Am I a Sheep or a Goat? | Matthew 25:31-46

Am I a Sheep or a Goat? | Matthew 25:31-46

Chris Karpus

Am I a Sheep or a Goat? – The Moment of Truth

Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats

31  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious

throne.  32  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as

a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  33  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his

left.

34  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your

inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  35  For I was hungry and you

gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you

invited me in,  36  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison

and you came to visit me.’

37  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and

give you something to drink?  38  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and

clothe you?  39  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters

of mine, you did for me.’

41  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared

for the devil and his angels.  42  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you

gave me nothing to drink,  43  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not

clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44  “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or

sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45  “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for

me.’

46  “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

1. - Following the parables of the 10 bridesmaids and the distribution of the talents (Mikey and Clay)

A. In the last few weeks, through Jesus’ parables, we’ve learned:

- that we need be prepared in anticipation of His coming (and know the consequences of not be

prepared)

- that we need to invest the gifts talents and abilities that he’s given us in His kingdom (and know

the consequences of not investing ourselves in His Kingdom work)

- and finally (truly finally) with this parable, Jesus shows us how to respond to his grace and what

he expects to see as fruit in His followers.

- Not really a parable as much as a prophesy – we don’t find terms like “like” – the kingdom of Heaven is

like…or “like 10 virgins. Jesus is giving a statement of fact: “When the Son of man comes…”

- This is about the 2 nd coming of Christ,- Something each of us is going to experience

-The most public event of all time

- It could be today, tomorrow or in a thousand years.

- Before Jesus died and rose again, He prepared His disciples for His departure and all of us for His

return.

Verse 31

31  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 

- Jesus is confirming that He is:

The one who will be enthroned as JUDGE

Daniel 7:9

“As I looked, “thrones were set in place,

    and the Ancient of Days took his seat.

The One In the presence of angels…

Daniel 7:10

A river of fire was flowing,

    coming out from before him.

Thousands upon thousands attended him;

    ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

The court was seated,

    and the books were opened.

The One who will reward the righteous…

Daniel 7:18

But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever

and ever.’

- and punish the wicked

Daniel 7:26

But the court will sit, and his (satan’s) power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.

- get the picture? Jesus in all His glory…maybe this will help…

Revelation 19:11-16

11  Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and

True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.  12  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His

head were many crowns. He  [a] had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  13  He was clothed

with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  14  And the armies in

heaven, clothed in  [b] fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.  15  Now out of His mouth

goes a  [c] sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of

iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  16  And He has

on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND

LORD OF LORDS.

Verses 32-33

32  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a

shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  33  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his

left.

-Absolute truth that each of us will be standing there with each other – all of us…ever

- He is going to separate us, one from another

- this is going to be a personal interaction. We will EACH stand, individually before Jesus, in all of

His glory. (Harkening back to the parable of the talents stressing individual gifting, responsibility

and accountability.

- He is going to place each of us either on His right or on His left…no middle ground…no fence to

sit on

Matthew 25:34-40

34  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your

inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  35  For I was hungry and you

gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you

invited me in,  36  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison

and you came to visit me.’

37  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and

give you something to drink?  38  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and

clothe you?  39  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters

of mine, you did for me.’

- He will judge each of us individually, based on the life we lived – what we did or didn’t do.

- That’s a familiar theme from Matthew 16…

Matthew 16:27

  For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will

reward each person according to what they have done.

- You may ask…isn’t that a works-based salvation? NO

I am not saved by works, but works are the evidence that I’ve been saved

- The good works performed by believers aren’t the basis of salvation but should be understood

as the necessary EVIDENCE of salvation. These works are the fruit and product of our new life

in Jesus.

- We don’t do these things to be saved…we are compelled to do these things because we ARE

saved….out of our love and gratitude for Jesus

- the works, we will find, are works of LOVE

- They’re lowly, not spectacular and seemingly not religious (but maybe they ARE…)

James 1:27

27  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in

their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

- faith and hope aren’t mentioned…only LOVE.

Could it be that LOVE is the true evidence and fruit of our faith? How we love others

demonstrates how we love Jesus.

John 15:12

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

1 John 4:7-8

7  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of

God and knows God.  8  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:19-21

  We love because he first loved us.  20  Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For

whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have

not seen.  21  And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and

sister.

1 John 3:17-18

17  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how

can the love of God be in that person?  18  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with

actions and in truth.

Matthew 22:36-40

36  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your

mind.’ [a]   38  This is the first and greatest commandment.  39  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as

yourself.’ [b]   40  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Everything hangs on LOVING GOD and LOVING PEOPLE…everything

It’s not the works that Jesus rewards, but evidence that we truly KNOW HIM and LISTEN TO

HIM…that we LOVE HIM and LOVE OTHERS.

- In this case, it’s the command and also the fruit

Matthew 25:41-46

41  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared

for the devil and his angels.  42  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you

gave me nothing to drink,  43  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not

clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44  “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or

sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45  “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for

me.’

46  “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

- Those judged by Jesus meet opposite fates…

- the righteous come to Jesus, and the unrighteous depart from Him

- the righteous are blessed, and the unrighteous are cursed

- There is a fearsome finality to Jesus’ judgement – there are no second chances at this point.

- Both the righteous and the unrighteous seem surprised…maybe both are professing Christians

- Both answer…”Lord…”

Matthew 7:21-23

21  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who

does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  22  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not

prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many

miracles?’  23  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Philippians 2:10-11

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11  and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

- We shouldn’t be surprised by any of this after reading this parable – we know what Jesus is looking for

on judgment day.

- If it seems harsh, consider the fact that Jesus is giving us a 2000 year heads-up…

- Jesus will know how much we love Him, based on how much we loved the least of these.

- We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength and all our mind.

AND love our neighbor as our self.

The two have always been connected…we show God how much we love Him when we

obey this and love others. We are truly called to love God and love people, because Jesus

identifies with the least of these.

So, back to a pretty legit question is: Is Jesus teaching works righteousness here?..that we can somehow

earn our salvation through righteous works?...No

- One clue is in how the righteous reply – if they were trying to earn eternal life by feeding the

hungry, and so on, they wouldn’t be surprised when Jesus commended them for good works.

- Jesus isn’t defining FAITH in this story – He’s showing us what it looks like when it’s alive, and the

consequences of it when it’s dead.

James 2:14-26

14  What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such

faith save them?  15  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  16  If one of you says to

them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is

it?  17  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18  But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.  19  You believe that there is

one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20  You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless [d] ?  21  Was not our father

Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  22  You see that

his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  23  And

the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as

righteousness,” [ e ]  and he was called God’s friend.  24  You see that a person is considered righteous by what

they do and not by faith alone.

25  In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she

gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?  26  As the body without the spirit is

dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

-In that light, Martin Luthor said this:

“ O, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works

incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has

already done them and is consistently doing them. Whoever does not do such works, however, is an

unbeliever.”

That sounds really harsh, doesn’t it?...I mean…that last sentence…but if you think about it, isn’t that

exactly what this parable is saying? Isn’t that exactly what Jesus is saying?

That makes us have to ask: Is the neglect of service to others so wicked that it deserves separation from

God for eternity?...the fires of hell?

The answer, both fortunately and unfortunately, is YES.

James 4:17

17  If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

- In some ways, there’s no ambiguity in what Jesus is saying here…so what seams really clear in this

reading?

- What do these passages in Matthew teach us about Jesus’ return?

1. His return will be sudden

- people will be going through their daily routine

2. His judgement will be irreversible – no second chance to repent at that point

- There are servants who will not be ready when their Master returns

- There will be bridesmaids locked out of the marriage feast for not preparing

- There’s no middle ground…no fence to ride, and I believe that if there were, Jesus

would swipe left

3. Our hearts will be exposed.

- The true nature of who we are before God will come to light

4. Our sentence may be surprising

5. We must be prepared – our lives and our eternities are at stake

6. The Kingdom of Heaven is not for those who simply respond to an invitation. All of the

bridesmaids had done that…or just praying the sinner’s prayer (which is not in the Bible)

7. The Kingdom of heaven is not for those who simply make a confession – each of the

bridesmaids would have said they were part of the bridal party

8. The Kingdom of Heaven is not for those who merely express some affection – positive feelings

about Jesus wont be enough on the last day.

Where do we go from here?

- The first big application of this is that we should be grateful that Jesus will one day set the world right.

- We should be grateful that Jesus told us in advance how to show Him love...that how you treat other

people demonstrates the nature of your relationship with Jesus.

- His mercy is like a long yellow light…

- We should be grateful that Jesus loves us enough to tell us through these parables:

- how to be prepared in anticipation of His coming (and the consequences of not be prepared)

- the importance of investing our gifts talents and abilities that he’s given us in His kingdom (and

the consequences of not investing ourselves in His Kingdom work)

- and finally (truly finally) with this parable, Jesus shows us how to respond to his grace, and love

Him the way He wants to be loved.

- Now…taking care of the poor is not new to the word of God. The Bible mentions the poor over 2000

times.

Isaiah 58:10

…and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,

    and your night will become like the noonday.

- “spend yourselves” means give them your life! Leave it all on the field.

- but what about taking care of ourselves…retirement…for when we’re old?

Matthew 6:19-21

19  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves

break in and steal.  20  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not

destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  21  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be

also.

- So one could say that the Bible says to spend your life on behalf of the poor, not to spend your life trying

to avoid dying poor.

- and you don’t know when that is (by the way)

Moving Forward:

You serve people that God has put around you not because you want to get to heaven, but because

Jesus has changed your heart.

Are you ready for that day?

Are you ready to meet God?

Are you ready to stand before Jesus and give an account?

You might ask yourselves, or ask God: How can I be ready?

1. Trust in Jesus…give Him your heart. Don’t be close-fisted with your life

Triangle

2. Repent of your sin…

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that

hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for

us,  2  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the

cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  3  Consider him who

endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

3. Listen to the warnings Jesus has given us in the last few weeks, and pray earnestly for Him to show

you where your heart is.:

-The maidens (Matthew 25:1-13) consider themselves friends of the bridegroom, but they don’t

live in a way that anticipates his return.

-The wicked servant (Matthew 25:14-30) considers himself in the employ of the Master, but he’s

never offered his talents without reserve for the kingdom.

-The “goats” (Matthew 25:31-46) are surprised to be rejected by Jesus, who they thought they

were faithfully serving. But when it came to pouring themselves out for the crushed people of

God, they weren’t engaged at all.

Here’s the sobering thing about these parables: There is no middle ground. You are either committed to

the mission, all-in for Jesus, and using your resources for his people and his kingdom, or you are not. You

are either a sheep or a goat. And that puts the lukewarm Christian in a very precarious position.

- Have you offered your life and your talents, no matter your age, as an investment in the kingdom? Could

we look at your giving and say that you are all-in with the mission of God? Would your calendar back up

what your words say when you declare, “Jesus is Lord”?

- This isn’t the time to ask ourselves questions about our actions. It’s time to ask ourselves questions

about our faith…especially in light of Matthew 25

- It’s time to ask ourselves if we are giving God the first and best of ourselves, your time and your money,

or are you giving Him the leftovers.

- It’s time to stop calling our complacency, apathy or indifference to those Jesus calls us to love, a “busy

schedule” or “bills” or “forgetfulness”. Call it what it is…sin.

We sang “Open the Eyes of my Heart”…Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see you. Not only has

Jesus told us how to show Him love, but He has shown us where to find Him.

4. Go to them…the hungry, the thirsty, to strangers. Clothe the naked…look after the sick…visit a

prisoner.

5. Use the gifts, talents and abilities that the master has given you to serve Him…to love God by loving

people.

- If you don’t feel like it, do it anyway. I can promise you that when we go to Africa and look in the faces of

those kids, you bet I see the face of Jesus.

6. Seek out opportunities…don’t just sit and wait for them to come to you…

Buy food for the blessing box

If you see there’s a meal train, jump on it…or start one for someone who needs it

We’re currently putting together back-to-school items for newly arrived refugees and those less

priviledged.

Give from your time, your talent and treasure sacrificially to your church and other organizations

and people that God leads you to. Find an organization doing the work of God and help them. If you cant

find one, start one.

Go to your neighbor

Practice loving people as an outpouring of your gratitude to a loving, merciful, grace-giving God

The Significance of Faithful Work | Matthew 25:14-30

Parable of the Talents | Matthew 25:14-30

Clay Jernigan

YOU HAVE BEEN WALKING THROUGH THE BOOK OF MATTHEW:

- You’ve seen how Jesus used parables to help provide a window into HIS KINGDOM.

- Parable would typically have a singular overarching meaning.

Kent Hughes Commentary - HELPS US CONNECT WHERE YOU’VE BEEN TO TODAY

“So we might say that readiness looks like HOPE (The parable of the Virgins), LOVE (The

Parable of the Sheep and Goats), and FAITH (The Parable of the Talents).”

In this sermon our focus is on faith, more specifically on faithful working, or even more

accurately a faithfulness that works.” -

These set of passages in Matthew are a series of parables about how we should live our

lives at his eminent return.

What we should discovery is an urgency to live out what God has put in each of us, for his

glory and our joy? And caution against not taking it serious.

READ PASSAGE: MATTHEW 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[c] and entrusted

to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents,[d] to another two, to another

one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the

five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So

also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received

the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a

long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he

who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying,

‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His

master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[e] You have been faithful over

a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who

had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents;

here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and

faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into

the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward,

saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and

gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your

talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him,

‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and

gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with

the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with

interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten

talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.

But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the

worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and

gnashing of teeth.’

1

2 Things to Highlight in this Passage:

1) It helps us see ourselves rightly

2) It helps us see God rightly

1) You cannot know yourself without knowing God

1) You can do a deep dive and know your desires and then find a group of people with

those desires and sprinkle Jesus on top of it...but that is still not HOW YOU ARE

WIRED AND HOW YOU WERE PLACE.

First Thing We See in the Passage:

God distributes his talents and abilities not to all alike, but to each

individually.

• THIS NOT WHAT THE MASTER IS DOING -

“Here’s 5 talents for you and 5 talents for you”

• IN OTHER WORDS - WE ARE NOT ALL GIFTED THE SAME WAY?

- HE GIVES ACCORDING TO THEIR ABILITIES...

• THE TRUTH IS - Some of US would get killed with 5 talents. WE would just be crushed.

The day God has for SOME US and the day he created you for YOU MAY require the 1 talent.

PROBLEM: 5 TALENT PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT

We look at the 5 talent guy and think important and then the 1 talent guy and think less

important. WHEN WE THIS THIS WAY - IT IS AN ACCUSATION AGAINST GOD.

• ACCORDING THIS PASSAGE:

• 5 TALENT PEOPLE ARE NOT:

• Loved more by God or know more of God’s pleasure

• Listen...its not about “Man I wish I had what that guy or that women has...”

• Praise God our cultural score cards are not His.

• HIS SCORE CARD IS NOT EVEN ABOUT THE TALENT!!!

His Kingdom score card is about FAITH, RISK, COURAGE, and

WILLINGNESS to step into what HE built for you...

• NOT you trying to be a cheap imitation of somebody else.

• ARE YOU WITH ME? WE HAVE GOT TO SEE OURSELVES RIGHTLY.

• He didn’t gift us all the same way.

EXAMPLES:

• America’s Got Talent

• Work Place

• There are people at your job that have a skill set that is not your skill set. And if you

tried...you might even get a B.

• But you’d be EXHAUSTED, It would ware you out, you’d hate it - It would be B level work.

• Meanwhile there’s that guy that came out of the womb asking for a spreadsheet.

• Hello - Im here to create systems and structures.

WE ARE GIFTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

• ME: If I tried to get into the weeds at that level - I can pull it off to a point. But then its like

C level work -

2

• BUT if I stay in my lane and I’m me - NOT THEM

• MY STORY - CALLING TO MINISTRY - NOT SURE WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE

SAY

YOU ARE NOT THE BEST AT EVERYTHING, YOU ARE LIKELY NOT THE BEST AT MOST

THINGS - BUT YOU ARE GIFTED BY GOD...WITH A TALENT

ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT - The idea of Compound Interest

• The 1 talent guy could have sewed his - just as the 5 and 2 talent person.

• What’s at stake here is not the TALENT - BUT What you do with the talent.

DISCOVERY:

• SO WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF YOUR GIFTS:

• 1st - THEY COME FROM GOD - THERE ARE HIS

• Nature abilities God just wove into you

• Your Story - Through your story God has redeemed some things

• Kelly - Single mom who wanted to create a place for other single moms to find love and

hear about the love of Jesus.

• People would tell Kelly - you are so gifted at this - No -“I’m so broken, and know what

others are feeling and have to do something about it.”

• PIC 2 - Kelly & Ladies On Stage

• PIC 3 - Kelly & Family

* PLACE - Story of Dee & Marc

• Somethings Given At Salvation:

• When we surrender to Jesus that a manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common

good

• 1 of 2 Ways:

• Comes in and Begins Something That Wasn’t There Before

• Most Time - Electrifies What Was Already There

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of

service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same

God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the

Spirit for the common good.

DO you see what ’s happening -

Where we are prone to go - THAT PERSON’S got this really amazing thing and I got this little

baby thing... God is freeing you up...He’s saying same team, same team, same team...

Why is this so important?

• It frees us up to celebrate one another.

• Whether its the same gift or a completely different gift.

• You see what He’s doing...

- Variety of gifts, variety of services....One God, One Spirt - Same Team, Same Team....

• HE’S BUILDING THAT TEAM - to cause problems with the darkness of the world.

• SAY: Oh if we could see ourselves correctly - Our attention would be ON Him -

And you would realize just how dangerous you are to the darkness. Oh that we

might come awakened.

Some of You Get This:

- Football season is around the corner

3

- Something you will not see

- Is a 6’5 - 350 lb guy lining up in a slot receiver place

- That kinda guy was built to fight you in phone booth.

- You get him out of his spot - He looks stupid and the team suffers.

- BUT - IF HE WILL PLAY HIS SPOT - Its like a cascading effect

- He blocks/opens up a space for the guy to run or creates some protection...not we can

move the ball down the field.

- If we get him out of position - he’s a liability.

SO IT IS - IF WE WILL SEE OURSELVES CORRECTLY - AND YOU PLAY YOUR SPOT.

- Not your friends spot

- Not my spot

- Not your cousins spot

- Not your spiritual hero spot

- YOUR SPOT

- The kind of joy you can walk in that you are not walking now.

My heart breaks for some maybe today - You’ve been walking in someone else’s

spot. You are poor version of someone else. NOT the beautiful version of what

you could be.

SAY:

I’m not trying to puff up your self-esteem. This is God’s economy. He’s involved in

that. Its not you that’s amazing - Its God that’s amazing IN YOUR STORY.

WE MUST SEE OURSELVES RIGHTLY - You have been gifted.

BUT MUST SEE GOD RIGHTLY AS WELL

Now - The Guy w/ 1 Talent

- He has no eagerness and no urgency - no joy and confidence

- Rather - He makes accusations against the character of God

- The bible says to this man - You are lazy and wicked - I don’t know how you are wired - but

I’m not wanting that said about me BY GOD.

How is he lazy and wicked?

- I think this how this works.

- SAY: When you don’t see God rightly - AND you don’t see yourself rightly... You

will begin to think thoughts about God that are out of step with who he is and

what He does.

- In so doing, you will make accusations in your heart just like this servant.

- Maybe He Thought, “Man my talent is so small and God is so rich”. It just

doesn’t even matter. REPEAT —- What I have is so SMALL and God is SO

big...I don’t have to do anything.”

- Let the people with the 5 talents do it.

IF YOU WERE MADE FOR THE DAY AND THE DAY FOR YOU.

- God is intimately involved in shaping and forming you.

- Redeeming You - Redeeming your hurt, victories and losses

- Giving you a life a purpose and belonging with an unshakeable identity.

That kinda thinking - “My gift is too small, he’s so rich, he wouldn’t even miss

this...is an accusation against God.

This is why he calls him wicked and lazy.

4

What we really know - God is actually very generous.

You posses nothing that is not Gods and has been given to you to steward.

CS Lewis - 6 Pence None the Richer

- So it is - You and I have nothing that does not rightly belong to the creator

God. You don’t have a talent, you don’t have an opportunity.

- BUT I WORKED HARD FOR WHAT I GOT.

- Great - But Be Honest:

- Were there other people that worked hard-Did’t get quit as far

as you?

- Were those others that positioned themselves rightly, yet the

opportunity was not there for them?

- Is there nothing naturally not in you that gave you that edge?

GOD IS GENEROUS!

• IT IS GOD WHO:

• ...GIVES, ...SAVES, ...SETS, DRAWS, MAKES A WAY,..POSITIONS US

RIGHTLY, HE IS AT WORK

• JOB MOVING HERE - I WAS NOT THEIR FIRST CHOICE

Vs 25 - He gets real honest about why he was paralyzed- HE WAS AFRAID

- WHY BECAUE HE DIDN”T KNOW WHO GOD WAS:

- HE’S MAKING ACCUSATIONS AGAINST GOD.

- He’s saying I was afraid - of what might happen if I invest it and loose?

- At least the 5 talent guy has margin to spare - “I got 3 left - some

bitcoin got me”

HERE’S ONE OF THE BIGGER TAKE AWAYS - I’ll SAY IT AGAIN - GOD’S SCORECARD IS

NOT THE SAME AS OUR SCORECARD.

SAY: What HE delights in, what HE is honored in —- IS FAITH - Not our

metrics of success.

- I tell you - a lot of us are going to get ROCKED when we get to glory. When we see

who the big deals are. - RANDY ALCORN EXAMPLE

GOD’S SCORECARD IS NOT OUR SCORECARD:

He honors FAITH, RISK, COURAGE

- Our guy here was AFRAID

- THINK ABOUT YOU AND I:

- FEAR Will Likely Keep You From Moving Forward in Faith

- Maybe You’ve Been Hurt:

- Not doing that again, Not trusting anyone with information again,

- Fear of IT not working.

- Here’s I Guy - I WAS AFRAID - I only have 1 talent - What if I bet it and loose it. Your

powerful, so what does that mean for me?

HOW DO WE STAY ROOTED? SEE OURSELVES RIGHTLY?

SAY - Your faith and what Jesus is doing is WAY bigger than your personal

salvation. LOOK AT ME - It is not LESS than your personal salvation.

• But it is epically MORE than your salvation.

• We have been so conditioned to think when we hear Gospel (Good News)

to only think - PERSONAL SALVATION.

5

PERSONAL SALVATION:

- The transfer out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of His Beloved Son.

- So, you want to play in the Kingdom, personal salvation is a necessity.

BUT IT IS BIGGER THAN PERSONAL SALVATION - YOU AND I ARE CAUGHT IN A STORY.

ITS THE ONLY STORY - ITS THE STORY THAT ALL STORIES FIND THEIR PLACE.

HIS STORY:

- THE CREATOR GOD OF THE UNIVERSE CREATED THE WORK IN SHALOM.

- In rhythm and beauty to reflect His glory - an overflow of his divine, triune perfection - Father,

Son, Holy Spirit overflowing on the canvas of creation.

- THE MAN AND WOMAN WERE NAKED AND UNASHAMED - Little do with nudity and

everything to do with the heart and their relationship with the Father and each other.

- SIN ENTERS THE COSMOS AND FRACTURES IT

- The man goes from WO-MAN, Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh to - Its that WOMAN

YOU GAVE to ME.

- Relational strife immediately between each other and God and man.

- HERE’S GOD’S RESPONSE: To move towards - to redeem / to save

- He makes a people - Exodus 17 - And you will be for more a Kingdom of Priests that the

Nations might see my light.

- Christ come - kills sin and death for those who would believe

- You and I by the power of His spirit are called into this Kingdom

- Uniquely wired - Uniquely Placed - Set to cause problems for a vanquished enemy who

doesn’t know He quit vanquished yet.

THAT’S THE STORY YOU AND I ARE IN.

If we are to have the urgency we need - The FAITH, COURAGE TO MOVE - WE HAVE TO SEE

GOD RIGHTLY.

If we see God Rightly, We Will See Ourselves Rightly and Place Ourselves into the Story -

There are no SMALL TALENTS?

DEEP WORK, OVER TIME, IN COMMUNITY:

DEEP WORK - IN the quite - With the Holy Spirit

ON SCREEN

TALENTS:

What do I love to do?

What motivates what I do?

What do I constantly think about?

HEART:

What would I do if I knew I wouldn’t fail?

What do I care most about in this world?

How do I hope others describe me when I die?