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message and the last words will be reserved for the workshop. So let us turn our Bible to Matthew 25. Matthew chapter 25 vers 14. The parable of the week respond of Matthew chapter 25 vers 14 to 30. We shall read as verse 14. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. >> And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his several abilities, and straightway took his journey. that he that have received the five talents went and traded with the same and made them out of five talents. >> And likewise, he that had received two, he also gained other two. >> For he that received one man and did in the earth, and his lot money, >> the Lord of the servants cometh and reconth with him. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliverest unto me five talents. Behold, I have gained recite them five talents more. >> His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou has been over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou delivers unto me two talents. Behold, I have gain two other parents beside them. entered into. >> Then he which had received the one he talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an weeping where thou have not sown and gathering where thou had not spra. His lord answered and said unto him, thou the wicked and slothful servant. Thou gest that I reap where I sow and gathered when I not sought. There was therefore to put my money the exchanges and then at my coming I shall receive mine. >> Take therefore the talent from him and give it unto him which have 10 talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that hath not shall be taken away, even that which he have. >> And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and nashing of teeth. >> Amen. God bless the reading of his holy and precious. Now parable has been long known as earthly story >> but most importantly because they are found in God's word >> in God's word parables are given for the spiritual benefit of God. So the what I would say the clearance of Christian stewardship is by what the lord has given in this parable of the pen. In this parable the lord described a master how he entrusted his goods to his servant before he go on a long journey. So the servants are given responsibilities according to their abilities and the master left them and after some time when he return he called for them to give an account for what they have done. So it is quite a straightforward parable. Okay. Not not so difficult to understand. And this parable reflects the relationship of God with with his people. We are not owners of our life. We are not owners of the resources that we have. We are not the owners of our time, the spiritual game, whatever abilities that God has given to us. We are not the owner. We are simply stewards. Stewards of God and as stewards one day we have to give an account. All of us don't want to have to give an account on your behalf. All of us. All of us without acceptance. We have to stand before God and then we have to answer. So will we pass or will we fail? So let us examine ourself through this parable. Now the parable begin with a man preparing to travel into a far before leaving he called his servants and delivers his goods un unto them put into their hand. Again it brings up to the foundational principle. Our God is the owner. We put the resources into our hands so that we may care for the resources take care of it. So the master is the owner. Everything belong to him. What about the servant? The servant did not own the talent. It belongs to the master. The wealth belong to the master. So it's only a temporal possession that is placed in the hand of the servant. So the master in this parable represent God and the servant represent us and the talent represented everything that we have that we possess ultimately belong to God. Our life, our strength, our opportunity, skills, time, political blessing, our spiritual gifts are not fully ours but temporally placed in our hands. I started to ask for season of time and one day we have to give an account. So when we say this is my money, this is my possession, this is my achievement, this is my success. But in the true sense of the word is not really ours because without God we have nothing more. So the parable reminds us not that all these things are exhausted by the m it is God who gives but you will notice the talent not that I put into you the profit the gain all return to God isn't it doesn't mean that oh uh if I receive five talent I return the five talent without the profit I keep no even a profit over this is what we need to understand. So whether it be five talent, two talent, one talent, all have to be returned to God including the prophets, including the father. So God is the owner. You cannot escape from this. So if you if you try to escape now that will be there will be there will be okay we will see that later on and then the master distributed the talents differently not all the same not all with the same amount of talent one of course as far as this parable is concerned there Three servants. Three servants. One servant received five, the second received two and then the last one receive one. Based upon their abilities. So this distribution is not random. It's not uh it's not God know I without looking. No. God knows every of every every one of us. The master knows every of his servant. Now what ability he possess and then he gave to them accordingly. No more know that God know very well. So that is a picture of God. God knows us far better than we ourselves. He knows how much we can bear. In fact, this is a very comforting truth, isn't it? God will not give us more than what we can bear that will crush us. Now, that will make us unable to cope. We will be able to cope because God is why God is God is able to dispense upon And not everyone receive the same thing, the same responsibility. Some greater some as small. You're not to compare with one another. More is given, more is expected. Don't compare. God decides and his decision is the best. God the moment you try to question. So how how are you going to question? You question put to God. God I think I deserve more. Why you didn't give me more? I questioning God. And often time there is always a comparison. It's because you compare with another person. This person has been given more than you person why you give me more. Why didn't you give me more? So when we compare God, we know better not. So that is the kind of message that we are saying to God. Don't don't let God be God. God knows God. And also no servant will be able to say oh I receive nothing. No even the last servant receive one talent. Every believer will have at least a talent. We will equate the talent to spirituality. All of us will receive at least that is the spiritual resource which God has provided for us to serve him to bless him. Now stewardship is not measured by comparison. It is measured by faithfulness. Faithfulness. So the servant with two talent was not condemned for lacking five talent. He will still be rewarded because he faithfully put to use what he has received. The one five talent earn another five. The two talent earn another two. But God did not expect the one who earn two talent to gain another five. He done his heart to earn another two and go. How come easily discourage? Because when they compare to one another, they focus on what they do not have instead of focusing on how to be faithful in what they have. Okay? So the one who have five talent is faithful with the five talent. The one with the two talent is faithful with his two talent. That is all that God want. But we know that the third one, the one with the one talent is not painful. He did not do anything useful may equate that oh you go and find a a ground not to hide the one talent not to make sure that the one talent will not be stolen or that itself is a great effort, isn't it? God want to use the not you don't don't don't give yourself credit for what you have not done. To the certain religion is expected. All who repentant whether it be five, two or one, they are expected to work the pattern. Now after receiving the talent, the first two servant immediately start working immediately. They don't procrastinate. Oh, they don't say wait. Oh, maybe the the master will take a long time to come home. Let's take life easy. Let's relax first. When we sense that is coming, then we will work. No, immediately the master left. They put the talent to work. That's what we must do. So the servant with five talent traded and gained another five. The servant with two talent also traded and gained another two. So they were productive. They were hardworking as we can see. Now notice the words and they went. So you describe their action and they went. They did not delay. They did not procrastinate. They did not waste time. They went with the purpose because of the mountain instruction. It immediately engaged the labor. So Christian fellowship requires deliver you must study hard. This is our call. We are called to be Christian student. Study hard. Please study hard because God call for it as sons and daughters in the home. Be a good Christian son. Be a good Christian. I have said enough. What we must do at home. Honor our parent good steward. Don't waste food. Don't waste anything. Put them in good news. Don't don't break things easily. Cherish them. So they went with purpose. They went with purpose. So they work with the hand and then the talent increase. God gave an increase because they are faithful. So the master expected responsibility and faithfulness to the path that they were given. So the the the talent is not intended to be unus. Now many possess abilities but never develop them. Many have the opportunity but never use them to glorify. We want all them away because not use or even to neglect them. You may have a game but you do not develop it. very soon you will become stagnant and you will not be edifying anymore. It can become like this. For example, you you keep on making the same mistake. You play the piano, you just when the song number given to you to prepare, you just play once for number. You play one. You know very well that play once is not enough. You just practice once not enough. You keep multiple practicing and every time when you come to the actual event, you make mistake. You make mistakes again and again. Do you think you will still be given the opportunity to continue? No. Because your mistake affect the world. So one day the leadership will ask you what what is happening. But they will not remove you immediately. They may ask you what is happening. If they find that you are not diligent, if they find that you are not putting the hard work, they may give you some more time. But the time will come, they will just say, "Okay, thank you. You do not need your service anymore." You can come even for those that are hustle one immediately when you make mistake, you're out. In fact, that that can happen in the world. You can make a very tiny mistake but it is a great loss to the organization or to the company. How we go cannot afford this mistake. What's more for God? You ought to take it seriously to take it seriously. Religion religion is not for us to all we know we are we are doing very well to to be happy about it though we should still look for ways how to improve to be better be better and better and better if you think that you have okay you have done well people have acknowledged it do it even better can you do it you You can you can don't take for granted. So we must be taught faithfulness in stewardship that requires diligence. And so this parable honors diligence. Okay. In order to have faithfulness, you must work hard. Okay? Working hard is part of faithfulness. Though the first servant double what he received, the second servant also double what he had received. The increase may differ in the mouth but not in favor because both receive the same commentation from the m. Well done thou good and faithful servant. Same commendation to the one who have five talent to the one with two talent. How the master is very fat even did not compare because the two talent did not have the same productivity as the one with five talent. Why why are we not producing the same result? I don't care whether how much you are given. If you are good, you will produce five talent. The five talent proder lesser But same commenation good and faithful ser. The world will look at the result. Definitely but over here it is more than the result. God is able to look at our heart. God is able to see through our diligence and our business. God is to encourage us. Sometimes we may feel unmotivous. People may not appreciate but God sees faithful labor with faith. So whatever you sorted we are given use that use that is our responsibility. What about the third servant? The third servant did nothing. The third servant behave differently. Instead of laboring with deligion, he diligently look for a plot of land that no one know and he makes sure that everything is done secretly so that no one will know what he and then he d into the earth. Uh he makes sure that he he duck deep enough because if we not deep enough some animal may come and just take the away you must have enough hard work isn't it? So with all the diligence now he justified that he did not lose the palent. He just really hit it. No robers will be able to find it. No disaster will destroy it. He just simply refused to use it. So what do you think of what he had done? Well, such a servant neglected outrightly disobeyed his mother outrightly. He avoided responsibility. He avoided deligion in labor. He avoided putting in efforts. Outwardly he may appear say the one talent will always be the one talent. very cautious. In fact, it was very resourceful, isn't it? To be able to find a safe place to hide this one, but there's nothing to be praised for because that is only his own effort. God has not called him to. So what God sees that he unfaithful know some people think that stewardship only fails when the resources are wasted or maybe to baptist living. Remember the parable of the prodical son asked for the son asked for the to be divided into the heart. Then after that he went and waste all his to wasted. Some people think that oh stewardship failed when you waste all the resources. But here the parable show also another danger. When you fail to use the resources according to God, according to God's instruction, you have also failed in your skills. The lady very talent a very talent is a wasted opportunity. Wasted. absolutely wasted. Now why do some people bury their talent? It could be due to fear, laziness, discouragement, excuses, complacency, unwilling to serve. Now let us look carefully how the servant explain there will always be some some sort of excuses or testifying or their own excuse. They do not want to admit that they are wrong or I have done wrong and forbid you or they try to justify what they are doing is right. Okay. So how did the third servant justify himself from verse 24 onward how he came to the master and how he described the master as a hard man. And what he meant was the master was working too hard for little profit even to the point to mean that the loss outweighs the profit. a heart man. I told that all in his own understanding in his own opinion fearing that the master might end up ruing everything. uh he did a very safe thing with to hide that one talent. So he's trying to present himself as someone who is caring, who is understanding because the one with five talent with whom the market had given this five talent may be will be lost and then the two talent likewise may be lost. So he want to assume that this is the situation. Then when the master comes back, oh all lost if but the third servant hide that one talent thinking that he will praise the third for that four sight. How about is that true? Well, his words revealed a wrong understanding of the master. Fear became his excuse for not labor, for not being paid. So instead of serving faithfully, they justify his laziness. And this is very common today. Very common. Oh, why did I fail? I am the teacher did not teach properly. Have you ever heard such reading? Oh, how come I I did not do well? I cannot do my assignment. I cannot I cannot understand my lectures. Well, the teacher will be blamed. Very often we hear this excuse. It may be true in some sense but we have to work hard. We have to do our part not because when exam come what are we going to do? Oh yeah the teacher not teaching well. So put all the blame to the teacher but then so you are not doing anything. you're not making effort to try to understand how to to find out from other topic you may be able to understand or even from the teacher itself just explain to me again we just want to be very comfortable the teacher is not going to blame it very commonly in in even in school we try to But we do not want to work hard. Oh, if only we have a good picture. We make our life so easy. We we all expect we conveniently put away just like this. So now his problem is not the lack of ability. Remember the master distributed the talent according to their ability. If the master can give one talent to him to one servant. That means the master know that this servant have the ability to manage this one talent. But he chose not to. He chose to be lazy. That's the problem. Some people say, "Oh, I'm afraid of failing. I want to fight or I do not have enough ability. I'm not as gifted as others. Someone else can do better." So in the end, nothing was done because you push away. You find excuses. So the master did not compare did not ask the servant, oh you must be like the one with five talent, you must be the one with two talent. No, according to their ability, they just have to be faithful working diligently. They can learn from one another. No problem. But the master did not compare. You might be like this or you might be like you are not as good as the master because the Lord know our authority. The Lord know who we are. We are all unique in his sight. We're all special accordingly. But we all can be faithful. Will you be faithful? Although the failure was not rebarable, it was not uh something that is so bad. Just not working on the just hiding. We still have the wrong talent. remain status quo. You have heard of the word status code. Nothing changed. Will God be happy with nothing chang but in Christian life we cannot remain stat something that ought to be growing must grow. You can refer to this if you look at the the plant. Okay. The plant the one in the one in white. You can look at the plant. The one in white is what you are. What you are what you are. Correct me if I are wrong. Okay. Is what you are the the plant the tree. And then the background in a different color green is what you will become. Don't correct me if you remember. I try to be more imaginative. I try to be more descriptive. Now if you were to remain as you are without is there any way is there any point in water? The reason why we water is so that we may become what is seen in the background. It's our vision what God want us to be and only faithfulness will will bring us to that level. So it is a very good picture a very good illustration of how we are to be good Christian people for God. But the one the one hand you produce nothing with the one hand. So you wasted now many are living just life. Let us not think that oh just because one talent only how many people are like this one talent you're wrong many are one talent man how many are like this one talent and two talent very few you look at the church today any church who are the one who work hard very clearly you can see who are the who are those who are always running around not running not playing hard and see or catching and no, they're working very hard to keep to make things done to make sure that everything is in order, every church, every community. to be faithful to be delivered. Will you be one of them? Please do not say I will be in time to come. When when will it happen? It will never happen. You will think like this. It will never happen. Start now from little. The Lord is not asking you. Okay. Oh, I want to preach. I want to go to the prophets. And that is awesome. No. Back from where you are right now with what the Lord has given to you, even that one talent, use it. Use it. Use it to the glory of God. Use it for the blessing of others. You hide it. There's no blessing. No blessing. Now one thing is sure that when all the servants were given a palent the master had gone on the journey the one thing sure is the master will return one day and he returned for accountability. The parable says in verse 19, after a long time the Lord of those servants come up and renate with them. Now this is that moment that is ser a lot of time when the responsibility are given to us very seriously. We have time. We have we have all the world to think about. We think we have a lot of time ahead of us. The market is not going to return any time. It's going to be long. So let's relax. No need to be up tight. What is the most serious? Because the master the servant have to leave an account always involve accountable. People may wish the master will have forgotten. The master will never forget. He do not forget what he has entrusted. The journey may be long but the return was certain. So some people may forget accountability but God does not. They still have to give an account. Can you say in front of God? Oh holy God I forgot. I forgot you have given me the resources. I forgot that you have given me all this time. I forgot that this spiritual gift I have is to be used this way. No excuse. Every steward was eventually answered. How did you? So the first servant came forward with confidence in verse 20. Lord thou delivers unto me five times. Behold, I gain beside them five and four. When we have done our work faithfully, we will not be will come. Lord, I'm so happy that you have given me these five talents. I have put into good use because you have trusted me. And now with this 500 I gain another five. Oh Lord know this is the blessing. I'm willing to submit this report to you. Happy report. Happy report. Same for the the one with two. Same same for the the other. And so therefore we both receive the commandation. And notice the two words of the commandation. Good and faithful. Good and faithful. Now to come from fellow man the impact is not as great. But to come from the master Because men accelerate, men may pretend to say good. But to come from God, to come from God is something which is very important. Look for God to to say for us only when we are faithful because it is not going to be the work that God is going to see. Then the master said, "Thou has been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things." Facebook a few things. The master will say five talent a few things. Two talent over a few things but the reward is great. I will make thee ruler over the foundational principle of many desire. Only when I have great things in my hand then I can do great things. If we imagine sanctified imagination the one talent all of them receive the one talent the one with the five talent become one for Will this servant be able to do something to the one parent in his religion? Okay, he can trade with the one parent and then he will be able to profit maybe another. Same for the one with good tent for not with the servant who neglect his responsibility. So the parable teaches about faithfulness even in little things that matter to God. So very often in the church how do we not for men we have to do something in order to to measure faithfulness because we are not we cannot see through the heart. Hope we can only design something that enable us to test whether you are painful or not. So you'll be given a small task, a very small task, a very simple thing and that very simple thing will be able to solve. If you say oh yeah this small thing no big deal though you you take for granted and say you ask me to sweep the floor it's a lonely job the church of cleaner the church pay someone to clean the floor why you take the such attitude people know how beautiful you Or maybe no one claims then you are given the job. Okay. Thank you. It's my job. But you didn't you didn't do a good job. So area you can't see but when when when people see clean but actually you sweep under the the sofa under the piano then when people remove the sofa. Hey how come so dirty? I thought all along we have kept the place open. But this as far as men can see sometime we can't even see. What you can't even see. It's only over time the things that are given increase in the measure. Then it will expose the unfaithfulness. >> Sometime it work like this. But as far as God is concerned, you can see through whether we are faithful or not. So let us not work for men to see, work for God to see. Then we can we can be assured that the work that are important to us will be welcome because we will be faithful. But we are doing not for men to see. We are doing for God to see and we cannot hide from God. And then the master says to them, enter down into the joy of my Lord. That is God's approval. You bring great delights with the enter down into the soil of what a great blessing. We do not want God to look at us with the angry face or we want God to look at us with a happy face. What about the third servant? He returned the single parent unchained outwardly. He preserved the one talent. He preserve a master's property safely for a master of because stewardship is not merely it is faithful serving. God if the Lord have commanded All of you make sure that when I come know all your talent must not be lost. If there is an instruction and the one that done the instruction the instruction is work with the talent. They all know very well what to do with the talent. Okay. Work on it so that there will be increase. But the third one we decided not to work. Just keep it. He did not lose it. But he keep it for the Lord did not give him credit for that. Although you will serve the one faithful. So let us take note of this parable. Well, we need to pray that the Lord will help us to recognize the responsibility that we have given. So every talent that God has given is to be put not to waste it. And what was the result? What happened to such negative fellowship? Where are very severe to be thrown into a place where there's a ning of teeth. What does it mean? What it means that this third servant have no regard for the master at all. So it reveal it reveals what kind of a believer you are. You are a false believer. You are not a true believer because you disregard what God has said to you. What will be your end? Your end will be the same as an unbeliever. not to reject to suffer the wrath of an angry god forever. That's what he described with the nashing of teeth great and then the talent will be removed from you and given to another. So it go a big round maybe one round go back go back to what we are called to be son and daughters of the old time we will surely be the one to save if we don't So you don't care. If you don't care, that means don't bother. We disregard what you said. We just live our life. When it come to accountability, I don't give excuses. But that will be the consequences. You are not a true leader. You are believer. You are just a professing believer. Your life has not changed. You are still living in the world. You still believe in yourself. Not enough. Well, if you come to the state, it will be too late. Too late. No opportunity to repent anymore. Will you want to try that? No. You'll be too late. Not only you deprive yourself of salvation, you will not deprive of other seamp. and the humble by stewardship. So let us be a faithful steward. These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has shown to us now what recommendations he will give to those who are very the instruction is not complicated. The instruction is not a so so so difficult to understand. It's very plain and simple. All you all we need to do is look at what we have been given the resources the abilities that we have the time that we have the spiritual gift that we have just use it with God's help of course we cannot we cannot say oh I I don't I don't need God I don't I don't depend on God I can do it God has supplied you the help and wisdom He has given us the Holy Spirit. We can do this. And through the commandation is already put forth to all those who are faithful. Thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of my Lord. We may look forward to the day of accountability, the day of reckoning. Then we will we will all stand before the right judge and receive the crown of life. The crown of wed not only to Apostle Paul as she says in second Timothy 4:8 we receive the but to all who love his appearance. The one with five talented, the one with two talented definitely love the appearance of the master who returns after a long because their high talent has produced another high talent. The two talent have produced another because they have their talent to work with diligent and faithfulness. But one talent surely he does not love the appear of the master or we wish the master will never return. He can live his life in abundant way in his own way in a worthy way. God may God help us to increase all the messages that we receive is to drill in a faithful steward because God is if you can go back with this message to you. God is what must I do? Be faithful. Acknowledge God is the owner and then pray for the Lord's help to use all the resources to help you be faithful to manage all these resources according to his we can be faithful when we stand before the vice may God help Our loving heavenly father, we thank you for our word. Forgive us for our heart that is so prone to be lazy, to be indifferent, to be worthy and how we have failed our duty. to be faithful steward of all the resources we thou have graciously instructed in our hand. Oh Lord, we pray that we repent and to take heed of thy word which we have heard with all these messages to remember that God the owner to remember that we are merely carak stewards. You are not the owner but the owner and dear. We pray oh Lord that we will be found faithful as stewards on the day of accountability. We pray that we will not fail thee and Lord we know how much we need thee. We cannot do it on our own. We need thy help. We need thy strength. We need thy wisdom. I mean all of us here will have heard our word and we know that one day we stand before the might of God. And we pray that we will hear the commenation and not condemnation the commentation of being good and faithful servant. Oh Lord we pray that we know it is not going to be easy but we know that thou will not leave us nor forsake us. and we thank thee for our word that we have heard. Help us to be doers and not heroes only. We commit all this unto thy love and committing the rest of the camp program that we may be faithful stewards according to in Jesus name.