WHILE LAST WEEK, WHILE READING FROM AMOS THAT THE DAY OF THE LORD IS LIKE ONE FLEEING FROM THE LION ONLY TO STUMBLE BEFORE A BEAR AND THEN TO FLEE INTO ONE'S HOME ONLY TO PUT ONE'S HAND ON A SERPENT ON THE WALL. IT IS APT DESCRIPTION OF NOT ONLY THE DAY OF THE LORD BUT ALSO A SERIES OF TEXTS WE HAVE BEFORE US THIS MONTH.LAST WEEK IT WAS THE COMING OF THE BRIDEGROOM, TODAY IT IS COMING OF MASTER, AND NEXT WEEK IT IS THE JUDGEMENT ON THE LAST DAY. THESE TEXTS REMIND US OF THE HARSH IMAGES OF THE PROPHETS. THEIR VISION OF THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE WORLD'S HELL-BENT WAYS AND GOD'S PASSION FOR LIFE AND SHALOM LED THEM TO TRUST THAT THERE WOULD BE AN ENDING BEFORE A NEW BEGINNING.
IN THE TEXT FOR THIS DAY, JESUS TELLS A PARABLE ABOUT HIS SECOND COMING, INDICATING IN THE PARABLE THAT IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT MERELY TO MAINTAIN THINGS AS THEY REALLY ARE. ( READ MATT.25:14-30). IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO SEE THAT JESUS IS TELLING HIS DISCIPLES THAT BEFORE LONG HE WILL BE LEAVING THEM. HE WILL SUFFER AND DIE AND RISE AGAIN AND ASCEND INTO HEAVEN. BUT, THAT WILL NOT MEAN THE WORK OF THE KINGDOM WILL STOP IN THE WORLD. NO, HE WILL RATHER PROVIDE HIS DISCIPLES WITH EVERYTHING THEY NEED IN ORDER TO CONTINUE THAT WORK. THE OUTSTANDING FULFILLMENT OF THAT PROMISE CAME ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST, WHEN HE ASCENDED AND THE LORD SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON HIS DISCIPLES IN JERUSALEM. HE THEREBY SUPPLIED THEM WITH THE NECESSARY UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD OF GOD AND GOD'S WHOLE PLAN OF SALVATION-AS WELL AS THE COURAGE TO PROCLAIM THAT MESSAGE UNTO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.
BUT THAT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING. JESUS CONTINUES, AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE END OF TIME, TO PROVIDE ALL BELIEVERS WITH EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO CARRY ON THE WORK HE WANTS THEM TO DO IN HIS KINGDOM.
THE TALENTS THAT OUR ASCENDED LORD DISTRIBUTES
TO ALL BELIEVERS ARE NEVER EXACTLY THE SAME FOR ANY TWO INDIVIDUALS (1 COR.12:4-11). NOW THERE ARE VARIETIES OF GIFTS, BUT THE SAME SPIRIT; AND THERE ARE VARIETIES OF SERVICES, BUT THE SAME LORD; AND THERE ARE VARIETIES OF ACTIVATES, BUT IT IS THE SAME GOD WHO ACTIVATES ALL OF THEM IN EVERYONE.
NOW THERE ARE A VARIETY OF GIFTS, BUT THE SAME SPIRIT; AND THERE ARE A VARIETIES OF SERVICES , BUT THE SAME LORD; TO EACH IS GIVEN THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT FOR THE COMMON GOOD. TO ONE THROUGH THE SPIRIT THE UTTERANCE OF WISDOM, AND TO ANOTHER THE UTTERANCE OF KNOWLEDGE ACCORDING TO THE SAME SPIRIT, TO ANOTHER FAITH BY THE SAME SPIRIT, TO ANOTHER THE GIFTS OF HEALING BY ONE SPIRIT., TO ANOTHER THE ABILITY TO HEAL, TO ANOTHER THE POWER TO DO GREAT DEEDS. THE SAME SPIRIT GIVES TO ANOTHER, THE GIFT OF ( DISCERNMENT) OF PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD. TO ANOTHER THE ABILITY TO DISCRIMINATE IN SPIRITUAL MATTERS, TO ANOTHER SPEECH IN DIFFERENT TONGUES AND TO YET ANOTHER THE POWER TO INTERPRET THE TONGUES. BEHIND ALL THESE GIFTS IS THE OPERATION OF THE SAME SPIRIT, WHO DISTRIBUTES TO EACH INDIVIDUAL MAN, AS HE WILLS.
THE APOSTLE PAUL INSISTS THAT FAITH IS NOT SOMETHING WE EARN; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD ( EPHESIANS 2: 8,9), IT IS A GIFT WE CAN NOT GET ALONG WITHOUT, FOR " WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD" ( HEBREWS 11:6). BUT THE GIFTS OR TALENTS THAT ARE ADDED TO FAITH ARE INFINITE IN NUMBER AND IN VARIETY.
"TALENT" WAS FIRST USED FOR A WEIGHT ( ABOUT 75 POUNDS) AND THEN FOR A COIN, WHICH IS HOW JESUS USES IT IN THIS PARABLE. WHEN WE USE THIS TERM FOR AN ABILITY OR A SKILL THAT IS A MEANING WHICH IS DERIVED FROM THIS PARABLE. THE TALENTS JESUS GIVES US INCLUDE ALL THE INTELLECTUAL AND PHYSICAL ABILITIES WE ARE BORN WITH AND THOSE WE DEVELOP AS WE MATURE. OUR TALENTS INCLUDE ALL MATERIAL POSSESSIONS THAT RIGHTFULLY COME INTO OUR HANDS. AND THEY INCLUDE ALL THE MANY OPPORTUNITIES GOD PROVIDES US FOR USING OUR TALENTS TO SERVE HIM AND OUR NEIGHBOR. CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT THE TALENT, AS JESUS USES THE TERM, IS MONEY, IT IS SURPRISING HOW SELDOM THIS PARABLE IS APPLIED TO OUR STEWARDSHIP OF MONEY. WE ARE QUICK TO APPLY IT TO OUR SKILLS AND ABILITIES, AND EVEN OUR TIME, BUT SURELY JESUS ALSO HAS SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT HOW WE SPEND OUR MONEY. IT IS NOT ONLY THE ENVELOPE WE PUT INTO THE OFFERING ON SUNDAY. THAT CONCERNS; THE MONEY WE SPEND ON GROCERIES AND RECREATION IS ALSO A PART OF CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP. WHETHER YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN 5 TALENTS OR TWO, OR ONE, GOD IS LOOKING FOR FAITHFULNESS.
THE LORD DISTRIBUTES THESE TALENTS TO " EACH ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY HE GIVES EACH OF US THE GIFTS THAT ARE EXACTLY RIGHT. IN EVERY CASE HE PROVIDES THE CORRECT COMBINATION OF ABILITIES, TALENTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES, SO THAT ALL OF US CAN BE OF REAL SERVICE TO HIM IN HIS KINGDOM.
SOMETIMES WE IMAGINE THAT IT IS SINCERE MODESTY AND HUMILITY THAT CAUSE US TO REFUSE TO OFFER ANY SPECIAL SERVICE TO GOD AND HIS KINGDOM. WE SAY, " I'M NOT QUALIFIED. I'M NOT WELL ENOUGH ACQUAINTED WITH THE SCRIPTURES. SO LET SOMEONE ELSE TEACH SUNDAY SCHOOL. IT IS ONE THING TO BE HUMBLE AND MODEST, BUT IT IS ANOTHER THING TO USE THE TALENTS FALSELY THAT WAS ENTRUSTED TO THEM, "BOTH OF THE SERVANTS USED FALSE MODESTY, SELFISHNESS, AS A CLOAK FOR LAZINESS, OR INDIFFERENCE. WE CAN COUNT ON GOD TO GIVE US THE NECESSARY WISDOM AND COURAGE, SO WE CAN GO AHEAD WITH CONFIDENCE AND DO THE WORK HE HAS GIVEN US TO DO.
NOTICE THAT THE MASTER PRONOUNCES THE SAME VERDICT UPON BOTH OF THE SERVANTS WHO DOUBLES THE TALENTS ENTRUSTED TO THEM, I WILL PUT YOU IN CHARGE OF MANY THINGS. COME AND SHARE YOUR MASTERS HAPPINESS! THEY HAD BEEN FAITHFUL WITH THEIR RESPECTFUL TALENTS, AND THAT WAS ALL THEIR MASTER ASKED OF THEM. IT IS FOR THEIR FAITHFULNESS THAT THEY ARE COMMENDED RATHER THAN FOR THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. JESUS HAD A REASON FOR MAKING THE SERVANT WITH ONLY ONE TALENT THE UNFAITHFUL ONE. IF IT HAD BEEN ONE OF THE SERVANTS WITH MORE TALENTS, WE WOULD BE INCLINED TO SAY, " WHAT A SHAME! WHAT A TERRIBLE THING THAT A PERSON SO RICHLY BLESSED SHOULD BE SO UNGRATEFUL TO GOD! BUT, OF COURSE, MY GIFTS ARE NOT VERY NUMEROUS OR GREAT, SO THE "LORD CAN NOT EXPECT MUCH FROM ME."
MOST OF US WOULD PLACE OURSELVES INTO A CATEGORY OF THE SERVANT WHO RECEIVED ONLY ONE TALENT. THAT IS WHERE MOST OF US BELONG. MARTIN LUTHER'S EXPLANATION OF THE "LORD'S PRAYER" SAYS IT VERY WELL. " THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMES INDEED OF ITSELF: BUT WE PRAY IN THIS PETITION THAT IT COME UNTO US ALSO. AND THE GRACIOUS GOOD WILL OF GOD IS DONE INDEED WITHOUT OUR PRAYER, OF ITSELF; BUT WE PRAY IN THIS PETITION THAT IT COME TO US ALSO. WE CAN NOT STOP GOD. WE CANNOT PREVENT HIM FROM DOING GRACIOUS WORK IN OUR WORLD. BUT WE CAN DEPRIVE OURSELVES OF THE BLESSED OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE IN THAT WORK. REMEMBER THE WORDS WE WANT TO HEAR AS WE STAND BEFORE GOD: " COME AND REST GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT!"
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