""Live Well, Don’t Be Afraid" 2014
Psalm 27:1-6, 13-14 Matthew 25:14-30

Psalm 27:1-6, 13-14
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Matthew 25:14-30
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“The Rookie” is a feel-good baseball movie starring Dennis Quaid,
based on a true and inspiring story about Jim Morris.
Jim Morris’ boyhood dream was to be a pitcher in the major league,
but he injured his arm and shoulder before he could make it.

A dozen or so years later, the movie has him settled,
married and raising a family in a rural town in West Texas,
where he’s teaching high school chemistry
and coaching the school’s struggling baseball team.

After one of their games,
he asked the dispirited team if they knew why they lost,
and then told them, it was because they gave up.
He explained that they gave up on each other,
and most importantly, they gave us on themselves.

It wasn’t about just losing the game, but was about life itself.
Always play your best game, and don’t quit along the way.
Don’t surrender or abandon your dreams, or settle for things,
and don’t bury or hide away your gifts, your very best.

The players think about all that, then one of them objects,
“But coach, you are the one hiding your gifts,
the one who has settled, and given up on your dreams.
You should be playing professional baseball.”

Then to motivate them, the coach finally agrees to a challenge,
that if they win the district championship,
then he will go to a major league try out.

After that, the boys rallied, went from last place to first place,
won the district championship and had a great time doing it.

Forced to live up to his end of the deal, Morris went to a try-out.
To his amazement, he’s pitching better and faster than ever,
and despite his age & past injuries, he’s throwing at 98 mph.

Jim Morris became a relief pitcher on a major league team…
… fulfilling the dream he had buried and abandoned so long ago.

It’s a great story, and I suspect we all have our stories
about hope, dreams, possibilities, and second chances,
when we took up the challenge and didn’t quit or falter.
On the other hand, there have also been occasions in life
when fear and self-doubt were our companions holding us back
as we surrendered, and settled for far less than our best.

Sometimes, immobilized by fear of failure and self-doubt,
we settle for comfort and security, ease and convenience,
rather than the full-throttle adventure God intends…
… just like the 3rd servant, of the Matthew parable.

Who admitted, vs. 25
"… so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground"
“I was afraid, so I buried and hid my talent in the ground,
and gave up on the blessing that might have been.”

The gospel of Matthew was written,
several decades into the life of the early Christian church.

They were struggling and suffering under harsh persecution.
Many of those who had known Jesus had died,
and unexpectedly still Jesus had not yet returned.

Some favored playing it safe, being a little less fervent
to get along with culture by keeping their heads down
and just wait quietly for the second coming of Christ.

Against that, the author of Matthew frames this parable of Jesus
to answer that fearful hesitancy with a call for bold courage
and not to bury or hide what the Master has entrusted to you.
vs. 14-18
For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

In the parable,
each servant had received an incredible amount of money.
A single talent
was the amount of money a man could earn, wages of 20 years.

This was unimaginable-infinite wealth to the peasants listening,
an enormous sum to trust, for it was essentially theirs
to do with as they wished while the Master was away.

To control such wealth gave them incredible power,
and freedom to do almost anything they wanted,
for it was more money than they would ever need.

It would be unimaginable
to burying such an opportunity in the backyard…
… but one of them failed to appreciate, failed to recognize
the Master’s generosity, and he even saw it as a problem,
too risky, he held back and hid from all that potential.

He just buried his treasure, and acted as if it didn’t exist,
essentially refusing to receive & live out his good fortune.
The servant fearfully hid it a way and failed to do anything
with what he was supposed to use faithfully as a blessing.

In this parable,
because each of the servants is given such a huge amount,
and because the Master gives it so freely,
I think it’s about far more than just money.

I think the parable is really about God’s grace …
the Good News of the Gospel,
that we are loved, blessed and saved through Jesus Christ,
invited to live in the Spirit, in hope, peace and joy,
to walk and serve faithful and meaningful lives,
and according to God’s call, perfection and purpose,
gifted and blessed to make a difference in the world…
… and we are definitely not to bury or keep grace to ourselves!

“Here, this is a gift for you to enjoy and to use while I am away.
Let it be a blessing that expands and enlarges your life,
and that good and grace you have received,
let its light shine, spread and transform this world.”

Sometimes we see an opportunity, but we are afraid we’ll mess up.
We lack the courage of faith to use all that God has given us,
-- which is the point and lesson of the parable Jesus told.

It is also a meaningful and significant detail
that each servant does not receive the same amount,
but some more and some less, 'according to their ability’.

The faithful servants do with what they have been given,
letting God work in their life, and through their life.
And each faithful servant receives the same reward: vs. 21- 23
'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

Their reward is not based on the amount each servant has gained,
but on what they did with what they were given.
It’s not how successful we are, or how much we can accomplish,
but that we use and not bury the gifts and blessings of God.

In contrast to the two faithful servants,
the 3rd servant who buried his gift, is sharply condemned;
clearly indicating, that as disciples of Jesus,
* we are accountable for God’s gifts entrusted to us.
Matthew 25:26-27, 30
'You wicked and lazy slave! You ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. … As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

It is a clear teaching,
that the one who did nothing with the Master’s generosity,
the one who was afraid, has what was his is taken away,
and is excluded from the joy of the master.

The admonition, “do not be afraid”
shows up in some form in more than 70 times in Scripture.
Obviously God want us to notice and know that.

But the truth is, this world can be a pretty scary place,
so why shouldn’t we be afraid?

One of the places where that question is answered is Psalm 27:1.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

* God is my light; that shines into the darkness of my life,
which exposes and reveals, as it heals and brings new life.

* God is my salvation – my healing, hope, support and restoration,
my rescue, my victory, my joy, my peace, and my welfare.

* God is my stronghold – literally, 'the strength of my life'
my safe and secure place, where God protects and sustains.

It is in knowing this truth about the character of God that the
psalmist dares ask: 'whom shall I fear? of what should I be afraid?'

This text is not saying that through our faith
we are spared from life’s difficulties, trials or troubles;
* but the promise is:
that God will never abandon us to face life on our own,
and ultimately God will bring us through to victory.

Because we can trust and rely on the promises of our God,
even when our world comes crashing down around us,
we can still act with hope, courage, trust and faith,
and need not be defeated by fear into inactivity.

I read this, that during the filming of the movie, “Ben Hur”,
Charleton Heston had to learn to drive for the chariot race.
He was having a terrible time with the scene,
and complained to the director, Cecil B. DeMille,
“I can barely stay on this thing. I can’t win the race.”

DeMille answered,
“Your job is to stay on it. My job is to make sure you win.”
Our task and call is to trust God, to follow and be faithful,
for God has promised us, He will ensure the outcome,
whatever the situation where God has seen fit to place us.

This parable is about how we chose to use our mortal lives;
and how we grow and develop as the blessed people of God
as we accept God's grace and purpose in & for our lives.

The talent represents the grace of God, the Gospel Good News,
the privilege of a relationship with God through Christ…
… and our call is not to hide that grace and blessing away,
but to take risks, to follow with joy and serve boldly,
so that hope grows, deepens and changes our lives.

For the past few weeks, I have been preaching about
spiritual gifts as expressions of God’s grace, love, & purpose.

In the first week,
Jesus used a boy’s small lunch of a few loaves and 2 fish
to feed a hungry crowd of 5000, with abundance left over.
The point of the story is to remind us that
that no gift or offering is too small or insignificant
for Jesus to use to accomplish great blessings.
When we offer whatever we have,
Jesus multiplies it to make a difference, our mission.

Next we looked at the story about Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus.
When God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle,
the Lord had already
called and equipped servant to do the work well…
… assuring us that when God calls us to serve, we will also
be equipped to accomplish well all that God intends.

Last week we looked at the Apostle Paul’s instructions
to the Christians in Corinth concerning spiritual gifts,
his teaching that:
all are called and equipped to serve in some way,
that all our gifts are important and needed.
and all are arranged by God to fit together
to build up the church for it mission.

In the parable Jesus told about the talents in Matthew,
the Master gave each servant an incredible amount of wealth.
So too God gives the incredible gift of grace in Jesus Christ,
worth far more than all the wealth of the parable,
for us to use and enjoy, but certainly not hide it away.

The question is,
how will each of us use well and faithfully the life we have?

The parable is also asking, what have we buried and hidden away?

What am I neglecting, afraid to use and let the Lord transform?

What am I doing with the gifts and blessings entrusted to me?

As we read in 1 Peter 4:10
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God,
serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received." 2014
Psalm 27:1-6, 13-14 Matthew 25:14-30

Psalm 27:1-6, 13-14
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Matthew 25:14-30
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“The Rookie” is a feel-good baseball movie starring Dennis Quaid,
based on a true and inspiring story about Jim Morris.
Jim Morris’ boyhood dream was to be a pitcher in the major league,
but he injured his arm and shoulder before he could make it.

A dozen or so years later, the movie has him settled,
married and raising a family in a rural town in West Texas,
where he’s teaching high school chemistry
and coaching the school’s struggling baseball team.

After one of their games,
he asked the dispirited team if they knew why they lost,
and then told them, it was because they gave up.
He explained that they gave up on each other,
and most importantly, they gave us on themselves.

It wasn’t about just losing the game, but was about life itself.
Always play your best game, and don’t quit along the way.
Don’t surrender or abandon your dreams, or settle for things,
and don’t bury or hide away your gifts, your very best.

The players think about all that, then one of them objects,
“But coach, you are the one hiding your gifts,
the one who has settled, and given up on your dreams.
You should be playing professional baseball.”

Then to motivate them, the coach finally agrees to a challenge,
that if they win the district championship,
then he will go to a major league try out.

After that, the boys rallied, went from last place to first place,
won the district championship and had a great time doing it.

Forced to live up to his end of the deal, Morris went to a try-out.
To his amazement, he’s pitching better and faster than ever,
and despite his age & past injuries, he’s throwing at 98 mph.

Jim Morris became a relief pitcher on a major league team…
… fulfilling the dream he had buried and abandoned so long ago.

It’s a great story, and I suspect we all have our stories
about hope, dreams, possibilities, and second chances,
when we took up the challenge and didn’t quit or falter.
On the other hand, there have also been occasions in life
when fear and self-doubt were our companions holding us back
as we surrendered, and settled for far less than our best.

Sometimes, immobilized by fear of failure and self-doubt,
we settle for comfort and security, ease and convenience,
rather than the full-throttle adventure God intends…
… just like the 3rd servant, of the Matthew parable.

Who admitted, vs. 25
"… so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground"
“I was afraid, so I buried and hid my talent in the ground,
and gave up on the blessing that might have been.”

The gospel of Matthew was written,
several decades into the life of the early Christian church.

They were struggling and suffering under harsh persecution.
Many of those who had known Jesus had died,
and unexpectedly still Jesus had not yet returned.

Some favored playing it safe, being a little less fervent
to get along with culture by keeping their heads down
and just wait quietly for the second coming of Christ.

Against that, the author of Matthew frames this parable of Jesus
to answer that fearful hesitancy with a call for bold courage
and not to bury or hide what the Master has entrusted to you.
vs. 14-18
For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

In the parable,
each servant had received an incredible amount of money.
A single talent
was the amount of money a man could earn, wages of 20 years.

This was unimaginable-infinite wealth to the peasants listening,
an enormous sum to trust, for it was essentially theirs
to do with as they wished while the Master was away.

To control such wealth gave them incredible power,
and freedom to do almost anything they wanted,
for it was more money than they would ever need.

It would be unimaginable
to burying such an opportunity in the backyard…
… but one of them failed to appreciate, failed to recognize
the Master’s generosity, and he even saw it as a problem,
too risky, he held back and hid from all that potential.

He just buried his treasure, and acted as if it didn’t exist,
essentially refusing to receive & live out his good fortune.
The servant fearfully hid it a way and failed to do anything
with what he was supposed to use faithfully as a blessing.

In this parable,
because each of the servants is given such a huge amount,
and because the Master gives it so freely,
I think it’s about far more than just money.

I think the parable is really about God’s grace …
the Good News of the Gospel,
that we are loved, blessed and saved through Jesus Christ,
invited to live in the Spirit, in hope, peace and joy,
to walk and serve faithful and meaningful lives,
and according to God’s call, perfection and purpose,
gifted and blessed to make a difference in the world…
… and we are definitely not to bury or keep grace to ourselves!

“Here, this is a gift for you to enjoy and to use while I am away.
Let it be a blessing that expands and enlarges your life,
and that good and grace you have received,
let its light shine, spread and transform this world.”

Sometimes we see an opportunity, but we are afraid we’ll mess up.
We lack the courage of faith to use all that God has given us,
-- which is the point and lesson of the parable Jesus told.

It is also a meaningful and significant detail
that each servant does not receive the same amount,
but some more and some less, 'according to their ability’.

The faithful servants do with what they have been given,
letting God work in their life, and through their life.
And each faithful servant receives the same reward: vs. 21- 23
'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

Their reward is not based on the amount each servant has gained,
but on what they did with what they were given.
It’s not how successful we are, or how much we can accomplish,
but that we use and not bury the gifts and blessings of God.

In contrast to the two faithful servants,
the 3rd servant who buried his gift, is sharply condemned;
clearly indicating, that as disciples of Jesus,
* we are accountable for God’s gifts entrusted to us.
Matthew 25:26-27, 30
'You wicked and lazy slave! You ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. … As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

It is a clear teaching,
that the one who did nothing with the Master’s generosity,
the one who was afraid, has what was his is taken away,
and is excluded from the joy of the master.

The admonition, “do not be afraid”
shows up in some form in more than 70 times in Scripture.
Obviously God want us to notice and know that.

But the truth is, this world can be a pretty scary place,
so why shouldn’t we be afraid?

One of the places where that question is answered is Psalm 27:1.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

* God is my light; that shines into the darkness of my life,
which exposes and reveals, as it heals and brings new life.

* God is my salvation – my healing, hope, support and restoration,
my rescue, my victory, my joy, my peace, and my welfare.

* God is my stronghold – literally, 'the strength of my life'
my safe and secure place, where God protects and sustains.

It is in knowing this truth about the character of God that the
psalmist dares ask: 'whom shall I fear? of what should I be afraid?'

This text is not saying that through our faith
we are spared from life’s difficulties, trials or troubles;
* but the promise is:
that God will never abandon us to face life on our own,
and ultimately God will bring us through to victory.

Because we can trust and rely on the promises of our God,
even when our world comes crashing down around us,
we can still act with hope, courage, trust and faith,
and need not be defeated by fear into inactivity.

I read this, that during the filming of the movie, “Ben Hur”,
Charleton Heston had to learn to drive for the chariot race.
He was having a terrible time with the scene,
and complained to the director, Cecil B. DeMille,
“I can barely stay on this thing. I can’t win the race.”

DeMille answered,
“Your job is to stay on it. My job is to make sure you win.”
Our task and call is to trust God, to follow and be faithful,
for God has promised us, He will ensure the outcome,
whatever the situation where God has seen fit to place us.

This parable is about how we chose to use our mortal lives;
and how we grow and develop as the blessed people of God
as we accept God's grace and purpose in & for our lives.

The talent represents the grace of God, the Gospel Good News,
the privilege of a relationship with God through Christ…
… and our call is not to hide that grace and blessing away,
but to take risks, to follow with joy and serve boldly,
so that hope grows, deepens and changes our lives.

For the past few weeks, I have been preaching about
spiritual gifts as expressions of God’s grace, love, & purpose.

In the first week,
Jesus used a boy’s small lunch of a few loaves and 2 fish
to feed a hungry crowd of 5000, with abundance left over.
The point of the story is to remind us that
that no gift or offering is too small or insignificant
for Jesus to use to accomplish great blessings.
When we offer whatever we have,
Jesus multiplies it to make a difference, our mission.

Next we looked at the story about Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus.
When God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle,
the Lord had already
called and equipped servant to do the work well…
… assuring us that when God calls us to serve, we will also
be equipped to accomplish well all that God intends.

Last week we looked at the Apostle Paul’s instructions
to the Christians in Corinth concerning spiritual gifts,
his teaching that:
all are called and equipped to serve in some way,
that all our gifts are important and needed.
and all are arranged by God to fit together
to build up the church for it mission.

In the parable Jesus told about the talents in Matthew,
the Master gave each servant an incredible amount of wealth.
So too God gives the incredible gift of grace in Jesus Christ,
worth far more than all the wealth of the parable,
for us to use and enjoy, but certainly not hide it away.

The question is,
how will each of us use well and faithfully the life we have?

The parable is also asking, what have we buried and hidden away?

What am I neglecting, afraid to use and let the Lord transform?

What am I doing with the gifts and blessings entrusted to me?

As we read in 1 Peter 4:10
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God,
serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.