How Will You Use What He Has Given You?

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:53:33 +0000

Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus’ disciples asked Him to tell them about the signs of the end of the age. In answering their question, Jesus told several parables that illustrated what believers should be doing as they awaited His return. He told The Parable of the Ten Virgins to teach believers to be ready for when it will happen and The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats to teach us to be willing to aid His people during the time of the Great Tribulation.

In this study, we want to now examine The Parable of the Talents and see how it fits with the other two.

_Read Matthew 25:14-30. Keep in mind that a “talent” was a monetary unit of those times. It is believed to have a worth of more than one thousand U.S. dollars today.

Now that you’ve read the entire passage, what would you say is the main teaching that Jesus wants us to learn?

_Re-read vv.14-18. List below who received what from the man when he left on his journey.

1.
2.
3.

Now, beside each of the three listed above, record what that person did with what he received.

_Re-read vv.19-21. What did the man who received five talents receive when he returned it and his earnings to the master?

_Re-read vv.22-23. What did the man who received two talents receive from the master when he returned the two plus what he had earned?

_Re-read vv.24-27. What did the man say who had received only one talent and had earned nothing with it?

What did the master call him? Why?

_Re-read vv.28-30. What punishment did the man who earned nothing with his sum of money receive at the hands of his master?

What happened to his money?

What happened to him?

NOTE: The “darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” is a reference to hell — only unsaved persons go there.

Conclusions: In this story, the master gives money to his bond-servants and rewards those who put the money to work to earn more, but punishes the one who doesn’t put the money to work. In our lives, God gives Spiritual gifts to His people. In what ways can we use these gifts to create “returns” that we can give to Him?

How does God reward believers who use their gifts to serve Him?

Do you know what your Spiritual gifts are? Are you using them to glorify God? When he calls, will you answer with “Here I am, Lord. Send me”?

Inductive Bible Studies from Word Within » parable

How Will You Use What He Has Given You?