Matthew 25: Don't Forget Who You Are, Make Your Gifts Bear Fruit

Introduction

That Sunday, at the English-language service of Immanuel Church in Stockholm, David is the one preaching. He begins with humility: he has "no idea" how long his message will run, he is "not at the level" of those who speak for thirty minutes about important things, and he asks the congregation to bear with him.

His text is the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, read alongside Ephesians 4. He starts from a simple image: a child who keeps in a jar the seeds he received from his father, without knowing what to do with them. "Very often, I feel like that little boy," he confides.

The message rests on one conviction: God has placed gifts of great value in you. For them to bear fruit, they have to be planted and cared for, and you must not forget who your Master is or who you are in him.

Message Outline

1. A Child, a Father and a Jar of Seeds

Every day, a father gives seeds to his child. The child does not know what they are or why his father keeps giving them to him. He puts them in a jar at the back of a dark cupboard, until the jar is full.
He knows only one thing: it is a gift from his father. One day, he notices that at the bottom of the jar, a few seeds have opened and a small green shoot is coming out.
He runs to show his father, who takes him into the garden: a wonderful fragrance, flowers of every kind, fruit of every kind. "This is what is inside your little seeds."
They can sprout even in a jar, the father explains, but to really grow, they need to be planted in good soil, watered, and given light and time.
David sees himself in this. He knows that the Father has placed gifts in him to serve and to live in relationship with him, but he does not always know what to do with them. The goal, the garden, heaven, seems far away to him, and he sometimes fears that the circumstances of life will choke the seeds, as in the parable of the sower.

2. Talents of Immense Value

Some versions speak of "bags of gold." David likes the word "talents," because it matches what God does: he gives each person a unique set of gifts and abilities, and all of them are equally important in the kingdom.
A talent was a unit of measure equal to twenty years of wages. Whoever receives five talents therefore receives a hundred years of wages at once, "more than a whole lifetime of pay." This shows how rich we are and how much God invests in us.
The master goes on a journey. He does not expect his servants to sit on the money until he returns: he expects them to put it to work and multiply it. That is what Jesus expects of our little seeds.
God's gifts are not limited to spiritual gifts. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation nor turning shadow" (James 1:17). Your family, your friends and your everyday life are part of them.

3. The Third Servant Was Wrong About His Master

The third servant's mistake is that he stayed stuck, head in the sand. He did nothing with the money, not even put it with the bankers.
He saw his master as a hard man, who reaps where he has not sown. David finds this portrait at odds with the person of Jesus: it is this master who gave the talents in the first place, and he is the one who answers in verses 21 and 23: "‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’"
The first two knew exactly what to do. The third misunderstood what kind of person his master was.
This happens to us too: we forget who God is and who we are in him, and at the same time what the gifts he has entrusted to us are for.

4. Each According to His Ability

As he read the passage, David first compared the amounts. He found it unfair that one received five talents, another two, another only one.
In the Christian life, it is easy to compare: to look over your shoulder and find what you have insignificant next to what a brother or sister has, or to see people online who seem so much more spiritual.
But verse 15 says: "to each according to his own ability." Who knows you better than the one who knit you together in your mother's womb? He knows exactly what you can carry.
Our differences do not make anyone less important. "If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?" (1 Corinthians 12:17-20). God placed each member as he wanted, and because we are different, we complete one another and reflect the light of Christ a little better.
The character David admires most is the second servant. He did not receive as much as the first, he did not complain, he got to work and gained two more talents. The master gives him the same answer as the first. What matters is not necessarily the quantity produced, but the effort made with what you have received.

5. When You Feel Far from God

Being so richly endowed brings a responsibility: to manage these gifts well. It can seem heavy, especially in seasons when you feel far from God.
David says it frankly: that is somewhat his case lately. He has not been disciplined in reading the Bible or in prayer, he sometimes feels he is going through the motions, and he put off preparing this message until the last minute even though he had weeks ahead of him.
You can be so busy with the rest of life that you end up neglecting God. He has the feeling of having slipped out of alignment, "or maybe it is simply the season I am going through."
What comforts him: no matter how far away or lost he feels in the storms of life, God walks with him and pursues him. "If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He can't deny himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).
It is about learning to recognize his voice better, as sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd. God shows himself in many ways, even in ordinary things, and especially through the people around you. That is another reason why fellowship is so important.

6. "Don't Forget Who You Are"

Recognizing God's voice is tied to remembering who he is and who you are. As with the servants: when you truly know your master, you can make the best use of his gifts.
David gives the example of Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, considered one of the best of all time and holder of the record for Grand Prix wins. Since moving from Mercedes to Ferrari, he says, Hamilton went through a period without a win, to the point of calling himself "useless" in an interview.
The fans kept repeating one phrase to him: "Don't forget who you are." It touched him, and shortly afterward, according to the preacher, he won the Catalan Grand Prix, his first win with Ferrari.
"That really stayed with me." It was only after remembering who he was that he was able to give his best again.

7. A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Faith is a lifelong commitment, and it is impossible to always feel perfectly in step. As he gets older, David has understood that it is a marathon more than a sprint. The intensity varies; what matters is to keep moving forward and to keep seeking God, who meets you at every stage of your life.
"Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God, who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). You remain a child of God forever, adopted into his kingdom.
You were never meant to carry this responsibility alone. The Holy Spirit is not only the source of the gifts, he also helps manage them: "That good thing which was committed to you, guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us" (2 Timothy 1:14).
The race demands intentionality. Just as a seed needs soil, water, nutrients and sun, your spirit needs its daily bread: prayer, the Word, attention to God's presence. As you draw near to him, the eternal light, the seeds grow.
Ephesians 4 describes this maturity: using the gifts with humility, gentleness and patience, "being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (verses 2-3), until we all attain "to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God" (verse 13). The better we know our Master, the better we know how to use what he entrusts to us.
Like a body or a plant, faith grows: the trunk gets stronger, the foundations in Christ are reinforced, and the child in the story ends up with a garden like his father's. It is from Christ that "the whole body" gets its growth and "builds itself up in love" (verses 15-16).
David concludes: life is an intense journey anyway, so what better way to spend it than with the one who created life? Don't forget who you are: a child of God loved forever, a unique person whom God desires and whom humanity needs. Your seed will bear fruit, and others will be able to taste and see that the Lord is good through your life, planted in God's garden, in soil that keeps giving whatever the weather.

Key Takeaways

God has placed gifts of immense value in you, spiritual ones but also your family, your friends and your everyday life.
The third servant buried his talent because he was wrong about his master. Knowing God as he really is frees you to make what he gives bear fruit.
Each person receives according to his ability: comparison has no place, and what matters is the effort made with what you have received.
Even when you feel far from God, he remains faithful and pursues you. Don't forget who you are: his child forever.
Faith is a marathon. The Holy Spirit helps you guard the good deposit, and prayer, the Word and fellowship make the seeds grow.

Personal Application

Which gifts, people or opportunities has God entrusted to you that you are still keeping "in the jar," without planting them?
How do you see God right now: as a hard master, or as the one who gives and who says "well done, good and faithful servant"?
In what area do you compare yourself to others, and what changes when you remember that God gives "to each according to his own ability"?
If you are going through a season where you feel far from God, what small concrete step can you take this week in prayer, reading the Word or fellowship?
Who around you needs to hear: "Don't forget who you are"?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a talent represent in the parable of Matthew 25?

The preacher points out that a talent was a unit of measure equal to about twenty years of wages. The servant who receives five talents therefore receives the equivalent of a hundred years of wages, more than a lifetime of work. This shows how much God invests in us and how much he trusts us.

Why did the third servant bury his talent?

He saw his master as a hard man who reaps where he has not sown. Yet it is this same master who had entrusted the talents and who says to the other two: "Well done, good and faithful servant." The third servant was wrong about his master. We too sometimes forget who God is, and therefore what the gifts he has given us are for.

What should you do when you feel far from God?

The preacher admits he is going through a season like this himself. He rests on 2 Timothy 2:13: if we are faithless, God remains faithful. He invites us to learn to recognize God's voice, including through the people around us, and to keep moving forward, because faith is a marathon more than a sprint.