Personal Investment
Personal Investment
“What Investment Has God Given You and I
for His Kingdom?”
by Pastor Dan Kennedy
August 11, 2013
•Are we alone…drifting aimlessly on an isolated planet in space?
‣The Profound complexity of Creation all around us
-Earth with its placement in the galaxy, rotation, moon, substantive core, gravity, atmospheres, oxygen, creative, abundant and diverse living creatures and extensive plant life...
-Earth with its seas and fresh water, clouds, rain and winds, with creative, abundant and diverse aquatic life, tides...
‣The Profound complexity of our Human being - physically, emotionally, inter-relationally, and dynamically...
‣The Profound complexity of the incomprehensible mass of the Universe - billions of galaxies, each with billions of stars...
•The Signs of the End of the Age (Matt. 24)
•The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matt. 25:1-13)
The Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25:14–30
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “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!’
22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “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!’
24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
[What did this man do while his master was gone? Mainly Nothing for His Master’s Kingdom. He did his own thing.]
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
[He virtually squandered the effects of the assets his Master had given him, by not allowing, at least, others to invest these assets.]
28 “ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
•What are the assets…“talents” that God has given you?
•How can you invest these talents into building back into God’s Kingdom?
•What happens when you invest the assets God has given you, back into God’s Eternal Kingdom?
o Genuine Affirmation from God: “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
o Exponential Reward: “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”
o Fellowship with the Master: “Come and share your master’s happiness!” see Matthew 6:33
•What happens when the gifts God has given us are not honorably invested back into His Kingdom?
o Guilt – for not doing what you knew to do.
o Invented Excuses – making it the Master’s fault. “If you had not been such a hard man…” “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent.”
o Great Dishonor – “You wicked, lazy servant! You knew what I expected…” “You should have, at least…”
o Total Loss of Reward – “Take the talent from him.”
o Deserved Punishment – “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”