Calling all one-talent Christians!
Matthew 25:14-15 “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 ability; and straightway took His journey.”
I want to mention here, that God has a way of giving everyone exactly what they need….”…according to his several ability…”. God gives us each “ability”….or power to do, what we are called to do.
You will notice that this Man, Christ Jesus….before He ascended to heaven….He gave gifts unto men…
Ephesians 4:7-8 “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”
“And He delivered unto them His goods.”
Again this shows that we are provided for, before the emergency arrives……”ordained” as Paul says:
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are HIs workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
This, the Man Christ Jesus did to all…..
He gave five talents to one, two talents to another, and one talent to the other.
These talents are the currency with which to trade with….in order to gain for their Master.
We all have been given the Holy Spirit when we were born again….it is how much we yield to Him which gives the increase, by grace,….in our lives….and in the lives of others we come into contact with.
Since He gave one servant, five talents….does that mean He gives more of the Holy Spirit when they are born again? No…
….but notice….they were all servants before He gave these talents.
This talent then is the faith and grace of God…..for it multiplies, just like an investment….if we use it.
Grace is the unmerited favor of power….the power of God in our lives. The peace, strength, courage, sight, joy,….all come by grace.
We are saved by grace….by “grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8)
We are sanctified by the grace of God…His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)
We are kept by grace….who are kept by the power of God through faith (1 Peter 1:5)
Faith and grace is the “money”, the capital…we invest in our lives,…
….to receive the benefit of the reward…”Well done, thou good and faithful servant”.
And this faith and grace is all from God. It is the use of it, that gets us more.
Not everyone grows in grace, the same…..God knows that.
But He gives us a charge to be faithful to the faith and grace we have….to listen to the Holy Spirit and obey. To do, trusting in the Lord.
But the one-talent servant chose to “dig in the earth”.
Matthew 25:24-25 “Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew Thee that Thou art an hard man, reaping where Thou hast not sown, and gathering where Thou hast not strawed:
And I was afraid, and went and hid Thy talent in the earth: lo, there Thou hast that is Thine.”
Frankly, this man claims to know the Lord….as many entangled in the world, do….
….but he does not.
It wasn’t just that the Master had given him everything he needed….that was true, and therefore as a servant he should obey…
….but it was his attitude to his Master.
Jesus Christ paid all our debts, gave us everlasting life, sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and comfort by faith, and gave us grace—the unmerited favor of power….
….yet the Lord Jesus is accused….of being “mean” because He requires obedience in one thing….
……….use what I give you!
This is the attitude of the servant entangled in the world.
This one talent servant had buried not only the talent in the earth…..but his heart as well.
For this servant basically told the Lord, I would rather be buried in worldly things then do anything for You.
He claims that he was afraid….
….and fear does make us do stupid and terrible things…..
….but there was an answer to that:
Matthew 25:27 “Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.”
Usury is interest, as from a bank.
He should have taken the faith and grace of God and shown some interest in it……Should have gone to church to try and learn how to use it.
Should have read the Bible, and let the Holy Spirit speak to him from it.
2 Peter 1:5-8 “…giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;….for if these things be in you,…they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This is God’s plan of growth….”add to” what you have….and you will gain more.
So, calling all one-talent Christians!
You may not think God gave you much……perhaps your heart is cold toward Him….perhaps you think you are better off “digging in the earth” of this world….
….burying your talent of faith and grace.
But you are not. God gave you one talent to use….to gain by it, and frankly, there is no limit how much we can gain….not in faith, grace…or love to Him.
Come….pick up that faith and grace given you and use it….let His love bring you from the hole in the earth….to the Way and walk toward heaven’s gain…
…for He does love you.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are HIs workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 