IIn the 25th
chapter of Matthew we find three important parables; the parable of the
wise and foolish virgins, the parable of the talents and the parable of
the sheep and goats. This chapter is a continuation of Matthew 24,
which is one of the clearest portions of scripture in the whole Bible
concerning the end time environment and those things that shall take
place prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus then goes on to
use these three parables to illustrate to us how we should prepare for
His Second coming. In these parables we find kingdom truths for
the end of the age.
The Parable of the Talents teaches us the kingdom truth, "We are
Stewards - Not Owners". I believe that this parable will show us
that when we come to the full understanding and commitment of what this
implies in our lives, we will see a greater measure of God's kingdom
authority and power in our lives singularly and corporately.
My desire is for us to see and welcome this truth, that none of us are
owners of anything. All that we have belongs to the Lord. We
are stewards - not owners. If Jesus is truly the Lord of our
lives, we will see ourselves as His stewards rather than being owners
of our possessions.
The Parable of the
Talents- Matthew 25:14-30.
This parable teaches us that bringing our finances under Christ's
Lordship is one of the most basic ingredients for having His Kingdom
rule and authority established in our lives. In this parable, we
must ask ourselves the question, "What is Jesus Talking About?" Is
it how well we make financial investments or is it how well we manage
and use what He has given to us for the glory of His
Kingdom? Throughout this message we shall see the answer emerge.
Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also."
We must see ourselves as being caught between the struggle between God
and Satan in the area of whose authority is being
established. Satan is using the love of money to establish his
rule and authority in the hearts of mankind and God is using the
kingdom truth of stewardship to instill His rule and authority in the
hearts of mankind. The Bible tells us in the last days men shall
be lovers of money. Jesus says,
"Do
not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves bread in and steal; but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven..."
The Church in the Book of Acts gave up complete ownership of their
lives, knowing that God's complete rule and reign in their lives would
bring them into a much richer blessing.
Our selfishness and refusal to bring our finances under His lordship is
withholding His Divine power and reign upon the land and our
communities. God's total kingdom rule cannot be established in our
hearts until we empty ourselves of personal ownership and accept the
fact that we are simply stewards of His goods. The choice is ours
as the parable of the talents illustrates so clearly -- we can either
be judged as worthy stewards, who receive a blessing or as unjust
stewards who are cast into the place of outer darkness.
Click on the link
above or
here for the complete outline
