PRINT OUTLINE

GOD’S PIE

Matthew 25.14-19

 

 

Who is who?

 

The Master in the story is ___________________________.

 

The Servants in the story are ________________________.

 

The property in the story is _________________________.

 

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. Matthew 25.19

 

You are only accountable for _______ you have been ________.

 

To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.  Matthew 25.15

 

You are accountable for what you _______with what you have been ____________.

 

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.  Matthew 25.16-18

 

God’s Three Questions

 

1) How did you_________________ what I gave you?

 

2) How did you ________________ what I gave you?

 

3) How did you  ________   ________ what I gave you?

 

 

 

 

 

Back side of listening guide

 

HOW ARE YOU SLICING UP GOD’S PIE?

 

Take a minute to think about how you are managing the resources God has given you. On the picture below, create a pie graph that represents how you spend a month’s income. Create slices to indicate how your pie is spent. Be sure to include the following categories:

 

God’s slice – a 10% tithe

Mortgage slice

Cars slice

Credit Cards slice

Clothes slice

Food slice

Education slice

Entertainment slice

Other _____________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCREEN OUTLINE

 

GOD’S PIE

Matthew 25.14-19

 

 

Who is who?

 

The Master in the story is Jesus.

The Servants in the story are Christ followers.

The property in the story is all we have.

 

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. Matthew 25.19

 

You are only accountable for what you have been given.

 

To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.  Matthew 25.15

 

 

You are accountable for what you do with what you have been given.

 

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.  Matthew 25.16-18

 

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. Matthew 25.19

 

God’s Three Questions

 

1) How did you manage what I gave you?

 

2) How did you invest what I gave you?

 

3) How did you give back what I gave you?

 

 

 

 

CRAIG’S MSS

 

GOD’S PIE

Matthew 25.14-19

 

Welcome back! Turn to Matthew 25.14. We are looking at this great story

 

Last week we learned the first foundational principle: God is the Owner, I am the Manager. I begin to look at money differently: responsible, opportunities, money is a means, not an end, relinquish control to God – “how do you want me to manage your money?”

 

Second principle: We all will have to answer to God for how we manage his money.

Think of it this way. If all your money and possessions were a pie, how do you carve it up and where does God fit into the equation?

 

Video: God’s Pie

 

There is coming a day when you and I will have to give an account of how you carved up your pie! [have a visual of a piece of pie – carve it up, put it on a plate] Did everybody get their piece and God was ignored? Did you put your hand over your eyes and act like God wasn’t looking?

 

Let’s look at the story again. Master going on a trip, he gives HIS money, to HIS servants and he entrusts it to them to bring a return until he comes.

 

Who is who?

Master is Christ – here, gone to heaven, is coming again

Servants are believers – we belong to him, entrusted with his resources

Property is everything we have – everything we have belongs to God, he is the owner of it all!

 

Key verse: v19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.”

 

Settling accounts

There is as principle of interpretation that says, “Context is King”. If you want to really understand a passage, you have to look at the context. The context of this story – end times, parable for the ten virgins, 5 were ready, 5 were not. Parable of the sheep and the goals, sheep were true believers, goats were not. The bottom line of all three parables is that there is coming a day of accountability.

 

We can ignore God today (like the man in the video) , but we will face him tomorrow!

 

We understand this from a business standpoint– give an account for your expenses, how you used the companies money.

 

We understand this from a government standpoint -  last week was tax deadline, you had to give an account of how much you earned and reported to the IRS. Nothing upsets us more than to ear pork barrel reports of elected officials taking tax payer money and spending it on themselves.

 

We understand this in a church – there are checks and balances, regular reporting, we hire auditors to examine our books annually, nothing is worse than someone taking God’s money and using it for themselves!

 

There is coming a day when you and I will give an accounting of how we used the money God gave us!

 

You are only accountable for what you have been given

 

Each servants was given a number of “talents” – what is a talent?

 

Servants were given different amounts

He gave according to their ability

 

Notice: not all given equal amounts – all have equal accountability

We are accountable to:

 

To whom much is given, much is required

 

 

You are accountable for what you do with what you have been given

God’s Three Questions:

 

1) How did you manage what I gave you? - making wise choices. Did you manage the resources I entrusted to you the way I want them managed? Are you wasteful or frugal? Are causal or careful? Lazy or diligent?

 

Supporting scriptures - proverbs

 

2) How did you invest what I gave you?– making wise investments. Talking about spiritual investments! [got magazine in mail about how to invest for retirement, how about investing for eternity? Retiremet only last 20 -30 years, eternity is forever!] Did you invest the resources I entrusted to you for eternal returns? One turned five talents into five more! 100% return! Another turned 4 talents into 4 more, another 100% return. The last one didn’t invest at all. Are you burying what God has given you? Bury in the pew! Don’t put it to work. Make excuses.

 

How are you investing your resources for eternal return?

 

3) How did you give back what I gave you?– making wise donation. Did you give what the resources I entrusted to you to me? (tater tots story) – increase you standard of giving but

 

What the Bible says about giving. Starts with a tithe. Continues with an offering! Why is this important to God? Because giving is the antidote to materialism!

 

Carving up God’s pie

So how are you carving up God’s pie? Ignoring him or honoring him? Remember, he brought the pie! It’s all his!