RO B E RT D.

S M I T H

SERMON SERiES
SERMON 2

Equal Time, Opportunity, & Accountability

MATTHEw 25:14-30

by Jan & Rick Loy

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Equal Time, Opportunity, & Accountability

M at t hEw 2 5 : 1 4 -3 0
(Romans 14:12; Matthew 12:36, 16:27; II Corinthians 5:9-10; Galatians 6:4-5; Ephesians 5:15-16; I Peter 4:7-10) To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability, and he went on his journey. -Matthew 25:15 The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose. -Arnold Bennett
Everyone has exactly the same amount of time on any/every day: 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds. No one gets less; no one gets more. This parable of the talents (a unit of coinage of that day) in Matthew 25 originally addressed the stewardship of money, but has come to encompass any gift, privilege, talent, skill, or stewardship given us by God; Scripture is clear that time is a gift. Everyone has equal timeand thus opportunityto use time and gifts productively with energy, passion, and creativity, or to use time and opportunity poorly, if at all. And, lest we assume our stewardship of time is optional, everyone is accountable for how time is utilized far more accountable than we may imagine.

i. thE MaStER aNd hiS StEwaRdS: EMpOwEREd aNd EquippEd

A. thE MaStER ENtRuStEd talENtS tO hiS StEwaRdS aS hE chOSE tO dO SO. - vS. 14-15 B. GOd haS GivEN tO EvERy bEliEvER tiME, GiftS, abilitiES, aNd OppORtuNitiES.

- Romans 12:3-6; I Corinthians 12:4-7; Ephesians 4:11-16

C. NOt EvERy bEliEvER haS thE SaME GiftS, abilitiES, aNd OppORtuNitiES, but thEy havE thE SaME aMOuNt Of tiME iN which tO StEwaRd thEM.

- I Corinthians 12:11-20
D. GOd placES GiftS StRatEGically tO StRENGthEN thE bOdy Of chRiSt, cOMplEMENt thE GiftS OthERS pOSSESS, aNd advaNcE thE KiNGdOM.

- Ephesians 4:12-13
E. thE GiftS Of GOd cOME with GOdS pOwER aNd GuidaNcE.

- Philippians 2:13 ii. thE MaStER aNd hiS StEwaRdS: Explicit ExpEctatiONS
A. StEwaRdS aRE by dEfiNitiON chaRGEd with activEly caRiNG fOR, pROtEctiNG, GROwiNG, aNd pROpERly uSiNG what haS bEEN placEd uNdER thEiR cONtROl. 1. EvEry bEliEvEr is first a stEward of thE grEatEst gift: thE gospEl 2. EvEry bEliEvEr is a stEward of his/hEr uniquE gifts B. GOd ExpEctS EvERy bEliEvER tO bE diliGENt iN StEwaRdShip with tiME aNd GiftS aS a MattER Of lifEStylE aNd pRiORity 1. faithfulnEss in stEwardship is valuEd by god

I Corinthians 4:1-2
2. faithfulnEss in stEwardship is valuEd by mEn

I Timothy 5:17-18; I Peter 4:8-11

3. faithfulnEss in stEwardship has consEquEncEs that rEvErbEratE for EtErnity with god and man

Matthew 25:41-46
4. thE ExpEctation of bEliEvErs accomplishing mEaningful things and bEaring fruit with thEir livEs is unmistakablE in all of scripturE

ex. John 15:5-6

Time is free, but its priceless. You cant own it, but you can use it. You cant keep it, but you can spend it. Once youve lost it you can never get it back. -Harvey MacKay
3

iii. thE MaStER aNd hiS StEwaRdS: EffORtS aNd ExcuSES

a. thE StEwaRdS RESpONdEd diffERENtly tO thE MaStER. vS. 16-18 1. thE first two rEspondEd with urgEncy and ExpEctant EnErgy

vs. 16-17
(a) ImmedIately they engaged In theIr stewardshIp, demonstratIng respect for tIme and opportunIty (b) Joyful use of the prIvIleges and responsIbIlItIes that were theIrs (c) persIstence In the sometImes up and down process of beIng a steward (d) clear awareness of a comIng day of accountabIlIty

The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them...Whether you find satisfaction in life depends not on your tale of years, but on your will. -Michel de Montaigne
2. thE third buriEd thE monEy (a) dIsrespect for the master (b) dIscountIng the value of the talent (c) decIdIng the masters trust was not Important (d) dIsmIssIng any concern about a day of accountabIlIty

We say we waste time, but that is impossible. We waste ourselves. -Alice Bloch
b. thE MaStER RESpONdEd diffERENtly tO thE StEwaRdS. vS. 19-30 1. hE commEndEd thE first two and commissionEd thEm vs. 19-23 (a) the master celebrated theIr faIthful, dIlIgent efforts; they respected the rIches entrusted to them and worked dIlIgently to grow them (b) the master commended theIr results (c) the master commIssIoned them to even greater opportunItIes 2. thE third was mEt with chastisEmEnt, condEmnation, and consEquEncEs (a) the master chastIsed hIm for lazIness and blatant dIsrespect (b) the master condemned hIm for faIlIng to respond to responsIbIlIty

(c) the master ordered severe consequences.

You cannot kill time without injuring eternity. -Henry David Thoreau
3. thE mastEr rEdirEctEd what thE third had buriEd into thE hands of thE first faithful stEward.

iv. thE MaStER aNd yOu - GEt clEaR quicKly ON thESE MattERS:
GOd haS ENtRuStEd tO yOu tiME aNd GiftS; diScOvER thEM aNd EMbRacE thEM. GOd haS GivEN yOu Equal tiME, OppORtuNity, aNd accOuNtability fOR yOuR uSE Of tiME aNd GiftS. GOd ExpEctS faithfulNESS aNd diliGENcE iN StEwaRdShip fROM yOu, REGaRdlESS Of thE paRticulaR GiftS aNd abilitiES yOu pOSSESS; all aRE SiGNificaNt iN SERvicE tO hiM. GOd dESiGNS that OuR livES bE abOut thE jOyful, uRGENt, aNd pROductivE uSE Of tiME aNd GiftS; it iS thE avENuE tO ExpERiENciNG fRuitfulNESS bEyONd OuR iMaGiNatiON. tOday iS thE day tO ENGaGE; NOthiNG happENS tOMORROw, OR yEStERdayit caN ONly happEN tOday!