Encounter Henley Welcomes Lead Pastor: Tim Littleford
Do you ever worry that you're wasting your life? We make choices with consequences every day, but sometimes we live as if our decisions don't really matter in the end.
In this message, Pastor Tim Littleford dives into the complex, layered parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), a story so impactful it literally gave us our modern word for "skill" or "ability." More than just a moral lesson, Jesus' parables illuminate His identity and the nature of His Kingdom.
The Immense Trust: Discover the true value of the "talent"—a massive fortune worth millions today. When Jesus, the Master, went away, he didn't entrust his followers with small trinkets, but with His entire Kingdom Trust Fund—His grace, the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, the Gospel, and a mission. If you can waste your life, you must have something incredibly valuable to waste!
Faithfulness, Not Comparison: Learn the liberating truth that God requires nothing from us but what He has sown in us. The master rewards the two faithful servants equally for their faithfulness in stewarding what they were individually given, not for comparing their output to others. You are running your own race.
The Danger of Doing Nothing: Why was the third servant condemned? Not for losing the money, but for burying it out of fear, rationalizing his inaction by misrepresenting his generous master. This is a powerful warning: The Kingdom grows—unless it is intentionally buried. Our faith is not meant to be rested on or rationalized; it's meant to be multiplied.
The Final Audit, Covered by Grace: Pastor Tim grapples with the sobering reality of the coming audit, where we will be held accountable for how we lived. But for followers of Jesus, this accountability is met with grace—the gift of God where the eternal consequences for our failings are already poured out on Christ on the cross. Grace doesn't mean there is no audit; it means the charges have been cancelled.
This message is a crisis of decision: What will you do with the immense, valuable Kingdom of God you've been entrusted with?
