I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Matthew chapter
25. Matthew chapter 25. Our Lord had given a parable
in this book. We looked at it last time. dealt in this particular
chapter. It was concerning ten virgins,
five wise, five foolish. Five wise had oil in their lamps
in their profession. Five of them had five lamps,
no oil. They had a profession, but no
spirit. And our Lord continues in this
blessed book, Matthew chapter 25, with another parable. It's a parable concerning faithful
and wicked or evil servants. I was thinking as Brother Gary
was leading that song we sang, I love to tell the story You
know, we don't always verbalize what we believe before everybody. But we live
before everybody. And we're telling the story.
And God's people do love to tell by their example. If they never
open their mouth, people are watching. That's what
our Lord is dealing with. Now I'm going to preach a message
and I'm convinced this is the message of the hour. Another
one I'll be preaching Lord willing in Matthew 5 in just a moment. But our Lord taught this parable
and this is my prayer. I pray that I might preach it
and that it might be received in the Spirit. in which our Lord
taught it. It's needful. It's needful for
me. It's needful for you. It's needful
for all of us to hear. And I want us to consider. He's
talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. I want to say something
that I said last time before. The Kingdom of Heaven is a kingdom
that's made up with two different kinds of people. Now hear what
I'm saying. The kingdom of heaven is made
up in this world with two different kinds of people. Believers and
unbelievers. There's always tares among the
wheat. That's the way this kingdom is. That's what our Lord teaches. That's what He's teaching in
this parable right here. There's some that have been eternally
loved of God. Chosen. for the foundation of
the world, redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
regenerated by God's Spirit. And then there's some that are
in the midst of every assembly that are tares. Our Lord taught
that. But they're all servants. They're
all servants. They're all going to serve the
Lord, either to magnify His grace and mercy, or they're going to
magnify His justice and judgment and wrath. The Lord taught that,
and so we do too. I want us to look in Matthew
25. I would like to look at verses 14 to 30, and I won't read the
verses right now, but I'll deal with them as we come to them. I'm going to deal in just a few
minutes in Romans 12. I thought about asking Brother
David to maybe just read Romans chapter 12. That was going to
be a portion of scripture, but I didn't. I thought, no, I'll
just wait. Just let him read whatever he
feels he needs to read. So he read Romans 12. For that,
I'm thankful. The scripture declares in Matthew
25 and verse 14, for the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling
into a far country. who called his own servants and
delivered unto them his goods. Now this man traveling in actuality
is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. This is what the parable is all
about. His honor. God's only begotten son who came
into this world to save his people from their sins. It said, He called His own servants
and delivered unto them, now listen, His goods, His property. That's what He's
doing. Now, this parable is actually
talking in light of these gifts and talents and everything is
being money. But this is not about money.
It's about God's gifts to men, talents, character, whatever
God has given a man or a woman belongs to the Lord. And He's
given it to them as service. And He's going to magnify Himself,
as I said. He delivered unto them His goods. His servants and His goods, Ezekiel
18, for behold, all souls are mine. As the soul of the Father, so
also the soul of the Son is mine. And the soul that sinneth, that one to whom the Lord imputes
sin, charges Him with it. We're all sinners. But that soul
that will stand before God with his guilt upon him, that soul
is going to die. Some men serve the Lord to the
honor and glory and praise of His mercy. Some magnify Him being
outcast, but all serve Him. Delivered unto them His goods.
Now listen, anything that we have right now, anything you've
got, mind, heart, whatever you've got, whatever you've got, whatever
God's given you, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. And the scripture says that unto
one He gave, verse 15, five talents. to another two, to another one,
to every man according to his several ability and straightway
took his journey. Now, to every one of his servants, to his people chosen in Christ
and to those left to themselves, God gave according to His own
personal ability. God gave to every man, every
woman, according to their several ability, according to their ability.
You got any ability, whatever it is, I'm going to deal with
some personal things in just a second, but I'm building up
to it. Whatever you have, whatever you possess, whatever you can
do, whatever ability that you have, God gave you that, your
characteristics, the way you are. God gave you that. You know, there's just some people
just different than others. We don't have all the same abilities,
we don't have the same, but God made us just exactly the way
that we are. And everyone is given talents
according to God's good pleasure. and he entrusts those talents
as the way he sees it. Now turn back, hold your place
in Matthew and turn back to Romans 12 for a second. Romans chapter
12. Listen to what the scripture
has to say concerning gifts, what God has given. Here it is,
whatever it is. Romans 12 verse 4 to 8. For as we have many members in
one body. This is talking about a human
body right here. Everybody's got some hands, they've got some
feet, they've got eyes, ears, nose, mouth, legs. For we have many members in one
body and all members have not the same office. My hand doesn't
do what my feet do. It's different, it's different,
it's just different. My ear does something that my
eye can't do. My ear can't see. But my eyes can't hear either.
And I need them both. For we being many are one body
in Christ, and every one members one of another, having then gifts
differing according to the grace that is given to us where the
prophecy Let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith, or
ministry, or service. Let us wait on our ministry.
On he that teacheth, on teaching. He that exhorteth, on exhortation. He that giveth, let him do it
with simplicity. In the margin it says in verse
5, let him do it liberally, let him give, whatever he gives.
Well, it's not just talking about money. Your time. If the Lord has blessed you with
some money, I'm thankful for that. But if you're going to
give, if God gives you a heart to give, give it liberally. If He's giving you some time,
give it liberally, as unto the Lord. He that ruleth with diligence,
he that showeth mercy, do it cheerfully. Everybody's got gifts. The Lord
is blessed to everyone according to His good purpose. He's given
them all abilities. Believers and unbelievers. Back
in Matthew 25, verse 16, 17. Then he that had received five
talents went and traded with the same and made them other
five talents. Likewise, he that had received
two, he also gained other two. Now, I know according to what
we just read in Matthew chapter 12, that each talent or each
gift is different. There's no two people in this
congregation this morning that's just exactly alike. We're all
different. We all have different abilities. We have different talents. We
have different gifts, but according to the heart and the spirit. And what is the heart or the
spirit of these talents? Now listen, I'm not like you. Trevor, you and I are not the
same. Brothers, but we're different. We're just different. What is
the spirit of the gifts? Hold your place and turn with
me to 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter. This, I'm gonna tell you this,
I can tell you, this is the spirit, this is the spirit of every person
that has a heart for Christ. This is the spirit of their gifts. Everyone that knows God, 1 Peter
4, verse 7 to 11, The end of all things is at hand. The end of all things is at hand. Let me tell you a gift that we
all have. Believers and unbelievers. I'm
going to tell you a gift that every believer and every unbeliever
has. Time. I got to thinking about that.
What has God given? It's not grace and mercy. God
leaves some to themselves to be reprobates. They're left to
themselves. But what do we all have? We've
all got some time. What does He say? The end of
all things is at hand. Be ye therefore sober and watch
unto prayer. Now here's the spirit of every
person that God has done anything for, given them anything, any
kind of ability, any kind of gift, any kind of talent. Above
all things, have fervent charity among yourselves. Oh, what a
gift. What a spirit! Fervent charity,
fervent love. For charity shall cover the multitudes
of sins. Use hospitality one to another
without grudging. As every man hath received the
gift... What gift? Whatever it is. Whatever
the Lord has done for you. ability, whatever thought, whatever
character, whatever, whatever, the gift. Even so, minister the
same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak
as the oracles of God. What does that say? You say what
God has to say. That's what it says. This is
what the Lord has to say. If any man minister, let him
do it as of the ability which God giveth. Let him do it as of the ability which God giveth. That God in all things may be
glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praise and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. I'm going to make a couple
of statements here. I just mentioned time. Time is
a blessed gift that we all have. We just got so much of it. Scripture sets forth that it's
appointed. All things are appointed according
to God's time. Time. You and I both have just
a certain amount of it. And what we do, not for salvation. I'm going to deal with that in
a second, but I couldn't help but just say it right now. Not
for salvation, but because of salvation. Legacy. Legacy. We've got so much time. Be serious, be sober, that's
what he said. Be sober about the time that
remains and be watchful for his coming and do it prayerfully.
This is a good steward. God's given me so much time on
this earth. I'm gonna die and you are too.
We're gonna leave this world Lord, help me while I've got
this time. I've found myself asking, Lord, for this next message, for this
one message, Lord, would you cause me to realize if this is
the last time I ever preach. If someone says, I remember the
last message that Marvin preached, Lord, may it honor Christ. And
may I be honest with God's people. Be sober. That's what He said.
Time is at hand. Let me ask you this, husbands.
Okay. Has the Lord blessed you to be
a husband? Here's a gift. Here's a talent. A talent. Are you a husband? Can I tell
you what the Word of God says? Husbands, love your wife as Christ
loved the church and gave himself for it. Husbands, your wife, according
to these scriptures, is the weaker vessel. You hold her up. You
defend her character. You treat her as the queen of
the house. You speak respectfully to her.
as unto the Lord. Husbands, love your wife as Christ
loved the church and gave Himself. You're second. You're second. You say, well, I'm the head of
the house. You treat her as the queen. Husbands, love your wife. Are you a wife? Are you a wife? Here's what the scripture has
to say. Submit yourselves unto your own husband as unto the
Lord. Children, listen to me. Here's what God has to say. Children,
obey your parents in the Lord as the Lord instructs you through
your parents. For this is right. Are you a parent with children
at home? Revoke not your children to wrath,
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. That's
a gift. Has God gifted you? Be a husband,
a wife, parent, child? Let me ask you this. You say,
well, I don't have a... I don't really have any talents
that I can think of. I don't think of any gifts. Well, you're
up there preaching, Martin. Gary comes up here and leads
singing. And just, you know, David reads. You other men read
and stuff like that. Let me ask you something. You
work for anybody? You have a job? Servants, obey
in all things your master, according to the flesh, not with eye servant,
as men pleases, but in singleness of heart, fearing God, respecting
God. You clock in, are they going
to pay you for eight hours of work? Well, then give them eight
hours of work. Don't see how little you can
do. You're stealing. Do as the woman with the alabaster
box. This is what the Lord said about
that one that took that alabaster box. It was worth about a year's
salary for the average working man. And the apostles got on
to her. What about this waste? What did
the Lord say? She did what she could. She did what she could. Summarizing what 1 Peter 4 to
7 to 11 said, I said this, have genuine love one for another. It's required in stewards that
they be found faithful. Have genuine love one for another
because here's what love does. It overlooks. It disregards and it forgives
the infirmities and the failures of others. That's what it does. That's what love does. Be hospitable
one to another without murmuring, without complaining. As the Lord
has given us a talent, a gift, an ability, a heart to serve
him in whatever capacity we're in. Do it as a faithful steward
according to the grace of God. Do it as unto the Lord. Do it
toward the brethren. And if the Lord calls and gifts
and qualifies one to teach or preach, declare the Scriptures. Whosoever renders any service
to God's people, do it with the strength and ability that God
has given you. That's the spirit which God blesses
in the exercising of the talents or the abilities that the Lord
gives His people. If the Lord has given you any
ability, I jot it down, do you know anything? Has God taught
you anything? Exercise that knowledge according
to the grace of God. If God's blessed you with any
kind of monetary or health or whatever, Whatever you do, whether
you eat, whether you drink, do it to the glory of God. The Lord gives different talents
or ability to different men. Again, some more, some less. He said He gave one five, He
gave one two, He gave one one. I'm going to deal with that one
in just a second here. But for those five and one had
two, the Lord had blessed it. And the Lord multiplied it. It
was all of grace. One may be an Apostle Paul and
the other may be a thief on the cross. But whatever man or whatever
woman does, do it to God's glory. Back in Matthew 25 verse 18 says,
But he that received one went and digged in the earth and hid
his Lord's money. Now again, like I said, we're
not talking about money. It's a parable. He's talking
about gifts or abilities or attitudes. Here we find this servant, and
he was a servant, as I said before. You say, well, he's an unbeliever.
I know he's an unbeliever, but he's still a servant of God.
Satan is a servant of God. That's God's devil, and he accomplishes
God's will. We find this servant, and he
had received one gift, and obviously the gift of just nature, just
natural abilities. This world has some natural gifts
of God's mercy. The same sun that shines on a
believer shines on an unbeliever. Same rain that falls on a believer's
crops falls on an unbeliever's crops. But I'm telling you that
this servant that received one, just the natural ability of every
man or every woman, he buried it. He didn't take that which
was the Lord's. He spent his life as just one
that aligned himself with the cares of this world. That's what
he did. He didn't align himself with the place where the gospel
was preached. He didn't align himself with God's people. He aligned himself with false
gospel. As we've considered, the Lord
has given all men gifts. I'm telling you, even believers.
I dealt with this last week or the week before. All believers
and unbelievers have natural ears to hear. The gospel, they
all have a mouth to praise and exalt the mercy and compassion
of the Lord Jesus Christ to sinners and a mind to muse upon His glory, but they bury it. And the scripture says in verse
19, after a long time the Lord of those servants cometh and
reckoneth with them. There's coming a day in which
all these things are going to be brought out. The books are
all going to be opened. And they're going to be judged
if they're found not in the book. If they're found not in the book.
Every man, every woman that's not found in the book of life
is going to be judged according to their abilities. All the talent,
all the ability, all they could have done. You that believe,
aren't you glad? that you're not going to have
to answer for yourself. Man, when I think about what the Lord
said about that woman, she did what she could. Let me ask you
something. How many times has anybody in
this room or in anywhere else in this world, let me ask you
this, how many times when you had the opportunity to do something,
how many times did you actually do what you could? You did what
you could. I never have. I never have. I never, not one
time have I ever done that. Aren't you glad that Christ has
answered? Aren't you glad that it's not
by my faith, but by the faith of Jesus Christ? There was a day of reckoning,
verse 19. In verse 20 to 23, so he that
had received five talents came and brought other five talents,
saying, Lord, I love what he said here. Thou deliverest unto
me five talents. That's the first thing I'm going
to notice about a believer. They're not going to take the
honor, the glory, or the praise away from the Lord. Lord, you
gave me this. Behold, I've gained beside them
five talents more. And his Lord said unto him, well
done. a good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over
a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord. He also that had received two
talents came and said, Lord, thou deliverest unto me two talents.
Behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His Lord
said unto him, well done, good and faithful servant. Thou hast
been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many
things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Lord, you gave me
this. Lord, You did that which is right
and good. Thou deliverest unto me these
five. We don't have anything that we
didn't get from the Lord. And we don't take the glory for
it. The Lord who gave the five talents, the Lord who gave the
two talents and blessed them to the increase, faithful is
He who calleth you who also will do it. What do we have anything to glory
in save Jesus Christ and Him crucified? Neil, have you ever preached
a message that you just sat down and just said, man, I knocked
that one out of the park? I don't think I ever leave here
if I don't ask Linda or Granny, did that come across okay? Philippians 2.13, for it is God
that worketh in you both to will and do His good pleasure. Who
got the glory for the increase of those five, those two talents?
The Lord. The Lord. The Lord blessed what
He had given. The Lord blessed those obedient
servants. And he told both of them, well
done, thou good and faithful servant, thou has been faithful
over a few things, I'll make thee ruler over many things,
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. What is the joy of the Lord? Let me tell you what it is. He
said, my meat, my feast, my joy. is to do the will of Him that
sent me and finish the work. What's the joy of the Lord? The
salvation of His people. Enter thou, He said, into that
which I did for you. Enter into the kingdom prepared
for you from before the foundation of the world. Paul said to the church at Corinth,
1 Corinthians 15, 58, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast,
unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as
much as you know that your labor is not in vain. And I'll just
read these last verses, 24 to 30. Then he which had received
the one talent came and buried it. He said, Lord, I knew that
thou art a hard man reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering
where thou hast not strawed. Boy, you can tell he didn't know
God, did he? You're a hard man. Unreasonable. Unreasonable. That's the attitude
of an unbeliever. God's unreasonable. You're a
hard man. I'm afraid. went and hid thy
talent in the earth. And Lord answered and said unto
him, thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I
reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed. Thou
oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchanges, and
then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. He told him, he said, no, I'm
a fair man. Fair. You should have done what you
could, is the message here. Should have done. God dealt with
his rebels. God deals with his rebels according
to their ability. According to their ability. This
is what you ought to have done. This is what you should have
done. Oh Lord, don't deal with me according to my ability. Take
therefore the talent from him and give it unto Him which hath
ten talents, for unto every one that hath shall be given he that
shall have abundance, but unto him that hath not shall be taken
away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable
servant into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth." There's no excuse. We have no
excuse. In the day of judgment, we have
no excuse for disobedience. No wicked, good for nothing. What I did was I looked up the
definition of what he was saying. No wicked, good for nothing,
and lazy servant. That was the definition of that. Disobedient. No servant is going
to be able to stand with any accepted reason for his unfaithfulness. All this reason is going to be
proven to be vain, but happy. Blessed is the man or woman that
God has made ready to meet Him. Blessed is the one to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Blessed is the one that God blesses. If the Lord is pleased to bless
a message, Take His Word and bless it to the salvation of
His people. I don't have anything to glory
in save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I can sit here and
try my best to try to say it in such a way that it will come
across just, you know, and somehow be able to give somebody a heart
to believe. That's not going to happen. Blessed is the man that God has
blessed. to finish the course and to keep
the faith because God's kept him and God's blessed him. The one that the Lord's given
a heart of gratitude and faithfulness unto the Lord. Every time I think
about faithfulness, that's what every believer desires. That's
what they desire. They want to be faithful. But
every believer's gonna say this, When we've done all that we could
do, we're just unprofitable servants. What does that mean? That means
we didn't add anything to it. It's the Lord. We're all servants. We're all servants. And we're
going to serve Him to the merit of His mercy and compassion,
to His justice, judgment, wrath. May God have mercy on us today
and teach us according to these words of the Lord Jesus Christ
for His sake. Amen. All right.