Lesson 16

Lesson 16

Our Social Responsibility

Open Ended

What are some parables that you know/read in the Bible?

Poll

Do you now the common theme in the parables told by Jesus and the other prophets?

• Yes

• No

• In the beginning, God created Adam and gave him freedom

• Within the Bible, one of the noteworthy signs of freedom is responsibility

• God gave Adam this responsibility by keeping the commandment and working in Paradise

Parable of the Five Talents

• Matthew 25:14-30

• Jesus tells a story to his disciples of a rich man who instructs his 3 servants they will need to care for his property

• After assessing the natural ability of each servant, the master gave 5 talents to the first servant, 2 talents to the second, and 1 talent to the third

• Upon returning, the master asks each of his servants what came about of the talents he gave them

• The first two servants were good stewards of what their master entrusted to them

• The servants invested the talent so that they were able to give back double of what was provided

• The third servant however, hid his money and was not able to produce anything additional

Multiple Select

What did the master provide to each servant before leaving on his journey? (select all that apply)

• 5 talents

• 1 talent

• 2 talents

• 3 talents

• Pleased with their success, the master gave the first two servants more items to look after; giving them the utmost praise

• With the third servant, the master was ashamed and angry, calling him lazy and worthless

• The talent was taken back, and he was cast out

What does this mean for us?

• The parable of the 5 talents, is a representation of Jesus as the master and His followers and the servants

• It explains the necessity of hard work in our service and responsibility

• The purpose of our talents is that they are tools of service and sacrifice and for the glory of God "as good stewards of God's varied grace." (1 Peter 4:10)

• Similar to the parable, the Lord gives some people more talents and to others less

• However this is not a testament to His partially toward us

• Rather, the Lord does not demand us to do more work than we can do. He does not burden us with tasks we cannot handle

Open Ended

Why are some people given more talents than other? Why do we not all have the same talents?

Work is the Law of Life

• God created Adam and ordered him to work

• Those who work with joy, satisfaction, and hard work gets the fruit of his work

• "What man sows, is that he reaps"

• In this story, the reward given to the servants who doubled their investments were rewarded

• They were given compliments and more responsibility by the master

• On the day of judgement, the lazy will not be able to find an excuse

• The lazy servant was seen as guilty and wicked

• He was also cast out from the property and into the darkness where men will weep and gnash their teeth, showing the outcome of a lazy life

Open Ended

What did the master do with the talent given to the lazy servant?

Using our Talents to Serve Others

• Jesus was born to a poor family and was able to relate with others in a similar situation

• Living with His family, He worked and supported them

• During His ministry, Jesus chose disciples who were working class individuals

• Throughout His ministry, Jesus used parables to teach His disciples and followers about the final judgement

• Parables of the king who gave a marriage feast, the wise and foolish maidens, and the master who entrusted talents to the servants

• All stories illustrate the various ways that can prepare us for the final judgement

• In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus ends his sermon by giving a picture of the Last Judgement

Multiple Select

In the book of Matthew Jesus speaks of various parables. Select all that he mentions.

• Last Judgement

• The wise and foolish maidens

• King who have a marriage feast

• Parable of the 5 talents

• Jesus then speaks of how we are judged according to our attitude of others

• In our lives, Christ is manifested as those who are poor and destitute

• We must tend to those and use our talents to glorify God

Open Ended

What are some ways that we can use our talents in today's world to serve others?