FBC Morning Light – February 3, 2023

Faith Baptist Church

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Well, a good Friday morning to you, and I need to offer a word of explanation.

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I looked at yesterday's recording from yesterday, which I honestly just finished a few minutes ago.

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I looked back at it, and I looked like, my goodness, is that guy on drugs or something? Is he squinting?

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I mean, what's the matter with this guy? Well, here's what's the matter with this guy. Just before I had prepared that recording of yesterday's devotional,

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I had gone to an eye doctor, and I had to have my eyes dilated, you know how that goes, and came back to the church and got ready to prepare the recording, the last two recordings for this week.

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I have these lights right in front of me that kind of help out with the color quality and so forth in the recordings, and they're kind of bright.

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So, my eyes had not totally adjusted yet, and it was like,

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I'm trying to fight back the watering and all the rest of that kind of stuff, and it's still like that. So, no, I'm not on some kind of drugs that make my eyes like, whoa, look at those dilated pupils, and what's he squinting for, and all that kind of stuff.

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All right, so now that that's said, hopefully that won't distract the remainder of our devotional for today.

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And if it messed you up yesterday, I apologize. I should have given a caveat at the beginning of the devotional.

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Well, listen, today we're in Exodus chapters 17 and 18, Matthew 25, and the 25th

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Psalms. That's what we're reading today. I want to zero in on the two parables that Jesus tells in Matthew 25.

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Each of them has its own particular point that he's wanting to make. The first is the parable of the ten virgins.

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Are you familiar with that story? Have you read that section yet? If not, you might want to pick up your Bible and read

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Matthew 25. But in this parable, there's these ten virgins, and they're to accompany the bridal party when the bridegroom comes, and you've got that whole story.

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Five of them have not taken any oil for their lamps, and the other five, they have plenty of oil.

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And so, midnight comes, and the bridegroom shows up, and they need to trim their lamps and head out and follow the bridegroom.

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The problem is, the five don't have any oil for their lamp, and so they say to those who do have it, give us some of your oil, and the ones who have the oil say, no, no, no, we'll run out.

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You need to go and buy some, and then take care of your own responsibility, if you will. In the end, those foolish virgins, they can't get the oil, and so when it comes time for them to be entered into the wedding feast, and so they're not allowed in.

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And Jesus just tells a story to make a simple point, and the point is in verse 13.

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Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

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Here's the deal. Jesus is coming again. He's coming again, and we know not when.

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We don't know the day. We don't know the hour, and by the way, there's a good test for any teacher whatsoever.

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I don't care how popular he is. I don't care how well -known he is. I don't care how many thousands of people are following him. If there is a so -called

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Bible teacher who tells you, I got it figured out. Here's the day that Jesus is coming again, on this particular date.

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Just ignore him. Forget it. Write him off. Don't listen to it, because Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour in which the

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Son of Man is coming. Therefore, be ready. Be ready. And then the second parable is the parable of the talents, and this is again a very familiar story to God's people.

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This is about the kingdom of heaven, and it's like a man traveling to a far country. He calls his servants, and he gives to his servants these different measures of talents.

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The one he gives five talents, to another he gives two, and to another he gives one. The one who is given five talents, he takes those five talents.

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He uses them. He invests and trades and so forth, and he gains five more.

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So did the one who received two talents, did the same thing, gained two more. Then there's the third guy.

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He had one talent, and he went and buried the talent. The master comes back, and the servants have to give an accounting of what they did.

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The one who used the five talents and gained five, he gives his report. The one who gained two, when he had started with two, gives his report.

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The response of the master is the same to both of these individuals, even though they had different amounts that they started with.

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It's the same thing. The Lord said to him, well done, good and faithful servant.

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You were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the

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Lord. Then comes the guy who had the one talent, buried it, and he has to give an account.

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He said, Lord, I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, gathering where you have not scattered. I was afraid. I went and hid your talent in the ground.

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Look, here's what you have. What did you do with it? What did you do in the meantime? I mean, the most work you've done since the master was gone was dig a hole and bury a talent, and then what did you do?

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Just sit around? Lollygag? What did you do? The master says to him, you wicked and lazy servant.

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You knew that I reap where I have not sown, gather where I have not scattered seeds, so you ought to have at least deposited my money with the bankers, and I could get some interest off of it.

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He says, take the talent from him, give it to the one who has ten. For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance.

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But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness.

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There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. What's the Lord's point in that parable? He doesn't bring it all to a succinct conclusion like he did the previous parable, the one where he said, watch therefore, for you don't know the day and the hour.

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But his point is very clear, isn't it? The Lord has given to his people, those who are his servants, claim to be his servants, he's given us ample talents.

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This doesn't necessarily mean like you can play the piano, but he's given us resources of his grace, the resources of his word, and what are we doing with it?

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How are we investing that which the Lord gives to us when he teaches us, when he invests in us, and he gives us his riches?

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What are we doing with those things? Are we just getting them on Sunday, going home, putting them in our back pocket, and living the way we want to live the rest of the week?

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Or are we taking those resources, the blessings, the grace that God gives to us, and turning around and investing it with our lives,

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Monday through Saturday, Sunday through Saturday? What are we doing with what

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God has given to us? The wise servant is going to employ those gifts that God has graciously given to us, that there might be a fruitful, abundant harvest of investment from those gifts that he's given.

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Let's be that kind of a servant. Our Father and our God, we thank you on this Friday for all that you have given to us.

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I pray that we would be responsible and wise servants to employ that which you've given to us.

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There may be a great return, that those things would be invested, and there would be great fruit that comes from the grace that you've given to us.

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Father, may we live each day in light of Christ's coming again.

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Indeed, it may be today. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen. All right, well,

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I hope you have a good Friday and a good, wonderful weekend, and again, I hope you'll gather together at the

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Lord's House on this coming Lord's Day, on this first Sunday of February. And of course, this Sunday being the first of the month, we will commemorate the

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Lord's Table together, Lord willing, provided we don't get a snowstorm or something that prevents us from having church.

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I don't expect that to have to be a pretty bad thing to happen. So, gather together on the

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Lord's Day. Let's worship and serve the Lord together this week. All right, you have a good day, and may