2/3/13 - Stewardship Sunday - Matthew 25:14-30

NOT WHAT BUT WHY

Whom Was God Pleased With More?

            Jesus had a couple of disciples named James and John.  John, the younger brother, ended up writing an account of Jesus’ life that we now call the “Gospel of John.”   Later on he wrote three other letters that were inspired by the Holy Spirit and are also found in the Bible.  Near the end of his life John was given a vision and he wrote it down in what is referred to as the book of Revelation.  John was the last original disciple to die and he was a key leader in the early Christian Church.  And while he was on this earth with his Savior, John was referred to as “the one Jesus loved.”  His older brothers James, on the other hand, didn’t write any books of the Bible.  He didn’t receive any visions that we know of.  He barely spoke in the pages of Scripture.  In fact, he didn’t even live very long because King Herod had him murdered.  So whom was Jesus pleased with more: John who wrote numerous books of the Bible and was a leader of the early Christian Church or James who died at a relatively young age?  Jesus was pleased with both of them!  He hadn’t called on James to write any books of the Bible and he hadn’t asked John to preach to people who would murder him.  They both used their own talents according to their abilities, taking advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves.  And so Jesus didn’t care so much about what they did as he cared about why they did it.  And both of them lived their lives to thank their Savior for everything he had done for them.

            The Lord has given each of us a different set of skills and a different amount of time and a different collection of means according to our abilities.  And so he isn’t concerned with what or how much.  He is concerned with why you would use the gifts he has given you.  Why would you want to use your time to the Lord’s glory?  Why would you want to put your talents to work for the Lord’s glory?  Why would you want to share your earthly treasures for the Lord’s glory?  It’s not the “What” but the “Why.”

Ungratefulness Dishonors God

            To demonstrate this truth, Jesus told the parable of the talents.  “The kingdom of heaven will be like a man going on a journey,” Jesus said.  “He called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.”  A “talent” in this story is not an ability or a skill, but a sum of money that was worth thousands of dollars.  And notice that the man in this parable didn’t give each of his servants the same amount.  He gave them “each according to their ability” so that they could put whatever they received to use with the skills they had.  And you know what happens in the rest of the parable because we just read it a couple minutes ago: The servant who had received the most produced the most, the second servant who received a little bit less produced a little bit less, but the third servant didn’t use what he had been given at all.  He was lazy and irresponsible.  And so when his master came back home he was furious at what the servant had not done.  “You wicked, lazy servant!” he said.  “Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  The Master did not expect that third servant to produce as much as the first - and he didn’t ask him to.  But he did want that third servant to at least use what he had been given.  The Master, the Lord, does not tolerate ungrateful attitudes from those who owe him everything.  And he is upset when people waste what he has so graciously given them and he has every right not only to take away what he has given, but to also throw away those who have acted so ungratefully.

            If I went around the room and asked each one of you which servant you think you are the most like, which one would you pick?  I have a feeling that if I asked that question and you had to answer it out loud for everyone to hear, most of us would probably pick servant #2.  Because we wouldn’t want to pick servant #1 and give the impression that we have not only been superbly blessed but also extremely faithful in those blessings!  But we wouldn’t want to admit that we are most like servant #3 either because we wouldn’t want to give the impression to everyone else that we have been lazy and ungrateful for what the Lord has given us.  But could I be so bold as to say that almost none of us in here are like servant #2.  I would probably say that most of us here are a combination of servants #1 and #3.  Because first of all, we have been blessed in thousands of different ways.  And not just in the physical things we have been given either.  Each one of us also has an amazing amount of talents and a skill set that is absolutely unique.  Each of us has been given time to do different things for different people in different ways.  Each us of has been given the means to help out and contribute to a variety of people and groups throughout the world.  If we aren’t like the first servant when it comes to our blessings, who is?  That little Christian child in Malawi who has nothing more than the shirt on his back isn’t blessed like the first servant.  That Christian 12 year old who is so physically handicapped that his only talent is to sit in a wheelchair and smile isn’t.  That young Christian grandmother in the inner city who has no time to do anything else but work three jobs seven days a week so that she can support her grandkids isn’t either.  If we haven’t been blessed like that first servant, who is?  The Lord has given us a tremendous amount of blessings, there is no doubt about that.

            But do we always put our blessings to use like the first servant did?  Or are we more like the third servant in that regard?  Every once in a while I will dig into the fridge to find something for lunch and I’ll be moving jars out of the way and shifting things around and I’ll find something and say, “Oh, I forgot we had that!”  But by the time I finally find what I didn’t remember we even had, it’s usually too late.  The contents now have mold on it or the container is out of date or it’s simply a little too old to eat safely and I have to throw it away.  It was good at one time, it could have been used in the past the way it was meant to be used, but not any longer.  Unfortunately, that has happened to more than just left overs in my fridge.  That has happened to many of the blessings and the talents the Lord has given me as well.  I let them sit.  I let them gather dust.  I let them lie unused and undisturbed, either forgetting about them completely or simply not wanting to put them into practice.

            God has every right to throw me outside in the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  I have been ungrateful, I have been lazy, I have been irresponsible with the amount of time he has given me, with the variety of talents he has given me, and with the volume of treasures he has given me in my life.  I have been a “wicked, lazy servant” like the third servant in the parable even though I have been blessed like servant #1.

Jesus Used Everything to Save Us

            The Lord had once given King David a lot of time to use as he pleased.  But David didn’t make use of that blessing of time very well.  He used his free time by looking at a woman bathing on a roof; he then slept with her, and then devised a way to cover it up.  But the Lord didn’t throw David out for misusing his time; instead, he brought him to repentance.

            Judas Iscariot was given the blessing of being responsible for the money that Jesus’ disciples received.  But Judas didn’t use that blessing of money very well.  He stole it, he used it for his own benefit, and he even sold Jesus to his enemies to earn some more.  But Jesus didn’t throw Judas out for misusing that money; instead Jesus did everything he could to reach out to this disciple, begging him to come back.

            A man named Saul, who would eventually become the apostle Paul, was given an immense amount of talent.  But Saul did not use that talent very well.  With the skill and abilities he had been given, he hunted down Christians and threw them in jail.  But God didn’t throw Saul out for misusing his talents; instead he miraculously brought him to faith in his Savior.

            The Lord does not throw us out when we misuse his gifts or when we don’t even use them at all.  Instead he comes to us in his Word to convict us of our sins; he comes to us in his Word to show us his mercy; and he comes to us in his Word to prove to us his love.  And in his Word we find that Jesus used every one of his talents, every one of his abilities, every one of skills, all of his time, and the riches of his perfection to win salvation to us.  He used himself up for us.  He spent himself completely for you.  There was nothing he held back.  There was nothing he left undone.  He expended an eternity of energy to fulfill the plans and the promises that he had given you and that he had been giving his people for thousands of years.  Jesus emptied himself so that you could have it all.  A beautiful Bible passage in 2 Corinthians says, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich [in heaven], yet for your sakes he became poor [as a human being on this earth], so that you through his poverty [death on the cross] might become rich [heaven]” (2 Cor. 8:9).  Jesus does not throw you out when you have failed to use the gifts he has given you because your salvation does not depend on your faithfulness.  Your salvation depends on how faithful your Lord was to you when he hung on that cross.  He spent some time on that cross, he used all of his abilities to make his death on that cross work, and he won the riches of heaven for us on that cross when he died.  That’s why you are saved.  That’s why you are forgiven.  Not because you are a good Christian but because Christ is a good Savior.

Use What You’ve Been Given Out of Thanksgiving

            Which is why the first two servants in the parable did what they did.  Their Master had given them some incredible gifts.  And they wanted to thank their Master for his love and kindness.  And so the first two servants produced five more talents and two more talents not for themselves but for their Master.  Remember that they presented all of their talents to their Master because what the servants did wasn’t for themselves, it was out of thanks and praise to the one who had done so much for them. 

            That is the attitude we now can have as we look at the blessings we have been given in this life.  We have time, we have talents, and we have earthly treasures of various kinds.  And the Lord has given these things to us according to each of our abilities.  And so he understands what you can do with the gifts he has given.  But he isn’t so concerned about what you do, he cares about why you do it: out of thanks to him, out of praise to him, out of appreciation for him and for the eternal life in heaven that he has already guaranteed.  Not “How much do I have to do” but “How much has God done for me?”  Not “When must I do it” but “When can I?”  Not “Why should I bother” but “Why wouldn’t I want to?”  He has given me time to praise him with.  He has given me talents to thank him with.  He has given me treasure to show my appreciation.  What a joy it is to be able to give everything to my Lord who has given me more than I’ll ever need.

            Amen.

2/2/13 - Funeral of Bea Frisch - Psalm 27:4

HOME IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

            Bea Frisch loved her home.  And she loved to have other people in her home too!  Bea and her late husband Bob had hundreds of people in their home and at their ranch over the decades.  And almost every time I visited Bea she would tell me about a group of boys that had stayed there or a young couple on their honeymoon or a single traveler that would come back year after year.  And she loved every second of it!  She loved entertaining people in her home; she loved feeding people in her home; she loved just talking to people in her home.  And I am sure that many of you who had the privilege of being in her home would agree that when you were in the home of Bea Frisch, she made you feel right at home right away.

            But no matter how much Bea loved her home, no matter how much she cherished that house on Transfer Rd., there was a house she loved even more.  And that was the house of the Lord.  Bea longed to be here.  She longed to be with God’s people.  She longed to be in God’s house worshiping him in song and in prayer and in praise.  And especially after this new building was constructed her desire to be in God’s house was stronger than ever!  For this last year and a half she would tell me how she wanted to be in God’s house so badly.  She wanted to see what the inside looked like.  She wanted to see all of the new people.  But mostly she just wanted to be where God’s Word was preached, where God’s Word was taught, and where God’s Word was worked in the hearts of his people.  Bea wanted to be in God’s house all of the time.  And if she didn’t know Psalm 27:4, she certainly exemplified the attitude of the author Kind David: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”  If there was anything Bea wanted, she wanted to be here.  But she never made it.  Not to this house of God anyway.

            She couldn’t drive herself here, of course.  In fact, as she got older she could barely walk from one room to another.  And even though I would offer to have someone pick her up if she wanted, she was scared of falling or hesitant that she wouldn’t be able to be ready in time or nervous that it would be too much of a hassle for someone else to get her here and back.  “Maybe I can be a little stronger next month so that I can make it to church,” she would say.  “I’m really hoping that I can walk a little better someday soon so that I can be there with everyone else.”  “I think I’ll be healthier in a few weeks and these shingles will go away and my legs will be more stable and then I can make it there.”   And she did eventually make it there.  She did make it to the house of God.  But not this house.  That house.  The real house of God, the eternal house of God in which God himself lives. She always wanted to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of her life,” and now she finally gets to do it. 

            But how did she make there?  How did she make it from her home here to the home of God there?  Because the same problem she had getting to this earthly house of God was the same problem she had getting to the heavenly house of God: she couldn’t do it herself!  She had no way to get there on her own.  She wasn’t strong enough, she wasn’t stable enough, she wasn’t healthy enough.  And no matter how hard she would have tried, she wouldn’t have been able to try hard enough and she wouldn’t have been able to work long enough and she wouldn’t have been able to be nice enough to get there either.  Because entrance into heaven isn’t based on behavior. 

            Which is a good thing, isn’t it?  It’s a good thing that acceptance into heaven isn’t based on behavior because who of us here could claim that we have been good enough our entire lives to make the cut?  After all, God doesn’t just take the top 50%.  He doesn’t simply give us an “A” for effort or grade on a curve.  Our perfect God demands perfection from us - and nothing less.  And so unless you are perfect in every way, then you aren’t good enough or nice enough or worthy enough - and neither was Bea.

            And I’m not saying anything about Bea that she hasn’t said herself.  In fact, she told me that time and time again.  She understood that she could not get to heaven on her own.  I would sit with her in her home and I would always bring with me some wine and some wafers for the Lord’s Supper.  And like I do with every one of the members of Living Word that I visit, before giving her the Lord’s Supper I would ask her: “Do you believe that you have sinned against God in your thoughts, words, and actions?”  And Bea would say, “Oh, yes!  I know I have sinned against God!”  She knew that she wasn’t good enough to get to God’s house on her own.  But then I would ask her, “Do you believe that he forgives you all your sins?”  “Yes,” she would say.  “I believe.”  Bea believed that Jesus had died on the cross for her sins.  Bea believed that Jesus took the punishment for her sins on himself.  Bea believed that Jesus was the substitute that she so desperately needed.  And so through faith in Jesus as her Savior she was taken home.  She couldn’t get there by herself and so her Savior took her there in his arms.  And she is arm and arm with her Savior as we speak.

            Are you going to make there?  Are you going to make it to God’s heavenly household to see Bea once again?  You can’t make it there on your own either.  You can’t be good enough and you can’t try hard enough and you can’t be nice enough.  But the same Jesus that poured out his blood for Bea on the cross poured out his blood for you.  The same Jesus that rose from the dead for Bea conquered death for you.  The same Jesus that now reigns in heaven and had prepared a place for Bea Frisch to live now sits on the throne for you.  And he promises that “Whoever believes in me will be saved.”  That’s it.  No strings.  No exceptions.  No qualifications.  Christ did everything; he left nothing up to you; and he has guaranteed heaven to all who believe.  So can you be sure?  Can you be absolutely 100% sure that you will be in heaven when you die?  Yes you can.  Because a place in God’s house is not based on what you do; it’s based on what Christ has done.  And he has done everything.

            The last time I saw Bea on this earth, she was sitting in a nursing home.  And, understandably, she wanted to go home.  She missed her home and she looked forward to going home as soon as possible.  And since she was supposed to be sent home in just a couple days I told her to call me when she got in.  Well, needless to say, she never called because she never got home.  And I truthfully, I couldn’t be happier.  I’m happy that she didn’t make it home because that means she made it “home.”  I’m happy that she is pain-free.  I’m happy that she is tear-free.   I’m happy that she’s worry-free.  I’m happy that the Lord not only worked faith in her heart through the Word of God but also preserved her faith through that same Word for 92 years.  I’m happy that she’s home, that she finally made it to the house of her God.  And I can’t wait to meet her there.

            Amen.