Are You Ready

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Matthew: On Earth As It Is In Heaven Are You Ready? * Matthew 25 If you have your Bibles with you this morning, could you please open them to Matthew chapter 25. Two weeks ago, pastor Chris Carr was preaching out of Matthew chapter 24. Chapter 24 starts with Jesus’ disciples asking him what the end of the age would look like and when would that be. Jesus gave some examples of what that would look like and some things to look for. He also told them, how on that final day, he would come again. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:30-31 ESV) You see, when Jesus comes the next time, he'll be coming to gather his own. For them it will be a time of great joy. But for many, this will be a time of great mourning. You see, for the nations and tribes of the world who have rejected Christ, he will be coming as their Judge, and this will not be a pleasant experience for them. When it came to the timing of His return, however, he told them in verse 36, that no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Chapter 25 is a continuation of this very same conversation Jesus is having with his disciples. Here he tells them two parables, to illustrate the point of readiness. Basically, what he is saying is this, “because you don't know when I will return, don't be caught off guard, but rather be ready.” So today, we're going to be digging into these two parables, the parable of the 10 virgins, and the parable of the talents. Let’s pray.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:1-13, Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Weddings today can tend to be, in some cases, quite the extravagant event, but in Jesus day, a wedding was not just an event that took place in one day, in many cases it may have lasted a whole week. There were banquets, dancing, parades and all kinds of celebrations. It was an extreme honor to be invited to the wedding or to be asked to be involved in the celebrations in some way or another. To not attend, on the other hand, or to not carry out your part in the celebration, would be considered a grave insult to the groom, who was spending an absolute fortune. We see in the story, that Jesus is telling, that there are 10 virgins, who have been invited to the wedding feast. They have one job to do. Their job is to carry lanterns. They are to light the way. They are to be the welcoming committee. As the groom and the wedding party comes to the banqueting hall, these 10 virgins are to be ready with their lamps. Their job was to be prepared, no matter when the groom came. 2

Five of the virgins are described as wise. You see, they knew that this was going to be the greatest banquet of all times. They knew that the groom was the most important person they would probably ever know. They knew, that to go to this banquet would be the highlight of their lives. They planned ahead. They brought extra oil, for their lamps with them, so that they would be ready, no matter when he came, so that they would be ready to usher him into the banquet. They knew that their job was not about them but rather about him and they were going to be ready! The other five virgins, on the other hand, are described as foolish. Can you imagine them as they got the invitation? “Woohoo, we’re going to a party! Grab your lantern, that's our ticket into the party.” Can you see the difference here? For these five virgins, it's all about them. They don't plan ahead for what they will need when the groom comes. All they're really concerned about, is that they will be there, waiting at the door and ready to get in when the groom comes. Being ready, to greet the groom, with oil for there lamps was not there priority. You see their priority was not about him, it was about themselves. Let's remember what this parable is really about. Jesus had been telling his disciples, that he will be coming again. He told them, you don't know when that's going to happen, but when it happens, be ready! Don't be lackadaisical! Don't put off getting ready until you see me coming, because of that point in time, it will be too late. Do you see what happens next? The virgins are all there, waiting, not knowing when the groom will come. Suddenly, there is a shout, “Here he comes!” The five wise virgins are eager with excitement and anticipation, as they pour the extra oil into their lamps and get ready to welcome the wedding party. The five foolish virgins, on the other hand, are startled. They are not ready. They have no oil. Panic ensues. What will we do? Perhaps we can borrow from the others who have oil. You might think, well that's not too bad idea. After all, who wouldn't want to share. Sadly, it just doesn't work like that. 3

How many times have I heard people tell me about what godly parents or grandparents they have. How their grandmother’s Bible is nearly worn out, because she reads it so much. How their dad would always pray before meals. How they are so blessed to have been born into a Christian family, and because of that, that also makes them a Christian, with nothing to worry about. I'm sorry, you see, we can't get by on someone else's shirt tails. My brother and his wife are ardent Hawk Eye fans who hold season tickets. How would it be if walked up to the Nile Kinnick football stadium, and instead of producing a ticket, told them, “I deserve to get in, you see my brother and his wife are some of your best supporters. They have season tickets, and all the Hawk Eye regalia. You're not going to find better supporters anywhere.” You know the response would be, “Who do you think you are? We know may know your brother, but we don't know you. If you don't have a ticket, get out of the way. There are other people with tickets and you are in their way!” We have to be ready in our own right. We can’t let our guard down. Let me tell you a story that might illustrate this for you and little better. This Christmas, my family will be traveling over to Denmark for my son's wedding. I'm sure some of my family are already dreading this trip with me. You see I'm the kind of person that says, that if the airline wants you there two hours early, I'm going to be there three hours early. And not only that, we are going to leave extra time for traveling to the airport too. Who knows but what we might have a flat tire or something. Of course, my family will tell you I leave enough time for four flat tires. Well, a few years ago, my wife Laura, and I, were on a trip where we had a three hour layover. Although we had plenty of time, the first thing I had to do was to check in, find out where I gate was, and go down there. This was great. We are there so early that no one had even arrived yet. We could sit wherever we wanted and just relax. We were both exhausted, so decided to 4

take a little nap. After all, were right where we need to be. Nothing else needed to be done. After a couple of hours, we woke up. I check the boarding time on the ticket again, rechecked the time, and rechecked the gate number. Everything was still in order and everything was looking good. With about a half an hour before our flight time, however, I started to get a little nervous. Where was everyone? I decided it might be prudent to do a little investigating, so went down the hall looking for someone who might know. I did find someone. Apparently, while we slept, they changed our gate number. We grabbed our bags and ran as fast as we could to the new gate. As we rounded the corner we noticed that there was no one there either. The reason for this was that they had already boarded the plane. The only person there, was the person at the desk who have been checking people's tickets as they boarded. With a flourish, I produced our tickets. “I'm sorry sir,” I was told, “they have already closed the door to the plane.” “But the plain is still just sitting right there,” I argued. “Sir, once the door is shut, it will not be open again!” In sadness, we walked away, unable to get on the plane that would've taken us home. You see, we let down our guard. We thought we had all our ducks in a row, but in fact, we weren’t paying attention and when the time came, we weren’t ready. You see the five foolish virgins were right there at the door to the banquet hall. They thought they had everything they needed. Life is good. All you have to do is show up. They weren't paying attention to the details. They got caught by surprise and were left out in the cold. That’s not a situation in which we want to find ourselves. We need to remember to be ready. 5

To live like Jesus were returning today. Let’s continue reading the Parable of the Talents, in this parable we will be looking at this… what should we be doing while we are waiting for Jesus to return? Matthew 25:14-30 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 6

This parable carries on the very same train of thought. A very wealthy man is going away on a long journey; he has much property and servants. He entrusts his property with the servants, but does not tell them when he will be coming back. Jesus, through both of these stories is illustrating the point that we do not know when he will return. So as we wait, what do we do? Will we be ready when he does come back? Let’s dig into this parable a little deeper. Verse 14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. Now the first thing we need to ask is, “Who owns the property?” You see, the man in the story, or the master, did not just give his property to the servants. He did not say, “Hey I want to just give you this property. It's yours to do whatever you want with.” No, he entrusted it to them. They were to manage the property for him. Think of it like this, suppose as you met with a financial planner. You know that you won't be physically able to work for the rest of your life. Age, at some point in time, is going to take it's toll. So you decide, that you need to start preparing for that day. You decide that you need to give this financial planner, $75 every week out of your paycheck. With this, come expectations: 1. You understand that there will be a handling fee. 2. You also trust however, that this financial planner will invest what you have given him, in such a way, that when you retire, your investment will be exponentially more. 3. You trust that this financial planner would have used your money wisely, and that you will get back much more than you ever put in. 4. It was your money to start with, and you expect to get it back in the end…plus more. Every opportunity or gift we have belongs to God…not us. 7

So what property did the master entrust to his servants? Verse 15. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. So what are these talents that Jesus is talking about? Today we tend to equate talents as abilities or a special gifting that we might have. In Jesus day, when he was telling this parable, people would have understood this as a great sum of money. A talent was originally actually a weight measurement, so depending on whether you had a talent of gold, silver or copper, the value would change some. Later on, a talent was used as the greatest accounting in Greek money. A talent was sometimes referred to be the equivalent of 10,000 denari or 10,000 days wages. Often it was the equivalent of a whole lifetime of wages. Regardless of the actual amount, a talent represented a huge sum of money. So the master gave each of the servants huge amounts of money, to each according to his ability. Now you notice that each of the servants did not get the same amount of money. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Now our first inclination here, might be to think, “Will that's not fair. Why would he give more to one than to another?” But we see something interesting here, God is not going to weigh us down by giving us something that we cannot handle. In Luke chapter 12, Jesus is again talking about being ready. Here he says, Luke 12:48, Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

God expects us to use these opportunities according to the ability that he has given to us. 8

We are going to see that the real question is not, how much did God give you, but what did you do with what he gave you. There is something kind of interesting here, did you notice how the master never instructed the servants what they are to do with the money. It was their responsibility to go and figure it out. Lets look at the first two servants, who were given 5 and 2 talents respectively. Verses 16-17. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. • Both of these servants were go-getters. • They knew they had responsibility to do. • They knew that they were entrusted with their master’s possessions and they had to make a return on it. • They traded, worked, invested, did whatever they had to do to make a profit. • They doubled their master’s investment. Then one day, out of the blue, unexpected, the master shows up. The day of accounting was there. Can’t you just see these two servants. They are giddy with excitement! Each of them, in turn, can't wait to come up to their master and tell him what they have done. “Look, you gave me this much and I have doubled it! I have made a 100% return on your investment!” Now I want you to notice the response to each of the servants. To the one who had doubled his investment to 10 and to the one who had doubled his investment to 4. The response of the master to each of the servants was the exact same, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ You see, the commendation, the accolades, the reward was the exact same for both of them. 9

The one had made 5 talents while the other had only made 2, but both had worked hard, according to the ability that they had. • Both were told, “Well done.” • Both were told they were good and faithful servants. • Both were praised because of their faithfulness over a little and because of their faithfulness, they were entrusted with much more trust and responsibility.

One Dime A story is told about a woman called Martha Berry. This clever woman founded the Berry School in Rome, Georgia. She scraped together funds from every source possible. One day she approached Henry Ford, of Ford automobile fame, and asked for a contribution. Patronizingly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a dime. Rather than be insulted or discouraged by the "gift," Miss Berry bought a package of seed peanuts with it. The seeds were planted and tended, and they eventually yielded a large crop, which she later sold. Again she called on Mr. Ford. "Here's the dime you gave me last year," she said, handing him a coin. Then she told him of the return she had realized from his token investment. Ford was so impressed that, in the years to come, he gave millions of dollars to the school. Perhaps you are sitting here today and you are thinking, “I just don’t feel like I have any abilities. If only I had the people skills like Angie, I would be able to minister to people in the food pantry. If only I knew my Bible like Pamela, I would be able to lead a women’s Bible study. If only I owned a company, I would be able to provide jobs for hurting people. If only I didn’t get stage fright and wet my pants every time I had to get up on stage I could be a preacher like you guys that get up there.” If you are sitting there and thinking that, then I know exactly what you are thinking and feeling. 10

You see, 25 years ago, I moved here from Ireland with my wife, Laura and 2 small children. We started to attend Harmony, but were quite content to sit back and try not to be noticed. Then one day, someone asked us if we would be willing to teach the kindergarten Sunday School class. I had a panic attack and told them no. After all, I wasn’t a teacher, what if these kids threw me a curve ball? I knew I had done wrong, and in time I relented and agreed to teach the 5 year-olds. That is where it all started for me. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that I would ever be up on a stage preaching to anyone, let alone a congregation like this. All it took was for me to be faithful in this one little thing and little by little, I came to realize that it wasn’t my talent that was at stake anyway. Any talent I had wasn’t mine anyway, I was just using what the Lord had given to me. So really so long as I was willing to be faithful, the success or failure was up to Him. Remember what the master in the parable said, “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.” If we are faithful with the one talent, God is going to bless it and give us more. The One Talent Servant. But lets not forget to look at the servant who received the one talent. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Basically, what he is saying is this, “I'm afraid to use my talent. I'm also afraid what will happen if I lose it. I know what I'll do, I will just hide it away and not use it.” Then notice what happens when the master returns. It's this servant’s turn to report on what he has done with his talent. He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 11

The attitude of this servant is so different than that of the other two. There is no joy here. He knows he has not been a faithful servant. He knows he is in the wrong. So in a defensive mode, he goes up to his master and accuses him. He says, “I know you to be a hard man.” Basically, he is calling his master and unjust tyrant, demanding more than he should. He says here that he was afraid, “I went and hid the talent in the ground because I was afraid,” and in self-justification he brought the talent back and said, “here's your talent back, we’re square now right?” No we’re not square now! But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. Do you notice how the master repeats back to the servant, his very own words, except that he doesn't use the term hard, because that was a lie. The master is actually a very generous and gracious master. But he is a master who expected him to do something with what he was given. Can you imagine working for an employer. The employer gives you something to do, but instead of doing it you take out the paper, get on Facebook, and take a nap. You reason this away by thinking, “well I really don't understand what I'm supposed to be doing, so I don't want to get wrong.” When your employer comes back and finds that you have done absolutely nothing, do you think he's going to be happy? Absolutely not. You're going to be moving the fastest that you've moved all day, and that's out the door. On the other hand, if you had tried your hardest and got it wrong, at least he would've been pleased to see your hard effort and probably would have giving you another chance. 12

I used to work for an employer, who would say to someone who did something wrong, “If you don't try, you'll never fail, but you’ll never get anything done either, so go give it another try.” To not take advantage of what God has given us is also sin. You see the point here is this. If were going to invest our talent, If we’re actually going to do something, It's going to involve some risk. The master did not commend the first two servings for being successful, but rather for being faithful. After all, how do we define success. If we are faithful to use the talent God has given us, he can be the judge of success or failure. Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, “We are called to be faithful not successful.” To many, mother Teresa, who died in poverty, would not have been considered successful, at least in worldly terms. But she was faithful with the talent that she had. She showed compassion and love to so many abandoned and destitute children, and in doing so, she was also successful. In the case of this one servant, the master was angry. He called him wicked and lazy, and took from him the only talent that he had. He took no risk Just over year ago, we purchased the Maple Leaf Tavern. Was that a risk? YES. Did we know what we were doing? NO. This time last year, we were just starting into construction on the building. As I look around, I see many people who were willing to invest their time money and talents in that place: builders, electricians, plumbers, painters, and general laborers. Blood, sweat, tears and money were poured into that place. Were you guaranteed that there was going to be results of changed lives there? No, but you were willing to take a risk with the talent that God gave you. Like any investment, we don’t always see immediate return. Fast-forward one year. Here in the audience today sits Theresa. I asked 13

Theresa if I could tell her story, and she was excited that I would. Last year, if there was going to be trouble happening in Burlington High School, it was probably because Theresa was behind it. Today I see a different girl. I see a girl with a beautiful smile. A girl who didn’t care and was getting failing grades, changed into a girl who is doing fantastic in school. I see a girl who cares about other people and would like to go on a mission trip this year to minister to them. Why? Because of people who took a risk in using their talents, people who show up week after week to pour into these kids, people who bring meals and snacks, and people who give generously to make things like this continue.

Everything we do should be done in light of Jesus return. Lets wrap this up by looking at the final results of what the master said to the servants. To the two faithful servants he said, “Enter into the joy of your master.” You see, these two servants loved their master. They were excited to be able to use their gifts to serve him. They were true and faithful subjects, and as a result, they were invited into the rewards banquet. “Enter into the joy of your master.” For them, it was all about the master and pleasing him and the result was eternal joy and bliss. Our attitude toward service reflects our attitude toward Jesus Christ. True followers of Jesus will spend all eternity enjoying the joy that he has prepared for us. But what did the other servant hear? “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” You see, the actions of this servant proved that he was never loyal to his master. That his love was really just about himself. The result was that when the master returned, he was not ready. All he had were excuses. He had not prepared. 14

Those who make excuses will spend eternity with unbelievable regret. He was cast “into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is a very somber thought. It is a description of hell itself. A place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Are actions are a reflection of our true self? Are we going to be like the 5 foolish virgins who were pretty sure of themselves, but were told, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” Or are we going to be like the wicked servant who thought he was okay. After all, he didn’t lose the talent. If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, people will know it by your actions. Can one dime make a difference? Yes, if we invest it well. How about one hour of your time? Can it make a difference? Now, how are your investments doing? Start looking for ways in which you can invest your talents. Look around you. In your work. In your school. In your neighborhood. Take a risk. Make a difference for God’s kingdom. There are opportunities to serve listed in our web page, www.harmonybiblechurch.org. Perhaps you start by teaching kindergarten. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Are you ready? Are you eagerly anticipating the Lord’s return? Are you anticipating with excitement, the joy you will feel when you hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Or are you dreading that day with fear? If that is you today, do not put it off. Get ready. The apostle Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 6:2, Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 15

Don’t put it off. Make this the day when you decide to follow Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, body and soul. Make this the day when you decide, that it is not all about you, but all about Him. Let’s Pray.

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. © 2014 by Nathan Williams. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Harmony Bible Church’s website address (www.harmonybiblechurch.org) on the copied resource.

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