05-16-21 Kevin Goins - A Parable of Potential

Graduation Sunday

“The Parable of Potential”
Matthew 25:14-30 
The parable we are looking at today is one of the most well-known of all the parables of Jesus.  Its message is relevant to people in all walks of life, but perhaps none more so than graduates who are on the verge of proving their potential.                                  
I In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a parable about potential and we call it the parable of the __________________________.

A. The master implies that his assets are valuable because they can accomplish much, so he asks his servants to make the ____________ of them.

B. The parables of Jesus are meant to s________________ us and anyone listening to this one would be amazed at the amount which this man is willing to trust to his servants.

C. Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6, “I remind you to s____________ u________ the gift of God which is in you” – God has given us gifts, but sometimes we let them go to   s__________________________.

D. These servants had years and years, maybe a whole l_______________________, to do something with the talents they were given.

E. As Origen says, the master in this parable is obviously ____________ - through our Kingdom sowing he h_____________________ souls for his kingdom.

II This parable has several points to make:

A. First, don’t waste your potential doing only what you feel c________________________ doing – Instead set your sights on what you see as your best possible life, a life where you accomplish a________ God created you to do.

1. The one-talent servant did not take any c_________________, he did not even _____________, because he was afraid he would fail and look bad.

2. Giving into fear does not bring p____________________; it often exposes us to more and greater h_____________.

3. In the end, it will not be your talents and abilities that decide if you succeed or fail.  That will be determined by whether you allow fear to e_______ u________ your dreams.

B. Second, this parable teaches us that we cannot afford to waste our potential on nothing but the o__________________________________.

1. It doesn’t take any t____________ or e_____________________ to let a jar of money sit in the ground.

2. Our big life goals often get crowded out by day after day of t_______________ inconsequential living.

3. It is easy to fill up our life with the ordinary, while we tell ourselves that we will work on our big plans t____________________.

C. Finally, this parable reminds us that as we use our potential, we have an obligation to r____________________ the one who gave it to us.

1. The point Jesus wants to drive home is that it is __________ who has given us all our potential.

2. Planning for how we will __________ life’s adventure is the biggest and most important rock in the jar of our life.