Hey there! This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching on Jesus’s Parable of the Talents. You can watch the sermon HERE or click the link below. I’ve also included the full sermon manuscript below. 🙂
Thank you for your prayers for me and my ministry—I’ve felt them, and your support means so much.
I pray the Lord blesses you through His Word!
~Blake
P.S. The sermon starts at the 6:18-minute mark.
Prayer
Lord, what do we have that we did not first receive from you? You are the giver of all good gifts. Help us to use the many blessings you’ve given to us to glorify you and bless those around us. And we ask that you would reveal yourself to us today through the preaching of your Word in ways that strengthen our faith and devotion to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Introduction // What will we feel at Christ’s return?
About three years ago, on October 25, 2022, I was wrestling with a few things internally and was seeking the Lord through his Word and prayer. I “happened” to come across a verse that brought tangible comfort to me and has been a source of encouragement ever since.
The verse is 2 Thessalonians 1:7, in which Paul describes the emotion that will flood the hearts of believers the moment Christ returns with his mighty angels.
Let me ask you: If you were to pick one emotion to describe what you think believers will feel the moment Christ returns, which emotion would you choose?
Or, to personalize it: Which emotion do you think you will feel in that moment?
Awe? Wonder? Reverence? Joy? Thankfulness? Contentment?
My guess is that believers will feel all of those emotions (and more) when Christ returns.
And yet, curiously, Paul doesn’t pick any of those words to describe what we will feel at that moment. Which emotion does he point to instead?
According to 2 Thessalonians 1:7, the emotion that will flood the hearts of believers the moment Christ returns is… relief.
Relief!
The complete unburdening of a lifetime’s worth of…
… in a single moment.
That decompressing exhale our souls so desperately long for but never quite seem to manage in this life.
And our longing for this relief is one of the primary reasons we cry out together, Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
Every ache and every longing in our hearts points forward to this moment. Every joy in this life is merely an appetizer of the pleasure we will experience when we see Jesus face-to-face. Every sorrow we feel will be fully healed at his return.
And time and time again in Scripture, God calls us to wait patiently for this day. Yet, the waiting that God calls us to is not passive. It’s not sitting on our hands and doing nothing. Instead, biblical waiting looks a lot like working—but working with a deep assurance of God’s grace and a confident hope for the future. And our text today shows us how we can do this—how we can maximize our waiting in this life.
So, if you have a Bible, you can turn to Matthew 25:14-30, which is Jesus’s famous “Parable of the Talents.”
Brief context
This passage comes right after Matthew 24, in which Jesus describes the end times. Then, in chapter 25, Jesus explains what the kingdom of heaven will be like, using three parables. The parable we’re looking at today especially emphasizes what it looks like to wait faithfully for Christ’s return.
Please follow as I read verses 14-30. I will also make several comments as we read. Someone told me before I preached last night, “All you have to do to not screw up this sermon is just read the text.”
So, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to spend a little more time in the text today, and then we will look at three smaller application points.
Let’s dive in.
Matthew 25:14-30 // The Parable of the Talents
Jesus said,
“For it…”
Okay, let’s pause there. See, I told you we would be in the text for a while! The “it” here refers to the kingdom of heaven, as you can see from earlier in the chapter. Thus:
For it [the kingdom of heaven] is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
There are a couple of things to notice here. First, this man—or master, as he’ll be called—is a reference to Jesus himself. The servants, meanwhile, are a reference to all of the people God created (so we should see ourselves in these servants).
The second thing to notice is that the master entrusted his own possessions to his own servants. In other words, everything we are and everything we possess is actually not ours but God’s. Your time, your money, your gifts, your mind, your body—none of these things ultimately belong to you. It all belongs to God—the One who gave it all to you in the first place.
In other words, when we pray, we ought to pray like this: “God, what would you like me to do with your body? With your time? With your money? With your possessions? How would you like me to use all that is yours that you have temporarily entrusted to me?”
Do you pray like this?
This passage reminds us that we are stewards—not owners—over everything we have—including our very lives.
Okay, let’s keep reading in verse 15.
To one [servant] he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability.
Now, it’s important to mention here that a talent in the first century was not the same thing as our English word “talent” (which usually refers to a special skill). Rather, a talent was a unit of measurement, typically denoting a weight of gold or money.
So, the master gave each of his servants a certain amount of money. How much money? Well, estimates vary—but all commentators agree that this was a very large sum of money. Don Carson, for example, suggests somewhere in the range of $800,000 to $1,000,000 per talent. So, while each of the servants received different amounts, they were all treated very generously by their master.
Okay, let’s keep reading.
Then he [the master] went on a journey. Immediately, the man who had received five talents went, put the talents to work, and earned five more.
Now, this is key—notice the three action words at the end of verse 16. It says the servant went, put the talents to work, and earned. This servant was very active.
And yet, notice what inspired all of his work at the beginning of verse 16. It says the man had received five talents from the master. In other words, the man received before he achieved. It was the master’s grace and generosity that inspired his work, not his work that inspired the master’s grace and generosity.
However, we should note that both grace and works are present. I love the way Frederick Dale Bruner put it: “Grace precedes work. But grace precedes work!”
We might say that faithfulness to God is the marriage of grace and work (or grace-fueled work). In the same way, Jesus is calling each of us to respond to his grace with faithful work for his kingdom—that’s what it looks like to be a good servant.
Let’s continue reading now, in verse 17:
In the same way, the man with two [talents] earned two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
After a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, “Master, you gave me five talents. See, I’ve earned five more talents.”
His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.”
The man with two talents also approached. He said, “Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.”
His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.”
Two things to note here:
First, notice that the master gave the same words of approval to both servants, even though their investments yielded different amounts (one earned five and the other earned two). And that’s because our master is not only generous—he’s also just. He does not require the same thing from all people. He requires of us in proportion to what we have been given (praise the Lord!).
I can’t help but think of our Masterpiece (disabilities) Ministry here at Chapelstreet. These wonderful brothers and sisters may not offer to Jesus the exact same thing that others offer, but Jesus approves of them and is pleased by them the same.
God knows our situations and our limitations—and because he is kind, generous, and just, he speaks the same words of blessing and approval to all his children, who faithfully use what they have for his glory.
Let’s keep reading—verse 24:
The man who had received one talent also approached and said, “Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.”
If this servant’s words feel like they’re coming out of left field to you, then you are reading the text correctly! These words are out of left field. Everything we have seen about the master up until this point is that he is kind, generous, and just. He wants to bless his servants. He wants to give them eternal purpose. He wants to share his joy with them.
But this servant demonizes the master, saying, basically, “I know you. You’re trying to ruin my life. You’re harsh. You’re unjust. You can’t be trusted. Here’s your money—take it!”
This servant is convinced that the path to true life and joy is away from the master, away from his service. But notice the master’s response in verse 26:
“You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money back with interest when I returned.”
Notice that the master is not agreeing with the servant’s assessment of him, but rather, he’s calling his bluff. He’s saying, “If you really thought that is the kind of master I am, then why wouldn’t you at least deposit my money in the bank to earn some interest?”
Note again the master’s generosity here. He didn’t demand that this servant double his money (like the other two did). He simply called him to do something with what he had been given for the kingdom, even if that was just depositing it into the bank.
Here’s the takeaway: The major problem was not that the servant did not make enough money for the master, but that he wanted nothing to do with his master or his business.
As David Sunday put it, “This servant was far more concerned with his own security than with his master’s prosperity.” He preferred to serve himself rather than to serve his master.
So, in the end, we’re going to see that the servant gets exactly what he wants—to be separated from his master and his master’s business. Let’s read the final three verses (vv. 28-30):
[The master said], “So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given—and he will have more than enough! But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Commentators have different stances on the exact meaning of this final phrase, but what is clear from this imagery is that the servant is separated from his master and his master’s business, which is the worst outcome anyone could experience. And that is because to be separated from Jesus is to be separated from life and joy itself.
This passage indicates that, in the end, for those who reject Jesus and his work, God will grant them what they desire (to be separated from him). As C.S. Lewis described, “In the end, everyone will get what they want. And many will not like it” (slightly paraphrased).
But to those who want more of Jesus—to those who want more of the joy of serving him—they will have these blessings multiplied for all eternity.
[Blake prays here for unbelievers in our lives.]
How do we respond to this passage?
Okay, so that’s our passage! I’d like to spend the rest of our time today looking at three takeaways from this passage—or three things we must know to wait patiently for Christ’s return. We must know…
- The joy we long for
- What keeps us from it
- How we can get it
Let’s consider these one at a time, beginning with…
1. The joy we long for
About six years ago, one of my favorite YouTubers surprisingly posted a scriptwriting job opportunity for his channel. (I’ll call this guy “Parker” for this story.)
Now, I love writing—and I was a big fan of this guy—so as soon as I heard about this job opportunity, I was scrambling to fill out an application.
Parker’s channel was approaching four million subscribers at the time—and 200 or so people had already applied for the position—so when I submitted my script, I never expected to hear back.
But, about a week later, I received an email informing me that I had made the cut and was on to the second round of the application process. Parker had reduced the applicant pool from 200 people to the top 20, and I was among the chosen. That made me feel pretty good!
But that’s not all. When I got to the end of the email, I noticed an audio file attached. Unsure of its content, I walked outside, plugged in my headphones, and pressed “play.”
The audio began with instructions for the second round of the application process. At the end of the instructions, it said, “You will now receive feedback for your first-round script.” Several seconds of silence ensued. Then, it happened. Five words that instantly sent chills down my spine:
“Hi, Blake, this is Parker.”
My body froze.
I was like, wait… this is Parker? The guy with millions of subscribers? The guy whose voice is constantly in my ears? My celebrity hero? And now, he is talking to me?! The audio continued. He said, “Blake, I read over your script, and you did a great job. Here are some instructions for your second round script…”
As I listened to Parker speak, I felt like a truckload of dopamine was being dumped into my brain. I couldn’t stop smiling. I was hardly even listening to his instructions. I couldn’t get over the fact that Parker was talking to me—and that he liked my work!
It was like Jerry Maguire’s, “You had me at hello”—only for me, it was, “You had me at ’Blake, I read your script, and you did a great job.’” That was all I needed to hear. My life was complete; Jesus could come back now. It was one of the greatest feelings I had ever experienced.
As I felt this rush of joy, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Why does this feel so good right now?”
The more I thought about the pleasure of this moment, the more I realized that God was giving me a tiny foretaste of the greatest feeling any Christian will ever experience. There I was, tickled by the fact that Parker himself called me by name, told me he had chosen me (to go to the second round), and then said, “Well done! Good job!”
If this experience was amazing (and trust me—it was!), imagine what it will feel like when the Creator of the universe calls us by name, tells us, “I have chosen you,” then says, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
This divine approval is the joy we long for—no pleasure on earth will hold a candle to this moment. As J.R.R. Tolkien put it, “The praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards.” There is nothing we long for more than the approval of the person for whom our souls were created.
Of course, this approval is—amazingly—just the beginning of our joy. Jesus’s words of approval are just the sweet wind hitting our faces when we enter the doors of heaven.
Notice that verses 21 and 23 point out two additional joys we will experience: The joy of eternal purpose and responsibilities, and the joy of the master himself.
I love that little invitation at the end of the master’s praise: “Share your master’s joy.” Sharing in Christ’s joy is the crown jewel of heaven—and that’s because Christ is the embodiment of joy. He is the fountainhead of joy through which all other joys flow.
As C.S. Lewis put it, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
There is no greater reward than to finish our lives—having given everything we have for Jesus—and then to enter into the joy of his presence forever (see Psalm 16:11).
This brings us to our second application:
2. What keeps us from the joy we long for?
We see the answer in the first few words of the wicked servant in v. 24—do you see them?
“Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man…”
Pastor Sterling noted in our preaching team meeting this past week that the very problem with the wicked servant is that he didn’t know his master. His view of the master was entirely wrong, which led him to make very foolish investments.
This is key: How you use what you have been given is dependent on how you view the one who gave it.
If you think God is holding back from you—if you think he’s stingy and unkind—you’re going to spend your life complaining, not trusting him, and death-gripping your possessions.
If you think God is harsh—just waiting for you to mess up, you’re going to live anxiously, burying your talent, and constantly afraid of falling out of his favor.
But if you know God as he is—as the generous and gracious gift-giver who wants to bless you and has mercy for you when you try and fail, you will go all in.
I love the way David Sunday put it:
Friends, Jesus didn’t [give his life for us so that] we would play it safe. He hasn’t enriched us so that we would nervously protect what we’ve been given, afraid of taking any risks…
[David Sunday references someone else’s analogy here]: When your child is learning to play basketball, what brings joy to a father’s heart? It’s not watching your kid sitting on the bench because he’s afraid of making a mistake. The dad doesn’t say to everyone, “Look. My kid is doing nothing wrong. Your kid just missed a shot. My kid hasn’t missed a shot all game long.”
That’s not what brings joy to the father’s heart!
No! What brings joy to the father is when the kid gets out there and goes for it and doesn’t freeze… You want him to take the shot, and you’re happy even when it doesn’t work—when he goes for the layup, and the ball goes right over the top of the backboard. You rejoice because he got out there and went for it.
That’s what our gracious Master and our God wants from His people. He wants us to get out there and go for it, not being afraid of messing up. Love has no fear of risk. Sure, we need wisdom. Wisdom keeps us from being foolish. But…your life as a Christian is not just about avoiding messing something up. It’s about pouring yourself out for the glory of your King.
Being faithful servants begins with knowing Jesus for who he really is—the gracious gift-giver who gave his life for us, so that we might live our lives for him.
This brings us to the final point:
3. How can we get the joy we long for?
Perhaps the biggest plot twist of this story is not found in the story itself but in the person telling it. In particular, the person telling this story—Jesus himself, the ultimate Servant, who perfectly obeyed the will of the Father—is the One who experiences the fate of the wicked servant.
You have to wonder if Jesus shuddered at his own words when he depicted the master saying, “Throw this wicked servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
If you flip over just two chapters to Matthew 27:45-46, you’ll find these words describing Jesus’s own experience on the cross:
From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land. About three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
Don’t you see what Jesus is doing?
Jesus is the ultimate faithful Servant—and yet he went into the outer darkness for us. He wept. He gnashed his teeth. He experienced abandonment so that we—through faith in him—could enter into our Master’s eternal joy.
Our Master became the Servant. He took on this terrible fate so that we never would have to experience it—that’s how much he loves you!
Come to Jesus!
How can we get the joy we long for? It begins with knowing Jesus—putting faith in him and his perfect sacrifice, and then giving yourself fully to him.
If you have not yet put faith in Jesus, he is calling you to himself today.
- He wants to give you grace.
- He wants to give you purpose.
- He wants to give you joy that goes beyond the walls of this world.
- Ultimately, Jesus wants to give you himself.
If you’d like to commit your life to him today, please pray this with me:
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for being a Master who is good, generous, and just. Forgive me for the times I’ve doubted your goodness or buried the talents you’ve entrusted to me. Thank you for everything you’ve given me, especially for giving up your life for me on the cross. Be my Savior and Master. And help me to respond to your Word today with gratitude and faithful service. In Jesus’ name, amen.
____________________________
Blake Glosson (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is a pastoral resident at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva, Illinois. He has been published and/or republished or referred by:
- The Gospel Coalition
- Life Bible
- Crosswalk
- Eternal Perspective Ministries (Randy Alcorn)
- Challies.com/Tim Challies (here, here, and here)
- DashHouse (Darryl Dash)
- Moody Radio (here, here, and here)
- The JOY FM (here and here)
- ChurchLeaders.com
- Monergism.com
- The Aquila Report (here, here, and here)
Previously, Blake served as the director of young adults at New Covenant Bible Church in St. Charles, Illinois.
Read or watch “God Won’t Let Your Story End as a Tragedy” here.
Read “10 Ways the Sunrise Reflects Jesus” here.
Read or watch “What Jesus Does with Your Tears” here.
Watch or listen to Blake’s sermons here.
Feel free to drop a comment below with thoughts or questions!
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