Stewardship Of Talents

 

Click below for the second sermon in the series “Taking the Stew out of Stewardship”. Many people think of stewardship only in terms of offerings for some worthy cause. The principle of stewardship applies to every area of life.

Faithful or unfaithful, all of us are stewards and will be all our lives. We can’t help it. We are stewards of the years, the time God has given us to live. Two weeks ago we talked about being good stewards of the gift of time. We are also stewards of our bodies. We must care for them and use them for God’s glory. We are stewards of all we possess. Our possessions belong to God and must be used for him. And we also are stewards of our minds and our abilities. It is our responsibility to develop our skills and use them for God’s purposes. This is the stewardship of talents.

For an audio recording of the sermon click the YouTube link at the end of this manuscript.

You can see the entire service from OCTOBER 25, 2020 on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/R2P2FFFTDbE


Scripture Reading:

Matthew 25:14‭-‬30 RSV “For it will be as when a man going on a journey 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 who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master 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 delivered to me five talents; here I have made five 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 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 your 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 sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; 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 slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought 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 the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’

Text: “To each according to his ability” (Matt. 25:15 RSV).


Introduction


Faithful or unfaithful, all of us are stewards and will be all our lives. We can’t help it. We are stewards of the years, the time God has given us to live. Two weeks ago we talked about being good stewards of the gift of time. We are also stewards of our bodies. We must care for them and use them for God’s glory. We are stewards of all we possess. Our possessions belong to God and must be used for him. And we also are stewards of our minds and our abilities. It is our responsibility to develop our skills and use them for God’s purposes. This is the stewardship of talents.

As the parable we just read illustrates, a talent was an ancient unit of money or weight depending on the time or place. The parable has given us the use of this word, talent, to refer to a special, natural ability. We are talking about natural abilities today but we can apply these same thoughts to spiritual gifts. This parable tells us of the master delivering his goods, his talents, to his servants.

Matthew 25:15 RSV to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

The main point of the parable is the contrast between the third servant and the other two, who as we read took the cash and buried it in the ground, and then experienced the wrath of the Master.

That is the basic plot of the story. The Master gave the servants talents and then He went away.

In the parable we recognize the “Master” as Jesus pretty quickly, and it is clear that the time between the “going away” and the “returning” is the age that we are living in now. It is the time between Jesus’ first coming to earth and His second coming to earth. We recognize that at the time of Jesus’ second coming, there will be a period of judgment, or “settling of accounts” like it says in the parable.

Two weeks ago when talking about being a good steward with time I said that we will have to give an account of how we spent our time after our salvation.

2 Corinthians 5:6‭-‬10 RSV So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.

We know from something else that we talked about two weeks ago, that the most important thing, when we are at the judgement seat of Christ, is whether or not we know Him and He knows us.

Matthew 7:21‭-‬23 RSV“ Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’

But this parable teaches us that there will be another question as well: “what did you do with what I gave you?”

Just to be clear that this is not a salvation-by-works kind of thing, or a reward-for-good-deeds kind of thing, let us state for a fact from the start that what we are given is this: life in Christ – new life, abundant life, Spirit filled life. This is a gift and can’t be earned – and the response to this gift that pleases God is one that multiplies that new, abundant, Spirit filled life.

We are given freedom, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the power to live as God desires, and – and this is the key – we need to understand our responsibility to actually live that life in our world and see how it multiplies and God’s Kingdom grows. With that life comes gifts and abilities for sharing that life, more to some than to others but the point is that we use what God gives us.

We are to do something positive that shares that life, we are to live like we have been given the stewardship of an incredible gift, and our whole goal is for our Master to be pleased.

Ephesians 2:8‭-‬10 RSV For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

What that means is living for something more than ourselves. It means being concerned with the main thing, which is something that we also talked about two weeks ago. It means being a part of something far bigger and more significant than each of us as individuals. It means having as our purpose in life to use and maximize all that we have been given to the glory of our Master and to the advancement of His Kingdom.

Remember, Jesus urged us to concentrate on the main things the primary things:

Matthew 6:31‭-‬33 RSV Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

Remember what Paul said, he said he wasn’t going to waste time worrying about the foolish mistakes and sins of the past but, he was concerned with the main thing, he was going to press on toward the goal ahead.

Philippians 3:12‭-‬14 RSV Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

So now let’s take look at our parable.

In our parable we have the five-talent man, the two-talent man and the one-talent man.

Matthew 25:14‭-‬15 RSV “For it will be as when a man going on a journey 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.

We know that all we are, and all we have is a gift from God; therefore we are his stewards. We also know that we don’t all have the same talents and gifts, some may have more talents, or spiritual gifts than others. We are all genetically different and therefore have various levels of potential. God created us that way, and our parable illustrates this fact of life.

So to repeat we have the five-talent man, the two-talent man and the one-talent man.

The five-talent people are the bright stars but most of us are two-talent people. We two-talent people are a huge group of useful, average, ordinary folks. It’s us two-talent people who really bear the burdens of the world—people of good, average ability who use the talents they have to serve God and man. It’s the two-talent people that form the working nucleus. We need the five-talent people but they are few and far between and we need one-talent people.

If you are a one talent person don’t worry about it. Be faithful to what you have.

Everyone is important.

1 Corinthians 12:14‭-‬24 RSV For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those parts of the body which we think less honorable we invest with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior part,

God is the one who makes the decision as to how many talents that we have and we cannot change the will of God for us. What we are to do is to go on to serve God with what we have and serve Him the best we can.

Nothing in this parable is clearer than the fact that the one-talent man was expected to be just as faithful to his master’s interests as the five-and two-talent men. The point is that we need everyone, the five-talent people, the two-talent people and the one-talent people.

Now let’s look at what these three men did with what they were given to manage;

Matthew 25:16‭-‬18 RSV He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.

The five talent-man performed well. He was true to the Master’s trust. His shrewd investments proved immensely profitable, his work returned a profit of 100 percent.

The two-talent man performed well also. He also showed a profit of 100 percent.

What about the one-talent man? This man neither invested or blew the money given to him. He put it in a hole in the ground. He was afraid to risk it. He avoided the responsibility managing what the Master entrusted to him.

Jesus drives home the point of the parable with this contrast.

The one-talent man did nothing. He treated the gift with contempt, and hid it in the ground. He took the responsibility given to him and ignored it, and instead of expending his effort in the growth of his Master’s estate, he dug a hole, dumped it in, and walked away and lived his own life for the entire time that the Master was away.

Every Christian should have the ambition to be a successful servant of God. Success, as God sees it, has nothing to do with how much money you have, how successful you are, how talented you are, or how, many gifts you have. Success is measured in terms of faithfulness.

Let’s look at what happens when the Master returns and each man has to give his report and receive his evaluation from the Master.

First, there was the accounting with the five-talent man.

Matthew 25:19‭-‬21 RSV Now after a long time the master 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 delivered to me five talents; here I have made five 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 your master.’

He had been faithful to the trust. He was rewarded. He was commended with his lord’s “Well done.” He was promoted to greater responsibilities, a great reward.

Then, there was the accounting with the two-talent man.

Matthew 25:22‭-‬23 RSV 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 your master.

This two-talent man was just as faithful to his trust as was the five-talent man. Like his more gifted fellow servant, his increase was also 100 percent. That the master’s commendation was in exactly the same words for the two-talent man as for the five-talent man is not accidental.

‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.

Jesus deliberately constructed his story to show that though there may be degrees of talents and gifts, every person is required to make the most of his or her gifts.

Then comes the one-talent man. Here’s his report

Matthew 25:24‭-‬25 RSV 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 sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’

The one-talent man basically says I know you (or at least I think I do), I was scared, so I did nothing.”

What was he afraid of?

He was afraid of losing some of the money, he was afraid that if he didn’t “perform” a certain way he might see a decrease and then get into big trouble. He was afraid of taking a risk with what had been given to him, and so he decides it is safer to hide it in the ground and walk away.

What he missed is this: the Master expected him to take those risks. He empowered him to take those risks, He equipped him with the capital to go out and use it in a profitable way. Yes, the Master expected a profit and He had a right to, that is why He entrusted the money to His servants.

Notice this very significant statement in the Master’s reply:

Matthew 25:27 RSV Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

Even putting the money in a savings account would have been a whole lot better than digging a hole! It would have been ok for him to be conservative, as long as he had still been productive.

What was the master’s evaluation of the one talent man?

Matthew 25:26‭-‬30 RSV But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought 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 the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’

This was judgment—judgment on the man’s failure in stewardship.

• The master judged his character.
• The master judged his motives.
• And the master judged him unfit to serve.

The first two men got to go to the big party celebrating the master’s return: “Enter thou into the joy of thy lord”.

Our culture preaches this: “live for yourself, seek pleasure now.” Jesus preaches this: “live for me, ‘share my happiness’ for eternity.” I’m sure it was hard work for the first two servants – they had a big responsibility, they had to make decisions and choose wise investments and solve problems. But they were faithful, and they were rewarded.

To the five-talent and two-talent men the Master said; ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’

This one-talent man didn’t even get his foot in the door.

What does the Master say to this man?

Matthew 25:28‭-‬30 RSV So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’

The punishment was for taking the gift and treating it with contempt. To extend the application of the parable, this last servant took the gift of the life of God and then did nothing with it – he never told anyone about what he had experienced, he never had a second thought about what he should – or could! – do with the incredible gift he had been given. He showed contempt for his Master by hiding the gift in a hole. He lived for himself rather than for his Master. He refused to be a steward. And as a result, he faced a horrible punishment.

The servant says that his actions were based on fear. The parable warns us that fear leads to contempt, and contempt leads to punishment.

As I said in the series from 1 John where there is “perfect love” (and it is perfect because it is God’s love in us and not our own), there is trust, confidence, and assurance. When we surrender to God and allow God to love through us, there can be no fear. The love of God within us destroys and dissipates fear.

1 John 4:18 RSV There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.

What about you? Are you afraid of God, afraid of living the life that He has given you in your world? Have you taken the gift of God and buried it in the ground, afraid to risk God’s displeasure and so done nothing? Are you like this third servant? Or are you like the first two?

Are you being a faithful steward of the gifts God has given you for service in His Kingdom? Have we been faithful or unfaithful in the use of the talents God gave us? The question is not, did you have five talents or two or one? But what use did you make for the Master’s gain of the talents he gave you?

Conclusion

The Master’s words cause us to examine ourselves. If the man who kept his talent intact, returning it undamaged and unused, received such heavy judgment, what must they expect who destroy God-given talents, or squander the resources that He has given us? It makes us shudder to think of it. 

Sermon Audio