MATTHEW 25:14-30 THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS What are you doing with your talents?

Matt 25:14 - Matt 25:30(TMNT) 14 “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. 15 To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. 16 Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. 17 The second did the same. 18 But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money. 19 “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. 20 The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment.

What are you doing with your talents? 21 His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ 22 “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. 23 His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ 24 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. 25 I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ 26 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? 27 The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. 30Throw him out into utter darkness.’

What are you doing with your talents? Purpose: To examine God’s expectations for our lives Objective: To understand that maximizing the talents that God has given you is not an option. He want’s a return on his investment.

What are you doing with your talents? Point 1. God simply did not make us all the same. We are all equal in the eyes of God. We are all guaranteed equal rights under the Constitution. In an election our votes are all equal. But when it comes to our abilities, we are as different as different can be. He called his three servants and divided his money between them, each according to their ability. To one servant he gave five talents, meaning a sum of money, to a second two, and to a third one.

What are you doing with your talents? There are some people who can handle five talents; there are some who can handle only one. There are some persons who have great intellectual capabilities, and some who do not. There are some who have the ability to project and articulate their thoughts, and there are some who cannot. There are some who have physical prowess and attractive looks, and there are some who do not.

What are you doing with your talents? The important thing to remember is that each servant was given something. No one was left idle. You may not be a five-talent person, but you have some talent. We all do. There are a whole lot more one and two talent people in this world than there are five talent people. There are some people who seem to have it all. But most of us are just one or two talent servants.

What are you doing with your talents? The landowner now went on his journey. When he returned he called together his three servants and asked them to give an account. It seems that the five talent man had invested his talent and was able to return an additional five talents, a 100% return. So, too the two talent man doubles his money. Well, done good and faithful servant. “

What are you doing with your talents? But what about the one talent man? He stepped forward and said: Sir, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow. So he returned that which he had originally been given him. The landowner, incensed, uses words such as “slothful” and “wicked.” Angrily he took the talent back and gave it to the servant who now had ten.

What are you doing with your talents? In the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel there are three parables told in a row: The Parable of the Bridesmaid, The Parable of the Sheep and Goats, and the Parable of the Talents. Essentially the same phrase is used in each: after a long time. The bridegroom comes after a long time. The landowner returns after a long time. The judgment comes after a long time.

What are you doing with your talents? Perhaps this is Matthews’s way of saying to us: Our master may be delayed in his return, but, in the meanwhile, what are you doing with the talent that has been entrusted to you.

What are you doing with your talents? Point 2: God expects a return and He helps people who help themselves. We had better not simply bury that which has been given us and return it when he comes. What God has given us does not belong to us. We are just stewards.

What are you doing with your talents? The star, or we might say the villain, of the story is the one talent man. The question is: why did he choose to do nothing with the one talent that had been given to him? We are not really given the answer. We are left to speculate. Let us speculate about his inaction… 1. Is his inaction due to the fear of failure? 2. Is his inaction due to the ‘What if” game? 3. He questioned if one little talent makes a difference?

What are you doing with your talents? Live fearless:  24 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. Live in fear:  25 I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

What are you doing with your talents? 28-29“‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. God bless people who take risk People who maximize the opportunities he has given them God helps those who help themselves

What are you doing with your talents? Purpose: To examine God’s expectations for our lives Objective: To understand that maximizing the talents that God has given you is not an option. He want’s a return on his investment.