Jesus is the author of the parable of the ten talents which is in Matthew 25:14-30, today's sermon. It's a well-known story about a landlord who plans to be away on a trip. He divides up his possessions according to each servant's abilities and leaves. There are no real instructions about what to do with their owner's goods. But just a little thinking on the subject and it should dawn on the servants that this is their chance to impress the owner.
So, two of the servants act accordingly and increase the owner's possessions. The third one, obviously, does not much care for the owner and just gives back to him what he was given. In the verses we also discover that he didn't speak too kindly to the owner either. He said that he was hard to work for and he was afraid of him. The owner was not pleased to say the least.
Pastor Josh went on to explain the parable by saying that we all have things to watch over that God has given us. Such things as family, livestock, income, homes, and so on. We've all been given according to abilities. He warned not to compare ourselves to others. "Being fair has nothing to do with grace. It's God's grace that saves us. Without the grace of God we'd all be dead and in hell. Fairness and grace are diametrically opposed."
The parable speaks of rewards. Psalm 24:1 reminds everyone that the earth is the Lord's and all that dwell therein. Everyone and everything belongs to the Lord. What one does with what is given them to oversee determines their reward. It doesn't matter what someone else gets. What matters is what each person gets and what they do with it. Matthew 25:29 and 30 drives home the point of eternal rewards. Two were blessed and one wasn't.
Consider this: St. Peter is walking a rich man down a street in heaven. They walk by a mansion and the rich man asks who it belongs to. St. Peter tells him it belongs to his gardener. Now, the rich man gets excited. They walk on and come to another huge mansion and the rich man asks who this one belongs to. St. Peter tells him it's the missionary that he grew up with.
As they walk further, they come to a small 6 x 8 shack with a few boards leaning against it. St. Peter tells him this is his place and the rich man asks why the others got huge mansions and this is all he gets. St. Peter replies that this is the best they could do with what he sent them.
Does God care what we do with what He gives us? You bet.
So, two of the servants act accordingly and increase the owner's possessions. The third one, obviously, does not much care for the owner and just gives back to him what he was given. In the verses we also discover that he didn't speak too kindly to the owner either. He said that he was hard to work for and he was afraid of him. The owner was not pleased to say the least.
Pastor Josh went on to explain the parable by saying that we all have things to watch over that God has given us. Such things as family, livestock, income, homes, and so on. We've all been given according to abilities. He warned not to compare ourselves to others. "Being fair has nothing to do with grace. It's God's grace that saves us. Without the grace of God we'd all be dead and in hell. Fairness and grace are diametrically opposed."
The parable speaks of rewards. Psalm 24:1 reminds everyone that the earth is the Lord's and all that dwell therein. Everyone and everything belongs to the Lord. What one does with what is given them to oversee determines their reward. It doesn't matter what someone else gets. What matters is what each person gets and what they do with it. Matthew 25:29 and 30 drives home the point of eternal rewards. Two were blessed and one wasn't.
Consider this: St. Peter is walking a rich man down a street in heaven. They walk by a mansion and the rich man asks who it belongs to. St. Peter tells him it belongs to his gardener. Now, the rich man gets excited. They walk on and come to another huge mansion and the rich man asks who this one belongs to. St. Peter tells him it's the missionary that he grew up with.
As they walk further, they come to a small 6 x 8 shack with a few boards leaning against it. St. Peter tells him this is his place and the rich man asks why the others got huge mansions and this is all he gets. St. Peter replies that this is the best they could do with what he sent them.
Does God care what we do with what He gives us? You bet.
