New Beginings: A Guide for Responsible Disciples

It’s a cliche now, the idea of reinventing yourself for a new chapter of life. Taking on resolutions for the next year. Or perhaps just hoping that this year will be better than the last.

This time of year brings those reflections about the year that is past, and consideration about what comes next.

What I want to help you with today, is to frame your thoughts about your next steps.

Perhaps you have not even thought about the coming year, not making any plans or any changes for the future.

Perhaps you’re a compulsive planner and you already have the whole year mapped out to perfection!

Either way, I want to help you to frame your thoughts about your next steps.

This is a guide for responsible disciples of Jesus facing an uncertain future. Now I don’t mean uncertain as-in “we don’t know how things will turn out in the end” (Jesus will sort everything out!), but I mean uncertain in the way that we don’t know what will happen next. We don’t know the future like God does. We don’t know when Jesus is coming back.

So as we face the future,

not knowing when our master Jesus is returning,

not knowing the length of our own life,

not knowing if things will get better or worse,

what are we to do?

This is your guide.

A Guide for Responsible disciples, for New Beginnings and fresh start in a New Year.

There are 4 parts to this guide, and you will find the outline of it in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. So we’ll step our way through it as see the four elements.

1. Be a Slave of Jesus

This is the first step.

Now you might wonder, why pick this passage in Matthew to talk about fresh starts and facing the future?

Well this parable, this metaphorical story is part of Jesus’ last teaching in Matthew’s Gospel. This is the last opportunity Jesus has to teach his disciples before he is killed. In this series of speeches and stories, Jesus set expectations about the future. He told them what to look out for, how disciples should live in these times of waiting and what is going to go down in the future.

Jesus paints a picture of discipleship lived after he has gone away, and what to expect when he returns.

This is where we find ourselves in history.

We’re disciples living after Jesus has gone to the right hand of the Father, and we’re anticipating his return.

We’re living in this in-between time of the Kingdom of God being inaugurated, but not yet consummated with Christ’s return.

This passage speaks directly to how we should live as faithful servants, and not only that, Jesus spoke these words to disciples who were about to undergo a life changing transition to a new chapter of their life. They were about to enter embark on a life changing journey that would hinge on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now, I’m not suggesting that the changing date from 2022 to 2023 is anywhere near as cataclysmic as the death and Resurrection of Jesus but we often find ourselves at junctures in life that create fertile ground for new beginning,

whether it be the birth of a child,

or recovery from illness,

or even the diagnosis of an illness,

perhaps it’s a new job, or moving to a new town,

maybe it’s reaching an age milestone like 18, or 30 or 80.

Or the start of a new year...

As we mark these changes in the seasons of our life I believe the are the grace of God to us to make us take stock and take up the opportunity for new beginnings where we may have wandered off the path of faithfulness, or perhaps grown complacent in our faith. Perhaps in these moments we are being led into a new chapter of spiritual formation. It may mean a time of trial and suffering, it may mean a time of great happiness.

Whatever the LORD has in store for you, you have the opportunity laid out before you to face it on God’s terms or your own terms. And as we see time and again across the pages of the Bible, trying to face the future on your own terms is a sure-bet on failure. I’s a loosing battle.

That’s why the first step in taking hold of those new opportunities and facing the future is to be a slave of Jesus. In this parable we will get the results of undermining the master, and what happens when the slaves are faithful. It is only as true slaves of Jesus that we can have any hope in an uncertain future.

But lets look at the story to see how it gets this message across:

Matthew 25:14 (ESV)

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his [slaves] and entrusted to them his property.

Here we have a master over a household. Obviously a very wealthy man to have several live-in helpers. These are slaves. I know your translation probably says “servants” but it’s wrong. And anybody who can look up a Greek dictionary knows it’s wrong too. People, even as far back as the 16th century got ansi about translating the word as slave and so they dulled it to “servant”. This started a tradition that has continued to this day in English bibles, although there are an increasing number of new translations that are making this right.

I’m not going to get into slavery here, and how it worked in the 1st century as opposed to the north american slavers, how it fits with the Bible and all that. I’m happy to talk later about that, but all we need to know here is that the picture in this story is one of a master and his slaves.

A master and people who belong to him and serve him. Just like you can have a good boss or a bad boss, a good parent or a bad parent, you could have a good master or a bad master.

In this scenario, there is a master who’s going away for some time and he entrusts his estate to his slaves. He obviously trusts them to look after it, and is happy to give them this responsibility. As we will soon see, he gives them each a monetary portion for them to invest.

What is the meaning of this?

This is a picture of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus, when he is telling this story, was the master who was about to go away on a long journey. And he gives his disciples great responsibilities and gave them the wealth/resources to do it.

But here’s the thing, they needed to be slaves in the first place. They were HIS slaves, in HIS household, who would be doing HIS bidding. They were bound to the Master to bring him honour and increase.

If you are to have any hope of fruitfulness or blessing from God you need to be a slave of Jesus. You need to submit to him and serve him. You must call him Lord of your life, Lord of the Church and Lord of the world.

This is he place we must start as we face this uncertain future. We face it on Jesus terms, with Jesus calling the shots. Not as lone rangers making up our own version of the good life. Jesus must be out master.

Peter, Paul, James and Jude all called themselves slaves of Jesus. They understood their relationship to Jesus Christ in this way.

So how do we become slaves of Jesus?

Well, it’s not by default. It’s not by natural causes.

Jesus has to buy you. You need to be purchased, redeemed.

You are a slave to sin. Sin is the other master, and an evil abusive master at that! You need to be bought, and the price was the blood of Jesus. He died as payment, for your sin.

You might have read these words around Christmas time, the prophecy of Zechariah

Luke 1:68 ESV

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

Jesus buys his people with his blood. He freed us from slavery to sin, to become slaves of Righteousness. Slaves of Jesus. The question is not whether you are a slave, it is what are you enslaved to?

Jesus is a good master

Under him we have security, safety as well as work to do.

The commands of the master are not optional.

To have hope for the future, you need to be slaves of Jesus.

2. Be Ready & Patient

The second step to facing the future is to be patient. In this parable and the parables around it, the picture is of the master or the groom being away for a long time. As illustrated in v14 (going on a journey) and in v19:

Matthew 25:19 (ESV)

Now after a long time the master of those servants came...

It’s like someone who has gone on a journey and you’re not sure when they’ll get back, and I don’t just mean going down to the shops real quick, this seems to be an journey of some great length. Imagine a world before internet and telephones, you can’t just shoot off a message to keep the slaves updated. The master could be away for a number of years, and the slaves at home would have no idea if the trip was going well, if he was on his way back yet, if he was held up by adverse weather...

Now obviously Jesus isn’t delayed by such things, but the point is that he was going to be away for a long time. Jesus was teaching his disciples that there would be a significant time delay between him leaving, and his return. Long enough that many would be unprepared for the return.

So Jesus calls his disciples to be always ready and waiting. We patiently wait for the return of the Master, diligently carrying out our assigned duties while we wait.

How are you going at waiting?

As we start this new year is this the attitude you have?

The master is coming back are you ready for him?

The master is “delayed” in coming, are you being diligent in his absence?

This may be the year he comes back!

This may one more year in the 10,000 years before his return.

But either way, we don’t know.

We face an uncertain future and so it is for us to be ready, and be patient.

This new beginning of a year is a new opportunity if you have grown unprepared. If you have let the masters duties slip. You used to be all over it, and very passionate about being ready for his return, but now you have grown complacent and it just seems to be taking forever!

Perhaps you have grown discontent in your waiting, despising the trials that you face and the hard work in front of you.

Here’s an reminder from James:

James 5:7–8 ESV

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Is your heart patiently ready for the return of Jesus Christ?

So this is the guide for the responsible disciple this year: Be a slave of Jesus, and Be ready and Patient.

3. Be Faithful with What you Have

What things do you need to be faithful with?

Matthew 25:15–23 (ESV)

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Talent was a large sum of money. These slaves we acting like investment brokers.

Each according to his ability, some had a little, some had a alot!

faithful with what they had. “The master’s identical statements of praise to both servants show that what was important was not the total amount earned but faithfulness in utilizing their gifts and potential.” (Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1876.)

What have you entrusted with?

a) Time

b) Talents (i.e. gifts & skills)

c) Wealth

d) Holy Spirit

We must use what we have to be fruitful. That’s what a responsible disciple looks like!

Whether you’ve been given a lot or a little, you’re expected to use it to make a return for the Master.

Remember God’s World of Fruitfulness - it produces

What is the reward?

4. Remember the High Stakes

In this guide for responsible disciples we’ve seen what faithful slaves look like, now what about unfaithful?

Matthew 25:24–30 (ESV)

He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?

Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The guy knew what the master expected, and yet shirked his duty anyway!

He probably misunderstood the nature of the master. Like so many people who misunderstand God, they think he’s either a hard vindictive God waiting to come down on you like a ton of bricks,

or,

they think God is a lazy indifferent God,

or,

they think God is only forgiveness and mercy and kindness and places no demands on us other than to have a half-hearted go a living a good life.

All of these are a misrepresentation of the LORD God. They take some truths about God, and make them overriding characteristics about God and come to false conclusions about the master.

This seems to be what’s happened to this slave, he’s got mixed up.

But not only that, he used his perception of the master as an excuse - because I knew what you were like, i did nothing.

This make’s no sense! Because I knew you were shrewd and

An inactive faith is no faith.

James 2:26 ESV

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Piper’s Shells.

So What Now?

Today is an opportunity for a New Beginning, in a future that is shaped not by your short-sighted and failing plans, but shaped by a heavenly mindset.

Be A Slave of Jesus

Be Ready & Patient

Be Fruitful with what you have

Remember the high stakes.

What are you going to do to become a responsible disciple this year?

Gather to the Lord’s Supper, take this as your first meal in a new chapter of fruitful faithfulness!

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