This is exactly why this parable is spoken. The person who thinks like that, they will suffer great loss. There's weeping, for a reason; and there's gnashing of teeth, for a reason. There's darkness. All of these things indicate not about heaven, but about the grief and the sorrow of being excluded from what God had planned for those who love Him. The loss will be very significant, and those who suffer that loss will experience deep sorrow and regret. You don't want to be one of them. The whole point of these parables is… don't be that man!
What God is looking for, is that we be faithful. The application of this story is very, very clear. It's about the third servant, who hid his talent, undervalued what he had, and failed to serve. Whoever is like him will also be rebuked and excluded.
Our lifetime is the test time - our internship, your stewardship, this is it. You don't get a second run at it. This is your chance to develop the quality of faithful service, a faithful heart to God; and our use of time, how we use our time, and our giftings and talents, will determine if we enter or not; and what level of participation and honour we have in that kingdom.
This is a challenge for many people, and a lot of Christians struggle with this. There may be some listening to the message right now, and you're going to struggle with all of this. There are a number of reasons why people struggle. See if any one of these fits you...
1) The story makes them uncomfortable. They don't like to think - I might be that man. I might be excluded; I might suffer loss.
That doesn't mean it isn't true, and it doesn't mean it won't happen. The fact you're uncomfortable doesn't change the truth of the story. Jesus taught it to teach us to be ready and prepared and to be faithful.
2) It places expectation to engage in Spirit-led faithful service. There's a requirement put upon you. You can't just drift along, come and go, do what you want, and run your life the way you want. There is a price now, and eternally, for that.
3) They don't want to consider the possibility that they could be the third servant. Therefore, they come up with a theology, that it can't be a Christian, it can't be a believer. God would not be that unkind.
This is not about the kindness of God. The kindness of God is seen in the reward; is seen in the opportunities given to us; is seen in the fact that He's welcomed us into His family and given us the privilege of being able to serve - that's where the goodness of God is seen.
We're talking here about the justice of God - that for those who are faithful, their faithfulness is acknowledged; and so, for those who are unfaithful, there is a cost, and a consequence. It's all about the justice of God.
4) They don't have any understanding of the importance and value of eternal rewards. That's why we've run the series, so you see it for what it is, understand its significance and see the warnings in the stories that Jesus gives.
So what excuses are you making for engaging in faithful service? If you're failing to engage, you're failing to prepare, and there's many reasons that people have for that, and I'm going to list a few reasons. Whatever the reason is, it won't cut it when Jesus comes. He's just looking: were you faithful? Were you fruitful?
You can't come up with… well, I was afraid. That's an excuse. I was hurt in the past, and so I don't want to do it anymore. I wasn't thanked, I wasn't appreciated; I served, and I gave my time and effort, but wasn't appreciated. I've got so little to contribute, I've got nothing much, and very little gifting. I haven't got any training, haven't got any abilities, I haven't got any finances. I had a family, I had to look after my family, or I had a business I was trying to run….
We can come up with many, many things like that. Perhaps you were just disappointed when you've seen how other believers have behaved? Perhaps there's been a delay in being fruitful, and so you just got tired, and weary, and gave up? Perhaps you're struggling, because you don't really believe that this is an important aspect of Jesus teaching - our stewardship for eternity? Perhaps you were part of a doctrinal group where the focus is on grace - that everything that is just given to us, and we can just enjoy what God's given, rather than understanding that responsibility, and a commitment to maturity is needed.