We are stewards of the Most High God.

And we know that one of the major

attributes one looks for in a steward, is faithfulness.

I Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found

faithful.

Matthew 25:15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to
another one; to every man according to his several ability; and
straightway took his journey

We've already established the fact that Christ is the man in the parable who has
gone away to a far country. We also know that from scripture, when Jesus ascended
up into heaven....He gave gifts unto men.

Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led

captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Matthew 25:17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained
other two.

Just like the guy with five talents- this one put God's money to work and saw a
return on his investment. Just an aside: Many of us (given two talents) would
probably spend our time trying to figure out why we only received two and the
other guy got five. There are many people who have a two-talent income, and yet
they try to live a five-talent lifestyle (I'm resisting the urge to go on a rabbit trail
here....I really am!). There are many who are envious of those with different talents-
they might be jealous of the one with five and wish that they had more
responsibility- OR- they might wish that they only had one talent to take care of
(less likely, but still some are very lazy and want little or no responsiblity given to
them).

Matthew 25:18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth,
and hid his lord's money. I often hear the phrase "well, it's my body and I'm not
hurting anyone but myself." I Corinthians 6:19 very clearly teaches that we are not
our own- we belong to God, and our bodies are His temple!

Mathew 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou 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

Beloved, these are the words that I long to hear on that Day! Notice how the roles
have been reversed.

#1 The man begins as a servant/slave- he ends up a ruler

#2 He is faithful over a few things- even though he had the most talents delivered
unto him, he still is only commended for being faithful over a few- I think many
times we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to (Romans 12:3).

#3 He goes from being faithful over a few things to being a ruler over many!

His reward is enter bliss or the "joy of thy Lord." The imagery is clearly that of
entering the gates of heaven where there are pleasures forevermore!

Matthew 25:24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said,
Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not
sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed

Here's where the story takes a tragic twist. First of all, this servant says "I knew
thee"- what a total contradiction. It is obvious that this man knows nothing about
the true nature of the Lord- for if he did, he would have joyfully used his talent for
the glory of God. He claims that God is a "hard man"- this is the perception that
many have of the Lord of glory. Many believe that He is merely a heavy handed
dictator of a deity than can never be satisfied. They do not realize that Jesus Christ
has satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God by shedding His precious blood!
They do not realize that the gospel is the "good news" that God will forgive sinners
when they simply turn to Him in repentance.

Many people will never come to Christ because Satan has blinded their minds to the
way that Christ really is:

II Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image
of God, should shine unto them

Many people struggle with the issues of unfairness in life. Why do good people die
young? Why are there starving people in third-world countries? Why are there
natural disasters? And the list goes on and on.... They are angry and bitter against
God, because the circumstances of life have become so difficult and they don't
understand why God hasn't (or didn't) intervene

one thing I know for sure is that God loves humanity so much that He sent His only
begotten Son to die for crimes (i.e. the sins of the whole world) that He didn't
commit. I can honestly say that I am not that gracious

Matthew 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth:
lo, there thou hast that is thine
Many are afraid of what people will think of them if they served the Lord. Still others
are afraid of what they might lose in earthly terms, if they embrace the Kingdom of
God. Jesus said that he who seeks to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his
life for the gospel shall find it. Or what about those who are afraid to invest their
money in the Kingdom. I know some that say "I just can't afford to give to the Lord's
work." I would counter that by saying "you can't afford not to" (Malachi 3:8,9).

Something I have often found interesting is found in Revelation chapter 21:

Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son. 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:
which is the second death.
Notice there will be some in hell because they were fearful.

Matthew 25:27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the

exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with
usury.

Herein lies a great spiritual principle. There are some who are waiting for everything
to be perfect before they will do something or invest in the LORD's Kingdom. The
truth is that there will never be a "perfect" time to do anything...it will simply go
undone.