Matthew 25:14-15
25:14. "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
25:15 "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
The Lord trusts the sinful men with the holy heavenly goods or the talents or the ministry. It refers to the mercy of God.
The Lord gives us the ministry according to our own ability so all men are able to minister Him. It refers to His justice.
Thus, we were sinful but now we can minister God because of His mercy and justice.
There are three kinds of talent God trusts to us, namely five talents, two talents, and one talent, referring to three kinds of work God trusts to us as follows:
33:19 And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
33:20 "Thus says the LORD: 'If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season,
33:21 'then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers.
The promise of God will never change but be fulfilled in our lives although we face temptation and failure.
God blesses you.
25:14. "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
25:15 "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
The Lord trusts the sinful men with the holy heavenly goods or the talents or the ministry. It refers to the mercy of God.
The Lord gives us the ministry according to our own ability so all men are able to minister Him. It refers to His justice.
Thus, we were sinful but now we can minister God because of His mercy and justice.
There are three kinds of talent God trusts to us, namely five talents, two talents, and one talent, referring to three kinds of work God trusts to us as follows:
- Work in the field, i.e. plowing and tending sheep. It equals to five talents.
Luke 17:7
17:7 "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?
The figure five refers to Jesus' five wounds or Christ's sacrifice.
Thus the work of plowing and tending sheep relates to Christ's sacrifice.
Plowing means providing good ground of our heart or good conscience that appreciates Christ's sacrifice.
The practices are below:- Repenting, meaning stopping sinning to return to God.
This is the first work or the first ministry God waits from us. Not preaching sermon first but repenting first.
2 Peter 3:9
3:9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God is longsuffering toward us that He has not come yet and we are still alive so we can repent and we are not perished.
All things we do for God such as serving, ministering, offering sacrifice, et cetera will be vain and perished if there is no repentance. - Being sowed with one kind of seed, referring to the true teaching Word so we can grow and yield a crop a hundredfold.
Luke 8:8, 15
8:8 "But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
8:15 "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Being sowed with one kind of seed, we can live holily.
Leviticus 19:19
19:19. ' You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.
Being sowed with two kinds of seed, one is unclean. The mixed seed refers to false teaching, strange teaching or gossips.
The process of being sowed with one kind of seed is below:- Hearing the teaching Word seriously.
- Understanding and believing in the true teaching Word, keeping It in heart.
- Practicing the true teaching Word.
As a result, there will be a crop a hundredfold or the fruit of perseverance.
Acts 2:42
2:42. And they continued steadfastlyin the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
It refers to three kinds of perseverance in the days of the apostles, namely the perseverance in fellowship, in the apostles' doctrine and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Those are the fruits in the first rain church.
They refer to three kinds of perseverance in committing three main services in the last rain church as follows:- Golden Candlestick (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_golden+candlestick.html) -->the perseverance in committing General Service.
- Table of Showbread (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_table+of+showbread.html) -->the perseverance in committing Bible Study Service and Holy Communion.
- Golden Altar of Incense (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_the+golden+altar+of+incense.html) -->the perseverance in committing Prayer Service.
Those are the fruits of perseverance.
It is very difficult to have because many people are sowed with mixed seed.
Therefore, we have to enter into sheepfold. Beginning with a pastor must be shepherded and all sheep must be shepherded.
1 Peter 5:2-3
5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
5:3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
The attitude of shepherded one is below:- Not by compulsion but willingly.
- Not seeking physical gain or self interest.
- Giving the whole life to God.
- Being examples.
1 Timothy 4:12
4:12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an exampleto the believers (1) in word, (2) in conduct, (3) in love, (4)in spirit, in faith, (5) in purity.
Making Jesus' five wounds as our examples, we can be example in five matters, i.e. in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit and faith, and in purity.
The work of the five talents is to become an example.
1 Peter 5:4
5:4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Having perseverance in shepherding and being the example, we will have the glory from our present life in the world, we do not fade away, we are not withered but fresh and joyful in the Lord until we receive the crown of glory that does not fade away when the Great Shepherd comes. - Hearing the teaching Word seriously.
- Repenting, meaning stopping sinning to return to God.
- Work in the house at afternoon until evening, referring to the two talents.
Luke 17:8
17:8 "But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?
The evening or night time refers to the last days and the house refers to the spiritual house.
The ministry in the house in the evening means the ministry of building the spiritual house or Christ's body.
The least Christ's body is in a marriage. Let us take heed to the service in the marriage that a husband must love his wife as his own body and a wife must submit to her husband in all things and the children must obey their parents.
Afterward, the ministry is in shepherding, inter-shepherding until the international building of Christ's body between Israelites and Gentiles. Such is the work of the two talents.
Luke 17:8
17:8 "But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?
The requirements are below:- Girding ourselves with righteousness and faithfulness.
Isaiah 11:5
11:5 Righteousnessshall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
Both of them cannot be separated. - Giving food to the Lord to satisfy Him.
John 4:34
4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
His food is to do God's will or obedience and to finish His work or faithfulness to the end. Meaning faithfulness and obedience which also cannot be separated.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
5:23. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blamelessat the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
As a result, the Lord appears as the Head and Faithful High Priest who will fulfill His promise as follows:- To preserve our body, soul, and spirit from our present life in the world until Jesus comes a second time.
- To sanctify our body, soul, and spirit until we are perfect and become His blameless Bride.
- Girding ourselves with righteousness and faithfulness.
- Work in the house at the second watch and the third watch, referring to the one talent.
Luke 12:37-38
12:37 "Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
12:38 "And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
Our work is to welcome Jesus' second coming.
Psalm 27:14
27:14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
The requirement of welcoming Jesus' second coming is being strong and of good couragewhose meanings are below:- Holding fast one true teaching Word.
Eve's failure in Eden Garden is the failure to keep the true teaching Word because of her will.
There will be many people who are failed in the last days to return to Eden Garden because of not holding fast to the true teaching Word. - Not sinning whatever risks may come but living always in holiness.
- Not being hopeless or disappointed in facing temptations but keeping on believing and hoping in God.
Keep on waiting the time of God, do not seek your own way outside the Word. - Keeping on loving God more than all things and worshiping Him only.
The examples of people who are strong and of good courage are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego as follows:- Facing an image of gold or false teaching and false worship.
Daniel 3:1
3:1. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. - Facing a burning fiery furnace which was heated seven times more than the usual.
It refers to temptations in all aspects of life until the peak happens in the time of antichrist's reigning over the world that one lives as if in the midst of fire.
Daniel 3:16-18
3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
3:17 "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
3:18 "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were strong and of good courage. They would have kept on loving God if He had not helped them.
Daniel 3:24-25
3:24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
3:25 "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
As a result, Jesus' face which is full of glory will shine and accompany us.
Psalm 84:12
84:12 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
The result will be real as follows:- The sun of God's love will be a shield in our lives to protect us from all disasters, sins, and temptations so we live in peace.
- The love and goodness of God preserve and help our lives.
We are helped from all problems, even the impossible one. - The love of God lifts us up from failure and gives us beautiful future life.
- The love of God changes our lives from carnal men to spiritual men, to become as glorious as He is.
We can welcome Jesus' second coming to enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb until we enter into New Jerusalem.
- Holding fast one true teaching Word.
33:19 And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
33:20 "Thus says the LORD: 'If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season,
33:21 'then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers.
The promise of God will never change but be fulfilled in our lives although we face temptation and failure.
God blesses you.