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                         READY OR NOT...

               MATTHEW 25:14-30     VOL. 3  NO. 2


INTRO--America has long been called "the land of opportunity."
Immigrants have come to this country looking for an opportunity to
get an education, make a living, and perhaps to start a business.
We are amazed each year when we hear stories of students who
entered our country less than ten years ago, with little education
and no knowledge of English and yet many finish in the top of their
class.  We are equally amazed when we hear of some poor man or
woman who came to America with the dream of beginning a business
and within a few years, built it into a multi-million dollar
corporation.

     Why do some succeed where others have failed?  Why do some
people thrive in a free market economy and others flounder?  We
might say that they had greater intelligence or a brighter
opportunity--and that may be the case.  But much of the time the
reason that people succeed in education, business, and other
aspirations is because they make the most of their opportunities.
This parable stresses

OPPORTUNITY,

RESPONSIBILITY, and

ACCOUNTABILITY



                           OPPORTUNITY


A wealthy person was taking a journey into a foreign country.  In
entrusting his wealth to his servants he was treating them as
partners--a common oriental custom.

v.15--talents--It gets its name from the  circular talent weight
stones that were used for measuring.  Some have suggested that a
silver talent was about $2000 and a gold talent was about $30,000.

--according to his several ability--He knew the ability of each of
the servants.  Each was given opportunity.

     [ill--There is a TV commercial that shows an old man riding
with a small boy on a city bus.  The little boy asks, "Grandpa, did
you want to be a doctor when you grew up?"  There is a far away
look in the old man's eyes as he contemplates the question.  Then
the little boy says, "I think you would have made a good doctor
grandpa!"  Then the announcer says, "Its too late for some
dreams."]
     [app--This not a time for us to think about what might have
been but rather a time for us to be concerned about what still can
come to pass.  What opportunities are you facing today?  What
priceless treasure has God entrusted to you?....]



                         RESPONSIBILITY


Each of the servants was responsible for caring for a portion of
the master's money.  Each understood their responsibility.  Each
person would receive a reward based on what they did with their
responsibility.]

v.16--he...five talents went and traded...made them other five--
This person showed that the trust shown in him was well founded.
He knew what to do with the money left in his charge.

v.18--he...one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's
money--If we could get inside this person's head we might find he
was thinking, "when my boss comes back he will be so proud of me.
I did not waste anything!"

     [ill--Have you ever noticed that some of the people who are
being used in some of the greatest works in the kingdom of God are
not the most talented and most gifted?  I know of a pastor in a
large city in Texas that has led his church to grow against great
odds.  He is not the best preacher I have ever heard.  In fact, by
his own admission, several members of his staff and others in the
church are much more eloquent.  He is a good administrator but he
is not the best.  He is a pleasant man with a good personality but
he certainly is not the most handsome nor does he leave an
indelible impression on each person that he meets.  The most
accurate description of that man is that he is a rather ordinary
looking man that has rather ordinary ministry gifts.  He is
faithful with the tools that God has given him!]

     [app--What ability has God entrusted you with that could be
used to make your marriage better; or to make your community
better; or to advance the cause of Christ?  You may not have one
outstanding ability.  Perhaps no one would ever select you as the
most likely to succeed.  But God is looking for people who will
faithfully use the abilities that He has entrusted to them.  Even
if we have but one tiny opportunity, we have the responsibility to
invest it in the Lord's service to open up further opportunities.]



                         ACCOUNTABILITY


1.  There will be a day of reckoning for every one of us.

v.19--after a long time the lord...cometh...reckoneth with them--It
was time to give an accounting of how they had handled what had
been entrusted to them.  What do you believe about judgment?  Do
you think that if you are a Christian that you will escape
judgment?  The Bible tells us that all people will be judged.
Those that have not repented and placed their faith in Jesus Christ
will face that terrible judgment before the Great White Throne
(read Rev. 20:11-15).  This judgment is for the lost only.

     The question that you just settle first of all is which
judgment will you face?  When you draw your final breath and you go
to what lies beyond what will you encounter?  Will you face the
Great White Throne Judgment?  You will if you have never received
Christ as Savior.  Don't delay accepting Christ.

     Or will you face the judgement which is for believers only?
In that judgement the Lord will judge us based on our opportunities
and our works for Him.  II Cor. 5:10 says, "For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad."

2.  Christians will be judged and rewarded based on our works.
     v.21--Well done, thou good and faithful servant--The master is
pleased with the performance of two of the servants.  Although they
had different amounts of money to care for, they proved to be
equally faithful and trustworthy.  For that reason both received
the same commendation and reward.  Because they had proven to be
trustworthy they would be given greater responsibility.

--enter into the joy of thy lord--The inescapable conclusion of
this parable is that we will be judged on the basis of our works.
Does that shock you?  We stress Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the
gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast."  But we
need to be reminded what Ephesians 2:10 says: "For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in them."  We will be
judged on the basis of what we have done or have not done.  God
expects us to faithfully use our opportunities.

3.  No excuse will be adequate when we stand in judgment.  Whether
we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ or we stand before the
Great White Throne, no excuses will be accepted!  What excuse would
you offer if called today?

v.22--I knew thee that thou are an hard man--He began to give an
explanation for his behavior rather than immediately giving back
that which had been given to him.  His explanation focused not on
the opportunity that he had but rather on the way he looked at the
master.

v.26--thou wicked and slothful--Rather than receiving words of
praise for his conservation effort, his worst fears are realized.
His boss gave him the worst reprimand that he had ever received.


4.  We must use what we have or we will loose it.  v.28--
Take...from him, and give...unto him...ten talents--He was in debt
to the master because he was expected to at least return the money
with interest.  Since he did not have any interest to present the
order was given to take from him his possessions.

     [ill--A few years ago I decided that I wanted to get an
amateur radio license.  Several people in our church were "hams"
and delighted in helping me prepare for the exams.  The more I
thought about it, the more I thought it would be great if my wife
also got a radio license.  After a good sells pitch she agreed that
she would like to try and get a license.  Together we studied the
manuals on radio theory.  We learned about Ohm's law concerning
electrical current.  Together we studied schematic diagrams of
electrical circuits.  We master the chapters on radio construction
and antenna design.  When we took our exams we passed with pretty
good scores.  It has been six years since we took that exam.  Do
you know how many schematic diagrams of radio circuits we have read
since then?  None!  How many times we have applied Ohm's law, built
a radio or tuned an antenna?  None!  Do you know how much we have
retained of what we learned?  None!]

     [app--The principle stated in this parable is that if we do
not use what we have we will loose it.  If you have a talent for
singing or playing an instrument and do not use it, eventually you
will loose that ability.  If you have foreign language skills and
do not use them you will loose them.  You may have artistic ability
but if you do not use that ability you will loose it.  And if you
have other gifts that can be used effectively in service for the
Lord but you choose not to use them you will surely loose them!]

v.29--every one that hath shall be given...shall be taken away--

     [ill-It may be too late for you to recapture a lost
opportunity or a wasted talent.  Perhaps you can look back on your
life and remember an interest that you had in medicine and how you
could have excelled in math and science.  But you did not pursuit
that ability and you are now past the age where you could fulfill
that dream.  Perhaps you once had a talent in art or music but you
have so wasted that talent that you could never recapture it.]

     [app--But the important thing is not how many abilities and
opportunities you had that have been wasted but what opportunity do
you have now to make a difference in your life or in the live of
someone else?  What ability could you develop that could be used
for the glory of God?]

5.  There is coming a day of great division.  The faithful
Christians will be rewarded and the unfaithful Christians will
enter heaven without other rewards.

     v.30--And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness--The unfaithful was removed from the presence of the
master. But there is also a great division between the saved and
the lost.  Those who rejected Jesus Christ as Savior will forever
be removed from the presence of the Lord....

--there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth--No Christian ever
has to worry about losing salvation.  But we know that there are
some people who have substituted religion and goodness for a
personal relationship with the Savior.  Have you responded to the
opportunity to receive Christ as your Savior?  The day of
accounting is coming.  Ready of not, here it comes!


CONC--Recently our country has been rocked by a crises in the
Savings and Loan industry.  Not only have investigators uncovered
a great number of loans that proved to be too speculative for a
prudent institution, but they have uncovered some cases of out
right fraud and deception.  A defendant who was on trial for his
involvement in such a case said, "Yes, I took money from the S&L.
But I thought I would have time to pay it back before the books
were audited."

     If God called for an accounting from you today, would you be
ready?  What would He find when He opened the books of your life?
Would He look at the opportunities that you had and the abilities
that He had given you and say, "Well done thou good and faithful
servant."  Or would He say, "You wicked lazy person.  What have you
been doing with what I entrusted to you?"

     You have an opportunity right now to take a stand for the Lord
or you can let the opportunity pass.  Which will you choose?




            Children's Sermon:  DON'T MOVE YOUR ARM!
                        Matthew 25:14-30


 OBJECT:  A sling

PURPOSE:  Teach the importance of using what God has given us to
its fullest.

     My arm is not really hurt.  I put it in this sling this
morning to tell you about one of the laws of life.  Now this isn't
a law that you can get arrested for breaking but it is a very
important law.

     For the next few moments I want everyone to pretend that you
have your arm in a sling and that you cannot move it at all.
(Modify the sermon if there is a child or a church member with a
physical disability that might feel singled out by this example.)
Have any of you ever had a broken bone and had to wear a cast?
(Let them answer.)  Pretend that you decided not to move your arm
for a long time but that you would leave it in a sling.  You were
not injured, but you just wanted to stop using your arm.  If you
did not use your arm for a month do you think it would be stronger
or weaker than the other arm?  What would happen if you did not use
it for a whole year?  Two years?  Yes, that arm would get weaker if
we did not use it.

     Let me ask you another question.  Suppose you were a great
artist and you could paint the most beautiful pictures in the
world.  What would happen if you decided not to paint another
picture for five years?  Do you think you would be a better painter
after not painting for five years or do you think you would loose
some of your ability?

     That's right, you would gradually loose that ability if you
did not use it.  That is the "law" of life.  We are going to study
a story that Jesus told about a man that did not use what he been
given and as a result he lost it.

     Boys and girls, God has given you so much ability.  You have
so many gifts and talents.  He wants you to use and develop each
one of them for Him.  He wants you to use all of your ability to
think, sing, draw--every ability that you have--He wants you to use
it for Him.  The reason that He wants us to use our abilities for
Him is.....because we always loose what we do not use.

     Let's ask God to help us to use all of our talents for His
glory.



     MILTON S. MAGNESS, 317 MEADOWGLEN, CEDAR HILL TX  75104
              ■ COPYRIGHT 1991; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED