Robert Bosley's sermon on 'The Parable of the Talents' from Matthew 25:14-30 emphasizes the importance of using God's gifts and graces responsibly. The parable illustrates the contrast between faithful and unfaithful servants, with the faithful ones being rewarded for wisely investing their master's talents, while the unfaithful servant faces punishment for neglecting his duty. Bosley explains that these 'talents' symbolize various gifts God bestows upon individuals, which include not just wealth, but all abilities and opportunities. The parable serves as a reminder that all people are meant to serve God and will be held accountable for how they use their gifts. The sermon also contrasts this parable with the preceding parable of the wise and foolish virgins, highlighting the dual aspects of faith: rest and active service. Ultimately, the faithful are promised eternal joy with God, while the unfaithful face judgment.

Good afternoon church. In many ways, that was an excellent song choice for this afternoon. We're continuing and believe it or not finishing the series on the parables this afternoon. Excellent timing. Next Sunday would have been better timing, but next Sunday is three years since I started this.

You believe in that? So, on to whatever the Lord has next for us after today. Open up to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25. We're going to look at the parable that is often known as the parable of the talents.

Parable of the talents, Matthew 25 verses 14 through 30. And this is what the word of God says. 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. 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.

Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lord's money. After a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 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 beside them. His Lord said to him, well done, good, and faithful servant. You are faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord." He also who had received two talents came and said, Lord you delivered to me two talents.

Look I've gained two more talents beside them. His Lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you a ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

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. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' 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, so you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has 10 talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given.

And he will have an abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away and cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Let's pray. Our Father we come before you this afternoon and we thank you again that you've given us another opportunity to be in your word together and help us Lord to have open hearts and minds to the truth of your word And we pray God that you would instruct us this afternoon, use this to conform us to the image of Christ and to make us into your faithful servants. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Well, again, this parable is in what is known as the Olivet Discourse.

This follows on the previous parable that we looked at the last time I did the afternoon session, the parable of the wise and foolish virgins or the wise and foolish bridesmaids. And we saw in that parable how Jesus is using this parable, this story, to instruct his followers on how they ought to live in light of his coming. That they are to be ready as those who are ready who will enter the wedding feast with the groom when he comes. And this parable follows immediately afterwards and it begins with in our version for the kingdom of heaven is like, and really the idea is it is also like this. We're given now another aspect of what it will be like when the Lord comes.

And here we're given a picture not of bridesmaids awaiting a celebration, but of servants giving an account of their work to their master. The bridesmaids, and we'll look a little bit more at this comparison in a minute, but the bridesmaids, they waited, they rested, a picture, I believe, of faith in many ways. Here, the servants should have been working. We have both of these aspects of the Christian life, a life of rest and waiting, of faith, but also a faith that works, a faith that is active. And that's, I believe, what we will see in this parable today.

So what are the elements of this parable? There are a few different elements. They're all, for the most part, fairly self-explanatory, but we'll go through them. As we read through, the first element we see is the man traveling to a far country who calls his servant. So this is a man who is a master, he is a Lord, and this is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the great Lord of all, who for a time now has gone on a journey to a far country. He is not with us in this world physically bodily. He has gone to that far country of heaven from which we are waiting his return. He's gone on this long journey. The man in the parable, he goes, for a long time.

We see, where was it? That he is gone for a long time, that his coming was unknown, his timing was not fully revealed to his servants. They were simply entrusted with these talents and given this responsibility, that while he was gone, they should be active. But he has gone on his long journey. And just as the virgins in the last parable, they went out and waited for the bridegroom.

So the servants in this parable are to watch and to work waiting for the return of their master. And so the question is then who are these servants? Well some argue, and the most immediate I think the the most immediate idea that comes to mind is that this is a picture of those who are in the church. At least visible church, those who profess, because we know the fate of the third servant here. And I do believe that's a reasonable interpretation, although I think that's more of an application.

I think really what we have here is ultimately all men, all people are meant to be God's servants. As God's creatures, every human being made in God's image is meant to serve Him. That is the great purpose for which we've been made, to know God, to serve Him, and ultimately enjoy Him. And I think that is what we have here. The servants are not necessarily just members of the visible church but all of God's image bearers, God's creatures, human beings made in His image who ought to be God's servants.

Because he is the one that ultimately all of our obedience should be rendered to. Everyone will serve someone. Your service ultimately should be to the Lord. But everyone is a servant of some master. And I think we see that here, the wicked servant, we'll get to him a little bit more in the end, but ultimately he served himself.

But ultimately he served himself. And some who are, some of these people, image bearers made to be God's servants, on that final day, some will be revealed to have been good and faithful servants taking what God has given them and using it for their masters honor and glory and others will be revealed to have been evil and lazy servants not improving what God has given them. Now, what are they entrusted with? They're entrusted with talents. Now, talent, it's just transliterated from the Greek, talantan, it's a measurement of weight.

Depending on the time and place, that would have varied somewhere between 50 and 80 pounds. And these are, that was also a common way of measuring things that are valuable, precious metals. And that's what we have here, a talent of precious metal. The word translated as money in verse 18 is actually the word for silver. And so these are probably silver talents, 50 to 80 pounds of solid silver is the image.

Assuming that's the case, each talent would be worth something like 16 years of labor for a day laborer, 16 years of wages. So a massive sum of money given to each, not just the one who had five, even the one who was only entrusted with one talent, is given a tremendous amount of wealth to steward for his master. What is this a picture of? Well the direct application is the wealth that God has given us and God has entrusted to each of us physical monetary economic resources that we are to steward well for God's glory. Absolutely.

There is a direct application of these talents of silver to the money in your bank account. How is it being stewarded? Because ultimately it's not yours, it's given to you by God. But it goes beyond that. In our English language, we have the word talent.

What do we mean when we say talent? We think of someone's particular gifting or a certain aptitude that someone may have or a Proclivity to be able to do something really well That's what we think of when we think of talent in English and actually our word comes from this Greek word mainly because of this parable actually that's where this word comes into our language because that connection is grounded in this parable because these talents are a picture of all of God's gifts to men. Yes, directly applicable to your money, but far, far reaching beyond just economic means. This is a picture of all of God's gifts and graces that he gives to men. Not merely the extraordinary talents that certain people may have, these special aptitudes that certain people may have for certain things.

Not only the extraordinary, but everything you have is ultimately the gift of God to you. As our elder mentioned this morning, What do you have that you have not received? The answer is nothing Everything we have is a gift of God's grace And he gives these then the parable hit the master gives these talents of silver to his servants, some he gives less, to some he gives more, but he gives to each abundantly more than they deserve. None of these servants could have come to the Master when he's getting into his carriage to ride away and say, you need to entrust me with some of your property while you're gone. In the same way, none of us can come before God and say, no, you need to give me more.

I deserve more of your benefits. And none of us can go before God and demand anything from Him. Everything is a gift of His grace. And so we see, just as some of the servants are given more, some less, we see that in the natural gifts and graces God gives to people all around the world and even in this very room. He gives differing gifts and abilities.

What are some of these gifts? Natural abilities, the ability to see and hear and touch, to walk, to be in good health, to have a home, a family, the privileges of education or wealth, our spiritual blessings that we have enjoyed today, our Bibles, our church, our fellowship together. Each of these are talents in this sense entrusted to you by God. So the question is how have you used them? How have you employed these graces given to you?

Benjamin Keach, a fairly well known second generation particular Baptist in the 1600s, primarily the, as far as we know, the primary author of the catechism that we use here. In his book, An Exposition of the Parables, he enumerated nine different categories of gifts that God gives. And I thought they were so helpful I'm just going to read. So bear with me, this is a little bit of a longer quotation, but I think it would be helpful. So what are these talents that God has entrusted to you?

First, hast thou a rational soul, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding is given unto thee by the Lord, and that soul thou oughtst to take care of, and that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to improve to that great end that he gave them to thee, and thou must be accountable to him in that matter. Hast thou riches or wealth? It is the Lord's money. If these things are not improved to the end that they are given, the Lord will either take them away and blast all your endeavors, or else cut their possessors off from them, only having their portion in this world. Third, as thou acquired great learning, this is also thy master's goods.

He gave thee those faculties by which thou was capable to obtain such learning and also the time to arrive at it. Fourth, have you the gospel and the ministration of the word. This is also the Lord's goods and must be improved. And by improved he means employed, used to benefit you and those around you. Fifth, have you faithful ministers to dispense the word of life and open the sacred mysteries of the gospel and to feed you with knowledge and understanding and lead you in the way of truth.

Ministers are the Lord's and you should make the best improvement of them and put them into the best capacity you are able to minister unto you and to submit to them and obey them in all things in the Lord. Praise God that he has given us the men that we have to lead us to be these great gifts to us from God. Sixth, have you the precious talent of time and the opportunities of time? This you are entrusted with by the Lord. How have you used your time?

I am ashamed at how much time I have wasted. Have you health, seventh, have you health, strength, and advantages to attend upon the word and the means of grace above many. All this is from the Lord and ought to be improved as he commandeth. Eighth, have you spiritual gifts and saving grace, these talents you also receive from the Lord. And what better talents have any servants of Christ.

He does not give these to all, no, but to a few who have these rich and precious talents. Even your ability to believe is a gift to you from God. Have you used it to the benefit of your own soul and to the good of your neighbors? Ninth, are you fathers or masters and so have authority over and entrusted with families, children or servants? These are talents received by the Lord.

Or are some of you ministers or magistrates? Certainly you are entrusted with a great talent, and the Lord looks for a due improvement of those places of trust and dignity, for we are but stewards of what so ever we have or are entrusted with. Any authority you have is a stewardship given to you by God. Father, pastor, magistrate, mother, teacher, boss, whatever, this authority you have is a talent, a gift to you from God to be used in service of his kingdom, not yours. And so, two of the servants, the master returns and he calls his servants to him to give an account.

After a long time, verse 19, the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And I don't know this in my notes, I want to make this quick, but after a long time, we're given this expectation in several parables and other portions of scripture, a long time. It can seem as if the Lord delays on and on and the world will mock because of this. Where is the promise of His coming? We knew it was going to be a long time.

It may yet be a long time. It may still be another 10, 000 years, we do not know. But we do know that His coming is sure. He has gone away for a time and given us talents to employ while He is gone. And so let us be active looking because he may come in our lives or in the lives of our great great grandchildren.

But let us be active while we have the opportunity. He's gone for a long time but he does return and calls his servants to settle accounts. And two of the servants doubled the money. Now this is a picture of the faithful Christian putting his gifts and graces to effect in the world. Remember as Keach enumerated, one of these great talents is the very gift of the ability to believe itself.

Those who doubled were able to do so because they were given the grace of faith. And so these are a picture of Christians who have taken God's gifts and used them appropriately for the intention that God gave them. God granted these gifts and laid on them this duty of improving, taking these things, and while he is gone, improving or putting them to good use in the world, for these two great ends that are the real motivation of all Christian activity. What are these two great ends? First, the glory and honor of God.

And secondly, the good of others, especially in the church. These two motivations should be the heart of your Christian life. Every opportunity, every gift you have, every thing that comes before you, the question should be, how can I use this to please and honor God? And how can I use this to be a blessing to my neighbors? How can I serve God and serve others?

That is the core of all Christian obedience. And as I mentioned before, this is an interesting contrast to the last parable. In the parable of the bridesmaids, they are said to be resting until the groom came. Here the servants have been working, all except one, trading and making money for their Lord. And the Christian life entails both.

As a life of rest, We rest from our labors as of today, one day in seven, we take a day of rest, but also our entire life as Christians is a life of rest from our own efforts to save ourselves and earn a right standing before God. It is a life of rest because that is what faith is. It is resting in Christ for our salvation. So we have a life of rest. But At the same time, we're not idle in our rest.

We have a life of activity. We are seeking to stir up and to employ the gifts and graces God has given us that we can honor Him and serve man. We are to admonish one another and stir one another up to love and good works. Because that faith by which we are saved is a resting faith. But a faith without works is dead and useless and a fraud.

Real faith works. And so we see the last servant, Verse 24, then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you'd be a hard man reaping where you've not sown and gathering where you've not scattered seed and I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there is what is yours. This last servant had no concern on how to make a good return on his master's money. He viewed his master as a harsh and unreasonable man, a dishonest man who was stealing from others, sowing where he had not plowed and reaping where he had not sown.

And so in fear, a slavish fear of who he thought was a hard and unreasonable master, he went and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money. He merely held on to what his master had given him. And the Master's response in verse 26, you wicked and lazy servant, you worthless and lazy man. And he seems to even own the charge that he's a hard and unreasonable man. He says, you knew that I reap what I've not sown and I gather what I've not scattered seed.

Now, again, parables don't always correspond to reality. What's in the parable may not actually, in every single point, reflect the spiritual reality that's intended to be conveyed. And so while in the parable he could be owning up because the master is only an analogy of Christ, It's not a perfect representation of Christ. And so while the master in the parable is hard and unjust and dishonest, Christ is the perfect judge and Lord. And he will still hold men to account on how they use his gifts.

Or perhaps the master in the parable is simply being sarcastic with him. He could be saying, if I'm such a hard man, concerned only about increasing my wealth, shouldn't you have at least had the sense to put it in the bank so I could get my interest? If I'm so unreasonable, what made you think burying it and being lazy and accomplishing nothing would satisfy me? I don't know which is really intended, but either way, the outcome's the same. This servant has been worthless.

That's literally what the word wicked means, worthless. He's accomplished nothing for his master. He has been lazy. He has not used the gift that his master has given him for his master's benefit. And he's seemed to have just been sitting at ease, accomplishing nothing.

And this is a picture on the one hand of the false professor, but really of all unbelievers. They have received immense gifts and blessings from the hand of God. Every unbeliever takes God's gifts and uses it to then spit in God's face. Taking the very breath that God is giving them to then curse God's name. Instead of employing the gifts he has given to glorify God, they consume it on themselves and waste it and squander the life that God has given.

And so God's response, Christ's response when he returns is, you wicked and lazy servant. There is a judgment on There is a judgment on all these servants. The two are rewarded and the one is punished. Like in the previous parable, when judgment is rendered, the parable kind of falls away, and we're given a glimpse of the actual final judgment, I believe. The faithful, those who take the gift and graces of God, pictured as the servants who doubled their money.

They are judged by God, judged by Christ favorably. Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master. What a beautiful proclamation. It should be the desire of all our hearts that when we die or when Christ returns, whenever we stand before him face to face we should live with this goal in mind that we want to hear on that final day well done good and faithful servant enter into your master's joy And this is a joy not earned, not earned for the Christian because it is all by grace.

And it's our Master's joy because He is the eternally blessed and eternally happy God. And those who are His on that day will enter in and partake of His joy. It's not just His joy with you, but it's His own joy that we will become partakers of. God Himself is to be our joy and delight even now. How much more in that eternal state when we stand before Him face to face?

All our sin done away with, all our struggles over, What joy will we have on that day? But in contrast, the other, instead of hearing that beautiful proclamation, he hears the horrifying judgment, you wicked and lazy servant. He even loses what he has. A picture that for the lost on the day of judgment all blessings are removed. All gifts stripped away and he's cast into darkness into a place of eternal pain and misery.

And these are your two options. You have eternal joy and happiness with God or you have outer darkness and misery apart from God. That is set before you in this parable. That is set before us in the gospel. Just as Israel was told by Moses, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.

Blessing pictured by Mount Gerizim and the curses of Mount Ebal. Today we are to see here, I set before you a blessing and a curse. The blessing of the heavenly Mount Zion to be welcomed into the joy of your Lord, or the curse of darkness and damnation to be cast out and to suffer. And so which will you choose? Will you go your own way, like Herod we heard about this morning neglecting and abusing the gifts that God has given you and here on that final day depart from me I never knew you Or will you respond in true sincere faith to the gospel and enter into a life of rest and grace driven activity and finally hear well done, good and faithful servant?

Those are your options. That is what the Gospel offers you today. Which will you choose? Do not waste God's gifts to you. Let's pray.

Our Father, we come before you and we thank you again for this opportunity we've had to be in your word. And Lord, I pray that you would keep us from being these wicked and slothful servant. Lord, help us to be faithful. Lord, give us hearts of faith. Lord, we pray that not one here would be lost.

We do not desire for anyone to hear that condemnation. We long for each of us to hear that benediction well done, good and faithful servant. Lord give us grace to employ your gifts to the ends you've intended them, and help us to be your faithful stewards as we await your return. In Jesus' name, amen.