Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Welcome to the second week of our summer-long series called Stories. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a good story. In this series, we are listening to some of the best stories ever told. These stories from Jesus are often called parables. These parables are stories of ordinary, common things. But through these stories, Jesus uses common things to teach uncommon truth.

Last week, we kicked off the series with the parable of the unmerciful servant. This week, we’re going to listen to one of the most well-known stories that Jesus ever told: the parable of the talents. We’re in Matthew 25 today. Let’s pray, and then we’ll listen as Jesus tells us the second story in our series.

Matthew 25, beginning in verse 14. “Again, [the kingdom of heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.

Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent 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 had received the five talents brought the other five.

'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. 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 the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; 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 had received the one talent 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 talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where 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.

Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.

For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” (Matthew 25:14-30, NIV)

This is one of my favorite stories that Jesus ever told because there is so much that we can take from it and apply in our lives. The truths in the story aren’t hard to understand. In fact, they’re really simple. For most of us, our problem isn’t that we don’t understand this story. It’s not hard to understand at all. The problem is we haven’t allowed the truth from this parable to move from our mind to our heart. It has never shifted from information to transformation. But that changes today. We’re going to see the practical, applicable truth in this story. And if you will allow Him to do it, God is going to change you today.

So let’s go back and walk step-by-step through this story. One thing to notice right up front…as far as we know, this parable is the last of these stories that Jesus ever told. His arrest, his trial, and his crucifixion were all imminent…and he knew it.

If you know you’re about to die, then you will make your words count. The fact that the Son of God chose to tell this story right before he was condemned to die should show us just how important this is to Him. And if it’s that important to Jesus, it had better be important to us.

In this parable, it’s easy to see who the different characters represent. The master represents Jesus. The different servants represent us as His followers. Once you know that, the parallels become really easy to see.

In this story, the master leaves on a journey. While he is gone, he puts his servants in charge of his possessions by giving them each different amounts of money to manage.

Verse 15 tells us, “To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.” (Matthew 25:15, NIV)

We learned from our story last week that a talent was the largest denomination of money in this time period. So these servants were each entrusted with substantial amounts of money.

But did you notice this? The master gave different amounts to the servants according to their individual abilities. He gave his servants five talents, two talents, and one talent respectively. The different allotments of money were based on the individual’s abilities.

We have all been given different abilities and opportunities. God has gifted you with the exact abilities and opportunities that He desires you to have. But some of us are far too critical of His handiwork.

How much time do you spend wishing that you were different? Wishing you had different gifts and different abilities? How much time do you spend comparing your abilities to someone else’s, wishing you were more like them?

This is a complete waste of time and, what’s worse, it is a sinful criticism about the will of God. God has gifted you with the exact proportion of the exact abilities that He wants you to have.

I have been so guilty of this in my life. I have wasted so much time wishing I was like somebody else. I have spent time wishing I could preach like this guy or write like that guy. I wish I was as smart as this person or as handy as that person. But the truth is that this is nothing more than a sinful waste of time.

I have not been called to be anybody but Mike Edmisten. God has wired me with the specific gifts and abilities that He wants me to have. And He has done the same for you.

Instead of wishing you had more or different gifts and abilities, make the ones you have work to your maximum ability.

In our story, the master gave the same praise to both the servant who received five talents and the servant who received two talents. He said to both of them, “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!”

He called them both “good and faithful” servants and he invited them to “come and share in your master’s happiness,” perhaps meaning that they would receive a bonus or other reward.

His reaction to both servants was the same, even though they had different abilities and different levels of productivity. They didn’t make the same amount of money for their master, but they received the same praise and appreciation. He didn’t compare them to each other. He judged how they handled they money based on their ability.

God doesn’t expect you to accomplish the same things as me. He doesn’t expect me to excel in the same areas as you. We have all been given different amounts of various gifts and abilities. What God cares about is how we use the gifts, abilities, and opportunities that He has given us.

Now, that doesn’t mean that you don’t stretch yourself. It doesn’t mean that you don’t accept challenges and take risks. In fact, that’s a key component of Jesus’ story.

The master called the first two servants “good and faithful.” Why? Because they took a risk to grow their master’s money.

But the third servant, who was given one talent, chose the safe route. He went and buried his talent in the ground so nothing could happen to it. He probably expected his master to be proud of how cautious he was with his money. But that’s not even close to what happened.

Starting in verse 24, Jesus said, “Then the man who had received the one talent 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.”

This servant immediately starts making excuses. He claims that his master is a hard man who makes a profit off the labor of others. In other words, his master is a shrewd businessman who has a knack for turning a profit. Risking any of his master’s money seemed too dangerous for this servant.

So this servant tells his master, “So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where 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.” (Matthew 25:24-27, NIV)

It was traditional Jewish thinking that burying money was the best way to keep your money safe from thieves. So this servant did exactly that. He chose the route of zero risk. He played it totally safe, and expected to be congratulated for being so cautious.

But instead, the master called him “wicked and lazy.” Later on in the parable, the master refers to him as “worthless.”

Jesus’ story turned conventional wisdom on its head…then and now. In this story, Jesus clearly shows us that God honors risk takers.

The two servants who risked their master’s money were rewarded. The one who played it safe was condemned. This flies in the face of the way most churches and most Christians operate.

Steven Furtick wrote, “How many Spirit-led and God inspired budget items and mission initiatives have been voted down by church boards and congregations because: “We can’t spend God’s money like that… we have to be good stewards.”

This is often code for: “We can get away with being cheap and faithless, if we blame it on God and couch it in Biblical terminology.”

Or how many of us in our individual lives miss opportunities to have incredible Kingdom impact simply because we won’t risk the money. Or we won’t risk leaving our comfort zone. Or we won’t risk trying something new.

Now, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be wise. There is a fine line between faith and foolishness. But you simply cannot deny the principle of Jesus’ story: the servants who risked the most received the greatest reward. The one who played it safe was punished.

Why do we not step out and take a risk in faith? Same reason the servant in the story didn’t do it: fear.

The servant told his master, “I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.” (Matthew 25:25a, NIV)

The servant allowed fear to cripple him. And because he allowed himself to be dominated by fear, Jesus said that he was wicked, lazy, and worthless.

That’s because if fear is our master, then Jesus is not. Either we will allow fear to lead us or we will allow Jesus to lead us…but it can’t be both.

This is a theme that the Bible hits on over and over and over again.

In Psalm 27, David wrote, “ The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1, NIV)

If you really believe that God is with you and you really believe that He will fight for you, what are you afraid of?

In the Philippians 4, the Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6, NIV)

Do not be anxious about what? Anything. Do not be anxious, do not be fearful, do not worry about anything. Give it over to God. Prayerfully seek His will for your life, and then go all out to follow it. Anything less is sinful. Worry is a sin. Anxiety is a sin. Fear is a sin.

If we constantly stress out, if we are afraid to do what God is called us to do, we are living like we believe that God is incompetent. We believe that He is unable to take care of us. We believe that He won’t honor us if we step out and take the risk that He is calling us to take.

The book of 2 Timothy says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NLT)

If you are living in fear, that is not the Spirit of God speaking to you. You are listening to a voice other than the voice of your Heavenly Father.

In our story, the last servant allowed fear to stop him from taking a risk to grow his master’s money. Instead, he played it safe, buried his gift, and therefore did nothing to grow his master’s assets.

We have all been given different abilities, gifts, and opportunities. And God’s expectation is that we will use those and go to work for His Kingdom. That means taking some huge risks.

Contrary to popular opinion, if we’re not willing to go all in on a God-directed risk, we are not good stewards. This parable should prompt us to ask some very tough questions.

If we’re not willing to put all the church’s money on the line to follow where God is leading, then why do we have it? If our vision is too safe, then we never have to rely on God to come through. We can rely on ourselves, and as soon as that happens, we cease to be people of faith.

If we’re not willing to risk everything to obey God, then how can we claim that we trust him?

If we’re not willing to look foolish in the eyes of faithless people, how can we claim that we are faithful? If you aren’t willing to look foolish, then God can’t use you.

Instead of a safe place, the church should be known for taking audacious risks. Instead of cautious, our world should see Christ-followers as the most dangerous people out there.

This principle is so crystal clear in our story. The servant who risked the most was rewarded the most. The servant who risked the least was condemned and punished.

And one more thing we need to see in this story…how the servants managed their current blessings determined their future blessings.

The master said the same thing to the first two servants who had been willing to take a risk with their money. “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!” (Matthew 25:21 & 23, NIV)

The master told them both, “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”

When we are faithful in small blessings, it sets us up for the opportunity to receive greater blessings.

God will not set you up to fail. He will not bless you beyond what you can handle. If you can’t handle smaller blessings, he will not give you greater blessings.

If you don’t take faith-filled, God-honoring risks with small blessings, you shouldn’t expect greater blessings. God simply will not do that to you. He won’t bless you beyond what you have proven that you can handle. It wouldn’t be loving if He did.

Ryan is currently begging me to take the training wheels off of his bike. Now, he would be thrilled if I would do that. To him, that would seem like a huge blessing…until he crashed. I know that he’s not ready yet. We need to keep raising the training wheels up, little by little, so he can learn to balance on his bike. Once he shows me that he can handle the small blessing, then he’ll receive the bigger blessing and we’ll remove the training wheels altogether.

But it wouldn’t be loving of me to just do what he wants me to do and take them off right now. I would be setting him up to fail. He would probably get hurt, because he can’t handle it right now.

God works in much the same way. He won’t give you greater blessings until you manage the smaller ones in a way that honors Him. In fact, if you don’t leverage the blessings you have, you could lose them altogether.

That’s what happened in our story. When the master found out that the last servant had buried his money in the ground, he said, “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matthew 25:28-29, NIV)

The master took away the lazy servant’s one talent and gave it to the servant who had ten. If you don’t leverage the blessings you have, you will lose them.

If our church doesn’t take advantage of our blessings, God will give them to another church.

If you don’t take a risk and use your blessings for God’s glory, he will give them to someone else.

Eduard Schweizer said it best. “God’s gift can never be passively possessed; it is like a muscle: it must be worked and stretched or it withers.”

If you want to sum up our story in one sentence, this might be it.

Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing you can do. Playing it safe is never honored in Scripture. Playing it safe doesn’t grow God’s Kingdom. Playing it safe means that you never have to rely on God to come through. Playing it safe means that I’m more concerned about my security than God’s glory.

It’s time for us as the people of God to get a little dangerous. God has given us all different amounts of abilities and opportunities. It’s time for us to take what He’s given us, step out, and shake things up.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: faith, Matthew 25, Parable of The Talents, parables, risk, Stories