1/19/25 “Use it or Lose it!”
“Use it or Lose it!”
Matthew 25:14-30
If you ask the robots over at Google the definition of the word underachiever, you will likely get this reply:
“An underachiever is someone who is expected to perform at a high level based on their talent or potential, but consistently falls short of those expectations.”
The world of music is full of underachievers…or “One-Hit-Wonders” as they are sometimes called….
…artists or groups who have enormous commercial success with a debut record – but then are never heard from again.
People can be considered underachievers in almost any area of life, but nowhere does an underachiever stand out more prominently than in the world of sports.
So often, a young up-and-coming athlete will amaze people with abilities that are far beyond their years…
…Skill wise, they will be on a trajectory that will make it appear as though the sky is the limit regarding future success.
…but then, they soon hit a plateau and stop improving…allowing other athletes to catch up to them and – many times – surpass them.
Some of you remember the name Sam Okey.
Back in the mid 90’s, Sam played high school basketball in the small town of Cassville, WI – down near Platteville.
In high school, Sam was an absolute beast of a player.
He stood 6’ 7”, had a strong athletic frame, possessed great basketball instincts, and had the ability to play virtually any position on the floor…
He single-handedly led the Casseville Comets to a 54-game winning streak, including back-to-back division 4 state titles in 1994 & 1995.
Sam was recruited by virtually every major Division 1 school in the nation, including Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana….and Wisconsin.
Growing up a Badger fan, Sam chose to accept the scholarship offered to him by the University of Wisconsin.
…Everyone - including your pastor – who, at the time, was just finishing up his undergrad at the UW – could not wait to see how this young kid from a town of 1,100 people would fare in the rough & tumble Big Ten conference.
…well, in his Freshman season at the UW, Sam did not disappoint.
…He averaged 13 points a game and earned the prestigious Big Ten Freshman of the year award…
People couldn’t wait to see what the next year would bring for this former high-school McDonalds All-American….and most talked about high school player to ever come out of the state of WI – at least up until that time.
But when Sam began his Sophomore year…..something wasn’t right.
Sam had gained some weight during the offseason and he seemed to just be blending in with the other players on the court rather than being a dominant force as everyone had expected to see.
…His scoring average and minutes on the court also declined as Sam & coach Dick Bennet did not really get along too well…
Soon, it had become apparent that not only would Sam Okey never lead Wisconsin to a national championship, but that Sam would no longer even be a Badger.
Out of frustration, Sam ended up transferring and played his final year of eligibility at Iowa where he would produce only meager numbers.
So…what happened?
How could someone with such a high ceiling – even at the D1 collegiate level – fizzle out so quickly?
In Sam’s case, there was talk of drugs & alcohol…A party mentality…as well as losing a commitment to excellence regarding the strict regimen that D1 basketball players were expected to follow.
Sam was a classic – and very public - example of an underachiever.
…perhaps only outdone by Green Bay Packer Tony Mandarich (Packer fans, you know who I’m talking about!)
Sam was blessed with incredible natural talent, but he never utilized that talent to its full potential.
In our passage for today, we see another example of an underachiever….
…Someone who had been given the opportunity and ability to do kingdom work for the Lord, but they squandered their opportunity.
…rather than obediently and productively serving their master, they chose to selfishly attend to their own affairs and interests….
…One man’s lazy disobedience that eventually led to his eternal condemnation.
The parable that we are looking at today is known as the ‘Parable of the Talents’…
…and it’s a story that Jesus tells amidst a number of other parables in Matthew chapters 24 & 25 - all dealing with his second coming…
Jesus had just finished telling parables about a Faithful Houseowner, a wise servant, and ten virgins…
…All of these stories are eschatological in nature – meaning they convey messages about the end times, and the second coming of the savior.
Our passage for today picks up in verse 14 (Matthew 25:14) of Matthew chapter 25 where we are told that a man is going on a journey….
…A journey that will obviously last for quite some time as he will be needing to delegate some of his property-related business to a few servants while he is gone.
It was a common practice in those days for wealthy landowners to entrust their business dealings to servants who – in many cases – were educated enough to competently handle their master’s business…
…The servants would have been given authority to act in the name of their master during his absence…it would be similar to having ‘Power of Attorney.’
Verse 15 (Matthew 25:15) informs us that this particular landowner divides his estate amongst 3 servants…
…each of them receiving a certain amount of money to use for their master while he is away.
The first servant receives 5 talents, the second servant receives 2 talents, and the third servant receives 1 talent.
If you’re curious, the word “Talent” usually refers to money in scripture, but the word itself simply indicates a measurement of weight.
So – for instance – a ‘talent’ of gold would have been extremely valuable, while a ‘talent’ of copper or bronze would have been much less valuable.
For some context, in the 1st century, one talent of silver – which is most likely what we see in this story - would have weighed around 33 Kilograms…
…the current price of silver today (in January 2025) is $975 per kilogram…
Therefore, 33 kilograms – or one talent - would be equivalent to $32,175 in today’s economy.
Converting these values in the parable to current amounts, the servant who was given 5 talents would be dealing with roughly $160,000 today.
The servant given 2 talents was dealing with $64,000
The servant given 1 talent was still dealing with a decent amount of money at $32,000
This isn’t chump change. These were serious amounts of money that the master left for his servants to work with.
Jesus goes on to tell us that the servant who was given 5 talents immediately invested the money, eventually resulting in him doubling his master’s investment..
Same is true of the second servant. He invests his two talents and eventually doubles the value.
We are told, however, that the servant who received the single talent chooses to do nothing with it…he simply digs a hole in the backyard, buries it, and seemingly forgets about it.
In verse 19 (Matthew 25:19) the master finally returns to settle accounts with his servants.
In verse 21 (Matthew 25:21) the master applauds the first servant for using his 5 talents to gain 5 more.
In verse 22 (Matthew 25:22) the master congratulates the second servant for doubling his talents as well.
The master tells both of these servants that he is pleased with their performance, and that their faithfulness & good attitude will be rewarded with greater responsibilities in the future.
Do any of you remember a tv show from about 10 years ago called “Barter Kings”?....I think it was on the A&E network.
The show was about 2 guys who would start with a low-priced item and begin bartering for something of higher value - with absolutely no cash being exchanged…It was always one item in exchange for another item.
…they would continue “bartering up” through various items until they eventually had something of very high value.
If I remember right, one episode saw them begin with an old record player and they eventually bartered their way up to owning a boat!
As a retail store owner at the time, this show really appealed to me…and it also reminded me of the parable of the talents…
These two servants were each given a certain amount to work with…and they each spent a good deal of time and energy “bartering up”, so to speak, for their master.
Then, in verse 24 (Matthew 25:24) we meet the servant who had been given 1 talent….which he had decided to bury in the ground.
When the master confronts him, he begins to rattle off excuse after excuse as to why he hadn’t done anything with his master’s money.
He tries to turn the tables on his master with a string of false accusations, attempting to paint him as something that he was not….
…all in the attempt to excuse himself of his own laziness and apathy toward his duties…and his attitude of disrespectful contempt toward his master.
In verse 26 (Matthew 25:26) the master is understandably upset as he reiterates the servants’ false accusations against him…
..and then in verse 27 (Matthew 25:27) the owner of the estate has a “mic-drop” moment where he tells the servant that if he really had been afraid of his master…
…then he would have made sure to invest the money like the other two servants had done.
Essentially, he exposed the third servant’s own hypocrisy and irrational reasoning.
In verses 28 & 29 (Matthew 25:28-29) we see the master order that the single talent be taken away from the third servant and given to the first servant…
…and then in verse 30 (Matthew 25:30) we hear these chilling words from the mouth of the master “Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This servant had drastically underachieved…
He didn’t even attempt to use what had been entrusted to him for the benefit of his master…
Therefore, the wicked and lazy servant would be thrown out of the estate…into the dark night where he would no longer experience the safety and privilege of the master’s household.
This brings us to the spiritual lesson of this parable, and what the various elements represent.
If you haven’t guessed already, the master who leaves for a long journey is Jesus…
…and the three servants who each receive talents are professed believers.
…Unfortunately, only two of the three servants turn out to be genuine believers…the third servant is a Christ-follower in name only.
While the master is away, this servant claims to be obedient….he enjoys the privileges of living at the master’s estate along with the other servants…
…However, His continual disobedience and lack of love for his master reveal a heart that is unfaithful and self-serving…full of pride and greed.
The third slave represents a professed Christian whose view of God is corrupt because his unredeemed heart is still corrupt.
…He views God through the lens of his own depravity.
…and this distorted lens – broken from the effects of sin – revealed a God who was distant, uncaring, unjust, and undependable.
…completely the opposite of the true loving and merciful God in whom genuine believers serve.
Instead of judging themselves in light of God’s inerrant word…
…these “Christians-in-name-only” judge God in the light of their own perverted perceptions…or unreliable feelings.
The New Testament continually warns us that there will always be people associated with the church who claim to be followers of Christ, but whose hearts are actually far from him.
1 John 2:19 describes disingenuous Christians when it says: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”
In other words, there will be people who say all the right things, but their actions will tell a different story as to where their spiritual allegiance lies.
They will either use what God has given them in service to Him…or they will use their talents exclusively in the service of themselves.
In the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus reminds us that our actions will shed a light upon what is truly in one’s heart.
He says in Matthew 7:20 “…Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
This isn’t works-based salvation….but rather an indication of genuine life transformation.
The works we do – the “fruit” in our lives….the utilization of our talents…
These aren’t what make us righteous in God’s sight…
Justification is only accomplished through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ…
But our works – our fruit – they most certainly do provide an external measurement of our internal heart condition…
…and if one’s life displays bad fruit….or no fruit….it simply means that individual still needs to humbly come before the Lord, repent of their sins, and ask for forgiveness.
….regardless of what they currently profess to believe.
It is to those individuals who may profess allegiance to Christ but in reality have hearts of stone that Jesus will say: “….I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23)
These sober words from the mouth of the savior ought to really make us examine our own lives…shouldn’t they.
Are you using what God has given you for the advancement of His kingdom…and His glory?
…Or have you hidden your talent in the ground?
…Are you consistently attending to only the things that bring self-satisfaction and worldly pleasure…ignoring those things that bring honor and glory to God?
Or – like the first two servants – are you consistently sacrificing your own desires in order to spend time, energy, and talent on furthering God’s eternal kingdom?
One important thing to remember from this parable is that although the first two servants were given different talent amounts, they were each praised in the very same manner by the master of the estate.
The exact same thing is true of genuine believers today.
Whatever level of talent God has bestowed upon you is exactly what He wants you to utilize to the best of your ability in the service of His kingdom.
Don’t get caught up in comparing yourself to others!!!
As part of my prep work for Sundays, I read and listen to a good number of online sermons every week….and sometimes I think to myself “Man, I wish I could deliver a sermon like Adrian Rogers or Tony Evans or Skip Heitzig.
…or “If I could just have a deeper level of theological understanding on certain topics”…
…or “How I wish I was a better counselor”
But then, I’m reminded of my personal hero in this parable….
My hero is the 2-talent servant.
The 2-talent servant didn’t sit there jealously comparing himself with the servant who had been given five talents.
…rather, he just went about his business doing what he could do with what the master had entrusted him with.
Brothers & Sisters in Christ, this is extremely important for us to remember as well.
God knows exactly what spiritual talents he’s given you to use…therefore, he only expects you to work with those specific talents.
Don’t compare yourself to the person sitting beside you in the pew….or anyone else here this morning…
Just use what God has given you…but what you have been given, use it to the best of your ability.
Oh, and by the way, God has given every single one of us talents in our lives to use for His kingdom…
…no one here this morning can claim they haven’t been given something to use for the Lord.
Are you good with kids?...good – use that ability to help with children’s church.
Are you a good singer or musician?...good – use that ability to bless others through your talents.
Are you good at serving others?...good – use that ability to serve as a volunteer at Potter’s Meals or the monthly food distribution.
Are you good at cooking?...good – use that ability to provide a fellowship meal.
Are you good at vehicle maintenance?...good – use that ability to help those with questions about their own vehicle.
Are you good at talking? ( I know some of you are very good at talking! 😊)...good – use that ability to strike up conversations that lift others up and remind them of God’s faithfulness.
……Don’t just talk about yourself & what’s going on in your own life...use your chat-bot powers for good!...show you truly care for others by asking them about their lives…
….and – most importantly - spend time talking about the savior…the only reason why we have any hope in this broken, sin-wrecked hopeless world.
It’s really not hard to find ways that your specific skill set can bless others…and, by doing so, you are glorifying God – and, as a result, God will be pleased.
This is how we go about managing our master’s business while we are here on this earth…this is how we produce more talents for the Lord.
One final observation to note concerning this parable.
Verses 28 & 29 (Matthew 25:28-29) are important verses to understand. This idea of taking the talent from one servant and giving it to another can sometimes be mis-interpreted and mis-applied.
What is not being said here is that God will take away your gifts, talents, or abilities if you are not using them for His service….
For instance, if you have a beautiful singing voice and choose not to use it to bless others, God is not in the business of sending a curse upon your vocal chords….leaving you sounding like Bob Dylan (Sorry if you’re a Dylan fan)
….or if you have squandered your ability to serve others in some way, God generally doesn’t take those things away from people.
What’s being conveyed here in these two verses involves salvation.
If you reach the end of your life, and you are standing before almighty God…
…and your life is reviewed to find that all of the talents that God bestowed upon you were wasted – they were never used – they were buried in the ground….
If this is the case, then it will also be evident that you never had a saving relationship with Jesus Christ…
…and if you die without knowing Jesus, that leaves only one option for your future since a holy God cannot live forever with an unrepentant, sin-stained soul.
Jesus describes that only option in verse 30 (Matthew 25:30)…whenever the bible uses the terminology of darkness with “weeping and gnashing of teeth”, it refers to a real place called hell.
God doesn’t want people going to hell.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God “….wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
But…God also created us with free will.
And, God allows us to exercise that free will – with some it takes the shape of a lifetime of rejection of his son.
Therefore, God does not “send anyone to hell”…rather, He allows men to experience the result of their choosing to live a lifetime of unrepentant sin…
…which is to spend eternity in a place away from God and all things that are good, beautiful, right, and just….that is the definition of hell.
The bible says it is a place of torture…a place of hopelessness…a place of continual grieving…and a place of unrelenting regret.
…It is the worst you’ve ever felt in your lifetime – magnified a thousand times – Experienced for all of eternity.
This is what is meant by taking the talent from one and giving it to another.
The soul who lived for God will continue to gain new responsibilities and jobs in the eternal kingdom of God…
…while the soul who chooses to reject Christ over the course of a lifetime will have the potential of eternal life ripped from him.
Brothers and sisters….let this parable be a warning to all of us while we still have breath in our lungs.
Let it force us to take a deep look at our own lives…and if you see that you have buried your talent in the ground…
…don’t lose hope!
…if there is still air in your lungs, you still have the opportunity to come to Jesus….to dig that talent up out of the ground and begin using it!
Don’t be an underachiever and leave this world without knowing Him……..Let’s Pray