WEBVTT 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast, 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:20.839 you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:24.359 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.379 message from our preaching team. When I was 11, 00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:31.559 I made a decision that I looked back on and I 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:35.390 just shake my head. See, at 11 I wanted to be 00:00:35.390 --> 00:00:38.890 a professional basketball player. And so what 00:00:38.890 --> 00:00:41.630 I did is I stopped my piano lessons that I was 00:00:41.630 --> 00:00:44.750 taking because I had to devote my time to my 00:00:44.750 --> 00:00:49.189 career. Insane. You needed the drive to put in 00:00:49.189 --> 00:00:53.310 the work. And I had neither the genes nor the 00:00:53.310 --> 00:01:00.520 drive. And I can't play the piano. I could be 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:03.359 playing spirit keys right now like Josh was and 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:05.599 and preaching but but I can't because little 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:09.000 Tim wanted to focus on his career. You see we 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:12.299 make decisions in our lives that have consequences 00:01:12.299 --> 00:01:15.159 and we do this all the time. You know I regret 00:01:15.159 --> 00:01:18.579 that decision and that decision has had consequences 00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:22.439 and what it raises for me and I want to ask a 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:26.019 question today. Do you think that you can waste 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:30.379 your life? You see, we live in what we could 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:34.040 call an open system. In theological terms, we 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:38.040 have free will under the providence of God. Basically, 00:01:38.060 --> 00:01:41.540 we have choice, right? And our choices have consequences. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:45.640 They can create issues for us or they can produce 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:49.739 fruitful results for us. But sometimes I wonder 00:01:49.739 --> 00:01:55.040 whether we live like that is not true. We make 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:58.790 decisions without the end in mind. Or we'll maybe 00:01:58.790 --> 00:02:01.349 even live thinking that what we do in this life 00:02:01.349 --> 00:02:03.689 doesn't actually really matter that all that 00:02:03.689 --> 00:02:09.610 much in the end. I wonder, can we waste our lives? 00:02:10.810 --> 00:02:13.310 See, we're in a series on the parables of Jesus 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:16.330 called Parabolic. And we're walking through a 00:02:16.330 --> 00:02:20.009 couple of the more famous parables. And parables 00:02:20.009 --> 00:02:25.189 are short stories, but with intent. Stories that 00:02:25.189 --> 00:02:27.110 Jesus and other prophets or teachers like him, 00:02:27.250 --> 00:02:29.909 they're used to teach their followers. But in 00:02:29.909 --> 00:02:32.729 the case of Jesus parables, they're never teaching 00:02:32.729 --> 00:02:35.569 moral principles like the tortoise and the hare. 00:02:36.310 --> 00:02:38.650 They're actually always illuminating something 00:02:38.650 --> 00:02:41.849 of who Jesus actually is, what he's on about 00:02:41.849 --> 00:02:46.370 and what his kingdom is like. His parables are 00:02:46.370 --> 00:02:49.009 about him and his kingdom, but they're also about 00:02:49.009 --> 00:02:53.509 us and how we respond to Jesus. And then they're 00:02:53.509 --> 00:02:56.229 often also about Israel and how Israel has not 00:02:56.229 --> 00:03:00.189 or has responded to the teachings of Jesus. So 00:03:00.189 --> 00:03:05.750 parables can be complex, confusing, deep. They're 00:03:05.750 --> 00:03:09.129 layered. They have layers, like onions and ogres, 00:03:09.469 --> 00:03:13.009 right? And today we're looking at the parable 00:03:13.009 --> 00:03:17.009 of the talents. And in that translation, it was 00:03:17.009 --> 00:03:20.550 translated silver bags, but the word is talent. 00:03:21.310 --> 00:03:23.729 And this parable of the talents is famous for 00:03:23.729 --> 00:03:26.810 accidentally inventing our modern word for talent, 00:03:27.689 --> 00:03:31.009 as in Josh praying and playing keys at the same 00:03:31.009 --> 00:03:33.530 time, like save some talent for the rest of us. 00:03:33.909 --> 00:03:37.849 Like that kind of talent. A word for natural 00:03:37.849 --> 00:03:41.930 capacity, ability, or skill finds its origin 00:03:41.930 --> 00:03:45.490 in this parable. This is its etymology, which 00:03:45.490 --> 00:03:48.750 is one of Ash's favorite ever words. And this 00:03:48.750 --> 00:03:53.539 parable is a doozy. So I've been studying this 00:03:53.539 --> 00:03:54.979 I've been reading and reading and reading about 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:58.080 this and Turning it over mine for like the last 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:00.759 two weeks and I haven't hit the bottom of it. 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:02.900 We could spend three hours on this parable today 00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:08.500 but Nobody signed up for that except text So 00:04:08.500 --> 00:04:11.460 I want to encourage you'd like read it this week 00:04:11.460 --> 00:04:15.159 read it again mull on it Read about it. Let it 00:04:15.159 --> 00:04:17.600 get stuck in your head and let it work on you. 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:19.779 That's that's what parables are meant to do That's 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:21.980 why Jesus taught in this way They're meant to 00:04:21.980 --> 00:04:24.540 get stuck in your head. And there's an open invitation 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:26.500 if you wanna have a coffee and nerd out about 00:04:26.500 --> 00:04:30.519 the parable of talents with me, I'm so in. Jesus 00:04:30.519 --> 00:04:32.240 starts by saying, this is what the kingdom of 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:36.180 heaven is like. This is what my kingdom is like. 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:42.399 A man, a master goes on a long trip and he entrusts 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:45.720 his money, an amount of money called a talent, 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:48.699 it's a weight, a measurement, to his servants. 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:51.300 And it gives them different amounts according 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:54.800 to their ability. So that's how we get where 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:57.540 the word talent got its start. But then he goes 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:01.459 away. Jesus' parables are about Jesus and his 00:05:01.459 --> 00:05:04.100 kingdom, right? So who's the master who's about 00:05:04.100 --> 00:05:07.540 to go on a long trip? This is in Matthew 25. 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:11.040 In Matthew 26, Jesus is betrayed and arrested 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:14.519 and is staring down his imminent death. Jesus 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:18.180 is the master. Jesus is about to go away. And 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:22.959 who are His servants? His disciples between His 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:26.939 going and His returning. Peter and Mary and James 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:29.360 and John and Paul and Barnabas and you and me. 00:05:30.379 --> 00:05:33.480 And what is it that we are entrusted with, if 00:05:33.480 --> 00:05:37.000 we're His followers? What's the wealth that Jesus 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:39.920 has given us according to our ability? Well, 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:42.680 it must be something of immense value. You see, 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:44.959 what we don't get is that a talent was worth 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:49.040 about 6 ,000 days' wages. So roughly, you know, 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:53.160 worked up into AUD today. That's $2 .3 million, 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:58.480 right? So the one that's given five talents is 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:02.540 given like over $11 million just to look after. 00:06:03.339 --> 00:06:04.939 You see, the Master's not just entrusting them 00:06:04.939 --> 00:06:08.279 to a few gift cards to Yochi or something. He's 00:06:08.279 --> 00:06:12.759 entrusting them his fortune. So what's Jesus 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:16.220 getting at here? Well, if you're familiar with 00:06:16.220 --> 00:06:18.839 the other parables of Jesus, you might remember 00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:21.319 the parable of the pearl of great price or the 00:06:21.319 --> 00:06:24.120 treasure that's buried in the field. Things of 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:27.319 surpassing value are often Jesus' way of talking 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:31.500 about the kingdom of God. Jesus is about to go 00:06:31.500 --> 00:06:34.100 away and he's entrusting his followers with his 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:39.959 kingdom. What's his kingdom? It's the unfolding 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:44.470 of his reign on the earth. His government. to 00:06:44.470 --> 00:06:47.509 use our language, where His will is done over 00:06:47.509 --> 00:06:49.750 our lives, over humanity, over all creation. 00:06:50.589 --> 00:06:53.029 Jesus has entrusted us with His kingdom trust 00:06:53.029 --> 00:06:56.850 fund. He's entrusted us with grace through the 00:06:56.850 --> 00:06:59.689 precious blood of Jesus, with His Holy Spirit 00:06:59.689 --> 00:07:02.149 and its fruits within us, with the spiritual 00:07:02.149 --> 00:07:05.269 gifts and His authority, with the church and 00:07:05.269 --> 00:07:07.790 His family, with the gospel message of good news 00:07:07.790 --> 00:07:11.829 and the scriptures that proclaim it, with a mission 00:07:11.829 --> 00:07:14.810 and a calling. If you're a follower of Jesus 00:07:14.810 --> 00:07:18.750 in this place, I wonder, do you know the surpassing 00:07:18.750 --> 00:07:21.870 value of that which Jesus has entrusted to you? 00:07:22.670 --> 00:07:27.629 Do you know how valuable it is? If you can waste 00:07:27.629 --> 00:07:32.230 your life, you have something to waste. Klein 00:07:32.230 --> 00:07:34.990 R. Snodgrass, which is just the greatest name 00:07:34.990 --> 00:07:37.709 I've ever heard in my life, he's a theologian, 00:07:37.709 --> 00:07:40.790 he says this, to accept the kingdom and its salvation, 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:47.209 is to accept a trust. If you've accepted Jesus 00:07:47.209 --> 00:07:49.350 and His Lordship over your life and the salvation 00:07:49.350 --> 00:07:53.709 that it brings, you've accepted a trust. A little 00:07:53.709 --> 00:07:55.689 portion of the very Kingdom of God which has 00:07:55.689 --> 00:07:58.709 been entrusted to you according to who God has 00:07:58.709 --> 00:08:02.750 created you to be. His Kingdom come, His will 00:08:02.750 --> 00:08:07.389 be done in your life as it is in heaven. I wonder, 00:08:07.490 --> 00:08:10.939 do we actually really get and realize the value 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:15.860 of what we have been given in Jesus Christ. The 00:08:15.860 --> 00:08:18.160 first two servants they immediately go and they 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:21.800 double their money but a third digs a hole and 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:25.180 buries his master's money in the ground and after 00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:27.120 a long time the master comes back and he calls 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.740 for an order of how they've used what has been 00:08:29.740 --> 00:08:32.980 given to them. The one with five talents has 00:08:32.980 --> 00:08:34.879 made another five and this is how the master 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:37.960 Response to that, well done, my good and faithful 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:40.240 servant. You have been faithful in handling this 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:43.500 small amount and to now give you many more responsibilities. 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:48.799 Let's celebrate together. Wait, a small amount? 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:54.480 He's handled almost $23 million. And he's gonna 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:58.860 be put over even more? How wealthy is this master? 00:09:01.580 --> 00:09:05.600 Wealthier than we can even imagine, right? And 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:08.500 so he's promoted and gets to celebrate and enter 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:11.879 the feast, the joy of his master. And our two 00:09:11.879 --> 00:09:14.600 talent man is up next. What's he done with it? 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:18.399 Well, he's made more than double. The master's 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:21.659 reward, profit that's generated. He cares about 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:25.000 the behavior of his servants. Two talent man 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:28.379 was faithful with what he was given. He put his 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:31.200 talents to work and he was rewarded the same 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:35.100 as five talent man was. 13th century theologian 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:39.179 Thomas Aquinas said this, God requires nothing 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:45.679 from us, but what he has sown in us. Two -talent 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:48.600 man was not required to also generate an extra 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:52.740 five talents, but instead to faithfully steward 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:56.179 what he was entrusted with, what was sown in 00:09:56.179 --> 00:10:00.399 him. Now, friends, do you know how freeing this 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:03.179 is? You know, sometimes I catch myself and I'm 00:10:03.179 --> 00:10:06.460 comparing myself to other people and they say 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:08.500 comparison is a thief of joy and I think that's 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:10.799 really true. We live in a world where you can 00:10:10.799 --> 00:10:13.220 literally measure how much more another person 00:10:13.220 --> 00:10:16.600 is liked than you are. And the fact that God 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:20.059 requires nothing from us but what he has sown 00:10:20.059 --> 00:10:23.820 in us is amazing. It's ridiculously good news. 00:10:25.099 --> 00:10:27.279 I don't have to compare myself to anyone else. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:29.159 I don't have to worry about who's better than 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:32.139 me or who's not as good as me. I'm running my 00:10:32.139 --> 00:10:37.000 own race. And so are you. God is entrusted with 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.600 us with our own little deposit of the kingdom 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:41.919 of God. And it's simply our job just to be faithful 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:46.299 with it. But that's not what the third servant 00:10:46.299 --> 00:10:49.759 in this parable does, is it? He's not faithful 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:52.200 with it. He doesn't steward it. Instead, he buries 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:55.529 it in the ground. And when his master comes back 00:10:55.529 --> 00:10:58.470 and audits what he's done with it, he's not happy. 00:11:00.370 --> 00:11:03.629 And why? Why is the third servant condemned? 00:11:04.929 --> 00:11:07.110 That is the question that would take up a lot 00:11:07.110 --> 00:11:09.049 of the three hours that we could be doing right 00:11:09.049 --> 00:11:13.450 now on this parable. It's multi -layered and 00:11:13.450 --> 00:11:15.169 complex, but I'm gonna give you the oversimplified 00:11:15.169 --> 00:11:19.450 version, right? The third servant fails because 00:11:19.450 --> 00:11:23.440 he doesn't even try. to participate in his master's 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:26.740 business. You see, we might read this and go, 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:29.200 man, burying it in the ground is not the worst 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:31.379 thing he could have done, as long as, you know, 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:35.039 he remembered where he buried it. It's not like 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:37.940 he bed it all on black and he risked it on the 00:11:37.940 --> 00:11:40.220 stock market and lost or something. Like, he 00:11:40.220 --> 00:11:43.259 played it safe. And when the master comes back, 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:46.600 he still gets all his money back. So why does 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:49.240 he get the response that he gets from the master? 00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:52.440 Well, let's look at what the third servant says 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:55.899 to justify his behavior. I knew you were a harsh 00:11:55.899 --> 00:11:59.740 man Harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:02.299 crops. You didn't cultivate. I was afraid I would 00:12:02.299 --> 00:12:04.620 lose your money So I hit it in the earth. Look, 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:08.700 here's your money back. I Was afraid of the consequences 00:12:08.700 --> 00:12:12.500 of doing something. So I instead I did nothing. 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:18.019 I Preserved it. I protected it. I remember Now 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:19.799 when you read the third servant's justification, 00:12:20.019 --> 00:12:21.960 the original language it's been translated into, 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:25.840 and the more you read it, the more you start 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:27.659 to get your head around it, the more you see, 00:12:28.419 --> 00:12:30.840 it's like this guy doesn't want it. He doesn't 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:33.980 even want it. It's like he's entrusted with this 00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:35.759 thing of immense value, and as soon as he gets 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:37.899 it, it's gone straight in the hole, and as soon 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:39.799 as the master gets back, it's like pushed back 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:43.559 into his hands, like, I don't want this. Get 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:47.870 it away from me. One talent man wants no responsibility 00:12:47.870 --> 00:12:50.909 for what he's been given. He doesn't want any 00:12:50.909 --> 00:12:54.509 responsibility for his master's business. His 00:12:54.509 --> 00:12:56.309 thoughts are not for his master, his thoughts 00:12:56.309 --> 00:13:03.049 are for himself, for preserving himself. And 00:13:03.049 --> 00:13:05.090 the more you read it, the more you wonder, how 00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:07.110 can we actually trust that what this servant 00:13:07.110 --> 00:13:10.649 says about his master is actually true? All we've 00:13:10.649 --> 00:13:13.009 seen of him so far in this is that he is exceedingly 00:13:13.009 --> 00:13:16.340 trusting with millions of dollars and generous, 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:21.159 so generous up until this point. John Wesley, 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:23.759 who is part of our spiritual heritage in the 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:27.779 Iron Church, says this about this passage, I 00:13:27.779 --> 00:13:30.580 knew you were a hard man. No, no, you never knew 00:13:30.580 --> 00:13:36.080 him. You never knew God. Who thinks him a hard 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:39.340 master, reaping where he has not sown, that is 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:41.679 requiring more of us than he has given us power 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:45.779 to perform. So does every obstinate sinner one 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:47.899 kind or another, lay the blame of his own sins 00:13:47.899 --> 00:13:51.019 upon God. Even though he's been entrusted with 00:13:51.019 --> 00:13:53.600 this thing of immense value, he wants nothing 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:58.159 for it or the one who gave it to him. And so 00:13:58.159 --> 00:13:59.919 he doesn't even try to take responsibility, he 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:04.639 just displaces the blame onto his master. To 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:07.740 which he responds, oh, so you knew I was a harsh 00:14:07.740 --> 00:14:10.539 man. Well, in that case, why didn't you just 00:14:10.539 --> 00:14:13.919 put it in the bank? Equal effort, but I'd have 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:18.450 something for it. And this is kind of a bit of 00:14:18.450 --> 00:14:21.830 a gotcha, busted moment. You see, the money would 00:14:21.830 --> 00:14:24.210 have just been as safe in a bank as it was buried 00:14:24.210 --> 00:14:26.909 in the ground. And it was actually as safe put 00:14:26.909 --> 00:14:30.389 to use. In the world and culture where Jesus 00:14:30.389 --> 00:14:32.450 speaks this parable, to make money was easy. 00:14:32.490 --> 00:14:36.149 All you needed was money to make money. So it's 00:14:36.149 --> 00:14:39.169 really not that different to our world. For those 00:14:39.169 --> 00:14:43.330 who had money to put to work, doubling your money 00:14:43.330 --> 00:14:46.159 was a reasonable expectation. It was actually 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:49.399 the expected result. If you put it to work, you 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:52.019 could pretty much bank the U on being able to 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:54.679 double it. It seems like the only reason you 00:14:54.679 --> 00:15:00.080 would bury it was if you didn't want it to grow. 00:15:02.200 --> 00:15:04.419 Why else would you go to all this effort to not 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:07.580 earn your master any money when earning him money 00:15:07.580 --> 00:15:12.639 was immensely easier? You wouldn't do it if you 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:16.830 despised him and his business. And that's why 00:15:16.830 --> 00:15:18.889 the servant loses the trust that's given to him 00:15:18.889 --> 00:15:22.269 and is cast out of his master's presence. Like 00:15:22.269 --> 00:15:24.789 money in those days, the kingdom grows, it just 00:15:24.789 --> 00:15:30.049 does, unless it is intentionally buried. Now, 00:15:30.049 --> 00:15:32.029 friends, there is a danger here that in reading 00:15:32.029 --> 00:15:35.769 this parable, and there is danger in us reading 00:15:35.769 --> 00:15:38.210 this parable, as if it contains the secrets to 00:15:38.210 --> 00:15:41.429 the boundaries of heaven and hell. As if we can 00:15:41.429 --> 00:15:43.970 tell from this whether you or I have acted like 00:15:43.970 --> 00:15:47.519 the two servants, who invested the money or the 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:50.159 third who was cast out. But drawing boundaries 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:52.279 about who's in and who's out is not what Jesus 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:55.100 is trying to do in here. He's telling this parable 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:58.799 to create a positive crisis within his disciples, 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:02.679 a crisis of decision. Like I'm about to leave 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:05.519 you and be entrusted with my, and you're about 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:08.179 to be entrusted with my great wealth, my kingdom. 00:16:08.940 --> 00:16:12.379 What are you gonna do about it? Jesus knows He's 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:14.320 about to die. He knows His disciples are about 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:18.039 to get tossed around and thrown around. He knows 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:20.000 that they could give up and do nothing with the 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:21.820 kingdom that's been entrusted to them. And so 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:23.960 He tells this parable as a warning to them, hey, 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:26.899 my kingdom, my teachings, my life, my power, 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:29.279 it's not to be rested on. It's not to be buried. 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:32.059 It's not to be forgotten. It's not to be rationalized. 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:35.879 It's to be multiplied. It's to be perpetuated. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:39.769 It's there to actually grow. Like a small seed 00:16:39.769 --> 00:16:42.309 that goes in the ground and grows into an enormous 00:16:42.309 --> 00:16:45.450 tree. Don't do nothing with what you've been 00:16:45.450 --> 00:16:53.289 given. Friends, one day He will come back. Jesus 00:16:53.289 --> 00:16:56.370 will come back and Jesus will put the world right. 00:16:57.570 --> 00:17:00.690 And we will be with Him forever. And you know, 00:17:00.710 --> 00:17:03.090 it's easy to forget that Jesus tells this parable 00:17:03.090 --> 00:17:05.950 as a part of a series of parables in response 00:17:05.950 --> 00:17:08.390 to the disciples going, sidling up to him and 00:17:08.390 --> 00:17:11.130 going, hey, can you give us some kind of insight 00:17:11.130 --> 00:17:12.970 into what the end of the world is going to look 00:17:12.970 --> 00:17:18.269 like? And as the master comes back to see if 00:17:18.269 --> 00:17:20.549 his talents have been put to use, Jesus will 00:17:20.549 --> 00:17:23.690 come back and there will be an audit at the end 00:17:23.690 --> 00:17:28.269 of the universe. We will be held to account for 00:17:28.269 --> 00:17:30.920 how we lived our lives. And I think about this 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:33.279 every time that I preach because James 3 verse 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:36.900 1 says, friends, not many of you should become 00:17:36.900 --> 00:17:39.779 teachers in the church, for we who teach will 00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:43.079 be judged more strictly. I'm getting a fine tooth 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:47.079 comb, guys. And I take this really seriously 00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:50.980 because the whole biblical narrative is so clear 00:17:50.980 --> 00:17:53.380 on this. There is a day coming where we will 00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:57.299 stand before Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5 says, for 00:17:57.299 --> 00:17:59.920 we must all stand before Christ to be judged. 00:18:00.539 --> 00:18:02.759 And we will each receive whatever we deserve 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:04.759 for the good or evil we have done in this earthly 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:07.640 body. You know, I think we sit down and we go 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:10.980 through it all, play by play, and we will be 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:12.900 held accountable for what we've done or failed 00:18:12.900 --> 00:18:15.240 to do. And you know, there is stuff that I am 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:17.339 just not looking forward to going over with Jesus. 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:22.609 But where is the justice in the universe? where 00:18:22.609 --> 00:18:24.789 I'm not held to account for my own failings. 00:18:25.970 --> 00:18:28.170 After all, don't we want accountability for those 00:18:28.170 --> 00:18:30.750 who have sinned against us, who have hurt us? 00:18:31.309 --> 00:18:38.170 I do. I want them to know. Right? And I can forgive 00:18:38.170 --> 00:18:40.170 because I've been forgiven, but I can forgive 00:18:40.170 --> 00:18:44.250 because justice belongs to God and not to me. 00:18:45.690 --> 00:18:48.049 But how often do we want justice for others, 00:18:48.190 --> 00:18:53.519 but grace for ourselves? Here's the thing about 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:57.740 grace. Grace is the work of Christ on our behalf. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:00.559 It's not our work. We don't earn grace. We can't 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:03.960 add to it. It is a gift of God. It's God's act 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:10.240 of love to save us while we were lost and estranged 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:13.599 from Him. But grace doesn't mean that there is 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:18.599 no order. Grace means that justice for my sin, 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:21.619 what I deserve, which was death, was poured out 00:19:21.619 --> 00:19:25.460 on Jesus on the cross instead of upon me. Colossians 00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:27.980 2 says, you were dead because of your sins and 00:19:27.980 --> 00:19:30.380 because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:33.779 Then God made you a life of Christ, for He forgave 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:36.859 all our sins. He cancelled the record of the 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:39.960 charges against us and took it away by nailing 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:43.259 it to the cross. Grace doesn't mean there's no 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:46.460 audit. It means at the end of my life the eternal 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:48.880 consequences for my actions are laid upon Jesus 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:54.849 and not upon me. Clear. I've been made alive 00:19:54.849 --> 00:19:57.390 with Christ. I have and will be resurrected and 00:19:57.390 --> 00:20:02.589 so have you. I think about this all the time 00:20:02.589 --> 00:20:05.089 because it means that what we do in this life 00:20:05.089 --> 00:20:10.470 really matters. I wonder if you know that. But 00:20:10.470 --> 00:20:14.490 how often do we do nothing out of fear rather 00:20:14.490 --> 00:20:18.309 than giving it our all because of the joy, because 00:20:18.309 --> 00:20:23.650 the joy of our master awaits us. How I live matters. 00:20:23.690 --> 00:20:26.109 I will stand before Jesus and He will audit what 00:20:26.109 --> 00:20:27.930 I have done with, what I have been entrusted 00:20:27.930 --> 00:20:31.170 with. Have I been faithful with the small but 00:20:31.170 --> 00:20:33.869 immensely valuable things I've been given? Whatever 00:20:33.869 --> 00:20:36.769 talent, skills, resources, relationships, family, 00:20:36.869 --> 00:20:38.849 giftings, spiritual giftings I've been given. 00:20:39.269 --> 00:20:41.349 The Holy Spirit that's within me, the Gospel 00:20:41.349 --> 00:20:43.769 of Jesus that I'm to proclaim in word and deed 00:20:43.769 --> 00:20:47.609 with my whole life. Will I close my eyes at the 00:20:47.609 --> 00:20:49.630 end of my life and think, look, I gave it all 00:20:49.630 --> 00:20:52.900 I had. I was faithful with what I was given. 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:55.759 I held nothing back from Him. I lived to please 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:59.460 Him. I didn't waste this life. I didn't bury 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:02.140 whatever I was given in the dirt. I put it to 00:21:02.140 --> 00:21:05.500 use and I watched it grow. That's what I want 00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:10.720 for my life. So how do we do this? How do we 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:14.480 make the most of our lives? There's two ways. 00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:17.259 The first one is our Henley homework, which is 00:21:17.259 --> 00:21:19.670 something you can do. something you can do to 00:21:19.670 --> 00:21:22.450 put what you've heard into action this week is 00:21:22.450 --> 00:21:25.549 do a self -audit. Like sit down and go through 00:21:25.549 --> 00:21:27.950 your life. Like try to understand what it is 00:21:27.950 --> 00:21:31.549 you've been uniquely given in this life of yours. 00:21:32.269 --> 00:21:33.930 What are the talents, the skills, the resources, 00:21:34.069 --> 00:21:36.289 the relationships, the family, the spiritual 00:21:36.289 --> 00:21:39.650 gifts that you have been entrusted with? What 00:21:39.650 --> 00:21:42.769 are the themes? Pray through. What's a vision 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:45.529 for your life in God's Kingdom? What could that 00:21:45.529 --> 00:21:49.019 be? Remember success is not about comparing output 00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:52.099 with others, but just about faithfulness with 00:21:52.099 --> 00:21:55.359 what you have uniquely been given. What does 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:57.339 it look like for you to take responsibility for 00:21:57.339 --> 00:22:00.000 uniquely growing God's kingdom with your whole 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:03.700 unique life? And I'll happily share with you 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:06.079 what I think God's vision for my life is, but 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:07.799 you're gonna have to ask me over coffee after 00:22:07.799 --> 00:22:12.740 the service. The second thing that will help 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:17.710 us put our life to God's use. is to know our 00:22:17.710 --> 00:22:21.650 master. Third servant didn't know his master. 00:22:23.230 --> 00:22:25.789 If he knew his master, he would know how safe 00:22:25.789 --> 00:22:29.269 it was to put his talent to work and to fail. 00:22:31.029 --> 00:22:34.730 See, Jesus is a good master. How often do we 00:22:34.730 --> 00:22:38.069 not take risks in life? Even take risks for God 00:22:38.069 --> 00:22:39.829 because we're worried that we're gonna do the 00:22:39.829 --> 00:22:43.730 wrong thing. Worried we're gonna make a mistake. 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:47.099 You know, if I had a dollar for every time I 00:22:47.099 --> 00:22:49.240 heard someone say, I'm just not sure this is 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:51.539 the right thing for me to do, you know, what 00:22:51.539 --> 00:22:53.660 if I get it wrong? Maybe I'll just wait until 00:22:53.660 --> 00:22:57.259 God like puts an audible voice in my head saying, 00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:01.759 go and do this thing. I would be printing money 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:08.200 because I was a young person who said this so 00:23:08.200 --> 00:23:12.680 much. But then someone quoted St. Augustine to 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:15.900 me and it changed my life. I don't know how often 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:20.420 people can say that. This is what Augustine said. 00:23:20.859 --> 00:23:24.940 Love God and do whatever you please. For the 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:27.160 soul trained in love to God will do nothing to 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:31.240 offend the one who is beloved. First love God 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:34.740 with everything you have and then do what you 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:39.539 please. Because when you love God, what you please 00:23:39.539 --> 00:23:43.809 will please God. You cannot offend God by doing 00:23:43.809 --> 00:23:47.470 something out of love for Him. You cannot offend 00:23:47.470 --> 00:23:51.130 God by your earnest mistakes. Friends, do you 00:23:51.130 --> 00:23:53.150 know that the cross of Jesus and the love God 00:23:53.150 --> 00:23:57.130 for you means it's safe to fail, to fail forward? 00:23:58.470 --> 00:24:00.410 Do you realize how safe it is to actually get 00:24:00.410 --> 00:24:03.130 out there and do something big and radical and 00:24:03.130 --> 00:24:05.930 crazy for Jesus? To get out there and to put 00:24:05.930 --> 00:24:07.589 in the work and to take ground for the kingdom 00:24:07.589 --> 00:24:11.069 of God. What is it that you want to do for God? 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:14.819 How has He uniquely positioned you to live for 00:24:14.819 --> 00:24:19.059 Him? What God dreams, what God dreams has He 00:24:19.059 --> 00:24:23.319 put inside of you? If we know the Master and 00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:25.500 we know His love and His grace and how safe it 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:28.099 is when we're in His hands, it is safe to take 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:32.460 risks with what's being given to us. Don't sit 00:24:32.460 --> 00:24:34.420 back and wait for the right time to do something. 00:24:34.500 --> 00:24:38.630 There'll probably never be a right time. So get 00:24:38.630 --> 00:24:40.950 out there, grow what God's put inside you. Don't 00:24:40.950 --> 00:24:45.750 waste it. Don't bury it. Jesus left a long time 00:24:45.750 --> 00:24:49.710 ago, but he still entrusts women and men and 00:24:49.710 --> 00:24:52.490 children with his kingdom, according to who he's 00:24:52.490 --> 00:24:55.109 created them to be. And someday he'll come back 00:24:55.109 --> 00:24:58.410 and audit what it is that we have done with her. 00:24:59.650 --> 00:25:03.049 Friends, don't waste your life. Live longing 00:25:03.049 --> 00:25:08.319 to hear those words. Well done. Good and faithful, 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:14.000 sir. Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:17.240 message. If you felt challenged or need prayer, 00:25:17.799 --> 00:25:20.500 we'd love to hear from you on Instagram at encounterhenley. 00:25:21.099 --> 00:25:23.440 Or if you're interested in how you can support 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:27.380 this ministry, please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:25:27.380 --> 00:25:31.579 .com .au. Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:31.940 you.