IPHC Stewardship Month Sermon Series

(Sermon outline by Richard Goad, pastor of River of Life Church, Oklahoma City, OK Richard served as IPHC National Talent Director for nine years.)

Investing Our Talents
Matthew 25:14-30; I Peter 4:7-11; Eph. 2:10

Introduction: At Youth Quest in Daytona Beach last summer, Randy White mention Darryl Strawberry, a very gifted baseball player who had been at the pinnacle (an all star slugger who led the majors in home runs for a world championship N. Y. Mets team) but also fell into the pits (drug use, arrests, marital strife related to those problems). When we see talent such as his wasted it is always disheartening and disappointing (to us, the outside observers) - but Christ's parable of the talents teaches us that wasting our talents can even be devastating (to us, when we are the ones who choose to ignore the Master's plan for our lives). Darryl Strawberry's legal and marital problems pale in comparison to the Master's judgment of the unwise (not to mention lazy and judgmental) steward, who was stripped of his talent and cast into utter darkness.

To avoid disappointment and devastation, we should decide to follow the example of the other two stewards who invested the talents they had been given. I think of investing our God-given talents as being a process of Discovery, Development, and Deployment.

A. Discovery (Things you should find out about yourself)

1. God has a purpose for you (Destiny). Eph. 2:10

He created you (His workmanship) therefore you are not an accident nor are you junk!
He created you to do good works.
His plans for you were decided in advance.

2. According to His purpose, He has gifted you (I Cor. 12, I Peter 4) in advance

These are "charis" gifts (in other words -grace gifts) given by God -all good gifts come from Him.
Not everybody has the same gifts ("some teach, others serve").
Not everybody has the same number of gifts (Mt. 25)

3. We can discover our own gifts:

Some are easy and obvious; others are hidden (or dormant)
Ask yourself these questions:
What am I good at?
What do I enjoy?
What do others see in me?

B. Development (Turning our Potential into God's Reality)

1. Our motivation is essential - this parable teaches us to honor and glorify Jesus, our soon returning King!

Jesus is coming back therefore we should be both prepared and productive.
Pleasing him brings not only heavenly reward but also earthly joy. (Col. 3:23-24)

2. Preparation time is also essential

Gifts are like clothes - You may need to try several before you find what fits.
Every gifted athlete or performer or speaker has put in countless hours of training before he/she stood before the crowd.
To understand your gift, you should align yourself with people who have similar gifts as yours and see how they function in those gifts.
Practice. Practice. Practice

3. Your Determination will determine your level of success

Determine now you will work through setbacks and failures
Determine to strive to improve your gifts
Determine to do your very best for God (not from fear, but because that's what He deserves)

C. Deployment (Getting the Most from your Abilities by possessing the Abilities* that everybody can have and use)

1. Availability - the Master gave gifts to his servants! As a servant be ready at all times to be used of God.
2. Accountability - the Master required of them an accounting of how they had invested their talents. Know if your gifts and calling are important to God and he means for them to be put to good use.
3. Dependability - the Master rewarded the two servants who had been faithful and chastised and banished the unfaithful servant.

Conclusion: Few of us have abilities that will make us a "superstar" or an American Idol. For every Billy Graham or Bill Gaither or Bill Bright (or Amy Grant or Amy Hamm or Aimee Simple McPherson) there are hundreds of Bill's and Amy's who teach a Sunday School class or cook breakfast for the men's fellowship meeting or keep the church books or, well, you get the point. The point is - every one of us can be used of God and fulfill God's plan - so that His kingdom shall increase until He comes!

* Nothing original about my list of Abilities in this section of the sermon, but I've heard and read these often enough from several sources that it's impossible for me to give proper credit to the first person with this idea. (RG)