Talents are given to us by God and we must multiply these talents to serve Him.
Let’s continue to explore Jesus’ teachings about entering into eternal salvation at His return.
My proposed Divine truth – While we feel strongly that we have the promise of salvation, our salvation is not automatic. We must also multiply our God given talents.
Let’s read the parable of the talents from Matthew 25: 14-30.
14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
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.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
In this parable we see that the Lord gave some of His talents to each of the three servants. He did not give equal amounts to each one. Instead, He gave to each one according to their ability to work with God’s talents.
It’s interesting that in each of the Lord’s parables He basically says that “the kingdom of heaven is like”. The term “Kingdom of God” is a reference to the presence and rule of God amongst humankind. This indicates to us that already today, our life of faith, our family, our church needs to be an image, or prefiguration, of the kingdom of heaven.
He says the kingdom is like a man who traveled to a far country, called his own servants, and delivered to them, at his discretion, his goods. In this parable we see a reference to God calling and equipping His servants. This is something Apostle Paul teaches about. He urges, “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”. Do we feel the Calling that God gave each of us? There is a Godly calling embedded in each one of His talents that He has shared with us. It is humbling to realize that each one of our talents are given to us by God, and they belong to Him.
Don’t we sometimes think these talents belong to us? And they are primarily for our benefit? Who are our talents supposed to benefit? For the answer let’s go back to the two commandments Jesus gave which fulfill the original Ten Commandments.
Love the Lord your God with everything. The talents are firstly supposed to benefit the investor, the giver. Our God given talents are to benefit God. His will, His ways, His plans.
Love your neighbor. God gives us His talents to work with for the benefit and salvation of our neighbor. My neighbor is everybody who is not me.
As you love yourself. God gives us His talents to work with for our own benefit and salvation.
God expects not just an increase, He expects a multiplication. Five multiplied to ten. Two multiplied to four. One multiplied to two.
Increases in the quantity. Increases in the quality. Increases in the efficacy also count.
In the 23rd verse Jesus teaches that if we are faithful and do good with the few gifts and talents He gives us now, He will make us rulers over so much more in the future kingdom.
It is vital to be faithful, profitable servants who do good works with what we are given.
What will it mean for us to “Enter into the joy of your lord”?
For the answer, please listen to the first four verses of Revelation 21: 1-4.
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, [a]John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
I look forward to your contributions to this presentation.