Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.16UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.12UNLIKELY
Fear
0.14UNLIKELY
Joy
0.49UNLIKELY
Sadness
0.26UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.6LIKELY
Confident
0.01UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.76LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.91LIKELY
Extraversion
0.19UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.97LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.74LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
The Second Coming of Christ
Part 7: While We Wait for the Lord's Return
Matthew 25:13-30
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - July 29, 2015
*In vs. 13, Jesus tells us to "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
Jesus is coming again, and it could be tonight!
But what if it's not tonight?
-- While we wait for the Lord’s return, be sure to answer these four questions:
1. First: What gifts do I have from God?
*This question comes from the Lord's words in vs. 14-15.
Here Jesus said:
14. . .
"The kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
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."
*Notice here that God gave some of His goods, (His possessions, His property) to all of His servants.
They didn't all get the same amount, but all of them got something.
And God wants us to understand that He has given some valuable gifts to us.
He wants us to understand our worth.
He wants us to explore our gifts and abilities.
*God wants us to discover our potential, and when we do, we will learn we are worth more than we dreamed.
One servant here received 5 talents, one received 2 talents, and another received one talent, "to each according to his own ability."
This reminds us that God is not going to give us more than we can handle, and praise the Lord for that!
*But how much is a talent?
-- Turns out, it's a lot.
A.T. Robertson tells us that just one talent was equal to 6,000 days pay for an average worker.
By that measure, one talent was about 20 years of work!
Two talents was 40 years of wages, and 5 talents was worth a hundred years of labor.
(1)
*We need to find out what good things the Lord has put in our hands, and we will see we are worth more than we imagined.
Chuck Swindoll explained that common items can rise to the level of almost priceless, when they are "connected with someone powerful or famous. .
."
*And Dr. Swindoll asked, "Would you pay $21,000 for an old, plaque encrusted toothbrush?
-- Someone did, because it was Napoleon's toothbrush.
Hitler's personal car sold for over $150,000.
Winston Churchill's desk, a pipe owned by C. S. Lewis, sheets of music handwritten by Beethoven, and many other items sold for many times their original value.
*Years ago, Sotheby's auctioned the belongings of Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
Jackie's fake pearls, not real ones, sold for $211,500.
JFK's set of old golf clubs went for $772,500.
Extraordinary value placed upon ordinary things, because they belonged to someone important.
And I would like to remind you," Swindoll said.
"You may be common, or you may feel common.
But you, my Christian friend, belong to someone famous and powerful -- Jesus!
Jesus, who is God, owns you.
*And because you belong to Jesus, you are infinitely more valuable than you ever would be without him.
You are precious and priceless."
(2)
*And you have been given valuable gifts from God above.
May God help us to learn that we are worth much more than we can imagine, and we can be more valuable to His Kingdom than we know.
While we wait for the Lord's return, ask yourself this question: What gifts do I have from God?
2. But also ask yourself this: Am I gaining all I can for God's Kingdom?
*This question rises from vs. 16-18, where Jesus said:
16. "Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
17.
And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.
18.
But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money."
*Am I gaining all I can for God's Kingdom?
God has surely given each of us gifts and abilities, but are we using them for the glory of God?
*Please don't bury your talents!
Use them for God's Kingdom!
We must get busy, and put our talents to work for God.
Verse 16 says the man with 5 talents "went and traded with them."
The idea behind this word "traded" is somebody working, somebody carrying out a task.
*Jesus told a similar parable in Luke 19, and said:
12. . .
A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13.
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
*We might say: "Get an occupation" or "Get busy" or "Get a job!" Jesus Christ wants us to get enthusiastically involved in serving His cause: praying, going, giving, helping, teaching, leading, serving any way we can.
*While we wait for the Lord's return, ask this question: Am I gaining all I can for God's Kingdom?
3.
But also ask this question: What is our ultimate goal?
*Jesus tells us in vs. 19-23:
19.
"After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20.
So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'
21.
His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your lord.'
22.
He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'
23.
His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your lord.'"
*We see it twice in these verses.
-- Obviously our ultimate goal as Christians is to hear the Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your lord."
*Please notice here Christians that we are accountable to our Lord.
We will give an account of our lives to Jesus Christ.
God's Word makes this truth very clear in Romans 14, where Paul wrote these words to Christians:
10.
But why do you judge your brother?
Or why do you show contempt for your brother?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11.
For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.''
12.
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
13.
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.
*Also in 2 Corinthians 5:8-11, the Word of God says this to us as Christians:
8. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
9. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
10.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11.
Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well-known to God, and I also trust are well-known in your consciences.
*"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ."
Paul is not talking about lost people.
He is talking about saved people.
But understand that this is not a judgment of our sins.
Christians, all of our sins are washed away by the saving blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus paid it all!
He paid the full price for our sins when He died on the cross for us.
*John 3:18 tells us, "He who believes in Him is not condemned. .
."
And in John 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life. .
."
The judgment seat of Christ is not a judgment of our sins.
It is a judgment of our service to the Lord.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9