Go With the Flow
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:14-30
14 “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. 15 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. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made
another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But
he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a
long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord,
you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His
lord said to him, ‘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.’ 22 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.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘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 joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard
man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is
yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I
reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to
have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back
my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him
who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable
servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
God wants us to use what He gives us to profit the kingdom. What profits the
kingdom is souls.
Genesis 12:2-3
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Abram/Abraham was blessed so he could be a blessing.
Genesis 22:15-18
15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said:
“By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not
withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply
your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and
your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Abraham was blessed because He trusted God and obeyed His commands.
Matthew 25:34-40
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry
and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took
Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison
and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and
feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in,
or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did
it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Because they allowed God’s blessings to flow through them, they were rewarded.
Matthew 25:41-45
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me
no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take
Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or
a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will
answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the
least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
God will give us opportunities to bless others.
Luke 16:19-23
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared
sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores,
who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’
s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and
Lazarus in his bosom.
When our pipe collapsed we could no longer put water through the system until it
was fix. As long as the water was able to flow, we were able to continue to put
more in the system. As long as we allow God's blessings to flow through us, He will
be able to continue to pour blessing into our system. But when we attempt to hold
on selfishly to those blessings it's like a pipe has collapsed in our system. God is
not able continue pouring into our system. We need to be wise as serpents
(Matthew 10:16)
Proverbs 27: 23 - Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds.
Dr. James Dobson Monopoly game story. Bottom line: when the game is over,
everything goes back into the box.
Psalm 1:1-2
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date August 26, 2007
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:14-30
14 “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. 15 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. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made
another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But
he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a
long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord,
you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His
lord said to him, ‘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.’ 22 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.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘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 joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard
man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is
yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I
reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to
have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back
my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him
who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable
servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
God wants us to use what He gives us to profit the kingdom. What profits the
kingdom is souls.
Genesis 12:2-3
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Abram/Abraham was blessed so he could be a blessing.
Genesis 22:15-18
15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said:
“By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not
withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply
your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and
your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Abraham was blessed because He trusted God and obeyed His commands.
Matthew 25:34-40
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry
and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took
Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison
and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and
feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in,
or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did
it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Because they allowed God’s blessings to flow through them, they were rewarded.
Matthew 25:41-45
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me
no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take
Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or
a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will
answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the
least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
God will give us opportunities to bless others.
Luke 16:19-23
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared
sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores,
who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’
s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and
Lazarus in his bosom.
When our pipe collapsed we could no longer put water through the system until it
was fix. As long as the water was able to flow, we were able to continue to put
more in the system. As long as we allow God's blessings to flow through us, He will
be able to continue to pour blessing into our system. But when we attempt to hold
on selfishly to those blessings it's like a pipe has collapsed in our system. God is
not able continue pouring into our system. We need to be wise as serpents
(Matthew 10:16)
Proverbs 27: 23 - Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds.
Dr. James Dobson Monopoly game story. Bottom line: when the game is over,
everything goes back into the box.
Psalm 1:1-2
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date August 26, 2007
