Sermon – Myth #4, God Has A Pre-Determined Blueprint for My Life
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag 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 bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five 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!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; 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 bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are 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 bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 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 there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“God will always work out His will in our lives.” This is a common misconception that is often communicated by sincere believers. No matter what happens, they say, God will carry out His purposes in our lives. But the parable that Jesus spoke tells us that this is not true. In fact, our decisions do matter and our decisions with the choices that we are confronted with can have a profound impact for all of eternity.
L.J. Ogilvie writes the following concerning this parable: “This parable focuses primarily upon the useless servant. Gifts that are not used are lost. The title “talents” is unfortunate, in that in our language we use the word “talent” to refer to natural aptitudes or abilities that people have. The talent in this story was a weight, and its value depended on whether the object weighed was copper, silver, or gold. In the story, talents were given to the several men according to their “abilities” (v. 15). It would be best to interpret the talents as opportunities. And in the parable each of the men is given opportunity according to ability and is expected to serve faithfully. This is a parable on responsibility.
The men who had received five and two talents respectively took risks; they applied themselves actively in their responsibility. But the unfaithful servant thought only of himself and his security, risked nothing, and achieved nothing.
On the Master’s return there is an accounting from each. The two servants, representing faithful disciples, had transformed privilege into action. The response of the Master carries the note of eschatological joy; the “good and faithful” servants enter the joy of their Master. But as soon as the unfaithful servant opens his mouth, it is evident that he was not interested in his Lord’s cause or advantage but rather in saving his own skin. One who cannot venture his own person cannot take risks for the sake of his Lord! He was judged according to his conduct. What was given was taken away, “For whosoever shall save his life shall lose it… .” The story closes with the language of destruction in outer darkness—the symbol of the anguish of ultimate separation.”
Our decisions do matter; God will not “over-ride” our will – we will be accountable for the decisions we make. On Sunday, we will discuss this parable further and we will see how the role of initiative, faith and faithfulness should play in our decision-making as we continue the sermon series, “Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe.” Hope to see you then!
