Why You Have Talents

We're all familiar with the fact that Christ spoke many parables. Today I'd like to cover a biblical parable and example in great detail with you. It's a parable that Jesus Christ gave for the benefit of his disciples. It is a very encouraging parable, but it's also a serious warning, depending on what kind of a servant you and I are.

So we want to take a look at that. It's called the parable of the talents, and we all need to be reminded that we are on the earth for one important reason, and that is to glorify God in everything that we do—in all of our actions, all of our thoughts, all of our works. This parable basically teaches that we are accountable and responsible to God for the way we live and for the resources that he gives us. You might ask, what kind of resources does God give to us? Well, we'll take a look at that. He's given those resources to us individually. We're expected to be stewards and managers of the gifts that God gives to us and to know why he has given them to us. So let's go over to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew 25, and we'll begin in verse 14 of this chapter. Matthew 25 and verse 14. Christ said, For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. In this parable, Christ illustrated the important role that his disciples would have down through the history of the Church, and it included the original disciples. The man in the parable is the resurrected Jesus Christ, as we know. The servants are the called-out ones, those that God calls put in his Church from every generation. The far country he's traveling to represents his ascension to heaven, where he remains presently as our high priest until he returns to this earth. Now in verse 15, he says to one servant, he gave five talents to another two, to another one. Now you might say, is that fair? I think he gives five to this one over here. I want five, but he only gives me one. Well, we'll see how that applies. It's not a matter of God being unfair.

To one, God gives five talents to another two, to another one, to each one according to his own ability. According to your natural ability, talents and skills, your mental acumen, and your things of this nature, and he immediately went on a journey.

Now in this parable, we'll find that a very large amount of money was given to each servant. As it says here, five talents, two talents, one talent. One talent was roughly the equivalent of 20 years of work by an ordinary person. Now they were asked to take that money, and that that money was to grow. It was to develop. The fact they were given so much in advance actually represented two things. Number one, the master was going to be away a long time.

And therefore, the large amount was in advance, so to speak, for their labor and their work.

And he had left them there. He expected them to do something. The money is only parabolic symbol of the gifts, the abilities, the skills that God has given to us. Each one of us, humanly speaking, you look around this room, have different skills and abilities.

We're all amazed at someone like Beverly and Jacob back there who can play the piano. And you'll have that ability to be able to play. Or someone like Sherry or Ruth who can sing. And we look around and we all have different skills and abilities, don't we? We have different talents. Some people would be mortified to stand up in front of people and speak.

Other people would probably relish it. But we all have different skills and abilities that we have just innately what we get from our parents. And that's just sort of the luck of the draw, so to speak. It depends on who your mother is, who your father is.

Those two produce unique children. And so we are bequeathed a certain amount of brain power, certain amount of skills, talents, looks, all of these things. So God gives gifts, skills, talents to us according to our natural abilities. And so the reason, one reason why God gives us so much is the abundant growth that is possible for us. God gives us His Spirit. And it is that Spirit that passes on to us God's, let's say, abilities. We have to realize that when they were given this money, this money was not their money, was it? It belonged to the Master or the Lord, and they are working for Him for the increase of their Master. And you and I, brethren, are working. We're a part of God's Church. And the gifts that God has given to us, even the natural abilities we have, where do those come from? Well, God created mankind with those abilities and talents. Any spiritual gift that God gives to us, His Spirit, and the fruits of that Spirit, and the gifts of that Spirit are God's. And, you know, they come from God. God gives them to us, and He expects us to use those to develop, to grow, and to progress. So God has given us this for His glory, to honor Him, to show praise to Him. Now, God doesn't give the same amount of talents to each one. You know, this idea that everybody should just be equal. We all have equal opportunity, but we don't have equal ability, skill, talent. We're just not made that way. There are people out there who have 180 IQs. Don't you wish? You know, 180 IQs. You know, the average IQ, what, around 120? 25? 110? Somewhere in that area. You know, if you get up above 145 or 50, you begin to get into what they call the genius area. There are some individuals that had over a 200 IQ. I mean, their brain power on the human level is wonderful, but most of us don't have that. Most of us don't have, you know, certain talents. You know, do you have the ability to sing opera? Are you beautiful music like that? Or you play a concerto and just sit down, you know, and just have certain gifts. Some individuals are blessed with a unique DNA that provides them with special skills. Others have had the advantage of a good environment to grow up in. An appropriate education, good home life, loving parents, you know, all of these type of advantages. Whereas others have grown up in homes where maybe their dad was a crackhead, you know, their mom is a prostitute or drunkard, you know, they just don't have the advantages. Very little education, very little opportunity to really progress, develop their abilities, develop their talents. And so God holds us accountable for what He has given us. And how we use that is we'll see. Notice in verse 16, then He who had received the five talents went and traded. Aha! He's out here trading with them and He made another five talents.

So He had five talents, He made another. He doubled what He had been given. He was given five talents, He doubled that, He came up with five more. God judges us for what we do with what we have.

If God has given you two talents, He doesn't judge you by the one with the five. He doesn't expect you, in other words, a man with five talents and doubles has how many talents now? He's got ten.

If you double yours, you have four if you've got two. He doesn't expect you to go up to ten. You've done just as much work, but just as much effort, maybe even more, to be able to to double yours. We don't have the same abilities, we don't have the same talents, we don't have the same mental capabilities. We're all different. And as verse 17 goes on to say, likewise, He who received the two gained two more. Also, He had less money, meaning less talent, skills, abilities, but He doubled what He had. So God's expecting us to grow, not to stay the way we were when we were converted.

In verse 18, but He had received the one, one talent, what He'd do. He went out, dug in the ground, and hid His Lord's money. Didn't do anything with it, so He hides it. And as a result, we see He brings a catastrophic series of events on Himself. The individuals with five and two talents began to immediately to multiply their talents. Investing means to devote morally or psychologically as to purpose and commitment, according to the American Heritage Dictionary. So when they began to take their money and use it, they began to have a purpose, and maybe they they bought a field next to the other field, and they planted more crops, as Jacob was saying. Though they were trying to come up with ways of making more money, investing their money, and being able to come up with it. They had zeal, they had purpose, and they expanded their use of their skills and their gifts. And they were bringing a blessing to their master. They were expanding His basis of operation and wealth. Now, unfortunately, the third servant dug a hole in the ground, hid what He had been given. He didn't acknowledge, He hid His talent. He didn't use His talent. He didn't develop His talent. And too often, those who maybe have less talent think, well, I don't have much, and so therefore they don't try much. Whereas God expects all of us, the one with the one talent should have doubled His, so that He would now have two, and He would have been rewarded just as the others. Now, verse 19, after a long time, the Lord of those servants came, settled accounts with them. So He says, okay, I left you with five talents. How much do you have now? He said, I've doubled. I've got 10 now. In the parable, the long time represents the 2,000-year period from the time that Christ was on the earth. If you remember, He ascended into heaven in 31 A.D. to our day today, about 2,000 years. And His settled account is the judgment we will receive at the resurrection. So He's going to say, okay, what are you going to get? He settles accounts with them. Hold your place here. Let's go back to Revelation 22, verse 12. Revelation 22, verse 12. Notice what Christ says here. Verse 12, chapter 22, the book of Revelation. Behold, I am coming quickly. My reward is with me to give to everyone, according to what? According to His works, according to what we do, how hard we work, how much effort we're rewarded according to our work. We cannot just sit back and not use the abilities, the skills, the talents, the gifts that God gives to us. We cannot bury ourselves, so to speak, and say, well, I come to church, or I study, and that's it. No, God expects us to be involved. He expects us to be doing something. He expects us to grow. Now, in verse 20, coming back to Matthew 25 again, verse 20 says, so he who received the five talents came and said, and brought five others, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents. I've gained five more talents beside them. So, in other words, he doubled. He said, well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things.

I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. And he who had received the two talents, in verse 22, came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents. I've gained two more talents beside them. His Lord said, well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Notice both of these servants doubled what they had been given as a gift. Both had the same amount of growth. They doubled the gifts given to them, and they received the same reward. God is fair. He does not expect us to achieve the same level, but He expects us to put forth the same effort to grow, to develop. He simply expects them to grow and multiply what they've been given in this life. So, whatever God has given us, now let me just ask you a question. How many talents do you have?

You know, I had no idea. I think one. You can say, well, I've got one talent. Well, how do you know? Maybe you've got five talents. Perhaps you've got ten. What about the person who has fifty? See, somebody with fifty talents, if he doubles his, he's got a hundred. In a sense, he can run circles around us, wouldn't he? Because of all the talents and abilities that he has. But if you've got two, or one, or five, and you double, God looks at what you've done with what He has given you, and whatever the amount that God has given us. Now, notice, why does He say that you were faithful over a few things? You know, there could be two different reasons for that.

Christ was pleased with, you know, the growth. He says, well done, good and faithful servant.

But they'd been given the power of God's Spirit. Maybe they could quadruple their ability. They'd been faithful over a few things, but maybe they might have been able to quadruple because they had the power made available to them. I think another application, one that we normally have explained, is that right now, whatever responsibilities we have, compared to what God's going to give us in the future, very few. You and I might be responsible for our house, our car, our family, our children, duties at church, paying our tithes and offerings, you know, things of this nature. But what about when we're been given 10 galaxies to be responsible for?

Ten billion stars, you know, who knows how many planets, and we've been given a suite of offices in the New Jerusalem, you know, all of that. Then we've got much to be responsible for, in the millennium, when you're responsible for 10, 15, 20 cities. So we will, in the future, just, you know, rule over much, but right now we rule over little. If you hold your place here, back in Mark 4 and verse 20, I want you to notice a parable here. Mark 4 and verse 20. We'll read a couple of scriptures and we'll come back to what we were reading here in Matthew 25.

Notice here it says, others are like the seed planted in the good ground, parable of the sore, if you remember. Only that planted in the good ground grew, produced a crop.

They hear the teachings and they accept it. Every one of you who've been baptized, received God's Spirit. You've heard God's Word. You've studied it. You believed it. You accepted it, as it says here. And they grow and they produce what? Produce fruit. Sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, sometimes 100 times more. Now, I know they're just using analogies, or Christ is using analogies here, but instead of just doubling here, we've got 30, 60, 100. That's a lot more growth taking place. Again, you find the true servants doubled their talents, and this was pleasing to God. But with God's Spirit, can we grow more? Can we develop more? Can we overcome more? I'm not talking about trying to earn eternal life. That's a free gift. But to reward the responsibilities, the duties that God is going to give us in the world tomorrow, white throne judgment, and for all eternity, is based upon the fruit that is produced. What we do with what God has given us. That's what God will judge us by. If you'll notice in Matthew 17, verse 14, Matthew 17, verse 14, it says, When they had come to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic. Suffer severely, for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him. Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me. Jesus rebuked the demon, and came out of him, and the child was cured from that hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately. See, they weren't going to discuss this. It would be very embarrassing in public. So they came to him privately and said, Why could we not cast it out? And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For assuredly I say to you that if you have faith as a mustard seed, you'll say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing shall be impossible for you.

However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

These show some demons are a little more difficult to cast out than others.

The implication is that he was praying and fasting, and the disciples were not. Now, is it because of our carnal humanity that we lack faith to reach our full potential that God wants us to?

Many times we limit ourselves by our own human reasoning.

The Bible says that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

So our minds deceive us. Our hearts deceive us.

And we get misled in different directions. God can give us clear instructions, and we can begin to deviate if we're not careful.

So you and I need to make sure that we stay with what God says, what He commands us. Let's notice in verse 23 here, Matthew 25-23.

Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over men. Enter into the joy of the Lord. Now, to enter into the joy of God refers to eternal life and the joy of being a spiritual child of God, part of the family of God, and knowing that you're going to live forever in God's kingdom.

Now, verse 24, he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you were notice, his opinion of his master.

You're a hard man. Boy, you're tough, just a tough critter, reaping where you do not sow and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

And I was afraid. And went and hid your talent in the ground. And look, there you have what is yours. I give it back to you. But the Lord answered and said to him, in verse 26, notice his master's summation, You wicked and lazy servant. The man wasn't willing to put forth the effort. He was lazy and wicked. You knew that I reaped where I had not sown and gathered where I had not scattered seed. So you could have taken some of that money, bought the patch of weeds, plowed it up, made it profitable, planted seeds, and you could begin to produce more of a crop. The master agrees that he expects growth everywhere from among his servants.

He reaps, but, as it says here, where he had not sown, he gathers where he didn't scatter seeds. The master demands faithful service. He expects self-denial, self-control, self-sacrifice, and he expects us to be involved serving and helping. But there's one thing that the master did not agree with. His accuser accused him of being a hard man. Take a minute and think about what this servant was doing. Is Jesus Christ hard? Is he unreasonable? Because he expects us to grow and develop?

Again, keep your place here, but in Matthew 11, verse 25, notice what Christ says here.

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them in the babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight, all things have been delivered to me by my Father. But let's notice verse 28. He says, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle, not hard, I am gentle, and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What Jesus states here is far different than what the unprofitable servant how he portrayed Christ. I want you to notice what Christ mentions here can be divided into three parts. Number one, come and receive salvation. You know, you've got to come to God to receive salvation. Number two, come and learn to be a disciple, to follow Him. Number three, come and accept the yoke of God for your life. Yoke means instruction under discipline. We're told what to do. We have to discipline ourselves to do it, and we might have to be corrected at time. Yet, in contrast to being a slave to Satan, the yoke of Jesus Christ is very easy.

Anciently, Israel was an Egypt. An ancient Pharaoh is a type of the devil. The devil is a cruel task master who will not give you the resources you need to do the job. He says, build bricks.

He doesn't give you the straw. So you've got to struggle to try to live a physical life, but most people find their lives turned out to be futile, empty, not what they thought. Now, Jesus Christ is not that way. He gives us what we need to make it into His kingdom. He doesn't leave us out there without any straw. Let's go back to 2 Peter 1.

I've read this on a number of occasions. 2 Peter 1, verse 2, 1. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, everything that we need to have eternal life and to live a godly life, God has given to us through the power of His Holy Spirit and through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceeding great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

So you and I, you'll have what we need. God supplies our needs so that we can be in His kingdom. We never have to worry. He said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

But let's come back here to verse 24 again. I want you to notice what the unprofitable servant said again. He who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I know that you are a hard man, reaping where you've not sown and gathering where you've not scattered seed. I was afraid and hid your talent. And then the Lord says, you wicked and lazy servant.

Now, this third servant looked on his master as demanding, harsh, impossible to please. Back in 1995, when everything came to a head and the church and doctrines were changed at that time, what did people say when they found out that they didn't have to keep the Sabbath?

Or they were told, not that they didn't have to, but they were told they didn't have to keep the Sabbath, or they didn't have to tithe, or they didn't have to eat unclean foods. They could eat the unclean foods. What did they say? Well, they talked about being delivered from bondage and how they'd been under a burden and in bondage when the exact thing was the exact opposite was true. God had delivered them from bondage and they had had the right way revealed to them and now they were going back into bondage. You see, this was his excuse for not doing anything. Everybody has to come up with an excuse and reason why they don't obey. So in his mind, he didn't obey because why? Well, he tried to say that Christ was the problem, not him. God's the problem. You are harsh. You sow and reap where you don't sow and reap. He tried to pin the problem on Christ. Instead of having the attitude of humility, having an attitude of shame, desiring forgiveness, asking for grace, he blames the Lord for his negligence. Now, this attitude can carry over to us in the Church, where everybody else is a problem, not you. What do I mean by that? We can say, well, members aren't friendly. That's why I don't come very often. Members don't care. They're not loving. And somehow, this justifies us not being involved in serving. See, all it takes is one person in the congregation to make up his mind and say, I'm going to be a spark plug. I don't care what anybody else in this congregation does. I know what's required of me. I know what God wants me to do. And he wants me to be an example. He wants me to grow and develop. And so, boom, you do it. And guess what? It has an effect upon everybody else. We can't judge our own actions by somebody else. You are held accountable for what you do with what you've been given. I'm held accountable for what I do with what I've been given. And we can't say because other people are not doing what's right, therefore, that justifies me in disobeying. You know, God does not judge us by what others are doing, but by the gifts he's given us, the talents and skills that we have, and the opportunities that we've been given. You'll notice also, he said, I was afraid. He was afraid. He was not willing to take a risk. He was not willing to step out. Fear usually paralyzes people from taking action. Brethren, according to many psychologists, the number one reason for procrastinating not doing things is fear.

What do we have to fear? If you know that it's in here, if God says, do it, if he says, tithe, you tithe. If he says, keep the Sabbath, you keep the Sabbath. If he says, don't do this, you don't do whatever it is. And you know that you are doing right because this is God's revelation to us. Now, notice the difference in Matthew 5 and verse 13. Matthew 5, 13. We'll come back here to chapter 25 again. The difference in what Christ taught in the attitude this man had. Christ said to his disciples, you are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Verse 14. You're the light of the world, and the city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Or do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see what? Your good works. That's what God is looking for. Our good works. What we do. And glorify your Father in heaven. How we live, brethren. What we do with what God has given to us glorifies God. And that's what we are striving to do. The unprofitable servant hid his talent. He was not the light to those around him, the light in the church. He wasn't anything. No, you and I can come here and not get involved. I'd be involved in the church as a whole. I'd be involved in the local congregation. I'd be involved in anything. And think, well, I'm okay. And we're hiding the talents and the skills that God has given us.

Notice again in Matthew 25 verse 27.

The Master said, so you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and in my coming I have received back my own with interest. You could at least done that much, he said. The Master is indicating here he would have been satisfied with even a very little effort, you know, if he was willing to put forth some effort. Now, sometimes, you know, if you want to look at it in modern terminology, and using the inflation factor, sometimes, if you don't do anything with the talents and the skills and the gifts that God gives us, they end up being less than they were when you started out. As an example, what cost $1,000 in 1972 would cost $5,152 today. So, you may look at what you're making today compared to 1972, but you got to be making five times the amount to keep up with what you might have spent back then. If you have $1,662 in the bank, or say in 1992, we'll just put it that way, 1992, you hide it in your mattress. You know, I'm not going to put it in the bank, I'm going to stick it under my mattress. Today, it would be worth around $1,000. You've lost the value of that. Rather than grow or even maintain the gift that he had been given, this servant actually lost in his abilities and in his talents. Brethren, you and I start out, all of us do, with the first love, first zeal, first drive.

After a while, that might diminish some. Do we stop growing? Do we stop maturing? Do we stir up God's Spirit? We are either growing as disciples or we're spiritually dying.

We've got to grow, otherwise we're going to go backwards. So we've got to progress.

Then, finishing up here in Matthew 25, verse 28, it says, Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who had ten talents. For to everyone who has more will be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away, and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The man who had ten talents had proven by his faithfulness and actions that he could actually be responsible for more. And so he received the other talent. So here was this unprofitable servant, and maybe with the one talent he would have doubled, and he'd be ruling over two cities, and what his reward was going to be was given to somebody else who would know what to do with it.

Being cast into outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth, this is talking about the final judgment, the third resurrection, and where he is punished by entering or being thrown in the lake of fire.

So, brethren, how are we doing? Are we growing? What kind of a servant are we becoming?

Are we just sort of stagnating? Are we growing? Are we progressing? Are we developing? Let's go back to Luke chapter 13 and verse 6. Luke chapter 13 and verse 6.

Here's another parable, the Christ cave, that applies in the same way.

A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Now, what's the purpose of a fruit tree? What's the purpose of an apple tree, pear tree, fig bush, you know, and so on? It's to produce fruit, is it not?

So, he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of the vineyard, verse 7, For three years I've come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down! Why does it use up the ground? We'll plant something else there. But he answered and said to him, Sir, let it alone this year also, till I dig around it and I fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well, but if not after that you may cut it down. See, God comes looking at us year after year after year. Are we at the stage where God says, I'm going to cut you down? Or have we grown and progressed? Maybe we haven't progressed the way that we would like to, but he says, well, there's still trying. There's some fruit there. You know, it is growing. Instead of a thousand figs on the tree, maybe there are 50. And so God says, okay, you know, a little more work and they'll grow. God expects growth in our life and he expects us to use the incredible power of the Holy Spirit.

You and I need to take our calling seriously because the consequences can be catastrophic. Digging around and fertilizing the tree represents an effort to stimulate growth through the word of God, through the Spirit of God, through prayer. The whole reason a fruit tree exists is to bear fruit. That's why God has called this. The whole reason we exist is to bring glory to God, honor to his name, and praise to him by using our skills, our talents, and abilities. Remember in Matthew 7, verse 16, Matthew 7, verse 16, what Christ said here.

You know them by their fruits. How do you know who are the true servants of God who's growing spiritually? By their fruits. You see, by their works. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. It's the same thing we read earlier. Therefore, by their fruits, you will know them. Because not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does will of my Father in heaven.

So the unprofitable servant hid his gift, squandered his opportunity. He did not bear good fruit, and like the unprofitable tree, he's going to be thrown into the lake of fire.

So God's not interested in lip service. God's interested in our growth, our development, our changing, our growing up. In Philippians 1 and verse 11, I want you to notice here, Philippians 1 talks about how we are to grow, we are to develop, we are to be sincere, and what kind of fruit is God looking for in his servants? Notice verse 11, being filled with the fruits of righteousness. That's the kind of fruit God wants to see in us. The fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. That we might praise God and glorify him. God's will is that our life bring him glory. People will see the fruits of righteousness in us. They'll see that we're the salt of the earth, that we reflect the light of God. People may not agree with our beliefs, or in fact, they might not agree with us at all, but they will see that we truly do have standards that we live by.

Remember the quote years ago, people would talk about when we'd have eight or ten thousand people go to the feast and they would say, well, boy, how do you do it? How do you have all those obedient children?

And when you tell them, well, you've got to correct them occasionally and teach them in the right way. Oh no, they don't like the way the method, but they like the results or to see the results. So people have to admit that when they look at us, they should see that we live, we have standards. What do I mean by standards? Every Sabbath you take off from work.

You don't work. The holy days you take off, you attend the holy days. You make a hundred dollars, you give ten to the church, and you set aside your festival fund. We do what God says, and God looks down and He says, that's my son. He's doing what I tell him to do. So, you know, this is what God wants to see in us. So, brethren, we should never underestimate the power that God has given to us of His Holy Spirit. Remember in 2 Timothy over here, 2 Timothy chapter 1, Paul is talking to Timothy.

And in verse 6, 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 6, he says, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. So, stir up that gift. For God has not given us a spirit of fear. You and I are not to be afraid, but He's given us power and love and a sound mind.

That's what God gives us through His Spirit. So, he says, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel, according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.

We sit here today not because of our own righteousness, but because of God's purpose. He has a purpose, a plan. It's His heart desire to recreate His family and His grace. So, brethren, it's a remarkable gift that God gives to us.

He told Timothy, who apparently was struggling at this time, to stir up the gift in you. Brethren, God has given us His Spirit. You go to God on occasions and say, God, please stir that Spirit up within me. Help me to stir it up and to use it as you want to. What are some of the ways that we can multiply our talents, our skills, our abilities? What are some of the ways that we as a congregation can multiply and please our Master before He returns? Well, let me just hit on a number of them here very quickly.

Number one, prayer. You can become a prayer warrior. Even someone who has been in a terrible accident, maybe is a paraplegic, can still develop this talent. He can pray. He still has his mind, and you can pray. If you're elderly, you have knee problems. You can't get down on your knees. You can still go into your room, sit in a chair, and pray to God and ask God to intervene on the behalf of His people. Meditation. You and I can take a principle such as, what will the millennium be like if, or what would my life be like if I did such and such today?

Think about that principle. Apply it to today, to the world tomorrow, to eternity if it applies, and meditate. Sometimes we limit ourselves and our ability to apply the principles of God. Bible study. You can study the Word of God so that you and I know what's right. We know the right way to live, and that we might be able to give an answer to those for the hope that lies within us. Financially, maybe you've been blessed a little more than others, and you're able to share your wealth with the less fortunate. If any of you have been watching the news this week or YouTube, you know that there's a 25-year-old policeman in New York City who was walking down the streets, saw a homeless individual without shoes.

He went into a store, bought him a pair of boots, and a pair of thick socks, got down, put them on him. And nobody would have known about it, except somebody was visiting New York, saw this, took a picture of it, and the picture has gone viral. So, you know, here was someone, you know, a policeman don't make that much money in New York City, but he was willing to share and to give.

And, brethren, whatever our gifts are that God has given to us, we should be willing to use those to serve. Service. You know, you and I can sacrifice our time to serve in the church, serve our family, serve in the community. We can be a light to the community. We can be a light to one another. You know, we can all be involved. What about managing? Some of us here are very good managers, very good organizers. We're able to take something and organize and planning events and getting them done and making sure that they're accomplished.

What about technology? I'll look over here. What about technology? Our technocrats are generally on this side of the room. There may be a few over here, too, but you know, we have those who have natural skills embracing technology, software, social media, and they might be able to help others who are not. Some of you are mechanical. I know that some of you can take a car, strip it down, build it back, use your hands. Carpenters, craftsmen, maybe making cards. There are many things that you can do. My wife writes everybody in the world.

She has almost put us in the poorhouse. I'll say sending cards or sending letters out and buying postage, but it's something that she can do. It's where she's involved, and she can do that. All of us can be involved in one way or the other. What about being a teacher, imparting knowledge and information to others? Investors. Not talking about investing just money, but we all have skills. What about investing love, concern in other people, children, members of the church, people in the community? Become focused on others. Communication. Some of you are gifted listeners. Somebody talks to you. You're not always butting in. You listen to them. You hear what they have to say. You see, all of us, we may not think of those as gifts or skills, but they are, and they can be used many times in service. What about growing in the right attitude and the right spirit and approach and multiplying your talents in that way? Think of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, long suffering, and so on. What about joy? Do you try to be a one-man crusade against the lemon suckers of this world? People suck on a lemon. They get this dour look on their face. What about coming along and bringing a little joy and happiness to their life? What about being patient? We can all demonstrate patience towards others. Let's face it, we all make mistakes, don't we? If you're looking for a congregation that's perfect, nobody will ever go to church anywhere because that congregation doesn't exist. And yet, I know people say, well, you know, I won't attend, quote-unquote, that church because, you know, they got people there. Those people make mistakes, and, you know, they do things wrong. Well, welcome to the club. You know, we're all human, but, you know, we need to be patient with one another. What about being faithful? We faith to our family, to our mate, to our children, to God's church, to others. We overlook their flaws and their weaknesses. Generosity, you know, generosity might include money, but it also includes things like loving to cook, cleaning, running errands, giving of your time and care to help other people. You know, there are just many different ways that we might be able to help others. Overcoming sin, or maybe overcoming a negative family trait, to grow away from sin, from weaknesses, from faults, from habits, to develop new fruit in our lives and righteousness in doing what is righteous.

Let's notice in finishing here in 2 Corinthians 1.15, 2 Corinthians chapter 1, beginning in verse 15, says, And in this confidence I intend to come to you before that you might have a second benefit, Paul had told the Macedonians that he was going to come on a number of occasions and been able to make it. They said he's a liar. He says yes, but his real answer is no. He goes on to say, well, no, that's not the way I am. There are reasons why he was not able to fulfill his promise.

But then he focuses on God, verse 18, That as God is faithful, our word to you was not yes and no, for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Sylvanius in Timothy, was not yes and no, but in him was yes. If he says it, it will happen. He's yes. For all the promises of God in him are yes. He doesn't promise us something, and he doesn't really mean it. He actually meant no. If he gives us a promise, it's yes.

In him, amen. Remember the term amen means so be it, or God's faithfulness. The very fact that all the promises of God are yes and amen, meaning God is faithful, to the glory of God through us. So God should be glorified through us, through our example, through who we are. So, brethren, are we capable of multiplying our talents by tapping God's Spirit? The answer is yes. So we need to stop telling ourselves no and allow our fears to hold us back. We need to ask God to faith, to give us conviction, to help us to step out and obey. Let's believe in God's promise, because in him the answer is always yes, and it is amen.