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Matthew 25 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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0:00In the previous chapter, Jesus is
0:01describing the end of the age, the
0:03return of the son of man, the wrap up of
0:08the whole story.
0:10And after saying that, Jesus uses a
0:14parable to describe that time. [music]
0:17So he starts with the word in Matthew
0:1825. He says, "Then
0:21or at that time, the kingdom of heaven
0:24will be compared to 10 virgins
0:27who took their lamps [music] and went
0:29out to meet the bridegroom."
0:32Five of them were foolish and five were
0:34prudent.
0:36For when the foolish took their lamps,
0:37they took no oil with them.
0:41But the prudent took oil in flasks along
0:44with their lamps.
0:46Now, while the bridegroom was delaying,
0:50they all got drowsy and began to sleep.
0:56But at midnight, there was a shout,
0:58"Behold, the bridegroom, come out to
1:01meet him." Then all those virgins rose
1:04and trimmed their lamps. The foolish
1:07said to the prudent, "Give us some of
1:10your oil, for our lamps are going out."
1:14But the prudent answered, "No, there
1:17will not be enough for us, and you, too.
1:20Go instead to the dealers and buy some
1:23for yourself."
1:26And while they were going away to make
1:28the [music] purchase, the bridegroom
1:30came, and those who were ready went in
1:33with him to the wedding feast, and the
1:36door was shut.
1:39Later the other virgins also came
1:41saying, "Lord, Lord, open for us." But
1:44he answered, "Truly I say to you, I do
1:47not know you."
1:49Be on the alert then, for you do not
1:52know the day nor the hour.
1:56Jesus is going to tell two parables in
1:58Matthew 25, and both of them have the
2:02same intention.
2:04He's trying to tell us that we need to
2:07be prepared for a longer wait than we
2:11are expecting.
2:13That he's not going to return as fast as
2:15we thought he would.
2:18That's the point. Now, in the parable of
2:20the 10 virgins,
2:23these are not referring to individuals
2:26because who is he coming back for but
2:29his bride. And who is his bride except
2:33the church? So these 10 virgins who are
2:37waiting for Christ represent 10
2:40different ways of trying to be his
2:43bride, of trying to be part of that
2:46marriage with Christ at the end. These
2:49are representative of churches or church
2:52traditions and movements. And what Jesus
2:55is saying is that some of the churches
2:59are going to have what it takes to be
3:02ready when he returns
3:04and some are not. But all are going to
3:07be surprised at how delayed his coming
3:11is.
3:13In the Old Testament, this phrase our
3:16lamps are going out or this reference to
3:19lamps is always tied to one thing.
3:23It refers to generational continuity.
3:27When a righteous man is able to pass on
3:31to his second and third generation the
3:34same truth and convictions he lived by.
3:38It will be said that his lamp will never
3:40go out. So it says this about David and
3:44many places throughout the Bible. It
3:46says that he will always have a man to
3:50stand before him. His lamp
3:51[clears throat] will never go out.
3:54But when
3:55a man is unable to pass on from one
3:59generation to the next the truth of God,
4:02the convictions of God, the life of God,
4:05then his lamp goes out because his life
4:10is like a wick and it's going to exhaust
4:13itself. But the question is, did he get
4:16that oil into another lamp? Did he get
4:19it into another life to keep it burning?
4:22And so this parable is saying that
4:26part of the curse that's going to snuff
4:29out and cause so many to fall away in
4:32the last days is that the church is not
4:34going to have a generational
4:37view. It's not going to be able to pass
4:39it on to its young people.
4:43And the church is going to say, "Our
4:45lamp, our lamps are going out." Which is
4:48to say, "Our kids are leaving. our
4:51children are not walking in the faith.
4:54They focused on evangelism, but they did
4:57not have a culture that was able to keep
5:00the oil passing from one lamp to the
5:03next.
5:05And they're going to wake up when it's
5:07too late and they're going to try to be
5:09part of the wedding supper of the lamb,
5:12but they're not going to have any
5:13children. They're not going to have any
5:14young people with them.
5:17The second parable is the same thing.
5:20He's trying to warn them. He's trying to
5:22warn them that it's going to be a slow
5:25process of growth. It's not going to be
5:27a sudden thing.
5:30He says, "For it is just like a man
5:32about to go on a journey who called his
5:34own slaves and entrusted his possessions
5:37to them. To one he gave five talents, to
5:41another two, and to another one, each
5:44according to his own ability.
5:47and he went on his journey.
5:50Immediately the one who had received the
5:53five talents went and traded with them
5:57and gained five more talents.
6:00In the same manner, the one who had
6:02received two talents gained two more.
6:06But he who received the one talent went
6:08away and dug a hole in the ground and
6:12hid his master's money. Now after a long
6:15time, the master of those slaves came
6:19and settled accounts with them. The one
6:22who had received the five talents came
6:24and brought five more talents, saying,
6:26"Master, you entrusted five talents to
6:28me. See, I have gained the five more
6:31talents."
6:32His master said to him, "Well done, good
6:36and faithful servant.
6:39You were faithful with a few things. I
6:42will put you in charge of many things.
6:45Enter into the joy of your master.
6:48Also, the one who had received two
6:50talents came and said, "Master, you
6:53entrusted two talents to me. See, I have
6:55gained two more talents."
6:57His master said to him, "Well done, good
7:00and faithful servant. You were faithful
7:03with a few things. I will put you in
7:06charge of many things. Enter into the
7:08joy of your master."
7:11And the one who had received one talent
7:13came and said to him, "Master, I knew
7:16you to be a hard man, reaping where you
7:18did not sow and gathering where you
7:20scattered no seed, and I was afraid."
7:23And went and hid your talent in the
7:25ground. See, you have what is yours.
7:29But his master answered and said to him,
7:31"You wicked and lazy servant.
7:35You knew that I reap where I did not sow
7:37and gather where I scattered no seed.
7:40then you ought to have put my money in
7:42the bank and on my arrival I would have
7:44received my money back with interest.
7:47Therefore take away the talent from him
7:49and give it to the one who has 10
7:51talents.
7:53For to everyone who has more shall be
7:55given and he will have an abundance. But
7:58from the one who does not have even what
8:00he does have shall be taken away. Throw
8:04out that worthless slave into the outer
8:07darkness. In that place there will be
8:09weeping and nashing of teeth.
8:13Now the parable here is that
8:18God
8:19is telling us that his kingdom is not
8:23something that he's going to impose on
8:25us.
8:27It instead consists of us being faithful
8:32with small things he gives us and
8:34turning them into more.
8:36And faithful is not a mindset only. It's
8:40not a heart condition only. Faithful is
8:44doing. Well done, my faithful servant.
8:50Anytime we claim to have faith that does
8:52not produce action, we're lying. And
8:55he's going to say that to us at the end
8:57of the age.
8:59But God gives us according to our
9:01ability. And the word there for ability
9:03is dunamis.
9:05That's the word for power when Jesus
9:08says when the Holy Spirit has come upon
9:10you, you will receive power from my
9:12father. So he gives us according to the
9:15deposit of God's grace in our life. This
9:18accords with what Paul says
9:22to each one grace was given according to
9:24the measure of Christ's gift. According
9:27to the measure of the spirit that we
9:29have, God gave us opportunities. And the
9:32question is how do we look at those
9:34opportunities? Do we say, "I have a
9:37gift. I have a talent. I have truth. I
9:40have love in my life. And these are
9:42treasures in an earthn jar, but I better
9:46invest them and turn them into more. I
9:50better take this truth, this grace, this
9:52love, and spread it into other lives so
9:56that it grows and it doesn't stay locked
9:59in me, but it multiplies." Well, if we
10:02do that, then we are cultivating. We are
10:06acting in a faithfilled manner. And he's
10:11going to say, "Well done." Not well
10:12thought, not well planned, not well
10:14said. Well done, my good and faithful
10:17servant.
10:19But the reason we don't do that is
10:21revealed in the third servant.
10:25He had the smallest portion
10:28and he doesn't thank God for what he has
10:32and multiply it and if he had he would
10:36be receiving twice as much in the next
10:40goround.
10:42But instead he's suspicious. He's
10:45cautious. He's fearful. And he's afraid
10:48God's going to ask something of him that
10:50he's not ready to give. So he says, "You
10:52reap where you don't sow. you're going
10:54to ask something from me that I don't
10:56have the power to give. You gather where
10:59you scattered no seed. And I was afraid.
11:03He was afraid that God was going to
11:05demand something of him
11:07that he didn't have the ability to give.
11:10And so, he just hid it. He doesn't throw
11:13it away. He doesn't toss it in the
11:15garbage can. He doesn't toss it out and
11:19give it to somebody else and despise it.
11:22He just preserves it. He thinks that
11:25serving God is about holding on to what
11:27God gave
11:29instead of recognizing it's a living
11:31thing that must be cultivated, grown,
11:32and multiplied.
11:35But if you're not busy multiplying,
11:38then you're dying.
11:40It's a plant. It's got to grow. And the
11:44Lord doesn't say, "Oh, you poor,
11:45pitiful, scared servant. I understand
11:48how you could think that way."
11:51He says, "You wicked and lazy servant.
11:55You were just afraid not to invest what
11:58I had given you. You were just
12:00self-protecting. You cared more about
12:03yourself than about those who needed
12:06your talent, about the glory and name of
12:08God who gave you that talent. Bind him
12:12in hand and foot and cast him into outer
12:15darkness where there will be weeping and
12:17nashing of teeth." And this is the very
12:18thing he says in the previous chapter,
12:22you know, when he talks about
12:26the wicked servant who becomes a drunk
12:29and doesn't know at what hour his master
12:32is coming. He says, "Cut him up in
12:33pieces where there will be weeping and
12:35nashing of teeth." Weeping and nashing
12:38of teeth, sorrow and regret and
12:41bitterness over missed opportunity. So
12:44the point is if you want to be part of
12:46the kingdom,
12:48you better act on what God has given
12:51you. You better have a view to grow it.
12:54You better believe in what God has given
12:56you. And if you believe that he's given
12:59you something, then more is going to be
13:00given to you. But if you see it in from
13:03this scarcity mindset of I haven't
13:05received anything, even what you have
13:07received is going to be taken from you.
13:11But when the Son of Man comes in his
13:12glory, and all the angels with him, then
13:16he will sit on his glorious throne, all
13:19the nations will be gathered before him,
13:21and he will separate them from one
13:23another as the shepherd separates the
13:27sheep from the goats, and he will put
13:29the sheep on his right hand and the
13:31goats on his left. So now, he's going to
13:34kind of zoom in on that wicked and lazy
13:36servant, and he's going to show us that
13:37he's a goat.
13:39He's not a sheep.
13:42A goat is self-serving. A goat is going
13:45to save itself at all costs. A sheep is
13:48willing to sacrifice.
13:51And he will put the sheep on his right
13:52and the goats on the left. Then the king
13:55will say to those on his right, "Come,
13:58you who are blessed by my father,
14:01inherit the kingdom prepared for you
14:03from the foundation of the world."
14:06Now, we're going to see what the mindset
14:08was of scarcity, what the mindset was of
14:12burying the talent.
14:14This is an amplification of the talents
14:16parable.
14:19He says to the sheep, "Come you who are
14:22blessed of my father,
14:25inherit the kingdom prepared for you
14:27from the foundation of the world. for I
14:31was hungry and you gave me something to
14:33eat.
14:35They multiplied.
14:37They took what God had given them and
14:39they gave it to somebody else and now it
14:41was in two hearts. I was thirsty and you
14:44gave me something to drink. I was a
14:46stranger and you invited me in. Naked
14:49and you clothed me. I was sick and you
14:51visited me. I was in prison and you came
14:53to me. Then the righteous will answer
14:56him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry
14:59and feed you or thirsty and give you
15:01something to drink? And when did we see
15:04you a stranger and invite you in or
15:06naked and clothe you? When did we see
15:09you sick or in prison and come to you?
15:13Then the king will answer and say to
15:14them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent
15:17that you did it to one of these brothers
15:19of mine, even the least of them, you did
15:22it to me."
15:25Then he will also say to those on his
15:27left, "Depart from me, accursed ones."
15:31Those are the goats. Those are the
15:33talent hiders.
15:35Depart from me, accursed ones, into the
15:38eternal fire which has been prepared for
15:41the devil and his angels.
15:44For I was hungry and you gave me nothing
15:46to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me
15:49nothing to drink. I was a stranger and
15:52you did not invite me in. Naked and you
15:55did not clothe me. Sick and in prison
15:58and you did not visit me. Then they
16:01themselves also will answer,"Lord,
16:04when did we see you hungry or thirsty or
16:06a stranger or naked or sick or in prison
16:10and did not take care of you?"
16:13Then he will answer them, "Truly I say
16:15to you, to the extent that you did not
16:18do it to one of the least of these, you
16:23did not do it to me.
16:26These will go away into eternal
16:28punishment. but the righteous into
16:32eternal life.
16:35So in this parable, we get a zoom in on
16:38the character and the mindset of faith
16:42and gratitude that lives in the sheep
16:45who multiply the talents versus the
16:49scarcity, suspicion, and fear and
16:52self-preservation that lives in the
16:54goats.
16:56The sheep live a life of gratitude.
17:01They don't even realize when they're
17:03doing the kind things. They're just
17:08aware of others. They're just aware of
17:11what God's done for them. So when they
17:14see someone in need, they act almost
17:19impulsively
17:20because they are driven by gratitude.
17:23Gratitude is the worldview of their
17:26life. And they're going to be surprised
17:29when they are complimented by God for
17:31all that they did because they don't
17:33look at themselves as constantly doing
17:35these great things.
17:38They're not trying to show God and
17:39others that they're more sacrificial and
17:42more noble. And did you see what I did?
17:46If they did that, they would be a
17:47Pharisee, not a sheep.
17:50they would be doing their righteous acts
17:52to be seen by men. But because they are
17:55a sheep, they're not even really aware
17:58that they're doing these things. They're
18:00just so grateful and so loving and so
18:04kind. They've been turned around.
18:06They've undergone a repentance. They're
18:09not selffocused, selfentered. They're
18:12love focused, God [music] centered, need
18:15focused, need centered to help others.
18:18and they just get caught up in it. This
18:20is what it means to live. This is what
18:22it means to be alive. And they're going
18:24to be shocked when they see all that
18:26they accomplished. They lived building
18:29the kingdom. They lived faithful lives.
18:34They were faithful in their stewardship,
18:36faithful in their attitudes, faithful in
18:38their love. But the the scarcity goats,
18:41they don't see it. They are waiting for
18:44opportunities and they are walking past
18:46them every day. They are complaining
18:48that I don't know what to do with my
18:50life. I don't have any purpose.
18:54They are saying I don't want to do this
18:56because I know God takes from me what I
18:58what he hasn't given and I'm not going
19:00to be able to be what he wants me to be.
19:04They they aren't living by grace. Gratus
19:07and gratitude does not define their
19:10posture toward God.
19:14and they think that it's because they're
19:16pitiful, but it's really because they're
19:18still the center of their life. They're
19:20still sitting on the throne. Jesus has
19:22not taken his place.
19:25And they're going to go away
19:28into anguish and disappointment and
19:31judgment and punishment. But the
19:34righteous [music] will go away into
19:37life.
19:39That's the challenge. God,
19:42have have you changed my worldview? Have
19:44you changed the way I [music] think?
19:46Have you changed the way I see? Am I
19:49tallying up all the good things I did
19:50and going to try to make sure that I get
19:52what I deserve? Or has have I been
19:55completely transformed by the renewing
19:57of my mind and I'm just so thankful to
20:00be alive, to be a conduit of your grace
20:03that this is what I'm here for, to give,
20:06to serve, to love. And I'm caught up in
20:08it so much that I don't even realize I'm
20:10doing it until the Lord says, "Well
20:13done, my good and faithful servant."
20:16That's what I want to be.
20:18[music]
20:29[music]

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