This morning, we continue our series on “The Parables of Jesus.” We will seek to glean “Pearls from the Parables.”
Before we get to the parable, let’s look at a scripture we have been looking at all year. This is something I believe the Lord wants us to meditate on.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us.
(Matthew 25:14-30 TPT)
14 “Again, heaven’s kingdom is like a wealthy man who went on a long journey and summoned all his trusted servants and assigned his financial management over to them. 15 Before he left on his journey, he entrusted a bag of five thousand gold coins to one of his servants, to another a bag of two thousand gold coins, and to the third a bag of one thousand gold coins, each according to his ability to manage.
16 “The one entrusted with five thousand gold coins immediately went out and traded with the money, and he doubled his investment. 17 In the same way, the one who was entrusted with two thousand gold coins traded with the sum and likewise doubled his investment. 18 But the one who had been entrusted with one thousand gold coins dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
19 “After much time had passed, the master returned to settle accounts with his servants. 20 The one who was entrusted with five thousand gold coins came and brought ten thousand, saying, ‘See, I have doubled your money.’
21 “Commending his servant, the master replied, ‘You have done well, and proven yourself to be my loyal and trustworthy servant. Because you have been a faithful steward to manage a small sum, now I will put you in charge of much, much more. You will experience the delight of your master, who will say to you, “Enter into the joy of your Lord!” ‘
22 “Then the one who had been entrusted with two thousand gold coins came in and said, ‘See, my master, I have doubled what you have entrusted to me.’
23 “Commending his servant, the master replied, ‘You have done well, and proven yourself to be my loyal and trustworthy servant. Because you were faithful to manage a small sum, now I will put you in charge of much, much more. You will experience the delight of your master, who will say to you, “Enter into the joy of your Lord!” ‘
24 “Then the one who had been entrusted with one thousand gold coins came to his master and said, ‘Look, sir. I know that you are a hard man to please and you’re a shrewd and ruthless businessman who grows rich on the backs of others. 25 I was afraid of you, so I went and hid your money and buried it in the ground. But here it is–take it, it’s yours.’
26 “But his master said to him, ‘You’re an untrustworthy and lazy servant! If you knew I was a shrewd and ruthless business man who always makes a profit, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? 27 Then I would have received it all back with interest when I returned. 28 But because you were unfaithful, I will take the one thousand gold coins and give them to the one who has ten thousand. 29 For the one who has will be given more, until he overflows with abundance. And the one with hardly anything, even what little he has will be taken from him.’
30 “Then the master said to his other servants, ‘Now, throw that good-for-nothing servant far away from me into the outer darkness, where there will be great misery and anguish!’ “
So, what does this mean for you today? We will seek to learn some lessons from the mistakes of the unfaithful steward.
1. The Unfaithful Steward Chose Fear Over Faith:
— The unfaithful steward was afraid of losing the talent, so he buried it. His fear-based decision-making led to inaction, which is a common trap many fall into when entrusted with Kingdom responsibilities.
— The unfaithful steward acted out of fear rather than faith.
— He was more concerned about losing the talent than he was about multiplying it for the master’s benefit.
— He was afraid of his master. When the master came back, the servant said, “Look, sir. I know that you are a hard man to please… who grows rich on the backs of others. I was afraid of you, so I went and hid your money and buried it in the ground. But here it is–take it, it’s yours.”
— He was so afraid of the master that he failed to do anything with what the master gave him.
— He was paralyzed by fear. So much so that he failed to take any action.
— Don’t make this mistake. Some people, not knowing what to do, choose to do nothing. They are paralyzed by fear.
— They are so afraid of failing that they would rather not even try.
— This man did not even try to produce a return on the master’s investment.
— Please don’t allow fear to paralyze you and cause you to miss out on God’s best.
— God is looking for faith, not fear. When you operate in faith, you launch out to do what you believe God has called you to do. Faith is an action word.
— You will not always get it right. You will make mistakes. You will “miss it” from time to time. But you can never hit a home run if you don’t take a swing. You can never walk on water if you are too afraid to get out of the boat.
— Don’t allow fear to cripple you. You are the just, and the just live by faith!
2. The Unfaithful Steward Misunderstood the Character of the Master:
— The unfaithful steward did not truly know his master, and he certainly did not understand the master’s heart.
— The unfaithful steward said this to the master, “Look, sir. I know that you are a hard man to please… who grows rich on the backs of others. I was afraid of you, so I went and hid your money and buried it in the ground. But here it is–take it, it’s yours.”
— He thought the master was setting him up for failure. He did not realize the master was setting him up for success.
— When you don’t trust God, you open your heart up to be deceived by satan.
— In Genesis 2, we see how God setup Adam and Eve for success. They were the original stewards.
— God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed to be successful. They did not work for any of it. It was all given to them by God’s unearned grace.
— God wanted them to advance His Kingdom on this planet. They were supposed to steward what they were given well.
— Satan came to the woman and said, “God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened [that is, you will have greater awareness], and you will be like God, knowing [the difference between] good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
— The problem is that Adam and Eve were already like God. Satan wanted them to feel like they were lacking something when, the truth is, they had everything they needed
— The unfaithful steward in the text was deceived. His master had given him everything he needed to be successful, but because he allowed satan to get him to think the wrong way about the master, he wound up doing NOTHING with what the master gave him.
— Satan had this man operating in fear instead of faith. As a result, he saw the master as harsh and unforgiving.
— Don’t make this mistake. Don’t let satan cause you to think the wrong things about God because you only get one shot at life.
— If you allow satan to deceive you, you can spend hours, days, weeks, months, years, and maybe even decades outside of God’s will.
— If the unfaithful steward had a proper understanding of the master (God), if he knew the master’s heart (love), and the master’s intentions (grace), he would have been empowered to do something with what he had been given.
— Learn from the mistake of the unfaithful steward. Open your heart to God’s love and grace. Embrace His grace to empower you to make the most of the time and resources He has given you access to. Become a faithful steward of your time, talents, and treasure.
3. The Unfaithful Steward was Self-Centered:
— The unfaithful steward acted as if the talent was his own, to do with as he pleased. He failed to grasp the key principle of stewardship: that we don’t own anything; we are merely managers of God’s resources.
— His focus was on himself and not on the master’s expectations or desires.
— He even accused the master of being a “hard man,” shifting the blame for his own inaction.
— This self-centered attitude is contrary to the Kingdom principle of stewardship, which is all about managing someone else’s resources wisely.
— When you are self-centered, your life is all about you, which is the opposite of what God wants. God wants you to live your life with this mindset, “Father, my life is ALL ABOUT YOU!”
— I teach #TheGraceLife. This means that our lives are all about God; we are to live our lives for God, focused on His purpose and empowered by His grace.
— If you live #TheGraceLife, you will be living a life that is basically the opposite of self-centeredness. Your life will be God-centered.
— The two faithful stewards in the text saw it as a privilege and an honor to be able to double the master’s money.
— When they were given an assignment from the master, they did not have an “Oh man, this is something I’ve GOT TO DO!” mentality. No. Their mentality was: “Wow! Praise God. This is something WE GET TO DO!”
— If I were to ask the average person on the street what the opposite of love is, most would say, “hate.” But in God’s Kingdom, the opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of God’s love is selfishness.
— When you are selfish and self-centered, you are living your life completely opposed to God, His love, and His grace.
4. The Unfaithful Steward Missed an Opportunity for Growth:
— By burying his talent, the unfaithful steward missed an opportunity for growth and development. The master was not just testing his ability to generate profit but also his capacity to handle greater responsibilities.
— The faithful stewards heard this from the master, “Because you were faithful to manage a small sum, now I will put you in charge of much, much more.”
— When you fail to make the most of what God has given you in the present, not only are you failing to do what God called you to do NOW, but you are also running the risk of missing out on what God has for you NEXT!
— I believe one of the reasons why he missed out is because he lacked vision.
— If you can’t see what God is trying to do in the long term, it is easy for you to miss what He wants you to do in the short term.
— The unfaithful stewards had a narrow focus. All he could think about was the one talent he had been given and how he did not want to lose it.
— He missed the broader picture of advancing the kingdom of his master. Not only did he have an opportunity for kingdom expansion, but in the process, he had an opportunity for personal growth.
— Don’t miss out on what God is trying to do in/with/through your life due to a lack of vision. Don’t be short-sighted.
— God is too big of a God, and His grace on your life is too powerful for God just to be concerned with your “here and now.” God is thinking about your future. God is thinking about the plans He made for you before the world began.
— When God looks at you, He sees you, your children, and your children’s children.
— When God leads you to launch out into a venture, He is attempting to impact you and the generations to come.
— God is so big of a God that what He is telling you to do now is something that will impact your grandchildren, and He knows that.
— Please don’t be so short-sighted that you fail to make the most of the “little” God has given you to manage now. If you fail the test of the NOW, you may miss out on the blessing of the NEXT!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I will not be paralyzed by fear; instead, I will take action in faith, knowing that You have equipped me for every good work.
I know Your heart and Your character. You are not a hard master but a loving Father who sets me up for success, not failure.
I reject every lie from the enemy that tries to distort my view of You. I will not be deceived into thinking You are against me.
I understand I am a steward of Your resources, not an owner. My life is all about You and Your Kingdom.
I am not self-centered; I am God-centered. I live #TheGraceLife, focused on Your purpose and empowered by Your grace.
I seize the opportunities You give me for growth and Kingdom advancement.
I have a vision that goes beyond the here and now. I am focused on Your eternal purpose for my life and the generations to come.
Father, I am committed to passing every test in the NOW so that I can step into the blessings of the NEXT!
Living with this mindset, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
