Amen.
Let's bow our heads in prayer.
Let's pray.
Lord, as we turn to your word,
!
It's quite emotional seeing all the kids' face last night on Zoom.
So come and join us.
There's a link on the website for Zoom this evening at 6 o'clock.
Now, we're in Matthew 25,
and we're realising that as we listen to Jesus,
that we've been led into a secret.
As we belong to him,
Jesus has led us in on a secret.
And once you've been led in on the secret,
nothing's ever the same again.
You can never think like somebody who doesn't believe again.
If you picture two people,
they're on a train.
They're two metres apart.
In a carriage.
There's two people on a train.
And one of them is living a pretty aimless life,
just trotting along.
The other one, next week, is getting married.
And everything for that second person
is governed by that big event that's happening.
That person who's about to enter into their life
and change everything.
Or think of two people that,
one of them is out of work,
and one of them is looking for a job.
The other one has an appointment next week
to meet with a CEO to discuss a new job.
And for that second individual,
everything is being governed by that meeting.
The way they think,
the way they live,
is being governed by that.
And the way that we think,
and we live,
and who we've been called by Jesus,
we've been told that we have a meeting with Jesus.
That one day he will come again.
And that meeting will take place,
and it sheds light on everything that we do in this world.
And so in Matthew 24 and 25,
Jesus strings together,
reminder after reminder,
that he is coming again.
And that we are going to meet him.
And we saw last week,
that we need to be ready for that day.
Like those wise bridesmaids,
that have not only got lamps,
but have got oil.
And we see this week,
in this parable,
that we've just read,
that we are to be productive.
And we are to be responsible,
in how we live.
And we will one day have to give an account.
The parable,
it's about a master who has three servants.
Two are faithful,
one is not.
And it's the only parable,
where the master gives different talents,
different resources,
to different servants.
Five to one.
Two to the second.
And one to the last.
And so four questions this morning.
Number one,
what does it mean to be faithful?
Does that mean successful?
Second,
what is this reward?
Is it a kind of promotion?
Third question,
what is unfaithfulness?
Unfaithfulness.
And what is going on with this kind of weird servant?
And then the last question,
is what about the punishment?
And is it unfair?
There are four brief questions.
Is anybody with me?
Any of you?
Two of you at least.
First of all,
what is unfaithfulness?
Verses 14 and 15,
15 of chapter 25,
a man is on a journey.
It's obviously Jesus.
He is leaving.
He entrusts property to three servants.
And he gives them basically resources.
I know the word talent.
Talent.
We often use for an ability,
or a gift,
or a skill.
But actually,
the word talent is a currency word.
And it's a very big currency word.
It's the word we might replace with a million.
So a talent is a huge amount of money,
almost a million.
So the servant goes to the first servant.
The master goes to the first servant,
and he gives him five million.
Second servant,
he gives two million.
Third servant,
he gives one million.
It doesn't mean that he's given five abilities.
That's how it's sometimes translated.
But I suppose,
if we were going to think about
what does it mean,
it means for us
everything that we've been given by God.
So resources,
abilities,
opportunities.
What do you have
which has been given to you?
The brain you've got.
The gifts that you've got.
The resources.
The plenty,
or maybe they're not so much.
Whatever it is
the Lord has given to you,
we may summarize as a talent
to be used in his servant.
And so,
servant number one,
if you look at verse 16,
he starts at once.
He's obviously faithful.
He's obviously keen.
The second servant,
verse 17,
seems to do the same.
Servant number three,
however,
buries the talent in the ground.
And we know,
that's not completely crazy.
We know from another parable
that people did that,
didn't they?
They buried treasure in the ground.
It was kind of a cheap bank.
And so burying in the ground
was a way of
keeping it safe,
of not doing anything with it.
And before we see the challenge
that the parable finishes with,
I want us to face that.
Before we get to the challenge,
I want you to see the comfort this morning.
Because the comfort in the first 10
of the 18 verses
is to encourage you.
Just note,
the two men are given
all that they need to be faithful.
Are they not shortchanged?
Are they not sent out
to do something
which is too difficult?
The master does not ask
impossible things
of his people.
He doesn't ask you
to pull a rabbit out of a hat
or to create success.
He doesn't say,
I'm sending you off with nothing
and I want you to produce masses.
I've been trying to
download episodes of the A-Team.
The A-Team was kind of a 1980s show.
You can pay for it on YouTube
ridiculously.
But do you remember,
there was a scene in the A-Team
in every episode
where the A-Team
were stuck in a garage
and in the garage
there was
a wheelbarrow,
a basketball
and a can of petrol.
And the next scene was
the A-Team would have created
a Sherman tank
and out they come
with guns firing.
They made enormous things
out of nothing.
But Jesus isn't like that.
He doesn't say,
I'm giving you nothing
and I want you to produce masses.
And then these men
use what they have.
Do you notice,
it's not super success.
They don't come out
with a thousand percent increase.
It's not fast either.
It seems to take
the whole of their lives.
The Master is away,
verse 19,
for a very long time.
The five produce five,
the two produce two.
And the response
from the Master
is as good as you could hope for.
He looks at his servants
and he edits one of the most
remarkable
and beautiful sentences
in the whole of the Bible.
He says,
well done,
good and faithful servant.
And he says exactly
the same thing
to the man
who had the five talents
as the guy
who had two talents.
And so I want to remind you
this morning,
and this is most of you
who serve the Lord
at home
or in work,
in the world,
in church,
and nobody
gets what you do
or it feels like that.
Maybe you think
nobody sees
what you do.
Maybe nobody
appreciates
what you do,
you think.
No one understands
what you do,
but you are seeking
as you can
to put God's word
into practice.
And this sentence
from Jesus Christ
is going to
totally compensate.
I'm not saying
it's easy to wait
for that sentence.
We know it's not.
I'm not saying
we shouldn't encourage
one another
as we wait
for this sentence.
But I am telling you
that Jesus,
these words from Jesus
will outweigh
every cost
and every struggle
at the end.
So before you use
this parable
this morning,
as some of you
will do to terrify
yourselves,
one of the tragedies
of passages
like this
is people who
should be comforted
will burden
themselves
and people who
should wake up
to themselves
will care
nothing at all.
It's always
the danger.
A sermon
that's meant
to comfort
the disturbed
and to disturb
the comfortable
ends up
comforting the comfortable.
So before you
terrify yourself
this morning,
I hope you
will remember
that this master
is a great
and gracious
master who gives
abundant resources.
And what he
asks of you
is willing service,
not superhuman
service.
the sort
of service
that says
I would like
to use
what I have
and you
will discover
that as you
do that
God is
thrilled
by such
faithfulness.
So faithfulness
means that
you are looking
at what God
has given you
and you are
thinking how
can I use
what God
has given me?
How can I do
what he's asked
me to do?
How can I use
the opportunities
that only you
have?
How can I use
the time
that God
has given?
So the second
question,
what's the reward?
And we can't
push all the
details in the
parable too
far,
but you'll see
the reward in
verses 21
and verse 23
is commendation.
Well done.
And it means
greater usefulness.
You've been
good in a few
things,
I'll now
give you many
things.
And thirdly,
come and
enter my
happiness.
These three
things are the
reward in the
parable,
the commendation
of Jesus.
And again,
I say to you,
you will value
that day and
his approval
immeasurably.
And if you
focus on
Jesus'
approval,
it will free
you from
many dangers
and disappointments.
The commendation
of Jesus,
wait for it.
The second
thing is that
reward,
isn't it,
of greater
faithfulness.
Verse 21
and verse 23,
you've been
faithful in a
few things,
I'll now
entrust you
with many
things.
It's ironic,
isn't it,
that the man
who's been
given five
million has
been told
you've been
faithful with
a few
things.
A few
things.
What could
the reward
be if you've
been given
five million?
And you're
now going to
receive many
things.
Luke says
in his
equivalent
passage,
you've been
given a
few coins,
you've done
well with a
few coins,
now I'm
going to
give you
some cities.
It's almost
absurd.
It's almost
as if the
master is
going crazy
with reward
and affection.
And we
want to
remember that
our master
is incredibly
generous.
And the
reason I'm
telling you
this is
because when
we come to
the third
servant,
if you've
got bad
views of
the master,
it will
affect
everything.
The third
part of the
reward is
that we're
invited to
share in
our master's
happiness,
literally to
enter into
the joy of
the master.
And that
could mean
entering a
joyful place,
but it may
well mean that
I want you to
enter into
my joy.
I think
that's the
sense of
the passage.
The master
is saying,
I want you
to rejoice
like I
rejoice.
I want you
to experience
what I
experience.
I want you
to know
what perfect
joy is.
And so
who is the
happiest person
in the
universe?
It's the
living God.
And that's
not because
he's careless
about suffering
and sadness,
those things
grieve him,
but God knows
exactly what
he's doing.
And nothing
gets in
his way.
And he
wants you
and I to
share in
his joy.
And when
you consider
how tragic
it is that
people look
away from
the Lord
Jesus Christ
for joy
and for
satisfaction
and their
happiness,
that idea
there is
that if I
just become
wealthy,
if I just
accumulate
and I spend
it on myself,
suddenly I'll
be satisfied.
It never
comes.
satisfies.
That if I
get personal
satisfaction,
we know that
it never
really satisfies.
It fills the
void for just
a little bit,
doesn't it?
Getting what
you dream
of.
Only a little
time.
But the
long-term
effect of
accumulating and
hoarding and
holding and
not releasing
is actually
deep dissatisfaction.
And even more
seriously,
self-preoccupation.
and the
inability to
serve or
sacrifice for
someone else,
the corrupting
of our
values.
And I
think there's
a danger
in the
situation we're
in at the
moment.
We know
that we face
that danger
that when
money rules
the day,
ethical
decisions
become economic
decisions.
When money
rules the
day,
ethical
decisions
become economic
decisions.
And when that
happens,
you're really
in trouble.
you're really
in trouble as
an individual,
as a family,
as a community,
and as a
nation.
Well, we've
been made
for Christ.
It is good
fellowship with
him that
will give us
deep joy
and peace.
And there's
no peace like
his peace.
And no joy
like his joy.
And his reward
is immeasurable.
Number three,
okay?
What is
unfaithfulness?
Now, I
think we know
what unfaithfulness
is.
But what
drives
unfaithfulness?
What is it
that drives
it?
Because in
Matthew 25
and verse
24,
the servant
who buried
the talent
has got a
problem with
the master.
Have you
noticed that?
He's got a
problem with
the master.
He says,
you are a
hard man
and you
don't sow,
but you
somehow expect
to harvest.
You don't
scatter,
but you
expect to
gather.
Well, in the
face of your
hardness,
master,
I hid
from fear
what you've
given to
me,
verse 25.
And so we've
got to ask,
where does this
kind of thinking
come from?
Because there
are people who
think like that
about God.
There are people
in churches
who think like that
about God.
I don't really
know exactly
where it
comes from.
It might
come from
bad teaching
or bad
modelling.
It could be
some kind
of perversity.
Where does
this idea
come from
that God
is a
ruthless
tyrant?
Well, we
know, don't
we, that
it's certainly
got echoes
from Genesis
3.
The serpent
comes,
doesn't he,
and he
sows that
idea to
the man
and the
woman.
And he
puts it in
their head
that this
God,
the God
who's given
them all the
beauty of
the garden
and everything
in creation
to enjoy
all the
trees,
all the
perfection,
that this
God is
actually holding
something out
on you.
He's actually
a bit of a
sadist.
He's a
cruel tyrant.
And when
you begin
to think
like that
of God,
it affects
the way
you behave.
It's so
completely
different from
the biblical
picture.
And if you
find yourself
unbalanced
in this area,
can I really
encourage you
this week
to look
through your
Bible,
to collect
every verse,
to balance
up and
even up and
even perfect
a proper
doctrine of
God.
Think of
verses like
Isaiah 30
verse 18,
the Lord
longs to be
gracious.
He rises
to show
compassion.
That's the
God of the
Bible.
And there's
something
disturbing
going on
here.
Where the
servant says
to the
master,
you are a
bit of a
tyrant.
The
master,
of course,
doesn't
agree,
verses 26
and 27.
And he
says,
even if
what you're
saying was
true,
the logical
thing,
wouldn't it
have been
better if
you just
put the
money in
a bank?
If you
were telling
the truth,
surely it would
have been
better just
stick it in
the bank and
get some
interest.
But this
servant is
actually speaking
very sinisterly.
And the
problem is not
the master.
The master,
do you remember,
he gives
everything that
his people
need.
And he
does not
take or
squeeze us
or treat us
unfairly.
The fatal
sentence is
there in
verse 26.
It's where
the master
lifts the
lid on the
servant.
And he
sees right
through this
excuse of
fear,
this ridiculous
idea,
and he
strips away
the excuses
and he
says,
it's a
very disturbing
line,
isn't it?
This servant
is wicked
and lazy.
The problem
is not the
master,
it's the
servant.
I
remember
seeing a
fridge
magnet
which
said,
Jesus is
coming,
look busy.
And it's
just repeating,
isn't it,
that kind of
double insult,
that he's a
bit of a
looming
tyrant.
looming
tyrant,
but you
can fool
him.
You can
get him
off your
back.
And that
is a
double insult.
The fact
of the
matter is
Jesus is
not,
God is
not a
looming
tyrant.
He's a
gracious
heavenly
father.
And he
deserves none
of our
insults.
And he's
also one
that sees
through our
excuses.
One
commentator
says,
this third
servant
has the
philosophy
play safe.
People do
play safe,
don't they?
They say,
I don't
want to get
hurt.
I don't
want to be
insulted.
I don't
want people
to think
badly of
me.
I'm just
going to
bury
everything.
I'm going
to be a
secret
disciple.
But the
truth is,
you cannot
be a
secret
disciple.
Because
either your
secrecy
kills your
discipleship,
or your
discipleship
will kill
your
secrecy.
The
third
servant's
philosophy
is do
no harm,
isn't
it?
Old
Bishop
Ryle,
he says,
this is
the
philosophy
of the
stone,
not the
servant.
It's a
great
sentence,
the
philosophy
of the
stone
on the
ground
to say,
I do
no harm.
Bearing
your
responsibility
according
to this
parable,
conducting
your
Christianity
as a
private
thing,
being
an
invisible
member
of
Christ's
fellowship,
coasting,
traveling,
being a
passenger,
refusing to
do what
he asks you
to do,
will lead
to you being
exposed.
and I
greatly
fear for
people who
think that
they're
getting away
with it
because it's
just impossible
on the
last day.
Last
question,
what is the
punishment?
It looks,
doesn't it,
really excessive
in verses 28
to 30.
The
gifts are
taken away,
the servant
is sent
away into
darkness,
which is a
code word in
the rest of
Matthew for
hell.
And you
wonder if
the servant
has really
been over
punished when
you first
read it.
You might
wonder,
well has he
lost his
salvation?
The answer
to that is
the man
never had
salvation.
He had a
whole life
of being
asked to
respond to
the master,
but he
chose to
refuse.
And reject
the master
for the
whole life,
and now his
time is
gone.
He's
obviously
treated the
master as
an enemy
and refused
to serve
him.
And it
sounds,
doesn't it,
just like an
unbeliever being
exposed to
what he
is.
Just like
in Matthew
21 with
the fig tree,
it had
leaves,
it was all
leaves,
but no
fruit.
Or the
bridesmaids
from last
week,
they've got
lamps,
but they've
not got
oil.
And this
man wanted
to distance
himself from
the master,
and run
his own
life,
and forget
about what
he was
obligated to
do.
And now
he gets
his wish
full blown.
C.S.
Lewis said
on one
occasion,
if you
stand outside
the door
of the
kingdom of
God,
and you're
invited to
go in,
and you
say no,
and you're
invited to
go in
again,
and you
say no,
and you're
invited to
go in
again,
and you
say no,
then when
the door
closes,
and you
find yourself
outside,
you can't
be surprised
that you're
outside.
Well,
of course,
all of us
deserve this
treatment.
We've
treated God
badly,
and we
have.
We've
viewed him
badly.
Our
rebellion
deserves the
casting away,
but there's a
word,
isn't there,
that we
can't read
in this
passage
without it
triggering
another
memory.
The word
darkness.
Because we
can't read
the word
darkness
without
remembering
that there
was someone
else who
has experienced
darkness for
us.
The one
reason that
you and I
can be at
peace,
the one
reason that
you and I,
even in this
situation,
can keep going
forward with
joy,
the one
reason that
even today,
in the midst
of this awful
situation,
we can be
glad of
forgiveness,
and the
future in
front of us,
is because
this person,
Jesus,
voluntarily went
into the
darkness.
And he
acted like
he was the
rebellious
servant for
us, so
that we
might be
treated as
the utterly
faithful
servant.
And it's
incredible that
what took
place at
the cross,
when Jesus
went through
with the
crucifixion,
was that he
took all the
darkness and
all the
rebellious,
rebellion of
servants like
you and
like me that
we deserve,
and he
dealt with
it.
And he
took it,
and he
consumed it,
and he
gives to
you and
us the
status of
servants and
sons,
and the
huge privilege
of serving
a heavenly
father with
the resources
that he has
given to
us,
that he
has provided,
to serve
him with
the strength
that he
gives us,
for the
days that
he gives
us,
for a
reward,
at the
end of
the
world,
which
will
outweigh
the
world.
He is
incredible.
And the
Lord has
given to
every believer
gifts and
graces,
and the
key is to
be willing,
not to be
successful,
but to say,
Lord,
here's the
day that
you've given
me,
and here are
the gifts
that you've
given to
me,
and here are
the graces
that you've
given to
me,
how can
I be
useful to
you today?
Because the
way you
live your
life will
say a lot
about how
you view
the
master.
Let's bow
our heads
in prayer.
Heavenly
Father, we
praise you
because you
are God
and there
is no
other.
You are
our rock
and our
refuge.
You are a
very present
help in
trouble.
We thank
you for
your word.
We thank
you for
how you've
spoken to
us through
it.
We thank
you that
it cuts
us,
that it
is so
clear.
We thank
you for
the gifts
that you've
given to
your people.
Lord, we've
seen that
even this
week.
And we
want to
pray that
you will
help us,
Heavenly
Father, to
use our
time wisely
and well,
to serve
you knowing
that you
are a
generous
master who
gives all
that we
need.
And
Father, we
come to
you in our
need and
our
dependence
this
morning.
And we
ask you
for help.
We know
that you
are sovereign
and that
you are
all-powerful
and that
you are
good.
We want
to pray for
those in
our
congregation
that are
unwell.
We ask
that you
might strengthen
them.
We ask
that you
might heal
them and
keep them.
we pray
that you
would give
to the
doctors
and the
nurses
treating
them
skill.
Heavenly
Father, we
pray for
those who
are anxious
about their
family members
and worried.
Lord, we
pray that you
would grant
them that
peace which
transcends
all understanding,
that it would
guard their
heart and their
mind in
Christ Jesus
and that they
would know
that they are
in your
hands and
you are
the almighty
God.
Heavenly
Father, we
pray that you
would keep us
from a
wrong fear.
We pray that
you would help
us to live
day by day
using this
time that
you've given
to us wisely.
We thank you
for our
government,
for the
health services,
for all
those in
authority.
And we
pray,
Heavenly
Father, that
you would
give a
supernatural
strength to
those caring
for others,
that you
would bless
them and
their families,
that you
would strengthen
them for the
task that
is ahead.
We pray,
gracious God,
that you
would use
this situation
to turn
many back
to you.
Lord, we're
aware that
we have no
answers and
we are
fragile and
life is
very brief.
And so,
gracious God,
may,
in your
sovereignty,
in your
power,
would you
turn many
to yourself.
Heavenly
Father, we
ask you to
forgive our
sins.
As we
read this
passage,
we're aware,
Lord, there
are many
ways we've
been unfaithful.
There are
things we've
said this
week, things
we've done,
things that we
should have
done, and
we ask your
forgiveness.
And we
thank you that
you are
gracious and you
are forgiving.
And the
blood of
Jesus Christ
cleanses us
from every
sin.
Lord, watch
over us this
day, for we
pray all these
things.
In Jesus'
strong name,
Amen.