Sermon - Conquering Fear on the Road to Wholeness - Part Two

Conquering Fear on the Road to Wholeness – Matthew 25:14-30

Part Two

Similarly, the worker given two talents followed the same path as his coworker with five talents.  These two employees promptly responded to God’s grace and gifts.  They forsook wishful thinking and anxiety.  As they began to seek a return on their master’s investments, they overcame any doubts or fears that they may have felt.

In stark contrast to his fellow employees, the third servant chose a different path.  The text states, “[he] went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”  Grotesquely, the evangelist’s description is reminiscent of the act of defecating.  He literally sat on the gift that he received. 

Suddenly, “after a long time, the master …  returned and settled accounts with them.”  The text provides no details about the master’s abrupt and seemingly unexpected return.  Parenthetically, although many contemporary pastors forego preaching about the Second Coming of Christ and His imminent return as past generations of clergy did, we believe and affirm that the Lord Jesus will come again as the Bible says.  It shall be quick, sudden and unexpected.  How will we fare in settling accounts concerning our stewardship over talents, gifts and responsibilities that the Lord entrusts to us?

Jesus; audience understood this parable as a lesson regarding the spread of the gospel in His absence.  The evangelist envelopes “The Parable of the Talents” between two other “signs of the End of the Age” parables, “The Parable of the Ten Virgins” and “The Parable of The Sheep and The Goats.”  All three parables warn believers of the necessity of duty in preaching the Gospel and faithfulness in daily living. 

The Scriptures teach “to whom much is given, much is required.”  Consequently, the master summoned the servant with five talents to assess his profits and losses.  Not surprisingly, this servant confidently rectified his accounts.  He forthrightly acknowledged the initial investment that his master made in him.  He explains his use of the talents.  With superlative self-esteem and personal assurance, this servant summarizes his activities during his master’s absence.  “Here are five more that I have gained.”

The twenty-first verse teaches the importance of faithfulness and stewardship.  The evangelist emphasizes these virtues as he utilizes the word, “faithful,” twice.  The master responds, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful with this small sum [with a few things].  Because of your faithfulness in these small matters, I will give you charge of a great one [put you in charge of many things.] Come and share your master’s happiness [joy].” 

A few lifelong lessons are readily evident.  Faithfulness primarily qualifies disciples for God’s work.  He prefers persons who are faithful over people who are multitalented.  Throughout the Bible, the one criterion that God’s human instruments share is faithfulness; for example, consider the lives of Noah, Joseph, Joshua, Gideon, Hannah, Mary, Phoebe, Lydia, etc.  These inductees in the “Faith’s Hall of Fame” as the eleventh chapter of Hebrews details possess unrelenting faithfulness.  If you wish to serve as an instrument of God’s will and vessel of His love, then cultivate the quality of faithfulness.  Additionally, faithfulness often requires small steps; proverbially crawling before one walks.  One biblical commentator suggests, “Fidelity in small things leads to much greater reward, a reward which consists in still greater responsibilities.”  If we have not been trustworthy and responsible over small, less challenging affairs, can we reasonably expect control of larger and more important matters?  Third, faithfulness often solidifies the characteristic of discipline which yields productivity and success which in turn creates myriad possibilities for happiness.  The unbridled joy of completion, accomplishment and victory is an incomparable feeling.  That emotion eradicates fear! 

Not surprisingly, fidelity in love relationships strengthens those bonds and furthers nurturing, caring and enduring partnerships.  As with professional rapports and friendships, faithfulness in marriage and committed relationships defeats fear. In 1 John 4:18, the apostle of love declares, “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The [person] who fears is not made perfect in love.”  The possibility of infidelity creates and maintains a pervasive and looming danger of betrayal, deceit, distrust, duplicity and other types of punishment.  Fidelity, in contrast, allows emotional security, faith and trust in your relationship.

The evangelist uses the twenty-second and twenty-third verses to reiterate the necessity of good stewardship.  Regardless of the composition, number and diversity of our gifts, God expects appropriate and thorough us of them.  Success and joy are our personal rewards for faithful use of our talents and abilities.  Irenaeus, one of the early Church fathers, posits, “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.”  We cannot underestimate both the affects and effects of faithfulness and good stewardship.

With the twenty-fourth verse, we must consider the dilemma of the one-talent worker.  This parable centers upon this man, as Matthew devotes twice the amount of time and space to the third worker.  This servant begins his settlement response with excuses.  He does not acknowledge his inability to produce a return on his master’s investment.  The servant says, “Master, I know that you are a hard man.  You reap where you have not sown and you gather where you have not scattered.”  None of his words are relevant to the fundamental issue which is the servant’s failure to earn a profit on his talent.  The worker offers simple excuses instead of justifiable reasons.  Still in heavy usage contemporarily in the American South, there is a great word that perfectly describes this one-talent servant.  He is trifling!

How do we understand the servant’s failure to utilize his God given talent?  He himself explains his shortcomings in the twenty-fifth verse, the most pivotal verse of the parable.  The servant says, “I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you.”  Allow those there most lethal words to reverberate in your minds and hearts.  “I was afraid.”  “I was afraid.”  “I was afraid.”  “I was afraid.”  How many times have we said something similar to ourselves and other people in a feeble attempt to rationalize professional and personal failures?  Fear paralyzes this this third servant thereby preventing him from bettering his life.  Risk is inherent and non-negotiable if you expect progress and success in any financial, material, emotional, spiritual and relational matters.  The servant’s fear of failure obliterated any chance of success.

What exactly is fear?  One of the best ways to define fear is considering its practical results.  The Oxford English Dictionary states one of fear’s salient effects.  It causes people to feel perpetual alarm lest something dangerous should happen.  It leads other persons “to be afraid of an anticipated event or state of things as painful or evil.”  As an example, an employee who justly desires and asks for a raise or promotion but feels apprehensive about whether he or she will receive it.  If you wish to hold a leadership position within an organization to which you belong, would you forsake any fears and run for office?  Fear also motivates people “to have an uneasy sense of the probability of some unwelcome occurrence in the future.”  Specific to the thrust and premise of this sermon, fear induces people “to defer from a course of conduct.”  The third servant certainly allowed his fear to derail his ambitions and abilities.