LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 25:21 & 23, 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.’

Pastor Ed Newton’ s message this weekend was about serving God and what the result of doing so brings – especially when the Believer stands before the Judgment seat of Christ. This is the time that the works he/she did are judge. This judgment is not about one’s salvation. That is taken care of when one accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior. The Judgment Seat of Christ is about “What I did with all the gifts God gave me” (EN). He continued, God is going to bless service; [the Believer] already has His love”.

To support this, Pastor Newton used the Parable of the Talents that Jesus used in Matthew 25. In that parable Jesus told of a master that went away, giving a servant 10 talents, another servant 5 talents, and a third servant 1 talent. The first two servants added to the talents they were given. The third was afraid of the master, buried the talent he was given, and gave back to the master only what he was given. Pastor centered his teaching on using the talent(s) God has given to us for His glory, to serve the kingdom of God on earth; Believers are not to “bury” the talent God has given them meaning not use it.

Pastor stated, Believers are “to remember the source” or who gives the talent(s) they have. “You have been entrusted with talent(s), gifts, to be used for God’s glory. Your time, your ability, your resources, even your opportunities, everything you have is from God, to serve Him. You are to use it without taking credit for what you have. You are the steward not the Source.” Be careful about taking the credit for what you have or what you have done with your talent(s). As I look back on different success stories, when I began to think more highly of myself, my abilities, those things were taken away from me!

Secondly, Pastor Newton pointed out that the talents were not distributed equally. They were given according to the individual’s capacity to handle what was given to them. “Stay faithful with what you have been given. Stay faithful in the little things and be thankful for what you have been given!” One gets in trouble when trying to live in what another Believer has been given. God will hold you accountable for what He has given you. Do not “bury” the talent(s) God has given you. “Grow in your capacity to use your talent(s); gifts come with responsibility of being used” (EN).

Pastor’s third point stated the reason you are blessed is for stewardship. “A buried gift does not bless anything!” Your talent(s) may be a blessing to others!

Pastor’s fourth point comes back to the Judgment Seat of Christ – there is a day of settlement coming! The master (Lord Jesus) is coming, and He is coming to bring rewards. 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” Remember this is NOT about salvation; this is about one’s work done for the glory of God. Read 1 Corinthians 3:9-15.

Verses 13-15 highlight what Pastor is saying, “each one's work will become manifest, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone 's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” This is an examination by God of each Believer’s motives, desires, and reasons for serving Him. Rewards come from the quality of the believer’s service. Again, this is not one’s salvation!

So, Believer redirect your life towards this future day of settlement (Pastor’s last point). Being told “Well done, good and faithful servant” is reward enough because it comes from the Lord Jesus Christ for using the talent(s) given to you. If you take a close look, He gives the opportunity for greater service to those who are faithful in the little things, it’s not about prestige, but about being used in greater ways. It is about entering into a joy that is shared in our relationship to Jesus Christ Himself.