Squandered Potential

Introduction

Wow, what awesome singing. I tell you, I could sing Hosanna over and over and over again. Yeah, come on, John. We have people sitting in the cheap seats for the first time ever, or the Crawford boxes, as I called them on Wednesday night. And try to say it, pay attention way back there. And the finishing touches will be put on that room in the next couple of weeks. I know we’re gonna have a smaller crowd tonight, I just have a feeling. But if you’re back tonight at 5 o’clock, we’re gonna talk about a very important subject, and that is do you possess eternal life? Do you have eternal life abiding in you? Looking forward to that tonight at 5 o’clock. This morning we’re gonna look at a couple of stories that are very familiar to most everyone.

I’m gonna assume they’re familiar because we’re not going to look at them in all of their detail. The first is the parable of the talents. As recorded in Matthew chapter 25. We hear the word talents, and we think of someone’s abilities. Okay, but actually, the story as it refers to talents, refers to a denomination of money that was to be entrusted to three different people in this story by his master. But here’s the caveat of that. It was distributed according to their talents. According to their ability. There was one who had more ability, at least so assessed by his master, than all the others, and he got five talents. That’s the denomination of money. And another got two talents, and another got one talent. And some helpful things in this story as we see that the five-talent man, in the time that was provided, doubled what he had been given.

He gave back to his master five talents and five talents more. The two talent man secured two more talents and received the same praise that the five-talent man received from his master. Good servants. They both were. The two-talent man wasn’t expected to be the five-talent man. I preach a sermon. It’s tough to be a two-talent man. But the two-talent man received the same accommodation. And then there is the one talent man. And that’s the one we’re going to focus on briefly this morning. And he did not receive a commendation from his master because he did not gain one more talent. Not that was necessarily the expectation, because the master says you could have at least put your talent out at interest. Now I’m not really good on how interest works all the time, but even if you put a talent out on interest, the odds of getting a talent in return might be a far-fetched idea.

But he didn’t do anything. He went and hid his master’s talent. And so the master says, You wicked and lazy.

In that passage where Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to give to the need that is in Judea, specifically Jerusalem, he says, it is accepted according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have. If the readiness is present, he says. And so you won’t be expected to give like everybody else. You will be expected to give in regard to your ability, as we see illustrated in this story. But the one talent man is a testimony to squandered potential. And I want to suggest to you this morning that those two words, squandered potential, are words that no person wants as an epitaph for their life. If you don’t know what an epitaph is, it’s what they might inscribe on your tombstone. Nobody wants at the end of their lives to be said about them, your life has been one of squandered potential.

You didn’t live up to what you could have been. The one talent man did not accomplish what could have been accomplished. And that’s exactly what we would have heard about LeBron James if they did not pull off what had never been done, and that is to come back from a 3 1 deficit in the finals to win the NBA Finals. If he had lost yet another finals, oh LeBron. LeBron just not living up to his potential. Now, it’s a team game, folks. And it takes more than even five guys to win a championship. But say it’s all about the greatest player. And LeBron is the greatest basketball player on the planet. You don’t believe me, just ask Blake, he’ll back me up. And maybe Nick, but I don’t know.

But instead, because they won it all, now people are making Jordan and LeBron comparisons. We were already making those, but now other people are getting on board and making those kinds of comparisons, and rightfully so. You may know LeBron has a nickname, King James. I don’t ever use it because I think about the King James version of the Bible. And if he is a king, it’s a king in a very small realm called basketball. And there are greater things. And really, that’s what I’m going to talk about this morning. As I talk about this business of squandered potential. Squandered potential in any realm is decried. That is, it is not desirable. But even worse, even worse, and this is the message this morning, even worse. If we were somehow to squander our most important possession.

Not just our lives, but our souls. This lesson is designed to encourage everyone here to not squander the most important commodity that you possess. And that is a soul that is made in the image of God that God has designed for eternal pleasure and joy. In his presence, as we talked about last night at the Olympics. So as I talk about squandered potential, let me briefly talk about the other story. You may have already thought of it. And that is the story of the prodigal son. When he asked his father to divide the inheritance and to give him his portion, it says in Luke 15 and verse 13 that he went into a distant country. And notice what he did. There he squandered, that’s the New American Standard Rendering, he squandered his estate with loose living.

And that really gets more to the heart of it this morning. And I want to suggest to you that this has been an oft-repeated experiment. There are a lot of people who have walked in the footsteps spiritually of the prodigal son. Thankfully, in this story, you know that he recovers. And if that’s been the case with us, that we’ve been squandering our potential spiritually, the goal of this message is your recovery. It doesn’t have to end as a disaster. But if that’s where we stay, potential that is squandered. If we squander what has been entrusted to us as the one talent man did, a disaster of untold proportions. Three points. All good sermon has three. First point, I’ll help you. I don’t have him on the slide so that you’ll necessarily recognize this.

1. How We Measure Success

Point number one. Let’s talk about how we measure success. Because in the realm of the spiritual, as we talk about squandered potential, part of the problem is the way that we measure success. I want to talk to you about the real potential of your life today. Not necessarily the way our culture and what the way even we are sometimes inclined to measure success. Okay, now what does your life look like? Now, this is very personal. I like to preach sermons like this, where you don’t have to think about the person sitting next to you. This applies to you. Well, who are you pointing at? Every single one of you. Even you folks in the cheap seats. This is about you. I want you to think about your life.

What’s going to constitute success? What’s it look like? Okay, we’ll start off slow. Avoid criminal conduct. Because that could have a lot of lifelong implications. And so, young people, it’s a good place to start. If you’ve had any problems, put those in your past. Work toward higher things. Okay, that’s the first thing we want to do. Okay, we might need an education to get where we want to go to this ideal of success that we have. And so we want to educate ourselves, at least a high school education, more preferably, perhaps a college education, some trade or vocation, because we need this all important thing called a job. And you’re going to have one of those throughout your lives because there’s a lot of bills that are going to have to be paid.

And so you need to think in terms of employment and the kind of job that you want, because after all, there are essentials that I need to secure, and those things cost money. And living off the government can only provide so much, though, it seems that they have a lot these days. But it can only provide so much. I mean, a luxury automobile, for example. Transportation. It’d be nice to have a car that has air conditioning, especially living in Texas. But even your transportation over the years tends to get better as you go along. If you have a good kind of employment, you finally get your kids raised. You might even get a little nicer car. But transportation, you’ve got to have a place to live.

And then, hey, everybody’s got to have a cell phone, right? Smartphone, essential. Isn’t it amazing in the 21st century? If we don’t have a smartphone, something’s missing in our lives. We don’t have the essentials. I wonder if Paul would rephrase 1 Timothy 6 and verse 8 when he says, if we have food and covering to be content. There’s no technology in there anywhere. There’s no television in there. Food and covering to be content. But the way we view a successful life is we’ve got to be able to provide some essentials. Somebody in our family has to have a job in order to be able to do that. And as we go along, perhaps we would like some better things in all of these categories, and perhaps something bigger than a one-room shack.

And perhaps a more comfortable car in which to ride, a certain kind of neighborhood with a certain kind of schools we might want to live in. And so we’re looking for some improvements. This pretty much encompasses most of people’s lives, doesn’t it? And along the way, let’s secure the all American family. The perfect spouse. We’re all in search of that, right? The perfect spouse. Let me tell you, I could preach another whole sermon about that. People have flaws, all people, even the best of people. Okay, but an ideal spouse. Let’s just call it that. The ideal choice for you. Family. And then beautiful children. Everybody wants to have beautiful children. And then ultimately, I guess happening to me shortly, maybe. Grandchildren. Grandchildren. And perhaps throw in some accomplishments along the way.

Somebody pat you on the back, says you did a good job, gives you a certificate or a medal. A promotion. Some accomplishments along the way would be great, and we’ll measure success. And then ultimately, we get to this thing called retirement. Hopefully, we can enjoy some downtime where we’re not working all the time, live off all that we’ve made through our lives. And I can tell you, my parents have done this really well. They retired 22 years ago. They were going to be snowbirds. That is, go down to Florida from Indiana, go down to Florida every winter where it’s warm, get out of the cold recesses of the North. That’s smart. Get out of the cold recesses of the North, go down to Florida, spend the winters.

That lasted for one winter. They came home and sold everything. And they’ve been living in Florida for over 20 years. And they’re members of the country club in Temple Terrace, play golf a couple times a week, have all their friends at the Temple Terrace Church that are their age that have retired and moved to Florida. And they just have a high all the time. Tonight they’ll be playing dominoes at the house or cards with all their buddies after services. Twenty years of retirement. And so we look at this picture, this pie here, and say, wow, if I can do all that in my life, you might add a few things here and there, but pretty much that’s it. That’s the pie of success. However, you can have it all.

The mantra, the American dream, and still squander your ultimate potential. Let me give you a verse that says that’s so. And you know it. What is a man profited if he gained the whole world? And forfeits his soul. The way other people measure it, you have it all. You have the American dream. You have achieved, you have accomplished, you have dollar signs outside your name. You’ve got it. But even if you had everything, the illustration is extraordinary, isn’t it? You got the whole world. But if the soul is not how God regards it should be.

2. Be Filled With the Spirit

That addresses this in the book of Ephesians. First, I want to give you the context, and I don’t have time this morning. Jesse took up a lot of my time with some good thoughts, but he whispered that as he broke as he went by afterwards. In Ephesians 4, I wish we could look at this whole context where Paul is talking about the implications of salvation by grace through faith, and he says, you need to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. I’m going to give you the short of this. When he talks about the kind of behavior that we should be engaged in chapter 5, we need to be imitators of God as beloved children. We need to learn, try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord in verse 10 and walk as children of light.

We need to behave properly in our relationships. The end of chapter 5 and chapter 6, he says that we’re to be good soldiers, ready for the battlefield, take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And so he’s given us all these admonitions about how to live our life so we do not squander our potential. And then he says in chapter 5, 15 through 17, he says, walk wisely in your life, making the most of your time, or redeeming the time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish. But understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, I want to, why do people not pursue what Paul describes in these three chapters? Or why do they pursue it and then leave off in the pursuit of it?

Number one, they see this as too difficult, too hard, too exacting. Or two, they may rationalize, wrongly so, that the payoff isn’t sufficient. It isn’t rewarding. We talked about that last night out at the Olympics or three, they leave off in what these passages are saying, because they want to have the best of both worlds. And yet you can’t do that. You’ve got to choose one or the other to make the focus of your life. Jesus says that in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 24. Or they just simply want to map their own course for their lives. I think that’s one of the major reasons, which seems to promise more. Notice I said seems.

But it seems a lot less. But it seems to promise more. And I’ll tell you what, this way we map out for ourselves that’s sort of consistent with how a lot of other folks are living, it receives less pushback and a lot more acceptance and embrace by the people around us. Rather than pursuing this course. Alright. Now we’re gonna the one verse that says it all about squandered potential. It’s Ephesians 5 and verse 18, and we’re going to look at it backwards. Remember, I looked at verses 15 through 17 with you, quoted them. Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. He said, This is it. This is how not to squander your potential. This is what you need. You must, in the midst of all of life’s successes and accomplishments, you need to be filled with the Spirit.

The end of verse 18. That’s what that’s it. This is the lesson. But remember where this verse starts, right? And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, the New American Standard says. That’s a big word. But I have written out in the margin of my Bible at Ephesians 5 and verse 18 these words waste, squandering, riot, excess. There it is in a nutshell. Now that’s, it’s not just this choice and this choice, but this is generally the way these two paths go, and they are opposed paths. You can’t, this is not a mixture kind of concept. Well, I want a little bit of this and a little bit of this. What Paul is describing is a path that goes this direction toward squandering, and a path that goes this direction toward being filled, truly being filled.

And of course, it is the most desirable by divine instruction, by the wisdom of God. Now, the first thing I want you to understand about this, do not get drunk with wine. First thing you need to understand about this passage, it’s not even talking about a beverage that is equal in strength to the kind of wine you might buy. It’s talking about a beverage of less alcoholic content, and it says Do not be filled with that. That’s not going anywhere. That’s not a path that leads anywhere, but instead, you need to be filled with the spirit. And notice this second phrase, enough said about this course. I think you get that. But this be filled with the Spirit. This isn’t something that happens to you where I’m just sitting here on the front row and I’m waiting for the Holy Spirit to come and overwhelm me.

That’s not biblical. But some people teach that. This is something I’m instructed to do. Not do this course, but to do this course instead. And Paul explains that very clearly in Galatians chapter 5. When he says, if we live by the Spirit, we walk by the Spirit. And he admonishes the audience in Galatia to cultivate the attitudes that emanate from God or emanate from the Holy Spirit. Love, goodness, self-control. Those things in Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit. He says, You need to walk and pursue those things. That’s it, folks, in a nutshell. Even if you gain the whole world, if you’re not filled with the Spirit, you squander your potential. So this simply is a message about your investment in the things of God.

3. Fulfilling Your Potential

You’re following the course prescribed in Ephesians chapter 4 through chapter 6. Are you squandering your potential? What a tragedy. Some future time when I am old. And we sing that song sometimes as an invitation song. I’ll choose the heavenly way. You’re squandering the opportunities of now of pursuing being filled with the Spirit. That’s why we come here today. We’re not punching the time clock. We’re not doing this because my parents did it and my grandparents before that. We’re here because we are trying to live the potential of our being, of our lives. And so, final point. Look how quickly we’re moving here. I want to talk about fulfilling your potential. And I’ve got some great news here, going back to the beginning story. Some great news.

No talent required. That is even I can do it. Even me, I know you’re amazed. No talent required. Everyone in this audience is capable of realizing this potential. Now I’m going to go to an illustration from our world traveler, Alyssa Fox, a rare post that was not about food. As she posted recently, 10 things, and I’m sure urging on her co-workers, as she was over in England, I think when she posted this, or at least headed that way, or maybe over there. No talent required to be on time. You know, that doesn’t require a great deal of talent. Effort. Giving yourself to something. I mean, effort doesn’t require talent. We all put direct our effort and our energy. Somewhat the same concept here, but I still like it.

And work ethic. All these in the same vein. This works in the business world. Attitude. You can have a good attitude. It doesn’t take a lot of talent to do that. Faith doesn’t take any. Passion. Being coachable. Alyssa wants to get people to listen. Being coachable. Doing a little extra than is expected. Body language. That doesn’t require a lot of effort to show that, hey, cheerful, contributing, being prepared. Let’s have that before Bible class. It doesn’t take a lot of talent. Isn’t it amazing? And that’s the story of the parable of talents. You don’t have to be the most talented one in the room. I don’t know how we measure that exactly. But wherever you are on the scale by someone who can actually measure that, probably only God, you have enough talent to be filled with the Spirit.

And it doesn’t require any extraordinary intellect, thankfully for me. You don’t have to be the smartest cookie. I mean, look at the instruction of Ephesians 4. It’s not that hard. When it talks about the way we ought to walk, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. And not only is talent really not the issue, the one talent man could have been pleasing to his master. Here’s the cool thing about being filled with the Spirit.

God has promised a help in this transformation process. And with God’s help, we can be a successful, or are you squandering? Your potential? Going back to the prodigal son story.

What a great statement in verse 17. He came to himself. And that’s really the message of the gospel. If you’re outside of Christ, if you’ve not been cleansed in the blood of the Lamb, you need to come to yourself. Why am I here? Look what Jesus did for me, as Jesse explained. Look at what I could become. Look at what God wants to give me ultimately in his presence. It’s about waking up and making the ultimate decisions and living the ultimate life. Serving the Lord. Involving ourselves with his people, helping others in what little ways we can to make it to heaven. Sometimes I have to remind myself of the decision that I made to preach the gospel about 34 years ago now. That I made that decision because I wanted to do what little I could do to help people go to heaven.

Conclusion

And I tell myself all the time, I’m here to help the Decker Prairie Church to go to heaven. All of us. And we all can. Every one of us can by the help of God and the help of each other. Last Sunday we sang, dear Lord and Father of mankind, and I noticed this phrase forgive our foolish ways. Re-clothe us in our rightful mind. In pure lives, thy service find in deeper reverence. Praise. Is your life going to be a success or a testimony to potential squander? May that not be said of any of us. Choose to serve the Lord all the days of your life. If we can assist you in that journey to begin it or to get back on the right course, come now as we stand there.