Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples
Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
The Importance of Being Faithful Matthew 25: 14 -30 • Jesus has revealed to His disciples signs that will precede His coming to establish His kingdom • Like in the days of Noah, most will ignore the signs of coming judgment and continue normal life
The Importance of Being Faithful Matthew 25: 14 -30 • Others recognize the potential of His return but are complacent lacking knowledge of the hour of his return • Some will be diligent while Jesus is away while others will be evil thinking His return is a long time away
The Importance of Being Faithful Matthew 25: 14 -30 • Like the 10 virgins awaiting the bridegroom, some will be well prepared for Jesus’ return and others will not • Salvation is by God’s grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone - but belief is demonstrated by action
The Importance of Being Faithful Matthew 25: 14 -30 • Slaves Entrusted (vs 14 -15) • Slaves Perform (vs 16 -18) • Good Slaves Praised (vs 19 -23) • Wicked Slaves Judged (vs 24 -28) • The Lesson Taught (vs 29 -30)
Slaves Entrusted Matthew 25: 14 -15 • This parable of a master entrusting his slaves while he is away is about the kingdom of heaven • These are slaves ( dou: lo. V / doulos), not servants Christians are bought by Christ (1 Cor. 6: 20; Acts 20: 28)
Slaves Entrusted Matthew 25: 14 -15 • Each slave is entrusted with an amount according to the master’s evaluation of their ability • The man’s going on a journey is analogous to Jesus currently being in heaven while we wait for His return
Slaves Entrusted Matthew 25: 14 -15 • The visible church has always been a mixture: believers & deceivers; wheat & tares; wolves & sheep • The good & wicked slaves in the parable are analogous to true and false Christians in the visible church
Slaves Perform Matthew 25: 16 -18 • The first two slaves invested what they received and gained a return on their investments • The third slave simply hid the money in the ground to protect it
Good Slaves Praised Matthew 25: 19 -23 • The first two slaves would have been excited to see their master return and report to him what they had done • Their excitement is in pleasing their master, not in expectation of a reward (Luke 17: 10)
Good Slaves Praised Matthew 25: 19 -23 • Both slaves received their master’s praise and a promotion of greater responsibility • God rewards faithfulness by granting greater responsibility Luke 16: 10; Revelation 2: 26
Wicked Slave Judged Matthew 25: 24 -28 • The wicked slave is called to account and he begins with accusations against his master • He calls him “hard” unrelenting, harsh, merciless, stern, exacts more than he should
Wicked Slave Judged Matthew 25: 24 -28 • He insinuates his maters gained unjust profits • The master had properly assessed the slaves ability and gave him little, so expected little • Matthew 25: 26 -30 - the master confronts and justly condemns the slave
Wicked Slave Judged Matthew 25: 24 -28 • The master uses the slave’s excuses and accusations as against evidence that the slave was wicked and lazy • The master’s judgment: The slave would lose what he had and would be cast into the outer darkness
The Lesson Taught • Matthew 25: 31 -46 is the application of the parable to people - there will be a future judgment • God gives every Christian gifts, abilities and possessions He expects us to faithful use to serve Him
The Lesson Taught • God supplies, equips and gives the increase (1 Cor. 3: 6 -7), we are to trust His ability to work through us • The true Christian really believes what God has said which will result in spiritual fruit
The Lesson Taught • God rewards the true Christian in the present and the future according to our faithfulness • True Christians who do not live up to their abilities will suffer loss, but will still be saved (1 Cor. 3: 15)
The Lesson Taught • The self-deceived will be rejected because Jesus does not know them & they practice lawlessness • We serve God by believing Him and obeying His commands to do His will, not our own will • The place of outer darkness,
• Repent! If you are not serving the Lord as you should, do not know Christ or your profession is false • The true Christian will rejoice at Jesus’ return - and even death will bring joy of being with Him (Phil. 1: 21)
Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
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