So let's turn together now back to Matthew 25 and let's read this central parable and think
about that parable but the the wider teaching of Matthew 25 together. Again the kingdom of heaven
will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags and to another one bag, each according to
his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who received five bags of gold went at once and put
his money to work and gained five bags more. So also the one with two bags of gold gained two more
but the man who'd received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
The man who'd received five bags of gold brought the other five. Master he said you entrusted me
with five bags of gold, see I have gained five more. His master replied well done good and
faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master's happiness. The man with two bags of gold also came. Master he said
you entrusted me with two bags of gold, see I have gained two more. His master replied well done good
and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master's happiness. Then the man who'd received one bag of gold came.
Master he said I knew that you are a hard man. Harvesting where you have not sown and gathering
where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground.
See here is what belongs to you. His master replied you wicked lazy servant. So you knew that I harvest
what I have not sown and gather what I have not scattered seed. Well then you should have put my
money on deposit with the bankers so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be
given more and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have even what they have will be taken from
them. And throw that worthless servant outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. Amen. So here we are the parable that's often known as the parable of the talents.
And perhaps as we come to this we can come with a question. How does Christian hope
transform everyday life? I want to begin with a truth that the Christian church has what the world is
looking for. I came across recently a study done crossing 28 different countries asking the question
what worries the world? And the top answers is from August of last year. Now perhaps unsurprisingly
COVID-19 topped the list. Now but there was also unemployment, poverty, corruption and crime.
And to ask that question and to reflect on the answers it perhaps reveals that for many
looking at the world today there is a sense of anxiety. The question where is the world heading? It all
looks chaotic.
But what does Jesus say? What does the Bible say? About where the world is heading? It's very clear that
the world is not heading for chaos. It's not heading for destruction. The world and history is heading
for the return of Christ Jesus the King. It's heading for the renewal of all things in and under Christ.
There are many people in our world who are asking the question how can I find hope?
It's the cry of the lonely and the suffering. The anxious. Perhaps it's the question that everybody
asks as they take a look around and wonder what's going on. And again what does our Bible tell us about
hope? What does Matthew's gospel tell us about hope? Here is Jesus speaking about the end of times and his
return. And how does Matthew's gospel give us hope? Well after this, straight after this, chapters 26 to 28,
we find a focus moving towards the suffering and death of Jesus and the resurrection. And that's where
hope is centered because there at the cross and in the rejection, the betrayal, we see sin and evil and
darkness doing its worst against the king who is altogether good. But in the resurrection, we find
Jesus has defeated the darkness. Jesus is victorious over the devil and sin and death. He is the point of
hope. There is hope at what we could call the midpoint of history. It's Jesus and his resurrection. And that
true is the hope for the end point of history. Our hope is Jesus and the return of Christ the king. What he
has started, the cross and the resurrection, he will finish. Sin, suffering, death will be defeated and
destroyed. Once and for all, the world will be made new. God's people will enjoy life on this earth for all
eternity with a perfect savior. Jesus is our hope. But the question for today, and I think it's a question
we find in Matthew 25, is this. What difference does Christian hope make for everyday life?
What difference does the return of Christ make to my tomorrow? To how I live in my family, how I go to my
job? How does it shape my present living? So Matthew 25, Matthew 24 as well, Jesus teaches on the end times
and on his return. And as I said, we're going to focus on the central parable in Matthew 25, but we're
going to survey the key themes in all three. And here's what I want us to see. It's this. It's because
Christ is coming back. His servants, that's how the people of God are described, how we're called to
be servants. His servants should live with watchfulness, holiness, and faithfulness.
It's a very appropriate message for today, for new office bearers. We want our office bearers,
new or old, to be watchful, holy, and faithful. But that's a reality that should categorize all of
God's people, all of God's servants. So let's begin, first of all, by looking at our parable,
recognizing that the kingdom of heaven brings both privilege and responsibility. So our story
divides itself, I think, neatly into three different scenes. Again, this is one of these parables Jesus
tells, giving us a picture of the kingdom of heaven. The first scene, verses 14 and 15, we find some money
being distributed. Jesus tells the story of a master who's departing on a journey, and we discover that
the return of the master is an uncertain time. We don't know when that's going to happen. Verse 19,
we're told it comes after a long time. So he's going on a journey, and as he does, he entrusts his
property to servants. The NIV talks about bags of gold. So one of the confusing things about older
translations, they talked about talents, which maybe sounds like abilities, but actually it was a weight
of money, a weight of metal. So we can think about gold bags. Each bag, the experts tell us, would be
worth about 20 years of wages. And those bags are distributed, verse 15, each according to his
ability. So in verse 14 and 15, we discover two things. We discover that he's a master, and that
master has absolute authority over his possessions and over his servants. And we discover servants,
and they have an obligation of duty, an obligation to work for and to serve their master.
So that's the first scene. Second scene, verses 16 to 18, we discover the servants' actions. The
actions of three of those servants, two of them, we're told, verse 16, went at once. The good
servants put the master's money to work and gain more. So two, take positive action.
One, he digs a hole and hides the money in there. So remember, if you were here a few weeks ago,
we looked at a parable where it could be common in times of war or for security to dig a hole and
to put money there. But the problem is, and it becomes clear from the master's words, that he knows
this isn't the right thing to do. This is a refusal to do any work. This is disobedience on behalf of this
servant. So those are the actions. Two, put the money to work. One, digs a hole. And then verse
19 to 13, to 30 rather, is the day of reckoning. It's the settling of the accounts. And we're told
that this takes place after a long time. And so there's certain glimpses that we get reminding us
that within this parable, Jesus is teaching us about the theme. The theme is his return.
So Jesus has said in Matthew 24, verse 36, about the day or hour of his return, no one knows,
not even the angels in heaven, nor the sun, but only the father. So it's an unknown time of return
when Jesus will come back. But when this master who represents Jesus comes back,
he invites the servants to come. In verse 20, we can read,
the man who's received five bags of gold, brought the other five. Master, he said,
you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more. And then the one with two
does exactly the same thing. And both of them receive the same positive verdict. Well done,
good and faithful servant. That because they have shown themselves faithful with a few things,
there is this positive promise. Both that they will receive more responsibility,
but also there is this invitation to joy. Come and share your master's happiness. And again,
this is one of those moments where it takes us beyond the parable to thinking about the return
of Christ and the reality that will be true for his people sharing in the happiness, the eternal
happiness of Jesus. So this parable has this wonderful kingdom come theme where Jesus is saying,
faithful with a few, faithful in serving. Now you can look forward to a wonderful reward
when Jesus returns. Glorious work and glorious joy in the new heavens and the new earth for those who are
good and faithful. But of course there's the third servant, isn't there? That third servant who had
hard words to say about his master. I knew that you were a hard man. And so he overlooked his responsibility.
He actually misrepresents his master. He refuses to obey. He lacks love. He is unwilling to serve.
And so the master condemns this man. Verse 26, you wicked, lazy servant.
The master says, your own words condemn you. If you think I'm a hard man looking for things that I haven't
worked for, then why didn't you put my money to work in the bank? And there is a negative promise.
Verse 28, take the bag of gold from him. Verse 30, throw that worthless servant outside.
And again, even in this final moment of judgment, there's a reminder that this is about more than
just a story. This is about the return of Jesus the judge because of the language. Throw that worthless
servant outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
darkness and misery, pictures of eternal judgment in hell for those who refuse and reject the master.
Those who receive this verdict of worthless. And we have this solemn reminder from Jesus that to
dishonor this master, to disobey this master is to have no place in his joy, but rather to know
eternal misery. The kingdom of heaven brings privilege and responsibility as we see from this parable.
Now I imagine there's elements of this story that we have seen. Possibly we've seen it in our office or
workplace. Possibly we've seen it in our classroom. The boss or the teacher isn't around. They have to go
away for a while and then they don't come back for a little while. Perhaps the boss is away for a meeting
all afternoon. And what happens in those situations is sometimes you'll find that people will divide
into two categories. Some will continue to graft, to try and work hard, to stay on task. But other people
take the opportunity to laze around. Take the opportunity to take advantage of this freedom. Ah,
the person in charge is away. So let's do as we please. And sadly, Jesus' parable reminds us that
we can see the same with regards to Jesus. That while some will be faithful, some will not.
He, Jesus, is the master. He is the one who will depart. And remember, Matthew's going to go
straight from this parable to his going to the cross, rising from the tomb, and then returning
to heaven. So he's going to depart to glory by way of the cross and the resurrection. Jesus is the one
who gives, as it were, these spiritual bags of gold to his people. It is in Jesus that we find new life.
It is in Jesus that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It's through trusting in Jesus that we have
the hope of eternal life. It's Jesus by the Spirit who gives spiritual gifts. These are all privileges
that we have in the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus, our master, calls for service.
He gives each one of us, having made us in his image, having made us all unique, gifts, abilities,
and opportunities. And they look very different for each one of us. And in different seasons of life,
they will all be different. But we all have that responsibility, whatever our gifts, abilities,
opportunities, to honor him. To be at work in his kingdom. There's that responsibility within the
kingdom of heaven. And notice, and it's so important for us to notice, how does the master speak? He speaks,
well done, not good and successful servant, well done, good and faithful servant. It's faithfulness
that our master, the Lord Jesus, is looking for in our everyday life.
So Matthew 25 in this parable is reminding us, this master who has departed, who gives gifts,
who expects work, will come back one day. He will return on the day of judgment. And on that day,
he will pass a verdict on all of our lives. And the question we all need to ask ourselves today,
not on that day, not on that day, as today, is what will the verdict be on my life?
What word am I going to hear from Jesus on that day?
Because this parable tells us, in all seriousness, there will be some who will hear worthless.
Why? Because they refuse the call of Jesus, the master.
No faith, no obedience. Wasting of gospel privileges. Heard the gospel, had the chance of fellowship in a church.
You know, we often think about the unreached people groups, hundreds of millions of people,
never heard the name of Jesus. We have.
If we waste those privileges, we will hear worthless.
The verdict, that's not the verdict we want, is it? We want to hear, well done, good and faithful servant.
We want to be those who today and every day choose to honor Jesus as master.
Who live with faithfulness to him and his commands.
Who use what he has given to honor him.
Three actions I think we can all helpfully take.
The first is that we can pray.
Perhaps we need to confess the ways that we've not been faithful.
Perhaps we need to pray that we would endure and persevere in faithfulness.
Perhaps we need to pray to see the opportunities that God gives us to be faithful in his kingdom.
Secondly, we need to encourage one another.
We are called into local churches into fellowship and we need to support and spur one another on to love and good works.
To encourage one another towards this kind of faithfulness.
And three, we are to serve as we are able.
Serve as we are able.
We all have different abilities and different opportunities and those are given to us by God.
And so we shouldn't grumble and we shouldn't be proud and we shouldn't be envious.
Rather, we should look to think and to pray.
How can I be faithful today?
Recognizing the kingdom brings privilege and responsibility.
Well, having thought for a few minutes about this parable in detail, let's scale back.
Let's think wide angle over this whole chapter to recognize that there are three parables here from which we can draw three commands.
But again, just to recognize that as Jesus teaches, Matthew 24, 25, as he knows the cross is coming, he also knows he will rise again.
So he knows he must suffer and die to save sinners.
He knows he must rise again to show his power and victory over sin and death and the devil.
And that's the focus of Matthew 26 to 28.
But he also knows, and it becomes clear from these chapters, that he will return.
He will return as the last stage of the Father's salvation timetable.
And here in Matthew chapter 25, he gives instructions, particular instructions.
Instructions for his servants.
So every Christian is called to be a servant.
Instructions for servant.
And how to live with faith and hope until his return.
So let's look at three emphases we can get from each of these parables.
First, servants of Jesus live with watchfulness.
John Piper, a number of years ago, wrote a really helpful book called Don't Waste Your Life.
It's a really powerful book, actually.
And what prompted that, it was a story he read in a magazine.
It was a story of a retired couple who obviously had made plenty of money during their working careers.
And as they retired, they thought, here's what we'll do.
We'll buy ourselves a fancy yacht and we'll sail around from bay to bay, coast to coast, and we'll collect shells.
And I think it was Time Magazine did an article on this couple.
And John Piper read, and he thought, what a tragedy.
To spend years of your life lazing about collecting shells.
We were made for so much more than that.
We were made for eternal joy.
And we were made with present purpose.
And Matthew 25 gives us our purpose to use our time, to use our talents for our King.
And so that first parable, the parable of these ten virgins, these ten young women, waiting for a bridegroom to begin a wedding feast, really emphasizes watchfulness.
So if you have your Bible, you can turn back to 25, 1 to 13.
What we discover there are two groups of young women.
One group who are wise, one group who are foolish.
What makes the difference is that some are prepared to wait a long time for the bridegroom to come back.
Others are not prepared.
So they have their lamps, they have their lights to welcome.
Some bring extra oil, and some don't.
And what happens at the end of the story?
The cry goes out, here comes the bridegroom.
Get ready.
Only half hour.
So some enter the feast, and some in the end are sent away.
Jesus says to us, to be wise is to be ready for Christ's certain return.
The return is certain.
The timing is not.
So we need to live as people who are watchful.
But I think there's a particular emphasis that we can also take from this, from these two groups side by side, perhaps looking identical,
until the point where we realize some are ready and some are not.
Being around those who are ready to meet with Jesus is not enough.
Being around those who have faith in the Lord Jesus, who have trusted him personally, is not enough.
Faith cannot be shared.
Holiness cannot be shared.
Personal commitment is required.
Servants of Jesus live with watchfulness.
The first way to be ready is to be trusting in Jesus.
But again, as we sort of think about our big question, where's the world heading?
This parable reminds us, chaos is not the final destiny.
The return of Christ is the opportunity, the invitation to great joy.
It's where the world is heading.
And so we need to be watchful and not lose sight of that.
Not lose sight of our need to be right with God.
Need to be right with God today.
To not lose sight of what is of first importance.
How easy it is to start collecting shells and not to realize we're wasting our lives.
Not to lose sight of being ready to meet our maker and our master.
To not lose sight of this future award.
This wedding feast is such a powerful image in the Bible.
The Bible speaks of eternal life as being like a wedding feast.
A place of joy that lasts forever.
Where Jesus is the bridegroom and the church, the people who are trusting him, they're like the bride.
And so joy is our future when we are prepared for the return of Jesus by putting our trust in him.
So servants of Jesus live with watchfulness.
Secondly, servants of Jesus live with holiness.
So sometimes we'll see different variations of the fly-on-the-wall documentary.
Now whether that's following a sports team.
Whether that's following a group of children in a classroom.
Whether that's a fly-on-the-wall documentary looking at a particular company.
One of the things that will always reveal is,
how do people act behind closed doors when the boss isn't around?
Does that particular group in focus maintain their values when the person in charge is away?
And that's one of the great emphases of Matthew 25.
Our master Jesus calls us to match his heart and his values.
To live serving him even while he is absent.
And what is Jesus like?
Jesus is holy.
As the eternal son of God, he is without sin.
He is in a different moral category from us.
And as Jesus, the God-man,
he is the one who never sinned.
But always lived to please his father.
Always lived for the glory of his father.
And his people are told,
Be holy because I am holy.
To be holy.
First by trusting in Jesus that he would make us holy.
And then recognizing that united to Jesus.
That Jesus, by his presence and power in us,
transforms us and enables us to be holy,
to love as he loves.
And we can see that in the third parable in Matthew 25.
The parable of the sheep and the goats.
Again, it's a parable of separation, isn't it?
There are the sheep who receive reward,
the goats who receive judgment.
And within this parable,
there's that call to follow the example of Christ.
What do all of these,
when he says,
I was hungry, you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger, I needed clothes,
I was ill, I was in prison.
What are they?
They're examples of self-giving love
for the sake of others.
Sacrificial love,
especially for the weak and the poor.
Who's that a picture of?
Isn't that a picture of the Lord Jesus?
Doesn't that reveal his heart,
his values, his love?
And so Jesus is saying,
when he is absent,
while we wait his return,
servants of Christ are to show a measure of real,
lived out obedience to the will of God
in the way that we love others.
It's a way of showing our practical holiness.
That we would heed that command of Hebrews 12, verse 14,
make every effort to live in peace with everyone
and to be holy.
Without holiness,
no one will see the Lord.
So a question for us to ask,
is holiness a priority for me today?
Is that something I take seriously?
Is that something I ever think about?
Am I watchful of my words and actions,
my thoughts and emotions?
Is my life bearing the fruit of love
towards God and to others
because the Holy Lord Jesus has saved me
and is empowering me
and is living within me?
Servants of Jesus live with holiness.
And then to circle back to the central parable,
to recognize that servants of Jesus
live with faithfulness.
So I just finished a missionary biography
of a guy called James O. Fraser,
who's a missionary to the Lizu people in China.
And when he died,
there was sort of reports
from his missionary team
that were recorded in the book.
And what you got a sense was
that they'd lost both a great leader
and a great friend.
They'd lost a role model
and a real source of encouragement.
But there was one missionary
who wrote something that
just really connected
with my thoughts this week
on this passage.
When she said this,
Isabel Kuhn,
you may have heard of her,
she wrote,
it is one thing to be praised
by a person who has no experience
of your task.
It is quite different
to win a well done
from one who is himself
a master
in that very line of things.
They loved
when James O. Fraser said well done
because they knew
that he had lived well
as a missionary.
Now think about
what we just read,
what's central to our parable
is the Christian hope
of hearing
well done,
good and faithful servant.
From who?
From the Lord Jesus
who is the
great
servant.
he was perfectly
faithful to his service.
Always found doing
his father's will.
Always seeking to bring
his father glory
all the way to the cross.
Dying to serve us
by saving us.
And what's Jesus doing now?
Still serving us.
He's still living
to plead our cause.
He's still living
to pray
for his people.
Always.
praise.
The one who says
well done,
good and faithful servant
is the one who served us
so faithfully
and continues to do so.
And what this parable
calls us to do
is to live as faithful
servants in response.
Knowing just how good
and faithful
Jesus has been
to us
and for us.
With hearts
that are full of love
for him
we are called
to be faithful.
The parable reminds us
we'll be held accountable
for what we do
with the message
and how we serve
in the kingdom.
And remember
it's not good
and successful
it's good
and faithful.
Faithfulness is vital.
Faithful in our
everyday obedience.
With that desire
that in the end
we'd hear well done
not worthless.
So the return
of Christ
fuels
Christian hope.
It gives us
that reminder
against the anxiety
that panics
and wonders
where is the world
heading.
We know it's heading
for the return
of Christ.
It speaks
certain hope
against the wistful
thinking
that hopes
are we as people
we can save the world
we can create
some kind of
heaven on earth.
No our hope
is fixed
on the Lord Jesus
a living
returning
saviour.
And because
he is coming back
one day
because he is coming
back
to speak
a word
over us
every day
we are to live
watchful
holy
faithful
lives of service
that we would hear
well done
on that day.
by trusting
him as saviour
and living
for him
as king.
Let's pray
briefly
about that now.
Lord God
once again
we give you
thanks
that Jesus
the master
in this parable
is also
the suffering
servant
the one
who gave
his life
as a ransom
for sinners
the one
who ever
lives
to plead
our cause
to make
intercession
for us
in heaven
and we pray
that you would
help us
to be faithful
that even
as
his return
can sometimes
seem so
distant
in our minds
we pray
that you would
help us
to fix
our hope
fix our eyes
on eternity
so that we would
live with
watchfulness
keep our eyes
on the Lord
Jesus
so that we would
live with
holiness
Lord we pray
that you would
transform
our everyday
reality
as you would
impress
upon our
hearts and
lives
the reality
of the return
of Christ
Lord we pray
that this
message
would be
one that
would be
heard
in our
city today
and heard
in our
nation
today
for those
who feel
hopeless
for those
who are
terribly
anxious
about what's
happening in
the world
today
help them
to see
Jesus
as that
fixed
point
that point
of certain
hope
and may
they entrust
themselves
to him
Lord we pray
in particular
this week
as our
church will
be in
general
assembly
we pray
for ministers
and elders
who will
gather
together
to hear
reports
and to
have
discussions
and to
make
decisions
Lord may
we have
that sense
of
watchfulness
and may
you give
us as a
church
faithfulness
may you
help us
to pursue
holiness
as a
church
in this
nation
as we
seek to
be about
our
master's
business
Lord we
pray that
you would
raise up
more
workers
for
serving
you here
in Scotland
and around
the world
more who
could preach
and teach
more who
could train
and disciple
Lord that
you would
continue
to build
your church
among us
Lord help
us to
continue to
reflect
to allow
your word
to ask
questions
of our
hearts
we pray
and may
you by
your spirit
so work
in all
of us
that we
would be
ready
to meet
with the
Lord Jesus
and that it
would be
your will
that each
one would
hear well
done good
and faithful
servant
as you would
cause us to
turn from sin
and to trust
in Jesus
and we pray
in his name
Amen