1. It's Talent Time!
cc: Dmitry Moraine -

2. Matthew 25:14-30
cc: Aaron Burden -

3. “Again, it 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.

4. The man who had 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 had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

5. “After a long time the master of
those servants returned and settled accounts with them. “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!’

6. “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!’

7. “Then the man who had 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.’

8. “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.

9. “‘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.

10. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there
will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.’
21 “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!’

11. Listen for God's call to gather
We gather because God has called us to –
We work until we hear the call….
(Illus. Bob Logan’s admonition – if you can’t believe God for five people, then go to work at Walmart…….)
We exist as servants to serve Him
Battle takes place regarding who we serve
for God's call to gather
cc: kyle smith -

12. Release your gifts to be used Power to act on His behalf, not ours
Given us clear instructions in His Word
Each one of us is given some ability
God knows our abilities
Release
your gifts to be used
cc: Froghorn Leghorn -

13. your God given creativity
He went on a long journey
After a long time
He does not micromanage His resources
Allows us to express our abilities
He usually allows ample time to use abilities
The number of talents determines our starting point, not our ending point
Free
your God given creativity
cc: mikecogh -

14. Look Forward to the rewards He does settle accounts
(Illus. the flip notebook - …………..)
He has expectations based on our
abilities
He does not compare us to someone
else
Verbal affirmation vs. 21,23
Recognizes character
Solid work ethic
Goodness flows out of obedience
(Illus. Opposite of evil, also an emphasis on beneficial, useful, helpful….you know these kind of people…….just a thought – God has created all of us to be useful in some way……..)
Trustworthiness is something you can see
Puts faithful servants in charge of more
Allows us to experience the joy of his presence
Personal invitation – he insists – its actually a command
Party time!
(Illus. Faithfulness has a payoff…….Hebrews 12:1-3 but for the joy set before him……)
Look Forward
to the rewards
cc: mostafa meraji -

15. Overcome fear with faith Fear distorts our view of God
I knew you were harsh; you were impossible to please, no matter what I did, so I didn’t even try
Fear results from a lack of faith in God’s abilities and leads to a paralyzing lack of fruit
Fear leads to dreading God’s presence
Fear has a negative impact on our behavior
Fear results in loss:
God’s affirmation
Our abilities
Our reward
Our fellowship with the master and others
Our security – alone, in pain and in the dark
Romans 8:15 read
Matt 1:20, 10:26, 28:5, 10
Luke 1:30, 2:10, 12:4
Then Luke 12:32………read……
Revelation 2: Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
Overcome
fear with faith
cc: Amanda Perez -

16. Closing Thoughts
The level of gifting may be different but the level of faithfulness is the same
Doing nothing is doing harm - God’s abilities are meant to be used for the benefit of others, not to be buried and neglected
It’s not that the servant put the money to work, but rather he went to work with the money….
some....
cc: Gisela Bonanno -

17. It's Talent Time! Are you listening for God’s call?
How have you released your gifts to be used?
Free your God given creativity
What are you looking forward to ?
How is fear keeping you from using your talents?
cc: Dmitry Moraine -