Spiritual Battle – What to Do with Your Life
Pastor Tan Thai · Aug 9, 2015
This sermon explores the most important question in life—'What must I do with my life?'—based on the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The pastor teaches that every believer receives talents from God and is responsible to invest them for His work, not to bury them.
The sermon opens with the central question: 'What must I do with my life?' The pastor reminds the congregation that Scripture affirms each person lives only once and then faces judgment (Hebrews 9:27), so life cannot be lived carelessly or purely for pleasure. In the spiritual battle, the enemy seeks to make people forget this vital question or answer it wrongly, resulting in a wasted life.
Drawing from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, the pastor presents six foundational principles. First, God is the owner of every person's life — everything one possesses, including material goods, abilities, time, and opportunities, are talents entrusted by Him (Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:8). Second, God gives talents to every believer according to their capacity to manage them, with no exceptions (1 Peter 4:10; Romans 12:6-8). Third, talents are given to be invested and to produce fruit, not to be buried; spiritual gifts must be used within the church and for God's work (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
The pastor further explains that God will hold each person accountable for the talents entrusted to them. Believers are not condemned for their sins (Romans 8:1), but they will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give account of how they used their talents (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15). Failing to use one's talents for God's work is considered wrong and even sinful — Jesus called the servant who buried his talent 'wicked and lazy.' Three common reasons believers bury their talents are: fear and lack of self-confidence, self-pity rooted in past failures, and fearing people more than fearing God.
Finally, the pastor highlights two encouraging principles: those who use their talents will receive more from God and continue to grow, while those who bury them will lose even what they have (Matthew 25:28-29). God will also reward those who serve faithfully, regardless of how many talents they were given — faithfulness in small things is what matters (Matthew 25:23). The sermon concludes with a challenge to the congregation: what will you do with your life — bury your talents or invest them for God's purposes?