Entrustment and Expectation

All of us have been made aware of the tragic shipwreck of the Costa Concordia.

The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia[p 1] partially sank on the night of 13 January 2012 after hitting a reef off the Italian coast and running aground at Isola del Giglio,[p 2] Tuscany, requiring the evacuation of the 4,252 people on board. Twenty-five people are known to be dead;[3] 64 others were injured[5] (at least two seriously)[6] and 7 are missing.[3] Two passengers and a crewmember trapped inside were rescued in the days after the incident.[5][7]

Captain Francesco Schettino[p 3] had deviated from the ship's computer-programmed route to treat people on Giglio Island to the spectacle of a close sail-past or near-shore salute.

Ship's officers at first told passengers that the problem was a reparable "electrical fault" and told inquiring maritime officials that the event was merely a "black out". The captain delayed preparations to abandon ship, and the ship developed a list, both which factors hindered eventual evacuation attempts. Soon after grounding, the ship listed more extremely, trapping people inside. Meanwhile, the captain left the ship during the evacuation and did not reboard despite orders by maritime officials. After the event, Schettino was arrested on preliminary charges of multiple manslaughter in connection with causing a shipwreck, failing to assist 300 passengers, and failing to be the last to leave the wreck.[8] He was later additionally charged with failing to describe to maritime authorities the scope of the disaster[9], a matter for which 7 other officers and managers of Costa Cruises are under investigation, and with abandoning incapacitated passengers[10]. Source: Wikipedia

Captain Schettino was entrusted with the lives of 4, 252 people and the expectation of every one of them was that he would use his abilities to navigate the ship safely to every port on the journey. Sadly and tragically he failed and lives have been lost.

Entrustment and expectation are part of our lives as believers and tonight I want to look at a couple of teachings of Jesus regarding these two things.

Jesus taught 2 parables that emphasized entrustment and expectation. The first one is found in Matthew 25:13-30

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 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.' 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. 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.'

Three slaves were entrusted with the property of the master. Each was given as much as they could handle or they had the ability to handle. The amount of money given was huge. A talent was the equivalent of 6000 denarii. A denarii was a day’s wage. Do the math: 6000/365=16.4 years of wages. If the median income in the USA is about $50,000 this would mean that the slave who was given the least amount of money was given the equivalent of $821,917; 2 talents=$1,643,834 and 5 talents = $4,109,585. No small sums of money by any measure. Each of the slaves was entrusted with a lot of money based on their ability as determined by the master.

The master had no expectations laid out to the slaves other than he trusted them to do whatever they wanted with the money and use it wisely. The money was given to them to develop their abilities more than anything else. The Master could have placed financial goals for each of them but he let them determine what they would do.

The response of the three slaves is interesting. The one who had 5 talents “went off at once” and doubled his money by trading. He was highly motivated and wasted no time using the money to make more money. He found opportunities to put his talent to use and profited. He recognized the opportunity that was before him and took advantage of it. He took the risk of trading his talents in order to gain more. He was prepared for the challenge and when the opportunity was presented he went for it and was rewarded.

The second slave with 2 talents doubled his amount as well over the course of time. I believe the first 2 slaves had a desire to please the master by using the talents to gain more while the third slave did not want to disappoint the master by losing the money given to him. The slave who was given the least went off and dug a hole, to hide the money because he feared losing it and if he did would experience the wrath of the master. This slave was unwilling to take a risk or make a change. He wanted everything to be just as it was and the best way to accomplish this was to bury the money in a secure place.

If you are a sports fan you know that a team can play with the attitude of playing to win or with the attitude of playing to not lose. One is willing to take risks and pour themselves into the game to score more points while the other is simply trying to maintain what they have and keep the other team from scoring.

Like these 3 slaves we have been entrusted with many things in life that are given to us from the Lord. Virtually everything we have is given to us by the grace of God. God thinks highly of us enough to entrust us with the work of his Kingdom using the talents he has given us. We are free to do whatever we want with the things God has entrusted to us but there is an expectation that we will use them wisely and profitably. God gives us freedom in how we will use our gifts but the expectation is that we will use them profitably for the work of his Kingdom and the glory of God. In using these talents we are developing our ability to be entrusted with even greater responsibility and privileges in the Kingdom.

Some of you know what your abilities are and others are still learning what they have been given by the Lord. These abilities open doors of opportunity for us to be used of God. The master knew the capabilities and the abilities of each of the slaves and gave them responsibility accordingly. God knows what we are capable of doing and often he challenges us by presenting opportunities that we may not feel that we are fully prepared to meet. We must always remember that we are partnering with God and with God all things are possible. We can dream big things when we know who is working with us. When the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers it was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that dreams and visions would be given to us. Dream with God and allow him to prepare you for the work he has for you. When preparation meets opportunity there is the possibility of ministry. Ministry happens only when we act upon the opportunity. But as we move forward to use the talents we have, God helps us grow in these abilities to be able to be successful in our work and mission.

The perception of the master was different from each other. The first 2 had a different image of the master while the third had a distorted image that influenced how he would respond. Perhaps the first 2 knew that the master would reward them because he was a trusting and generous man. The third slave saw his master as a thief, one who takes away from others.

Our perception of God has a tremendous influence on what we are willing to do and the motivation we have for doing it. If we serve God based on an accurate understanding of his character and nature and truly out of love for him, we will desire to be a blessing to his kingdom we will look for opportunities and take risks to serve his purposes. If we have a warped view of God being a thief or unjust we will most likely stay hidden from him, fearing he will punish us if we step out of line. We will play it safe or not play at all.

When we realize what we have been given and the truth about the nature of God, our next decision is what we will do with the knowledge, gifts and abilities God has entrusted to us. The first two slaves responded with ambition and desire to please the master. The third slave was called “slothful” by his master. The word “slothful” means “shrinking, irksome”, he was drawing back, retreating and avoiding what he should have done. Irksome means annoying , irritating. He took the easy way out, was unwilling to take a risk, unwilling to take a step of faith to use what he had been given. He could have done great things with the money and made his master proud but because he was lazy he did nothing. What a tragedy to live your life in fear, misperception and in laziness. I read an article entitled “5 Core Values of a Church in Decline” in which the author listed the number one value is laziness. The author stated, “Most people of churches are not “stuck” in decline because they do not know or understand what the Lord wants them to do. God speaks very clearly in his Word and through his Spirit-it’s just that God’s work always requires people to take a step of faith.”

Everyone here has taken a step of faith to be here. There were a lot of unknowns but you came to be used of God, offering your gifts and abilities and developing new abilities. You have taken a step of faith and have seen God provide for you as you have taken advantage of opportunities that are presented to you. What you have learned can serve as an inspiration to many in the church who are fearful, have a warped view of God, and perhaps are lazy. We have to be the ones who serve as the catalyst to spur others to do good works. Some need to be encouraged regarding the abilities they have. Some need training to be able to use their gifts. Some need to see the opportunities that are available to them. And some may need someone to help push them into the ministry. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to us is the removal of our security with the absence of someone who we have depended on to do the task.

A couple of years ago I arranged to go to India with an evangelist. He had planned to be in Chennia for 3 days doing ministry and then we would move on to the site where the 5 night gospel and healing crusade would be held. I thought I would just be helping him in whatever way I could and I planned to visit the YWAM base in Chennai. On the day of my departure from Guatemala I was waiting at the coffee house for my shuttle when I received a phone call from the evangelist. He remembered that I was leaving that day and called to tell me he had broken his hip playing racquetball and needed an operation and would not be able to go to India. He asked if I could change my ticket to go at another time and I said I would look into it. He then said if he could find someone to go with me he would not cancel the crusades he had set up. He was able to get someone to go with me who had gone with him several times so the crusades were back on. He had arranged the meetings in Chennai and told me that he would cancel them which was fine with me as it would give me more time to be at the YWAM base and see their ministry. When I arrived in Chennai I received a phone call from the pastor who served as the director of the ministry and made all the arrangements for the evangelist. He informed me that the 3 special meeting the evangelist was going to do at a church of 40,000 people were not going to be cancelled and that I would be doing them! One of the meetings was a seminar on evangelism, another meeting was preaching at the church service on Sunday and the final was a healing service on Monday night. I was okay with the first 2 meetings but the healing service was something I had never done before. I watched the evangelist and the other minister do it but had never done it myself. It was new turf for me and God was entrusting a ministry to me that I did not feel very capable or qualified to do. I felt a little pushed into the opportunity but it all worked out and God came through and healed many people as I stepped out in faith to do what was presented to me. It was an amazing experience and I am grateful for the preparation I had and the opportunity that was presented to me.

The other aspect of this parable that should be an encouragement to each of us was the rewards they received. The master commended the first two servants. '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.'

The slave with the most money was rewarded and commended by the master when he returned after a long time. He was given more responsibility because he had done well and proved his trustworthiness. The second slave was also commended and rewarded with greater responsibility. It is interesting that the master viewed the amount of money he entrusted to them as “a little”. I don’t know about you but both amounts of money are more than I have ever been responsible for. Yet in the master’s perception it was only a small amount of money compared to the wealth he must have had. Because he had such great wealth he was able to give them more to be responsible for managing.

The third slave was chastised and called wicked and slothful because he did not act according to his understanding even though it was misguided. His perception of his master was not accurate but even if it was he should have at least but it in the bank to earn interest and keep the principal safe. His money was taken away and given to the one with 10 talents and he was banished to the outer darkness.

The master was pleased with the work of the servants and commended them for it. I want these words to be said of the work I do for the Lord to please him. The servants were given greater responsibilities by the master because they had proven themselves to be faithful and trustworthy. As we fulfill the ministries God has given us, God will give us greater responsibilities. He is a rewarder of those who are faithful, trustworthy and use their talents and abilities.

The second parable Jesus taught about entrustment and expectation is found in Luke 12:42-48

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

The master left and entrusted the servant with these responsibilities of running his household and providing food for the workers at the right time. The expectation of the master was that the servant would be faithful to do what was expected of him. When he returned and found the servant faithful and trustworthy to carry out the responsibilities he would reward him by giving him greater responsibilities.

When the master did not return quickly the servant decided to take advantage of his power and position and use it to beat the servants rather than care for them. He lost his focus in his ministry and spent his time partying. The servant misused his authority for his own pleasure which was quite perverted. This continues to happen today in ministries in which people in positions of authority think they deserve special treatment or think they can violate God’s standards and expectations. Recently a pastor in Florida was found dead in a hotel in NYC from a drug overdose. He had a church of 4000 people and had been divorced by his wife while he was in the ministry because of a relationship he had ongoing with a stripper. It was a tragic end to a life that had been used by God to help many people.

There are all kinds of temptations for those who are in ministry. It seems as though the enemy targets people in ministry to pull them down and bring discredit to the ministry. He uses the lie that you are special, you can get away with things because God understands your needs and pressures and that you can use your status and power to control and manipulate people for your own satisfaction. Many are tempted with money thinking that they have to present an image of success which is equated to possession in order to prove they are blessed by God for what they are doing. Money is used for personal gain and all too often there is a display of extravagance by people in leadership positions.

The servant lost sight of his focus and purpose and focused on his own selfish desires. This is another ploy of the enemy to put ourselves above others and seek to meet our needs at the expense of others. We have to be focused on ministering unto the Lord first and then ministering to the needs of people in a way that honors the Lord and honors the people we are serving.

The servant in this parable was only accountable to his master and since he was not around, he took advantage of it to do things he would not have done in the presence of the master. Who were are when authorities are absent or when we are in private or what we do when no one else is watching is the real test of our character. We have to guard ourselves from ourselves by using self-control and establishing high standards along with accountability. We cannot make any provision for the flesh to rise up and be satisfied. We cannot put ourselves into situations that lend themselves to compromise and sin. Many in ministry have fallen into sin because they did not keep their guard and were sucked into temptation and evil.

The master returned unexpectantly and found out what the servant was doing. For us as believers God is always present, he sees all and knows the thoughts and motivations of our hearts. We are not getting away with anything, we will reap what we sow. We are called to live lives of holiness and purity before the Lord. In all that we do our primary goal is to bring glory to God by representing him for who he is.

Jesus ended the parable by saying, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

The more the Lord entrusts to us the more he expects from us. He is worthy of our best efforts, our best use of our gifts and talents for his Kingdom. God gave us his best, how can we do any less?

We will all give an account for our lives on judgment day when our works will be judged for their quality. God has entrusted us with the work of the ministry and his expectation is that we will give our best efforts to use our gifts for his glory. Someone once said, “Your abilities are God’s gifts to you. How you use them is your gift to God.”