To every person in His kingdom, God has given the ability to be a productive manager under His ownership. But what does God think about those who squander their skills or don’t even put them to use? In this lesson, Tony Evans looks at the parable of the three slaves who were given much in order to expand their master’s kingdom.
what do you have that you have not
received God claims comprehensive
kingdom ownership of all of creation so
if God owns everything you and I owe
nothing there are no other owners God
has given you the freedom to mess up
what he created in fact he’s given you
and me so much freedom we can hand it
over to the devil if you want if you
grab that that you are nothing including
your own life because it can be taken
you have now set yourself on a journey
of understanding life it’s yours to
manage not yours to own so in the words
of football how bad do you want God has
trouble with a lot of his kids who want
to argue with him in his house his house
in the Bible is called all creation for
the earth is the Lord’s the fullness
thereof the world and all they that
dwell in it it’s his house and he calls
it the kingdom his rule over everything
he has made God has made it clear that
there’s only one owner and you and I are
not he or it that you absolutely own
nothing including your own life because
it can be taken from you God has
declared that he created mankind to be
managers or stewards of what he has
entrusted to them but they were never
ever to up or take a position of
ownership God has called you and me to
be managers stewards of his kingdom
possession
therefore the definition of a kingdom
steward or Kingdom stewardship is the
responsibility to faithfully protect and
expand the resources God has entrusted
to us as managers on his behalf we are
managers on his behalf and there is the
responsibility to protect and expand
that which has been entrusted to us to
manage for him God has given us a call
to management of what he owns when the
story opens up in Matthew chapter 25 we
read the phrase in verse 14 for it is
just like it is just like what’s the it
well in verse 1 of chapter 25 he says
then the kingdom of heaven will be
compared to at the end of the story in
verse 31 he says but when the Son of Man
comes in his glory and all the angels
with him then he will sit on his
glorious throne so Jesus tells this
story to help us understand his
ownership our stewardship and how this
whole thing works and why it matters he
says in verse 14 that a man goes on a
long journey and he takes three slaves
in trust
possessions to them according to their
ability so let’s pause right there the
man goes on the journey he calls three
of his slaves and he says now I’m gonna
give you five talents I’m gonna give you
two talents and I’m gonna give you one
Talent because I’m only gonna give you
what I know you can handle according to
your ability now our talents was a
weight of worth a weight of worth if you
were a slave in Jesus’s day it would
take you 20 years to accumulate a full
talent that’s how valuable a talent was
let me put it another way if the talent
in biblical days was transposed to be
dollars and cents the day a talent would
be worth one point four million dollars
so when we talk about a talent when I
talk about a minimum weight we’re
talking about a maximum weight of worth
so he deposits the talents the three
arenas of talent the three arenas or
spheres that have been entrusted to you
and me and us everybody has all three we
just don’t have the same amount of all
three gave one five one two and one one
so there were different amounts but we
all possess the same three let me just
introduce them now the first thing that
we have that has been entrusted to us is
time says he went on a journey for a
long time you and I have time we don’t
have the same amount of time but we do
have the fact of time when the Bible
talks about time it’s not really talking
about tic-tock tic-tock tic-tock
tic-tock tic-tock know when the Bible
talks about time it’s talking about the
arena
in which opportunities exist second
thing we all have is talent in terms of
a capacity and an ability to be
productive because he’s expecting them
to produce something so there was
capacity everyone in here has god-given
capacity of productivity as a manager
under an owner they were expected to be
productive in their time so we’ve got
time we’ve got abilities Talent and then
we have resources because there was a
weight of worth resources not the same
amount not the same degree but the same
category and so this man goes on a
journey God has a patent on creation he
created it so he patented it and the
issue that stands before us is how will
the managers handle what doesn’t belong
to them but has been entrusted to them
during the absence of the owner
well obviously Jesus was talking about
himself on the cross he died three days
later he rose from the dead 40 days lady
stepped on the cloud and ascended up to
heaven so he’s now currently absent he’s
physically absent he’s gone on a journey
he’s left time he’s gone into eternity
for now it says he went for a long time
Jesus died 2,000 years ago so he’s been
gone a long time in the myths or in the
meantime he has entrusted in stewards as
managers to on his behalf with whatever
he’s entrusted to them and remember
anything you have has been entrusted to
you because you don’t know anything
and neither do I and so the three
servants have been entrusted with
possessions but not bears belongs to the
owner now
the story says that God number one had
five talents and he went out and he got
productive and doubled it five more
talents the second guy had two talents
went out and doubled it
he was productive so he has now four
talents
it says slave number three we’re gonna
spend a little time on door number three
dug a hole and put his talent in the
hole Oh
now it gets interesting because we’re
told in verse 19 now after a long time
the master of those slaves came and
settled accounts with them Jesus is
talking obviously about himself he’s
been gone a long time but I think I need
to serve notice on me you and us he is
coming back
I studied the Bible in college for four
years and studied the Bible’s before you
as definitely master’s degree another
four years we’re getting about their
degree and then I’ve been preaching all
of these years and I’m still learning
new things from this awesome
inexhaustibility world of games that’s
why I’m so excited about the twenty
heaven Study Bible and its accompanying
words the Tony Evans Bible commentary it
will take all of this training and this
teaching and make it available to you to
understand utilize and apply God’s most
powerful
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what you need to understand is Jesus is
gonna come back and when it comes back
there will be an accounting the question
is going to be asked how is my name my
kingdom and my possessions been handled
that I put temporarily or loan to you to
handle for me that’s gonna be the
question the Bible declares that this
question will be asked 2nd Corinthians
5:10 at the judgment seat of Christ for
we shall all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ to give an account tell
me how you use your time for my kingdom
tell me how you use your talents for my
kingdom tell me how you use your
treasures for my kingdom tell me I want
to know in fact you don’t even have to
tell me I got a taped for there is a
record of the account he comes to settle
an account and it comes to door number
one slave number one then when he comes
the slave number one the one who
received five talents at verse 20 says
master here you gave me five I’ve
doubled it his master said to him well
done good and faithful slave you were
faithful with a few things I will put
you in charge of many things enter into
the joy of your master door number two
slave number two come say master you
gave me two here’s four I’ve doubled it
the master said in verse 23 well done
good and faithful slave you are faithful
with a few things but I will put you in
charge of many things enter into the joy
of your master so because they were
productive in the time
with the resources when the master
settles an account he says first of all
commendation well done because I could
depend on you faithful and therefore you
were faithful over a few things the one
verse 24 who had received one Talent
Master I know you a hard man we’ve been
where you did not sow gathering where
you scattered no seed and I was spurred
I was afraid so I went away and I hid
your talent in the ground see you have
what is yours wait a minute wait a
minute master it ain’t all bad
I ain’t double it but I ain’t lose it
cuz here right here it’s in the dirt let
me dig this thing up here it’s in the
dirt here’s your talent so I can’t show
you where I did anything with it but at
least I didn’t lose it so let’s talk
about slave number three just in case
there’s some slave number three’s in the
house slave number three slave number
three digs a hole and he puts it in
there why cuz he don’t wanna do to work
when he called lazy but not only is he
that he’s also wicked so he’s lazy
but he’s wicked that’s why I put it in a
hole see if you put it in the bank the
bank keeps a record banks keep records
when you to make a deposit there’s a
record of the deposit that’s the whole
point of a bank to protect it but so you
know what ya protect it when you put it
in a hole there is no record if he comes
back he’s got his money but but i but
but if he doesn’t come back I know where
this is and it’ll be available to me you
said you know me you know my
expectations you know I’m a hard man
you know I have high demands you know I
don’t want cheap leftovers you know that
you see at the heart of this guy’s
problem
he’s not sure he’s willing to risk it
all on the fact that the Masters coming
back see that that’s his that’s his
issue verse 28 therefore take away the
talent from him and give it to the one
who has the ten talents okay that stuff
he hid take it and give it to the guy
who maximized his kingdom potential
here’s the principle verse 29 for to
everyone who has more shall be given and
he will have an abundance but to the one
who does not have even what he has
she’ll be taken away so God is taking
back his stuff because it’s his since
possession so since I’m not included in
your program I’m taking it back and I’m
a handed somebody else now here’s where
it gets interesting and confusing verse
30 throw out the worthless slave into
the outer darkness in that place where
there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth now I know that sounds like hell
but it’s not these are slaves of the
master they belong to the master
secondly the issue has nothing to do
with eternal life the issue has to do
with the kind of work you performed and
you’re not saved by your work you saved
by grace apart from works so this has
nothing to do with going to heaven
because this has
do with reward for work and you don’t
get to heaven by being rewarded for work
by grace are you saved through faith not
according to works so that no man should
boast so this is not this is not hell
the phrase outer darkness and the
weeping and gnashing of teeth is a
Semitic phrase that means profound
regret weeping you’re crying you’re sad
mmm
gnashing of teeth profound regret many
if not most of the people in here have
varying levels of regret things that you
look back on and you say when you think
about it you go I would have done this
differently said this differently been
there differently I would have done it
differently if I could do it over again
and there are regrets and depending on
what it is the profundity of it can
express itself in a in a deep way
I will cast him into outer darkness
where there is weeping and gnashing of
teeth okay what does this mean
when Jesus Christ returns he is
returning to set up his Millennial
Kingdom that is the 1,000 year reign of
Christ on earth let me summarise when
Christ comes back he loops around the
Sun for the Bible says that the whole
world will see him so he will loop
around the Sun and he will make his
entrance and he will land that the Bible
says on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem
and the Bible says that in Jerusalem he
will set up his throne to rule the earth
with a rod of iron to rule it by force a
rod of iron there will be no rebellion
under his 1,000 year rule none no open
rebellion
and the earth will be what God intended
it to be the lion will lay down with the
lamb all of those scriptures that talk
about not heaven up there
heaven down here on earth as Jesus
Christ rules the earth as king of the
earth for remember is his he men will
assign believers Christians to varying
levels of responsibility based on their
faithful Kingdom stewardship some will
be over City some will be over state
some will be over country some will be
over communities there will be varying
levels of responsibilities handed out
and varying watch this levels of
excitement okay what he is saying is
that God is not going to ignore the fact
that you ignored your stewardship
yes salvation is free heaven is free the
price has already been paid but your
stewardship is a responsibility and the
only way you will meet that
responsibility is if you give up
ownership and say I am a manager of all
that you’ve entrusted to me and now I
want to manage it according to the
owners specifications and that includes
your life and everything associated with
now I I want to be honest here there is
some struggle there there is some you
know how do I but I got to look after me
I gotta look after what’s mine I got
member but it but it’s for God you know
you know managing all of that I’m
talking about a frame of thinking a
worldview a perspective because God can
do a better job owning me than me can do
only me
okay okay I’m not smart enough to own me
make too many mistakes too many dumb
thoughts too many too many too many
ridiculous actions I’m too I’m not smart
enough to own me and nobody is whatever
inconvenience it is to take this
stewardship mentality let me put this
way
I don’t like squash I’m not a squash guy
ain’t a vegetable guy but but but
particularly squash squash just doesn’t
do it for me okay so I will avoid squash
if squash is prepared I’m going to avoid
it I’m going to pass it on because I’m
doesn’t doesn’t doesn’t get me to to eat
squash but if you said to me Evans if
you um agreed to eat squash every day
for a year I will pay for all of your
groceries for the rest of your life I
can tell you now my attitude toward
squash is going to change
because now I’m looking at something I
don’t prefer through a different lens
I’m looking at the long-term benefit
that’s gonna outweigh the short-term
inconvenience see if all you see is
what’s right in front of you right now
and you don’t believe Jesus is coming
back in a serious way and that those
rewards are going to blow your mind then
you’re going to take the position of an
owner but if you’re willing to take the
faith risk that everything I have
belongs to him and I want to use it yes
it will benefit me yes it will benefit
others but at the same time it’s all
designed to benefit him as the owner and
you will adopt that worldview as a
kingdom steward
I can guarantee you based on the Word of
God that he is going to blow your mind
when he calls for your audit now you
can’t change yesterday but you can do a
lot about tomorrow
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each of us are responsible for taking
the time the talents and the treasures
that God has given us and using them for
his kingdom purposes when we refuse to
use our time talents and treasures for
his purpose then we are bad stewards
because God has given us a management
responsibility not an ownership
responsibility
the moment we make it for ourselves
oh and building our own Kingdom we have
now changed from manages to owners if
you want to be an owner you got to
create your own world but if you’re
living in this world the world that God
needs and the world that we were birthed
into and one day will depart from the
question on the floor is did you take
proper responsibilities for what I have
entrusted to you for my purposes this is
a shift in mindset when you make this
shift in mindset now the owner God can
relate to you in a way that benefits you
because you are relating to him in the
position that he has given you in me and
that is as managers not as owners so
when you look at what God has placed in
your hand under your care and for your
responsibility remember he’d want to ask
you how responsible were you with what I
entrusted you to handle
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