The Church of Eleven22 - S01 E03 - Opportunity

Episode Date: March 17, 2020

We all struggle with a scarcity mindset. But the gospel compels us to move from fear to faith, as Jesus calls us to leverage our time, talents and resources for His glory. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” — Matthew 25:21

Audi Church, Pastor Joby here once again to just share some devotional thoughts with us as a church as we navigate all that's happening in our ever-changing world. I know it's probably crazy, but at my house, we've kind of been watching all the virus movies, which is a terrible idea. We're watching like zombie movies and contagion and outbreak and that's a dumb idea, but we have. And so it kind of led me to thinking about a question that the disciples came to Jesus with in Matthew chapter 24. They said, Jesus, what's the end of the world going to be like? Now, I don't think we're at the end of the world, but I just reminded me of the question. And so in all of Matthew chapter 24, Jesus quotes a lot from Daniel. He talks about the abomination of desolation and wars and wars and about these signs and wonders that would have to happen and a lesson from a fig tree.

and then essentially he says this, hey, nobody knows. I don't even know. And if the son of man knows and you think you do know, then you are way outside of your pay grade. And I think in answering the question, the disciples were, it just kind of went right over their head. So then in Matthew chapter 25, Jesus shares three parables. And Jesus loved to teach in threes.

Like, see, Luke 15, Matthew 25, bunches of places. Jesus would teach three parables. that really taught the same thing. And essentially, again, Jesus is answering the question, how could we be ready for the end of the world? And he tells one parable called the Parable of the Virgins, and it's just basically this. Don't miss the party.

One day Jesus returns, you better be ready. The last parable he tells is called the Parable of the Sheep and Ghosts, or the Parable of the Final Judgment. And what he says is, if you know Jesus, then you ought to not only love him, but love your neighbor as yourself. You've got to serve the least of these. And then in the middle of these two parables, I want to share the parable that he shares.

It's called the parable of the talents. But when you hear talent, talent doesn't mean like skills or abilities. It comes from that same word. But here, talent was actually just an amount of money. It was like 20 years wages. It was basically like a million bucks. Okay. And so he says this, for it.

And again, the it here is the end of the world. for it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. So in order to understand this parable, you've got to know that everything we have is a blood-bought grace gift from Jesus. Every relationship, your job, every opportunity, every dime that you have, your car, your spouse, your everything that we have, it's all his. and we are but managers or stewards of what is his until he returns. And to one, he gave five talents. Again, think $5 billion. To another, two, and to another one.

To each according to his ability. And then he went away. We also need to know this, church, that fairness is not a biblical value. God does what he wants with who he wants, whenever he wants, for his own glory. So he gives one guy five, one guy two. and one guy won. Then he went away. And he who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them. And he made five talents more. All right. He didn't wait. He didn't make excuses. He went at once. And he traded with them, which means he risked them all.

That I'm sure there was some financial advisor that says, have you seen the markets lately? You cannot trust this. And he's like, I know, but it's not mine. I'm just going to do with this what I think the master would have me do with that. I want you to think about something. The talents that God has given you, the money, the resources, the relationships, the abilities, what are you doing with those for the good of the master? Now, verse 17, so also he who had two talents made two talents more. I think the two talent guy may be the hero of the parable.

because the two talent guys spent zero time comparing what he had to what anybody else had. And comparison kills all the time. You see, because the reason comparison kills is because it either leads to ego or insecurity, and neither of those are from the father. And the problem with comparison is we always compare what we know about ourselves to what we don't know about somebody else. And when we look at somebody else, it's really an affront against the Almighty God. like when we essentially what we're saying when we compare is god you got this wrong you gave her too much

and me not enough or you elevate yourself and think you're better than you actually are and i'm telling you man comparison kills ministry like like nothing else god has a purpose for you god has a plan for you that you are a unique masterpiece according to the book of ephesians that god put together for such a time this so do not compare your circumstances to other people's just walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ and you fulfill your ministry that God has called you to so the two-talant guy he goes and risk it all and he makes two talent more but he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money the safe bet now after a long time the master of these servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talent came forward

bringing five talents more saying, master, you delivered to me five talents. Here I have made five talents more. Of course he shows up first. He is stoked that the master is back in town. Why? Because he knows that he has done a good job for the master and he has nothing to hide. And of course he took a big risk. But the reason he took a big risk is because he knew the master would have taking a big risk with the master's own money. But notice what he says. When he shows up in the master's presence, he does not start with what he did. He starts with what the master did for him. He says, master, you delivered to me five talents. Let's stop right there. He does not start with, master, look what I have done for you. He starts with master, thank you with it you have done for me.

this is not a works-based righteous passage. They don't exist. This is a gospel first, and then I respond to the gospel passage. God, thank you for what you have delivered to me. Ultimately, you delivered your son to die on the cross for me. I did nothing to deserve it. And not only that, in addition to that, everything I have is from you. My ability, where I was born, my family, my opportunity, my education, Of course, I worked on some of those things, but only reason I could work on those things is because you first delivered me the opportunity. Every single one of us live on this continuum between gratitude and entitlement. The gospel slams us up into gratitude and away from entitlement. So the five-talent man with great enthusiasm. He says, master, you delivered to me five talents here. I have made five talents more. and his master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant, not well intention, not well prayed over.

I'm pro prayer for sure, unless prayer is an excuse for you to do what God has already called you to do. Aren't you glad we serve a God that gets things done? Like when Jesus was on the cross, he pushes up on his nail pierced feet, and he does not cross his fingers and say, hope this works. He says, it is finished. Or in Hebrew, it has been done to tell us that. paid in full. We are at an action-oriented church. We think God has called us to do certain things, and so we want to get things done. The same thing is true in your life. As Master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master. And he also, who had the two talents, came forward,

saying, master, you delivered to me two talents here. I have made two talents more. And look what the master says. And as master said to him, word for word, the exact same blessing. Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much, enter into the joy of your master. Part of the reason we don't compare ourselves to anybody else is because God doesn't

compare us to anybody else. That we are a unique creation in his own image and he knew exactly what he was getting when he chose you and when he paid for you so there is no need for you to compare yourself to anybody else or what God has given anybody else. You just do with what God has given to you whatever you can to glorify on him. Now everything changes. He also who had received the one talent came forward. Master, I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you did not sow and a gathering where you scattered no seed, and here's the key phrase I think in understanding the parable. So I was afraid.

And I went and I hid your telling in the ground. Here, you have what is yours. The Bible tells us that God is love and that perfect love cast out fear. So for this servant to be afraid meant that he did not know God. And because he did not know God, and because he didn't know his love, and because he didn't ultimately trust God, he made some decisions out of fear to just save himself instead of him make much of his master.

And so his master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant. Now think about this. He calls him slothful. But the Bible lets us know that this man seemingly was the most active. The other two guys invest the money, make the money immediately. this guy has to go dig a hole, put the money in it, bury it, keep an eye on it. When he hears the master's back, he's got, again, it's a million dollars in like shekels or something.

So it's not like on a debit card. He is very, very active in things that would keep him busy so that he could be very, very slothful in the things that would require him to be faithful. Do you see the difference? There's a whole bunch of people, and there's just involved in a bunch of activities. They require almost no faith. You see, I've told you this a million times. The opposite of faith is not doubt. The first two guys probably had some doubt.

Is this going to work? I don't know. Anytime you risk money, you don't know if it's going to work. But by faith, they chose to just do what they thought the master had called them to do. So the opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is fear. Because faith produces action, and fear. paralyzes and this guy is paralyzed by fear.

And because of that, Jesus calls him wicked and slothful. And then basically he says, depart from me. Not because he screwed up, but depart from me for one reason. Because I never knew you. Now, church, I want to be a five-talent person. I don't know if I am. But I think our church is a five-talent church. I think God has given us some incredible opportunity.

He's given us unbelievable favor. I still think, I mean, it's hard to explain, right? Every week we gather in these facilities and we sing and talk like a whole bunch of other churches too. But God has breathed some life into what is happening through this movement at 1122 that we just can't explain. Thousands of people have gotten saved here. Thousands of people have been baptized here. marriages have been reconciled, relationships have been put back together, chains of addiction have been broken.

It is a five-talent church. And with every setback, the sovereign king of the universe can often use it as a setup for what he wants next. Like when the master decided, hey, I'm out of here, you take care of my money for a while. The servants may have been freaking out, be like, what are we going to do without the master here? but God used that setback as a setup for this incredible opportunity. And here's why I say this. Because of the quarantines and the COVID-19 and all of that,

this past weekend, and I don't know how many weekends we'll do this, we'll let you know kind of week by week, is that we were forced to do our services online. I know at the 9 o'clock hour alone, we had over 7,000 people that tuned in to the online service. And so with that in mind, I think God has given us some influence and some opportunity, and I think it's time to step out by faith and do what we think the master would have us do. And so going forward, a part of what we think God is calling us to do as a church is to offer 1122 online.

We think that is our faithful response to steward the things that God has given them. Now, listen, this is not to replace the local church whatsoever. It's also not to replace us gathering together, like the scripture say that we ought to do. We never should neglect the gathering of the saints. There's something that's just special when God's people gather together. However, in this day and age, as connected as people are on devices, and yet as disconnected as people are from communion with one another, we believe that it is an incredible opportunity for us, beginning next week,

weekend to host 1122 online. There's a lot of things we're going to have to work out. There's a lot of work that we have to do. We didn't know this was going to come so quickly, but in this environment, here's what I think as the lead pastor and a bunch of us pastors believe is that God has given us this opportunity to immediately go and do what he says to do. And what he has told us to do is this, to be a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. And now what all means is means all people, no matter where you are, as long as you've got internet and a device, that you could be a part of what God is doing. For a whole bunch of people, it will just be to supplement their local church membership where they are. Praise God for that.

But for a lot of people, it will give them the opportunity to check out what it would mean to come and be a part of the 1122 family. So pray for us as we step into this. But more importantly, I want you to ask yourself, What has God given you? What opportunity, what ministry, what talent has God put in your lap? And you know, you know, if you're honest, because of your fear, you have taken that thing and you went and you dug a hole and you hid. And the master right now, through the power of the Holy Spirit,

is saying, go get your proverbial shovel and go shovel that thing up and bring it out into the light and go for it. Go for that ministry. It could be as simple as walking across your street and knocking on your nose. neighbor's door during this time and saying, if you need anything from me, I'm here to serve you. It could be a, be more vocal in your faith at work. It could be, you know that there's an area of service that you need to sign up for here at the church. See, I can't tell you what that thing is, but the Holy Spirit can. And so Church of 1122, do not be afraid. Do not be afraid.

But we need to see this as an incredible opportunity to not. run and hide in fear, but to flex our faith in the one true sovereign king of the universe, knowing, knowing that he is good and he has given us these opportunities. And we all look forward to the day, no matter how many talents he's given us. Some he's given a ton, some he's given not very much. But we all look forward to the day when the master returns. And he looks at his children. And he says these words, well done, good and faithful servant. enter into the joy of your master. And again, the reason he says it

is not because of the things that we have done for him, but ultimately because we have put our faith in what he did for us on the cross. And the faith in his finished work is what drives us to keep working hard for the glory of God. So church, join me in praying as we begin 1122 online

in addition to gathering in all of our physical locations. and pray above everything else that he would be glorified. Would you pray with me? Our good and gracious Heavenly Father, God, I thank you so much that you are the sovereign king and that you decide who to give what. But Lord, we thank you that it's all for your glory. Lord, we thank you that we get to be one small piece of your church

in the one true church around the globe that worship and declares you as the Christ, the son of the living God. And God, we pray in advance for the people that will be connected to you for eternity and the people that would be connected together as the body of Christ through 1122 alone. We pray this all in Jesus' name.