A Question We Don't Want To Be Asked When Christ Returns | Matthew 25:26-27

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Real Truth Daily This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Hi everybody, welcome back to Daily Truths. We're talking about the parable of the talents. Remember one guy received five talents and he doubled it. Another guy received two talents and he doubled it. Another guy received one talent and he buried it. And then in the parable as Jesus taught it, the master comes and he says this in verse 26, and we talked about this a day or two ago, but his master comes to the parable of the talents.

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_01]: The master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have scattered no seed. 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. In other words, I gave you a talent. You should have utilized it, at least invested it so that I made interest on it when I came back to receive it unto myself once again.

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Now, what is the application? What's the point of this parable regarding this guy? Well, the point is this. God has given us talents and gifts to utilize for his glory, for the extension of his kingdom, and to serve one another in love. When Christ comes back, do we want him asking us, hey, I gave you talents. Why didn't you use them?

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_01]: No, we don't want him to ask that, right? And I'm not being silly because that's really a question that we're going to be asked. We're going to be held accountable for the gifts and talents that God has given us. So this is serious stuff we're talking about today.

[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_01]: My big question is, are you using your gifts and talents? We've talked about that in other episodes. Sometimes we like to slip into churches, and especially if they're big churches, it's easy to slip in, to worship, and to leave.

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_01]: But here's the thing. If this is convicting you, if you're not using your gifts and talents, and many of you are, and thanks God, thank God for that. I'm very thankful that you're using your gifts and talents to glorify God, to edify the body of Christ, and to serve one another in love. That's awesome.

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_01]: But if you're not, you might be waiting for the church to ask you to do something. And here's what you can do. Don't wait for them to ask. Go to any church leader you know, and maybe a church leader you don't know. Introduce yourself and say, my name is, whatever it is, and then say, I really want to get involved in the life of this church. I know I need to. I've studied the parable, the talents.

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_01]: I know that God has given me gifts and talents to utilize in the body of Christ, and I want to serve other people. What can I do? And then they might ask, what do you want to do? And then you might say, well, I'm not sure. And then they'll have a spiritual gift analysis or some sort of tool or instrument that will help identify what your gift in this is. And then once you take that, hopefully, they'll be able to plug you into ministry.

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Now, serving God doesn't just have to happen in the church. It can happen in your community. It can happen in your neighborhood. I know a lot of couples that have a community barbecue every once in a while for their neighbors. That's serving the Lord. They have the gift of hospitality.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_01]: My daughter-in-law serves the Lord by coaching a volleyball team at Forge Christian High School. That's serving the Lord. That's using our gifts and talents. And by the way, she is really a good coach.

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_01]: I would say that even if she weren't my daughter-in-law. So here's what I'm saying. God has gifted you. If the church doesn't try to solicit your gifts, be proactive and say, I know that I have gifts. How can I serve?

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Now, what's the bottom line of this devotion? Why do we do all this? It's because of God. It's because of what he has done for us. First of all, he's provided for us every gift, material, relational, financial, spiritual.

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_01]: Every gift we have comes from him. It's all because of him. He is a provisional God. And so because he's provided all these good gifts for us, especially creating our bodies and sustaining our bodies to this very day.

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_01]: One of the things we can say is, God, I want to honor you with my life because you've provided for me so magnificently. But secondly, God has saved us through his son.

[00:04:21] [SPEAKER_01]: He knew that we're lost and condemned creatures because of our sin. And he sent his son, Jesus, to save, rescue, redeem, and deliver us from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_01]: So that we have a new life in his name and salvation and forgiveness and eternal life. It's awesome.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_01]: So this is why we use our gifts and talents, not only because he's provided for us, but also because he saved us through his son.

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And then thirdly, he's given us his spirit and the spirit of God has broken down our stubborn, resisting will and caused us by his power, working in the word, caused us to believe in Jesus.

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_01]: And then the Holy Spirit gives us power to live a godly life for the Lord Jesus and imbues us with gifts.

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Is that a word?

[00:05:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Imbues us with gifts to utilize to the glory of God.

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_01]: So you see, all of this, all of what God has done, his provision, his salvation, his giving us the Holy Spirit, all of that should move,

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_01]: impel, and motivate us to say, God, how can I use my gifts to serve you?

[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_01]: We don't want to be like this guy who buried his talent, right?

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_01]: And we don't want God to ask us when he comes back, hey, I gave you talents.

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_01]: Why didn't you use them?

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_01]: We don't want to be asked that.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_01]: So get involved, use your gifts, serve one another in love, and give all glory and honor and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ in the process.

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And that is today's Daily Truth.

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for tuning in to Daily Truths with Dave Ullman.

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Pastor Dave Ullman is the pastor of Mount Hope Church in Boulder, Colorado.

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[00:06:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Come back tomorrow for your next Daily Truth.