Ever wondered why some people just thrive, seem to be favoured by God, never seem to suffer loss or setbacks?
Lets look into a teaching Jesus shared in Matthew 25, it will bring some light to us, and set us free from a cycle of stagnation, lack and delay.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 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. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 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.’
21 “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!’
22 “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.’
23 “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!’
24 “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. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “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? 27 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.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 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. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
How come there were different amounts of talents handed out? That seems unfair, and unjust? Shouldn’t they have received the same amount?
In this passage we see that talents were handed out to the servant’s according to their ability. Each one had a certain capacity seen by the master to produce, therefore entrusting them with a level of responsibility and opportunity.
Romans 12:3 -6 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with you faith;
Epesians 4:7 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
Our God, Father sees your potential, capacity and gives you a measure of faith for you to walk in that potential and produce according to your abilities.
Why were talents given? And what were they given for?
The servants received the talents for a specific purpose. The key word is ability. They functioned within the masters business according to their ability and used their ability to benefit the masters business. He appointed them a position and gave them responsibility. What they did in that position remained completely up to them. As the master was going away, they had the responsibility to manage the task to produce, and advance the masters business unsupervised.
Jesus gives each one of us a measure of FAITH, which in this parable, acquaints to talents. Romans 12:3
TALENTS are given or the purpose of increasing the Masters business.
2 Corinthians 9:10 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
Hebrews 6:14 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”
Matthew 6:33 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Your talent is your faith that Peter says is more precious than Gold though it is tested by fire. 1Peter 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire.
Invest your faith so that it will produce. Your level production will however be dependant on what you think of your master. The first two servants produced and increased what the master gave them. We are not privy to their opinion of their master, we only know they went to work according to their own ability. We also know they were applying their talents to further their masters business because they presented their increase back to their master.
All three had the same timeframe to work their talents.
All three had abilities to use at their own will.
All three were given opportunity to use their talent for the increase of the masters business.
Why did the 3rd servant hide the talent? The scripture reveals two obvious reasons why.
Matthew 25:24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
The 3rd servant missed his opportunity to increase due to his experience with his master. The Master recognised his servant had the ability to increase although minute, offered him a talent to fulfil his potential.
As far as Jesus was concerned, the excuse to bury the talent and masters opportunity to increase was lazy and wicked. Why? I ask these types of questions. Instead of feeling sorry for the 3rd servant lets look closer.
What hindered his ability to turn the small opportunity into another talent?
He buried the talent, while pointing out to his master just how mauch he disliked his character. The servant felt it was not worth him applying himself to work his talent for the benefit of his master due to the opinion he had formed against him. And because of this opinion, he opened the door to fear, which disabled his ability to use the talent for increase.
Could the master have been hard? YES
Did the master’s hardness prevent the 1st two servants from increasing? NO
Strong’s I knew you to be hard: Through experience I have come to KNOW:
Allowed to experience, to feel, to understand, to learn to know, come to know.
HARD: dry, hard, harsh, stern, fierce, offensive, intolerable, violent.
He was accused of being lazy and wicked, yet what caused him to end up this way was the inner condition of his heart bound by unjust judgment and fear.
The servant held judgment in his heart towards his master which was of a negative opinion, and possibly false.
Matthew 7:1 “Judgenot, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
JUDGMENT: decide, try, punish, avenge, to form an opinion.
By forming a judgment that is unjust will open the door to the demonic. Fear is a spirit. 2 Tim 1:7
How do we know the servant made an unjust judgment? He has suffered under harsh treatment by his master through experience. His judgment hindered his ability to move past his offenses and hurts.
Planks will hinder your view towards a person or situation with clarity. So every time your exposed to same person of situation the plank is hindering your sight. Because its not external its internal. A heart issue.
1. He made an unjust judgment.
2. Came under the spirit of fear.
What was the difference between the profitable servants and the unprofitable one? The heart condition. Man sees the outward condition of man, but God sees the heart.
The master admitted his harshness towards his servant yet this was not an acceptable excuse, because the master understood that inner heart conditions can be overcome, and a positive outcome was still achievable.
By being LAZY, and wicked, the servant refused to deal with his inner condition, and blamed his master for his disability.
In the Kingdom you produce form your heart. If you believe in your heart and do not doubt….
Mark 11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST ANYONE. HOLDING SOMEONE UP IN A BAD LIGHT. Regardless of the Masters Character, the servant was given an opportunity to increase under his house.
Many people are experiencing shipwreck faith. To many are walking away from their faith. We all will be brought before our master Jesus to give account for our talents, what will we be able to give him? Will we have excuses in our heart such as the 3rd servant, saying those in leadership were harsh, and offended us and did not deserve our ability or talent.
John 5:30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
Jesus is the righteous judge. Until you can seek the Fathers will and not your own, your judgment turns into a plank and you fall into hypocrisy.
John7:24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
By not dealing with inner vows, judgments and the like, you’ll suffer shipwreck faith.
1 Timothy 1:18-20 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Hymenaeus 2 Tim 2:17 Strayed concerning the truth…
Alexander 2 Tim 4:14 Acts 19. Greatly resisted Pauls words.
May we be quick to respond when Holy Spirit offer us opportunities to prosper by using our faith and talents withholding nothing. Let us not be like the wicked lazy servant who hid his talent blaming his master’s character.
Each one of us have an ability. We have been given an opportunity to double our talents. Our ability to produce will be determined by the condition of our heart. Do you perceive God to be a harsh taskmaster? Have you been lead to believe He is mean and harsh by others falling short of the grace of God? Do not let fear rob you, withdraw all judgments. Let the righteous judge bring vindication, and turn your situation around. Allow the healing power of God to release you from the bondage of fear, and position you back into the service of THE MASTER JESUS CHRIST.
Remember the rewards of these servants.
Matthew 25: 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 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.’
21 “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!’
22 “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.’
23 “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!’
Great Joy is yours as you increase and fulfil the MASTERS plan for your life.
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