Matthew 25:14-30 Risk Part 2

As you read this story, a few things stick out right away. We are trusted with what the master has given us, we will be judged for what He has given us, and we never know when He will judge us for what we have been entrusted with.
Life is about opportunities that are placed in front of us and we have to decide if we are going to take a risk or not. AMP energy drink has a commercial that talks about the “Moment before the Moment” it is that crucial time when you are either going to go for it or back out.
I had one of those moments in the Bahamas. I was on a mission trip with a group of college students and at the end of our day we were taken to a cliff so we could jump off of it. We climbed our way up and we looked down into the beautiful water below. They said it was about thirty five feet high but from up top it seemed so much higher. Several of the students went, some after a little hesitation. I was in the middle of the pack and was waiting my turn. I will never forget that Mindy went in front of me and when she landed on the water it made the most unforgettable noise. It was a noise that made me think I was taking her to the hospital. She was fine but it did hurt her when she hit that water. At that moment I talked myself out of jumping. I walked back down that cliff to never return again. I missed an opportunity because I let fear rule instead of the exhilaration I could have experienced that day.
Sadly many people miss out on more opportunities than that. The Master trusts them to carry out a task but instead, they let the fear of failure or the fact they are lazy rule them.
In verse sixteen and seventeen we see that it says “immediately” or “at once” the first two servants worked hard to earn what their master entrusted them with. The way this is written does not mean they struck a good deal and doubled their money immediately. The way it is written shows that they had to continually do things in order to double their Master’s money. They leveraged all their Master gave them for their Master’s gain and not their own.

In verse eighteen we see a whole different mentality. This servant did not get started right away and he just buried the money for safe keeping. Burying the money was a common practice but in the ground it would not benefit anyone until it was dug up and used or invested. Maybe he thought he had time, maybe he was fearful of losing the money and decided to play it safe.

2 Peter 3:3-4 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

Unfortunately, many people have the mentality of the third servant. They think that they will give their life to the Master later, they will serve Him when they are done doing all the things they want to do first. When I am older, when I am out of college, when I am (fill in the blank), the excuse does not matter, it is all a cover up for wanting to live your own life and not the one the Master has designed for us.

Read Matthew 25:19-23

“SEE”
The first two servants were not upset that their Master returned unannounced, they have a sense of excitement. They wanted Him to come and see what they were doing because, like a little child who brings home art work, they could not wait to show what they had done. Have you ever done something for someone you loved and you could not wait until they saw it? This is the same joy the first two servants had.

“JOY”
“Come and share in your Master’s Happiness” or “Joy” Joy is a better way for this verse to be translated because happiness can be based on circumstances where as Joy is based on God. This is why when Peter addresses a church that is being persecuted he can say, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,” (1 Peter 1:8).

Joy is based on God being God and always sovereign not in what is happening to us and around us. With that being said, too much of our teaching in churches has turned into what Jesus can do for me instead of us serving faithfully in hope that our Master will return at any moment. Christianity has turned into a self help program where if you follow these seven steps you can have your best life now. Yes, we are promised an abundant life, (John 10:10) and yes, following God’s commands will lead to a better life now, but our focus should not be on what this life can offer. Having the best life now is about doing the will of the Master no matter the circumstances. Jesus told us that in this life we will have troubles (John 16:33) and we cannot determine our service to our Master based on what is happening on any given day. The first two servants did not focus on this life, they focused on serving the one they loved, and the joy they had serving Him was based on their relationship with their Master, which brought them fulfillment.

Read Matthew 25: 24-25

“AFRAID”

Have you ever been caught doing something and you had to make up an excuse right away? You say something before you can even think and what comes out of your mouth is the dumbest excuse ever? Although you are caught and although your excuse is the dumbest one ever, you stick by your excuse and even make it worse because you know you are busted. That is what happened to the third servant. He was not expecting his Master to come back and so instead of confessing that he lived selfishly the whole time he was gone he blamed the Master. People blame God all the time instead of looking at themselves and admitting that they were wrong. Again this slave must have thought he had more time or that because the master was gone for awhile that he might not ever come back. The main difference I see is that this servant had the wrong view of his Master. The other two servants did not mention being afraid, they seemed excited about their Master’s return.

Once again, like the Disciples found in John 6, Jesus is telling us a parable about a person that is around the Master but has no relationship with Him. It is so easy for those who are around Christianity to think they are Christians but in the end they miss what it really means. This is why so many will say to Him, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:22-23) They miss out on the relationship with the Master because they have the wrong view of who He really is.

What is astonishing is the man did not lose any of the Master’s money. The Master was not satisfied with breaking even because the Master knew that any effort would have produced at least a minimum of gain. When you have a relationship with the Master you realize you are serving Him with the resources He has given you. With this in mind there is really no risk in doing what He is calling you to do. You can rest assured that when you set out with the Master’s resources, to do the Master’s work, that you are not responsible for the growth that takes place.

1 Corinthians 3:5-9
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

Our job is to do the work that God has assigned us to do and not worry about results because God is the reason for any growth. We will be judged on our faithfulness to the task more than what was produced.

Read Matthew 25:26-30

The third servant had the wrong view of God and just because the Master repeats the servant’s wrong view does not make it true. The Master was simply saying that the servant’s excuses were invalid because if he really believed the Master was a hard man then he should have worked harder. This servant thought he could just do what he wanted, break even and not suffer any consequences. This is the mentality of people who think that if they just break even then God will accept them. Unfortunately, this man was thrown into Hell and will miss out on the relationship with the Master for eternity. None of us can break even with the Master and that is why Jesus had to come and save us. (John 3:16) If you do not have a relationship with the Master then it starts with surrendering to Jesus Christ. After that you will be willing to take risk for the Master because you know you serve a loving Master and not a Master who is "hard man" or one that you are "afraid of". When you have that relationship the service for Him is a joy.

Why are you serving the Master?

Do you have a relationship with Him or are you serving Him grudgingly?

What is your view of the Master?