C233 9/11/60
© Project Winsome International, 2000

THE FAVORITE TEXT OF FAMOUS PEOPLE - Richard Nixon
"One Life! What's With Yours?"
Dr. John Allan Lavender
Mt. 25:14-31

Following the service last Sunday, one of my young friend's from the junior high department met me at the door. She commented on the fact that this morning I would be preaching on the "Favorite Text of Richard Nixon," and then asked, "Are you going to give equal time to Jack Kennedy?" She was ribbing me, but I suspect there are others who might ask the question in all seriousness. So, at the outset, let me make it clear there is nothing political about my selection of Richard Nixon as one of the famous people to be included in this series.

Last fall, when I was planning my preaching schedule for 1960, I thought it would be both interesting and instructive, to see how people in various walks of life have been motivated and guided in their careers by the word of God. To be affective such a series should touch as many different professions as possible. So I wrote to several V.I.P.'s in a wide variety of callings, asking for their favorite text, and a comment or two on how that verse or passage has influenced their lives.

As a result, we shall be discussing in coming weeks and months the favorite texts of such people as General Douglas MacArthur, Judge Harold R. Medina, prominent pastor Norman Vincent Peale, rocket scientist Wehner Von Braun, football coach Bud Wilkinson, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and teen-age idol Pat Boone, to name a few.

Since government and politics were destined to be of particular interest this fall, I felt such a series would be incomplete without the favorite text of someone from that field of endeavor. Since I strongly suspected Mr. Nixon would be much in the news along about now, I felt he was a logical choice.

The other reason, and by far the most important one, is that like each of the other personalities I have included in this series, Mr. Nixon is a man of faith. The "stern permissiveness" of the Quaker religion on which he was reared is part and parcel of both his public and personal life. Whatever your reactions may be to his political philosophy, it must be acknowledged that this is a man whose religious faith has played a central role in his thought and life.

But that's enough about Richard Nixon. This is not a sermon about him, but about his favorite text. Let me read the letter in which he shares a word about the passage of scripture which has come to mean more to him than any other.

Dear Dr. Lavender:
It was a pleasure to receive your letter telling me about he series of sermons you will be giving next fall.
One of my favorite passages of scripture is the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-31. To me it illustrates graphically what is expected of us, and what a serious lapse it is if we do not utilize our God-given talents and abilities to the fullest and most useful extent. As is true of many of the parables, I find that there are numerous lessons from which to profit in this particular one. With every good wish,
Sincerely,
Richard Nixon

During the brief span of his sojourn upon earth Jesus spoke of many things. The range of his interests and insights was broad. There was hardly any area of concern he left untouched. But when you begin to sift down what he said, when you attempt to isolate the main thrust of his teachings, when you seek to discover the pivotal concern around which everything else moved, you came up with one word: L-I-F-E.

Jesus was concerned about life. It was his major purpose, he said, to bring men life and that more abundant. When John sought to describe him in the first chapter of the fourth gospel, he wrote,
"In him was life and that life was the light of men."

The really big thing about Jesus, the stand-out feature, the heart and soul of his concern, was life. How to live it here. How to prepare for it hereafter. Whatever else Jesus says in the parable of the talents, one thing is sure, his major emphasis is on life. Woven into all the discussion of varying degrees of opportunity, fidelity and accountability is the insistent question:
"What are you doing with your life?"

According to Jesus' story, a man who was embarking on an extended journey called his subordinates together and gave each of them some capital with which to work while he was gone. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and finally, to a third, he gave one talent. A talent was no small sum. Most commentaries agree that, translated into 1960 dollars, a talent would be worth about a thousand dollars. So even the least blest of these three had a major trust.

The first man was an astute fellow and, after looking the market over carefully, made some wise investments. Within a short time he doubled his money.
The second man was equally alert. Even though he had less capital with which to work, he made the most of what he had, and also ended up with a 100% return on his investment.
The third man, the man who had received the smallest amount and thus, in a sense, had the least to lose, did a very strange thing. Instead of putting his capital to work, he dug a hole and, as was the custom of the time, buried his money in the ground for safe keeping.

Later, when the master returned, he learned of the fine job the first two men had done and commended them. As an indication of his pleasure, he invited them to share in a time of rejoicing. But with the third man who had done nothing with his trust, the master was very angry. So angry, in fact, he took away what little the man had, refused to let him share in the victory celebration prepared for the others, and sent him outside to ponder the tragic folly of his neglect.

This is a story to make us ponder, too. It is a tale to jar us out of the pattern of unthinking behavior into which many of us have fallen. It stabs us awake to the implications of what someone calls "unexamined living." It causes us to wrestle once again with the disturbing and pressing question,
"What are you doing with you life?"

Well, what are you doing with it? The text makes it clear that, sooner or later, everyone must give an answer to that question, because --

Every Life Has Some Endowment.
No one comes into this world empty-handed. At birth each of us is given those tools we will need to carve out our place in life. Whether our talents are rather run-of-the-mill, or of the more creative variety, makes no difference. Even the least of us has some attribute or ability which, if developed and used, can add meaning and richness to life, and without which, the vast mosaic of life is incomplete. Whether we be one, two, or five-talent people, we have a place to fill and a task to do.

We Are Not All Equally Endowed
That doesn't mean all of us are equally endowed. Quite obviously some people are smarter or stronger or richer than others. Some folks are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, while others have to scratch, and scratch hard, for the sheer necessities of life. Some are born to prominence and others to obscurity. Some are born to power and others to servitude.

The historic document claims "all men are created equal." That's true in the sense that it's God's intention that all men have a real opportunity to make the most of whatever endowment they have. However, in the last analysis, all men are created unequal, in that they do not all inherit equal gifts.

God's Measure Of A Man
But lest we feel this is cruel evidence that God is a "respecter of persons," let us note that God's measure of a man is not in terms of what he is or has, but what he does with what he is or has.

In our text the implication is clear that opportunity and responsibility are Siamese twins. They cannot be divided. The five-talent fellow must make full use of his large endowment if he would please his Lord,
"Of him to whom much has been given," the Bible says, "much will be required."

But when the two-talent man makes the most of his lesser endowment, he receives the identical citation given to his more gifted brother.

And the deduction is clear, that if the one-talent man had been faithful in his use of that one talent, he, too, would have been rewarded with the cherished word,
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
In God's book it's not what a man is or has, but what he does with what he is or has, that matters.

A Whole New Concept of Success
This introduces us to a whole new way of looking at success. We've been trained to assume that the man with a million dollars is more successful than the man with a thousand. Or, that the lad in the limelight has achieved more than the obscure person sitting in the top balcony, last row, corner seat, who merely listens.

But in reality, the man with a thousand dollars may have far outstripped his more affluent neighbor in actual achievement, because his tiny treasure was built in the face of handicaps and hardships the man with a million dollars never knew. And that rapt listener in the top balcony, last row, corner seat, by learning to listen with understanding and sensitivity, actually may have accomplished more, with less musical endowment, than the performing star.
The real measure of a man is not what he is or has,
but what he does with what he is and has.

The Bottom Line Question
The question confronting you, therefore, is not how much have you done, but how much you have done compared with that with which you had to work. "Not," as George Buttrick points out, "how many talents have you earned, but how many, compared with the number entrusted to you?"
We are called, not to be successful, but to be faithful. And what a comfort that is! Most of us are not five-talent people. At best we have two. It will never be our lot to "mount up with wings as eagles" in the sense of some meteoric rise to fame and power. More than likely, it is our lot to "walk and not grow weary." To be methodically faithful in doing our best with that with which we have to do.

God is not a "respecter of persons." You will never be punished because you suffer from a "poverty of endowment." God does not expect a two-talent man to do a five-talent job. The final judgement on how you played the game will be made, not on how you relate to someone else and his accomplishments, but how you relate to the person you might have been had you given God your best. One of my "preaching partners" sent me this qoute,
"Before God's footstool to confess,
A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.
'I've failed,' he wailed. The Master said,
'You did your best. That is success."

I have always been impressed by the fact that Jesus' greatest compliment was paid not to Peter or James or John. Nor was it directed to any of the other more famous and flamboyant New Testament characters. His most lavish praise was given to a little-know woman by the man of Mary. It happened like this. Jesus and his disciples were eating at the home of a friend. Toward the end of the meal Mary came in with an alabaster box containing precious ointment. She broke the box and began to anoint the head and feet of Jesus. This alabaster box was similar in meaning to the hope chest into which modern young women placed linens and other items in anticipation of the day when they will be married. The custom in New Testament times was for a maiden to acquire a box made of this semi-precious stone and, as she was able, place into it perfumes, oils and ointments. When she found the man she loved, and to whom she was prepared to give herself in marriage, she was to take this box, break it in his presence, and anoint his feet with its contents.

When Mary met Jesus she responded to him with something far deeper than romantic love. She saw in him the lover of her soul. Wishing him to know the extent of this spiritual commitment, she took an ancient custom and infused it with new meaning. Jesus understood what she had done, but the disciples were bewildered by it. Judas began to criticize her for such extravagance and waste. Jesus rebuked him for his short-sightedness. Then he paid Mary what I have come to believe was the greatest compliment he ever gave to anyone,
"She hath done what she could."

It may not be in you to be a great missionary like Albert Schweitzer, or a great gospel singer like George Beverly Shea, or a great preacher like Billy Graham. It may not be in you to excel in any field of endeavor, humanly speaking. But it you will be a Mary, in that you do what you can for Christ, you will achieve greatness where it really counts. And, you will assured of one day hearing those cherished words,
"Well done, good and faithful servant. You have done what you could."

The real measure of a man is not what he is or has, but what he does with what he is or has. But there is something more here. We find that -

Our Doing Is Related to Our Believing.
The reason the one-talent man buried the one talent he had, was not that he was overly cautious from an economic point of view. He buried it because he had a faulty idea of his master. His believing about his Lord was wrong. As a the result, his living, his doing, and his performing was also wrong. This is always true. What we believe about life and death, God and man, heaven and hell, has everything in the world to do with how we live.

When a man enjoys a $50,000 home, drives a $5,000 automobile, and gives five or ten dollars a week to the cause of Christ, you can be sure this man has an inadequate view of God's Kingdom. He simply doesn't believe it to be the last, best hope of world.

When a woman says she doesn't have time to fill some church function she has been asked to fill, with rare exception you can be sure this woman has a stunted understanding of the church. She just doesn't believe its "a wee colony of heaven on earth" left with Christ's unfinished task of winning the world for him. To her it's just one more pot on an already crowded stove.

When a man says he does not see how he can tithe, you can be sure this man has an idea of God that is too small. He obviously does not believe in the God of the New Testament who has promised to supply all our needs. Instead he believes in some lesser god who is not capable of keeping the promises he has made. Our doing is related to our believing.

You may recall the story of two men who became lost while traveling through strange country. Seeking directions, the driver of the car pulled into a gas station and asked the attendant how to get where he wanted to go. The attendant thought for a moment and said, "You go straight ahead three miles, turn right, go another three miles and you are there."

The driver proceeded down the road three miles, but when he came to the corner he turned left. As he made the turn his companion said, "The station attendant told you to turn right." "Yes, I know," said the driver, "but he pointed left. When what we say does not agree with what we do, we mean what we do." Out text would add, what we do is related to what we believe.

The other day I was rummaging through my files and came across an article by Dr. Charles Malik of Lebanon in which he asks, "Is it too late to win against Communism?" In his penetrating analysis of the problem he says the Communist' key advantage lies in the fact that they believe something. Therefore they are not afraid of change, or revolution, or sacrifice, or even death. As I laid the article down I asked myself:
Is it possible the Communists, who are committed to an atheistic
philosophy, really out-believe Christians who are committed, in theory
at least, to the truth of the living God? Will they really out-believe us,
with the result that they will also out-live, out-give, out-do and out-die us?
If so, may God have mercy on our souls! For the final thing our scripture makes clear is that -

A Day Is Coming When an Accounting Will Be Called For
There are very few sins which carry a built-in judgement that is swift and sure. For the most part, the wheels of accounting grind slowly. This delayed action tends to deceive us into believing we are getting away with something.

We are like the foolish young skylark in G.H. Charnley's story. Instead of foraging for food, he began selling his feathers for worms. At first he didn't notice any difference, and it was so much easier that "working for a living." After a while, however, the day of accounting came. His wings grew tattered and bare. When he tried to fly up into the warm sunshine he had once known, he fell back to the earth like a stone. Then he realized what a terrible mistake he had made. Unfortunately it was too late. He had lost the ability to fly.

Make no mistake about it. The wheels of God's judgment grind slowly. But they do grind! And there shall come a time when each of us will be called upon to give an accounting. It doesn't matter whether we have been blest with five talents, one or two. The master will ask,
"What have you done with your life?"

There is a story told of a visitor who, while traveling through the Italian Alps, visited the Villa Arconati, one of the beauty spots of Europe. As he was conducted through the exquisite gardens by the caretaker he asked,
"How long have you worked here?"
"Twenty-five years."
"And how often has the owner come to see the estate?"
"Four times."
"When did he come last?"
"Twelve years ago."
"Does he write to you?"
"Not once in twenty-five years."
"Well, then, who comes to look after matters?"
"I am left pretty much alone. Very seldom do I even see a stranger."
"Yet," said the traveler, "you keep the garden so beautifully one would think
you were expecting the owner tomorrow."
To which the gardener replied,
"No sir. I keep the garden with the expectation that my master may arrive
today!"

There is a lesson in that story for me. Perhaps there is a lesson in it for you. And, if we learn that lesson, each of us will tend the garden of our life with greater care. We will dig down to find the buried talents so desperately needed in the work of the Kingdom. The love, the vision, the compassion, the faith, the physical and financial wherewithal needed if the kingdom's of this world are to become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ.

If we are faithful, we will not fear our master's coming. Rather, we will look forward to it with expectation, in the hope of hearing these happy words,
"Well done thou good and faithful servant! Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things."