OPENING SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:14-30 – Parable of the Talents

• This parable is referring to the stewardship of what God has entrusted us with while we remain here on earth: time, talents, career, finances, etc
• Talent here is a measure of weight in silver. 1 Talent = 33kg (72.75 lbs)
• Today’s price of silver is $0.87 per gram. 1 Talent = $28,710 (Money Metal Exchange)
• In this parable, Jesus is referring to Himself as the man or the master. The servants are believers like you and me. The Greek translation has a much stronger word for the word servant: bondservant.
• A bondservant is one who has made the choice to stay and serve the master voluntarily, not for pay. A bondservant has made a decision to stay and serve the master simply because he or she simply loves the master.
• The role of a bondservant was:

1. To stay planted while the master is away and take care of his affairs
2. Then finally and perhaps the most important one. To make sure that the holdings or financial portfolio of the master increases or multiplies.

POINT #1: DIFFERENT CAPACITIES-SAME OPPORTUNITY

And to one he gave FIVE TALENTS, to another TWO, and to another ONE, TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS OWN ABILITY (CAPACITY); (v 15)

• Now you might think that this was an unfair distribution. That the master was showing favoritism to the one who received 5.
• The master was being mindful of the weight of the responsibility upon each one of the servants. The master knows that too much responsibility in the one of who is not ready to carry that responsibility would eventually crush that one.
• The distribution was based on their capacity or ability to handle the task.

There are 2 things that the Master gave to all 3 servants in equal measure:

1. THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED!
2. AN EDUCATION. The servants went to Stewardship University and they were taught the Principles of Stewardship by the Master Himself.

• No one is born with stewardship skills. It is a learned principle!
• We’ve all been given different assignments based on our abilities but with the same opportunity to succeed!
• DIFFERENT HERE IS NOT LESS IN IMPORTANCE!
• THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED IS THE SAME

POINT #2: EXPECTATION

Then he who had received the five talents WENT AND TRADED WITH THEM, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two (WENT RIGHT TO WORK) gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money (vv 16-18)

• Expectation is key to every assignment. You have to know it.
• The expectation of the servant was to make sure that the holdings of the Master are multiplied.
• He is expecting those resources to multiply not in his hands but in the hands of his servants.
• The AMOUNTS were DIFFERENT, but the EXPECTATION to multiply was exactly the SAME
• Blessed in His hands and Multiplied in your hands!

POINT #3: PERCEPTION OF GOD

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘LORD, I KNEW YOU TO BE A HARD MAN, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I WAS AFRAID, and went and HID YOUR TALENT in the ground. Look, THERE YOU HAVE WHAT IS YOURS.’ (vv24-25)

• The unfaithful servant had the wrong perception of God. Instead of seeing God as a loving Father, he saw God as a hard master!
• When you see God as a Hard Master instead of a loving Father, you will always hold back.
• The unfaithful servant didn’t waste the master’s money – he wasted an opportunity.
• He missed the opportunity to hear His master say: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

FINAL THOUGHT: Abundant Life is a result of good stewardship! Stewardship is a seed planted not buried!

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing (Psalm 92:13-14 NKJ)

• When you are planted you will see Godly opportunities galore…doors that no man can shut!
• When you are planted, you will know what God expects of you.
• When you are planted, you will see God as a loving Father.