His Own Ability

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His Own Ability

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.

Matthew 25:14-15

The story of the talents is a favorite for pastors. It is used so many times in sermons. Usually the focus is on the growth of the talents, which we’ll get into in the future but today I want to focus on these two verses.

In this story there is a man, wealthy enough to have talents and servants. He decides one day to leave his home and travel to a far country. He leaves several servants in charge of his affairs at home and then goes off.

The first thing I notice is that it says that he gave talents based on each person’s ability. This man knew what each servant was able to do.

We are not all the same. We all have different abilities. God created us unique and special. You’ll notice that the servant with the most ability didn’t receive everything but simply more than the others. Likewise, the servant with the least ability wasn’t left out completely but still received a talent.

God has something for all of us. It is never God’s plan that one person does everything while another does nothing. Some might have more responsibilities than others, but all make up a grand machine, with each person a part of that machine. The bible uses the idea of a body, some parts are more than others, but all are part of the one body nonetheless.

As we’ll see, when we read on, the one with more ability, and therefore talents as well, is able to and expected to have greater results. God doesn’t expect five extra talents from the one who only got two or one. Each will be judged individually and not on what others were able to do or not do.

Look at your own life and see. How much does God expect from you? Are you accomplishing the growth of talents he’s looking for?

You might be asking- what exactly is the talent here? What does it symbolize? We’ll look into that next week.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

I Do Not Know You

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I Do Not Know You

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Matthew 25:10-13

The ending for the foolish virgins is terrifying. They were so close to being saved and yet find a locked door between them and salvation. What is even scarier is what the bridegroom, Jesus, says to them. ‘I do not know you.’

That is the last thing I would ever want to hear from Jesus. What it shows is that no relationship with him was ever created. You can have the name of Jesus in your mouth all the time, like singers and actors who thank God at every awards show, but not have any real relationship with him.

It’s not the only time that Jesus expresses this idea.

Later on in the chapter Jesus says, 41 ‘‘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.’

Knowing Jesus is seeing him in others. Helping those in need, in and out of the church, is part of knowing God and Jesus.

Let us build our faith and relationship with Jesus. Let us not be shut out of salvation. Let us never hear the words, ‘I do not know you.’

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

The Midnight Cry

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The Midnight Cry

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

Matthew 25:6-9

Last week we saw Jesus, the bridegroom delayed, and the ten virgins asleep while they waited. But then a midnight cry is heard. Adventists know these words, Midnight Cry, all too well as we love to use is to describe our unique message to the world. Midnight is the darkest time of day and the least likely time for a bridegroom to arrive at a wedding. Think about what that can mean in reality. How will Jesus come when we least expect it?

Suddenly the virgins awake and begin to get ready. Here is where we see the wisdom of the five virgins who brought extra oil. It’s important to see that what we’re talking about here is extra oil, which represents the Holy Spirit. The foolish clearly say that their lamps are going out which means they had some oil in their lamps. They only put in enough as to what they believed they needed. They did the very minimum and only accepted the very minimum of the Holy Spirit in their lives. So clearly all ten virgins, both wise and foolish, are Christians and believers. Don’t be fooled into thinking the wise are believers and the foolish worldly people, no. Jesus is talking to the church here are saying that two groups within the church will exist at the end of time. There will be those who gain as much oil, Holy Spirit, as they can. They are not part-time Christians or only Christians on Sabbath. They try and build as close a relationship with God, through the Holy Spirit as their life allows. The others, the foolish, are those who believe and even accept the Holy Spirit but not completely. They only do enough as to what they believe will be enough to be saved. These are they that say, ‘I’m good enough.’ or ‘I’ve done enough’ or ‘I’m better than most’ or even ‘God will just look past these parts of my life.’

All of these thoughts are dangerous and foolish. Only God knows how much you need of Him to be ready for the Second Coming. It’s a dangerous game to create your own limits on faith and the Holy Spirit.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

The 10 Virgins

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The 10 Virgins

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

Matthew 25:1-5

Matthew 25 continues with a focus on prophecy and the end of times. It begins with an amazing parable about ten virgins. The word virgins here actually represents young, unmarried girls as those in those days would see a directly correlation between both ideas. All that Jesus says about these virgins is that there are ten of them, they all have lamps and that five are foolish and five wise. What makes them wise or foolish? Some took oil with them and some didn’t.

The only other major player in the story is the bridegroom. It’s very interesting that Jesus says that the bridegroom was delayed, especially since the bridegroom represents himself. Because of the delay all ten, both wise and foolish, end up falling asleep while they waited.

Next week we will continue with the story but for today I want to focus on two points. The first is in the use of the number 10. If you go through the Bible you’ll notice that 10 is always connected to a test of faith. From the 10 Commandments, 10 plagues of Egypt, Tithe, 10 lepers of Luke 17, parable of the 10 silver coins and others if you search for them. And what I mean by God testing our faith is that God gives us laws, situations and ideals to wrestle with and grow from. He creates situations that help us to grow in faith. This parable of the 10 virgins is all about faith as we’ll see in the following weeks.

The second thing I wanted to mention is that, as the groom or Jesus is delayed in coming, all 10 virgins fall asleep. Just like the disciples in Gethsemane, it will not be our own human strength that will allow us to be ready for Jesus’s coming. Just like Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ It is the Holy Spirit that holds the key to what we need to truly be ready. Next week we will see more.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

The Evil Servants

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The Evil Servants

48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:48-50

Matthew 24 ends in a very negative way. It focusses on those who refuse to listen or see the signs of the times. It shows us a vision of judgement, darkness and death.

You’ll notice that both groups, good and bad, are called servants here. This is an important thing to remember as we have a bad habit of uplifting ourselves more than we should. Compared to God, we are just servants but what is amazing is that he treats us much better than we deserve.

The evil servants say that God is delaying. “This second coming idea is way into the future and things happening now are just normal things of the earth.” I have heard this sentiment from many people in the church. Nothing is really out of the ordinary. We’ve always had wars, disease, famines and natural disasters. They reject the idea that God is getting ready to return soon and continue living the exact same way. Many speak this way to avoid making any real life altering decisions in their life.

You could claim, rightfully so, that people have been saying these things for generations and Jesus still has not returned. That is true, but you also have to realize that those people are no longer here and for them, the second coming is but a blink away. God wants us to be ready now and every day.

That is what the other verses are really about. There will always be people in the church who don’t follow God’s advice and law. They will beat fellow servants usually by their words and actions. They eat and drink with the drunkards meaning they will focus more on their own appetites and desires than on God.

These will have their part with the hypocrites. All those years of sitting in the pews, praying and reading their Bibles will come to nothing. Their hearts were not in it. They didn’t want to be servants but masters themselves. They trades an eternity of perfection for a few years of pleasure.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

One Will Be Taken

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Unprepared

43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24:40-42

It’s a horrible feeling having your home broken into. You feel violated and unsafe for a very long time. One thought goes over and over in your head- if I had known that that night someone would be breaking in, I’d be ready and not let it happen.

It is that very thought that Jesus uses to speak about the end of the world. How many people will see Jesus up in the sky and realize that they were caught by surprise? How many will regret so many decisions and choices in their lives? How many will be shocked, terrified or feel like complete fools for not believing?

But in verse 44 it says that we can be ready. We don’t have to be caught unaware. How? By looking for the signs that are mentioned in this chapter and other prophetic books. By reading our bibles and making sure we are spiritually and mentally prepared for His coming. Just because you may belong to a church is not enough. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus yourself, you will not be ready for that glorious day.

This day will be both the greatest and worst day in history. It will be great for all who will be saved but it will be devastating for all who rejected, unbelieved or simply took it for granted. Today is the day that you have to make sure that it will be a great day for you.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

One Will Be Taken

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One Will Be Taken

40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

Matthew 24:40-42

Many different ideas have been born from these verses in Matthew but what exactly was Jesus trying to say with this. When you look at the context both of the passage and also of the people he was speaking with, you realize that he’s talking about the difference inside people and not outside.

The Jews in those days very easily divided the saved and lost by blood and location. If you were a blood Jew, a pure and undefiled descendant of Abraham, you were saved. If you were from Israel, and even more Jerusalem, you were saved. That is how they thought and you could imagine how these verses would have troubled them.

Jesus doesn’t mention blood, descendant lines or birthplaces in his division. In fact, the way the people are so close suggests that many could be family. What a thought for a Jew that a brother could be saved and another lost.

We make the same distinctions sometimes.  We divide Adventists from others. We divide our church with others. We divide our day of worship from others. We look more on the outside than the inside for salvation.

What Jesus does however is different. From the outside, the people look the same but it’s the inside hearts of the people that determine salvation or loss.

The other thing of course, brought up especially in verse 42 is that it can happen at any time. We may be at work, or asleep, or on a journey when the Day of the Lord comes. We can’t just believe or think, well I’m going on vacation so obviously Jesus won’t come during this time. No. We must be ready at every moment.

 

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Left Behind

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Left Behind

40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

Matthew 24:38-39

Many false ideas have been created from these two verses in Matthew 24. There are those who, now seeing the error, try and argue that it was never these verses that were used in their ideas, except that the two key words ‘Left Behind’ are found right here.

I am of course talking about the idea of the Rapture. For those who don’t know, the rapture is a belief that when Jesus returns, that it will be a secret, silent, invisible coming. Jesus will take his faithful, leaving their nicely folded clothes behind, while the lost are ‘left behind’ on the earth to face the great time of trouble.

It is a popular idea because it teaches that there is a second chance after the Second Coming to be saved. This of course doesn’t work for the simple reality that Jesus saved through faith, but the second chance would be more saved by fear.

The bigger problem with the idea of Rapture is in these verses. They are connected to the previous three verses talking about Noah being saved while the sinners die in the flood. Those who teach Rapture say that God will take the faithful and the sinners will be left behind. The problem is that the Noah story teaches the exact opposite wording.

23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.

Genesis 7:23

You can see here that in the Noah story it states that the sinners were taken (destroyed) while Noah was left behind (remained). It is the exact opposite to the teaching of Rapture. At the Second coming, the sinners will be taken away in death while the saints will be left to live with God forever.

In other words, we should all want to be left behind. And for the false idea that the Second coming will be silent or secret, just read for yourselves 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Revelation 1:7.

 

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Took Them All Away

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Took Them All Away

38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24:38-39

The Second Coming is going to be an amazing event. You have to realize however that it is simultaneously going to be the greatest and also the worst day ever in the universe. Millions if not billions of people will be saved from a life of sin. Those who struggled, suffered, and persevered against sin to stay close to Christ will finally be transformed. They will become perfect as their father in heaven is perfect. They will never have to be tempted by the Devil or sin ever again.

On the other hand, billions if not more will also be lost forever. There will be weeping and crying. There will be shouting, pain and suffering. God in one day will lose scores of his children which he loves with all his heart. He will also lose countless angels and Lucifer as well. God loves all who will be lost. No heart will be more conflicted than God’s.

When we look at the story of Noah, which is used as a comparison here, you’ll find that soon after leaving the ark, Noah grows grapes and gets drunk. Now we don’t know if it was done on purpose or if he just let his drinking get away from him but you have to realize that his heart and mind must have been in anguish. Stepping out of the ark and realizing that every other human being on earth was now dead must have been a shock. There must have been a pain in knowing that so many refused to follow God.

How will you feel when you experience the Second Coming? Have you ever taken time to think about this? How will you feel looking around you for family and friends? How will it be seeing some or even many but not all those you love? It will be an amazing day, no doubt, but will there also be some pain and sorrow?

Those who rejected Noah’s messages from God lived life as if nothing would change. They were similar to us before Covid struck and changed the world forever. This should be a wakeup for us that God’s Second Coming can be a lot closer than it appears. Things can change in a heartbeat. Let’s make sure we’re not part of that group who ‘did not know until the flood came and took them all away’. Let’s make the Second Coming as great as it can be. Let us make sure we are saved and let us also help those we love to make that choice as well.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto

Time Unknown

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Time Unknown

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24:36-37

One of the hardest things for humans is not knowing. Not knowing if you passed that school project. Not knowing the results of a medical test. Not knowing if he or she will say yes. All of these fill us with anxiety and nerves. For many, the same is true about the Second Coming. Some worry that God is coming too soon and they haven’t had time to do all that they dreamed. I wanted to get married first. I wanted to have kids. I’m so close to finally getting that promotion or job I’ve always dreamed of. There are things in this planet that for some are temporarily more important to them than God’s return. So they stress that the world will end before they can realize their dreams.

Others worry that it’s taking too long. Some have been Adventists from an early age and are now old and wonder how God still hasn’t returned. Y2K happened and the world didn’t end. The Twin Towers were destroyed by terrorists and the end didn’t come. We’ve had assassinations of presidents, world wars, plagues and pandemics and we’re still here. Why is God taking so long? And like the first group, these too also stress over not knowing the hour, day or year of Jesus’ return.

Jesus says that it will be like the days of Noah. God had promised that he was going to flood the whole world and yet it had never even rained on the planet before. Everyone that lived in the land at that time must have found the idea quite ridiculous. There isn’t even enough water to flood the world! Noah’s building a boat on dry land- what a fool! How many insults and blasphemies must have been uttered by the people in those days?

But the rains and water did come. There was enough to cover the earth. That useless boat saved Noah, his family and countless animals while the mockers died a watery grave. Had Noah listened to the nay-sayers he too would have been lost but instead he stayed faithful to God’s promise. We must do the same. We don’t have all the answers and we hear mocking around us often, but God is faithful. Trust in Him.

God bless,

Pr. Steven Couto