This morning, we continue our series on “The Parables of Jesus.” We will seek to glean “Pearls from the Parables.”
Understanding God’s Economics
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? Yesterday, we focused on verse 29, which says, “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.” Today, we will flow in this same vein.
1. The generational impact of faithfulness towards God.
(a) Our God is known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for a reason.
— Abraham was the Father of Faith.
— Abraham passed on his faith to his son Isaac. Isaac did not need to start where Abraham did.
— Isaac passed on his faith to his son Jacob. Jacob did not need to start where Isaac did.
— In God’s Kingdom, His desire is for His children to make a generational impact.
— One of the reasons why God wants you to multiply what He puts in your hands is so you can pass on a legacy to your children and your children’s children.
After the generation of Joshua, which saw great victories for the nation of Israel, the Bible says,
(??Judges? ?2?:?10? ?NLT?)
After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. ?
— This generation went from victory to defeat.
— They went backward because the faith was not passed down from generation to generation.
— In God’s Kingdom and in God’s economy, He desires for the faith and His resources to be passed down from generation to generation.
— This is one of the reasons why the principles found in the parable of the talents are so important.
— This is also why those of Israeli descent (i.e. Jews), have no problem receiving wealth from God and seeing it as a blessing and a responsibility to pass it down to their children and their children’s children.
(b) Legacy and Inheritance.
— Being faithful in God’s economy sets up a legacy of abundance for future generations.
— Our faithfulness today has implications for future generations.
— What we build in abundance and overflow can be passed down as a Kingdom inheritance.
— Understand this: when you’re faithful in God’s economy, you’re not just accumulating wealth; you’re setting up a Kingdom legacy. You’re laying down tracks for the blessing train to keep running through generations to come!
— God is looking for your actions to have a ripple effect in your bloodline!
— Your faithfulness today is a seed sown into the soil of tomorrow.
— Once again, this isn’t just about money; it’s about passing down faith, wisdom, and Kingdom principles. — You’re setting up your descendants to start where you finished, not where you started.
— Joshua started where Moses finished.
— Elisha started where Elijah ended.
— Your ceiling should become their floor!
(c) Multi-generational blessing.
The Bible says, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous“(Proverbs 13:22 NIV).
The same Bible says, “Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD” (Proverbs 19:14 NKJV).
— God thinks generationally, and so should we if we want to operate in Kingdom abundance.
— When thinking and praying about what God wants to do in, with, and through your life, remember, it’s BIGGER than you!
— God’s plan is always bigger than you think.
— It’s about your children and your children’s children.
— Your life is a link in a divine chain of blessing!
— Proverbs 13:22 isn’t just a nice saying; it’s a Kingdom principle.
— Dr. Bill Winston often talks about Kingdom dominion. When you think generationally, you’re taking dominion over the future, by faith and works, ensuring that your lineage will be blessed and be in a position to BE a blessing.
2. In God’s Kingdom, faithful stewardship leads to JOY and REWARD!
(a) After the faithful stewards were told they did well, they were welcomed to “Enter the JOY of the Lord!“
— It’s like the master was saying, “Hey son, you did so well that I want you to experience MY JOY!“
— While our salvation is based on Jesus’ works and our faith in Jesus’ finished work alone, our performance will be judged when we stand before God.
— If we have done well, we will hear, “Well done!“
— We will then get to experience an amazing JOY… the JOY of the Lord… the JOY of knowing that we did what the Father wanted us to do with what He entrusted into our care.
— I don’t know about you, but I want to hear, “Well done!” This is one of the reasons why I run so hard. I attempt to be OPEN to whatever God wants to do through my life; however He wants to do it.
— It’s not just about being a faithful steward over money. It’s about being a faithful steward over your LIFE!
(b) Eternal rewards that start now!
— Faithfulness brings rewards, both in this life and in eternity.
— What you do for God won’t only be rewarded in eternity; it starts right here!
— Your faithfulness isn’t just about temporal gain; it’s storing up treasures in heaven. You’re making eternal investments. But thankfully, it’s not JUST about eternal investments.
— Your faithfulness triggers rewards that you will experience in eternity, but thankfully, it also triggers rewards you can experience in the here and now.
— God wants you to make it to heaven, but He also wants you to enjoy the ride!
— He wants you to have and ENJOY life right now!
Testimony:
Sometimes I have to travel. Sometimes I have to go to dinners. Sometimes, my alarm clock goes off, and I am tired, in a hotel room, and I don’t feel like getting up to do Today’s Word. But God gave me this ministry. Since God gave it to me, it means He gave me the grace to do it. God has provided the grace, but I must provide the faith and action.
If I ever choose one day (which has never happened, by the way) to just stay in bed and “skip” Today’s Word, it’s not like God is going to stop me. He won’t force me to do His will. He did not knock the fruit out of Adam’s hand. He won’t push me out of bed. He will allow whatever I allow. He will permit whatever I permit. But for 26 years now, whether I was in Bosnia, Kuwait, Korea, Iraq, Germany, or hotel rooms all over the USA, I have gotten up to what God told me to do. I have not done it with an attitude. I have not done it reluctantly or begrudgingly. I get up knowing that my calling is calling me. I love it. I get JOY from it.
The two faithful stewards were excited when the master came back. They were happy to say, “Look Sir, I doubled your money!” I love it when I can finish Today’s Word and say, “Father, I know I just did what You have called me to do. I put Your Word out into people’s hearts. I am doing what you birthed me to do. I am stewarding the one life you gave me.”
Please don’t take this the wrong way. I am not tooting my own horn. I am just testifying of the goodness of God and the JOY you can receive when you are doing what God called you to do. Don’t be the like the unfaithful steward who buried his talent. Make the most of what the ONE LIFE God gave you, and you will experience a JOY that far exceeds anything this world has to offer! Living this way, you not only get the excitement of knowing that you are sowing seeds for an eternal reward, but you also get the benefit of walking in the blessing RIGHT NOW!
3. The cost of complacency!
(a) Your actions or inactions have consequences.
— Doing nothing is not a neutral act; it has consequences.
— There is danger in doing nothing! Complacency isn’t a neutral zone; it’s a danger zone.
— Doing nothing is essentially doing something—it’s choosing to disobey God’s principles.
(b) Complacency and procrastination put you at risk of losing what you have.
— The verse warns that even what little the unfaithful steward has will be taken away.
— Complacency and procrastination aren’t just thieves of time; they’re robbers of destiny. You risk losing even the little you have.
(c) In the Kingdom, you must learn the urgency of the moment.
— We must act now with what we have or risk losing the opportunity for future blessings.
— Dr. Myles Munroe often said, “The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without purpose.” Don’t miss your moment. Recognize the urgency of now, and act on what God has given you.
— I have done a great deal of teaching on divine timing. If you’re complacent, you’ll miss your season of blessing.
— God operates in appointed times; don’t let procrastination make you miss yours.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You are a generational God.
I declare that my faithfulness today is setting up a Kingdom legacy for my children and my children’s children.
I will pass down the faith and Your principles to the next generation.
I align my actions to have a ripple effect in my bloodline. My ceiling will be their floor!
I think generationally because You think generationally. My life is a link in a divine chain of blessings.
Father, You have provided the grace for my calling, and I will provide the faith and action.
Father, I reject complacency and procrastination. I will not risk losing even the little I have.
I recognize the urgency of now. I will act on what You have given me, so I don’t miss my season of blessing.
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!
