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Expand your Bibles to Matthew 
chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25, we continue 
in our study in Matthew's Gospel. Here we are in the fifth discourse 
in the book, specifically the Olivet Discourse. It began in 
chapter 24, it ends at chapter 25. And in this particular context, 
chapter 25, the Lord Jesus Christ is applying what He has said 
previously. In other words, this could be 
summarized under the title, Living in Light of the Coming of Christ. I want to read chapter 25, verses 
14 to 30. For the kingdom of heaven is 
like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants 
and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, 
to another two, and to another one, to each according to his 
own ability. And immediately he went on a 
journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded 
with them and made another five talents. And likewise he who 
had received two gained two more also. But he who had received 
one went and dug in the ground and hid his lord's money. After 
a long time, the lord of those servants came and settled accounts 
with them. So he who had received five talents 
came and brought five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to 
me five talents. Look, I have gained five more 
talents besides them. His Lord said to him, Well done, 
good and faithful servant. You are faithful over a few things. 
I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of 
your Lord. He also, who had received two 
talents, came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents. 
Look, I have gained two more talents besides them. His Lord 
said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You have 
been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many 
things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. 
Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, 
I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown 
and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was 
afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there 
you have what is yours. But his Lord answered and said 
to him, you wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I 
have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So 
you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers. And at 
my coming, I would have received back my own with interest. So 
take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. 
For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have 
abundance. But from him who does not have, 
even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable 
servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth." Amen. Well, let us pray. Father in 
heaven, we thank you for the Word of God. We pray now for 
the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We acknowledge our absolute dependence 
upon you, God. Jesus said that apart from Him, 
we can do nothing, and certainly that includes the worship of 
the triune God. It includes coming to the Scriptures 
to be taught, to be refreshed, to be encouraged. And so we would 
pray that you would send the Holy Spirit in a copious way, 
that we would receive Him, that we would be blessed, encouraged, 
and helped by this passage of Scripture. And Lord, send the 
Holy Spirit to convict sinners, those who are outside of Christ, 
of their sin. Show them the miserable punishment 
that faces the unfaithful, and show them the glorious Savior 
that is able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through 
Him. Forgive us now for our sins and 
our transgressions. Wash us and cleanse us and purify 
us and grant us grace now to glorify you. And we pray through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, this particular 
section deals with living in light of the coming of the Son 
of Man. Remember that in chapter 24, 
verses 36 to 44, the emphasis there was on watchfulness. Jesus 
says, you don't know what hour the Master is coming, you don't 
know what hour the Son of Man will return, therefore be watchful. And then the rest of these parables 
flesh out what watchfulness looks like. Watchfulness in terms of 
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ does not mean sitting 
by the window looking up into the sky. Watchfulness involves 
faithfulness. He gives the account of the faithful 
and the evil servant in 24, 45 to 51. So watchfulness certainly 
includes faithfulness. In the next parable, he gives 
an emphasis on preparedness. Remember these ten virgins? Five 
of them were wise. They not only had the oil in 
their lamp, but they had an additional vessel to contain the oil so 
that when the bridegroom returned, they would not be caught off 
guard. However, the foolish virgins only had that which was in their 
lamp. They didn't have the accompanying vessel, and therefore when the 
bridegroom returns, they are caught off guard. They are excluded 
from the presence of the bridegroom. And here our Lord gives the parable 
of the talents. It's easy enough as we read it 
to understand the main emphasis, but we'll look at it in more 
detail in a moment. But suffice it to say that Christ 
includes diligence. with reference to watchfulness. 
In other words, we are to be doing what the master calls us 
to do. We are to be engaged in his pursuits. We are to value and prize not 
only the master, but the kingdom of the master, and seek by the 
grace of the master to extend it, to promote it, and to do 
those things that are consistent of literally slaves. The New 
King James translates the word here, servants, but it's literally 
slaves. These are slaves of the master. 
And you think, wow, that's incredible that the master entrusts such 
to slaves. Well, first century slaves did 
get a lot of responsibility, but I think as well, it is the 
case. God, the master, entrusts such 
to slaves like us. Let's not miss the significance 
in that particular application. We're going to look at two broad 
categories this morning. First, the master's property 
entrusted to his slaves in verses 14 to 18. And then secondly, 
the master's accounts settled with his slaves in verses 19 
to 30. And the largest or the longest 
portion in that second section is on the unfaithful servant. 
It is on that one who called to be faithful in the service 
of the master, called to be diligent in the service of the master, 
was not. He was idle. He was lazy. He 
was wicked. And so the Lord God Most High 
punishes him as a result. Well, let's look first at the 
master's property entrusted to his slaves in verses 14 to 18. Note the particular subject. Verse 14, I think the New King 
James rightly supplies for the kingdom of heaven is like a man 
traveling to a far country. If your Bible version does not 
supply it, it is a legit supplying because it is closely connected 
to the parable preceding. Christ is teaching what the kingdom 
of heaven looks like with reference to the coming of the Son of Man 
in glory. Now in terms of the particular 
players in the parable. Of course, the master is the 
Lord Jesus Christ. The slaves are the professing 
people of God, just like in the parable of the foolish virgins. 
You have the five wise, you have the five foolish. All of them, 
or at least in the context of the covenant people, all of them 
make a profession of faith, but as we learn in that parable of 
the ten virgins, not all of them are indeed saved. I think the 
focus is there in this particular parable also, and we'll see that 
as we move along. Now, the Master's departure, 
certainly after the death of our Lord, He rose from the dead, 
He ascended on high, He led captivity captive. So the departure is 
Christ's current session at the right hand of the Father. And 
then, of course, His return is in His glory to judge the living 
and the dead. C.H. Spurgeon, I think, captures 
the thrust of the parable well. He says, this parable, like that 
of the ten virgins, has to do with real and nominal Christians, 
with all who are or who profess to be the servants of Christ. 
So that's the focus, that's the subject, and I think it's peculiarly 
relative to our situation because in Say North America, there's 
a lot of people who profess faith in Christ. There's a lot of people 
who say, yes, I am a believer. Well, one looks at the church 
and is a bit discouraged in the sense that so many professing 
believers in this particular country, and yet, you know, divorce 
rates and abortion rates and, you know, all manner of wickedness 
are somewhat similar in the context of the professing people of God. 
Brethren, those things ought not to be. If you profess saving 
faith in Jesus Christ, you need to evidence it by a godly life. It's a curious thing when we 
come to studies like this. Some still posit a difference 
between Paul and his doctrine of justification by faith alone 
and Jesus who teaches justification by words. That is not the case. Paul teaches the same thing that 
Jesus teaches. We are saved by grace through 
faith in Christ. Faith alone. But that faith is 
not alone, but it's accompanied by all other saving graces. In 
other words, Paul taught that we are saved by grace through 
faith apart from works, lest any man should boast in Ephesians 
2, 8, and 9. And then he goes on to say, for 
we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for what? So 
we can lay down on the couch and revel in the doctrine of 
justification by faith alone? No, we are saved by grace alone, 
through faith alone, in Christ alone, for good works. That's what Christ is saying. 
If you profess faith in Jesus, and you have been entrusted with 
talents by Jesus, then don't lay on your couch, don't be lazy, 
don't be a whiner, but be faithful to the Master who saved you. 
Get out and work! Get out and serve. We're not 
saved by those works. We're not saved by that service. 
We are saved and therefore, by the grace of God, we have been 
liberated and freed to serve and to work unto the glory of 
the Master who saved us. by His grace and for His glory." 
Brethren, this is not contradicting justification by faith alone 
as if somehow Jesus and Paul didn't really know what the others 
taught. Christ teaches justification 
by faith alone. Christ also teaches that faith 
is never alone. It's accompanied by all those 
other saving graces. Now, when we look at this particular 
parable, it's similar to what we saw in chapter 24, verses 
45 to 51. The big difference, however, 
is that the servants, or the slaves in that context, were 
charged with domestic faithfulness. Here it's high commercial value. Here it's dealing with a lot 
of money. Five talents is a world of dough, and we'll look at that 
in just a moment. Notice the situation that Christ 
presents. The distribution of His talents 
in verse 14 says, He called His own slaves and delivered His 
goods to them. And to one He gave five talents, to another 
two, and to another one. to each according to his own 
ability, and immediately he went on a journey." So one slave got 
five, one slave got two, and one slave got one. It's pretty 
simple. Now there's a difficulty here 
because we use talent in a very specific way, don't we? Somebody's 
an accomplished pianist, we say they're talented, right? If somebody 
is an accomplished flautist, we say, they're talented. Or 
if somebody's able to take apart a car engine and put it back 
together, we say, he's talented. That's not what the word means 
in this particular context. Talent was a measure of weight, 
not ability. And in this particular context, 
talent meant lots of money. We're not told whether it's gold, 
we're not told whether it's silver, we're not told whether it's bronze. 
But whichever particulars were involved, it was a lot of money 
that was entrusted by the master to the slave. One talent equaled 
about 6,000 denarii, and one denarius was a normal daily wage. So again, we're dealing with 
some astronomical figures in this particular distribution 
of his property. And I think it does point out 
at least one or two things. In the first place, the master 
gives it to the slaves. They don't deserve it. They didn't 
merit it. He gives it according to their 
own ability. In fact, the talents don't really reflect their own 
ability. The talents are given based on 
their own ability as the text specifies. But as well, it highlights 
the lavish character of our master. He begraces His people, doesn't 
He? We deserve nothing but hell and 
damnation and judgment and exclusion from the presence of God Most 
High. And lo and behold, He saves us by His grace and for His glory, 
and then He gives us talents to go out and invest and to propagate 
the kingdom of God. It's an amazing reality and it 
shows us or it demonstrates to us that this third slave really 
didn't understand the master one way. Oh, I knew you to be 
a hard master. That's not the exhibition of 
a hard master here who gives five talents to one, two talents 
to another, and a third talent to another, or one talent to 
a third. The large amounts points to the 
great generosity of the master and the fact that he gave these 
talents underscores his graciousness. Now notice the discrimination 
involved. He gave one, five talents, to 
another two, to another one, to each according to his own 
ability. According to his own ability. 
And I sort of take this this way. The master knew what they 
were capable of, and so he gives them talents appropriate to what 
they're capable of. And I think at times we say, 
well, that doesn't seem fair, does it? Boy, this one talent 
recipient, he was right to whine. He was right to go dig. He was 
right to hide his talent because it wasn't fair. We're always 
looking for fair in the scripture, aren't we? Again, this is just 
another exhibition by way of a long shot side observation. God's not a communist. God is 
not a socialist. If somebody has the ability to 
take five talents and to turn it into ten, the Lord God's going 
to give it to him. Somebody else has the ability 
to take two talents and make that 100% increase, God's going 
to give it to him. It's not the case that everybody 
receives the same. Now, some will think of the parallel 
in Luke 19, but they all receive the same amount of minas. There 
is enough differences between these two settings to indicate 
that there are probably two different times that Jesus used the basic 
story in order to preach or teach a particular truth. If you put 
this passage next to Luke 19, you will notice some significant 
differences, not least of which is the actual context. But God 
here tells us, or Christ specifically highlights the reality, that 
they are given talents consistent with their ability. Now, we ought 
to appreciate what Calvin says. It is absurd, however, in the 
papists to infer from this that the gifts of God are conferred 
on every man according to the measure which he deserves. That's 
not the point. It's not the point that they 
deserve these five talents, so He gave them. It's telling us 
or highlighting the wisdom of the Master in terms of the investment 
of His property. You know, I've often thought 
that if God is going to use a man mightily, say a C.H. Spurgeon, 
He is going to fill C.H. Spurgeon with a great degree 
of humility. Right? He's not going to give 
that sort of a gift to an already proud man. It wouldn't make sense. So you see, when God dumps five 
talents upon a particular person, it is according to his ability. 
And again, that ability there isn't his natural inclination. 
It's how God has formed him. It's how God has made him. It's 
how God, in fact, has shaped him and constructed him in such 
a way as to be able, whether or not to deal with five talents 
or one. But you see what we do? We whine. We grumble. Well, I don't have 
five talents, so I'm going to lay on the couch. No, you've 
got one talent. The point is not to whine, to 
snivel, to grumble, and to complain. It will do none of us any good 
if I didn't get up on a Sunday morning because I'm not Spurgeon. 
Doesn't it do you any good either to not contribute to the kingdom 
of God because you're not Amy Carmichael? And the only trust 
God has given to you are those two little talents at your house 
that are named whatever their names are. Brethren, we cannot 
compare ourselves and look at what everybody else is doing. 
I mean, isn't that us? Well, we want to manage God's 
affairs. And God says, you're the slave. 
Here's what I've entrusted to you. Go do it. We got a million 
questions. We're the two-year-old that just 
learned the word why. There's nothing more obnoxious 
on the face of the earth than when that child first learns 
why, isn't it? I mean, I guess it's a beautiful 
thing and it expresses their rationality and the fact that 
they bear the image of God. Yeah, I'm sure that you single 
parents all see it that way. But for the rest of us, we went 
through that why phase and it's a tough one. That's how we are 
in the kingdom of God, isn't it? Well, I don't have this, 
I'm not this, I'm not that. Just do what you're supposed 
to do. What happened to that? What happened 
to our generation? I'm drawing in very wide swaths 
here. You got the 51 and up, I gotta 
put me in the lower generation, and the 50 and below. What happened 
to us? What happened to us? If you just 
made the cutoff, good for you, but we've got that sort of a 
mindset. What characterizes not just the 
pagans today, but professing Christians? We're weak. We whine. We're entitled, aren't we? We're 
weak, we whine, and we are entitled. If you're offended, I'm sorry, 
I put myself in your group. And especially in the church, 
it's pathetic. We understand God's sovereignty. 
We understand it's the master's money. It never ceases to be 
the master's money. Even the wicked servant said, 
I took your talent and I hid it in the earth. Here's your 
talent back. Brethren, it's not us, it's not 
our stuff. We're not sort of autonomous 
creatures that live apart from a sovereign God, but to whine 
and to be weak and to be sniveling and to be, you know, well, I 
didn't get this and I don't have that. Just do what you're supposed 
to do. I mean, if you take anything 
away from this parable of the talents, that may not actually 
be the best lesson, but at least take that one. Do what you're 
supposed to do. Now notice, very specifically, 
this is consistent with what we find in the rest of the New 
Testament in terms of gift and distribution. Romans chapter 
12, the apostle Paul highlights the people of God have various 
gifts. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, the Apostle Paul realizes 
or recognizes that the people of God have various gifts. Not 
everybody's an eye. Not everybody's an ear. Somebody 
who's a little toe doesn't say, well, I'm not an ear, so I'm 
not going to function as a little toe. No, function as a little 
toe. Well, if I'm not an ear, I'm 
not an eye, I'm not a nose, I'm not a mouth, I'm going to lay 
on my couch, I'm going to revel in the doctrine of justification 
by faith alone, and I'm going to be a lazy, unfaithful servant. Well, be very aware that this 
kind of a servant, it's evidence or manifested that he is not 
a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then specifically 
in 1 Peter 4, Peter says, as each of us or each one has received 
a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold 
grace of God. It doesn't matter what your gift 
is, use it. Doesn't matter what your talent 
level is, use it. Doesn't matter if you have 10, 
five, or one, go do what you're supposed to do. I think Ryle 
fleshes out for us this whole view of talent. He says, anything 
whereby we may glorify God as a talent, our gifts, our influence, 
our money, our knowledge, our health, our strength, our time, 
our senses, our reason, our intellect, our memory, our affections, our 
privileges as members of Christ's church, our advantages as possessors 
of the Bible, all, all our talents. And he highlights accordingly, 
and all are from God. So you see, we are saved not 
only from sin, but we are saved to serve. That's what Bruner 
says in that particular context. Justification by faith alone 
has never been a doctrine that was ordered to produce laziness 
in God's people. or inactivity or passivity. Now, praise God for justification 
by faith alone, because it's that by which we'll ever stand 
before God clothed in the righteousness of another. But those of us justified 
by faith alone must live in a manner that is consistent with God's 
calling upon our lives. Notice, with reference to the 
situation, he distributes the talents, five to one, two to 
another, one to a third. And then he departs, verse 15b. 
And again, the context everywhere underscores that this is the 
main emphasis. What are you doing in light of 
the Master's return? The emphasis in verse 36, in 
chapter 24, verses 42, 44, 48. The parable of the virgins, 25.5, 
25.13. You see, 15b functions in a larger 
context. Yes, the obvious message of the 
parable of the talents is do what you're supposed to do, but 
do it in the light of the coming of the Master. Do it in the light 
of the coming of the Savior. Do it with the conscious thought 
that the Lord Christ is going to return again in glory to judge 
the living and the dead. Now note what the actions of 
the slaves are in verses 16 to 18. It says, then he who had 
received the five talents went and traded with them and made 
another five talents. Now, there's an immediately in 
verse 15 that goes better with verse 16. If you're using the 
New King James or the King James, the immediately is in verse 15. 
That doesn't make a lot of sense. It doesn't make a lot of sense 
that the master departed immediately. It makes more sense in the context 
that the slave, when he received the five, didn't sit around. He didn't scratch his head. He didn't, you know, commission 
a study group to figure out what he ought to do with the five 
talents. He immediately went out and he traded. He immediately 
went out and he invested. He immediately went out and did 
what he was supposed to do. Well, you know, I've got to attend 
a special series of services to discern and determine what 
my spiritual gift is. How about you go out and serve? 
In that context, you'll be able to identify what your spiritual 
gift is. I've seen that before. We're gonna have a 10-week study 
on discerning our spiritual gift. You know what's not happening 
during that 10-week study? The use of your spiritual gift. 
It's like, you know, we gotta have a meeting on evangelism. How about we go out and evangelize? 
Zany, isn't it? Just incredible. But this verse 
16, first servant, the 10 talents have not even burned a hole in 
his hand yet, he's out. Now, it would be impossible for 
him to hold 10 talents in his, or five talents in his hand, 
but you get the point. You know, this big bag that he 
had to schlep around and, you know, trade for his master. But 
the point is, brethren, he went and did it. If you're a new believer, 
what are you doing? Well, I look at all these old 
believers and they don't do anything. Don't take your cue from old 
believers. Take your cue from the Word of God. We do that too. Well, he doesn't do anything. 
She doesn't do anything. My parents are lazy. Your marching 
orders come from the risen Christ. Your parents are a terrible example, 
shame on them, hopefully they'll repent. But your marching orders 
come from King Jesus. Or if you're in a church where 
people don't do anything, don't say, well, you know, nobody in 
my church does anything, so I'm not a real standout here. Do 
what you're supposed to do. Take that five talents and go. 
Traffic in it, truck with it, deal with it in a manner that 
is consistent with your master's wishes. Notice the second slave 
goes out and gains two more talents, verse 17. The third slave, of 
course, doesn't traffic, he doesn't truck, he doesn't do anything 
except he digs a hole and he puts the money in a hole. Now, 
this wasn't uncommon. In Matthew 13, verse 44, when 
the pearl merchant found that pearl of great price, what did 
he do? He buried it, right? Safekeeping comes through the 
ground. But in this context, we see that 
this is not what the master's design was. In Luke's account, 
in Luke 19, the master specifically says, now go out and trade. It's 
assumed, it's implied here, because the five-talent man went out 
and made five more. The two-talent man went out and 
made two more. When the third man comes, he 
has a posture of defensiveness already, doesn't he? It seems 
to tip his hand that he's got a bit of a guilty disposition. Lord, he says, so we know that 
it's dealing with professing Christians. Lord, I knew you 
to be a hard man, sowing where you hadn't planted and gathering 
where you hadn't sown and all that sort of thing. So you see, 
brethren, the purpose of the talents that are entrusted to 
us by God are to use. And sometimes people say, well, 
you know, I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. Well, then 
go do something. And it's in that doing something 
that typically people or persons find what they're supposed to 
do, right? Am I speaking Chinese here? I 
don't know. Is this revolutionary? Wow, I 
could never imagine this. In my old church, we had a 10-week 
Bible study on how to discern our spiritual gifts. And this 
guy's just telling us to go do something. Yeah, go do something. 
And maybe in that context, you'll discern the specific gift that 
God has given you, and you can traffic with it for the glory 
of the master, for the extension of the kingdom of God here on 
earth, and for your proper preparation that you manifest diligence, 
which is, an appropriate response to slaves who have been conquered 
by sovereign grace. Now notice, the master's account 
settled in verses 19 to 30. The return of the master, again, 
the context, verse 19, after a long time, the Lord of those 
servants came and settled accounts with them. Let's not rip the 
passage out of its context and recognize that the particular 
purpose of this is in light of the coming of the Son of Man. 
Remember the wicked servant in verse 24, 48, he counted on a 
long delay, didn't he? He supposed that the master had 
be gone a long time, and that led him to the point where he 
started to beat his fellow servants and drink with the drunkards. 
What was the problem of the foolish virgins? They anticipated no 
delay. And they were caught unawares. 
They were caught off guard. Here, we're back to a long time. Again, I don't know that we need 
to extrapolate from that how many years it's going to be until 
the Lord Jesus comes. I think the overarching concern 
and the point is this. Do what you're supposed to do 
no matter when He returns. Let me just say that again. Do 
what you're supposed to do no matter when He returns. In other words, don't wait until 
the Tuesday before the Wednesday and go out and get busy. Perhaps 
your kids have done that before, right? You've been sent upstairs 
to clean your room, and you sit around doing whatever you're 
doing when you're not cleaning your room. I mean, what could 
be more important than that? And then when you hear mom's 
steps running up the stairs, you look busy, don't you? Well, 
now I need to get off the bed and pick up these nasty socks. 
Now I need to do what I'm supposed to do. That's not the point. Whether you hear those pitter 
patter of feet running up the stairs or not, we are to be faithful 
and diligent. Well, I suspect he's getting 
closer, so I'm gonna get my act together now. Not the point, 
but the passage. Get your act together the moment 
you profess saving faith in our Lord Jesus. And it is intriguing 
as well. The master comes after a long 
time, and notice what the master does when he returns. He doesn't 
say, okay, who of you are right in terms of predicting my coming? 
Who of you got it within the year? Who of you got it within 
the month? Who of you got it in the day? 
That's not what the master says when he comes again to judge 
the living and the dead. He doesn't say, who of you are 
right? He says, what have you been doing in my absence? There's no reward, there's no 
star for those who got us in the year with reference to the 
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The particular question that 
Christ will ask when he comes again is, what have you been 
doing? Is it gonna be the case that 
a lot of us have to say, well, not much. I mean, we really like that doctrine 
of justification by faith alone. We're a reformed church. Those 
brethren teach us chapter 11 in our confession and we just 
soak it in. And so we lay on our couch and 
we thank the Lord God most high that we're justified freely by 
his grace. Now, don't think I'm against laying on your couch. 
Please don't go home and tear up your couches because Butler 
said laying on the couch is wrong. I think you get the point. The 
master comes and he settles accounts. Note what the first servant does. 
First servant comes up and he says, Master, I took the five 
that you gave me and I made five more. There's no pride here, 
there's no arrogance, there's no boastfulness. It is a story 
designed to teach us a particular lesson. So the master comes and 
he says, Lord, you gave me five, I took the five, I invested it, 
I sold this, I did that, but I brought you five more. Note 
how the master commends him. It's threefold. The first is 
commendation. Well done, good and faithful 
servant. I think faithfulness spells out 
goodness. In other words, you're a good 
slave and that goodness is seen by the fact that you are faithful. Who doesn't want to hear this 
on the day the master returns? Who doesn't want to hear the 
sovereign of the universe say unto them, well done, good and 
faithful slave? Is that our craving, our desire? It's not what we want and we 
long for. It's not what animates Christian 
service today is to bring a smile to the master's face. You see, 
there's a different scenario when you think the way some people 
think that you're working for your salvation. You look miserable. Jehovah's Witnesses typically 
look like happy people. I'm sure they have their happiness 
and all that, but my engagement with them, they just seem bitter 
and harsh. I'm given to understand that 
part of their means by which they achieve eternal reward is 
standing on the street corner. If I have to stand on the street 
corner in order to gain heaven, I believe I'd be a little bitter 
and harsh as well. But by grace, having been entrusted 
something by the master, free to now go out and tell others 
about that grand kingdom, it makes that street corner sweet. 
It makes it blessed. It makes it wonderful. And to 
realize that one day when my master returns, my master is 
gonna say, well done, good and faithful servant. It's amazing, 
isn't it? J.C. Ryle makes this observation, 
because I think this is surprising, isn't it? I think in a Reformed 
church, we kind of know ourselves. We might ask one another, how 
are you doing? Oh, I'm wretched, I'm miserable, I'm a worm of 
the earth. You know, we go through our catena of self-abdignation 
and show our genuine humility and our piosity. Oh, I'm just 
a wretch and you know, that sort of thing. So we all see that 
and we hear a statement like this and say, is it true that 
this here is ever gonna hear about this person? Well done, 
good and faithful servant. Royal makes this observation 
concerning our service unto Christ. The believer will discover to 
his amazement that his master's eye saw more beauty in his efforts 
to please him than he ever saw in himself. I think that's a 
great observation. The master sees it in a way that 
we don't. Now in this, it's pretty concrete. 
It's cut and dry, five talents, five more, here you go, that 
sort of a thing. But we can't quite quantify it 
like that in our own Christian life. We don't wait for that 
day and schlep up that five talents and present it unto God in this 
strict commercial activity. That's not the point. So we might 
be inclined to think, there's no way the Savior's ever going 
to say, well done, good and faithful servant, to one like me. In Christ, 
He will. In Christ, He will. The beauty 
of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The beauty of 
sanctification which flows from that. The beauty of good works 
done in Christ are glorifying to God and he commends them and 
he even calls us good and faithful servants. But notice it doesn't 
stop there. This master is benevolent, isn't 
he? I think by the time we get to 
this third slave, we're right there with the master saying, 
you wicked and lazy slave. Look at what this master goes 
on to do. He not only commends him, commends him, well done, 
good and faithful servant, but he gives him increased responsibility. We saw that with the faithful 
servant. Notice in chapter 24 at verse 47, "...assuredly I 
say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods." 
It's a beautiful thing. The slave was rewarded by the 
master with increased responsibility. In other words, as France says, 
you don't retire from being a disciple. It's not the case that if this 
is our entrance into the eschaton, it's not the case that we're 
going to just float on clouds strumming some harp. We have 
that conception. We're heads with wings if you 
were brought up as a papist or whatever your conception is. 
But there's society. There's a new heavens and a new 
earth. Now, there's no sin, no unrighteousness, 
no ungodliness, but we certainly ought not to conclude it's passivity. Anything, we stand before the 
throne and we cry out, salvation belongs to our God and to the 
Lamb who sits upon the throne for all eternity. But there's 
increased responsibility for this man. Notice how benevolent 
the master is. And then thirdly, he gets joy. 
Just love this. This is what we just sang in 
602. What a triumphant hymn that speaks to that day we gain acceptance 
by the grace of God into heaven itself. Notice what the master 
says. His Lord said, well done, good 
and faithful servant. Verse 21, you were faithful over 
a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter 
into the joy of your Lord. Say, well, increased responsibility, 
that means I'm gonna be busier in heaven. No, you're gonna be 
in the joy of your Lord. The joy that is your Lord's, 
you get to enter into. I think that's sort of the way 
we are to understand that. The joy that is the triune God's, 
you get to enter into. You see what our Lord holds out 
to us. Now notice with reference to the second servant who made 
two. The second slave received the 
same from the master, commendation, increased responsibility and 
joy, right? What should we conclude here? 
It's not about how many talents you bring to the master, it's 
about how you use the talents he entrusted to you. It's the 
same as 2016, that parable of those who were hired in the first 
hour and those who were hired later on in the day. What happened 
to those who were hired later on in the day? They received 
the same benefit from the master, right? You can't say, well, this 
man only had two talents, so he doesn't get the same reward. 
He gets precisely the same reward. The commendation, well done, 
good and faithful servant. He gets the increased responsibility 
and he gets the joy of his Lord. It's the same particular benefit 
that we see in view here. One commentator says that both 
servants receive the same reward shows that what is valued is 
not one's accomplishment in a quantitative sense. Oh, you know, Spurgeon, 
he presented five talents. The rest of us slobs maybe present 
half a talent. So we're going to be on a lower 
rung. No! Commendation, increased responsibility, 
and joy. He says, that both servants receive 
the same reward shows that what is valued is not one's accomplishment 
in a quantitative sense, but the fidelity of one's commitment 
as mirrored in one's wholehearted activity. And Spurgeon himself 
says, it is not the number of our talents, but the use we make 
of them that is the essential matter. Now you think I'm probably 
banging this drum a lot, but I've seen it. Well, I'm not that, 
and I'm not this, and I'm not that. So what, the conclusion 
is lay on your couch and do nothing? If I can't be Spurgeon in the 
kingdom, I'll be nothing. What kind of a position is that? 
When we oppose the God of heaven and earth and we tell him how 
to distribute his goods according to our ability so that he gets 
maximum return on investment. How do we think we have the right 
to begin to tell God how to allocate his funds to us? Just take what 
he gives you as a faithful slave and be diligent in the use of 
it. That's the point of the passage. That is what is going on in the 
passage. That is what we need to appreciate. 
If you're a five-talent person, or a two-talent person, or a 
one-talent person, or a denarius person, serve the Lord Most High 
with what you have been given and bring glory to Him. Now let's 
look at the punishment for the one who buried the Master's talent. 
The slave's explanation in verses 24 and 25, then he would receive 
the one talent came and said, Lord, again, Lord, not dealing 
with the pagan out here. We're not dealing with the heathen. 
Now, if you're not a believer, don't think, wow, this is only 
for those who profess faith and don't actually believe. It's 
for all unbelievers. the same sort of punishment that 
is in view. But in the particular context, it's dealing with the 
professing people of God. And this man says, Lord, I knew 
you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering 
where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went 
and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is 
yours. Now, there's a whole lot of wrong with this particular 
statement. In the first place, the master does echo the sowing 
and the gathering, but he never affirms this hardness. Note the 
connection that our view of the master has upon our service for 
the master. I knew you to be a hard man, 
so I ran and hid. Everything in the parable tells 
us the opposite, though, about this master. He's not a hard 
man who gives five talents to a slave. He's not a hard man 
who gives two talents to a slave. He's not a hard man who gives 
one talent to a slave. That a slave would receive one 
talent is the exhibition of a glorious and a very gracious master. But 
note this particular connection. The view you have of God will 
affect your service for God. If you see Him as harsh, you 
see Him as hard, you see Him as mean-spirited, this is all 
the definition of the term that is used here. The Greek word 
is skleros, the word hard, strict, harsh, cruel, merciless. He calls Him a hard man, and 
as a result of that, He is given to inactivity. Now, let me just 
tell you something. Sometimes people say, why do 
you guys spend time studying and teaching that confession 
of faith, especially chapter two? Or why do you talk about 
the attributes of God, or the perfections of God, or the triunity 
of God? Why do you spend all this time 
trying to see what the Bible says concerning the relationship 
between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Trying to 
understand who this God is. Because as I understand who this 
God is, I serve him appropriately. If I understand who this God 
is, hopefully I'll love my wife as Christ loved the church and 
gave himself for her. If I'm a woman and I understand 
who this God is, I'll submit to my own husband as unto the 
Lord. If I'm a young person and I know who this God is, maybe 
I'll stay off the internet and not look at porn like all my 
other friends do. Or if I'm a believer in Christ 
and I understand who my God is, then I will live faithfully, 
I will serve that master, and I will do it with joy in my heart. 
It will never be the case that I say, well, I knew you were 
a hard man, so I ran and hid. Remember our studies on the fear 
of God or study on the fear of God last Sunday night. Two types. There's a slavish and there's 
a filial. Filial has to do with sonship. I am God's son, therefore 
I fear him accordingly. Slavish is running and hiding 
from him. That's what typifies or characterizes 
this particular slave. He's got that slavish fear. I knew you to be a hard man, 
so I went and I digged and I hid, and I'm going to give you back 
your talent. He probably thought he was doing a good thing. It's 
an amazing reality as well. We're going to lay on our couch 
and wait until Jesus comes and think that somehow we're doing 
service to God. It's really amazing the way the 
devil gets in and makes us think we're actually doing what we're 
supposed to be doing. So the slave was afraid, so he 
buried his master's talent. Listen to Matthew and Henry. 
He says, good thoughts of God would beget love, and that love 
would make us diligent and faithful. But hard thoughts of God beget 
fear, and that fear makes us slothful and unfaithful. It's no accident that this man 
is wicked and unfaithful. He has a wrong doctrine of God. 
You tell me what a man thinks about God, I will tell you how 
he's going to live. You say, well, you're not omniscient. 
No, but there's a couple of clear swaths in the Bible that tell 
us. Romans 1, what's Paul's condemnation? The wrath of God is revealed 
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Don't 
miss the priority. Ungodliness precedes unrighteousness. In other words, when men exclude 
God from their thoughts, when men profess to be wise but become 
fools, when they exchange the truth of God for the lie, when 
they worship and serve the creature rather than the creator, then 
all manner of ungodliness follows, you see? The emphasis in Romans 
1 isn't on how bad man is or can be, though that's part of 
it, it's that man is an idolater. Man has exchanged the glory of 
the incorruptible God. Man knows God, and yet he doesn't 
honor God, nor is his heart thankful. So homosexuality, for instance, 
or the sorts of sexual immorality that we see today, are symptomatic 
of a larger problem. We hate and have excluded God. 
So what a man thinks concerning God affects the way that he serves 
God. And in this instance, I knew 
you to be a hard man, paralyzed him into inactivity. Listen to 
Spurgeon. He says, faith in God begets 
holy fear, but servile fear is the parent of doubt, which in 
its turn has a family of unbelieving rebels. We need to be aware. 
What he thought about God affected his service unto God. Now notice 
the master's rebuke in verses 26 to 28. He condemns him. His master answered and said 
to him, you wicked and lazy servant. That's pretty strong, isn't it? You can't call somebody lazy 
today. But what if they're lazy? Jesus 
wouldn't win brownie points for political correctness, would 
he? He called somebody lazy. He calls people hypocrites. People are excluded from speaking 
at universities in America for less than that today. We can't 
call anybody anything, even if it's true. Again, how'd we get 
here? I still, my head's spinning, 
like what happened to us as a society? But Jesus says, this man is wicked 
and he's lazy, slothful. You've seen sloths before? The 
complete contrary to, say, a cheetah. Sloths are slothful. They just sort of hang out. They 
don't do anything. Probably the emphasis here is 
that he's not slothful when it comes to his own affairs, he's 
slothful with the Master's affairs. See, it may not be the case that 
you just lay on the couch. You may be full of industry, 
full of trade, full of spunk, full of zeal, but is it for the 
Master? Or is it for you? It might just be that in this 
instance. This lazy servant was lazy when it came to the king's 
goods. He wasn't lazy when it came to 
his own garage. He wasn't lazy when it came to 
his own backyard. He wasn't lazy when it came to 
his living room. He was lazy when it came to the 
master's, you see. I knew you to be a hard man, 
so I buried your talent. What'd you do with the money 
you had? Well, you know, I got a new house, I got a new car, I got, 
you know, all this good stuff, Lord! May not have been lazy 
in that regard, but he was lazy with reference to the kingdom. 
And note, I think what we have here is the master using his 
own words against him. Notice in verse 26, you wicked 
and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown 
and gather where I have not scattered seed. Again, in parables, at 
times, if we make this strict parallel, we're gonna have some 
problems theologically, but there are instances in time. I mean, 
unjust judge represents God in Luke chapter 18. Does that mean 
God's unjust? No. But I think what the master 
is doing here is based on your own admission, based on the reality 
that you know I was seeking investment, you knew that I wanted a return 
on my investment, and you did nothing. So brethren, take that 
to heart. As those who have been saved 
from sin, you have been saved to serve. So it cannot be on 
that day for you to say, well, I didn't know that the doctrine 
of justification by faith alone meant I needed to get up off 
the couch and actually go do something nice. Well, if you 
didn't know that heretofore, get up and go do something, okay? I don't want it to be the case 
on the day of judgment, you know, I just didn't know. I think we emphasize 
sanctification as well here. I think we press the necessity 
of good works here as well. As much as we celebrate justification 
by faith alone, we never leave it alone. We always highlight 
the reality that true justification will result in sanctification. So you see, I think the Master's 
doing that. You knew this and you still were lazy? You knew 
I wanted a return on my investment, but you were still lazy? And 
so what's the implication or what's the answer? You should 
have at least deposited in the bank. You know, make me the whatever, 
0.2% interest. Whatever it is today, I think 
it might have been a little bit more then. Now, is Jesus endorsing 
usury and interest? Again, it's a parable. Don't press all these details 
and say, therefore, He's working in a given context, using given 
conventions, and he is giving them specific spiritual application 
based on that. There is a stream of interpretation 
that runs along this particular passage that says, well, in this 
particular parable, we are told that the true Christian needs 
to be a risk taker. We need to be risk-takers for 
God. In other words, what we understand about who God is and 
how He functions ought to embolden us to be risk-takers for God. Now, I don't doubt there's a 
vein of truth in that particular mindset. In other words, there 
are times that you've got to do stuff that maybe you're not 
typically comfortable with. Like, anybody doubt this, come 
with us some Saturday and pass out tracts. I mean, if you've 
never done that, there's going to be a hesitation, there's going 
to be a, you just walk up to somebody and start telling them 
about Jesus. Yeah, you walk up to somebody and start telling 
them about Jesus. So I don't doubt that the scripture 
envisions men and women who are emboldened by the faith that 
they have in God most high, step out in that faith and try great 
things for God. But brethren, I don't know that 
we can press this parable in the service of that doctrine, 
because putting a talent in the bank wasn't especially risky 
business. Of course, there are studies 
that say, well, banks themselves were risky, and they were run 
by pressing the tax too hard. This man is not punished because 
he's not a risk taker. Man is not punished because he 
is not risky. He is punished because he is 
faithless and lazy. See, if we had this view that 
we need to take risks for God, I get it in the North America 
mindset. I'm gonna bungee jump, and while 
I'm on my way down, I'm gonna throw out tracks, and that'll 
demonstrate my riskiness for God. That is just terrible application 
of the word of God. So while the text or the concept 
of being risk-takers for God is no doubt biblical, anything 
that we do for God that is outside of our comfort zone is going 
to feel risky, I don't think that's what the third guy's condemned 
for. God doesn't say or the Master 
doesn't say, because you are not a risk-taker, how is it risky 
to take the talent and put it in the bank? There's not a lot 
of risk there. I mean, it was a matter of walking 
across the street. I guess if we're gonna redefine 
risk, that might fall into play there. Now notice the deprivation 
in verse 28, and this affirms what we see in verse 21. It says, so take the talent from 
him and give it to him who has 10 talents. Is that an intriguing 
statement? Not just that he's taking it 
from the one and giving it to the other, but the other has 
the ten talents, doesn't he? The other has presented the five 
plus five to the master. Somewhere along the story, the 
master gives him back the ten, probably with the implied idea 
that he's going to trade with that as well. This underscores 
that principle of increased responsibility. If you are faithful in little, 
you will be given much. If you are faithful with what 
the master's entrusted to you, you will be given more. And it's 
heaped up upon this ten now, talent-having particular man. 
But you need to appreciate that the man who had the one talent, 
it's been taken away from him. So what's the implication? If 
you're faithful in little, you'll be faithful in much. If you're 
not faithful in little, it's going to be taken from you. It's 
just that simple. It's just that clear. If you 
can't be trusted with one talent in the kingdom, if you can't 
be trusted with the one thing God's given you to do, I mean, 
Spurgeon has this spot where he talks about bad preaching 
and bad preachers, and I think that there's one place, I think 
it's in that context, where he talks about an oyster. You know, 
an oyster doesn't have a lot of contribution to make to society, 
does it? It really has not a lot to do 
in terms of contributing. But it does one thing. It does 
do one thing. And he says that in every, even 
in a bad sermon, there's gonna be at least one thing, so pay 
attention. The point is that I'm trying 
to underscore is that if we've been given even the littlest, 
we need to do at least one thing, right? I mean, isn't that, I'm 
not gonna press this detail, but it was 100% increase. If 
God gives us one and we make one, praise God, right? Now, 
don't go for the bare minimum. Well, I've already made my one, 
so I'm gonna lay down on the couch now. I hope you all see how important 
it is that you who profess faith in Jesus Christ need to evidence 
it or manifest it or live in light of it. The first slave 
had been given back the 10 talents probably to engage in further 
trade and this underscores the promise of increased responsibility 
and the unfaithful slave is deprived. Now notice the master's explanation, 
verses 29 to 30. The faithful will be given more. 
This repeats Matthew 13, 12 in the context of Revelation. Those 
who have been given eyes to see will receive more. Those who 
have not, whatever he had will be taken from him. Now in the 
context we need to appreciate, it's those who have been given 
it and use it accordingly. But this is the explanation. 
Everyone who has, more will be given and he will have abundance, 
but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken 
away. Notice the unfaithful servant 
will be stripped of what they had. I think of that passage 
in 1 Samuel 15. Remember when Saul is told to 
go in and utterly destroy the Amalekites? What does Saul do? 
He doesn't utterly destroy the Amalekites, does he? No, he doesn't. In case you haven't been in 1 
Samuel 15 recently, let me just summarize for you. Samuel comes 
back and he says, did you do what you were supposed to do? 
Yep, we did exactly what the Lord said. And Samuel says, well, 
why am I hearing these oxen and why am I hearing these sheep? 
In other words, if you had actually done what God said, I would hear 
silence. There would be no bleeding sheep 
and there'd be no lowing oxen because they would have tasted 
the edge of your sword. So what does God say through 
Samuel to Saul? I'm gonna take the kingdom from 
you and I'm gonna give it to someone better. Wow. It's the same principle we see 
in Matthew 21, 43, bringing it closer to the context. What does 
Jesus promise there with reference to old covenant Israel? The kingdom 
will be taken from you and will be given to a nation bearing 
the fruits thereof. You see, that's not wickedness 
on the part of the master, that is justice. And then he goes 
on to say, the unfaithful will be punished in hell. He uses 
a phrase that we see in Matthew 8.12, 13.42, 13.50, we saw it 
in 22.13, and we'll see it again in 24.51. Verse 30, and cast the unprofitable servant 
into the outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth. So in the context, the primary 
emphasis in our parable is to flesh out what watchfulness looks 
like. It does not mean to sit, look out the window, and wait 
for Jesus, but it means to go out, take the talents and the 
gifts that you have been given, and sow them, and traffic with 
them, invest them, and seek to bring a return on your master's 
investment. Again, brethren, discover what 
it is by doing something. Go out and serve. And I think 
that we need to appreciate, not everything needs to be formal. 
We have to have a ministry for this in the church before I can 
serve. We have to have a ministry here at the church. Just do something. I mean, can it be that in the 
church today people just do what they're supposed to do if there's 
not an official ministry for that? Have we been so trained 
by civil government that we're so confined that we can't do 
anything without an agency that speaks to that particular issue? I can't turn my lights on without 
the Department of Energy. I can't drive my car without 
the Department of Transport. I can't bank unless the federal 
government has insured it. Can't we just function in the 
church by doing for others without an official superstructure in 
place? I've heard that. Well, you got 
nothing to do in your church. The only people that do anything 
in your church are elders because you teach and you preach all 
the time. Therefore, we're going to take our marbles and find 
a church where they have various ministries. Go ahead, if that's 
what you want to do. Or you could actually do those 
various ministries in an unofficial capacity from brother to brother 
in the context of the local church. Do we somehow think that the 
official sanction, the FGBC stamp validates your service unto God? 
Are we looking for that validation? Can we look for validation in 
the happiness of a brother that we called during the week? Can 
we look for that validation in the happiness of a sister that 
we prayed for during the week? Is that validation enough? I 
mean, I guess I can get a rubber stamp, and if you do good things, 
I'll stamp your paper, give you a star for the day. Brethren, 
the point is, is that we need to be about serving. We need 
to be about doing, not because we think we're gonna get saved, 
but because we've been saved. We've been given, I mean, I would 
say in the Reformed faith, we are five-talent people. We've 
been given a lot. I mean, our kids reciting those 
catechism questions from 930 to 1030 know probably more theology 
than a whole host of people that, you know, have gone to church 
for many, many years. I mean, ask somebody about the 
doctrine of the Trinity and just, three, one, yeah. We treat it like it can't be 
known, like it's splitting the theological atom. It is revealed, 
brethren. The Scripture is clear. We can't 
exhaust the doctrine of the Trinity. We can't know everything about 
the doctrine of the Trinity, but what is revealed is for us 
and for our children. We're five-talent brethren. We 
ought to be serving our Master. I think there are practical lessons 
in light of this particular parable. I'll run through them quickly 
because we need to close. First, the faithful slave listens 
to and obeys the Master. The faithful slave listens to 
and obeys his master. I know that just seems outlandish, 
but that's what discipleship looks like. He listens to his 
master and he obeys the master. Secondly, the faithful slave 
is diligent with what is given to him. He doesn't whine about 
what isn't. This whole idea, well, you didn't 
make me Spurgeon, so I'm just not gonna preach. You didn't 
make me Amy Carmichael, so I'm just not gonna be a woman. You 
didn't make me the Apostle Paul, so I'm just gonna sit here. Imagine running a business like 
that, and you come to one of your employees, and he says, 
well, you didn't make me the CEO, so I'm just gonna sit here 
on the assembly floor. You'd fire him, wouldn't you? 
I'm not paying you to be the CEO. I am paying you to make 
widgets. Make your widgets and make them 
well. But we as God's people say, well, 
I don't want to make widgets. That's way beneath my ability. Just make your widgets and be 
happy. That's what the master's called you to do. If the master 
wants you widget making, then make widgets and please the master. Thirdly, the faithful slave does 
not sit by the window and watch. He immediately gets about the 
task of investing the master's talents. Fourth, the faithful 
slave understands the importance of sound theology. Our understanding 
of who God is affects the way that we will or will not serve 
God. Fifth, the faithful slave understands 
that the doctrine of justification by faith alone is not undone 
by the parable. The works done by the slaves 
evidence the presence or the absence of true saving faith. 
I think that's pretty obvious, pretty apparent and pretty simple 
even for modern commentators to wrap their minds around. Six, 
the faithful slave therefore understands that justification 
by faith alone is no excuse for laziness. I mean, if that's why you're 
in a reformed church, because they properly understand the 
doctrine of sola fide, so you don't have to do anything, then 
you're having the wrong thoughts. Sixth, or seventh, the faithful 
slave understands that the sovereignty of God is no excuse for unfaithfulness 
and laziness either. God's sovereign, he doesn't depend 
upon my efforts. No, he doesn't depend upon your 
efforts. He doesn't depend upon anything. Remember, our proper 
view of who God is, but he calls us to obey him in service. Carson says, grace never condones 
irresponsibility, even those given less are obligated to use 
and develop what they have. And real peculiarly in the context, 
the true slave is not called to be a date setter, but an obedient 
and faithful servant. Remember, he's coming again. 
In light of that, Go out and serve the master. So that I think 
captures what we have in the parable of the talents. One final 
thought, if you're not a believer here this morning, look at what 
Jesus says in verses 29 and 30. It's very scary. Specifically 
verse 30, and cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth. Now there's two ways we can go 
on such threats. It's not a threat. It's not empty. 
It's a promise of judgment or condemnation for those who continue 
to reject and resist the master. On the one hand, you can have 
those who are hellfire and brimstone preachers, and every single week, 
every time they open their mouths, they are preaching the fact that 
you are going to go to hell. I don't think that's our problem 
in Canada and in America today. I think the bell or the pendulum 
has swung the opposite direction where we don't hear much about 
hell. We don't hear much about damnation. We've sort of changed 
God into this just benevolent sort of guy up there who's not 
really vengeful. He's not really angry. He doesn't 
really have any wrath. He just loves everybody and is 
gonna reward everybody. I think there's a practical sort 
of universalism that has infested the popular mind. I think it's 
even probably in the evangelical mind to one degree or other. 
We just can't conceive of a holy God throwing sinners into hell. I mean, you know, Edward's sermon, 
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, not a popular sermon today. 
People don't want to read that the God who made you is like 
holding you over the fire like the way a spider on a web is 
over an open flame. I mean, those are very severe 
sort of things. Edwards was a man that certainly 
preached on the horrors of hell. Dante's Inferno, John Milton, 
these sort of authors in the past that took their artistic 
ability and painted on the canvas this picture of hell. Spurgeon 
reminds us, he says, the most awful and harrowing descriptions 
of hell that ever fell from human lips do not exceed the language 
of the loving Christ himself. And then he goes on to make this 
observation. He is the true lover of men who faithfully warns them 
concerning the eternal woe that waits the impenitent, while he 
who paints the miseries of hell as though they were but trifling 
is seeking to murder men's souls under the pretense of friendship. So in light of that, I don't 
want to lie to you this morning. If you're not a believer in Christ 
Jesus, this is your future. This is your lot. This is what 
you will receive. Our Lord says, cast the unprofitable 
servant into the outer darkness. That in and of itself is horrific, 
isn't it? The outer darkness? What do we 
see in the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins? When 
that bridegroom opens up the door and those five enter in, 
what does that mean? They are present with the bridegroom. 
It means they are in a place of light. It means communion. It means fellowship. So this 
outer darkness must be the contrary of that. It is exclusion from 
the presence of the God of heaven and earth. You will be cast out 
into this outer darkness. So that is that punishment of 
loss. You do not have the presence 
of the living and the true God. But Jesus underscores with the 
punishment of sense. There will be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth. There's no rest for the wicked, 
the prophet Isaiah says. You see, the believer enters 
into joy. The believer enters into rest. The believer enters into all 
that is good in the presence of God. But the unbeliever is 
cast into outer darkness. The unbeliever is cast into that 
place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Avoid 
that, escape that, flee that today by coming unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ. It is by faith alone. It is to look and live. And just 
as Moses lifted that serpent in the wilderness, so must the 
Son of Man be lifted up, that everyone who believes will have 
everlasting life. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for these parables 
that illustrate for us what watchfulness looks like. I believe, God, these 
are easy things to discover on the printed page, far more difficult 
to put into practice in our daily lives. So grant us help, grant 
us spirit, grant us grace that we may be these faithful, these 
good and these faithful servants. Go with us now, we pray and we 
ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.