Put God's Talents to Work in Your Life

Sermon by Charles KAY on Matthew 25:14-30 · Service of September 14, 2025.

Introduction

When you open Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells you the story of a master who goes on a journey and entrusts his property to three servants. To one he gives five talents, to another two, to another one, each according to his own ability. The first two put what they received to work. The third grows afraid, digs a hole, buries the money, and waits for his master's return.

This parable isn't primarily a lesson in finance. It's a word Jesus speaks to you about your whole life: your time, your money, your skills, your faith, your church. All of it has been entrusted to you. One day, you'll give an account. And the Father's desire is for you to hear these words: "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, enter into the joy of your lord."

Here are three principles Charles KAY highlighted in this passage, plus a practical application drawn from Malachi 3 on how God asks you to manage what he entrusts to you.

Article outline

1. The economic principle: responsibility and fruitfulness

2. The relational principle: trust versus fear of the Master

3. The stewardship principle: you're a manager, not an owner

4. Application: tithing as a test of obedience and dependence

1. The economic principle: responsibility and fruitfulness

The first thing Jesus highlights is what Charles KAY calls "responsible capitalism." That word can sound alarming today, but it needs to be understood rightly. God doesn't hand his goods over to some anonymous collective. He gives them to named individuals, one by one, each according to his own ability. Every servant receives something personal that he becomes responsible for.

This principle is already found in the Law of Moses. In Exodus 20, God forbids stealing and coveting, which assumes that private property exists and is protected. You can only steal what belongs to someone. God takes seriously the fact that you're responsible for what you've received.

But ownership isn't an end in itself. God cares about fruitfulness. He wants to see fruit come out of your hands, your time, your creativity. In the end, the master doesn't commend the servant who simply preserved his talent. He commends the ones who made it grow. The third servant is judged severely, not because he lost money, but because he produced nothing. Burying the talent means refusing the mission.

2. The relational principle: trust versus fear of the Master

The parable then sets up a relationship. The master knows his servants; he gives to each according to his own ability. The first two act out of a relationship of trust. The third acts out of fear: "I knew you to be a hard man... so I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth."

This matters. Your Christian life depends on the picture you hold of the Father. If you see God as a harsh master mainly waiting to catch you out, you'll bury what he's entrusted to you. You'll stay cautious, defensive, convinced that the safest move is to risk nothing. But if you see the Father as Scripture describes him (merciful, full of grace, rich in kindness), you'll dare to make the most of what you've received, even when it's little.

Joseph, in the Old Testament, is a beautiful example. He becomes steward over Pharaoh's household in Egypt. He manages another man's affairs, faithfully, through the seven years of abundance and the seven years of famine. He acts out of trust in God, not out of fear, and his stewardship ends up saving the people of Israel (Genesis 41-47).

3. The stewardship principle: you're a manager, not an owner

The Greek word translated "steward" or "manager" in the New Testament comes from two words: oikos, meaning house, and nomos, meaning law. That's where our word "economy" comes from. Christian economy is the law of God's house. You're called to manage the Father's house according to his rules.

Paul writes it in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2: "So let a man think of us as Christ's servants, and stewards of God's mysteries. Here, moreover, it is required of stewards, that they be found faithful." A steward is a manager. He doesn't own the house; he runs it on someone else's behalf.

In Jesus' day, a talent was worth roughly 40 kg of silver, the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars today. Even the servant who receives just one is given an enormous sum. Today, what God has entrusted to you far exceeds what you imagine: your health, your years, your household, your children, your finances, your church, the gospel itself. Everything belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). You're not the owner. You're the steward.

That changes everything, including how you handle your money. Charles KAY shared in the sermon that he never learned to manage his finances when he was young. The Bible, though, has a great deal to say about money. Credit cards can become a trap when they let you live beyond your means. Debt, Scripture warns (Proverbs 22:7), is a form of slavery. A faithful steward doesn't get locked into that; he learns to live within what God provides for each day.

4. Application: tithing as a test of obedience and dependence

One passage comes back at the end of the sermon: Malachi 3:7-10. God speaks to a people who have drifted away and issues an appeal: "Return to me, and I will return to you." The people respond, "In what way must we return?" And God answers, almost shockingly: "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you ask, 'How have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings." Then he adds: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this," says Yahweh of Armies, "if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough for."

Charles KAY pointed out a few myths that circulate about tithing:

• Myth 1: "Tithing is Old Testament, it's not for us anymore." Nowhere does the New Testament cancel it. Offerings under the Law sometimes even exceeded 20 percent of what a person earned.
• Myth 2: "If I give, God will make me rich." This isn't a transaction. God commits to providing for you, not to turning you into a millionaire.
• Myth 3: "I don't have enough to give." That's exactly the point of a percentage. It's fair: everyone gives in the same proportion.

Charles KAY cited a striking figure: in the United States, only about 4 percent of Christians actually tithe. If everyone did, there would be no funding shortage for missions, pastors, or local churches. The lifeblood of the kingdom isn't money itself, but hearts that recognize everything comes from God and set a portion aside for his house.

Tithing isn't magic. It's an exercise of faith that dislodges the illusion that you're the owner. It's also an act of solidarity: you take a concrete part in the life of your church, in those who teach you (Galatians 6:6), and in the service of God's house (Nehemiah 10:32).

Key takeaways

• God has entrusted you with something personal (money, time, gifts, faith), and he expects you to make it fruitful.
• How you manage it reveals how you see God: a harsh master to run from, or a good Father to trust.
• You're a steward, not an owner. Everything belongs to God, including what you hold in your hand.
• Tithing isn't a fee; it's a school of obedience and dependence.
• One day you'll give an account. The goal isn't performance, but faithfulness.

Personal application

1. What "talent" has God entrusted to you right now that you're burying out of fear or comfort?
2. Do you see God as a harsh master or as a good Father? How does that shape your decisions this week?
3. How are you actually managing your money: debt, spending, savings? Is there something to set right before God?
4. Are you giving financially to your local church, in proportion to what God has given you?
5. If the Master returned today, what account would you give him of this past year?

Verses cited

• Matthew 25:14-30 (WEB)
• Ephesians 2:1-9 (WEB)
• Micah 6:6-8 (WEB)
• Exodus 20 (WEB)
• 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (WEB)
• Malachi 3:7-10 (WEB)
• Galatians 6:6 (WEB)
• Nehemiah 10:32 (WEB)
• Luke 22:14-20 (WEB)

FAQ

What do the "talents" represent in the parable of Matthew 25?

In Jesus' day, a talent was a unit of weight for silver (about 40 kg), representing tens of thousands of dollars today. Even a single talent is a considerable sum. By extension, in the parable it represents everything God entrusts to you: money, time, skills, gifts, faith, opportunities.

Is tithing still required for a New Testament Christian?

The New Testament never explicitly abolishes tithing, nor does it set a rigid percentage. Instead, it calls you to give cheerfully, generously, according to what God has placed in your heart (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Tithing still serves as a very concrete benchmark: 10 percent as a starting point, with the freedom to give more in offerings according to needs and the grace you've received.

Why is the third servant judged so harshly when he didn't steal anything?

Because the sin in the parable isn't losing the money, it's refusing to serve. He acted out of fear, he misjudged his master, and he produced nothing. Burying the talent means refusing to step into God's plan. The severity of the judgment reveals just how seriously God takes what he entrusts to you.

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Article written from the sermon by Charles KAY on Matthew 25:14-30 (Service of September 14, 2025), with liturgy by Paul GEORGES.