Study Guide
Parable of the Talents
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he was clear to let his followers know that he will return, and that they have a job to do while he is gone. In this message you’ll hear from Pastor Markus Witherspoon as he walks us through the Parable of the Talents and challenges us to steward every aspect of our life for the sake of the kingdom.
In this message you will be:
- Encouraged to see how much God has entrusted you with
- Challenged to remember your "why" as you steward your life
Newbreak’s Sermon Study Guide is an in-house resource that serves sermon-based Life Groups and/or individuals who want to reflect further on how the message contributes to their spiritual formation.
About the Sermon Series
The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s rule in our hearts and lives. The parables are the secrets of what the kingdom is and how it operates. The teachings of living in the Kingdom of God seem completely opposite from how we have learned to live in our society. The Kingdom of God is right-side-up living! It’s the world that is upside down! No wonder so many people are tired and weary; they have spent their whole lives living upside down. Here, we journey through Matthew’s Gospel using the parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven to our upside-down world!
Icebreakers for Life Groups
- What is the best gift you have ever received? What made it so valuable to you?
- What is one new thing that God has done in your life over the last few months?
Read Matthew 25:14–30 (CSB)
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately 16 the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. 17 In the same way the man with two earned two more. 18 But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I’ve earned five more talents.’ 21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy. ’ 22 “The man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents. ’23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ 24 “The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours. ’ 26 “His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, 27 then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money back with interest when I returned. 28 “‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.30 And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
POINT 1 - God entrusts me with what He values.
From the beginning of God’s creation, God entrusted humanity with the role of stewarding God’s things. Being a godly steward means that we are called to manage God’s stuff with God’s wisdom. In Genesis 1:28, God called Adam and Eve to be a good steward of His creation.
28 “God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
Adam and Eve were to rule over creation in a way that honored God. The principle of stewardship is something that Jesus also understood and taught. In the Parable of Talents, Jesus tells the story of a man who departed on a journey and put his servants in charge of his assets. Each servant was given a different number of “talents” to manage and steward while the master was away. “Talent” is a monetary term. The master was entrusting his finances to the servants and wanted them to steward his assets while he was away wisely. Each servant was given a different number of talents, and each had the choice of how to manage those. The point wasn’t about who had more talents but how they managed the talents that they were entrusted with.
Discussion Questions
- What is one area of your life that you have learned to steward well (time, talents, treasures, testimony)? What is one area of stewardship that you want to grow in?
- Each servant was given a different number of talents. How do you remain content with the number of talents that God has entrusted to you?
- Is there anyone in your life that is a great example of stewardship? What about them stands out to you in this area?
POINT 2 - God’s stewardship is about producing fruit and not preserving riches.
In Matthew 25:15-18, we see the results of the choices that each servant made with their master’s assets. Two of the servants understood the master’s intentions. Their master wanted them to put his assets to work and they were able to double his investment. Their actions brought great joy to their master, and he affirmed their choices (19-23).
The third servant buried the talent, played it safe, and returned the master’s resources without any increase on the master’s return. In verses 24-25, the servant refers to the master as a harsh man and shows immediately that he doesn’t understand the master’s desires. Instead of praise, the master derided the servant and took away what he had (vs.26-28). Unfortunately, the “one talent” servant didn’t understand his master’s view on stewardship and squandered the chance he was given. The last servant allowed fear to impact his decisions and did nothing with what was given to him.
Sometimes, we can also let fear stop us from stewarding our God given resources well. Instead of trusting God and moving forward by faith, we stick to what we know and take the “safe route.” We sit on our talents, keep our gifts/abilities to ourselves, and use them for ourselves rather than for God. God invites us to trust Him and remain open to whatever He wants to do with our time, talents, treasure, and testimony. In His hands, He can multiply what He has given us and create new opportunities for us to use our “talents” that will far exceed our imaginations.
Discussion Questions
- What do you think it means to be a “faithful servant?”
- Where are you currently “investing” your God-given talents? What kind of fruit are you seeing in that?
- What is one thing you are taking away from this discussion? What will you do differently in light of this takeaway?