INTRODUCTION:

One Sunday morning the Preacher preached a sermon on the passage for this morning, the parable of the talents. After the service, one of the parishioners took the preacher aside and said. "Preacher, I'm not a particularly gifted person. I can't teach Sunday school, my singing voice isn't good enough for the choir, and I'm too shy to visit prospective members. But I do have one talent that might be of some use to the church."

"And what is that?" the pastor asked.

"Well," the man said, "I have a talent for criticism. I can criticize the choir, I can criticize the church council, and you know how I criticize your sermons. What do you think I can do with that talent?"

The Preacher thought for a minute and then said: "Do you remember what the man did who had only one talent? He buried it in the ground, didn't he? I'd suggest that you do the very same thing with your one talent. Believe me, the Master and the Church will both be very pleased." (1)

Today we're looking at the Parable of the Talents. If you would like to follow along, turn in your Bible to Matthew 25:14-30. NT p. 26 or 1214.

[14] "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them;

[15] to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

[16] The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents.

[17] In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents.

[18] But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

[19] After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

[20] Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.'

[21] His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

[22] And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.'

[23] His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

[24] Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed;

[25] so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'

[26] But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter?

[27] Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.

[28] So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.

[29] For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

[30] As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' [NRSV]

This is kind of an odd but exciting parable isn't it? Maybe you've never thought of a parable being exciting before. But I find this parable very exciting. First it speaks of how much Trust God puts in us. Obviously we are the servants. And like the servants in the parable, we're entrusted with a treasure far beyond our worth. You see a talent was the equivalent of about twenty years worth of wages.

If you use the figure $40,000 dollars as an average year's wage, then the first servant was entrusted with four million dollars. The second servant was entrusted with one million six hundred thousand dollars. And the third was entrusted with a cool eight hundred thousand dollars.

Now, Jesus used such large figures to represent the overwhelming gift of God's Grace and the Gift of our Salvation. Plus the size shows the deep level of trust Christ puts in us to carry out the work of God's Kingdom, His work in the world. And Jesus reminds us that while the Gift of Grace and the Gift of Salvation are FREE, they are not cheap.

They call for us to INVEST, SPEND, SAVE AND BANK.

I. FIRST, WE'RE CALLED TO INVEST. WE'RE CALLED TO INVEST OURSELVES IN SOMETHING LARGER THAN OURSELVES:

A. There's an old story about a Nun who was sitting at her second-story window opening her mail. As she opened a letter from home, a crisp, new, twenty-dollar bill fell out. She was pleasantly surprised, but as she read the letter her eyes were distracted by the movement of a shabbily dressed stranger down below, leaning against the lamppost in front of the building.

She couldn't get him off her mind. Thinking that he might be in greater financial distress than she was, she slipped the bill into an envelope on which she quickly penned the words, "Don't despair." Then she threw the envelope out the window.

The stranger below picked it up, read it, looked up, smiled, waved and then and went on his way. The very next day the Nun was about to leave the house when a knock came at the door. She found the same shabbily dressed man smiling as he handed her a roll of bills. When she asked what they were for, he replied: "That's the hundred bucks you won, lady. 'Don't Despair' paid five to one."

I like that story, not because it's about gambling but because it's about unselfish giving and investing in God's Kingdom. Now, obviously an act of love, an act of service, an act of kindness or an act of commitment doesn't always have a five-to-one payoff. Usually it is much, much more.

In Luke 13:21 Jesus said the Kingdom of God "[Is] like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread - and waits while the dough rises." [Msg]

B. I know a doctor, retired now, who got most of his office staff, nurses and partners involved in mission work in Haiti. Once a year, the office would be closed for a week. The entire staff loaded up, food, drugs, instruments and themselves and set up shop in Haiti. For five days, they worked sixteen to eighteen hours a day doctoring the poor in Haiti. The office staff kept records, took care of children, told Bible stories in a Vacation Bible School kind of atmosphere. They had teams that helped distribute food.

I was very impressed with what he and his staff did and asked him one time how much money he lost during that week the office was closed. He looked at me kind of strange but then he grinned and said: "Absolutely nothing, Preacher. We don't lose a thing. We come back exhausted and sometimes sick but we don't lose anything. We give so little and get all the gain. Where else can you see God's smile on the face of so many? We come back exhausted. But at the same time we're invigorated beyond compare."

I know I've said it before but somebody once said: "That every Christian should invest themselves in something so big, if God isn't in it, it's destined to fail."

In Matthew 10:42 Jesus said: "Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." [Msg]

THE FIRST THING WE'RE CALLED TO DO IS INVEST OURSELVES IN SOMETHING LARGER THAN OURSELVES.

II. SECOND WE'RE CALLED TO SPEND OURSELVES SERVING GOD:

A. The first two servants not only invested the talents they were given but they invested themselves, too. They invested themselves and spent themselves in service to the Master. They gave of themselves completely and were each able to double what had been entrusted to them.

I don't think it was the fact that the third steward buried the Master's money. I think it was more his attitude toward the Master. He buried that treasure out of fear of reprisal if he lost it. There was no sense of gratitude or risk in his life. There was no sense of trust in the Master. Only fear. Rather than risking himself, he buried his talent.

We had a piano player like that in one small church we served in. Honestly, she was the most accomplished pianist I think I've ever heard. She could play anything in any format you wanted. Remember how Victor Borge used to play simple songs like Turkey in the Straw like a Russian March or a Bach Concerto. That's the kind of musician she was. And she was deeply dedicated to Christ and the Church.

She had never married. But she always worked in serving others. She was a Music Teacher, the church pianist and involved in several local Mission projects. And she gave more to Mission work than anyone I've ever known.

Visiting with her one day. I commented on her love for missions. She told me that years ago, when she was 12, she heard God calling her to be a Missionary. She ignored it at first but said it was "something that was burned into her soul." She felt that call all of her life. There was real longing and regret in her voice. So I asked the obvious questions. Why didn't she answer the call? Why didn't she become a Missionary?

She told me that she was afraid God would send her to Africa and she would have to work with black people. She buried her talent out of fear that she would have to confront her own prejudice. And it crippled her. Oh, she was involved in Missions but she failed to invest and spend herself in the Kingdom. She failed to answer God's call in her life and had lived with that regret for years.

God gives us all talents, talents we can use to serve in God's Kingdom. God entrusts us with using those gifts for the Glory of God. In Matthew 16:25 Jesus said: "Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." [NRSV]

B. Out in Bellevue, Washington, two little boys, Francisco and Fernando Soto, were playing near a swimming pool at the Carlton Place apartments. The boys, ages four and eight, couldn't swim. Suddenly, four-year-old Francisco fell into deep water and slipped beneath the surface. Brave little Fernando jumped in to save his brother, but he too disappeared. Their mother, who also wasn't able to swim, began screaming, "My babies are drowning. My babies are drowning."

Nearby, 49- year-old Jorge Pagan, a maintenance man, was just returning from a morning jog and was sitting on his second-story patio. Jorge wasn't a very successful man. He had tried boxing and martial arts with only modest success. But when he heard that mother's screams, he did not hesitate.

Jorge Pagan leaped off the patio to the ground and raced toward the pool. It was surrounded by a high wooden fence. Pagan slammed into the fence with all his might, and broke through, suffering injuries which later required medical treatment. He jumped into the pool and dragged two gasping but very much alive little boys to safety. (2)

He was willing to spend himself in attempting to save the life of another. And in so doing, he brought great joy and deep gratitude to a mother and two lucky little boys. And I believe that his investment, his willingness to give his life for another, brought joy to the heart of God, as well.

WE'RE CALLED TO SPEND OURSELVES SERVING GOD.

III. THIRD, WE CAN'T SAVE OUR TALENTS OR OURSELVES:

A. There's an old story that I've seen in about 15 different forms about two men traveling across the snow covered mountains. A storm arises. The wind is blowing and snow swirling so bad that they can hardly see. But as they are traveling along, they stumble over another traveler who has fallen. He's covered in snow and nearly frozen to death.

The first man wants to stop and help the fallen traveler. The second one argues that they are not that far from safety and if they stop to render aid or try to carry the fallen traveler, it will only slow them down and they'll suffer the same fate. They couldn't resolve their difference so they split.

As the second man left, the first man hoisted the fallen traveler onto his back. Their progress was slow but the first man was determined. It wasn't long before the heat generated from his exertion had him sweating. And that heat was enough to revive the traveler. After awhile, the traveler was even able to walk on his own.

As they made their way to the safety of the small town, they stumbled across the body of the second man, frozen to death.

The first man was willing to lose his life on behalf of another, and in the process found it and saved it.

We can't save ourselves. And we can't save our talents. Our talents were given to us to be invested and spent in service to God. They were given to us so we could bring glory to God through them. Not so we could horde them and keep them to ourselves.

B. We can't save our talents, just like we can't save ourselves.

We're just like Frank and Ernest in yesterday's comics. Frank is standing there and says: "I tried to get a new lease on life - but didn't have enough for the damage deposit." (3)

Ever felt like that? We can't save ourselves. We try but all we do is fail.

Let me try and put it all in banking terms. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, came to SALVAGE a sin sick world. When we hear the Good News it causes us to do an INTERNAL AUDIT. And we discover that without Christ we are BANKRUPT. We find out that there is a BALANCE DUE and we have INSUFFICIENT FUNDS.

But as we listen. As we INVEST ourselves by surrendering to Christ, suddenly we find our ACCOUNT marked PAID IN FULL. NO BALANCE DUE. Jesus not only PAID the DOWN PAYMENT but the BALANCE DUE, all the CLOSING COSTS, and He promised to keep our account full. All we have to do is let Him in to our lives. And let the Holy Spirit take up JOINT RESIDENCY.

Jesus is the SECURITY in our SECURED ACCOUNT in heaven. Through Him we have ACCESS to the very Throne of God. This is a wonderful gift of Grace. It's an ABSOLUTE GIFT, not a CONDITIONAL GIFT. All we have to do is ENDORSE it through accepting the TERMS by accepting Christ Jesus as our Savior.

And to tell the truth, there is no better KEOUGH PLAN around.

THIRD, WE CAN'T SAVE OUR TALENTS OR OURSELVES

But we can INVEST OURSELVES and SPEND OURSELVES in service to Christ and in so doing, live out the Salvation we've already experienced.

IV. FINALLY, WE'RE CALLED TO BANK ON CHRIST:

There are lots of things that people Bank on in life. Some have been devastated because they banked everything on the stock market. There are some who have banked everything on a human relationship only to have it go south. There are some who have banked everything on the things of life, what they could buy and hold in their hands. They just knew their lives would be fulfilled if only they added this one thing to their treasure-trove of goodies, only to find out it left them just as empty as everything else.

In Acts 4:12, Peter and John have been given explicit orders by the Council of Jerusalem not to Preach about Jesus. But they persisted. When questioned Peter said: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved." [NRSV]

There is only one person that we can bank our lives on completely and that is Jesus Christ the Son of God, who gave his life on the Cross for our sakes. That was and is the Greatest Savings Account there ever was or ever will be.

WE'RE CALLED TO BANK ON CHRIST.

CONCLUSION:

I think you and I are like the second servant. We didn't get the lion's share of the treasure. We didn't get as much as the servant who got the most. Nor were we short changed or get as little as the third servant. But we were given the middle amount.

That doesn't mean we're trusted any less. It's just that Christ knows our abilities. Only a very few are given the greatest talents. But with great gifts comes even greater responsibility.

You and I and the vast majority of people are the two talent servants. We face the temptation of being envious of the five talent servant and fearful like the one talent servant. But what we're really called to be is simply Faithful. The two talent people, this faithful middle group is the backbone of the church.

It's not how much you're given. It's how faithful you are. You can be just as faithful with a little as with a lot. God never looks at the amount. God always looks at the heart.

Flip Wilson was asked about his religion once and said: "Oh, I'm a Jehovah's Bystander. They asked me to be a Jehovah's Witness, but I didn't want to get involved." That's the way a great many folks are today, they don't want to get involved. Christ call us not only to be involved:

BUT TO INVEST OURSELVES IN SOMETHING LARGER THAN OURSELVES;

TO SPEND OURSELVES SERVING GOD;

TO REALIZE WE CAN'T SAVE OUR TALENTS OR OURSELVES;

AND TO BANK ON CHRIST AND CHRIST ALONE.

1. SermonMall.com

2. Proper 28: Lectionay Preaching Workbook VII, Cycle A, E. Carver McGriff, CSS Publishing, 1998 (SermonPrep version - From Seattle Times)

3. Frank and Ernest, Thaves, 11-16-2002

4.

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