Signs of Christ's Return

The Tragedy of Wasted Opportunity--Part 2
by
John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved

(A copy of this message on cassette tape may be obtained by calling 1-800-55-GRACE)
Matthew 25:20-30    Tape GC 2377

Introduction

English poet and critic T. S. Eliot wrote a play entitled "Murder in the Cathedral." At one point in the play the chorus portrayed the emptiness of life this way: "Yet we have gone on living, living and partly living" (pt. I). That line depicts the scene in Matthew 25:14-30, where we read about three servants--two are living, and one is only partly living. The latter illustrates the worthlessness of life when spiritual opportunities are wasted.

In Christ's church are both true and false servants. I'm deeply concerned that the church isn't confronting those who don't really know the Lord. The false servants can be likened to a businessman who just opened his business and was sitting behind his desk waiting for his first client. A man walked through the door. Once the visitor was in the office, the businessman began his act. He immediately reached for the telephone, picked it up, and had a lengthy conversation with a person whom he addressed as the president of the organization. Throughout the conversation, he was giving the president advice, appearing to give very wise answers. When the businessman finally hung up, he said to his visitor, "Pardon me, sir. I'm sorry to make you wait. That was the president I was just talking to. What can I do for you?" The visitor replied, "Oh, nothing. I'm just here to hook up the phone."

There are people within the church who try to look as if they are having a conversation with God, but the phone isn't hooked up. The church must not tolerate that; it's responsible to proclaim everyone's ultimate accountability to God so that the virgins without oil in their lamps or the tares that look like wheat will become convicted of their need to receive Christ. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 we see a picture of the external kingdom, which is comprised of true and false believers. Jesus warns that someday He will come back to separate the true from the false. And once He does that, the false will have lost their opportunity to enter into God's kingdom.

Review

I. THE RESPONSIBILITY WE RECEIVE (vv. 14-15)

II. THE REACTION WE HAVE (vv. 16-18)

III. THE RECKONING WE FACE (vv. 19-27)

A. The Return (v. 19)

B. The Reckoning (vv. 20-27)

1. Of the faithful (vv. 20-23)

a) The servant's remark

In Matthew 25:20 we read, "He that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents, behold, I have gained beside them five talents more." In the Greek text we learn that the emphasis is on the five talents, not the servant himself.

(1) His anticipation

The servant was excited because he knew he had fulfilled his master's expectations and used his privileges well. He's one of those able to "have boldness in the day of judgment" (1 John 4:17). He won't be ashamed when the Lord returns (1 John 2:28).

Every believer should look forward to Christ's second coming. We should be excited about our opportunity to show Christ how we served Him while we awaited His return. We will have the joy of saying, "Lord, I received the privilege You gave me and rendered back the service You wanted."

(2) His joy

Notice the servant said, "Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents." He acknowledged the Lord as the source of everything. He wasn't boasting about what he had done; he knew the Lord was the source of his opportunity. The servant's statement was an exclamation of joy because he knew he had responded faithfully to the privilege.

Paul had the same kind of joy. In 2 Timothy 4:6-8 he says, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day." Paul was not boasting; he was sharing the fulfillment he knew from having served the Lord well. He looked forward to being with the Lord he loved.

b) The master's response

(1) His commendation of the faithful

The master recognized the integrity of his servant's heart. He knew he wasn't boasting. The master said to him, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (v. 21). The Greek word translated "well done" (eu) means "excellent." He was commending the servant's character, saying he was good and trustworthy.

Isn't it remarkable to think that the holy God of the universe could ever look at us and say, "Excellent, you good and faithful servant"? There is nothing we could do on our own to deserve such a commendation. It's only by God's grace that we could ever be commended. We can't do anything good on our own strength; we need the power of the Holy Spirit. But what a wonderful day it will be when those who have truly served the Lord will be able to hear Him say, "Excellent, you good and trustworthy servant. You made the most of the opportunity I gave you." Such a commendation will outstrip any type of commendation we could receive here on earth. We will receive the incorruptible crown of righteousness, which the Lord gives to all them who "love his appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8)--who look forward to His return.

(2) His generosity to the faithful

The master didn't stop with commending his servant. He also said, "Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matt. 25:21). That shows how generous our Lord will be with us when He returns.

The kind of service you render to the Lord in eternity will be determined by the service you give to Him right now. We will all be serving Christ throughout eternity, and the rewards we receive in eternity will actually be greater opportunities for service.

When we go to heaven, we won't be sitting on a cloud playing a harp for eternity. A little girl once said to me, "It sounds like heaven will be very boring." I used to wonder about that myself. Imagine playing basketball in heaven--you would get every shot! If you played golf, you would get a hole-in-one every time. That's because we would be living in absolute perfection. But heaven won't be boring. Since serving the Lord is our greatest source of joy here on earth, we will know ultimate joy in heaven because we will be serving the Lord for eternity. And based on Matthew 25:21, we know that if we are faithful with the little opportunities God gives us now, He will make us lord of many things in heaven.

Will Everyone Be Equal in Heaven?

There won't be ranks in heaven because we will all possess eternal life. A person can't have more or less eternal life. We will also be like Jesus Christ; we will be perfect, without sin. It's impossible to be any better than perfect. So we will all be equal to one another in eternity. That is confirmed by the parable of the laborers in Matthew 20. A landowner hired a number of laborers to work in his fields. Some were hired to work all day, and others were hired only an hour before the day ended. But they all received the same pay. Every Christian will receive glorification in heaven.

The only differences we will know of in heaven are the kinds of service everyone is assigned to. In the church are different levels of service requiring different kinds of people. The same will be true in eternity. Each of us will have differing assignments in heaven. Did you know there are different ranks among the angels (such as archangel, cherubim, and seraphim)? I believe each of us in our glorified state will have a special place of service related to that which we render now on earth. Ultimately our position of service in heaven depends upon God's sovereign choice (the gifts and opportunities He gives us) and our response to that choice.

Even though there will be differing levels of service in eternity, we won't sense any distinctions. No one will say something like, "I'm only a janitor for the left wing of such-and-such heavenly building; I'm not as important as the soloist in the choir. Each of us will be exactly like Christ and possessing eternal life. Thus whatever service we render, it will be infinitely satisfying. The opportunity given to you in heaven will be in accord with your God-designed capabilities. And no matter what level of responsibility you have now, your reward will be significant.

(3) His invitation to the faithful

The servants with two and five talents received even more. Their master said, "Enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (vv. 21, 23). When Christ returns, He will invite us to enter into His joy--we will know the joy He knows.

Imagine the satisfaction and joy we will have when we know redemption is accomplished, Satan is defeated, sin is abolished, the kingdom is established, and Christ will be forever glorified. We will share the Lord's joy over those things. In Hebrews 12:2 we read that "Jesus ... for the joy that was set before him endured the cross."

(4) His delegation to the faithful

In Luke 19 is another parable giving additional insight about the rewards the Lord will give when He returns. In verse 17 a nobleman commends one of his servants, saying, "Well done, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." In verse 19 the nobleman gives another servant authority over five cities. That tells us the servant who did the most was made ruler over the most. When the Lord sets up His kingdom on earth, He will apportion greater or lesser extents of rule according to our capacity. We will all be equal in the kingdom, but we will have distinct roles of service.

The faithful servants in Matthew 25:20-23 received a threefold commendation. They were praised, given greater responsibility, and invited to share the joy of the Lord. What a glorious day it will be when we receive such commendations from our Lord!

2. Of the unfaithful (vv. 24-27)

a) The servant's remark (vv. 24-25)

Verses 24-25 say, "He that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee, that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not spread, and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth; lo, there thou hast what is thine."

That is the sad part of the parable. The servant who was given one talent represents those who profess to be believers. They say they belong to the household of God. They say their goal in life is to serve the Lord. However two things betray such people, as illustrated by the servant in verses 24-25. First, he attacked the character of his master. That proved he didn't love and respect his master. Second, he made no use of his spiritual privileges.

(1) The attack

The servant said to his lord, "I knew thee, that thou art an hard man" (v. 24). The phrase "I knew thee" indicates the servant was expressing an opinion. This servant doesn't represent atheists or those who hate God. He identifies himself as a servant, just as many false servants identify themselves with the church. He didn't squander his master's goods like the unjust steward in Luke 16 or spend it on riotous living like the prodigal son in Luke 15. Nor did he embezzle the money like the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18. He simply didn't do anything with his lord's money. He illustrates those who waste their spiritual opportunities. That's sad because he lived in the environment of redemption. Such people say they serve the Lord, but don't really do so. That will be made evident by their lack of fruit and their attack on God's character.

The servant said his lord was "a hard man." The Greek word translated "hard" is skleros. You may have heard of the term arterial sclerosis, which refers to the hardening of the arteries. The servant was saying, "You're unrelenting, unmerciful, and unkind. You lack compassion and sensitivity."

(a) The reasoning

Why did he say that? Because he was full of fear. There are many people who will say to the Lord on judgment day, "Your standards were too hard. They were too much for me. So I figured you must be an ungracious, judgmental God." They will try to give excuses for their lack of responsibility. Then at the end of verse 24 the servant accused his master of harvesting what other people planted.

(b) The reality

He certainly isn't talking about the God we know and love! How could anyone possibly characterize God as being uncompassionate and ungracious, and say that He takes advantage of the benefits of other people's work? Such a person doesn't know the Lord at all! He pretends to, but his words betray him. The greatest joy in a Christian's life is to serve the Lord so He can get the benefit. Anyone who says, "I don't want to serve the Lord because He will get all the glory" doesn't understand who the Lord is. He is blind to his master's grace, mercy, majesty, and worthiness.

(2) The alibi

To excuse himself the unfaithful servant said, "I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth; lo, there thou hast what is thine" (v. 25). The servant was saying he was afraid that if he invested the talent and lost the money, he would be punished; and that if he made a profit, it would be taken away by the master anyway. His perspective was that no matter what he did with the talent, he would lose out. He figured the best thing to do was to give the talent back when the master returned. But he was merely giving an excuse for why he wasted the privilege given to him.

b) The master's response (vv. 26-27)

(1) The unveiling of the servant's character

Matthew 25:26 says, "His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant." Notice he didn't say, "Oh, you poor man. Your theology is fouled up; you don't really understand who I am." The master knew better. He knew the servant was giving excuses. The servant knew the master wasn't ungracious or uncompassionate, just as false servants in the church know that God is full of grace and mercy. Scripture is clear about the true characteristics of God.

The master knew the servant wanted only to pursue his selfish desires. He knew the servant hid the money in the ground because it got in the way of his wickedness and lazy life-style. The servant didn't want to serve the Lord because he had no heart to do so. He made no effort to take advantage of the privilege he was given.

(2) The unveiling of the servant's alibi

After addressing the servant's wickedness and laziness, the master said, "Thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not spread?" (v. 26). The tone of the master's words are as if he were saying, "Oh, is that so? You knew that I was hard and that I expected a return?" Verse 27 continues, "Thou oughtest, therefore, to have put my money to the exchangers, and then, at my coming, I should have received mine own with interest."

If the servant really thought the master was a hard man and expected a return, then he would have given the talent to the money exchangers so it could at least earn interest. But the servant didn't do that, and the master saw through the servant's lie. The real reason the servant didn't do anything with the talent was he didn't want to bother with it. He tried to give an excuse for why he buried the talent, but then contradicted himself when he said he knew the master expected some kind of return.

In the Roman empire people could give their money to bankers and receive interest on it. The bankers loaned that money out to others, and according to historical records, charged about 12 percent interest on the loans. So people who deposited money with the bankers probably received about 6 percent. The Greek word translated "interest" in Matthew 25:27 is tokos, which means "simple interest." So the master would have probably received about 6 percent of whatever the talent was worth. That wouldn't have been like the returns on the two talents and five talents, but at least there would have been some return. It also would have been much easier to give the talent to a banker than to hide it in a hole. (Note that this parable from Jesus indicates it's OK to invest money to get a return on it.)

The servant was unmasked as a liar. He was too lazy to do anything with the opportunity given to him. He characterizes people like Judas, who is the classic illustration of wasted privilege.

IV. THE REWARD WE GAIN (vv. 28-30)

In verse 28 the master says, "Take, therefore, the talent from him, and give it unto him who hath ten talents." Why did he do that? Because the servant who ended up with ten talents had greater capacity.

A. The Present Given to the Faithful

1. The tares in the pews

Many people in the church today claim to serve the Lord but aren't believers. They might be ushers, teachers in the children's division, volunteers who help maintain the church and keep it clean, choir members, or even pastors, elders, and deacons. They are the tares of Matthew 13:24-30. And the tares don't necessarily sit around doing nothing. Some of them are very active. When I first came to Grace Church there were a couple of men on the board of elders who were not Christians. It's not uncommon for that to happen in churches today; Satan is clever. Yet from time to time, the truth about a particular false servant will be found out.

We discovered a lady in charge of a Sunday school class at Grace Church who was taking the children to a bakery during the service. She had no interest in what was going on at the church. She thought she was serving God, and for a while it appeared she was doing so. But the truth became manifest. There are some people on religious television programs who purport to be serving the Lord and identify with the church, yet aren't really redeemed. Only God knows how many people there are who profess Christ yet aren't Christians.

2. The transfer of the privileges

When the Lord returns in judgment, those who thought they were serving the Lord when they weren't will lose whatever God entrusted them with. In verse 29 Jesus says, "Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." How is it possible to take something from someone who has nothing? A false servant might look like a true servant because he appears to be doing something with the spiritual privileges given to Him. But at judgment, the truth will be found out.

Some people ask, "Why did the master give the one talent to the servant who had ten talents instead of the one with four talents? I don't know. Perhaps he had greater capacity for handling it. God is sovereign; He can do whatever He wants to. But the point is that God will take away privileges entrusted to false servants and give them to true servants.

B. The Punishment Given to the Unfaithful

What happened to the false servant? The master gives the answer in verse 30: "Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The servant obviously was not a Christian, for he was cast into hell. The man who came to the wedding feast in Matthew 22 without a wedding garment faced the same fate. The king told his servants to "bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (v. 13). That's how hell is described in Matthew's gospel.

First John 1:5 says, "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." Thus the absence of God is utter darkness, and hell is a place where God will never be. The phrase "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:30) depicts the unrelieved pain of being outside of God's presence.

Conclusion

In the external kingdom--the church--some are serving the Lord and are prepared for His return, and some appear to be serving Him, but aren't ready for His coming. When the Lord returns, He will separate people based on the service they rendered to Him (Matt. 25:31-46). All excuses set aside, false servants will lose their spiritual privileges, which will be given to true servants to enjoy throughout eternity.

The parable of the talents is an illustration of the warning in Matthew 25:13: "Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh." You may not have to wait until the Lord returns before you face Him; if you die as an unbeliever before He returns, you will have wasted your spiritual opportunities. Whether by death or the second coming, the nature of your service will become manifest the moment you face God. It will be a fearful moment indeed for those who are caught as bridesmaids without any oil in their lamp.

A unnamed poet has written these thoughtful words:

There is a time I know not when, a place I know not where, 
which marks the destiny of men to heaven or despair.

There is a line by us not seen which crosses every path, 
the hidden boundary between God's patience and His wrath.

To cross that limit is to die, to die as if by stealth; 
it may not pale the beaming eye nor quench the glowing health.

The conscience may be still at ease, the spirit light and gay, 
that which is pleasing still may please and care be thrust away.

But on that forehead God hath set indelibly a mark, 
by man unseen for man as yet is blind and in the dark.

How long may man go on in sin, how long will God forbear, 
where does hope end and where begin the confines of despair?

One answer from the sky is sent, ye who from God depart, 
while it is called `today' repent and harden not your heart.

Focusing on the Facts

1. Why was the servant excited in Matthew 25:20 (see p. 2)?

2.According to 1 John 2:28 and 4:17, in what way will faithful servants be able to face judgment (see p. 2)?

3.What did the faithful servant acknowledge in Matthew 25:20 (see p. 2)?

4.What commendation will the faithful receive when they see the Lord (Matt. 25:21; see p. 3)?

5.How will the Lord manifest His generosity to the faithful when He returns (see p. 3)?

6.Since serving the Lord is our greatest _______ of _______ here on earth, we will know ultimate ________ in heaven because we will be serving the Lord for ________ (see p. 3).

7.Will everyone be equal in heaven? Explain (see p. 4).

8.What invitation will the Lord extend to the faithful when He returns (see pp. 4-5)?

9.What will the Lord delegate to His true servants when He returns (see p. 5)?

10.What two things betray false servants who claim their goal in life is to serve the Lord (see p. 5)?

11.What did the unfaithful servant say about his master? Does such a person really know the Lord? Explain (see p. 6).

12.What reason did the unfaithful servant give for burying the talent? What is the real reason he buried the talent (see pp. 6-7)?

13.According to Matthew 25:29, what will Christ do with the privileges He entrusted to the unfaithful (see p. 9)?

14.What is the ultimate fate of the unfaithful (Matt. 25:30; see p. 9)?

Pondering the Principles

1.In Matthew 25 the servants who received two talents and five talents both acknowledged their master as the source of the talents. Likewise, we should acknowledge that God is the source of all our privileges. He is the source of salvation, strength, wisdom, peace, blessing, and life. Does the way you use your privileges reflect your appreciation for the source of those privileges? Make a habit of thanking the Lord for the privileges He has given you.

2.In our society, the phrase thank you is an endangered species. Some people have gradually eliminated it from their vocabulary, and many of those who still use it say it without sincerity. As a Christian, thankfulness is to be a part of your character. God has given you much, and will give you much more in eternity. Your attitude of thankfulness can be a testimony to Christ in a world filled with ingratitude. Do you say thank you to others around you as often as you could? What are some other ways to show thankfulness besides saying thank you? Get together with your family or a friend, and discuss what you have to be thankful for, and why it's good to express thanks. Be ready for some new insights!

Added to the John MacArthur "Study Guide" Collection by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986