Blessed to Be a Blessing

September 3, 2023 · Brad Yates

Listen Transcript Study guide Save

Scripture referenced 10 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Matthew 25:14-30 the parable of the talents, the central text of the sermon

14 “For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.
16 Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
17 In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two.
18 But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them.
20 He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.’
21 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
22 “He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.’
23 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter.
25 I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter.
27 You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest.
28 Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away.
30 Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Keep this verse

Matthew 22

the great commandment, love God and love your neighbor, cited as Jesus summarizing the law and prophets

1 Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying,

2 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son,

3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come.

4 Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!”’

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise,

6 and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.

7 When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy.

9 Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’

10 Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.

11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing,

12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless.

13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’

14 For many are called, but few chosen.”

15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk.

16 They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach, for you aren’t partial to anyone.

17 Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites?

19 Show me the tax money.” They brought to him a denarius.

20 He asked them, “Whose is this image and inscription?”

21 They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

22 When they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went away.

23 On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him,

24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’

25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.

26 In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh.

27 After them all, the woman died.

28 In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like God’s angels in heaven.

31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,

32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

33 When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.

35 One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,

42 saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.”

43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’

45 “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

46 No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forward.

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

Romans 14:23

whatever is not from faith is sin, applied to the third servant's fearful inaction

23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it isn’t of faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin.

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

1 John 4:16-19

God is love, perfect love casts out fear, we love because he first loved us

16 We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

17 In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

James 1

having joy in the midst of suffering, cited in connection with trials becoming blessings

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord.

8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position;

10 and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.

11 For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in his pursuits.

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.

14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death.

16 Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.

18 Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

20 for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.

21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror;

24 for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is worthless.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

Matthew 7:21

Jesus warns that some in the church will be revealed as false followers

21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

Hebrews 13

leaders will be called to account for the souls entrusted to them

1 Let brotherly love continue.

2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.

3 Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body.

4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

5 Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”

6 So that with good courage we say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

7 Remember your leaders, men who spoke to you the word of God, and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith.

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

9 Don’t be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the holy tabernacle have no right to eat.

11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside of the camp.

12 Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside of the gate.

13 Let us therefore go out to him outside of the camp, bearing his reproach.

14 For we don’t have here an enduring city, but we seek that which is to come.

15 Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name.

16 But don’t forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch on behalf of your souls, as those who will give account, that they may do this with joy, and not with groaning, for that would be unprofitable for you.

18 Pray for us, for we are persuaded that we have a good conscience, desiring to live honorably in all things.

19 I strongly urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you sooner.

20 Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,

21 make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

22 But I exhort you, brothers, endure the word of exhortation; for I have written to you in few words.

23 Know that our brother Timothy has been freed, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you.

24 Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. The Italians greet you.

25 Grace be with you all. Amen.

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

Romans 5

we have peace with God because we have been justified in Jesus

1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

2 through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance;

4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope:

5 and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

6 For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die.

8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him.

10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

12 Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.

13 For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law.

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.

15 But the free gift isn’t like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

16 The gift is not as through one who sinned: for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses to justification.

17 For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

18 So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life.

19 For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous.

20 The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

21 that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

Revelation 21:5

he who sits on the throne said behold I am making all things new

5 He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.”

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

Romans 12

closing benediction urging believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices, their true and proper worship

1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.

2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.

4 For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function,

5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

6 Having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith;

7 or service, let us give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching;

8 or he who exhorts, to his exhorting: he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.

10 In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;

11 not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer;

13 contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.

18 If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.

19 Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”

20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

World English Bible · Read it in another translation

Keep this verse

Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

Brad walked the congregation through Jesus' parable of the talents in Matthew 25, making the case that followers of Christ are not called to hold what they've been given but to put it to work for the kingdom. The sermon landed squarely on the question of what it looks like to be ready for Jesus' return, and the answer Brad kept coming back to was faithful, active service rather than cautious self-protection.

What was said

Brad opened by making clear that the parable is not about earning salvation. The point is the response that flows out of understanding what we've been saved from, who did the saving, and what we've been freed to do. Once a person grasps that, they rightly see themselves as servants of the master, entrusted with resources that belong to him and are meant to be used for him.

He paused to give the congregation a sense of the scale involved. A talent in the first century was worth roughly twenty years of a laborer's wages, which Brad put at around a million dollars in familiar terms. Even the servant who received just one talent was handed an enormous sum. The point is that every one of us has been entrusted with something significant, and the common word "talent" in modern English actually comes from this very parable.

Brad's favorite figure in the story was the servant who received two talents, whom he called Deuce. Deuce almost certainly knew that another servant had received two and a half times as much to work with, and yet the parable records no grumbling. He simply got to work. The commendation the two faithful servants received was identical, "well done, good and faithful servant," and Brad stressed that the master did not say "way to be clever" or "great orthodoxy." The measure was faithfulness, not volume of return.

The contrast with the third servant gave Brad his sharpest point. That servant was not condemned for doing something immoral. He was condemned for doing nothing. Brad quoted Romans 14:23, that whatever is not from faith is sin, and argued that inaction driven by fear falls squarely under that judgment. Fear is powerful, he said, but it is not a sustainable fuel. It can freeze a person just as easily as it can drive them to wrong action.

Brad pushed back against two tendencies he sees in the wider evangelical church. One is using fear of hell as the primary motivator, and the other is a version of grace that asks nothing of the person who has received it. He said both can draw a crowd and both contain a grain of truth, but separately they are incomplete pictures of what Jesus actually taught about the kingdom. The result of living by fear instead of love, he said, is the exhaustion of putting on a face that is not coming from genuine faith.

The corrective Brad pointed to was from 1 John 4, that perfect love casts out fear, and that we love because God first loved us. The sequence matters: God loves, we receive that love, and then out of that we serve without fear. He applied this personally, saying he will one day give an account for everything, including his motivations for teaching, and that his only confidence in that moment comes from what Christ has already accomplished, not from his own record.

Brad closed by bringing the parable back to its largest frame. The whole Olivet discourse, he reminded the congregation, is about the return of Jesus. The one perfectly faithful servant was Jesus himself, and he is coming back. That fact, Brad said, is not a reason to play it safe on the sidelines. It is a reason to get in the game and trust God with the outcomes, knowing that when the master returns he will make everything right.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

Brad said that blessings are meant to flow through us, not to us. Where in your own life do you notice yourself treating what God has given you as something to hold onto rather than something to pass along?
Brad described 'Deuce,' the servant with two talents, as someone who simply got to work without grumbling, even knowing someone else had been given more. Is there an area of your life where you find it hard to be faithful with what you have been given because you are focused on what someone else has?

and 3 more questions in the guide

Open the study guide

Read the full transcript 7,046 words

Find in this transcript

Alright. Good morning, everybody. How are doing? Shall we start by worshiping in song? And may I introduce real quick here?

We have Julia and Evan, if they would raise their hands. And then we have Jeff. That's Emily's dad, Jeff. And Emily and Andreas just had their first child too, Dietrich. So can we just give our little a little hand and just a thanks to God for a new little one.

And welcome back, Emily. And which can we stand together, and we'll sing, we'll begin with at Calvary when they came to the place of the skull, they crucified him. We're talking about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring that my lord was crucified, knowing not it was for me, he died at Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary. By God's word at last my sin I learned, and then I trembled at the lights burn till my guilty soul imploring her at Calvary.

Mercy there was great, and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There, my burdens sold them liberty at Calvary. Now I've been giving to Jesus everything. Now I gladly owe him as my king.

Now my rapture told me, sing of cowardly. Mercy there was great, and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdens all found liberty at Calvary. Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan.

Oh, the grace that brought it down to man. Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. Mercy there was great, and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdens all found liberty at Calvary.

Amen. And on to wonderful grace of Jesus.

Wonderful grace on Jesus, reaches me. Wonderful, the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea, higher than the mountains sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient trees for even me. Broader than the scope of my transgressions, deeper than the mighty rolling sea, higher than a mountain sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me, Broader than the scope of my transgressions, greater far than all my sin and shame. Wonderful grace reaching the most defile by its transforming deeper than the mighty rolling sea. Higher than the mountain, the fountain, all sufficient grace for even me.

Broader than the scope of my transgressions.

Does anyone have to take a breath

after that?

I do. You can have a seat for a moment. And from the back, Blake has a few announcements for us.

Good morning, church. Just a couple of announcements. Monday night's on pause right now, but we are looking forward to the beginning of Awana starting soon on Monday, September 18. Pay no mind to the nineteenth on the slide up there. And also there's a volunteer meeting on September 11.

So if you care to volunteer, please know that that meeting is coming up. Also it's giving seasons for Old Bills Fun Run. Many of you know what Old Bills is, but we use that here at First Bee. If you want to give to First Bee through old bills, $1 ends up being about a dollar and 0.5 and we use that for a benevolence fund. When people come into church needing help, we're able to assist them because of that benevolence fund.

So that's what we use our old bills giving and that's through September 15. So that's coming to an end shortly as well. Also a number of Bible studies that I'm gonna go through real quick. The precept Bible study is starting again. That's starting on September 14 at 9AM in the Fellowship hall.

There is a contact for Heidi up there. That's her telephone number. There's also been a long running women's fellowship study that meets every Thursday night, a group of women they meet, have food, and have fellowship. I think they're studying the book of Daniel this fall. Also, Rooted, another Bible study from the JH woman's Bible study that's coming up.

And then we'll get to the culmination of this Will Graham. We've had several studies, but the culmination is in Idaho Falls, September twenty third and twenty fourth. And just know if you want to get more involved or more information on any of those Bible studies, can go to the office and ask for Nick or Diane. And also sign up for our weekly bulletins that go out to your email every week and it also gives you a heads up and look into what we're gonna be studying this coming Sunday. So if you all would stand up, greet one another and we'll come back together in song.

Thank you, Blake. Yeah. Would you say hi to the people around you and we'll bring you back in song.

God forgave my sin in Jesus name I've been born again in Jesus name

That song is so fitting as it goes with the sermon today, the parable of the talents. We have been We've been freely given and we're to give to others to use what has been given. A blessed blessed to be a blessing. Let's sing one more song here before we sit down. It's worthy of worship.

You can have a seat here for for a moment. This is the worship through giving part of the service, and I'll ask our couple of ushers to come forward. And, Steve, may I ask you to to pray this

morning? Alright. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, it's so fun to come to your church and we're so grateful that you told us that we can give back and so we give a little bit of what you've given us today and we ask that you bless it and that you would accomplish your will with these funds. Thank you for giving us this time.

Amen.

You, Evan and, Emily and Julia. So appreciate having you, really. And your love for music and your talent for music blesses us. Amen? Amen.

Yeah. I would like to invite up Brad and perhaps a scripture reader. Is that you this morning? That's me. Alright.

So Steve's gonna read the scripture, and then Brad is going to teach on it. So I'm gonna hand it to you.

Thank you, Steve. You bet. It is really good to be with you guys today. Brad asked me to do the scripture reading for today and that's really cool. It, you know, it's God's word and the thing that always impresses me about God's word, it's like a diamond.

You you just keep turning. It's like God himself. You know, it's all those facets. And you take this story, and he speaks to so many issues. And I'll bet you Brad's gonna turn that diamond just a little bit more for us today because I got to hear the second part, which was really good.

I'm anxious to hear the first part. So anyway, this is from Matthew. Excuse me just a minute. I miss my eyes the most. Okay.

So this is from the book of Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 through 30. The parable of the talents. For it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability, and then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded them and he made five talents more.

So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more, saying, master, you delivered to me 5 talents, here I have made 5 talents more. His master said to him, well done good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much.

Enter into the joy of your master. And he also who had the two talents came forward saying, master you delivered to me two talents, here I have made two talents more. His master said to him, well done good and faithful servant, You've been faithful over a little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. He also who had received the one talent came forward saying, master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.

So I was afraid and I went and I hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours. But his master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, give it to him who has the 10 talents.

For everyone who has will more be given and he who will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away and cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be white weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Thanks, Steve. Good morning. Got this off. I always want to make sure that I'm not about to like ruin everyone's hearing. So if you're visiting us on this Labor Day weekend, my name is Brad Yates, and I'm excited to say happy Labor Day Because the weather's cooling off, the traffic's calming down, and for those of you that are parents, you made it.

The kids are going back to school with which is particularly poignant with my kids' teacher, missus Feasor here. But in view of Labor Day, I have a question for you. Have you ever not done your job? And I mean, like, really not done your job. Because in preparing the sermon, I thought of a time that I had that I'm gonna share with you.

So this is 2016, and Natalie and I had just welcomed our firstborn, Jack, into our lives. And those of you that have been parents, you know that the first time take notes. The first time that mom leaves dad and baby at home alone to go take care of herself, this is a big deal. And I had a friend of mine, he told me, he said, look, I don't care if the house is on fire. You do not bother that woman.

And and he also said, look, here's the other thing that's gonna happen. Is you're gonna do all your tips and tricks. You're gonna use everything that you've learned. You're gonna keep them happy. And then you're gonna look down and you're gonna realize it's been four minutes.

And you've got a long way to go. And so that that took place. And Jack wasn't didn't have colic but he was the pretty fussy crying kid. And not anymore, thankfully. But he just cried a lot.

And so I went through he's you know, Natalie leaves. We do the things. It's been like four minutes. He starts crying, and I'm doing all the things. And he just keeps crying.

So Natalie finally comes back home and she'd gone to a yoga class, gotten her hair done or something like that that needed to happen for mental health. And she walks in the door and she can hear Jack crying. And I'm seated on the couch and my firstborn son is right next to me wailing. And I have noise canceling headphones on and I'm reading a book. Because I wasn't about to abandon my son.

I mean, I'm a mediocre father, but like I'm not a, you know, gonna abandon him. And and so anyway, so today we're gonna talk and you saw the passage that Steve read for us. Today we're gonna talk about a more pressing opportunity when we might not do our jobs. So I've I've recently been listening to a sermon series on the parables. And I I just I really benefit from these deep teachings of Jesus Because they have easily understood applications that at a cursory glance all of us can grab.

They're simple enough for a child. And yet, much like the gospel itself, the more you peel back the layers, the deeper in you dive, the more the meaning gets into you and you realize the very intense surgery that Jesus is performing on our souls. For example, we can think about the things that we're compared to in the various parables. Servants, debtors, dirt, tax collectors, wayward children, fools, goats, sheep. None of these are flattering analogies.

Nobody wants to be any of these things. No. It's it's been well said that the Bible has enough to offend anyone. That God is no respecter of persons. He loves people, but he is not a respecter of persons and of our achievements the same way that the world is.

In that same vein, Jesus would not have been a very successful pastor in our world of church growth and consultants and influencers. No. Because every time he got around a big crowd, he he leaned into his hardest teachings. And when people would make these grandiose commitments to him, he would often challenge them or outright turn them away because he knew their hearts. Because where is the parable of like the great looking quarterback or of the wealthy prince?

That's the one that I want to be a participant in. But no, God in his infinite wisdom, he knows my foolish heart. And more importantly, that's not how the kingdom of God works. Think for example of who is the most or who is the the greatest king in the history of Israel. It's David.

When the prophet Samuel went to Jesse to to ask for his sons, Jesse didn't even consider David as being worthy of participating in the lineup. God uses us in spite of ourselves, not because of who we are. So for context today, by by way of our scripture, we're in the Olivet discourse, which is a fancy way of saying they were seated on the Mount Of Olives and Jesus gave everybody a good talking to. So in chapter 24 right before this, Jesus told of the coming destruction of the temple and the signs of the end times. In the first half of 25 before our reading today, Jesus has already told his disciples the parable of the 10 virgins, which again is about preparing for the end times and the second coming of Christ.

So third time's the charm. What we're looking at today is a parable ultimately about Jesus coming back and the end times. In the meantime though, we're given instructions about what is our job until he comes home. So our central truth for today as we have it on the board is that Jesus the king is coming back. Being ready for his return is not about playing it safe.

It demands the type of service that bears fruit. Blake, you promised me that we were gonna get this the second service. That's okay. I'll use more hands. So our outline for today accordingly is that we are blessed to be a blessing.

Blessings don't come to you, they flow through you. Second, God gives us what we need even if it's not all that we want. Third is that fear destroys but perfect love casts out fear. And fourth is that the master will return. He's coming back.

So our first point for today oh, did I do that one Blake? Yay. Okay. Our first point for today is that we are blessed to be a blessing. Blessings don't come to you, they flow through you.

Now I wanna be very clear off the top because this is a hard saying of Jesus. We do not work for our own salvation. That's not what Jesus is talking about and that's certainly not what I'm saying here. What we're talking about is the requisite response once we realize what we've been saved from. Who has done our saving and what we've been set free in order to accomplish.

In our freedom from sin and death, we then rightly view ourselves as servants of the master of the kingdom of God. And then just so we all have a little bit better picture of what's going on in the parable. A talent at the time was a currency. It was, about 6,000 denari. And in case none of you have traded denari recently, that was payment for basically a day's labor.

So talent is worth about twenty years of labor which for our purposes is right around, we're gonna call it a million dollars. Just easy enough. So even for the servant with just one talent, this is a large amount of money for somebody to to be entrusted with. And you should also know that our our common modern word talent, it comes from this parable which I just love because it reinforces the idea that even if you're really skilled, even if you're really hard working, if God has given you those talents in the modern colloquialism, those are gifts from God to be stewarded. So why did the master give these servants these talents in order to steward?

The simple answer is to do the work for him while he's away. He doesn't seem to give the servants particularly specific instructions nor does he seem to tell the servants for how long he's going to be gone. Though the parable tells us in retrospect it was for a long time. He is trusting instead the servants judgment to do the work of the kingdom. Is this starting to sound generally familiar?

Right? Like starting to hit home a little bit. Because the talents given to the servants by the master, they were not theirs to be spent on themselves. They were there to be used for the gain of the master in his account. So let me just make it really clear for us here in Jackson in 2023 that we are not given what we are given for it to be spent on ourselves, but for the investment in the kingdom of God.

If we do that, it will then be to our great benefit. The parable doesn't go into great depth about how the servants actually made their profits. It says that they traded, but it doesn't really go in much beyond that. But what we do see in the parable is that the talents are judged by their master. And what is the commendation that the two good servants receive?

What is it that we so desperately want to hear at the end of our walk? Well done, good and faith faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

The operative words here are faithful servant. The master does not say, way to be clever, way to be hardworking, or even great orthodoxy. He says, well done good and faithful servant. Similarly, when Jesus is summarizing all of the law and the prophets in Matthew 22 and what we call the great commandment. He paints with this really broad brush and he leaves the details up to us.

You see this in the great commission as well and in all the one another's of scripture. When we're given a job to do, it's actually pretty general because we're entrusted with the details. Said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. We are given a lot of leeway in how we serve but the expectation is that we will serve.

And what is our reward for faithful service? It's more responsibility and the joy of our master. And guys, if that's not enough for you, I don't think we're fully understanding how critical our salvation is, what we've been saved from, who did the saving, and what we were saved into. I would highly recommend that all of us do a study in terms of the majesty of God or read any of the great books that are on it. Or if you want to have a conversation, Carl or myself or any of the elders or Nick or Diane, any of the staff would love to have a conversation with you about the sufficiency of Christ.

It sounds like such a dry topic, but I'm telling you it'll change your life. But we notice also that the praise for the first two servants is identical. Two talents or five as the return, it's about the heart. Were you faithful with what you were given? In a lot of ways, doesn't make sense in our modern understanding.

But you have to remember that God doesn't actually need anything from any of us. He doesn't need our money that we put in the plates or in the church bank account. He doesn't need our acts of service, but he wants our hearts and those other things flow as a product of those before. And then the reward is the same. Enter into the joy of your master.

That's our prize for faithfulness. For realizing that the blessings we receive are to flow through us and not to us. God how God has apportioned those talents or those blessings, it's just not for us to worry about. So that brings us to our second point, which is that to kind of paraphrase the prophet Mick Jagger, God gives us what we need even if it's not all that we want. Just like in the parable, every one of us know people that God has given more talent to.

But that is not an excuse for me not to be faithful just because I know so many people around me that have more talent than I do or gifted differently or have more resources than I do. To use an earthly example, nothing makes me grumpy quicker than when I hear my kids fighting over unfair distributions. It's like, kids, did you do anything to earn the money that paid for? Did you even physically procure that toy, those snacks, whatever? Stop being ungrateful.

And usually right around the time I say the word ungrateful, I hear myself. I go, oh. Imagine what God thinks of my grumbling down here. Because if I'm 38, and as missus Feasor can attest, I have infinitely better perspective than either of my children, more or less. God who who created all things, sustains all things, redeems all things.

He exists outside the constraints of space and time. He knows every hair on my head and on every one of you here. How much more wisdom and perspective does he have than I do? And yet I still struggle to trust him. I still grumble about not getting what is fair.

And you guys have heard me talk about this a little bit before. But the most single most helpful thing in my walk with Jesus is to remember that what I actually deserve is death. That if God gave me what he should give me, it would be death. This is that grace and mercy thing that some of you may have heard me talk about at church at the fair. That the two things that are really helpful for me summarizing what happened at the cross are mercy, which is being forgiven the debt.

Being pardoned of a wrong, not getting the punishment that I deserve. And grace, which is God's unmerited favor. So through grace, when God looks at us, if we are in Christ, he sees not our works, not our filthy rags, but he sees the perfect works of Jesus. So we are adopted then as sons and daughters of God. So there is the removal of the negative debt and then the addition of the positive balance.

That is the mercy and grace that was accomplished at the cross and at the empty tomb. Now back to the parable. The the my favorite servant in the parable is the one with two talents. We'll call him Deuce. I like to think that Deuce had to have known the other guy got two and a half times as many talents as he did to work with.

And these are people that have likely worked together for some time. And yet we have no record in Jesus telling of this parable that there was any grumbling or any complaining. Instead, he just gets to work. This is I talk about it like with my kids and and with my small group and stuff. As as our calling is often to just be faithful in the six inches in front of our face.

We don't have to figure out God's meta narrative. We don't have to figure out what he's doing in something. We can see an opportunity. We can recognize our gifting in it and we can just take that step forward in faith. And it's such a great reminder for us.

As I mentioned earlier, in spite of returning two talents instead of five like this really handsome Tom Brady Brad Pitt five talent guy. Similarly, all of us, they receive the same reward. And similarly, all of us are called to share the hope that we have in Jesus. And whether that's in a in a packed out football stadium leading a revival all around the world or just being a faithful member of a community group or just sharing the hope in Christ that we have with an unbelieving friend, family member, coworker, whatever. That is how we can be faithful.

We are given a lot of freedom and application, but it is not up to us to opt out. For followers of Christ, we have to opt in. And this is all over the Bible. Crack open any of the letters in the New Testament, and you'll see a very common pattern. We are saved by grace through faith, and therefore, we get to work in gratitude for what's been done for us for the kingdom of God.

And I know that to some of you that sounds like legalism. And if you have church hurt around these sorts of things, that can be very real. But I'm telling you this is not legalism. This is scripture. Jesus and the kingdom, they refused to fit into our tidy little category buckets that we put together.

That's why there are so many hard sayings of Jesus and why we have to lean into them to evaluate and to apply to ourselves. We have to get rid of our buts and our ifs because our submission to Christ cannot be with qualification or or with condition. It is not dependent on Jesus giving me what I want. We can never say to God, if you will just give me this, then I will do that. No.

We say, God, because you died for me. Because you've given me everything. Even if you don't do another thing in my life, you are still good and therefore I will surrender everything I have to you. So we live out the one another's of scripture with those that are in the family of faith. And we proclaim the truth and love to those that are outside.

And we love everyone exactly as God has called us to, knowing that we're gonna fall short and that we will be met there with grace and we can remind each other of that grace constantly. So if like me for example, if you're anxious about the trajectory of our culture or of our nation, there is nothing that you can do more productive than to pray to God and to share the hope that you have in Christ with everybody around you. Share what he's done in your life. In some ways, the most effective evangelism is your own testimony. You don't have to have perfect theology to share your testimony.

I think a really straightforward framework for testimony is three things. Who you were before in Christ? What brought you to Christ? And what your life has been like since? I think each and every one of us need to be comfortable sharing that.

And if you're in sharing that, somebody asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, here's the response. I don't know. Let's go find out together. And it works. And then you can bug Carl about correct philosophical answers to the problem of suffering, which is a good question.

But that's how we can be faithful with the talents that God has given us. That leads us to our third point, is that fear destroys, but perfect love it casts out fear. So we can contrast what being faithful means then with the obvious negative example here which is the third the third servant. He was either afraid as he claimed or he was lazy and wicked as his master claimed. Probably both.

But we have to remember something here that he was also a servant. This wasn't some guy picked out off for the parable, picked off the streets. This had been a fellow servant along with the other two. This fellow servant in the parable, he's entrusted with our equivalent of a million dollars and he rejects his duties. It's interesting to note though that this isn't the prodigal son.

He didn't squander this wealth through outrageous living. Know what dooms this third servant and what is our warning today is a complacency, inaction, and fear in his heart. So let me say that again just to be really clear because in some ways this is our biggest application point for today. That what doomed the third servant was not wrong action, but inaction. In this parable, he is judged not for immoral sin but for squandering his time and resources and not using them for the master.

Romans fourteen twenty three says that whatever is not from faith is sin. This third servant's fear, whether of the master or of work in general or of the world or maybe he was too busy. It was not from faith and then that fear that drove him to inaction because fear is a terrible motivator. But man, it can be super powerful. Just like adrenaline or caffeine or sugar, it's powerful but it's not a very good primary fuel source.

It's just like putting gasoline on a fire. It burns fast but it is not sustainable. Fear similarly is unstable because it can drive us either to wrong action or to inaction. It can freeze us up. And I have look, have plenty of criticisms for the modern evangelical movement.

But one of the things that we really struggle for is our theological emphasis. We tend to either scare people towards Christ by talking about hellfire and brimstone all the time, or we tend to do this weird just Jesus and me thing. Okay. You've you've come to faith. Jesus loves you just as you are.

You're good. You don't have to do a thing. Jesus is your homeboy. If I could put the tagline on that. And in and in some ways, those both can draw a crowd because they they can be powerful messages.

And in a way they're right, just to be clear. But separately they are incomplete and they're not really a representation of how Jesus himself talked about the kingdom and neither capture the full calling of what God is constantly saying in the scriptures. And that's why I get super worked up about any of us thinking that church attendance or some mild giving is the sum total of what we've been called into. And then we wonder why just putting on a face all the time feels so exhausting. It's because it's not from faith.

It's not from love. It is from fear. But the good news of the gospel is so much more holistic and all encompassing and powerful and sustaining. We see in first John four sixteen through 19 here, that God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God. And God abides in him.

There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear. Therefore, we love because he first loved us. So in first John here, see that the sequence is that God is love. We abide in him and receive that love. And then because of that, we have confidence in him.

And then that perfect love, it casts out all fear. The summary of it is that we love because he first loved us. Verse 21 then goes on to say, this commandment we have from him. Whoever loves God must also love his brother. And guys, this is so great because just as we love because he first loved us, we are a blessing because he first blessed us.

This is how we turn our trials into blessings. How we can make sense of those really hard passages in James one that talks about having joy in the midst of suffering. It's because we can recognize that our suffering when shared and loved with others, it can bring them the healing that they need. And then we can have rejoice in the midst of all trials. It's because all fear has been cast out.

I am going to stand in front of God one day and give an account for everything in my life. And so will you. Secret thoughts, desires, hidden motivations, speech, grumbling, all of it. Nothing will be hidden. The Bible says that all will be made plain.

Am I teaching today for your approval or for that of Jesus? Am I teaching in pride and in vanity or am I teaching and trying to pursue righteousness? I'm gonna give an account for that one day. Now don't mishear me because I know that the only way I get to participate in the kingdom of God is on behalf of Christ and what he's accomplished. I know where my salvation comes from and thankfully it ain't from me.

Because just as first John here says, because of God's love, I can have confidence in the day of judgment because of Jesus. But the Bible is very clear that if you have a saving faith, you will be a tree that produces good fruit. And in case you think I'm proof texting or taking this concept out of context, I grabbed just six passages. Maybe you can see it. But this is like, if you're struggling with this concept, take a picture of this, jot these down, whatever, and just go through and do a mini study on these.

This is all throughout the Bible. In comparison, our parable today, in that other great parable, the prodigal son, that son returned to the father full of repentance. In comparison, we get the feeling here for this third servant that if given the chance, this servant would just as soon never see his master again. Getting a million dollars without the master is in some ways the best case scenario for this servant. And it is often in my heart as well.

I don't want God. I want his stuff. But if anyone here recognizes that in themselves and has not made a full commitment in their life to faith in Jesus, you can do it right now in obedience. But to be clear, don't run to Christ in fear of the alternative. We run to him because it is the perfect love and is the only source of perfect love that we've been seeking for our entire lives.

It is the perfect love that casts out fear and it will never fail you. Or maybe some of us, we've been in church for a while and we're recognizing that we're holding back some aspect of our lives that we do not submit to Christ. Sometimes we can say things in our minds like, God, you can have my morning quiet time, but you don't get how I govern my finances. You don't get to speak truth into gender and identity and sexual issues. We hold things back, and we're all we all have a tendency to.

And we can repent of that, and we can do so under the information of God's word, under the inspiration of God's spirit, and with the encouragement of God's people in community. That's how we can grow in Christian maturity and actually do the work that God has called us to. So this brings us to our fourth point, which is that the master is coming back. Guys, we don't need to be like the third servant. In Matthew seven, Jesus makes clear that some of the people that are in the church will one day revealed to have been false followers.

This is Matthew seven twenty one if you wanna look me up. And you should. All of these passages that I'm quoting, especially if you don't know me. There's there are a lot of warnings in scripture about false prophets and false teachers. Check what you hear against God's word.

So in Matthew seven twenty one, Jesus makes clear that some people are that are in the church will be revealed to be false followers. And in Hebrews 13, the writer of that letter makes the point that those of us that are in leadership, that we're gonna be called to account for the state of the souls that were entrusted to us. Guys, that is a terrifying combination for me as an elder. And that's also why I lean in so hard to these hard teachings of Jesus. But what we all need right now is the reminder that you have been set free.

That the forgiveness that you've received, that that adoption into the family of God through Jesus, it's already been done. And Jesus didn't just forgive our past sins. When we're forgiven, it's fully, freely, and forever forgiven. There is a coming judgment for all of us. And our only hope is that as Romans five says, that we have peace with God because we have been justified in Jesus.

And one day, all of that is gonna become very acute because and and and like I said, this is the single biggest takeaway from from our parable today. This is the macro narrative as it were. Is that the only true and perfect servant, the only one that was ever completely faithful, the one who obeyed God perfectly and yet was still crushed, the lion of Judah, the lamb of God, he is coming back. We don't know when, but we know that he is and we need to act accordingly. That does not mean playing it safe on the sidelines.

That means getting in the game and trusting God with the outcomes. And when he comes back, he is going to right every wrong. He's gonna make everything so right that it'll be as if it was never made wrong. And that's a hope that that we can all have. Revelation twenty one five says well, there's Matthew seven.

There's Hebrews 13. Revelation twenty one five says, and he who sits on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new. I'm gonna invite the band back up as I close because I'm gonna challenge you as you leave today, as I do most times when I talk, not to think about whether or not you enjoyed my sermon, but instead to think about what God is calling you to in this text. Love to talk to you after the service. It blesses me when you guys encourage me and when you give me feedback.

I promise I won't be wearing my noise canceling headphones. But if you really want to bless me, tell me what you're gonna do about this. Tell me what God has put on your heart because this isn't a book club where we compare notes about subtle underlying themes and then just eat some coffee cake. No. This right here, this is a chance to worship God together to remind ourselves of truth, actual truth.

And then huddle up and figure out what we're gonna do with the rest of the week that God has given us. How we're gonna worship with our lives together. So let's praise God together one more time in song. And before we go out in the world, and we can have a great week of worship together. I love you guys.

Thank you.

Room at the cross for you. Can I pray one last time and also share a closing benediction? Lord Jesus, we thank you for the word today. Lord, I thank you that you have given freely. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.

Lord, would would we go in your name to be a blessing to others? God, truly, freely, freely, you have given to us. You we have received. We we may we freely, freely give in Jesus' name. Amen.

And let me leave you this. Therefore, this is from Romans 12. I'm gonna read it here because my eyes aren't as good either. Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy, let's offer ourselves as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God. This is our true and proper worship, our spiritual act of worship.

Amen.

Topics

Faithful Service Fear And Faith Parable Of The Talents Second Coming Using Your Gifts

Recap

What was said

Doing a Bible study?

Topics

Share this message

Come find us