riverside edit 02   “the tool box,”  pastor kent crutcher greeneville seventh: That God gives us for ministry. And how we're to use those tools our whole lives. And I wanted to wait till everybody was in here to announce that we have a little lady that laid down her tool bag this morning. Holly Carter went to sleep in Jesus. But she used those tools. And we need people to be picking up the tools that she lays down prayer, Bible studies. What a worker for Christ. So let's pray for her family as they go through this together and she will be truly missed. There's an interesting story that I've been reading in the book of Exodus. Turn with me there. Exodus chapter thirty-five. Exodus thirty-five, go down to verse thirty. And Moses said to the children of Israel, see. The Lord has called by name. Okay, remember that part. By name? You don't think he knows who you are? He does. He created you. He knows you by name. I know sometimes you might have so many children you get your kids' names mixed up. My dad called me my brother's name half the time. My uncle's name the other half. He seldom got my name. But the Lord never Forgets our names. So he called by name Bezalil, the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. And he has filled him with the what? The Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge, and all manner of workmanship. To design artistic works. To work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship. And he has put in his heart the ability to teach. When I first read this, I'm like, why is he giving all these gifts to one person? Spread it out a little. But no, he also gave him the ability to teach. In him? And in Eliab and the son of Asimarch and of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do all manner of work of the engraver and of the designer and the tapestry maker in blue and purple and scarlet thread and fine linen, and of the weaver who do those who do every work and those who design artistic works. Continuing in the next chapter. And Bezalil and Aholiab And every gifted artisan in whom the God has put in whom the Lord has put okay, remember where this comes from. In the who the Lord has put wisdom and understanding to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the what? The sanctuary shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded. reminds me of what's been going on in our church. We have people tried hard. They've been given gifts to make this look better, to make that work better, and to fix things that are broken. What wonderful gifts that we have here. Verse 2. Then Moses called Bezalil and Holiah, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, and everyone whose heart was stirred to come and do the work. And they received from Moses all the offering. Which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him free will offerings every morning. Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do. This kind of reminds me you all. You keep bringing it in, and more and more can be done. What a wonderful gift giving is. So Moses had a command gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done, indeed too much. Wow, what a blessing. Did you notice how God filled people with the Holy Spirit so that they could do what he wanted them to do? Not just with skills, but with willingness to give so much that it overwhelmed the project. With this in mind, let's continue in our series on the book of Matthew. Go to Matthew chapter 25. This is where we ended last time. And we're going to look at the next parable of Jesus. Remember, Jesus is telling his disciples how they should be living as they wait for his return by sharing parables with them. Last week, Pastor Dawson looked at the parable of the ten virgins and saw that those who had an abundance of oil were ready for the coming of the bridegroom, or the second coming of Jesus. We also saw that oil represents the Holy Spirit. But Jesus in this parable Did not tell them what the Holy Spirit would be doing through them while abundantly filling their lives. That comes in this next parable, the parable of the talents. Matthew 25, go to verse 14. Verse 14 begins with, for okay. By using the word for, we can see that Jesus is using this parable to build upon the parables that he has just told them. The Greek word here used is hosper. It literally means just as or exactly This tells us that we should not just read one of these parables, they need to all be read together to get the big picture. So if you weren't with us through the past sermons, I recommend going back and studying those for the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. Okay, who did he call? His own servants. These are insiders. These are people that he's used to working with. 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 no one is given more than they can handle. This is a picture of Jesus leaving the world for a time and entrusting his servants, us. With resources to do his work. He's expecting results from the gospel commission to make disciples of all nations. But he does not send us out empty handed. He gives spiritual gifts to his servants to be used to get these results. There are various lists in the Bible of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And well let's start by looking at Romans twelve. You you can just listen if you like. Romans twelve. Starting in verse 4 says this for as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we being many are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another, having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us. Let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. Or ministry, Let us use it in our ministry He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Now that's not the only list. First Corinthians twelve gives us this list, also starting in verse four. There are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same life. Lord, and there's diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of hearing of healings, by the same Spirit. To another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one in the same spirit works all these things, distributing them to each one individually as he wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many are one body also. in so also in Christ. First Peter chapter four adds this as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any one speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If any one ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ To whom belong the glory and dominion forever and ever. So our gifts are to bring glory to who? Ourselves? Glory to God. He has to even give us the ability to bring him glory. And he does it freely. I read all these texts to help us see that there's not just one set of spiritual gifts available. These lists have different gifts. Some of them overlap from text to text. We get the message. That we should not be limiting the Holy Spirit in what He can give. Remember the story from Exodus. All of those construction and artistry skills are also from the Holy Spirit. He gives what is needed when it is needed. I've seen this over and over again within the church. I had a man in church one time, and he had the gift of giving. And he was the only one in the church that had that gift. And he gave a lot. And he moved. And I said to myself, dear, we're not going to be able to meet the budget after next month. Because he always gave almost 100% of it. Within the month, three families joined our church, and that never had we never had one family join our church. It was so seldom. Three families joined the church that month, and between the three of them, they took care of the church budget, and we had more gifts than we had before. God took care of that. He gives gifts as they are needed. I saw a lady with she was given the gift of piano playing in her 60s. Like, wait, she had never played the piano before? No, the junior department needs a piano player. I'll take lessons. And within six weeks she was playing for the junior department. Wow, that don't tell me that came naturally. That was a spiritual gift. A person is not always aware of what gift they're about to be given, but God is going to give what is needed. God either sends someone to the church with that same skill or he gives that skill to someone who's already in the church. Don't limit what God can do with people that are willing to receive those gifts. Willing to be used by him. In thinking of Pathfinders, I was thinking, I'm glad I was not asked to feed our club. I have I I took a group of kids on a camp out once. I was in charge of their food. I said, never again. I don't know how to do that. That is not my gift. I'm praise the Lord for people that have the gifts to do these kind of things. Christ's object lesson says. Which devotes forty pages to this parable, by the way. Forty pages, far more than to any other parable. It says, The special gifts of the Spirit are not the only talents represented in the parable. It includes all gifts and endowments, whether original or acquired, natural or spiritual, all are to be employed in Christ's service. In becoming his disciples, we surrender ourselves to him. With all that we are and have. These gifts he returns to us purified and ennobled to be used for his glory in blessing our fellow men. I have a friend that's a pastor, and he's in this conference, and he plays the classical guitar amazingly. And he does it for church. It's beautiful. But he used to play nightclubs in Atlanta with the same gift. God takes us as we are, and then he transforms our gifts into something he can use where he puts us. Back to our parable in Matthew twenty five, verse sixteen. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lord's. Money. God is comparing spiritual gifts with money. Money that He gave to these servants. I've done some research into biblical weights and measures and pulled out a calculator to get an idea of what Jesus is talking about. What is a talent? A talent is not a coin, it's a weight of coins. They can be either silver or gold. I've chosen to calculate silver because that was used mostly. If you want to look at gold, multiply what I say. By five. Not in today's ratios. Today you would have to multiply by seventy-three point two to get the difference. But back then it was a five to one ratio. From all of this calculating, I've come up with something that may help us understand how much this man entrusted to his servants. The servant who received one talent had enough money to pay someone twenty-three years' worth of average wages. What? One talent? Twenty three years of average wages. That's five days a week for twenty-three years. That's one talent. So the one who received two talents was entrusted with twice that amount. Forty six work years worth of wages. The servant who received five talents was handed a hundred and fifteen years of wages. So you might say, Well, I just have one talent. but it's still huge. Twenty-three years worth of wages. Huge. We see that even with the smaller gifts, God is extremely generous through the Holy Spirit. There's no such thing as having a worthless gift. Verse 19. After a long time, the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he had re so he who had received five talents came and brought Five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Look, I've gained five more talents besides them. His Lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. those are words I long to hear one. I hope to hear those words. Well done, good and faithful servant. 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. So the first servant is able to take what was given to him and double it and hand it all back to his master. That would be two hundred and thirty years worth of wages from one hundred and fifteen. Verse twenty two. 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. His Lord said to him Well, you didn't do quite as good as the other guy, but I'll accept it. Glasses needed. Well done. same praise for two talents being doubled. 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 semi joy of your Lord. No, the full joy of your Lord. You used what I gave you. The words are the same. The reward is the same. Goes back to the parable that we had of the workers in the field. No matter how long they worked, the reward was the same. God knows what gifts He has given and does not expect all results to be the same. What a relief. Wow, I don't have to be like somebody else. I just have to use the gifts God gave to me in my own shoes. Also notice they both will be put in charge of more since he has come and found them faithful. This answers my question of how those who use their spiritual gifts faithfully here will be given more in the kingdom. Christ Object Lessons also says The Lord has a great work to be done, and he will bequeath the most in the most in the future life to those who do the most faithful, willing service in the present life. This is talking about us working in heaven using the gifts God gives us and Him entrusting us with various works. I don't know what exactly that looks like. But I can't wait to find out. Verse 24. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew that you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed, and I was afraid that And I went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there, you have what is yours. Are we burying what God has given us to use? Sometimes we can refuse to acknowledge that our gifts and talents and abilities are God given. There are many in this world who misuse them. They use them to promote self, but I believe, as we saw, this parable is once again speaking mainly to those who know God as their master. Sometimes we bury what God has given us because we don't want the responsibility of using the gift. if people found out I'm good at this, I'm too busy for that. I I have too much other stuff to do. How many here have too much to do? Be honest. Some of you are not being honest. That's not your gift. We have too much to do. I I look at the schedule and I'm like, That can't be done. and the Lord wants me to do what? Are you kidding? Wait a minute, where are our priorities? We have too much to do in this world. we have modern conveniences that have only given us more to do. I I it it did not work out the way people planned. And so sometimes we bury what God's given us because we don't want the responsibility of using our time and using that gift. And I have been guilty of this myself. There are times when I have wished, don't tell anybody, I have wished to be anonymous. Where nothing was expected of me. that would be so nice, I think to myself, sometimes. Is that why God put us here? To be anonymous and useless? What does God think of this? Because that's what the one talent man did. Verse 26. But his Lord answered and said to him, Well, I know you have too much going on in your life, and I I kind of figured that and so I didn't give you too much it's fine. Well done, good and faithful servant. No. The Lord answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I've not sown and gather where I've not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interests. Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. I always wondered, why not to the guy with two? Give it to the guy that's even more busy. You know they always say if want something done, ask somebody that's busy to do it. This is biblical. God says, give him another talent. He knows what he's doing. For to everyone who has more will be given. And he will have an abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away, and cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So God makes it clear, as we had say today, use it or lose it. He's not saying that we can't take a vacation from a particular job now and then. He's not saying, Don't rest. Jesus rested. Jesus sometimes fled the crowds to rest. But he's also not saying anything about retiring from using our gifts. I've heard many times people say, I've done my part. It's time for somebody else to work. Have you ever felt that way? Come on, be honest. I have. I felt that way. When's somebody else gonna step up? You know, they say 5% of the church does 95% of the job. That's not the way it's supposed to be. And I've hear those people going, I'm tired, I wish more people would help. I saw a shirt on sale. I it was on the internet. I'm I'm thinking about buying it. If I was a girl, I'd buy it. It has a picture of a lady on it in biblical times and it says Martha. And under it in quotes, will nobody else help? So true. There may be a indeed a time to step aside and let somebody else step in. And a lot of times nominating committees take care of that. Okay, you you've been doing that for a while. Let's let somebody else do that. Let I'm seeing your gifts starting to lean a different direction now. Don't fight that. The Holy Spirit works through such things. But make sure that it is the Holy Spirit that's leading. Even if you step aside from a particular job within the body of Christ, do not step aside from using your gifts to serve Him. These gifts are the tools that we use to fulfill the gospel commission. If we accept Jesus, we're accepting the gospel commission and need to discover the gifts that we have been given to do this. He will make sure that we have what is needed. He doesn't send us out with at least one talent. So many times I've prayed in high school, okay, Lord, I'll be a preacher, just don't make me preach. I don't like public speaking. I've told you many times. But God says, I didn't ask you if you liked it or not. But I'm going to give you one talent, and it's up to you if you get more. But we don't always get what we want. And sometimes God gives us gifts that we were not expecting. He makes sure that we have what is needed. Unlike what I witnessed one day from my office window in another church. There was a house right across the street from my office. And I heard a commotion and I looked out my window and the house across the street. Somebody had backed their pickup truck into the driveway. The hood was up, and there was a fire in front of the engine. And I saw a lady coming out of the house with a cup of water and throwing it on the fire, and her daughter and run and daughter was bringing another cup and throwing it on the fire. And I was about to grab the fire extinguisher from my office. And I saw a police car pull up. I thought, good, he'll put that out. But he didn't get a fire extinguisher out of his car. He went and joined the bucket brigade with cups of water. I'm sure there's more to the story than what I know, but it looked a little strange. And then another police car came up and he too joined the bucket brigade with cups of water throwing it on the engine from inside the house. And I was again about to take my fire extinguisher over, I'm like, I can't believe these guys don't have fire extinguishers. And a fire engine pulled up. I said, Okay, good. It'll be done. And when that fire engine pulled up, finally the last cup of water went on and the fire went out. When it was all over, there were five police cars and two fire engines for a car fire that was put out by cups of water. And I'm wondering, I I don't know what type of fire it was, but they should carry different types of fire extinguishers, you would think. I don't know the store all the story, but it did not seem that they were equipped for the job at hand. If they had the equipment, why weren't they using it? As servants of Christ, we are not ill equipped. People can look at us, why aren't you using the what you have? I'm content with a cup of water. No, you've got a fire hose somewhere. Let God use that. What's in your toolbox? You may have noticed a few junky items on the platform with me today. this is my father's toolbox. My father made this when he was a carpenter, and this is what he carried to work every day. And he had in this toolbox his saws, his squares, Hammers, string, all kinds of things, levels. And he carried this to work every day as he was building places like Chickamauga Dam and and Bow Water's paper plant, all these big projects. But all of a sudden the projects quit. The bottom fell out of the market. He was skilled in using these tools, but he no longer could use the tools to do the job he needed to do, which was provide for his family. And so he set this box down. He didn't get rid of the tools. He used those same tools to build the house I later lived in. But he no longer used them to make a living. He picked up a different tool bag. This was his last tool bag. I took it out of his pickup truck after he died. And here we have some very specialized tools, because after that didn't work, he learned how to tune pianos. And that's the only thing this hammered. can you be used for. It's called a tuning hammer. You can't use this to build a house. It can it's only fits the tuning pin of a piano. And so many other specialty tools. Let's see. here's his tuning fork. You know how you get the right key. I don't know if this worked. I don't know, can you hear that? That's how he tuned that piano. A whole different skill set was needed And he was able to learn a whole new craft that he used the rest of his life to provide for his family. Sometimes in our experience, God sets us out doing one job, and we find maybe that job's not needed anymore. He can give us a whole new set of skills. And some tools are very specialized. This is from my bicycle stuff. Look at here, there's a tool. You know what that's for? It's only for one thing. Putting a tire off on and off a rim of a bicycle. That's all it does. Some of God's people are skilled in one thing, and they do it very well. Other people have varying skills. like, let's see. I've got all kinds of stuff up here. this was my first toolbox. It's not been well cared for, but it's been well used. I got this in the early 70s. I didn't ask for it for Christmas. It was not in the Christmas catalog, Seers Catalog, where I'd circled all the things, just thinking my parents might thumb through looking for what I wanted. It was not circled. But I opened that on Christmas morning. And I was like, wow, I'm a little kid and I have my own tools. I couldn't wait to use them. Are you at that point where I can't wait to use the tools God gave me? I was like, Daddy, give me something to do with these tools. He couldn't think of anything, so I just lined them all up and just played with them. But I wanted to use them so badly. let's see. I wasn't expecting to get tools, but I got them. You might not be expecting God to give you anything, but you have them. When you say I do to Jesus, You're given a toolbox. Now, there's a toolbox here many of you have used. You recognize this one? Some of you are nodding, yeah. This is the church's toolbox. This is in a drawer in the office. These tools are not the highest quality, we might say. Actually, they're kind of junky. But they get used all the time. Do you know why? Because they're in the drawer. They're right there. I don't like using these tools very much. I've got better stuff at home. But it's at home. It's not here where I need them. God doesn't require you to have a PhD in whatever skill he's given you. You might just not be very good at it, but maybe you're available. You're where you're supposed to be. And I What I like about this toolbox, it's in the drawer most of the time. It's not being used, but it's there and willing. And it's content. I'm not being used right now. I'm content. I'll be there when you need me. And it's there. And it's the same thing with this toolbox. This one rides around in my truck all the time. I have an identical set in my car. Not good tools. But they're convenient. They are there. They're everywhere I go. And I don't use just use them on the car. I use them wherever I am. when I'm at my daughter's place, Dad, can you fix this? Well, let me get my toolbox. I get my junky little tools out because my nice tools are at home, sitting in a drawer where they're almost never used. But these are available and even more available. This toolbox, this is my multi-tool. I've used it for years. I have better pliers, I have better knives, I have better saws, I have better everything that's in here. But this one's by my side. Are we by the side of Jesus? Just waiting to be used. And some of us maybe by his side are very multi use. In fact I have a friend. He had four daughters and he wanted to build a tree house and he wasn't content to do it the regular way. He decided he was gonna build the tree house using his Swiss Army knife only. And he did it. I've been in that tree house. It's fine. And just using a Swiss Army knife. You can do amazing things with small gifts if we're willing to be used. I have another tool that sits in my office. Extremely specialized. This one's not specialized, this one is. This one basically only works on building skateboards. That's all it does. So why does Pastor have a skateboard tool? Well, he hasn't grown up yet. But that's what this tool does. And sometimes we're right by Jesus' side. This can go in my pocket. We're where we need to be when he needs us. As the hymn says, to be used or not be used at all. Some tools are common. Some are specialized. You know, common tools like a hammer. People use hammers for everything. The hammers were never meant to be used for. But they fix all kinds of things, including computers sometimes. But whatever tools you have, you own them. They're handed to you to be used. Don't expect somebody new that follows you to use your tools the way you did. We have differences. Since I was the first youth pastor at the McDonald Road Church, and I was there nearly nine years. I unintentionally set the precedent of how things should be done. First one, only one, for that many years. The man that replaced me when we moved to Africa, he says, I will never be able to fill your shoes. My response was, You're not supposed to. You're not supposed to fill my shoes. My feet are actually quite small. You're supposed to wear your own shoes. God chose you to follow me. Not to be like me, but to be like Jesus in your own shoes. He felt some relief. The lesson of the parable of the talents is clear. Readiness for the return of Christ does not mean passively waiting for the event. Rather, readiness is responsible activity that produces results for the kingdom of heaven. Results that can be seen and approved by the Master using the tools that the Holy Spirit has put in our toolboxes. We can also learn that God doesn't expect the same results from everybody. Christians have varying levels of abilities. However, it's not the amount of a person's ability that's evaluated in judgment, but whether he or she has put to use the full range of abilities God has given them. People are not equal in ability, but they can be equal in effort. God expects good interest on his investment from each of us. Another lesson is that faithful people are rewarded by their With even greater responsibility that will continue into the eternal kingdom. In the book Education, Sister White writes, True education prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of service, of wider service in the world to come. Well, maybe you've been listening to this and said to yourself, I better get busy. I better go to work using the tools God's given me. That's not the point. We should not Look at our lack of service and be on some guilt trip or some temporary motivation. I'm ready now, but that lasts a week or two. The only true way to use the tools God has given us is to draw closer to the giver of those tools. The closer we are to Him, the more naturally we will use His gifts. It's the same as if you love me, keep my commandments. That's the only reason is out of love. That's the only reason to use these tools is because we love Jesus. He says, Since you love me, I'm giving you a gift. Go use it for me. And we go, I don't want to. Well, we don't need to look at our desire, we need to look at our love. Do we love Christ enough? Our love for Jesus should automatically be seen in how we live and work for Him. May we be faithful in using the tools that we are given. May we also remember that the spiritual gifts that we have Are to always be used in a manner that reflects the fruits of that same Spirit. As Galatians says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Verse 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Dear Father. We're so glad you didn't give us the gospel commission with no gifts to fulfill it, or else we would be utter failures. And even then we're utter failures when you're not behind it, when you're not using it through us. Thank you for being there by our side. May we be handy. May we be willing. May we be right where we're supposed to be to be used by you. Thank you that you're coming soon. We long for that day. In Jesus' name. Amen.