TRAGEDY OF WASTED OPPORTUNITY
Matthew 25:14-30
Int.
1. Have you ever experienced an evaluation on the job?
- Performance, productivity etc evaluated
- One company offered these actual responseson evaluations
"He would be out of his depth in a parking lot puddle."
"She sets low personal standards, and then consistently fails to achieve them."
"If brains were taxed, he'd get a rebate."
3. If the Master gave you an evaluation would you be prepared
Rom 14:12 says, "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
3. This parable a response to Matt 24:42 "Watch"
- Because an eternal evaluation is in our future
- I see in it the tragedy of a wasted opportunity Read again John Greenleaf Whittier's "Maud Muller"
- The line of wisdom For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”
- Parable of bridesmaids echo the same thought
- Ours is a moment of opportunity - activity - getting ready for return
v. 14-15 The responsibility
"It will be like" - kingdom of heaven prior to his return
A wealthy landowner entrusts his bondservants
Landowner had - Highly trusted slaves
- entrusted them with his property while gone - Power to manage, make decisions, operate the business
This landowner had three trusted slaves
Gives them talents
They illustrate wide range of responsibilities
"According to his abiblity"
Each received talents - money
Each accountable although in differeing level of resp.
40 watt, 60 watt, 100 watt Christians
The owner is obviously Christ
The time he is away - time between first and second return
Slaves - Professed believers entrusted with resources and responsibility
Point of parable is what each slave does with his God given responsibility
- Expectation is to accomplish as much as possible for master
v. 16-18 reaction of servants
Talent = About $250,000 in modern terms at minimum wage
Five Talent servant gained 5 more with wise use
A desire to serve
Used his ability to full advantage for his master
Two Talent servant - Same faithful service
One talent servant - hid in ground
Common practice to store valuables
Sensible way to protect valuables
Not an acceptable way to carry on business for master
His resources were fewer but his obligation was same as others
- not story about daring investors in stock market geniuses
- A story of the unwise management of Master's resources
- Put yourself in 1 talent servant's shoes
- He thought he was acting wisely... He lost nothing
- Clearly, we don't all have the same talents; we'll be judged only by what we do with what we have
- Old story about two farmers visiting over a fence
* "Jake, what are you going to plant this year, corn?"
* "Nope scared of the corn borer."
*"Well, what about potatoes?"
* "Nope, too much danger of potato bugs,"
* "Well, then, what are you going to plant?"
* "Nothing, I'm going to play it safe."
v. 19-27 The day of reckoning
- A time when the servant answers for what has done with opportunities and abilities given him
v. 19 The master will return
Length of time before return is not addressed
24:36 - No one knows the day nor the hour
Servants called together for an accounting
v. 20 - 23 Two showed wise use, gainful return
Both servants granted greater responsibility
"In charge of many things"
Second reward - "Enter into joy of your master"
'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!' (Matthew 25:21)
God promises us three things:
Affirmation: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Promotion: “I will put you in charge of many things”
Celebration : “Come and share your Master’s happiness”
v. 24-27 The wicked, lazy servant
Identified as belonging to master but proved was superficial
He produced absolutely nothing with his talent
Didn't even make an attempt to do so
He knew who master was, made a pretense of honor
He didn't misuse talent on immoral & unselfish things
He disregardedhis responsibility
He demonstrated his counterfeit allegiance in his attitude
Charged Master with being unmerciful & dishonest
His charge illustrates his lack of spiritual knowlege into character of God
Obviously no intimate, reliable knowledge
He exercised fear
Not reverentual awe
but irreverent contempt
Description - wicked & lazy
When was last time you used this description
Some of the things Christ called wicked we don't even get red faced about
Lax service, hypocrisy, robbing God, jealousy
Why was he called wicked?
He didn't steal - hid in ground, didn't use
Not because lied, told truth, v.25
Not because played role of prodigal, wasted
What was his sin?
- Was not what he did, it was what he did not do
world is on fire/ we have words of lilfe
Is wicked if we withhold them
costliness of his sin, v.28
If you don't use it - you will lose it
Arm strapped to side - unused will wither and die
Eyes - go in dark closet, stay month
- Come into sunlight - Be blinded, cause don't use them
Christian witness
Get selfish attitude - Let self take over
Easy to loose effectiveness
Best way to destroy anything - say "I Don't care"
- How to destroy children? forget them, ignore
- How to destroy church?
Wrecking crew? Dynamite?
- "I don't care" forget its services, forget its mission v. 28-30 The reward
The faithful are given greater opportunity to bear fruit
The wicked & lazy -worthless - cast into outer darkness
Appearance he maintained - crowd he was wiwth
Activity he projected
"I never knew you; depart"
A sobering lessons
we are responsible to God for all the knowledge, powers and resources we possess
we are responsible to God for all the knowledge, powers, and resources we ought to possess

Close
1. Are these just words on a page to you?
- You understand intellectually the principles
- But the real power comes when actually put into practice
I. Our Best Is Good Enough...no matter how little it is!
II. God will not judge us by someone else's ability, but by our own.
III. God doesn't accept excuses
- There are responsibilities in his Kingdom
- We are accountable for our stewardship
- There are consequenses attached to our actions
2. So question hits us head on:
What are we doing with this Gospel while it is in our hands?
How faithful are we as stewards? How do we shape up?