Thanks for listening to the latest message from Him We Proclaim. In this encouraging series, Pastor John walks us through the resurrection of Jesus, the reality of eternal life. The grace of baptism, and the unshakable assurance believers have in Christ. I hope you have your copy of Scriptures along. We'll be looking at passages like 1 Corinthians, Luke, 1 John, and more.
To get gospel-centered reminders of God's faithfulness, power, and grace toward His people. Whether you're seeking hope, clarity, or a deeper understanding of the gospel, these sermons are rich with biblical truth and comfort. Let's dive into today's message called Grace Upon Grace. Matthew chapter 25, please turn there. You just heard it.
Verses 14 to 30. Matthew 25, verses 14 to 30. And here is the question. This is a very, very important question. What happens?
What happens? In a final judgment. What happened? What? What will it be like?
to face final judgment. When the kingdom of heaven comes and All of it's power and glory. When Jesus, the Son of Man, returns to set up his kingdom. What? Is the final judgment going to me like?
What will it be like to experience that day? The answer isn't the parable of the talents, which you just heard. Review yellow stream was. The outcome But the outcome, this final judgment, by the outcome of this story that you just heard. about these servants who were entrusted with a bunch of money.
So let's quickly go through the story, and then we'll come to what Jesus is actually teaching. Look at verse 14. Jesus says, for the kingdom of heaven Isn't like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven is like this wealthy businessman. who is about to go on a journey.
And so he calls his servants to him, and he trusts his servants with his. Money. And he says, while he's away, he wants his servants to invest in his. money profitably. Look at verse fifteen.
Different amounts are given to each servant. according to their ability. Jesus asked one, he gave five talents. Two. T another two.
And he has an to another one. to each according to his own ability. And so he wants his servants to trade the best they could with what They were given. Look at verses 15 through 17. He takes it off on his journey.
And it has verse 16. He who had received the five talents and went and traded with them And he made it. Made? Another five talents. Verse 17, and likewise.
He who hath received two talents can gain two more also. And so both servants had been faithful. Beau's servants had doubled the amount given to them. Look at verse 18. The third servant, The third servant is in very stark contrast to the first two servants.
Verse 18, but he who received one talent went. and dug in the ground And he hid. Here's Masters money.
So he didn't invest. He wasn't faithful. He had no faithfulness. And so he just dug a hole. And he hid it.
He he he had he hid nothing.
Now, the important thing for this servant was that his master's money was secure and that he could produce it when the time came. Verse 19. After a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. Listen carefully, and the story is starting to shift. The master, he comes back, he returns from his journey, and he begins now to settle accounts.
What is Jesus talking about? This is the final day of judgment. This is judgment day. The day of accounting has come.
Something the master calls his three servants to give an account. At the final judgment. Look at verses 20 through 23. The first and second servants give an account to their masters, and they report: Hey, we've doubled your money. But It's interesting that this parable doesn't focus on the money.
That's not the point. It doesn't focus on the amount. Because that's not important. We'll come back to that in just a minute. What is important?
is that both servants worked Faithfully. Faithfulness. Many had four. Fruit. And so what does the master say?
He responds with, Commendation. He commends them. And he says, well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things. I'll make you rulers over many things.
Look at this and enter into the joy. of your Lord and Master. And both servants are given rewards. their faithfulness with positions that give them broader scopes of service. Both servants receive commendation.
Approval. Both are promised a future full of joy.
Now, look at verse 24. The third servant gives an account to his master. Verse 24, then you had received the one teller came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man. Reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed, and I was afraid. Hence Mm-hmm.
I went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours. Hence it don't Unlike these first two servants, this third servant, after addressing his master, describes his master as a hard man. What is this word? It's it's stern, he's severe.
This third servant describes his stern businessman who was hard. Who gains profits in all sorts of places? And this third servant says, because of his master being a stern, Hard. harsh businessman. He says, I was afraid of you.
He was afraid if he used his master's money to invest like his fellow servants, he might. Mm-hmm. and make himself liable to punishment. And so he says to his master, I hid your talent in the ground. His fearful response meant that when he was called by his master to give an account, he could say nothing better to his master than this.
Look. There you have what is. Yours.
Now, this brings us to verses twenty-six to thirty. Look at Master's reply. But his Lord answered him and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant. You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seeds.
So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers. And at my coming. I would have received back My own with Interest.
So Take the talent from him. and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given. And he will have in abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
Verse thirty, and here is the pronouncement: it is not. Commendation it is. Condemnation. Cast The unprofitable servant. Into the outer darkness, there will be weeping.
and gnashing of teeth. Uh oh. This servant Out of fear. Did nothing. He had.
No. Fruit. Mare for The master takes his money from the servant. And he gives it to the profitable servant who now has ten talents.
Now, if you're reading this parable carefully, You might ask yourself this question. Why did the master take that talent and why did he give it to the one who had ten? That doesn't seem fair. Why not give it to the servant who just had five so he would have six? Be closer to one who has 10.
We'll come back to that in just a moment because that's the key to the whole parable.
So to be clear, Jesus is not commending business practices that enable wealthy people to get wealthier at the expense of the poor. He's not teaching that. This parable has nothing to do with economics whatsoever. Verse thirty, having condemned the servant who failed to use the talent entrusted to him, his master calls him useless. Unprofitable.
He's not making fruit. He's not bearing fruit. There's no evidence in his life. And so he says. cast out this useless unprofitable servant to the outer darkness.
Where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. That is a common description. of eternal judgment, of condemnation.
So that's the story. All right, we said at the beginning what happens In the final judgment, what are we to expect? What's it going to be like? When the kingdom of heaven is manifested in all of its glory. What will it be like on that day?
Because you will stand before the living God. You cannot escape that. You have to understand that. This is not a fairy tale. You're going to have to give an account of your life before God.
And the question is this, what is it going to be like? What can you expect? The par um the the all the talents. teaches us First Here it is. First, There will be condemnation for those who do not.
Believe. That's what this parable is teaching. There will be Condemnation. for those who do not believe. This parable shows us that in the final judgment, God condemns the bookkeeping of.
Unbelief. A lack of faith. A lack of faith in what? In Christ. You see this parable.
This parable is not a parable that says God is a bookkeeper looking for productive results. That's not what it's saying. Because some people say, well, gosh, I'm going to be judged on the basis of faithfulness. How much faithfulness do I have to have? How many good works do I have to show God on that day so that I'm called faithful, a good, and profitable, faithful servant?
That's not the point of this parable. It's not the amount. The unprofitable servant. Is Living by bookkeeping, not God, but the unprofitable servant. How do we know this?
Because he felt that his preservation of his master's money was something for which he shouldn't receive credit for. You see, if he just hid it and didn't do anything and didn't have any fruit to bear to show the mastery, but if he just. If you just held on to this in unbelief, He deserved credit for that. That's bookkeeping, and that's just like the parable of the workers. The last workers showed up at 5 p.m.
at closing time, and they just trusted the master who said, Here's your promise, you get a whole day's wage. Yeah. And they're like, they were just bold enough by faith to go, wow, this is a great deal.
Well, I'll take it. But the first workers who showed up at 6 a.m., they said, we have more in the heat of the day and we've worked all day. We deserve to get credit for our work. Pay up. That is exactly what Jesus is teaching here.
It's this idea of bookkeeping mentalities, this idea of I deserve credit. I deserve to be paid. He feared punishment from his master because of unbelief. Therefore he hid his one talent in the ground. There was nothing profitable about his life.
He bore no fruit. fruit. Why? Because he didn't have Faith. Therefore, the Lord will say on the day of judgment.
Cast out this unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. That's condemnation. Jesus Has the master at his unprofitable servant, then he would have accepted anything. Even the rock bottom interest that could have been earned in the bank's savings account. Jesus said that to him.
He said, you could have just put in the bank and I would have come back, got my money, and had the interest from it. You didn't even do that. You didn't even have, he's saying to this man because of his unbelief, you didn't even have. a shriveled up raisin bearing fruit in your life. There's nothing there.
There's no evidence. And so Jesus is teaching us: what matters in the final judgment is not the amount of good works. which results from faith. It's the fact that genuine faith produces life. That shows you have faith.
Faith produces good works. Article 12 of the nine articles, our church's confession of faith, says this concerning faith and good works. Listen carefully. Although good works, which are the fruits of faith, And follow on after justification. Can never atone for our sins.
You don't earn salvation by your good works. You don't escape the judgment day because of your good works. Why? Why can't your good works? Atone for your sins because Listen.
They can't face the strict justice of God's judgment. Because they're not perfect. Nevertheless, they are pleasing to God in Christ and necessarily spring from a true and lively faith. Thus, living faith is as plainly known by its good works as a tree is known by its fruit. You see, here's what Jesus is showing us: this unprofitable servant.
Was unprofitable because his inaction was evidence. of in lack of faith. There was no faith present. Because faith produces works. It even, it doesn't have, it's not the amount.
You could have a shriveled raisin. on the day of judgment and and God would commend you. But if there's nothing there, there's no evidence of faith. You've not trusted Christ. You're not justified.
He had this bookkeeping mentality, believing he should receive credit for preserving his master's money. That's the evidence of unbelief. This parable emphasizes how God's indifference to bookkeeping is seen, and how the master takes the One talent from the unprofitable servant, and he gives it to the profitable servant.
Now, this is where I told you the story changes because when you read this parable, you see, parables, I'm going to come to this in a minute, but parables just turn the world upside down. They're meant to shock you. And as you read that part, you should go, wait a minute. He's got ten. Why not give it to the one who had five?
Why take the wine and give it to the guy who had the most? Why the surprising, bizarre twist? Because you can just hear the person lives by bookkeeping. Thanks. They deserve credit.
That is not fill in the blank. There. That's not fair. The servant went. with 10 talents doesn't deserve another talent.
He doesn't deserve more money. He's got plenty. He has doubled his money. He doesn't need extra. That is not Fair.
What is Jesus teaching? Listen carefully. That is not fair is the Point of grace. It isn't fair because it's grace. Fairness is justice.
So, ask yourself this question on the day of judgment. What can you expect? What would it be like?
Well, let me ask you: on the day of judgment, do you want Fairness. Or do you want grace? You don't want fairness. Jesus has the master give the talent to the wealthy servant to emphasize God's complete indifference to any form of bookkeeping, any form of the amount of good works that you're supposed to have, because good works don't give you final salvation. That's not the point.
It's to show that the bookkeeping of unfaith is what is condemned in the final judgment. It is a lack of faith that doesn't produce any evidence that you were ever saved to begin with. That's the point. And so, as I said, everything in the kingdom of God is just upside down. In the parable of the vineyard workers, the last workers are first.
That's not fair. Exactly. The first workers Our last. That's not fair, exactly. In the parable of the talents, Jesus says this: Listen to this.
This should shock you. To everyone who has, more will be given. And he will have an abundance. But from him who does not have this wicked and profitable servant, he has no fruit. He has nothing.
There's no evidence to show that he's trusting Christ, that there's faith. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. That's judgment. And this brings us to a second truth about what to expect in the final day of judgment. The first is you can expect through lack of faith through unbelief, you can expect condemnation.
But second, This is what you can expect if you have faith. Commendation from those who are trusting Christ. Commendation, the exact opposite of condemnation. This parable teaches us about the graciousness of God in rewarding our good works, which are the fruit of faith. Jesus commands and he rewards the faithfulness of the first two servants.
Listen to this commendation again.
Well done, good and faithful servants. You were faithful over a few things, and I'll make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy. I was your master, your lord. What is Jesus teaching us?
Listen very carefully. God does not reward our faithfulness according to our merit. but according to his grace. Faithfulness. Well done, good and faithful servant.
Where does faithfulness come from? Faithfulness comes from faith. It's the fruit of faith. August and Said it like this. Grace alone, son la gratia.
Grace alone brings about Every good work in us. Isn't that beautiful? Jesus, what is Jesus teaching here? This is what Calvin says, and it is a beautiful expression. And I just could not wait to share this with you today.
Because it's just such You're going to see this. It is amazing good news. Jesus is teaching the multiplication of grace to us. The multiplication of grace. Listen to what Calvin says.
The Lord enriches his servants daily and heaps new gifts of grace upon them because he holds pleasing and acceptable work that he has put not in them. He finds in them something he may follow up by greater graces. This is the meaning of the statement. To him who has shall be given. Likewise, well done, good and faithful servant.
You have been faithful in a few matters. I will set you over much. What is Calvin talking about? You have to go back to the first chapter of the Gospel of John. And this is what John says about Christ, about trusting in Jesus, about who Jesus is.
John chapter 1, verse 16. For of his Baldness. The fullness of Jesus, the fullness of Christ. For of his fullness, we have all received what? Grace.
Upon grace. What is John saying? What is this parable? What is Jesus teaching us in this parable about the multiplication of grace? Through faith in Jesus, John says.
Listen, we are constantly receiving grace. in the place of grace. Constantly. Through simple faith, receiving and resting in Jesus our Savior, we are receiving grace upon grace. One manifestation of the unmerited favor of God in Christ is hardly gone when another manifestation of it arrives.
Grace upon grace. John says from his father. fullness, there is a limitless supply of grace. From his fullness, it is an endless reservoir of grace. From His fullness, there is a constant outflow of grace to us.
There is grace upon grace that just flows from Jesus to sinners and it never ends. It's just grace upon grace. And so, God in His grace not only accepts us, but He also accepts our works. And he graciously rewards our works. which are the fruits of faith.
This is what again John Calvin says. He says, Now it is the teaching of Scripture that our good works are always spattered with much uncleanness.
So how can God reward something that's not perfect? He says, because God, because they're spattered with his uncleanness, is rightly offended and he's angry against us. Because God cannot delight in sin.
So, if we have sin and we cannot have a perfect work, how can it be a good work? How can we be considered faithful? How can God say on the judgment day, well done. Good and faithful servant. How can he give us such great commendation?
How Calvin says, Can our good works arouse his? kindness to us. It's because he examines our works with his tenderness, his grace. Not his supreme right, fairness, justice. He therefore accepts our good works as if they were perfectly pure.
And for that reason, although unmerited. They're rewarded with infinite benefits. both in this present life and life to come. Our good works. have no merit in this life or the life to come, none.
But as believers who receiving and resting in Christ have faith. Simple faith. We're showered with grace upon grace. Grace upon grace flows to us from the fullness of Christ. Grace upon grace.
Who does not want that? We are the continual eternal objects. Of the grace of God through Christ, the fullness of Christ. Do you understand that? This is what the Apostle Paul says that those who have faith in Christ are the recipients of his extravagance, of his lavish grace.
He says in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 7, in him, in Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. That's past, present, future. That's all the stupid stuff we've ever done. All the sinful stuff we've ever done. It's all forgiveness, all redeemed in Christ by his blood, by his bloody death on the cross.
It's gone. Listen, we have received the forgiveness of our trespasses. He doesn't hold them against us according to the riches of his grace, which he has lavished upon us. He's saying God the Father has, through Christ his Son, lavished grace upon us.
So what happens in the final judgment? What will it be like to me there on that day? Jesus says, condemnation for those who do not. Have faith. But commendation from those who do.
Listen to what this author, how he describes this parable in his own words. He has the rest of the story It's about the unaccountable and even irresponsible joy of the Lord. who just wants everybody to be joyful with him. Isn't that a great word picture? He just wants everybody to be joyful with him.
As the parable of the Ten Virgins, which just is prior to this parable, as the parable of the Ten Virgins was about the happiness of the bridegroom at his wedding.
So, this parable is about the overflow of God's joy at throwing his money, his grace around. You see, his money is his grace. That's what it is. He's throwing, he's lavishly throwing out his grace to sinners. And so this author says, it's the same of the divine party again.
The party that lurks beneath the surface of history and calls forth only recognition by faith. You don't have to do anything. It's just faith. It's the fatted calf certain up for a prodigal who did nothing but come home in faith. You can just hear the older brother when the younger brother came home.
Who do you think you are? Where have you been? Guess where I've been this whole time? Look at me. Look what you've done.
Look how you're being. Who do you think you are? That's not fair for you to get all this stuff. And then he gets mad at his father for rewarding the prodigal. That's what this parable is about.
Grace. It's about the fatted calf served up for the prodigal who did nothing but just come home in faith. It's the free champagne and caviar for wedding guests who did nothing but trust the king's insistence, providing fancy costumes and party hats. It's the full payment. For next to no work at all given to the last-minute grape pickers who just said yes to.
a last minute promise from the master. The only reason the judgment comes into this parable at all is a sad fact that he goes like this: there'll always be dummies. who refuse to trust a good thing when it's handed to them on a platter. Listen to this without shame. Without fear.
We rejoice to behold his appearing, his coming in judgment, because we have decided to believe him when he says that he wills us nothing. But the best. Isn't that beautiful? In the final judgment, Those who have faith in Christ alone. Faith alone.
Christ alone. Grayson Hoen. They don't have to dread condemnation. Those who can live by faith in Christ can live with this joyful expectation of his gracious commendation in every one of us who are trusting Christ now will hear these words said to us.
Well done. Good and faithful servant. You were faithful. over a few things. And I will make him ruler over many things.
Enter. into the joy of your Lord. That's what we're gonna hear. Aren't you grateful? Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this gracious, unmerited, undeserved Commendation. that we receive by simple faith. in Christ. And so I pray that each person who is here today couldn't leave here with the assurance. That judgment day.
is not condemnation, but commendation. Be gracious to us and help us. By your grace. Through the fullness of Christ may we receive here today grace upon grace. We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen. John Fawnville sends his thanks for listening today. And before we wrap up, can I tell you about an encouraging book you might want to get soon? It's called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity. You're not alone if you've tried to conquer sexual temptations and tried all the methods available only to find yourself feeling defeated again.
This book may be just what you're looking for. With his shepherding heart, John shows that the gospel, not practical steps or more self-discipline, is God's provision for the power to live a life of sexual purity. and it's available to every Christian. What I like is the book is available in three convenient ways. paperback, audiobook, or Kindle.
The links are in our podcast descriptions, or just search for Hope and Holiness by John Fawnville on Amazon. to get a copy for you and it's a wonderful book to go through with a small group. Him We Proclaim is a ministry of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. You can find us at Paramountchurch.com. We'll talk again soon.
