What If ?

In the parable of the talents, a man goes on a journey and entrusts his wealth to his servants. The servants who invest and double their talents are praised, while the one who hides his talent is condemned. This parable teaches the importance of using our abilities for God's Kingdom. The sermon emphasizes the historical figures who were divinely inspired to further the growth of the Church, and challenges believers to use their talents for the same purpose. The speaker encourages believers to strive for the joy of being faithful servants on Judgment Day. through 30, the parable of the talents. Again, it will be like a man going on a journey who called his service and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gave five more, five bags more. So also the one with two talents gained two more. But the man who received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money. After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents brought the other five. Master, he said, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more. His master replied, well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness. The man with two talents also came. Master, he said, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more. His master replied, well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness. Then the man who had received one talent came. Master, he said, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you. His master replied, you wicked, lazy servant. So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the banker so that when I returned, I would receive it back with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside into the darkness, where they will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is God's word. Be seated. Today's message is, sermon message is, What If? In these uncertain and troubling times, I feel it is important for us to hear the promise of the return of Jesus that can be found in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. A parable is a short and uncomplicated story that is used to illustrate a spiritual lesson. Jesus would often use parables in his teachings to his disciples, which may have been confusing, but they were meant for his disciples to really think about his teachings. The same is true for modern believers of the word, and I know that my study and research for this sermon have been enlightening and fulfilling. I am certain that you have all heard this parable many times. I think it is commonly understood that a talent is something that is valuable, and the term has also become to be known as an individual asset or attribute. As a matter of fact, the English word talent is defined as an ability, the natural endowments of a person, any level of ancient units of weight, a unit of equal or value equal to the value of a talent of gold or silver. The meaning of talent was derived from the parable of talents in Matthew 25. The sermon for today addresses the provision of talents to the Church as a whole, as well as God's recent provision for Grace Point Church. Let us explore the lesson of this parable as given to the disciples by Jesus in his Olivet Discourse. Some context is important in light of this parable, as can be conveyed through Church history and the divine revelations given to early Church fathers and theologians. It is also important to ask ourselves some difficult and thoughtful questions in light of these revelations in this history. These questions are meaningful in the theology of the Christian Church, and specifically in the Western Church. Some examples of what-if questions for the Church. What if Augustine had not renounced his early life heretical beliefs in the Manichaean theology of his day? What if Augustine had not written City of God or his subsequent views on Christianity? What if God had not divinely inspired Augustine to complete these actions and works for the furtherance of the Kingdom? What if Martin Luther had not been divinely inspired to study God's Word for the righteous path to salvation, which is grace through faith and not works? What if Martin Luther had not had the courage to question the doctrine and authority of the Church at the time with his 95 Theses? What if John Wisher had not brought Reformed theology to Scotland for which he was burned at the stake? What if John Knox, a student of Wisher, had not carried on the teaching of Protestantism in Scotland and England after Wisher was killed? What if John Knox had not been imprisoned for his beliefs? Or what if Knox had not fled to Geneva where he providentially became a student of John Calvin? What if John Calvin had not sought to know the meaning and purpose of God's Word through study rather than practicing law? What if John Calvin had not been divinely inspired to write his many theological papers, which included his Institutes on the Christian Faith? What if George Whitefield and Gilbert Tennant had not been divinely inspired to work to bring about the Great Awakening in the British colonies of the New World? What if John Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, had not believed himself to be divinely inspired to agitate for the independence of the British colonies from Great Britain? Now this is a long list, but it's definitely not an exhaustive list of the men and women who God used to set in motion in this world the growth of His Kingdom and the growth of His Kingdom in this country. Grace Point is a point in our history in which we have been blessed with God's providence in the continuing mission to grow the Kingdom. To our limited knowledge, we will probably not be directly involved in such a sweeping furtherance of the Kingdom, but we really do not know this as a certainty. Nothing is impossible for, with, and through God. Now let us look at Matthew 25, verses 14-30 as given to the disciples by Jesus in what has been termed the Olivet Discourse. The Olivet Discourse was given to the disciples by Jesus on the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is located east of Jerusalem on the slopes of the Mount, or on the slopes of the Mount, where olive trees grew at that time. In my study of this parable, I read that theologians state the need to read Matthew 25 as the last of three parables, which begins with Matthew 24-45 through Matthew 25-30. Turn with me to Matthew 24-45 through 51, and we will read the parable of the faithful servant and the evil servant through Matthew 25, 1-13, the parable of the ten virgins, and finally to Matthew 25, 14-30. Matthew 24 verse 45. Matthew 24 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 verse 45 As a church of confessing believers, we have a responsibility to strive in our efforts to discern and to act in the furtherance of God's kingdom. Do we want to be servants on Judgment Day who joyfully worked to this end or do we want to be servants who buried God's wealth? Do we want to be facing our Lord's judgment and hearing Him say, or should we be concerned that we will hear you wicked and lazy servants? I, for one, know what I would like to hear. I leave this part of the sermon today with a constant reminder for me and for all believers, I think, as the commandment our Lord given to us as disciples of God. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. The Great Commission. I believe, my thought is, my wife reminded me a while back, several weeks ago, that when we were looking for a pastor, the session of elders had decided to, upon her recommendation, to fast and pray a certain time, a certain day, every week. I think that's a good idea, I think it's a great idea. I would like to call for, let's say Wednesday, every Wednesday, for an hour, from like 6 to 7 p.m. if you're able to. If it's not for health reasons, you cannot. To fast and pray for this church, for this community, and for the people of Israel, for discernment and peace, and good stewardship. In these end days, the continued and faithful support of God's chosen people is expressed in several passages. In Genesis 13, 1-3, the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country, your people, and your father's household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse. And all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Zechariah 12, 1-5, a prophecy of the world of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will strike every house with panic and its rider with madness. Declares the Lord, I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the forces of the nations. Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, the people of Jerusalem are strong because the Lord Almighty is their God. And here's a psalm I've spoken with some of the people at the Hebrew Day School about, they're concentrating upon in their synagogue, in their temple. From Psalm 121, a song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. I will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and your going, both now and forevermore. I'd like to end this sermon with a prayer that I was directed to as well. From the Jewish Mishkan, Tefillah, a Haskavina prayer, an abbreviated prayer from the Haskavinu. Spread over us the shelter of your peace. Guide us with your good counsel. For your name's sake, be our help. Shield and shelter us beneath the shadow of your wings. Amen. Now, please stand for the final song today on St. Jordan's Stormy Banks.