Matthew 25:14-30

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

1) Everything I have comes from God. (14)

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. (Psalm 24:1; 1 Corinthians 10:26)

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father.

Until I settle the issue of ownership, I can never make it past this barrier. Everything I have: my health, my life, my possessions, and my family, isn’t mine. God owns it. I manage it.

We make the mistake of thinking my job, or my employer is the source of my income. The source of your income is God. He can use a job or anything else to bring it to you.

[bctt tweet=”Real security can only come from something that can’t be taken away from you.” username=”colephillips”]

You can lose your money. You can lose your savings. You can lose your job. You can lose your house. The only thing that can’t ever be taken away from you is the unconditional love of God.

When you surrender your life to God, everything else will fall into place.

[bctt tweet=”When God is the owner, you can trust Him to help you change the destructive habits you have that cause debt, anxiety, and fear of the future.” username=”colephillips”]

2) I can trust God fully. (16-18)

Am I trusting God in everything? Do I trust Him with big things, but not with small things? Or do I trust Him with the small things but not the big things? Do I fully trust God?

[bctt tweet=”Your perspective about who God is will influence how much you trust God.” username=”colephillips”]

“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

3) I am accountable for what I do with what God gives me. (19)

When the Master returns, He wants to know what has been done with what He’s given.

Areas of Expectation
My Treasure.

“So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me.” Luke 14:33, NLT

My Time.

“Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count. Don’t be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:15-17, CEV

My Talents.

“Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.” 1 Peter 4:10, CEV

My Testimony.

“God was pleased to trust us with His message.” 1 Thessalonians 2:4, CEV

4) I will be rewarded for how I develop what God gives me. (20-30)

         I will be rewarded according to my faithfulness (21, 23)

I want to hear my Father say “Well Done! Good and faithful servant!”

         I’ve got to Use It or I will Lose It (29)
It’s a Matter of Attitude:
  • 2 Men looked at what God gave them as a blessing.
  • 1 Man looked at what God him as a burden.
Applications
  • Look to God as your Source.
  • Take care of what gives you like God would want you to manage it.
  • Who is at the center of your life?