INCREASE: What You Steward Grows

I'm going to be a Matthew 25 if you have your Bibles. Great, you can open them up and turn there. If you don't, I'll pray for you after service. No, I'm just kidding.

We'll have it up here for you. But what we're talking about with increase, today might be, it might seem a little challenging. What we're going to talk about, because, oh, he's just going all the way in. In this parable, it's a parable that's talking about talents.

But this really, this really grabbed me when Fred was talking about enlarging the capacity. This is, this thing was on my heart, and we met this week. We always meet and see what we're going to talk about. And he's like, are you studying Matthew 25?

I was like, yup. He's like, that's where I was at. So we might be here for a couple of weeks. I just want to warn you.

But what's interesting about this parable, there's a lot in it. I'm going to touch on a few things that I believe are super, super important and crucial to increase. Keys to increase. I think if I, if I'm titled this, one was what you steward grows.

Say that with me, church, what you steward grows. Now, this is not a trick question, but what do you think happens to what you don't steward? Right? Nothing happens with it.

You're going to go nothing to it. But this parable is going to explain to us that you'll see here that there's actually a requirement from us as believers. And I'm hoping to break this down. I hope I have enough time to get into this.

If not, we'll take it in. But it's not bad to have a requirement. Is it? Like, when you think about what he did for us, which was what?

Everything. Gave everything, right? He gave it all to us. We received.

And do you know that he is going to be returning someday? Do we all agree with that? Right? And I think what I want us to really grab is that until he comes back, understanding what he did, we have a responsibility to advance the kingdom why we're here until he returns.

Would we agree with that? Yeah, because I want to kind of eliminate some of this, well, works. There's so much confusion, I believe, about works. And when we get talking about that, because I'm not talking about we work to be safe.

Okay? That's already done, right? If we put our faith in him, that's done. There's nothing we can't add or take away from that.

Amen? All right. Hey, listen, he's going to help me if y'all want. Amen?

Okay. Are we good? Are we good? Verizon, sorry.

Okay, so this parable, we're about to read it and then we're going to talk in a few points. There's parables, a picture of faithfulness and unfaithfulness. And then the consequences of the unfaithful. And I'm hoping that this is going to be an encouraging message, but just bear with me.

Buckle up. Everyone, the next, the person you're set beside, just look at him and say, Buckle up. Safety's a good thing. Eric, you look, that's all you, bro.

You look, he's bucking up for both of us. So I'm reading in Matthew, there is a parable in Luke that is super close to this parable. And there's a couple things that's similar with both of them, but in this parable, I'm sorry y'all. I'm going to do my best.

So both of it is kind of talking about the return of the Messiah. So Matthew 25, starting in verse 14, I read the message translation, so bear with me. It says, it's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities.

Everybody say delegated responsibilities. To one, he gave $5,000 to another $2,000 to a third $1,000, depending on their abilities. Everyone say abilities. Abilities.

Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same, but the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money. Verse 19, after a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them.

Everyone say settled up with them. So he's coming back, right? He's going to do what? Oh, yeah, he's settling up.

All right. So he's coming back and he's got a purpose. Right? Yeah, he's coming back to do something.

Says the one given $5,000 showed him how he had double his investment. His master commanded him and said, good work. Or yours might say, well done. Good and faithful servant.

You did your job well. From now on, be my partner. Y'all missed it. He said from now on, be my partner.

How many of you know Ralph the bad just reading this? When he comes back to settle up, he's bringing something with him. Now, come on, he's bringing something with him to settle up with you. Help me out, please.

Verse 22, the servant with two thousand showed how he also doubled his master's investment. His master said to him, what? Good work. You did your job well.

From now on, be my partner. Help me out. Good job. Well done.

From now on, be my partner. Everyone say be my partner. Okay. Verse 24, the servant given one thousand said master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways that you demand the best and make no allowances for error.

I was afraid I might disappoint you. So I found that's a terrible way to live. You guys awake? It's criminal to live cautiously like that.

If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have have gotten a little interest. Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. Everyone say who risked the most.

Hey, what real quick? So we don't forget what did he do for us? Okay. So who risked the most and get rid of the play it safe who won't go out on a limb.

Throw him out into utter darkness and get rid of the unknown caller. Get rid of that unknown caller. There's nothing good with unknown callers. Okay.

Play it safe. Get rid of the play it safe. The one who risked it all. Next slide.

And I just kind of left kind of my points and notes when I left everything. You guys are getting a little more. But there's a few things that really stuck out to me. I don't think I'm going to get too much into the play it safe people today.

That'll be for the next message. But I want to go over some of the very important things. In verse 19 it says, after a long time. Everybody say after a long time.

I put their opportunity. I put that beside that because what he was showing me was that what he did when he delegated that out and then he left. He gave them opportunity. No set time.

Didn't know when he was going to return. And even though even though that he distributed five to one two to one one to one they all still have the same what. Same amount of time. Every single one of them was left with the same amount of time.

Says the master. The master of those servants return and settle the council them. How many know that what we do with our time is clearly important. Clearly important.

I could spend probably all day on time. Everyone's got so much time. I'm going to everyone has so much time for the things that they want. Right.

We make time for anything that we want to do. It's it's wild how much time we don't have. But we create for the things that we want. And the things of God are.

Second. Sorry. I knew I knew you guys are going to be quiet. Someone's going to help me today.

I don't know who it's going to be. But listen, we make time for the things that we want. That's important to us. And could it be that we don't know what we've been entrusted with.

Because I have a feeling if we knew what we were entrusted with. Oh my goodness. Time will look completely different. Time will look so different to us.

Our schedule would start revolving around when the master not not as much as when he's going to return because I thought about this too. If I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. When he comes back. Yeah.

But if I'm not doing what we always worried about. What's Matthew. What's Matthew 25 13 say just before he goes into this parable. It says therefore he bought everyone say he bought because you do know the day.

Oh, I read that wrong. Oh, you do not know the day or the hour. Let me know why we play with time if we don't control it. It says you don't know.

Here's what you do know though. You have a responsibility. So what where's our priorities at? What do we know what we've entrusted with church?

All right, let's get to the next slide. First 14 says he called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. Everyone say delegated responsibilities. Let me get.

Hey, Frank, can you come here real quick? Yeah, you're always talking. Get up here. You can stay down here.

Yeah, stay right down here. So it says he called his servants ready to lay on right. He said any delegated responsibilities to one he gave $5,000. In this case, my wife brought me York Patties.

I tried to get little back. You know, there's little bags of chocolate like gold coins. Try to get those didn't have it. All right, so here.

You got you can eat them. Go ahead. That's pretty much what the you're right. You get the one because that's what you're going to do.

All right, you get the one because that's what the one did. No, no, you keep holding it. You get five, right? You get two.

You want. All right, so you see what he did? So it says that he delegated responsibilities to one he gave $5,000 to another $2,000 and to to a third 1000. All right, you guys, thank you.

You guys can sit down. I just wanted to show you what he did. And I'm going to talk about it here in a second. So now they all have something that the master's given them, right?

All right. They've all been given something to do. Five or one big or small. Doesn't matter that the size of the resource.

Because the talents, if you know, I don't want to spend too much time on it, but listen, just even one talent. I tell you what, that was worth a lot. That was something. And I was doing the studies and they're saying like $20,000.

There's all different. You'll read a bunch of different. It was a lot of responsibility. We'll put it that way just to have the one.

So they've all been given that. I believe what we were talking about a minute ago. What happens is when we don't see the value of the thing that we've been given. Okay.

Next at the end of that, it says, go to the next slide. I put ability. It says, he gave depending on their. Everyone say abilities.

How just listen to me. Follow me here. So the master. I called the member.

You hear me. I said Freddie T. How did Nick name for him? So I must know him.

Right. Hey Ray. Call him in. Right.

So I knew him. Would you agree with that? Okay. The master knows his servants.

You ready? All right. And it says, depending on their abilities. Follow me here.

If he delegated out responsibilities to each of his servants, depending on their abilities. What? What must have took in place for that to happen? Like, yeah, right now he knows them.

Remember what I said to you about how this is the second to last parable. Just follow me there because what I'm believing is that he spent all this time with them. Okay. He spent all this time with them.

They're servants. They're already his servants. They're already in the house. But based on probably how they steward what they had from the start is probably why this is why he delegated five to this one to this one to this one.

Their abilities and how he gave it was based on how they steward what they already had, what they already were doing in his kingdom, his service. That's why because he was leaving and he was entrusting them with his worth with with everything that he had said, here you go. You get this, you get this, you get this. So we see a picture here and just follow me for a minute.

We're really seeing a picture here. And I want to question that. Do you guys understand what you've been trusted with when you said yes to who he was and what he gave you access to? Because, guys, listen, we're in the time that he's the masters came brought us in servants.

The master, if you didn't know is Jesus. Okay, servants, believers. Amen. Follow me.

Okay. And he delegated this out. And he went on a long journey and he's going to come back to settle up. Where we living in right now?

Guess who we all are. Y'all still seem confused. Guess who we are. So he's already entrusted us with things.

So you mean to tell me right now that my every day for 35 years back when I got saved 10 years ago that for those 10 years that he entrusted me with something that I've been supposed to have been steward in some of this whole time. My God. I don't want to ask everybody's agent here when you got saved. But here what I'm here to do today is to encourage you that when that took place, he entrusted you with something to carry to advance his kingdom this whole time that you're here.

Because there's a time he's coming back to settle up. And listen, we're not going to spend a whole lot of time. I'm not saying that you're not saved. You're not going to be saved.

But there's a time he's going to honor those who stewarded the things that he's given them because they understood the responsibility that he entrusted to them to impact this planet, this earth that he's given to us from way back in the start in Genesis. So what are you doing with what he's entrusted you with? Because here's the other thing. You know what I noticed too?

We walk around a lot. I mean, God, I want more. God, give me more. He said, Hey, how about you steward what I've given you?

Because in the steward, in the stewardship of what I've already given you is going to show that you can handle more responsibility. Everyone's favorite verses. Those who do good with little will be trusted with much. And this is where he's saying, if you ain't doing nothing with little, I ain't about to give you much.

And listen, what's great about this? What's great about this guy is this thing, this is not meant to make anyone feel like, oh, this is to say, Hey, if I want more, maybe I need to start looking at what I already had. And maybe I need to start putting more attention on that and steward in that because he wants to give more. Just like the five.

I believe the five, like I said, he spent all this time with him. I'm sorry, but no one in him and no one after this, he's going to give to the one that's going to do the most. Not just going to do the most, understands him wants to do the most because he understands what he's carrying and something special. So he and about to just go find a whole dig and bury it.

So he knows our abilities. He knows what you can do. Work. Yep, someone said it work work work.

You can say it. Verse 16 says, right off everybody say right off. The first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same.

I put understanding there because that's exactly what it made me think of that when we understand like I was saying, I got a little hit on myself. We don't waste time. We get right to work. We get right to work.

You know what else I loved about it? And reading that. Guess what he didn't tell him. He didn't tell him how to work.

He got down there. Here's five. This man ate the first one. That's exactly right.

He went to work right away right off the bat. He said, give that to me. But listen, he doesn't tell him how to work. He entrusted them to work based off their understanding of who he was and what he's already done for them and their abilities.

And guys, this is, man, this is so good. If we will grasp this, I'm telling you if we'll grasp this, this will start to change things. And I hope that as we leave here today, we leave here with a better understanding that what he's entrusted us with and what we're to do with it. I feel like a lot of people are like, what do I do?

Get to work. There you go. Listen, here's how I want to help you. Where do you work?

Start there. Where do you live? Start there. In your own home, at your workplace.

Wherever you're at. I talk to people sometime and they're like, man, I just got. No, I just want to live for him. And I'm like sitting there scratching my head.

What am I missing? I do every day. Whether I'm at the grocery store, I'm living for God. Listen, if I'm pumping gas, I'm living for God.

Like, do you'll take it off and hang it up and put it on some days? I don't know. That's what I'm wondering. Are we steward in what we've been given every single day and everything that we do?

Everything that we do? That's who we are. And he said, listen, if you can do it, if you can understand what you have and do it and everything that you do, when we set it up, come on. Give me excitement in here.

I'm telling you, he's coming to set it up. Everyone say he's coming to set it up. Shoe, diligence produces increase. Verse 21, next slide, it says, his master replied, well done, good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness. God's listen, well done, good and faithful.

You have been faithful with a little, so you can be entrusted with much. If y'all don't hear anything today, hear that faithfulness is the key to increase. Faithfulness is the key to more. Stirring what you have and being faithful leads to even more.

And this is so good. And this is where some of the questions start to be asked. And this is where I think that the second guy, he did the same, right? So, part of this is saying, hey, don't, don't base yourself off of him.

He's still got, well done, good and faithful servant. Come be my partner. Okay, you only had two. You have a question?

Oh, okay. What is it? Amen. And he said, listen, how many of us know the one still had the opportunity?

He still was trusted with a lot. And guess what he did? He made an excuse. He made an excuse.

We're about to see about that in a second. But faithfulness. Everyone say faithfulness. So, Dwight L.

Moody, I don't know if you've ever heard of him, but he says the reward of service is more service. So, now we're going to get into the fun part. I got about 10 minutes to wrap up here. I'm going to do my best to get through it.

Says, lazy servants lose everything. 28. So, take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has 10 bags. For whoever has will be given more.

For whoever has will be given more. And they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have, will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So, just so we're on the same page. For whoever has will be given more. Who we talk about here? Well, we're talking about the service.

But what ones are we talking about? Whoever has, that's the one who has, well, yeah, they have Jesus. No. Whoever has, whoever the two that did something with what they had.

Whoever has, the ones that are stewardin says that whoever has will be given more. Take from and give it to the one who did the most. Now, isn't that interesting? Take from the one who didn't do anything.

Give it to the one who did the most. Why would he give it to the one that did the most? Because listen, he probably needed a make up. He was probably the only one that could make up from the one that didn't do nothing with what he should have been done with the one who had won.

He said, give it to the one who's going to do the one that doubled, did the most, can do more, can handle more because he stewards well. His ability is greater. Oh, it sounds like Sells, all right. I imagine the one who's selling the best is going to move up quicker than the one that he's selling at all.

Give. Take from the one and give. Are you guys seeing the increase here that's connected to us doing with what he's given us? Like, are we seeing that?

It's so important, guys, for us to realize what we have in the time that we're spending here until he returns because we all believe that, right? We all believe if we believe in him that there's a time he's coming back to set it up. What you were doing right now is so, so important. And I don't believe it's just ironic chance that this is his second to last parable before he's done.

The parables are to help explain to them, teach them in a way they can understand. And I don't believe it's the second to last one. Just let's just the way the cookie crumbled. I don't believe that.

I believe that it's so important to get them to stay in a state of readiness to not be lazy to be doing what you can do with what he's given you. You have an ability that's greater in you and there's something that you're supposed to be doing with that and he clearly shows us that and he's telling us that here. So maybe, I don't know, I'm just going to say it. Maybe some people have told you it's really not that important.

God loves you for who you are. He does. But listen, he also requires increase and he loves increase and this is what this whole series is about. That we serve a God of increase, a God that requires increase.

Because listen, you know why I think he requires increase? Because he knows better than you what he's given you. He knows the thing that he's given you and what it can do. You may not fully understand that yet, but he's saying if you will trust and who I am, you'll trust my word, you'll trust what I've given you.

That it'll actually do the work for you. You just got to step out and take the risk. The one who risked it all. The one who played it safe and did nothing with it, they lose everything.

Because the thing that he gave you, he already knows what it can do. Help me out, somebody over here. They lay down on me. They're taking a nap.

Listen, he understands what he's given you. It's great. It works for you. What's that saying when you have something that sells itself, right?

You don't even have to be a good salesman. It sells itself. If you would have just done what at least you could have done with it, show up if you could have just shown up and realized, oh, help us, God. I'm going to start to wrap up with this, guys.

Oh, man, I got a lot more. I'm going to land a plane. I wrote, look, my wife and Chris have looked up like, you know what? This is one of those long flights.

Where's the stewardess at? Bring them a water, some crackers. Like, get them through this. I just want to point out two quick things with the servants response that did nothing.

Verse 24 says, the man who had received one bag of gold came master and the master and he said, I knew that you are a hard man. Harvey scene where you have not shown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. That knew that word translates to gnoscope. Says to learn to know, to come to know, get a knowledge of, to become known, to proceed, to have knowledge of.

So the servant view of his master was that he asked people, this is the servant who did nothing, is that he asked people to do things for him, but there was nothing in it for them. This is his view, which is clearly not right because we see in the other two what he did for them. This was his reasoning. You ready?

It won't be worth it to do all this work and not get anything from it. The servant who did nothing basically is saying that what am I doing all this work for, to not get nothing from it. So what this translation basically is saying is it was based on his perspective of the master. See, look, she's going to help me preach.

And here's what he claimed that he knew, he knew his master from personal experience. So this is what he says. So verse 26, this is his master replying. And this isn't up here.

This is just, yeah, he's got this says you wicked lazy servant. So you knew that I harvest where I have not stone and gathered where I have not scattered seed. So I'm going to butcher this, but this translation of new, if you notice, it's different from what the service, the service use to what Matthew is using and I'm just saying it. You can you can listen to it later.

They'll tell you says new to see to perceive with the eyes to perceive by any of the senses to perceive notice, discern, discover, to see. I like this. It said in there to have an interview with the visit. So this translation literally describes understanding based on perspective.

See, he was limited to his own perspective, which was partially true. You guys catch that? It was partially true. Why was it partially true?

Because the reward for his faithfulness would be increased stewardship and increased responsibility. The same of the two with right. So you hear it said increase stewardship and increased responsibility. But he was going to be getting back.

Do all this work to get more work and not benefit from it. But there was something that he missed and that was sharing in his master's joy. Did you guys hear that? He missed.

He missed. Come be my partner. Oh, man, you guys still didn't hear it. Listen, he missed the biggest part.

Come be my partner. Partner in his business. I'm just going to let this sink in. Sometimes I've heard that sometimes when it's quiet, people are thinking.

I'm okay with that because I want you guys to think about this. Because that type of attitude leads us right to what we... Because if we miss the whole purpose of why we need to understand what's been trusted to us, we miss everything. We lose out actually on the ultimate reward that we're waiting for.

You go ahead, come up, please. I'm going to get ready and close. I have so much in here, sir. I'm trying to cut it down.

That's in there. I am. That's why I said there's so much in this and I know Fred's going to tackle this. I'll probably come back to it.

I'm kind of bouncing around at this point. Forgive me. But what did Jesus told the Pharisees in the temple a short time earlier said, Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people producing the fruit of it. You guys will see throughout this where he's saying certain things, leading up to all this, what we're talking about, about what are we doing with what's been given to us.

Do we understand what's been given to us? We must have faith to take God at his word. We must trust him that his promises are true. We can't be foolish or lazy gods.

The faithless slave was not only reprimanded but fired. He was not invited to the party. Therefore he received no honor. You guys, in that place of darkness where he was casted out through there would be weeping, sorrow, gnashing of teeth, anger and bitterness.

There's just so much that we miss out on when we miss what we're meant to be doing. I want to read these. I've got two more slides. To inherit and enter into our destiny and the life to come, we must endure difficulty and walk in obedience to Christ.

Like this parable, we also must faithfully, everyone say faithfully, invest the talents he's entrusted to us in this life. If we're not faithful with the little things of this earth, everybody say this earth, no I need to hear it. This earth, we will not be entrusted with the greater things of the New Earth. So the main point here is to use the talents God's entrusted us to grow his kingdom.

It's up there. I threw a little math equation. I told Fred on Saturday I said, I'm going to do a little math equation. Time plus talents plus work equals profit.

The master requires an increase guys. Go to the last slide for me. If you guys will stand with me. This is what's in my heart today.

Will you play it safe or risk it all for your master who gave you his all? Listen, I don't know if you're in here today and you're like, man, I can be doing more. I haven't stewarded well with what I've been given. What I want to tell you today, he told me to come tell you today.

He sent me on a mission to say, there's still time. Now guys, you're, you know, hear me. He said, there's still time. And I haven't trusted you with something great.

What will you do with it?