God generously gives resources to his followers. We have a responsibility to be productive with what we’ve been given. In fact, God will hold us accountable for how we’ve invested what he has entrusted to us.

This Sunday we learn what Jesus taught about investments.

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If you would, take out a pen and a piece of paper. We’re going to take a little True/False quiz. I’m going to ask you a few questions and you can answer True or False:

I have, at least once, spent money unwisely.

I have, at least once, compared myself to someone else financially.

I have felt guilt over the affluence of my lifestyle.

I have wished I were more generous.

I want to make the confession part of this as gentle as possible, so I’ll put it like this:

How many of you have at least one “T” on your paper… or you’re sitting next to someone who has at least one “T”?

Here’s what I think happens for a lot of us. We live in a world where we’re bombarded with messages:

Want more.

Make more.

Acquire more.

Hoard more.

Sometimes we compare ourselves with people who have more than we do… and that stimulates the More Cycle.

Sometimes, we worry about the future — Am I going to have enough? And that stimulates the More Cycle.

Then somehow we’re exposed to the reality of suffering:

We go on a mission trip to a developing country

We see pictures of hungry kids

We come to church and hear a message about money

Or we read something in the Bible

And then we feel kind of guilty about how much we have.

When we feel that guilt, maybe we make a stab at giving, but eventually the guilt goes away.

And when the guilt goes away, we’re sucked back into the More, More, More Cycle.

Here’s what I think. I think that guilt alone is not enough to break the More Cycle or to develop the generous hearts that most of us want to have, and that God wants for us.

I think the only way to break through to that kind of financial freedom is to trust God enough to go on an adventure with God with our “Stuff.”

This brings us to the story we’re going to look at today. It’s a story Jesus tells about investments in Matthew 5.

It will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.

So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.

But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

One of the key words comes right at the beginning of the story. It would have been very stri