a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them so he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents saying Lord you delivered to me five talents look I have gained five more talents besides them his Lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you were faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord he also who had received two talents came and said Lord you delivered to me two talents look I have gained two more talents besides them his Lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord then he would receive the one talent came and said lord I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed and I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground look there you have what is yours but his Lord answered and said to him you wicked and lazy servant you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed so you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest therefore take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents for to everyone who has more will be given and he who he will have abundance but him who does not have even what he has will be taken away and cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in chapters 24 and 25 remember in the context of the second coming of Jesus he gives a series of pella parables to illustrate his coming and the end of the age we read about a fig tree in chapter 24 verse 32 them through 35 we read about the days of Noah in chapter 24 verses 36 through 39 we spoke about the faithful and the evil servant in chapter 24 verses 40 through 51 we talked about ten virgins five wise and five foolish at the beginning of the chapter in verses 1 through 13 and now the parable of the talents in the parable of the ten virgins we were instructed to be to wait and be wise in this if the parable of the ten virgins draws our attention on waiting the focus now seems to shift to working if the virgins with oil represent people with saving faith the parable of the talents brings to our attention what I would call serving faith and serving lives one Bible teacher says quote together the two parables depict the balance of the believers looking forward to his coming with anticipation while living in preparedness for his coming through faithful service remember the function of a parable it will impart conceal from those who aren't interested in the truth it will in fact reveal to those who want to know the truth so the challenge of teaching the parable understanding the parable is to make sure that we say exactly hopefully what the parable is saying the challenge of course is to not say too much but to clearly say what the parable is saying so that's the challenge for me how do I make sure I include all of the elements of the parable without sacrificing but how do I make sure that I don't read into the parable things that aren't there whatever else this parable means it invites us to learn at least two things number one while Jesus is away the believer is called to do something to work faithfully to work diligently the second is that while Jesus is away the believer is to know something so the believer is to work faithfully and diligently the believer is to know something and that something is that the believers work is going to be extravagantly rewarded or severely judged so once again the parable is going to automatically conceal from some and reveal to others and the parable like the parables before it is also going to serve as an illustration of opportunity it was John Greenleaf Whittier who wrote quote for all sad words of tongue or pen the saddest are these it might have been opportunity the greatest opportunity in human life is to know the Lord it's to know him and glorify Him with our life it's to know the Lord glorify the Lord to know Jesus to experience the forgiveness of sin to experience the presence of his life in our life that is we become partakers through the gospel and through Jesus of eternal life the greatest tragedy is to forsake Christ it's to reject Jesus it's to live a life dedicated to yourself I suspect the parables of the faithful and evil servants in chapter 24 verses 45 through 51 the wise and the foolish virgins chapter 25 verses 1 through 13 the profitable and the unprofitable servants were all warnings to the church prior to the rapture when Jesus returns for his bride the church in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 through 18 where Paul basically writing to the Thessalonians says I don't want you to be ignorant concerning the things concerning those who have fallen asleep in Christ it covers this mixed group of people that Matthew speaks about in chapter 13 the true and the false Christian the wheat and the tares those who profess to know the Lord and those who who I have repeatedly referred to as the make believer and so in these parables you'll note something the master delays his coming in chapter 24 verse 48 in chapter 25 verse 5 and then again in verse 19 delay delay delay but the expectation is one of anticipation and preparation concerning the coming of the groom concerning the coming of the master concerning the coming of the king and so these parables describe the attitude of the professing christian' the confessing Christian and then those who profess to know the Lord but then who live their lives as if that isn't true and so there's an exhortation of anticipation preparation exhortation for readiness for the coming of Jesus and so the overarching picture becomes a time of joy and reward for those who look for his coming and a time of shame and punishment for those who have made a concerted effort to pretend like it isn't true and so look what it says our god-given opportunity in verses 4 and 5 when Jesus says for the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who calls his own servants and delivers his goods to them in what way is the kingdom of heaven like a man traveling to a far country remember the kingdom of heaven is the place where God rules and reigns the man traveling to the far country clearly is the Lord Jesus himself he is going to live he is going to die he is going to rise from the dead he is going to ascend into heaven he's going to go away and note he calls his own servants before he goes he delivers his goods to them he's going to impart to the Apostles and the disciples and structions he's going to give them what is necessary in order to accomplish his will than verse 15 into one he gave five talents to the other two to another one to each according to his own ability and to me he went on a journey so he likens the kingdom of heaven to this man who travels to the far country he calls his servants note and he gives his goods to them not their goods his Goods the resources have their origin in the master who gives them in the Lord who imparts them the word translated talent is a reference in the ancient world to a weight or a measure it's not money per se it's not a specific coin but rather it is the weight and the measure of a coin and so in the ancient world it could refer to gold it could refer to silver it could refer to copper implicit in the story is that the weight or the measure is a reference to something that is valuable tangible fungible necessary and so I suspect the value is less important than the fact that the Lord measures out a gift or a talent or a treasure when a country had to pay tribute to Rome it was measured in talents for some they have come to believe that it was the weight or the measure of the accumulation of a lifetime of living and so again depending on the culture and depending on the society and depending on the circumstance the way that I would think about it it is the weight or the measure that you're able to negotiate with over the course of a lifetime so again we might think of this talent as the weight or the measure or the giftedness provided by God to his creatures and so the word Jesus used for his own servants translates the Greek word bond slaves these are servants by choice these are servants who have made the decision that they are going to work in service of the master and so the master entrusts his property to his bond slaves with the expectation of increase all the bond slaves are tasked with the same mission the mission is number one to increase the Masters holdings and so that should cause each and every one of us to begin to think about this and say do we share a collective mission as men and women who love the Lord who are do loss slaves by choice people who are entrusted with the ministry our mission is to increase the masters holdings and so the Bible says that God is the God of heaven and earth the Bible says the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof the Lord isn't interested in you giving him more stuff now again I thank God that we have a church and then we have chairs and that we have a place to meet and that there's stuff that we need in order to do church but here I'm gonna suggest to you that the emphasis isn't getting more stuff for Jesus the mission here is to increase the masters holdings and so what does that mean for you and for me I'm gonna suggest to you that whatever this mission means to increase the Masters holdings for the Christian it means to glorify God it means to magnify him it means to make him famous it means to bring people to Jesus it means to know and love the Lord and serve the Lord and use our talents and resources in order to expand his kingdom we exist to increase the Masters holdings so in verse 15 we learned that each servant is given an amount and you'll note the amount isn't actually what's the most important thing the most important thing is that the amount is given look according to his own ability not everyone has the same ability not everyone grows up in the same environment not everyone has the same opportunity I may not have been born with the silver spoon in my mouth but that doesn't mean I can't purchase a silver ladle and then dip it in the gravy bowl and give it to you what am I saying we all have a genetic signature that makes us different from one another some of us have gifts artists musicians athletes there was only one thing that kept me from being a famous musician I have no talent whatsoever a lot of people don't let talent stand in their way and so in the old English that word talent has come down in our culture and our society and our language to make reference to something that's been imparted to you implicitly by God so the Lord endow his gifts as he wills according to his good pleasure he knows each servant intimately and individually Paul hints at this in first Corinthians chapter 12 verse 11 where he writes but all these works that one in the self same spirit dividing to every man severally that means exactly as he wills God gives to each person not according to what I want but according to what he wants if I got what I want I would be as attractive as my wife if I got what I want I would have as much money as Bill Gates if I had what I want I would have the ability to preach like Chuck Swindoll but item I'm not getting what I want I'm stuck with what I have but here's the key each servant receives all the gifts he or she needs and all the gifts that he or she can use each person is given exactly what they need exactly what they can use according to the Masters per per purposes each servant is given and this is the key an equal opportunity to be faithful I'm going to repeat that we each are given the exact same opportunity to be faithful with the gifts that have been entrusted with us and if you don't believe that then the parable is working what it's supposed to do it's concealing from those who have no interest in the truth we're judged on our faithfulness not on the size of the gift or the number of the gift or the scope of the work jesus said in Matthew 16:27 for the Son of man shall come in the glory of his father with his angels then he shall reward every man according to his works Matthew 16:27 no not according to the man's intention not according to the person's promises not in relationship to the excuses Peter said in 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 17 and if you call on the father who without respect of persons judges according to every man's work pass the time of your sojourning that means traveling here in fear does that mean terrified of God no it means with the reverential respect that should be accorded to God as you wake up every morning understanding that all that you have and all that you are and all that's been entrusted to you has been given to you by your father through Christ the Lord and we should take great comfort in the parable that the Lord calls these servants read it for yourself his own he calls his own we belong to the Lord in the Old Testament book of Isaiah chapter 43 verse 1 it says I have redeemed thee or I have redeemed you I've called you by your name you are mine if the Lord has redeemed you if he has called you by name you belong to him the calling by name I think is in a sense are the reference when the Lord by His Holy Spirit begins to knock on the door of your heart he invites you to consider and receive and embrace all that's been given to you in Jesus the Lord and so again different people are given different capacities each servant is given the gift necessary to accomplish the master's plan and that's the key different people are given different capabilities and are giving different capacities in verse 15 we're given abilities by God Jesus provides the opportunity to exercise those abilities so the important thing is that we be found faithful it says in 1st Corinthians chapter 4 verse 2 in a passage that I think I've repeated in every single parable where it says moreover it is required in stewards that they be found faithful the most important thing isn't your gift the most important thing is your faithfulness in the gift and so here's our god-honoring response in verses 16 through 18 that says then he who received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents and likewise he who received two gained two more also but he who received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lords money in the parable two servants are faithful they work they double their talents both received the same reward in verses 21 through 22 like I said some are given greater opportunities some are given a greater sphere of service some are given modest opportunities and modest service so the issue isn't the greatness of the service but rather the faithfulness to the service to servants immediately go to work they're faithful and they're diligent the work takes time it takes energy it takes labour two servants double the stewardship that's entrusted to them and you'll note in the story each servants gifts bear fruit in proportion to the gift the one given five talents bears more ten talents the one given less two talents bears less four talents both are equally successful in doubling what the master is given to them both are found faithful in Corinthians 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58 we read therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast on moved always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord unquote we work for Christ it's not in vain it's going to accomplish exactly what God wants it to accomplish we labor in prayer we labor in giving we labor in love we labor in visitation we labor in order to expand the masters Kingdom one servant did manage to exert some energy he took enough time to find a place to dig a hole and bury his stewardship and then stick it in the ground you know it all three have in common they all did something I'm gonna suggest to you if the one who stuck his stewardship in the dirt had exerted the same amount of energy in order to honor his master the story would have turned out quite differently he took his masters gift and he hid it how did this servant spend his life is it too much to read into the parable that the moment that he stuck his masters talent in the dirt he made the decision that he was going to live his life on his own he was going to live his life according to his own plans and purposes he was going to not use the resources that were entrusted to him but rather he was going to exercise his own business plan the servant made a conscious decision that and this is the most important thing to live his life absent his master's concerns without his master's resources so let's ask another question what he's supposed to serve is dead we're not told texe doesn't tell us we have no idea what this person did instead but here's what we know for sure whatever he was doing his efforts were spent only on himself and his concerns do you remember another story where Jesus talked about two men one who built his house on a rock another on shifting sand in Matthew chapter 7 verse 24 where he said the rain descended the floods came the winds blew beat on the house it did not fall because it was founded on Iraq now everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand and the rain descended and the floods came the winds blew beat on the house and it fell and you'll remember in the that story it says and great was its fall so what can we glean from this passage and Matthew's passage let's think it through together the faithful servants go immediately to work they take advantage of god-given opportunities they exercise faithfulness and diligence instead of laziness and unfaithfulness we bear interest we increase fruit there's another pressing point whether you have a great talent or a little talent whatever it is and however it manifests itself the expectation is its use and you might wickedly be thinking but I've been given so little again the issue isn't the little that you've been given it's the expectation of energy and effort and exertion in the use of your talent and so we see a god-given day of reckoning look what it says between verses 19 and 27 were says after a long time I think in the story Jesus is giving a hint to his disciples after a long time or what is going to seem like a very long time to them after a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them so he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents saying Lord you delivered to me five towel look I've gained five more talents besides them verse 21 his Lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you were faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord he also had received two talents came and said Lord you delivered to me two talents look I've gained two more besides them his Lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you've been faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your Lord then he would receive the one talent came and said lord I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown in other words getting something from a place that you have no business being gathering where you have not scattered seed that is harvesting from fields and orchards that you never actually planted in verse 25 and I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground look there you have what is yours we could translate this look take what belongs to you everything we started off with we still have what is this saying that there's a day of reckoning again you note the phrase in verse 19 after a long time the coming of Jesus may seem like human standards to be a long time but from Christ's perspective it's a short time this is something that we've talked about throughout these parables as we've considered what Jesus is saying how do we weigh expectation preparation anticipation with the reality of the world in which we're living in you have grown up and some of you I can look out into the crowd some of you are young some of you are mature some of you are vintage doesn't that sound way better than old speaks of quality but five years became 10 years and 10 years became 20 years and 20 years became 40 years and 40 years became 50 years and before you knew it all that was entrusted to you and all that was given to you just simply comes to a halt Jesus said behold I come quickly and my reward is with me he says in revelation 3:11 in 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 3 and again in verse 4 in chapter chapter 3 verses 8 and 11 over and over again the admonition is I'm coming quickly I'm coming quickly I'm coming quickly you'll note Jesus returns and he settles accounts note with them over and over and over again in passage after passage after passage Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king it's like a certain traveller it's like a certain master he has an account with his servants in Matthew 18:3 after a long time the Lord of those servants came settles accounts with them Matthew 25 19 so then every one of us will give an account of himself to God it says in Romans 14:12 it's appointed unto men once to die and then the judgment it says in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27 unlike our friends who believe in reincarnation you aren't born over and over and over again the Bible's answer to reincarnation is a resurrection from the dead each and every person will come back to life the Lord will return the Lord will judge the living and the dead the Lord is ready to do that right at this very moment but he's patient we've learned over and over again that he's not willing that any should Parrish he desires all to come to repentance and second Peter 3:9 so what is the reward for a job well done in a way it's like the real world in which you live if you're really good at your job what does your boss do he gives you more work you laugh but it's true isn't it because there's two kinds of people who work those who do a really good job and those who do less than a good job and you're gonna discover something when somebody does a great job the boss is gonna keep coming back to you saying I need someone who will do a great job and he keeps coming back and back so there's more work and note the experience of the two faithful servants Lord you delivered to me five talents Lord you delivered to me two talents they both acknowledge God's gift they both acknowledge God's grace Lord you gave this to me you gifted me you gave me your provision you gave me your grace both servants express appreciation and thankfulness and privilege coupled with this incredible sense of responsibility at least that's my impression the servants have purpose and meaning and joy and privileges there's nothing worse in the whole wide world than to sit and twiddle your thumbs wondering what is it that I'm supposed to do but the servant of God knows that you are to glorify Him you're to love him you're to serve Him second so so note what the master says the Master Kan commends them they're giving great rewards rulership you started off with a little I'm going to give you a lot what else the joy of the Lord I'm going to give you rulership and more joy the master calls them good and faithful and I'm gonna suggest you here good means kind gracious moral discipline for the person who wants to make a big deal and got wall I thought the Bible says there's nothing good no not one what the Bible says exactly that because in relationship to God and in relationship to Jesus there is none good but why does this master call them good and I'm gonna suggest to you here it means kind and gracious and discipline faithful means trusted in the things that have been provided and so what is their reward like I said rulership the responsibility to rule over many things to be in charge of many things to be given a stewardship in the kingdom of heaven know what the parable says after the return of the Lord now again are we reading too much into the parable if we suggest that there can't be stewardship and responsibility in the here and the now I'm going to suggest you that that's a possibility but the greater possibility is that the source of reward comes when the master shows up in the kingdom there they receive a permanent possession and permanent joy in the world in which you live you're going to receive a temporary possession and perhaps a temporary joy the presence and the perfection of the Lord and the presence of the Lord gives rise to this fullness of joy their fullness of joy is there because their master is there believers experience joy because of the presence of the Lord we joy isn't something that we get when we get to heaven joy is something that we can have in the here and the now in the presence of perfection there is joy unspeakable and full of glory in the presence of perfection is the absence of sorrow the absence of tears the absence of pain and so it should prompt each and every one of us asked the question well what do we do now will you acknowledge that your special gifts talents treasures that have been entrusted to you come from the Lord it's simple it's to do the most simple and basic thing admit it just admit that that's true and now embark on a plan to be faithful and diligent with what has been given to you for the glory of God for the kingdom of God and for this for the cause of Christ why so you can be bold in the knit day of judgement this is the day of judgment this is the day of reckoning how can they be bold in the day of judgment and that's my point and that's my purpose it's to make you bold and wise in the day of judgment how do you become bold and wise in the day of judgment the wise servant is able to show how much work is done for God given the precious gifts that were entrusted to him that means boldness James 3:13 who is wise and understanding among you let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom in this parable you'll note the master accepts both the person good good servant and the laborer faithful servant enter in good and faithful the third servant accuses his master of being a hard man reaping where he had not sown and gathering where he had not scattered the third servant confessed that he lived in fear in verse 25 and verse 26 it says but his Lord answered and said to him you wicked and lazy servant you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed a couple of things the master refers to the servant is wicked and lazy he repeats the accusation made against him so what you're saying is that I reap where I have not sown I gather where I have not scattered but I do want to point something out in the parable that you may have missed he doesn't plead guilty to this accusation I'm gonna suggest you as he repeats the accusation he isn't suggesting that it's true he calls the servant wicked why because he had a job to do and he didn't do it that's the very definition of wickedness it's knowing what God wants and then saying I'm not going to do what God wants that's it in a nutshell it's knowing what God wants and then deciding not to do what God wants the master without admitting guilt basically is in effect saying if what you say is true about me it should have motivated you to work harder to please me in verse 27 so it says so you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and that my coming I would have received back my own with interest again the challenge the challenge the challenge to not read into the parable more than is there but to say at least what is there when I was rereading this where it where he says so you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest is he in effect saying if you're not going to do what I've called you to do could you at least have given the provision to someone else who will do what I want done you don't want to pray find someone who will pray you don't want to participate in evangelism find someone who will do it you don't want to do this or that someone who will do it so that at least even though you wind up not doing exactly what God wants you to do find someone who will do it does God plead guilty to the charge of being unfair and unjust let me be clear here God is never no never ever ever unfair or unjust here's the day of reward look what it says quickly so take the talent from him give it to him who has ten talents for two everyone who has more will be given and he will have abundance but from him who does not have even what he has will be taken away this parable repeats a principle that's found throughout the New Testament you know what it says in Luke 12:48 to whom much is given that's exactly right to whom much is given much is required warn where's we rights if we fail to use what he gives us we'll lose it to another unquote in the parable Jesus takes the talent from the wicked and the lazy servant and he gives it to the good and the faithful servant with ten talents some people might read into this some sort of celestial redistribution of wealth I don't think that that's what it's saying I think what it's saying is that the faithful and the responsible will be given more the faithful and the responsible will be given more and the unfaithful and the disobedient will lose what little that they have could it be that the unprofitable servant gave himself permission to say you know what I suspect that my master may or may not come back I believe that at some point he's going to come back I better have exactly what he gave me but guess what by giving himself permission to hide with the man gave him he had to live a life on his own with his own resources and in verse 30 it says look what it says and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth what happens to the unfaithful servant the punishment for the unfaithful servant is stripping and separating what was given to him is taken away and his participation now becomes separation who is this person is this a saved person is this a person who made a profession but then he winds up making accusation and excuse what was the servants excuse for his lazy wicked unfaithful behavior the servant accused the master being hard demanding strict exacting Stern maybe even unsympathetic this lazy and wicked servant says the Lord wants too much from me he wants too much he demands too much the world exists after all to be enjoyed the servant could live his life and service to the master or he could live it live it in service to himself he fears not just using the talent but losing the talent he feared that he might lose what God had given to him so he hides it and he would not use it to build and grow the Masters resources and the kingdom this servant I'm gonna suggest to you not only has a wrong view of his master but it becomes a type in a picture of people who have a phoney view about God some people view God as the hard guy in the sky making impossible demands of perfection on his weak creatures some people believe that God has give unfairly to those who deserve less or how in the world could you possibly have given that so much money and given me so little how could you have give them so much talent and me so little the accusation is an accusation against the master himself what's more important is it's not true the servant accuses the master of being dishonest unjust undependable just like people accused god of being uncaring distant unjust undependable but it's not true some people will see themselves in light of God's Word or they'll judge God in the darkness of their own perversion and their own limited perception whatever else this parable is saying it's saying this you won't judge God on the day of judgment he'll judge you for the person who you've ever heard say when I get to heaven I'm going to give him a piece of my mind you should just duck hide run away and if they ask you what you're doing you're going I just can't be this close to lightning and judgement so what does the master say he's wicked and lazy he's wicked because he insists on doing what he wants instead of doing what the master wants the man with one Talent is not unknown Association of a carnal Christian or a conflicted Christian I'm gonna suggest to you that this is the make believer he's not only unfaithful he's without faith without saving faith no Christian justified by faith declared righteous by God in Christ is going to be cast into outer darkness here's a letter from a girl to her pastor dear pastor how does God know the good people from the bad people do you tell him or does he read about it in the newspapers sincerely Murray age nine it could just as easily have read how does God know the good people from the bad people do you tell them or does he post it online every church is good bad believer and unbeliever and make believer the Bible calls them wheat and tares on the outside they look alike on the inside they're different it's not my job to tell God what's wrong with you because God knows the truth he knows the truth about your heart I don't I can't see inside of you but God can see inside of you only God knows the heart so what is this place of outer darkness this is the place where there's weeping regret gnashing of teeth it's outer darkness what can we conclude it's a place that's absent light it's a place where there's tears and regret it's a place because there's tears and regret there is no joy and God isn't present this is a place where this person who wanted to be stripped of any and all responsibility and this life gets exactly what he or she wants in the next life you don't want light you won't have it you don't want responsibility then guess what you will eventually wind up in a place where you won't have to be responsible for anything there is a place where a person is responsible for nothing forever so the question did you see yourself in the parable did you dare ask the question what does this have to do with me if you're a believer can you point to fruit in your life are you growing in Christ are you giving and love have you led a single person to Jesus do you enjoy the benefits of being in a fellowship where God is worship where Jesus is honored where the spirit moves where the Bible is taught but you yourself have never responded to the gospel have you experienced fruitful service to the Lord Jesus where's a little poem I came across it reads this way there was a very cautious man who never laughed or played he never risked he never tried he never saying or prayed and when one day he passed away his insurance was denied for since he never really lived they claimed he never died you're here you're here you're here you've been entrusted with stewardship in a singular mission to expand the Masters resources in the Masters Kingdom and the Masters holdings oddly enough that's not more stuff it's more people Hart who've been changed because of Jesus let's pray Heavenly Father Lord again the challenge to say at least what the parable says to not try to save more than the parable is really saying Lord whether I'm innocent or guilty of the charges of reading into it something that's not there or refusing to read what is exactly there Lord I pray I pray I pray I pray that you will have your way in each heart Lord I pray that you will reveal to each person what they need to know and that you'll conceal from each person what they've already given up trying to know but just in case just in case Lord I pray that for one person their heart would be open that they would seriously evaluate their life in light of who you are and what you want and what will happen Lord we know that you said that the Holy Spirit would come and he would convict the world of sin because we're sinners of righteousness you would show us a righteous standard in the person of Jesus and of judgment because a judgement will come and unless we understand sin will never understand grace and unless we understand the righteous character of Jesus we will never receive that grace and so Lord we pray that we would have proper understanding of what it means to know you and love you and serve you and then a willingness to do exactly that Lord we pray that we will not just anticipate your coming prepare for your coming but that we will work in such a way that you'll find us doing exactly what you've called us to do at the moment you show up in Jesus name

Channel: Calvary South Denver

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Keywords: Calvary Chapel, Gino Geraci, Christianity, Bible Study, Gospel of Matthew, Calvary South Denver, Calvary CSD, Church

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Length: 57min 21sec (3441 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 09 2017