My text is found in Matthew 25:14-21, “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. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several abilities; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made them other five talents. And likewise, he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money. After a long time, the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoned with them. And so, he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou delivered unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 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.”
There is such a danger today of us, all of us, losing sight of our position. When I had not yet found the Lord, and was living a worldly life, I was a servant to sin. Romans 6:17 states, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” After coming to the Lord and becoming part of the church and family of God, I am still a servant, but now of righteousness. The next verse, Romans 6:18 tells us, “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” When I became a preacher of the gospel and later a missionary, I was and still am a servant. Philippians 1:1 says, “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:” As Paul and Timotheus, we cannot title ourselves as missionaries, Regional Field Superintendents, Pastors, Evangelists, Leaders, Directors, or even Committee members, we are simply servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.
With that being said, we are privileged and have received a special endowment. Joel prophesied in Joel 2:29, “And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” InActs 2:16-18 Peter told the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit;” What a profound gift the Holy Ghost is.
This great experience of the infilling of the Holy Ghost is what gives us as servants spiritual enlightenment of the doctrines of the Word of God and puts us leagues ahead of those that struggle to understand. Through this, we grasp knowledge and wisdom of how to go about getting God’s work done, far above the average person, because it is from above. However, we must remember where this comes from and why. It is so that the Glory of God can be seen. However, this promise is for everyone. Acts 2:38-39 says, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Therefore, we must never think that we are more special than anyone else and always keep in mind that we are servants, we belong to Him. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Though this wonderful endowment of the Holy Ghost and through baptism in His Name we are given power and authority. Not of our own merit, but as an ambassador and representative of Him in His name. In Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus says he has all power, and he is giving it to us to go forth, “And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name…” And again, in Acts 1:8 He reiterated, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” He also told his disciples before departing from them in Mark 16:16-19, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 Paul states, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…”
Where does this new found revelation of us being endowed servants lead? There has never been a time in our history when the work of God and the ministry has been attacked as it is being attacked now. Our mission now is even more pressing however the problems and obstacles are gigantic. There is no doubt that some of these attacks are due to misjudgment and misunderstandings. Some may be because of jealousy. Others may mushroom from a molehill to an insurmountable mountain, because of ambition and unbridled zeal. No matter the root cause we must remember that Satan is behind it all and it just could be that he is using these onslaughts to cause us to forget that we are servants. As servants, we have a mission given to us by our Master. We must remain alert and not be sidetracked by trying to figure out all the obstacles the enemy has put in our way but stay on course. I Corinthians 2:11 states, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” The Master has things under control.
Servants are just what the name implies, ‘servers.’ Hebrews 9:14 says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” We have been washed and purged to serve. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 states, “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God…” We are turned from idols to truth to serve. Galatians 5:13 tells us, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” We have been set free by love to serve. Is it possible that we can allow our previously purged conscious to be contaminated? Can we lose our first love and return to idols? Sadly yes, it is possible, if we as a church lose sight of our main objective as servants to the cause of saving souls, we shall become shipwrecked on the shores of our own misguided thinking. We dare not let this happen, because the cause is so great. We must not abandon our stations as servants. We must serve the living God and one another continuously and faithfully.
Let us look at John 13:4-5 & 12-17, “He rose from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself. After that he poured water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded… So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” Notice firstly, this classic scene of humility. The creator washing the dirty feet of those whom He had created. He donned the equipment of a servant. He did not show any difference between those who were present but washed all their feet. He knew their faults, flaws, and failures, but this did not stop this act of servitude and love. Secondly, He did this as an example to them and to us. An example is simply for the demonstration of what those following should do.
Thirdly, Jesus said, “The servant is not greater than his lord, nor he that is sent greater than he that sent him.” At this point is where so often people go wrong. When one servant of God begins to feel that he or she is exalted in his own eyes or above another, there will always be problems. When our position is not guarded by the heart, but exploited by the mind, then the one holding the position and those under his charge will suffer and the work that they have labored so hard toward, will be destroyed. We must not lose sight of the fact that we are servants. Fourthly, notice what our great Master and Lord said, “These things are good to know but can only achieve happiness if you practice them.” Proverbs 8:34 says, “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.” This scripture points out four items that a servant should possess. One, happiness, “Blessed is the man”, two, a teachable spirit, “that heareth me”, three, watchfulness, “watching daily at my gates”, and fourth, patience, “waiting at the posts of my doors”.
A prime example of what a servant of God should be, is Samuel. Let us look at 1 Samuel 3:1-20.” And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, here am I; for thou called me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.”
Verses 9-14 shows the ‘Listening Servant’, “Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he calls thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So, Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. And therefore, I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever.” Verse 15 shows the ‘Humble Servant’, “And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.” Verses 16 & 17 shows the ‘Diligent Servant, “Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, here am I. And he said, what is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he said unto thee.” Verse 18 shows the ‘Faithful Servant’, “And Samuel told him every whit and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seems him good.” Verse 19 shows the ‘Progressive, Powerful and Privileged Servant’, “And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” And verse 20 shows the ‘Distinguished Servant’, “And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.”
What a great example this is to us of what we should strive to be in our servitude position before our Lord and Master, however, no one wants to be known as a servant today. Many misunderstand the assignment, equating it with being a custodian of a school with dirty gym lockers and garbage to clean up, but our position is in the service of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. There is no higher calling. The traits that Samuel portrayed as an example of our job qualifications would be good to download to our hard drive and put to memory. Jesus said in John 15:15, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” He was not saying that we are not servants, but that he would not refer to us that way, because we know what the agenda is, we have been included in the loop. His remarks came with the understanding that he loved and trusted us so much that he confided in us the whole plan of God. He pulled back the curtain and bore His whole heart. This is the status of privilege that we hold. Jesus stated that he would now call us friends. We have become professional and executive servants, as it were, knowing our place, and exhibiting the loyal and faithful traits required, therefore, we have been made privy to His plan.
How can we waste precious time, when we as the trusted servants, endeared with the name of ‘friend of Christ’, and we know His plan for the ages? We know that there is a deadline to meet, and that time waits for no one. We know what needs to be done. As our text in Matthew 25 told the story of the servants and the talents they were given, the Master expected that they would be busy about the business he had entrusted into their hands and produce a return on their investment before he returned. He expects the same from us. The world will be lost and die in their sins if we do not get to work. We must rally all the staff together, professional servants and executives, get the palace in order, sound the alarm, every man to their stations, for the King is coming!