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• The parable of the talents and its application to everyday life
• Using one's gifts and talents to benefit others
• Story of a pastor hearing a memorable sermon about envy and humility
• Connection between Jesus' parable and modern-day experiences with envy and pride
• The two-talent servant, an ordinary and average person, uses their talents as the master wants
• They will receive the same praise from the master as the five-talent servant
• The two-talent servant is faithful with what they have and makes a difference in their community
• Each individual has been gifted by God with unique talents to use for good and glory
• Jealousy and envy are not to be wasted on comparing oneself to others, but rather using one's gifts to bless others
[0.00 --> 9.16] Well, good morning again. I understand my microphone was off the last time. Are we good now? Okay, excellent.
[10.22 --> 16.48] Okay, last week we were together and we read a parable from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13.
[17.14 --> 21.20] And those are that 13th chapter of Matthew often called the parables of the kingdom.
[21.44 --> 26.48] You know, the sower went out to sow and that's what the kingdom was like and parables of that type.
[26.48 --> 29.54] But this time we're going to read from chapter 25.
[30.44 --> 36.02] And again, it's a whole chapter of parables and three parables to be exact.
[36.82 --> 41.72] And I guess what holds these three together is in each of these parables,
[41.90 --> 47.04] people are kind of waiting for an important person to come.
[47.42 --> 52.70] So the first is the parable of the ten virgins and some are foolish and some are wise,
[52.70 --> 56.60] some are prepared and some are not. They are waiting for the bridegroom.
[57.52 --> 61.26] The last of these chapters is about, of these parables of the sheep and the goats.
[61.76 --> 67.66] And that, this very important person, the son of man has arrived and he divides the sheep from the goats.
[67.86 --> 69.86] And you may know that story as well.
[70.24 --> 73.38] But in the middle, there is a parable we're going to read this morning.
[74.08 --> 80.44] And in most of translations of the Bible, older translations, it's called the parable of the talents.
[80.44 --> 85.10] Now, in the translation you're going to see on the screen and may have it open at home,
[85.62 --> 88.36] it's called the parable of the bags of gold.
[88.94 --> 93.98] So the word talent has been replaced by the term bags of gold.
[94.42 --> 96.18] Now, I'm not terribly fond of that.
[97.36 --> 102.44] A talent was an exact unit of money, like a dollar or a euro or that sort of thing.
[102.50 --> 106.08] It was a very large amount of money and I'll get to that later on.
[106.08 --> 110.44] So what I'm going to do here is when that term bags of gold shows up,
[110.70 --> 116.12] I'm going to replace it with the original term talents, which is all the way back to the Greek original.
[116.66 --> 119.58] But let's read the story, the parable of the talents.
[119.58 --> 127.12] Again, said Jesus, it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
[127.94 --> 135.08] To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one, each according to his ability.
[135.98 --> 137.68] Then he went on his journey.
[138.80 --> 144.84] The man who had received five talents went out at once and put his money to work and gained five more.
[144.84 --> 148.62] So also the one with two talents gained two more.
[149.40 --> 155.28] But the man who received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money.
[157.00 --> 161.42] After a long time, the master of these servants returned and settled accounts with them.
[161.94 --> 165.42] The man who had received five talents brought the other five.
[165.54 --> 168.60] Master, he said, you have entrusted me with five talents.
[168.74 --> 170.54] See, I have gained five more.
[170.54 --> 174.88] His master replied, well done, good and faithful servant.
[175.32 --> 177.20] You have been faithful with a few things.
[177.32 --> 179.62] I will put you in charge of many things.
[179.74 --> 181.86] Come and share your master's happiness.
[183.22 --> 185.44] The man with two bags of gold also came.
[185.58 --> 188.24] Master, he said, you entrusted me with two bags of gold.
[188.86 --> 190.70] See, I have gained two more.
[191.72 --> 194.38] The master replied, well done, good and faithful servant.
[194.48 --> 196.18] You have been faithful with a few things.
[196.52 --> 198.68] I will put you in charge of many things.
[198.68 --> 201.08] Come and share your master's happiness.
[202.46 --> 205.10] Then the man who had received one talent came.
[205.64 --> 214.62] Master, he said, I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown, gathering where you have not scattered seed.
[215.06 --> 218.22] So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent.
[218.80 --> 221.06] See, here is what belongs to you.
[222.16 --> 224.70] The master replied, you wicked, lazy servant.
[224.70 --> 229.22] So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.
[229.92 --> 236.40] Well, then you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers so that when I returned, I would have received it back with interest.
[236.40 --> 243.48] So, take the bag of gold, the talent from him who has, and give it to the one who has ten.
[244.30 --> 247.68] For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.
[248.30 --> 252.04] Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
[252.10 --> 259.50] And now, throw that worthless servant outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[259.50 --> 261.66] This is the word of the Lord.
[263.10 --> 270.38] You know, I read something interesting once about very, very wealthy people and their children.
[271.50 --> 280.16] It seems that some of the world's wealthiest people do not intend to leave their children all that much.
[280.16 --> 290.08] You know, Baron Hilton, who is the hotel tycoon, also the father of Paris Hilton, or the grandfather of Paris Hilton,
[290.58 --> 295.48] he once said that he planned to give 97% of his wealth away to charities.
[296.62 --> 299.30] So, granddaughter Paris would have to earn her own money.
[300.36 --> 301.82] And she did it.
[301.96 --> 306.56] She's done very well, actually, by kind of being Kim Kardashian before Kim Kardashian.
[306.72 --> 308.66] Sort of famous for being famous.
[308.66 --> 310.32] She's made a lot of money.
[311.48 --> 314.54] Then there's Warren Buffett, the investment guru.
[315.32 --> 322.38] He said that he planned to give 99% of his money away and that his children have to earn their own.
[323.36 --> 331.90] And from what I understand, one of his sons has gone into business like his dad and done very well and earned his own money.
[331.90 --> 343.56] Now, the thinking here is that you do not do your children a favor by just dropping a whole lot of money into their hands.
[343.56 --> 351.28] Because they will not have to face the ordinary challenges of life that ordinary people face.
[351.28 --> 354.08] And that will be damaging.
[355.04 --> 360.44] I mean, why work hard if you've got all this money coming at you anyways?
[360.44 --> 369.36] Why study hard so that you can get into a good school and earn a good degree?
[370.70 --> 371.88] You don't have to study hard.
[372.14 --> 376.34] Daddy will build a University of Science building and then they'll let me in anyways.
[376.34 --> 383.78] Why learn a trade and go work for 50 or 60 hours a week?
[384.16 --> 389.68] There's no job that can pay more than just inheriting your father's fortune.
[389.68 --> 398.84] So when you inherit all this money without any work, then there is no price for failure.
[399.00 --> 400.66] At least not a financial price.
[401.72 --> 406.98] But you don't face those challenges, those ordinary challenges of life.
[407.84 --> 410.14] Now, if you're like me, you can remember your first car.
[410.78 --> 414.84] You wanted that car so much because it would make you a grown-up.
[414.84 --> 422.72] And so you scraped together some money and you borrowed some more and you convinced your dad to co-sign the loan.
[423.04 --> 426.66] And you drove off that lot with your own set of wheels.
[426.98 --> 428.84] It was a wonderful milestone.
[430.96 --> 435.70] But if daddy has lots of money, he'll just give you a car when you're 16.
[436.34 --> 437.46] No challenge there.
[438.42 --> 442.98] Or think of that first house with the monster mortgage that has to be paid some now.
[442.98 --> 446.58] And you do that over years and years of working hard.
[447.96 --> 451.20] But when daddy has lots of money, you don't have to do any of that.