Hey, welcome to venture Church, man. So glad that you're here. Hey, shout out to our Gulf Coast Campus, man. All that God is doing down there is incredible. Just absolutely love that story.
Right just the testimony of man. I'm gonna show up and and look I'm willing to give even before I get anything I and I know that as incredible that story is it that is a story that's so many of you share, which is man why I'm so thankful for you. I hope you know that I mean we are so so thankful for you and all that you do and all the ways that you give that you partner right in the vision and the mission to be a church for the unchurch. I'm thankful just personally man. I'm thankful that I get to be a part of this journey with you and all that God's called us to do and so look I want to get started with a question.
Okay. Ask you a question just to kind of get us thinking and rolling in the direction. We're gonna be heading in Scripture today. So here's the question for you in this season. What is it that you are waiting on?
What are you waiting on in the city? And that's not like a hyper biblical question. But like I'm not trying to be super spirit. I mean honest like what do you what are you waiting on in this season? What's the thing your waiting?
Oh and I'm making a broad assumption there that that we're all likely waiting on something and I think that's a fair assumption. Right? What are you waiting on you waiting on a husband to show up and swoop you off your feet, you know, you're waiting on a wife to accept the invitation. You've been inviting on third date for the past year, right? What are you waiting on you waiting on your kids to get out of your house.
You're waiting on a razor or gas prices to drop and stay down. Are you waiting on? Alabama to be able to win a game with a kicker like what is it that you are waiting on? I know I don't this too soon for some people and I'm sorry. What are you waiting on?
You know, we are you waiting on somebody to apologize to you right to realize finally realize after all this time that they were wrong. You've known they were wrong and you're just waiting on them to figure it out right that they're wrong and call you and apologize. I think we're all waiting on something Brooke and my wife Brooke and I We are very much in a season of waiting for several months. Now. We are waiting anxiously excitedly.
We are waiting on on the birth of our first child a little girl prayerfully in in a few weeks. She will arrive and enough time for us to get home and still enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. Right? So we're waiting we're waiting anxiously, right? We're waiting with a lot of joy and with a lot of excitement to step into a brand new season.
Like we know life is gonna be different. We know that there's gonna be new things for us. And so we're excited about that and we're waiting we see that coming we see that as as a thing sitting out there we're waiting to step into it Brooke is she's just waiting to be able to breathe again, you know to to be able to get in and out of bed without losing her breath, but we're waiting and depending on He's gonna ask you that question, right because depending on what it is that you're waiting on. That can either be a tremendous source of of joy of anticipation of excitement or it can be a source of of Despair right of Doubt of worry of stress of anxiety. And so as we think about what it is that you are waiting on in the season the thing I want to dig into a little bit more is how are you doing with that waiting?
Tolstoy a Russian author believer. He said that everything comes in time to he who knows how to wait. I love that distinction, right but it's not just about waiting itself because I'm Beyonce. We don't think that we can avoid the waiting I think waiting is just a reality of life in every single season, but it's not just about what it is. We're waiting on but rather how we are waiting, right?
How do we and this is the question for us collectively today that we're gonna dig into in scriptures. How do we wait well, Jesus was asked a very similar question. He had told his disciples throughout all of his ministry. Hey, I'm not gonna be with you physically forever. My life is going to be delivered.
I'm going to lay my life down right? I will die. And then so doing I will offer you. Hope I will offer you eternal life. I will offer you Eternal rescue.
I'm gonna give you that but I won't always physically be here, but don't worry. I'm gonna go and I'm gonna prepare a place for you and one day I will come back and I will take you to that place that place and Perfection that I've prepared for you and the disciples understandably. We're like, hey, that sounds awesome. How long do I gotta wait was that look like what am I waiting through? How do I know?
I'm waiting through the right things. How do I wait well, And so Jesus answered that question through a few Parables a couple of Parables. We're gonna dig into one of them, right Matthew chapter 25, if you're reading along Matthew chapter 25, we're gonna start in verse 14. That's what we typically refer to as the parable of the talents and I'll show you that in just a minute when we get there. But Matthew chapter 25 verse 14 says this Jesus says four it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and he entrusted to them his property.
Now, let's let's hang right here on this verse for just a minute and we'll dive into what actually happens in the story. Jesus says for it will be like and when he he says that word it that word. It refers to the phrase the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. You can go back to verse 1 of this chapter and see what he's referring back to and that phrase the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. It's a very common phrase in the teachings of Jesus particularly in The Parables themselves.
He uses Parables to teach a lot about what he calls the kingdom of heaven. Phrase, simply means the place in the space in which God reigns makes sense. Right like God Reigns and God rules in his kingdom. Now, here's what's really interesting about that. Okay as you Read through The Parables you'll see that they take two different tenses.
Sometimes Jesus will teach in a present tense. He will say the Kingdom of Heaven is like or the kingdom of God can be compared to and when he's teaching in that present tense in that away. He's reminding us he's acknowledging the fact and the realization that God Reigns and rules in the here and now right in our reality here and now he's just as holy that God Reigns and rules he sits on his throne in this present age that that in all things right all things sit under the feet of Jesus. He is still the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. He holds all life in his hand.
And yes while you and I live in this life we talk about this a lot here right that there is a a conflict that there is a war that we are in that we we fight and we engage in a battle with our enemy the the prince of power of Darkness of Scripture calls them the father of lies. And so we acknowledge that in this life in a life of sin and Brokenness that there is a kingdom of darkness in which our enemy Reigns and yet at the same time. There is a kingdom of light in which God Reigns and rules his kingdom. And so in this life you and I we choose. Whether or not we will live in the kingdom of darkness or the Kingdom of Light because the Kingdom of Heaven is like in Jesus teaches us what it is like but there are some parables.
And this is one of them. That takes our minds to a future tense, right? He says the kingdom of heaven will be like So he's taking our eyes and he's taking our mind off of our present circumstances in our present reality to a future promise a promise that will come true. That will be fulfilled one day that namely there is an eternal Kingdom being ushered in that Christ will return again the Son of God will return again and he will bring any Eternal kingdom of God and an eternal Kingdom of Heaven A Place In which there is no more sin. There is no more sorrow a place and a time in which he will wipe away every tear.
Well, there'll be no more pain. They'll be no more suffering. They'll be no more despair or depression or disease where there'll be no more anxiety or addiction or Affairs right where God brings perfection. Into reality a place and a time in which all hope and all peace and all love and all comfort are are fulfilled for us in the presence of God. That is a future that we hang on to.
It's the future that we cling to a promise that we cling to for future for better day. This is what Paul talked about the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8 verse 23. He said not only creation talking about the created world, but he said we us ourselves who carry the first fruits of the spirit the very presence of God himself through the spirits that we we groan inwardly. As we wait eagerly to be adopted as sons and for the Redemption of our bodies that there is this this soul level longing that takes place in US. As we wait eagerly for that promise to be fulfilled.
Promise of Eternal hope and rescue and peace a thing that our our hearts and our souls crave and desire and we groan as we we eagerly await that Now, let me just let me just kind of acknowledge for a moment here. That depending on where you are in your faith Journey that some of that maybe all of that as I talk about like a future promise. Don't make any sense to you. Right, like if you are man, if you are questioning if you're wondering if you're searching if you're just trying to figure out if this old Jesus thing or this old church thing is actually real or has anything to offer you one. Let me say man.
I'm so thankful for you. Like I'm glad you hear really and truly. I'm glad that you're here that you're searching that you are in fact wondering and questioning and trying to find those answers because I believe you're heavenly father has those answers for you. And so let me just acknowledge for you that but if that's you if you're you're if you're in that place of searching and wondering and like that that future promise sounds good, but you're really trying to figure out like right now if God has anything to offer my my depression or my anxiety or help me figure out my terrible boss or whatever the case might be know that like we said God is reigning and ruling in this present age. Right?
Like there is a heavenly father who loves you who cares about you who does care about your exper. With his creation and so he does very much care about what it is that you're experiencing and walking through in this life in the day in and day out. And two minute, let me challenge you to continue to press in to that. That sense that something's off. That's probably why you're here.
It's probably why you're questioning you're searching to begin with like something just feels like it's missing like there's a missing puzzle piece in your life. And that's because there is something missing. Communion and connection and relationship with your heavenly father. Maybe maybe you feel like you are in fact the missing puzzle piece like you look around and you just don't fit into the picture that's being painted in the world around you and you're trying to figure out where it is that you belong and what it is that you belong to that's a feeling and that's a sensation. I think of of like being a ship being untethered from its anchor right just adrift and floating without any kind of heading without any kind of Direction.
Scripture says that you were that that I am that all of us have been created in the image of God and the image of God he created us. And so what that means is without an understanding of who God is without an understanding of who your heavenly father is that you don't have any kind of direction or bearing to live out your identity. There is something missing but the good news is the good news is that God has that answer and he's inviting you into a relationship and he's inviting you into a connection and and communion to find that direction and find that heading and find that understanding right. There's a promise of a better day. Yes, but the promise holds an experience for us today.
Let me give you another example that might might kind of help us all. We talk a lot about the good old days, right? The good old days when when the Cowboys were good and people didn't fight on Facebook all the time right like that old days. We may what can we do to get back there or or most recently that phrase has become more like a return to normal, right? I mean, I just wish we could return to normal like somehow 2019 is normal and this isn't normal whatever that means.
But the funny thing about all that is is that I'm willing to bed if you could go back and talk to yourself and 2019. You probably had as many complaints about life then as you do now, they just were different. They just were different complaints but somehow we we get in our mind that that we are waiting for something to collectively snap us back to a place or a time or a situation that somehow better than our current reality and what I want you to see and understand is that that is a symptom and that is a son of a deeper desire of a heartfelt hunger. And yes, we do desire to return to the good old days to something better, but it's not 2019. It's Not 2010.
It's the Garden of Eden. Imperfection that we were created to experience you understand that right that you and I mean we weren't created for this experience in life. For an experience of sin and shame and so it's not what we were created for. We were created for perfection in the Garden of Eden perfect harmony with our heavenly father and yet sin broke and distorted and twisted that experience and so now now we wait we wait for future promise when Christ will return in all that sin has broken into started will be made right will be made whole and we will experience the fullness of all that God created us for but the good news is now in this life in this present age. We still get to experience that even if it is a small glimpse of it like looking what Scripture says like looking at a dimly lit mirror We have an opportunity to experience all or at least a taste of it.
That God has has created us for in Perfection, but For the present reality we are in what many have called the the Glorious middle right in this the season in this place in this time between salvation and sanctification where we experience the presence of God in our lives and yet we are waiting for the fullness of that experience and Eternity. And so what do we do in this waiting? How do we wait well, in this glorious middle and for some of us that that has become a thing for some of us our answer is like to to passively endure almost right? Like if I can just kind of hide away if I can get in this little bubble over here if I can protect myself from all those Sinners or all those bad people all those people that vote differently than me, then I'll can be okay if I can grip my teeth and hold on then one day it's all gonna be better. I just got to make it through all of this.
For some of us we take the opposite approach completely right like man if I can't control if I'm just waiting for one day that promised to come to me then. Look I'm gonna Live It Up Let's just go party it up man. We'll figure it out as we go. Let me get my hands on everything. I can't experience right now.
And what Jesus teaches us in the spirit when we're about to jump back in the parable. I promise, um, but Jesus teach. Es a parable is that there's a Better Way Forward There's A Better Way Forward in the midst of the waiting and what that is what he'll show us in this Parable is that you're waiting listen to me you're waiting is never meant to be wasted. That there is a purpose and there is a work even in the midst of your waiting that you're waiting isn't in a season or it's not so that you have a season to sit and do nothing. But rather in the waiting God is doing a work on you.
God is doing a work in you God is doing a work around you and listen. He has a work to be done through you. That's going to be the major part of this parable. Let me show you let's keep going Matthew. I'm 25 verse 15.
Says this to one. One of his servants he gave five talents and that were talents there. By the way, it's not like abilities. Like you have a talent you are talented. It's a unit of currency right like a dollar.
It's a lot more than five dollars, but you get the picture so one he gave five talents five dollars to another two to another one to each according to his ability. Then he went away he who had received the five talents when it once And traded with them and he made five talents more. He multiplied. He reproduced them. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
But he who had received the one Talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them and he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more saying Master you delivered to me the five talents here. I have made five talents more and his master said to him well done my good and faithful servant. You've been Faithful over a little and so I will set you over much enter into the joy of your master and the conversation goes on. He has the same conversation with the servant who had the two talents and he multiply them reproduce them and he said well done my good and faithful serving.
You've been Faithful over a little so I'll set you over much. The Apostle Paul is going to draw on this language a little bit. And First Corinthians chapter 4 where he's gonna remind us in the church that they look we are called to be good stewards of what he calls the the mysteries of God. We're called to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God. And for Paul the mysteries of God is the fact is the reality is the truth that the message of hope.
That is the cross right the message of Salvation that is the life death and resurrection of Jesus that that is a message available and meant for all people not just Jews and not just Greeks not just why it's not just blacks not just Democrats not just Republicans not just read. It's not just poor but rather the message of Hope of Eternal Rescue of Eternal salvation is a truth is a message for all people. And so when we step back and we understand the full Narrative of the New Testament, we understand that God listen to me. God has given us much So that we can make known a message of Hope. To all people God has given us time.
God has given us talents. God has given us resources. God is giving us life. So that you and I can make known a message of Hope and a message of Eternal rescue to all people that was meant for all people. And so here's the great plot to us.
Okay. Here's a great plot twist of this parable. Is that life? Is more than waiting to die? Your life means more than simply waiting to die and experiencing something in the future while there's a promise that you will experience something in the future beyond your imagination.
God has more for you to experience in the here and now than simply waiting. Da Carson, he said that it's not enough for Jesus followers to Simply hang in there and wait until the end instead. He said we should see ourselves talking about this Parable instead. We should see ourselves as servants as fateful stewards who improve on what the master has given us. I mean think about what Jesus taught in The Sermon on the Mount his first teaching he taught us to be Salt and Light right to make the world a better and brighter place to engage in the world around us and bring something good into it something life-giving into it when we talk about his prayer, right the Lord's Prayer.
What did Jesus pray? God let your kingdom come let your will be done. What on Earth. As it is in heaven. He never prayed God hide us away.
He never prayed God give us a bunch of buildings that we can hide in and be safe from the people. That's not like us. No, he prayed let us bring a taste of Heaven to this earth. Let us bring a taste of what is good. What is Holy what is right what is pure to this earth?
Yes, we wait. We wait in the Glorious middle for a future that has been promised to us of Eternal Perfection. But in the middle in the meantime, there's a purpose for you and I to be about To bring a taste. Of Heaven to Earth not just the weight to die to invest what he's given us to multiply to reproduce so that a message of Hope can be made known to the ends of the Earth. Now there's a third servant that we didn't read what happened to him.
We saw that that his response to the master giving some of his possessions and some of his property was he went and he buried and he he hit it in the ground. And so here's what happened. Here's the conversation between that servant the third servant in his master his verse 24 Matthew chapter 25 verse 24. It says he also who had received the one Talent. Came forward saying master.
I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you did not sow and Gathering where you scattered no seed so I was afraid and I went and I hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours? But his mastered answered him you Wicked and slothful servant. And understand this this next sentence has a question mark at the end. So there's some there's some sarcasm in and he says you knew really you think you knew that I reap where I have not sown and I gather where I scattered no seed if that were the case, then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers and at my coming I should have received what was mine plus interest so take the talent from him who gate take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents for to everyone who has will more be given and he and he will have an abundance but from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away now.
Here's the deal. Let me just kind of admit here that. I kind of get what's happening with this third servant not so much as reasoning or is justification. But I honest I do get his actions because man, one of the things I struggle with person is I struggle with a great deal of self-doubt I do. And so I read this Parable and I understand like what's being taught here.
And one of my fears personally man. One of my fears is these guys got praised for investing for multiplying for reproducing. What if I don't do that well, right like the servant he took five and he multiplied it and he brought 10. But what if God gives me five and I try to invest it and only bring back two. What if I can't make the 10 what if I don't have enough Drive?
What if I don't have enough ambition? What if I'm not good enough? And I struggle with this a lot. But I want you to go back. I want you to think about what the master said to a servant.
We read it in verse 21. He said well done my good and faithful servant. You have been what you have been Faithful over a little. Therefore I'll set you over much. You see it wasn't.
It wasn't the production itself that God praised them for it was their faithfulness. You see that like God. Listen. God does not praise you for your production. And listen God doesn't praise you for your Perfection for that matter.
God Praises you for your faithfulness this third servant. It wasn't the fact that he missed used what God gave him that brought about judgment or condemnation. It was the fact that he didn't use it at all. It wasn't an Effectiveness. It was unwillingness.
That's the great danger being talked about here that he's sat on his hands that he buried what God gave him that he refused to do anything with that and because of that not because he was ineffective but because he was unwilling He received the Judgment of God. And and I know I know that might sound a little harsh Revelation talks about what's called lukewarm Believers. He's talking to the church talking to Christians. Lukewarm Christians lukewarm followers. He says because you're neither and this is revelation because you're neither hot nor cold, but because you're lukewarm I will spit you out of my mouth.
And it's this this vile disturbing kind of picture. That sounds really harsh. But but the reality is. God cares passionately about the testimony and the message of his bride of the church of his people. And what this Parable teaches us is that one of the worst things that we can do.
Is not is not that we can be ineffective with what he's given us but one of the worst things we can do is be unwilling to use what he's given us. To take the time to take the talent to take the resources and bury them in the ground to sit to consume to watch and never contribute. There's a um, like I one more quote and this is where we'll kind of. Wrap up Spurgeon Charles Spurgeon can talk about what again what Scripture calls the the lukewarm Christian this idea of the the consumer who's unwilling to contribute that third servant Spurgeon said they sit on the Shady Side of godliness. Never basking in the Sun that shines full upon it.
I think a lot of us If we're honest with ourselves. We found a really comfortable spot in the shade. All right. That's not judgment. I mean this is comfortable spot in the shade.
Where I can sit up I can post up I can prop my feet up I can. I can maybe receive some good blessings. But I don't want to be a part of it. And what God invites us into this is your invitation today what God invites us into is to bask in the Sun the warmth the light the life that is found in the presence of the Sun. You've been given time.
We talk about that a lot. He's a man. I don't know really really don't feel like I have a whole lot of time. We listen we all have the same amount of time right days work the same for each and every one of us. The question at hand is really simply.
How are we investing that time? You're spending it. I'm spending it. Am I spending it on something that that has an internal return on it? You have talents we have talents.
Maybe your talent as you can. Lead from a stage you can sing beautifully and Lead others in worship. I'm not close to that. That's okay. If you're not maybe you're Talent as you can.
Cook a meal for your neighbor you love those moments. Maybe your talent is man something like empathy or sympathy where you can sit in the presence of someone that's hurting and listen and care for them. You have abilities there. God has given you abilities there. Some of you God's giving you resources.
Well, I've resources money assets. Some of you guys given just an incredible ability to to reproduce and multiply that and I know for you like it comes so second hand that you think everybody should be able to do that. I promise you all of our minds do not work that away. Okay. But some of you manage just you got it and it's easy for you to do that.
The point is God has given us much. To invest in a purpose not just bury it and sit and wait. So back to our original question. How do we wait? Well, what does that look like?
Believe waiting well looks like being willing to invest Where You Are. In this season in this reality with what God has given you. You be willing to invest. For an eternal purpose So look across all of our campuses. We're about to step into a time of worship and response and know like this is a time for you.
It is a time for you to engage with your heavenly father. Whatever that looks like. And so maybe as we worship you need to you just need to stand right where you are lift your hands and give it all to God and praise and worship. Maybe you need to spend some time at the altar on your face asking God to help you dig up. Whatever it is that you've buried.
Maybe you need to spend some time at the cross because you know fear or shame or despair has has caused you to not want to to be unwilling to invest. I mean, you need to confess that maybe she need somebody to pray for you. We have prayer teams available. Just put a hand on your shoulder and pray for you. But this is your time.
This is your moment. Man to engage with your heavenly father. However, he leads it. So let me let me pray for us and then we're gonna step into a time of worship and response together. Okay?
Let me pray. Lord come before you got I thank you. I thank you that. You see fit to entrust us with your property with your presence with your life as foolish as broken as messed up as I can be. Did you set a purpose in front of me?
You said a purpose in front of all of us? So I got to thank you. Gotta pray that you will give us the strength the the Courage the boldness to dig up whatever we've buried. To invest in your purpose to invest in your kingdom so that every person may be able to know love and follow you to experience your hope your forgiveness your love. I pray that you'll guide us in this moment in this time.
All things we ask in your name. Amen