Don't Sit on the Premises, Stand on the Promises
Dr RJ Sing, 22 min
Originally preached as “Don't Deny the Promises of God”
Sermon outline
God gives more to faithful stewards, so guard your attitude as well as your work, refuse slothfulness and a hard heart, and stand on the promises of God.
Main text
- Matthew 25:14-30
Opening
The recording begins with him reading the parable of the talents from Matthew 25:14 in the King James Version. He stops at the master's words 'thou wicked and slothful servant' and makes those two words the doorway into the message.
Wicked and slothful: your work and your attitude both have to be good
Wicked means twisted, like knotted wood that cannot be relied on. A person who works hard with a bad attitude is still slothful, and so is a person with a good attitude whose work is poor. The church cannot tolerate a slothful attitude, because a bad attitude rubs off on others.
Illustration: Twisted wood full of knots that you cannot machine, and a talented team player whom the captain benches because of his attitude.
“So your work's got to be good, your attitude's got to be good.”
- Matthew 25:26
Unto everyone that hath shall be given
Taking the talent from the man with one and giving it to the man with ten looks unfair, but this is how the economy of God's kingdom works: God knows who will multiply it. Money is given for the extension of the kingdom, and how you handle what you have determines how much more you will get. Some things, like being in church, should not be an option but entrenched in your value system.
Illustration: Someone who puts money in the bank and admires the figures in the bank book every night, instead of using it to extend the kingdom.
“How you handle what you have will determine how much more you will get.”
- Matthew 25:28-29
- Matthew 6:33
- Luke 6:38
- Hebrews 10:25
What slothful means
He amplifies the word: ungrateful, erroneous in reasoning, unjust, fault finding, self-justifying, and fearful and wicked. He calls young people to honour their parents, warns against pity parties and living in the past, and tells people to motivate and reprogram themselves. God has not given us a spirit of fear, so speak faith until you believe it yourself.
Illustration: People who pitch a two-man tent and camp in 1946 while it is now 2005; changing your own price tag upwards until you wake up feeling valuable; and not taking the call from a complainer, because anyone who comes to you with a flat battery will soon drain you.
“If you complain, you'll remain.”
- Ephesians 6:2-3
- Ephesians 6:13
- 2 Timothy 1:7
- 2 Corinthians 4:13
- John 7:38
- Genesis 1:28
The punishment of the slothful servant
He was rebuked, judged out of his own mouth, judged for his failure to trust, stripped of his talent, and cut off and banished forever from his master. Some are not being promoted because of their attitude, so find something to be positive about and enjoy what you are doing.
Illustration: A fuel gauge needle on empty, and turning the lemon someone gives you into lemonade.
“Some of you are not being promoted at work because of your attitude.”
- Matthew 25:30
Don't become hard-hearted: stand on the promises
The servant's heart was closed to advice and to godly counsel, and that hardness made him slothful. A hard heart leads to slothfulness and to being banished from the promises of God. God is not looking for crowds but for a small, committed group, full of the Holy Ghost and faith, who will shake the city and the nation.
Illustration: Coming to church, singing three songs, giving a small offering and going home with nothing changed; and the 120 people God used to turn the world upside down.
“Don't sit on the premises, stand on the promises.”
- Acts 1:15
- Acts 17:6
Good stewardship is not cheap ship
Looking for a good price is fine, but settling for something cheap is not good stewardship. How you value yourself shows in how you carry yourself, and because we have a quality God he would rather wait for quality. God's people need to be full of faith, believing all things and saying 'we'll make this thing work'.
Illustration: He would rather not buy something at all, and wait even five years, than settle for something inferior.
“Good stewardship is not cheap ship.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:7
Putting it into practice
- Check your attitude as well as the quality of your work.
- Use what God has given you to extend His kingdom, not just to store it.
- Make church attendance a settled commitment, not a feeling.
- Stop complaining, and step away from people who drain you.
- Keep your heart soft to godly advice and stand on God's promises.
Closing
The recording ends on a rallying call rather than a formal prayer: the people of God must not be slothful but full of faith, turning what is low into high and charging what is empty. He urges the church to stand together and declare that they will make it work.
Declarations he led
- Reprogram yourself.
- I have a spirit, an overcoming spirit.
In his words
- “Don't sit on the premises, stand on the promises.”
- “Good stewardship is not cheap ship.”
- “If you complain, you'll remain. If you praise, you'll be raised.”
- “Anyone that gets in touch with you with a flat battery will soon drain you.”
- “If you don't motivate yourself, no one's going to motivate you.”
Every scripture in this message
- Matthew 25:14-30
- Matthew 6:33
- Luke 6:38
- Hebrews 10:25
- Ephesians 6:2-3
- Ephesians 6:13
- 2 Timothy 1:7
- 2 Corinthians 4:13
- John 7:38
- Genesis 1:28
- Acts 1:15
- Acts 17:6
- 1 Corinthians 13:7