Planning to Fail
Matthew 25:14-18
Normally, when we are speaking from the Bible, we take earthly
stories and seek out the spiritual truth. This evening, I want to
begin by doing the opposite. I want to take this Bible story and find
what I think is the most basic, secular, common to all mankind truth
that I could make.
To that end, I would like to point out that this story, at its most
basic level, is the story of 3 men seeking to be successful. They
have money or gifts or some type of commodity to invest, and they
want a good return on it. Two will succeed, one will not.
The question that I am asking this hour is why did the third man not
succeed? I believe the reason the man failed was because he had no
goals to achieve. This man was content to give back to his master
exactly what he had received. There was no drive, no desire, no
aspiration to do more. His plan was simple. He would simply bury it
until he could return it.
Have you ever noticed how those who succeed materially in life are
those who have ambitions and set goals for themselves?
Salesman - Needs to sell a certain number of products or polices per
week.
To attain that goal, he will plan on having a certain
number of sit-down conversations.
To do that, he will make a certain number of telephone
calls and knock on a certain number of doors.
To him, it is a numbers game and he will set his goals
accordingly.
Store manager - Certain volumn of business per week
To do this, he will stay open a specific number of hours.
He will advertise to generate a certain amount of traffic
flow.
He will set his prices so that a certain percentage of
people in that traffic flow will purchase his items.
Hourly laborer - Will plan to work enough hours to earn a paycheck
Most everyone in most every field of endeavor sets goals and
systematically works toward accomplishing them, except for the
Christian. The Christian, for the most part, just hipity-hops through
life with little thought as to where he wants to go and what God
wants him to become.
He has no spiritual goals.
He has no ambitions.
In some cases, he has never given any consideration to such
matters. Why?
Let’s consider it for a moment:
I. Some reasons why Christians don’t set goals.
A. Misconception
1. Some think it is unspiritual to have goals.
2. This is not usually the case for the average Christian.
3. You just about have to be a preacher to think of
something that foolish.
4. Some think that making plans or setting goals somehow cuts
the Holy Spirit short.
a. That is crazy.
b. Just because you make a plan or set a goal, it doesn’t
mean the Holy Ghost cannot change it.
c. Besides all of that, you should be consulting and
listening to the Holy Ghost when you make your plans.
5. It is not unspiritual to have goals!
a. Paul did - He planned on traveling to as many places
as possible to preach Jesus to them.
Acts 15:36 And some days after Paul said unto
Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren
in every city where we have preached the word of
the Lord, and see how they do.
b. Jesus did - He planned on dying on the cross.
Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was
come that he should be received up, he stedfastly
set his face to go to Jerusalem.
c. David did - He planned for the building of the temple.
1Chron 28:11 Then David gave to Solomon his son
the pattern of the porch, and of the houses
thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of
the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner
parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy
seat,
12 And the pattern of all that he had by the
spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD,
and of all the chambers round about, of the
treasuries of the house of God, and of the
treasuries of the dedicated things:
B. Far more common is that they are wicked and lazy.
1. Please note those are not my words. They are the Lord’s.
Matt 25:26 His lord answered and said unto him,
Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest
that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where
I have not strawed:
2. God called this man’s heart wicked and lazy.
a. Wicked means sinful and evil.
b. Slothful means lazy, unmoving.
c. God calls the condition of this man, who had no
spiritual goals in his life, a matter of sinfulness
in the spirit and laziness in character.
d. In truth, the word WICKED is a more extreme word that
SINFUL.
(1) You can accidently sin.
(2) But to be evil or wicked implies a deliberate
intent to do wrong.
3. I have never wanted to be called lazy about any thing,
especially spiritual things.
a. However, I think that is a good term for some people’s
spiritual life.
(1) They don’t pray, although they have ample
excuses, because they are just too lazy to pray.
(2) They don’t go to church, read their Bible, or
tell others about Jesus because they are too
lazy.
b. While everyone needs a time to rest, a life time of
being lazy is beyond resting. It is sinful and evil.
C. Neglect
1. Some people just don’t plan to fail they just fail to plan.
2. If you just never thought about it, you will tonight.
3. Consider what will happen if we do not make any spiritual
goals.
a. You will not earn any eternal rewards.
(1) The successful \\#19-23\\ is contrasted with the
failure \\#24-29\\.
(2) The successful was rewarded for his success.
(3) The failure was judged for his failure.
b. You will anger a holy God. The word may not be used
but I think the master was.
c. You will face God at the Bema Judgment Seat.
Matt 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant
into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
(1) The point of this parable is to illustrate the
severity of the judgment not the destination of
those who don’t serve the Lord.
(2) However, it may be implied that the reason you do
nothing is because you are lost.
(3) Lazy Christians will stand before God.
4. From this point on, if you have no godly goals in your
life, it will be because you choose not to have any.
5. That will essentially make you back into the last category
of being lazy and wicked.
II. What are some areas in which I should be setting goals?
A. Some need to set some goals for going to church.
B. Some need to set some goals for Bible study.
C. Some need to set some goals for praying.
1. Your first goals does not have to be a prayer closet.
2. Let your first goal but to just talk to God.
D. Some need to set some goals for over-coming sin.
E. Some need to set some goals for giving.
F. Some need to set some goals for witnessing.
G. Some need to set some goals for serving.
III. Keep in mind when setting goals
A. Your goals should start where you are!
1. There is the infancy of the Christian where you need to
work on the most basic Christian skills.
1 Corinthians 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and
not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to
bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
Hebrews 5:13 For every one that useth milk is
unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he
is a babe.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere
milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
a. The first areas that a Christian needs to grow are
the Word of God, in prayer, and in regular church
attendance.
b. In a short time, learn to share your faith.
2. Then there is strong Christian who needs to put his or her
back to the plow and do the work of God.
a. God gave talents based on ability.
(1) \\#Matt 25:25\\
(2) "according to his several ability"
b. God has gifted you with certain gifts that you should
use for the Lord.
c. Some gifts are more spiritual in nature and some more
practical.
d. There are lists of spiritual gifts.
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ:
e. There are examples of practical gifts.
Exodus 31:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses,
saying,
2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of
Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God,
in wisdom, and in understanding, and in
knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and
in silver, and in brass,
5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in
carving of timber, to work in all manner of
workmanship.
6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab,
the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and
in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I
have put wisdom, that they may make all that
I have commanded thee;
3. And, if you live long enough, you may wear out your body
but you will still have a spirit and a mind to pray for
and teach the younger how to serve the Lord.
Titus 2:2 That the aged men be sober, grave,
temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in
patience.
3 The aged women likewise, that they be in
behaviour as becometh holiness, not false
accusers, not given to much wine, teachers
of good things;
4 That they may teach the young women to be
sober, to love their husbands, to love their
children,
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good,
obedient to their own husbands, that the word
of God be not blasphemed.
B. In general, the basic goal for a Christian should be three-
fold:
1. To push you to spiritual growth and maturity.
2. To be a witness for Jesus to a lost world.
3. To be an indispensable servant for the Lord.
(a) Of course, no one is indispensable.
(b) But you ought to almost be.
Years ago, I read where our goals ought to be SMART.
S pecific
M easurable
A ttainable
R ealistic
T imely
When you boil the Bible story we have read tonight down to its core,
it is essentially a story of success or failure. Those who plan may
fail but those who fail to plan are planning to fail. What will you
do for Jesus?
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