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Bishop Jerry Ogles’ Sermon
The
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity
from
The
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
The
Collect.
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G
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OD, whose blessed
Son was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil, and make us
the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life; Grant us, we beseech thee, that,
having this hope, we may purify ourselves, even as he is pure; that, when he
shall appear again with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in
his eternal and glorious kingdom; where with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy
Ghost, he liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
The Second letter of Paul to the people of Thessaloniki
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church
of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto
you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to
thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith
groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other
aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your
patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be
counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a
righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them
that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among
you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our
God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of
his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our
God and the Lord Jesus Christ
As
the Collect so well reveals, according to the Scriptures, the Lord has a day of
appearance – not as His first Coming as a Babe in the Manger, but as an
Almighty King. At that moment, we shall all be changed – both living and dead
in Christ – to become like Him whose Name we have called upon and borne.
The Epistle reading further reveals the truth of the Coming of the Lord. For
the limp-wristed Christian who cannot bring himself to consider sin a serious offense,
the Coming of Christ will bring a serious and shocking revelation. The day of
decision will have passed by those who have lingered in their vile and wicked
ways – Judgment stands at the door. The Love of Righteousness will bear the
Sword of Vengeance – a long neglected truth – upon all who have willfully
rejected the Sun of Righteousness.
The Gospel reading calls into account, literally, the manner in which we have
invested those talents of gold and silver with which the Lord has blessed us.
Those who have been given talents of ministering to the sick, the ignorant, or
the downtrodden, shall render the increase of the fruits of those talents. Most
of us have been graced with mind, voice, understanding, love, and mobility.
Have we studied diligently? Have we spoken out at every opportunity to press
the Lord’s interests? Have we had hearts of understanding like unto that Great
Mind which we most assuredly should have taken upon ourselves? Have we loved
God with all our being and not omitted that same love for others? Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. (Matt 22:37-39) Many of the modern church will claim: “See, God has relieved us of
obedience to the Ten Commandments. This is a NEW Commandment given by Christ to
replace all others!” How untrue! Read the very next verse of the exhortation of
Christ: On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets. (Matt
22:40) Jesus
was not uttering a new Commandment, but simply reinforcing those given in the
Old Testament (see Deut 6:5 and Leviticus
19:18).
The only NEW Commandment given by our Lord was that of LOVE! 35 A new commandment I give unto
you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another. 35 By this shall all men know
that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John
13:34-35) It is
the imperative of Love that seals our obedience and compels us to share that
ultimate and sacrificial love that the suffering of Christ represents for us.
LOVE compels obedience – even a higher standard of obedience than a code of
laws written on stone tablets. After
those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write
it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
(Jer
31:33) This
principle truth is repeated in Hebrews 10:19. Love is the most valuable talent
you have been given by God – more valuable than any 20 pound talent of gold!
Now to the exposition of the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25, Verses 14-30:
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as
a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered
unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another
one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his
journey.
16 Then he that had received the
five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had
received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one
went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of
those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five
talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have
gained beside them five talents more. 21 His
lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou
into the joy of thy lord. 22 He
also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto
me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well
done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the
one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping
where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and
hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto
him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed
not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then
at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from
him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath
shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be
taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 25:14-30)
This is the manner in
which the Kingdom of Heaven operates. It is as a man (the Lord Jesus Christ)
travelling to a far country – heaven is quite distant to say the least. This
parable of the talents illustrates how we are to conduct our lives in waiting
upon the Lord’s return. Our lives are a continual investment of time,
resources, and, most especially, love. We are not permitted to save up our
talents in safe holding until the moment of the Master’s return, but these must
be invested over time in order to accrue a record of service and faith. It
would be impossible for one who loves the Lord to squander his time away in
idle disregard of the service he owes to God and man once he has received the
Grace of Christ in his heart. In fact, such an investment is a joy and not a
sacrifice of labor.
14 For the kingdom of heaven is
as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and
delivered unto them his goods. The ‘goods’ of Christ have been delivered to
every faithful soul who has been the recipient of His saving Grace. That grace
was bought and paid for us at Calvary before He ever departed for a far country
and “sitteth on the right hand of God the Father” as the Creed avers.
These ‘goods’ are treasures of faith, grace, wisdom, and love.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one;
to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. God will not place a greater
responsibility upon us than we are able to bear and meet. Some of us are not
constituted in such a way as to be able to handle five talents, so God will
give us two, or even only one; but whatever talents we have received, we are
responsible to invest those talents at good return. There is at least one
talent that every chosen of God receives – that talent is LOVE. It is so very
easy to invest this talent. The more we invest, the greater the percentage of
return. It is inexhaustible! Can you comprehend that? The oil in that jug will
never give out. The more profusely it is poured out, the greater is the reserve
in the jug. This is a mystery that God has placed in the nature of love. There
are other talents such as evangelism, teaching, music, and administration which
many are not suited to perform, but we all have that talent of LOVE if we
belong to Christ. Have we invested that one talent at the amazing return that
it will yield? When Christ had paid the last measure of His precious blood, He
made those talents to be granted to those of us according to our abilities. It
was finished at Calvary!
16 Then he that had received the
five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. This is a very wise servant. He
wastes no time in putting the five talents to work at interest. He is aware of
the principle given by Christ: For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be
much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the
more. (Luke 12:48) There is no time to waste in our investment, for the time granted us
in living is also a gift whose future course is not certain.
17 And likewise he that had
received two, he also gained other two. The yield in both the five talents and the two are
the same – that is 100% return. God gives you His 100% in talents. God wants
your 100% percent in your investment of talents as well. If either of these
first two servants had not immediately taken up their cross and followed Christ
daily, they may have fallen short of their investment objective in service. If
a socialist order prevailed in the kingdom of heaven, then one or the other may
have been called upon to share some of their increase to the third servant who
sat down on the talent God gave and did NOTHING to cause the talent to
increase. But socialism is foreign to God, and the sharing of talents is not a
reality. We go with that for which we have invested and labored.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in
the earth, and hid his lord's money. Those gifts that we have received from the
generous hand of God must not be hoarded, but shared. The only reason we
prosper is for the sake of others of God’s creatures. This one servant was so
greedy that, though he wasted nothing, it shared nothing either. He only had
left that which the Lord had given. But that, too, would be taken away from
such a selfish and faithless servant.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants
cometh, and reckoneth with them. It has been now some two thousand years since our
Lord went into a far country. Such an expanse of time makes any
speculation of the time of His return an impossibility, but one thing is
certain: He shall return at the time of His good pleasure and will. When He
returns, there shall certainly be a reckoning. We shall each stand alone,
face-to-face, with the Savior just as the woman taken in adultery stood alone
and face-to-face with the Savior of her soul. At that day, excuses will not
suffice. Our souls will be bared and our destinies known. How will we have
persevered? If we have labored in earnest, our spiritual muscles will grow with
the use. The higher we climb the mountain slopes, the broader becomes the
horizon.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and
brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five
talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. How many talents will you have
produced from the riches of your heart for Christ on that last day? You have
known and received the benefits of grace in Christ. Will you bring others to
stand with you before your Lord? What of your neighbors? Your friends, your
family members? 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and
faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. The reward is the ownership of all of the talents
both given and produced, but more, too. Entering into the joy of the Lord is
the blessing of greatest comfort of all others: “You will take with you
the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty, faithfully
performed; and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you his
blessing & protection.” (General
Robert E. Lee, Farewell Address to the Army of Northern Virginia, 9 April 1865) Such a satisfaction so far exceeds
in joy that measure of humiliation Peter experienced when, for the third time,
he denied Christ before the tribunal. Christ immediately turned and looked at
Peter – a look that pierced the heart of Peter. Will you have your heart
pierced by the look of Christ at His return?
22 He also that had received two
talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I
have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and
faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Though the reward given by Christ
will be commensurate with our own labors of love, it will always exceed our
grandest expectations. It will be enough!
24 Then he which had received
the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man,
reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went
and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. What conniving, sniveling, and
devious scheming to actually blame our shortcomings on the Lord Himself! The
servant accuses his master of being too harsh and demanding, therefore the
servile one was too fearful to accomplish anything. One thing is certain: this
servant has great cause for fear since he has abandoned his duties of love and
service to the Lord.
26 His lord answered and said
unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I
sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: What is the great sin of the
servant under discussion here? How do we categorize his sin? He did no overt
sin. He simply did NOTHING! What does our prayer of General Confession say?
“…..We
have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too
much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy
holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we
have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health
in us……”
This servant did no outrageous sin; he simply failed to do that which love
demands. His sin was one of omission and not of commission, but the verdict is
the same. 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to
the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with
usury. This is evidence again that our
labors of love in Christ are not ours at all, but His!
Christ will now direct His
commands to the Holy Angels as regards this unprofitable servant. He is
finished speaking, forever, to such a one: 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it
unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and
he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even
that which he hath. Have you love? If you have, the evidence of that
love is the love that you have given away - the love that you have shared with
the helpless little child, the widow, the orphan, the imprisoned, and the poor,
will be multiplied on the back of that wicked servant who heard not the cry of
poor Lazarus.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable
servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Judas was an unprofitable servant
who went out from the Lord’s Supper into an eternally dark night. King Saul
made his bed in Hell and left his first love for the Dark Angel. God sends no
man to Hell – if we are sent, we send ourselves just as the Rich Man who failed
to drop a crumb to Lazarus from his table ended up pleading for a drop of water
from the finger of a beggar. In Hell, all are beggars without names or estates.
The only light that is there is the dimly lit light of burning fires
EVERYWHERE! Where do you plan to spend YOUR eternity, friend?
