WEBVTT 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.300 Thank you for listening to this message from 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:38.490 Lifehouse Church. It's true, it's true. Now listen, 00:00:38.649 --> 00:00:40.590 welcome, welcome. It's good to have you here. 00:00:40.729 --> 00:00:42.689 If you're with us in the house, if you're listening 00:00:42.689 --> 00:00:45.090 online, it's good to have you this morning. And 00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:49.469 this is week two of a message series called Holy 00:00:49.469 --> 00:00:52.270 Buckets. All right, Holy Buckets. And here's 00:00:52.270 --> 00:00:55.570 what I know to be true of each one of us. God 00:00:55.570 --> 00:01:00.869 has given us buckets full of stuff to manage. 00:01:01.109 --> 00:01:03.670 He really has. He's given us buckets full of 00:01:03.670 --> 00:01:06.560 stuff to manage. And in your buckets are a lot 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:09.700 of different things, right? You might have relationships 00:01:09.700 --> 00:01:12.480 in your buckets. You've got family. You've got 00:01:12.480 --> 00:01:14.420 friends. You've got people you're connected with. 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:17.159 You've got relationships in that bucket. You've 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:19.900 got a bucket of responsibilities. Raise your 00:01:19.900 --> 00:01:21.939 hand if you've got responsibilities, all right? 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:24.500 Yeah, all of you, right? You've got responsibilities 00:01:24.500 --> 00:01:26.620 that are in a bucket. You've got to show up to 00:01:26.620 --> 00:01:29.400 work or school or whatever it is that you're 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:32.680 doing in life. You've got your body in a bucket. 00:01:33.049 --> 00:01:34.569 How many of you feel like your body's in a bucket 00:01:34.569 --> 00:01:37.250 sometimes, right? It's your mind, your will, 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:39.629 and your emotions that are in a bucket. You've 00:01:39.629 --> 00:01:42.030 got to manage that. And there's something else 00:01:42.030 --> 00:01:45.150 in your bucket that's called money and possessions. 00:01:46.010 --> 00:01:48.829 You've got a bucket that has money and possessions 00:01:48.829 --> 00:01:52.730 in it, and God calls all of us to manage those 00:01:52.730 --> 00:01:56.280 buckets that he gives to us. Some of our buckets 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:59.560 are fuller than others, right? Of different seasons. 00:01:59.819 --> 00:02:01.680 How many know you get in a different season in 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:03.620 life, your money and possession bucket might 00:02:03.620 --> 00:02:06.400 be a lot smaller than when you get older in life. 00:02:06.579 --> 00:02:09.259 I know when we first got married, we lived in 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:12.020 an apartment. That was about four rooms. And 00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:13.620 you could stand in the middle and touch all four 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:15.740 rooms. And we didn't have enough to fill that 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:18.759 up, right? We just didn't. But the longer you're 00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:21.620 married and life has gone on, our buckets have 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:24.840 gotten fuller with things and with stuff. And 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:29.090 God cares. deeply cares about how we manage the 00:02:29.090 --> 00:02:31.810 buckets. In particular, we're focusing on money 00:02:31.810 --> 00:02:34.270 and possessions. He cares about your responsibilities. 00:02:34.490 --> 00:02:37.009 He cares about your relationships. He cares about 00:02:37.009 --> 00:02:39.150 how you handle your body, your mind, your soul, 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:41.310 right? Your will, your emotions, all of that. 00:02:41.770 --> 00:02:44.909 But we're going to focus on money and possessions. 00:02:45.169 --> 00:02:47.610 And you don't have to look very far in scripture 00:02:47.610 --> 00:02:50.689 to find out that God has a lot to say when it 00:02:50.689 --> 00:02:53.389 comes to money and possessions. Now, I don't 00:02:53.389 --> 00:02:55.870 know, I didn't actually go back and count, but 00:02:55.870 --> 00:02:57.889 how many know everything on the internet is true, 00:02:58.050 --> 00:03:00.689 right? Come on. I looked it up on the internet. 00:03:00.810 --> 00:03:02.590 I'm not gonna lie. All right, I looked it up. 00:03:02.629 --> 00:03:05.030 And the word, you know, in the internet, they 00:03:05.030 --> 00:03:08.129 say in the word of God that there's 2 ,350, at 00:03:08.129 --> 00:03:11.129 least 2 ,350 scriptures that talk about money 00:03:11.129 --> 00:03:15.669 and possessions. 16 of Jesus' 38 parables have 00:03:15.669 --> 00:03:18.490 something to say about money and possessions. 00:03:18.689 --> 00:03:22.810 So we cannot talk Jesus and not talk about money 00:03:22.810 --> 00:03:25.250 and possessions and what he's put into our buckets. 00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:28.840 We can't do it, right? We manage, we steward, 00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:30.919 another word for managing, right? We manage, 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:33.479 we steward what Jesus has put in our buckets. 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:36.000 And we're either gonna do that in a holy manner 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.759 or we're gonna do it in an unholy manner. We're 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:41.199 gonna do it in a godly way or an ungodly way. 00:03:41.300 --> 00:03:43.840 It's gonna be handled in a righteous manner or 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:47.259 an unrighteous manner. I have buckets and it's 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:49.740 gonna be holy buckets that I'm carrying around 00:03:49.740 --> 00:03:54.539 or it's gonna be unholy buckets. It's true, right? 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:56.340 Turn to someone and tell them, we're going to 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.520 talk holy buckets today. Say it with attitude. 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:01.159 We're going to talk holy buckets today. All right? 00:04:01.379 --> 00:04:04.080 We're going to do it. I'm going to pray before 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:05.979 we go into God's word. Father, thank you for 00:04:05.979 --> 00:04:08.120 this day. Thank you for this time together. I 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:09.860 thank you, Lord, for your word, God, that is 00:04:09.860 --> 00:04:12.099 quick and it is powerful. It is sharper than 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:14.460 a two -edged sword. I pray, God, that you speak 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:16.779 into our spirit. Show us what you have for us 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:19.240 to learn today. And, Lord, help us to apply it, 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:21.300 God, that we might bring increase into the kingdom. 00:04:21.399 --> 00:04:23.019 And we just give you glory in Jesus' name, we 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:25.769 pray. Everybody say it together. Amen, amen. 00:04:26.029 --> 00:04:28.410 Well, Pastor Adam was here last week and reminded 00:04:28.410 --> 00:04:32.649 us of this about our buckets, right? It matters 00:04:32.649 --> 00:04:35.269 how we manage our buckets and we will give an 00:04:35.269 --> 00:04:39.689 account of how we steward these buckets. Our 00:04:39.689 --> 00:04:41.850 money and possessions, we're gonna give an account. 00:04:42.370 --> 00:04:45.810 Hebrews 9, 27 says this, and as it is appointed 00:04:45.810 --> 00:04:48.990 for men to die once. but after this, the judgment. 00:04:49.110 --> 00:04:51.589 He briefly mentioned this. As it is appointed 00:04:51.589 --> 00:04:53.689 for men to die once, but after this, the judgment. 00:04:53.850 --> 00:04:56.629 So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of 00:04:56.629 --> 00:04:59.790 many. To those who eagerly await him, he will 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:02.370 appear a second time apart from sin for salvation. 00:05:02.990 --> 00:05:05.730 There's gonna be a judgment. There's gonna be 00:05:05.730 --> 00:05:11.269 a review of either our holy or our unholy buckets. 00:05:11.629 --> 00:05:15.129 It's gonna be a bucket examination, okay? There's 00:05:15.129 --> 00:05:17.810 going to be a review that Jesus is going to do 00:05:17.810 --> 00:05:21.110 with each of those who follow him. And this particular 00:05:21.110 --> 00:05:24.370 review, this judgment it's called in Scripture, 00:05:24.589 --> 00:05:28.970 is not a condemnation or a type of judgment. 00:05:29.050 --> 00:05:32.170 It's not a heaven or hell issue. This is actually 00:05:32.170 --> 00:05:34.930 a review that God's going to do, a judgment that's 00:05:34.930 --> 00:05:36.930 going to take place where he's going to take 00:05:36.930 --> 00:05:38.629 a look at the works and the things that we've 00:05:38.629 --> 00:05:41.050 done, and he's going to say, hey, I'm going to 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:44.209 determine your reward based on your judgment. 00:05:44.170 --> 00:05:47.750 buckets. How'd you manage your buckets? Right? 00:05:47.930 --> 00:05:52.550 Jesus saves us. That's a free gift. We've heard 00:05:52.550 --> 00:05:55.689 that this morning. Heaven's our home. We're saved 00:05:55.689 --> 00:05:59.110 by grace. God, in his infinite wisdom through 00:05:59.110 --> 00:06:01.629 his son, Jesus Christ, gives us the opportunity 00:06:01.629 --> 00:06:04.569 for salvation. It's a free gift. But what we 00:06:04.569 --> 00:06:07.009 do and what we manage is going to determine the 00:06:07.009 --> 00:06:10.069 reward in the next life. It's true. 1 Corinthians 00:06:10.069 --> 00:06:34.529 3, 9 says this, Now, pay attention close here. 00:06:34.670 --> 00:06:37.389 Now, if anyone builds on this foundation, With 00:06:37.389 --> 00:06:39.990 gold, silver, precious stones. Now let me stop 00:06:39.990 --> 00:06:42.509 there for a second. You're going to build something 00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:44.910 on the foundation that God's given you. He saved 00:06:44.910 --> 00:06:47.569 you. He's given you grace if you follow Jesus. 00:06:47.810 --> 00:06:50.329 And now you have a foundation which you're going 00:06:50.329 --> 00:06:52.269 to build on. And it's going to be right, either 00:06:52.269 --> 00:06:55.629 gold, silver, precious stones, or it's going 00:06:55.629 --> 00:06:58.850 to be wood, hay, and straw. Each one's work will 00:06:58.850 --> 00:07:03.189 become clear for the day. Say the day. There's 00:07:03.189 --> 00:07:05.389 a day. There's a day of judgment. We'll declare 00:07:05.389 --> 00:07:08.720 it. because it will be revealed by fire, and 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:12.100 fire will test each one's work of what sort it 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:14.980 is. If anyone's work which he has built on it 00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:18.939 endures, he will receive a reward. It's all through 00:07:18.939 --> 00:07:21.459 scripture, reward, right? If anyone's work is 00:07:21.459 --> 00:07:24.620 burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:31.980 be saved, yet so as through fire. Hmm. The believer's 00:07:31.980 --> 00:07:35.959 judgment. God's eternal review, I call it a bucket 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:38.920 review, right? It's not a heaven or hell type 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:42.360 of judgment. It's a determination of reward based 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:46.000 on how I managed what God put in my buckets. 00:07:47.039 --> 00:07:50.519 And if I do not manage my buckets in God's way, 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:53.680 it's going to be hay, water, stubble. He's going 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:57.220 to test it by fire. And if I haven't managed 00:07:57.220 --> 00:08:00.139 well, it's just going to kind of disappear. There's 00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:02.819 not going to be any reward for it. Or if I've 00:08:02.819 --> 00:08:04.899 done it his way and I've done it according to 00:08:04.899 --> 00:08:07.540 what he says, it's going to be stone. It's going 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:09.540 to be precious metal. And how many know if you 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:11.199 put the fire in a precious metal, it gets even 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:15.100 more pure, right? It remains. It's a pure thing. 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:18.540 Did I manage what God gave me righteously or 00:08:18.540 --> 00:08:21.540 unrighteously? Did I take the money and possessions 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:23.860 that he's given me and have I handled it in his 00:08:23.860 --> 00:08:27.699 manner? Because our eternal reward is based on 00:08:27.699 --> 00:08:30.000 how I manage the stuff he puts in my buckets. 00:08:30.220 --> 00:08:33.899 I didn't say your salvation. I said reward. Amen? 00:08:34.059 --> 00:08:36.080 Some of you are like, got deer in the headlight, 00:08:36.139 --> 00:08:38.240 looks like you've never heard this before. I 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.840 can assure you it is all through scripture. It's 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:43.879 all through the New Testament. right? A lot of 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:46.360 Jesus followers don't believe this when I first 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:48.720 talk about this or I first preach about this, 00:08:48.779 --> 00:08:51.440 right? They understand salvation. They understand 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:53.740 the kingdom of God, and they understand that 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:55.539 heavens are home because of the free gift of 00:08:55.539 --> 00:08:58.659 God, salvation through Jesus Christ. But they 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:01.159 don't believe, and honestly, here's what they 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:02.980 believe. They believe that when we get into heaven 00:09:02.980 --> 00:09:04.799 and we walk through heaven's doors, that all 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:06.120 of a sudden the reward's going to just be the 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:08.740 same for everybody, right? Because that's how 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:12.629 God does, except it's not in Scripture. Scripture 00:09:12.629 --> 00:09:16.470 talks about a reward. It talks about those who 00:09:16.470 --> 00:09:18.870 serve him. God's going to try those works. He's 00:09:18.870 --> 00:09:20.909 going to find out what's in your bucket. He's 00:09:20.909 --> 00:09:23.490 going to test it by fire. And if it is pure, 00:09:23.629 --> 00:09:27.049 if there were righteous motives behind it, it's 00:09:27.049 --> 00:09:29.940 going to remain and he's going to reward. It's 00:09:29.940 --> 00:09:32.159 a reward thing. Turn to your neighbor right now. 00:09:32.220 --> 00:09:33.779 Just declare and say, there's a reward involved. 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:36.320 Just tell them. It's a reward. It's a bucket 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:39.419 thing. It's a bucket thing. It's true. Revelation 00:09:39.419 --> 00:09:42.860 22, 12 says this. Look, and this is Jesus' thought. 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:45.539 Look, I'm coming soon, bringing my reward with 00:09:45.539 --> 00:09:48.059 me to repay all people according to their deeds. 00:09:48.659 --> 00:09:52.019 I am the alpha, the omega, the first and the 00:09:52.019 --> 00:09:56.240 last, the beginning and the end. Right? Our heavenly 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:00.279 reward is based on our deeds. How we handle our 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:02.740 money and possessions is one of those. And he 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:06.120 speaks this, Jesus talks this all through the 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:08.279 New Testament. I'm gonna take you to a parable 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:11.299 in Matthew chapter 25 this morning. You can start 00:10:11.299 --> 00:10:13.399 turning there. We're gonna pick up at verse 14. 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:16.620 But this is one of those parables that Jesus 00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:19.659 talks about money and possessions. He explains 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:21.980 what it works like in the kingdom of God. Matter 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:24.220 of fact, he even starts the parable off in that 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:26.539 manner, all right? It says this, Matthew 25, 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:29.840 14, y 'all there? Say amen. All right, you're 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:31.340 all there. You're all looking up at the screens, 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:33.039 aren't you? Yeah, you're not there. You're just 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:34.759 looking at the screens, all right? Matthew 25, 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:37.980 14 says this. And it says, again, the kingdom 00:10:37.980 --> 00:10:40.059 of heaven can be illustrated by a story of a 00:10:40.059 --> 00:10:42.860 man going on a long trip. He called together 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:45.720 his servants and entrusted his money to them 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:48.539 while he was gone. Now, let me stop right here 00:10:48.539 --> 00:10:51.399 just for a moment and preach. Jesus starts with, 00:10:51.460 --> 00:10:54.000 again, the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated. 00:10:54.379 --> 00:10:57.340 He's saying, this is a picture of how it works 00:10:57.340 --> 00:11:00.340 in the kingdom of God. This is a snapshot of 00:11:00.340 --> 00:11:03.220 what it looks like in the kingdom, right? This 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:06.259 is how it rolls in my kingdom. This is what it 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:09.720 looks like where I rule and reign. He's saying, 00:11:09.779 --> 00:11:12.620 don't be confused. Don't misunderstand. Don't 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:15.179 get off in some tangent. This is what it's like. 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:18.710 This is the plan, right? And Jesus says, he states 00:11:18.710 --> 00:11:21.009 this, he says, there's a man going on a long 00:11:21.009 --> 00:11:24.669 trip and he calls together his servants and entrusts 00:11:24.669 --> 00:11:29.590 his money, his money to them. How many know there's 00:11:29.590 --> 00:11:33.549 always a parallel in the parable, right? There's 00:11:33.549 --> 00:11:36.210 always a parallel and there's always a parallel 00:11:36.210 --> 00:11:39.370 in Jesus' parable. There's always something to 00:11:39.370 --> 00:11:41.889 learn. And the man who's going on a long trip 00:11:41.889 --> 00:11:43.990 in this, in this particular portion of scripture 00:11:43.990 --> 00:11:48.039 is Jesus. He's talking to his disciples. He's 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:51.100 talking about himself. He's telling them, listen, 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:54.220 I'm about to leave. I'm not long and I'm going 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:55.860 to be gone. I'm going to be the right hand of 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:58.039 the father and I'm going to be gone for a long 00:11:58.039 --> 00:12:00.980 period of time. Now I'm coming back, but I'm 00:12:00.980 --> 00:12:03.419 going to be gone for a while. I'm going to the 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:06.340 father. And he says, before I go, I'm going to 00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:09.519 call my servants together and I'm going to entrust 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:12.860 them with my money, his money. That's what the 00:12:12.860 --> 00:12:16.549 word of God says. to them while he's gone. The 00:12:16.549 --> 00:12:19.649 money and the possessions in our buckets are 00:12:19.649 --> 00:12:25.269 not ours. They're his. What's in your hand is 00:12:25.269 --> 00:12:31.029 not yours. It's his. Every dollar in my bucket 00:12:31.029 --> 00:12:37.399 personally is not mine. It's his. I know I'm 00:12:37.399 --> 00:12:39.840 the one. You're the one that went to work. You 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:42.820 know, you clocked in. You did your 40 hours. 00:12:42.860 --> 00:12:45.419 You did your 50 hours. You did your 60 hours. 00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:47.559 And they gave you a paycheck at the end of the 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:50.279 week or end of the month, whenever it was. But 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:52.360 he's the one who gave you breath to get up in 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:54.980 the morning. Amen? He's the one who gave you 00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:57.759 energy in your legs to get you wherever you're 00:12:57.759 --> 00:12:59.879 going or your arms, your brain, whatever you're 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:02.600 using it, wherever you work, right? He gave you 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:05.220 the intellect and the fortitude and the ability 00:13:05.220 --> 00:13:09.080 to go and do whatever task he laid before you. 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:11.860 And he's the one who provides it all. You don't 00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:14.240 take your next breath without his permission. 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:16.509 I don't know if you know that or not. but you 00:13:16.509 --> 00:13:20.389 really don't. And I can't live and move and breathe 00:13:20.389 --> 00:13:24.669 without him. And everything is his. I was reminded 00:13:24.669 --> 00:13:27.289 this week, early this week, I got a little bit 00:13:27.289 --> 00:13:30.690 sick. I was reminded how quick a germ can put 00:13:30.690 --> 00:13:34.450 me down, right? Lay me flat on the couch. I'm 00:13:34.450 --> 00:13:37.330 not going anywhere. I'm not doing nothing, right? 00:13:37.429 --> 00:13:40.929 I'm just gonna lay here and die in peace. Come 00:13:40.929 --> 00:13:43.830 on. A little dramatic when I get sick, all right? 00:13:44.590 --> 00:13:48.309 You get reminded of how fragile you really are. 00:13:48.809 --> 00:13:52.129 You know, how quick it can all change. And sometimes 00:13:52.129 --> 00:13:54.590 that money and possessions in that bucket, we 00:13:54.590 --> 00:13:57.169 think it's ours. And God says, uh -uh, it's mine. 00:13:57.429 --> 00:13:59.450 The earth is the Lord's and everything therein, 00:13:59.490 --> 00:14:02.610 right? And this is absolutely critical to understand. 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:06.620 For us to believe and understand how God manages 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:09.500 and wants us to manage our buckets, we cannot 00:14:09.500 --> 00:14:12.840 even begin until we understand, and actually 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:15.200 not just understand, because how many know understanding 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:17.320 is just intellect, right? We gotta believe it. 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:19.759 Believe means this is how I live, this is how 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:22.159 I function, this is what I function out of, that 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:27.320 it is all his. I will never manage God's, the 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:29.559 bucket, what he's put in my buckets, I will never 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:32.759 manage it properly till I realize, understand, 00:14:33.309 --> 00:14:36.529 and more importantly, believe that I am not the 00:14:36.529 --> 00:14:41.250 owner of what is in my buckets. He is. He is, 00:14:41.330 --> 00:14:44.429 right? Because if I see myself as the owner of 00:14:44.429 --> 00:14:47.950 the buckle, I will handle things in a whole different 00:14:47.950 --> 00:14:50.070 manner than Jesus prescribes. I really will. 00:14:50.590 --> 00:14:53.929 Because our natural inclination is to hold on 00:14:53.929 --> 00:14:58.049 to what is mine, right? I hang on to what is 00:14:58.049 --> 00:15:00.549 mine. How many know somebody comes and tries 00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:03.019 to grab your wallet or your purse? Would you 00:15:03.019 --> 00:15:06.080 clutch onto that thing? That is mine, right? 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:12.039 Some of you sweet, meek people try to grab your 00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:15.700 wallet, you'll beat them into the ground. Call 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:19.080 the police and cuff them yourself. Come on, right? 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:23.740 Justice must be served. You will hang on to whatever 00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:28.240 is yours and you will give away generously what's 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.759 not yours. If it's yours, you'll grab ahold. 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:34.299 If you own that thing, you're hanging on to it. 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:38.139 You're defending it, right? To the death. When 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:41.519 my children were young, they're all adults now. 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:43.820 They got their own children, except for one of 00:15:43.820 --> 00:15:46.139 them. When they were young, they loved to give 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:49.379 my stuff away. I don't know why, but they loved 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:51.460 to give my stuff away. One day, my middle daughter, 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:53.639 I caught her out in the yard. She's giving my 00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:56.299 tools to the neighbor. And she's like, you can 00:15:56.299 --> 00:15:58.580 have them. She's like, go ahead, take them, whatever 00:15:58.580 --> 00:16:00.620 you need. Just give them away. She just gave 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:03.419 them away. She said, right? They used to invite 00:16:03.419 --> 00:16:05.039 their friends over. They're teenage friends. 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:07.679 Those kids would come over. They would give my 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:10.860 food away with great liberality. They would clean 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:13.700 out the cupboards. Just give it up. They give 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:15.500 doggy bags. Here, you want to take some home 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:18.419 with you? How many know you give away what's 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:20.980 not yours? You do a little bit. I'll give your 00:16:20.980 --> 00:16:23.759 stuff away, right? You'll give my stuff away. 00:16:23.820 --> 00:16:26.100 You won't even blink. You'll be like, sure, take 00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:29.539 as much as you want, right? But we hang on to 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:33.320 what we think we own. We'll clutch onto it. We'll 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:36.820 put the death grip on it. And we hold tight. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:41.220 So we'll clamp down. We'll lock up, right? We'll 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:44.100 make sure it's secure and it's tucked away just 00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:48.399 for me. So when I believe that everything in 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:52.360 my bucket, believe is the key word. When I believe 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:56.039 that everything in my bucket is his, I will be 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.879 cool with Jesus telling me, what to do with what's 00:16:59.879 --> 00:17:01.980 in the bucket. Whether he tells me to keep it 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:04.059 in the bucket or he tells me to hand it off to 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:07.200 somebody else. I'll be cool with his instructions 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:12.279 to give now or give later or tell me how much 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:14.839 to give. I will be cool with Christ doing that 00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:17.660 in my life if I realize it's not mine in the 00:17:17.660 --> 00:17:23.519 first place. It's his. It's his. Everything in 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:26.619 the bucket belongs to the man who's on a long 00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:29.920 journey. who's not here, who didn't return yet. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:33.019 And that's the only position you can take if 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:34.299 you're going to manage money and possessions 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:37.440 God's way. Anything outside of that, you're going 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:40.319 to default to, it's mine. And it's going to get 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:43.220 corrupt in how you handle it. Amen? It's true. 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:45.079 Now let me read the whole rest of the parable. 00:17:45.779 --> 00:17:47.500 I'm going to start back at the beginning. Again, 00:17:47.539 --> 00:17:48.940 the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by a 00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:51.740 man, the story of a man going on a long trip. 00:17:52.109 --> 00:17:53.990 He called together his servants and entrusted 00:17:53.990 --> 00:17:56.430 his money to them. And while he was gone, he 00:17:56.430 --> 00:17:59.430 gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of 00:17:59.430 --> 00:18:01.950 silver to another, and one bag of silver to the 00:18:01.950 --> 00:18:04.470 last, dividing it in proportion to their abilities. 00:18:04.730 --> 00:18:06.410 I can stop and preach there a while. I'm not 00:18:06.410 --> 00:18:09.440 going to. And then he left on his trip. The servant 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:11.819 who received the five bags of silver began to 00:18:11.819 --> 00:18:15.240 invest the money and earn five more. The servant 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:18.680 with two bags of silver also went to work and 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:20.980 earned two more. But the servant who received 00:18:20.980 --> 00:18:23.759 one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:27.440 hid his master's money. After a long time, say 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:30.640 a long time. After a long time, their master 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:34.240 returned from his trip and called them to give 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:37.410 an account. of how they used his money. This 00:18:37.410 --> 00:18:39.730 is the judgment he's talking about. The servant 00:18:39.730 --> 00:18:42.289 to him who he had entrusted the five bags of 00:18:42.289 --> 00:18:44.069 silver came forward with five more and said, 00:18:44.190 --> 00:18:46.529 master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest 00:18:46.529 --> 00:18:49.289 and I've earned five more. The master was full 00:18:49.289 --> 00:18:51.710 of praise. Well done, my good and faithful servant. 00:18:51.769 --> 00:18:53.829 You've been faithful in hailing a small amount. 00:18:53.950 --> 00:18:56.369 So now I'm gonna give you more responsibilities. 00:18:56.849 --> 00:18:59.720 Let's celebrate together. The servant who had 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:01.839 received the two bags of silver came forward 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:03.980 and said, Master, you gave me two bags of silver 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:06.660 to invest, and I've earned two more. The master 00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:08.440 said, Well done, my good and faithful servant. 00:19:08.579 --> 00:19:10.759 You've been faithful in handling this small amount, 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:13.460 so now I give you more responsibility. Let's 00:19:13.460 --> 00:19:16.000 go celebrate together. Then the servant with 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:18.599 the one bag of silver came and said, Master, 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:21.279 I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:23.559 you didn't plant and gather crops you didn't 00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:27.349 cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:30.349 so I hid it in the earth. Look, here's your money 00:19:30.349 --> 00:19:33.670 back. But the master replied, listen to his reply, 00:19:33.990 --> 00:19:37.890 you wicked, lazy servant. If you knew I harvested 00:19:37.890 --> 00:19:40.869 crops, I didn't plant and gather crops, I didn't 00:19:40.869 --> 00:19:43.950 cultivate, why didn't you deposit my money in 00:19:43.950 --> 00:19:45.690 the bank? At least it would have gotten some 00:19:45.690 --> 00:19:48.670 interest on it. Then he ordered, take the money 00:19:48.670 --> 00:19:51.069 from this servant and give it to the one that 00:19:51.069 --> 00:19:54.079 has the 10 bags of silver. To those who use well 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:56.180 what they are given, even more will be given 00:19:56.180 --> 00:19:58.680 and they will have an abundance. But from those 00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:02.140 who do nothing, even what little they have will 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:04.920 be taken away. Now throw the useless servant 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.279 into outer darkness where there will be weeping 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:11.640 and gnashing of teeth. This is how it works in 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:15.259 the kingdom of God. This is how it works with 00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:19.000 the man who's on a long journey. God put his 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:23.329 money. and his possession into our buckets. And 00:20:23.329 --> 00:20:26.890 he expects me to use those funds in a way that 00:20:26.890 --> 00:20:29.230 are going to bring profit into the kingdom of 00:20:29.230 --> 00:20:35.170 God, into his work. Not investing in the kingdom 00:20:35.170 --> 00:20:37.589 of God is not optional for a follower of Jesus 00:20:37.589 --> 00:20:40.890 Christ. It's not optional. It's not optional 00:20:40.890 --> 00:20:43.670 in God's word. It didn't work. How many know 00:20:43.670 --> 00:20:45.650 it did not work out well for the one that went 00:20:45.650 --> 00:20:47.970 and hid the money? All right, I'm not gonna go 00:20:47.970 --> 00:20:49.890 into all that. You can see it in scripture, right? 00:20:50.009 --> 00:20:51.930 Unless you're really into being thrown out into 00:20:51.930 --> 00:20:54.509 outer darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth. It 00:20:54.509 --> 00:20:57.009 did not work out well for him, all right? If 00:20:57.009 --> 00:20:59.769 I'm managing the buckets that God's given me 00:20:59.769 --> 00:21:01.970 in the kingdom and including the money and possessions 00:21:01.970 --> 00:21:04.589 that God gives me, then God expects me to use 00:21:04.589 --> 00:21:07.710 it for kingdom profit, for increase in the kingdom. 00:21:07.829 --> 00:21:10.390 He expects me to invest it so the kingdom increase 00:21:10.390 --> 00:21:12.930 takes place. Now I gotta stop here and just explain 00:21:12.930 --> 00:21:14.730 a little bit what profit is in the kingdom of 00:21:14.730 --> 00:21:16.819 God. Because if you don't know, you're going 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:18.779 to think worldly like terms of money, right? 00:21:19.220 --> 00:21:21.200 When we say profited in business, that's like, 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:23.019 oh, yeah, well, we made a billion dollars this 00:21:23.019 --> 00:21:25.720 year. I don't know, right? Or they made a million 00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:27.720 dollars this year, or they made $3 this year, 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:29.940 whatever that is. The profit above all their 00:21:29.940 --> 00:21:32.619 expenses is the profit. But profit in the kingdom 00:21:32.619 --> 00:21:33.960 of God, you've got to understand something in 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:37.180 the kingdom of God. God has it all. He owns the 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:39.740 world and everything that's in it, right? If 00:21:39.740 --> 00:21:42.440 you can look in Revelation, you can take a look 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:45.019 at heaven, right? Streets of gold. The city's 00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:46.599 built. Heaven's going to be built with pearl. 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:49.480 God's not too worried about money. Profiting 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:53.799 in the kingdom of God is people. People. That's 00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:55.339 what profiting in the kingdom of God. People 00:21:55.339 --> 00:21:57.980 coming into the kingdom of God. We use unrighteous 00:21:57.980 --> 00:22:00.500 mammon, which is money, so that we get profit 00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:02.559 in the kingdom of God. So we minister to people 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:04.599 and they come into the kingdom of God. I want 00:22:04.599 --> 00:22:06.119 you to turn to a person right beside you right 00:22:06.119 --> 00:22:08.039 now. Look at them. Don't say anything. Just stare 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:10.480 at them very awkwardly. Okay? Just stare at them 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:12.519 for a minute. Go ahead. Make it completely awkward, 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:15.079 all right? You're looking at profit in the kingdom 00:22:15.079 --> 00:22:19.359 of God. People are profit in the kingdom of God. 00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:22.579 God just uses money and possessions to bring 00:22:22.579 --> 00:22:26.200 people into the kingdom. Jesus gave us money 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:29.259 and possessions, and he gives us a plan in his 00:22:29.259 --> 00:22:34.319 word to do that. He does. It's in his word. Worship 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:37.900 team, if you'd come. Can I tell you for a fact, 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:43.269 Jesus has a money management plan. for his servants. 00:22:43.549 --> 00:22:45.490 He has a money management plan for his servants. 00:22:46.730 --> 00:22:50.349 Here's the beautiful thing with his plan. God's 00:22:50.349 --> 00:22:54.630 plan for money will sustain me and it will grow 00:22:54.630 --> 00:22:58.460 the kingdom of God at the same time. You notice 00:22:58.460 --> 00:23:01.039 something in Jesus' parable that he told, right? 00:23:01.180 --> 00:23:03.460 Because it's a parallel of what's happening on 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:06.299 and takes place in the kingdom of God. You notice 00:23:06.299 --> 00:23:08.200 some things in the parable. Sometimes you got 00:23:08.200 --> 00:23:10.000 to read between the lines. You got to really 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:12.440 see the story in scripture to fully understand 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:16.599 what it is, right? And if you look, let me tell 00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:19.980 you what you do not see happen to the servants 00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:25.019 here. In the parable, you don't see any of the 00:23:25.019 --> 00:23:28.519 servants. who come back right after the master's 00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:30.900 been gone for a long time none of them come back 00:23:30.900 --> 00:23:33.240 and say master where have you been we're starving 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:37.400 to death you've been gone so long we've had no 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:40.529 food no provision You don't see anybody come 00:23:40.529 --> 00:23:44.650 back, right, and say, we've been homeless. Nobody's 00:23:44.650 --> 00:23:47.710 coming in before the master and the Lord and 00:23:47.710 --> 00:23:50.829 saying, we're naked, right? We're homeless. None 00:23:50.829 --> 00:23:53.329 of them are in dire need. As a matter of fact, 00:23:53.390 --> 00:23:55.609 those who went and invested, they're healthy 00:23:55.609 --> 00:23:58.809 and whole. And God's saying, you know, the master's 00:23:58.809 --> 00:24:01.410 saying, let's celebrate. You've brought increase 00:24:01.410 --> 00:24:03.769 into the kingdom. You're doing well. The kingdom's 00:24:03.769 --> 00:24:07.160 doing well. They're following the master's plan 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:10.920 because God's plan for money, the money and possessions 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:13.980 he puts in the buckets that you have is to sustain 00:24:13.980 --> 00:24:17.000 you, right? To bring blessing into your life, 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:19.140 to sustain your family. The word of God says 00:24:19.140 --> 00:24:20.619 that those who don't take care of the family 00:24:20.619 --> 00:24:23.500 is worse than an infidel. He gives us substance 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:25.880 to take care of our families. And then he says, 00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:28.900 you use the rest to invest into the kingdom to 00:24:28.900 --> 00:24:31.660 bring people into the kingdom of God. He's got 00:24:31.660 --> 00:24:36.089 a plan. In the parable, the servants who were, 00:24:36.230 --> 00:24:39.349 actually all three of the servants were sustained 00:24:39.349 --> 00:24:45.650 the whole way through. God's got a plan. Jesus 00:24:45.650 --> 00:24:49.230 has a money management plan. Invest in the kingdom. 00:24:50.630 --> 00:24:53.450 You got to think kingdom when you're talking 00:24:53.450 --> 00:24:55.670 about money. You can't think like the world, 00:24:55.789 --> 00:24:59.079 right? Matthew 6 .31 says this, Therefore do 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:01.480 not worry, saying, and Jesus spoke this, What 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:03.500 shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what 00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:06.140 shall we wear? For after these things the Gentiles 00:25:06.140 --> 00:25:08.559 seek. For your heavenly Father knows you need 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:11.579 these things, right? But seek first the kingdom 00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:15.220 of God and his righteousness, and all these things 00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:19.240 shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:21.720 about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:24.279 its own things. Sufficient for the day is its 00:25:24.279 --> 00:25:28.220 own trouble. Everything in the bucket's his. 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:33.440 Just manage it in a righteous manner, in a godly 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:36.099 manner, in a holy manner, in a kingdom manner. 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:41.019 God will supply everything you need for your 00:25:41.019 --> 00:25:45.259 family and for you. And simultaneously, if you 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:48.059 work God's plan, he will fund the kingdom of 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:50.559 God and the kingdom of God will grow. That's 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:54.000 how he works. That's how he does it. That's how 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:56.720 he rolls. Last week, Pastor Adam talked about 00:25:56.720 --> 00:25:58.359 tithing. He preached about tithing and giving. 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:01.839 And here's what I know. And I've done this. Anytime 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:04.380 I've done a financial series, and I'm gonna do 00:26:04.380 --> 00:26:06.119 it this morning again, right? And you're saying, 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:07.460 well, Pastor, it's Labor Day weekend. You're 00:26:07.460 --> 00:26:08.299 doing it because there's not a lot of people 00:26:08.299 --> 00:26:10.119 in the house. No, you can tell your friends too. 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:13.109 Tell those who've done it. I tell people, I've 00:26:13.109 --> 00:26:14.890 done this every time I've done a financial series. 00:26:14.970 --> 00:26:17.250 I tell people, you just try God's word out. Because 00:26:17.250 --> 00:26:19.349 in Malachi, God says, if you try me in this, 00:26:19.450 --> 00:26:21.750 if you follow what I speak about the tithing 00:26:21.750 --> 00:26:24.549 and the offering, if you do this, if you walk 00:26:24.549 --> 00:26:26.569 in obedience with this, you watch and see if 00:26:26.569 --> 00:26:28.190 I don't open the windows of heaven and pour on 00:26:28.190 --> 00:26:31.509 you blessings that you cannot contain. So I've 00:26:31.509 --> 00:26:33.329 told churches over the years, I've been preaching 00:26:33.329 --> 00:26:36.009 over 20 years now, anytime I've done a message, 00:26:36.069 --> 00:26:38.210 I tell them, you just follow God's prescription 00:26:38.210 --> 00:26:40.789 for money. and possession. You just follow his 00:26:40.789 --> 00:26:43.049 plan. You walk in obedience to what he says about 00:26:43.049 --> 00:26:45.170 tithing and giving. And if he doesn't hold up 00:26:45.170 --> 00:26:47.250 his end of the bargain, if you do that here at 00:26:47.250 --> 00:26:49.750 LifeHouse, and six months from now, God doesn't 00:26:49.750 --> 00:26:51.730 come through with what he says he'll do, I'll 00:26:51.730 --> 00:26:56.069 write you a check right back. Amen? Go, right? 00:26:57.250 --> 00:26:59.970 But it's true. I can say that because God's never 00:26:59.970 --> 00:27:03.130 failed. I could take you to story after story 00:27:03.130 --> 00:27:06.109 after story where people began to walk in God's 00:27:06.109 --> 00:27:08.349 plan for giving. And there's much, much more 00:27:08.349 --> 00:27:10.890 to it. It's way more than just tithing and offering. 00:27:10.970 --> 00:27:12.369 I know that's all you ever hear in church, right? 00:27:12.430 --> 00:27:15.470 There's way more to it. But here's what I don't 00:27:15.470 --> 00:27:19.349 understand. What will block you from following 00:27:19.349 --> 00:27:22.069 God and his money management plan boils down 00:27:22.069 --> 00:27:23.809 to just a couple things. And I'm closing with 00:27:23.809 --> 00:27:26.609 this. If you believe you're the owner of the 00:27:26.609 --> 00:27:29.990 possessions, you will not follow God's money 00:27:29.990 --> 00:27:32.170 management plan. plant, if you don't believe 00:27:32.170 --> 00:27:34.849 that he's the owner. And if you're discounting 00:27:34.849 --> 00:27:36.210 scripture this morning and you're like, well, 00:27:36.250 --> 00:27:38.410 that's what the Bible says, well, let me give 00:27:38.410 --> 00:27:40.130 you a little just something you can look at in 00:27:40.130 --> 00:27:42.730 real life, something physical. How many of you 00:27:42.730 --> 00:27:45.450 have ever seen a hearse going down the road hauling 00:27:45.450 --> 00:27:49.450 a corpse with a U -Haul hooked behind it? Anybody 00:27:49.450 --> 00:27:53.009 ever see that? You know why? You can't take it 00:27:53.009 --> 00:27:55.769 with you. You came in with nothing, you're going 00:27:55.769 --> 00:27:59.519 out with nothing, right? It's his. It's his. 00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:01.440 You're letting it here. You'll go out with your 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:04.339 soul. That's all. Right? So that'll keep you. 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:10.579 Two. One. Second is ignorance. Ignorance. If 00:28:10.579 --> 00:28:12.359 you don't understand God's plan for money, and 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:14.779 it's in depth. If you don't understand God's 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:18.839 plan for finances and managing finances, you... 00:28:19.210 --> 00:28:22.230 will not follow God's prescription. If you're 00:28:22.230 --> 00:28:25.049 just gonna take what I say and what's been said 00:28:25.049 --> 00:28:26.829 in a couple of messages and you don't understand 00:28:26.829 --> 00:28:29.210 the full counsel of God out of scripture and 00:28:29.210 --> 00:28:30.950 what it has to say, because God's word talks 00:28:30.950 --> 00:28:33.250 about investing, it talks about saving, it talks 00:28:33.250 --> 00:28:35.829 about all kinds of things that have to do with 00:28:35.829 --> 00:28:41.829 finances in depth. If you don't understand the 00:28:41.829 --> 00:28:44.789 plan, ignorance, you will not walk in God's plan 00:28:44.789 --> 00:28:48.869 for finances, for money management. Now you say, 00:28:48.970 --> 00:28:50.390 well, pastor, I don't know. I don't know where 00:28:50.390 --> 00:28:53.630 to get that. Well, guess what? We made a plan 00:28:53.630 --> 00:28:57.029 for all this. We're gonna have, we're offering 00:28:57.029 --> 00:28:59.410 this on Wednesday nights, Financial Peace University. 00:28:59.730 --> 00:29:01.769 Anybody ever hear that? It's through the Dave 00:29:01.769 --> 00:29:04.349 Ramsey ministry. If you wanna learn and understand 00:29:04.349 --> 00:29:07.390 about finances, you can sign up for a life group. 00:29:07.529 --> 00:29:10.069 It is Financial Peace University. You can go 00:29:10.069 --> 00:29:12.849 and we will teach you what God's word has to 00:29:12.849 --> 00:29:14.769 say. You don't have to take my word for it. You 00:29:14.769 --> 00:29:16.109 don't have to take any preacher's word for it. 00:29:16.150 --> 00:29:17.789 We'll show you what the word of God has to say 00:29:17.789 --> 00:29:20.390 about money and finances and what it means to 00:29:20.390 --> 00:29:23.309 manage the buckets. Amen. So that's an action 00:29:23.309 --> 00:29:25.849 step you can take right now. You can hop on the 00:29:25.849 --> 00:29:27.910 Church Center app right while I'm talking. Just 00:29:27.910 --> 00:29:30.349 go ahead. Don't get on Facebook, but you can 00:29:30.349 --> 00:29:32.990 get on the Church Center app, right? And sign 00:29:32.990 --> 00:29:36.849 up for that group right now. If you can't make 00:29:36.849 --> 00:29:38.450 it to Wednesday night, let us know. We'll try 00:29:38.450 --> 00:29:39.849 to figure something out and get you in in the 00:29:39.849 --> 00:29:41.769 future or work something out somehow, some way. 00:29:42.549 --> 00:29:44.190 Let me tell you what else will keep you from 00:29:44.190 --> 00:29:48.289 doing money God's way. History. History. If you've 00:29:48.289 --> 00:29:51.880 had a history of finances, being a wreck, a train 00:29:51.880 --> 00:29:54.400 wreck in your life. Some people just reserve 00:29:54.400 --> 00:29:56.119 themselves. I'll talk with people sometimes. 00:29:56.339 --> 00:29:58.420 They just reserve themselves to, pastor, it's 00:29:58.420 --> 00:30:00.059 been this way my entire life and it's just gonna 00:30:00.059 --> 00:30:02.299 continue that way. Yes, it will unless you do 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:04.920 something, right? You've gotta do something. 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:06.579 You gotta learn something new. You gotta do something 00:30:06.579 --> 00:30:08.779 new. You gotta find out what God has. I'm here 00:30:08.779 --> 00:30:11.099 to tell you, you can turn around quick. It can 00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:13.579 turn around. Now, not tomorrow quick, but it 00:30:13.579 --> 00:30:15.660 can turn around. You can shift those things. 00:30:16.089 --> 00:30:18.410 Last thing that'll block you from getting involved 00:30:18.410 --> 00:30:21.250 in God's management plan is greed or materialism. 00:30:21.289 --> 00:30:24.250 And this is a spiritual issue. If your identity 00:30:24.250 --> 00:30:27.750 is wrapped up in what you own and what you have 00:30:27.750 --> 00:30:31.910 and what you can attain, that's a sin issue. 00:30:33.049 --> 00:30:36.109 And the only way that I know to break a sin issue 00:30:36.109 --> 00:30:41.190 is to confess it before God and to repent. If 00:30:41.190 --> 00:30:43.670 it's materialism. Four things can block you, 00:30:43.710 --> 00:30:46.630 right? If you don't believe it's all his, if 00:30:46.630 --> 00:30:49.190 you're ignorant to God's plan, if you're hung 00:30:49.190 --> 00:30:52.089 up on your history or of greater materialism 00:30:52.089 --> 00:30:56.190 is what's in your heart. I'm gonna ask you to 00:30:56.190 --> 00:31:04.470 stand. I'm gonna ask you to do this. If you're 00:31:04.470 --> 00:31:06.269 new with us, please, you don't need to do this. 00:31:06.269 --> 00:31:07.309 If you don't feel comfortable, it's perfectly 00:31:07.309 --> 00:31:09.450 fine. We're just gonna pray. But I ask you to 00:31:09.450 --> 00:31:11.009 slip out of your seats and move towards the front. 00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:13.920 I think this is something we pray together. This 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:17.799 is a family thing we're talking about here. And 00:31:17.799 --> 00:31:19.079 I'm passionate about this. You can move that 00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:21.460 table. We'll just pop that right up on this step 00:31:21.460 --> 00:31:25.640 here to where we get a mile away. Just move up 00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:27.720 as close as you can. I promise I won't spit on 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:34.059 anyone. All right. The prayer team's over here. 00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:36.619 They're always ready to go and pray with people. 00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:39.380 They may slide in behind you. They may lay hand 00:31:39.380 --> 00:31:44.180 on you. Pray this morning. Four things. I'm gonna 00:31:44.180 --> 00:31:45.819 go back over them again. Just move up closer 00:31:45.819 --> 00:31:48.380 so everybody behind you can get in too. We want 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:54.660 everybody up as close as you can get. All right, 00:31:54.660 --> 00:31:55.920 so here's what we're gonna do. I want you to 00:31:55.920 --> 00:31:57.500 just, wherever you're at, just close your eyes 00:31:57.500 --> 00:31:59.119 right now because I don't want you looking around 00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:01.380 anybody. I want you focusing. What do you believe 00:32:01.380 --> 00:32:03.740 about God's financial plan for your life? What 00:32:03.740 --> 00:32:05.680 do you believe? Eyes closed just as you're looking. 00:32:08.070 --> 00:32:10.089 Focusing on Him. What do you believe? You believe 00:32:10.089 --> 00:32:12.230 it's all His in the bucket? Because if not, you've 00:32:12.230 --> 00:32:14.410 got to deal with that. You've got to work that 00:32:14.410 --> 00:32:17.150 out first. I can show you more in Scripture. 00:32:17.269 --> 00:32:18.809 I don't have time to unfold it all this morning. 00:32:20.410 --> 00:32:24.750 Are you ignorant of God's plan with your money 00:32:24.750 --> 00:32:26.950 and possessions? Because ignorance will get you. 00:32:26.970 --> 00:32:30.049 What you don't know will hurt you. Will hurt 00:32:30.049 --> 00:32:33.450 you. Are you ignorant? Are you caught because 00:32:33.450 --> 00:32:36.900 you've had a history of mess? In this area of 00:32:36.900 --> 00:32:38.900 your life. You can be saved on your way to heaven 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:41.220 and have a complete mess in this part of your 00:32:41.220 --> 00:32:44.900 life. It can be a struggle. Or are you dealing 00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:48.140 with greed and materialism? Everything you are, 00:32:48.200 --> 00:32:50.700 your identity is wrapped up in what you own, 00:32:51.000 --> 00:32:53.400 what's in your bank account, what you can earn 00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:59.099 in your career, whatever that is. This is time 00:32:59.099 --> 00:33:03.490 for spiritual surgery this morning. I want you 00:33:03.490 --> 00:33:06.410 just to recognize I'm just delaying. So you can 00:33:06.410 --> 00:33:08.369 answer this for yourself because this is important. 00:33:09.529 --> 00:33:13.349 You cannot launch forward in God's plan with 00:33:13.349 --> 00:33:15.589 money and possessions until this is straight, 00:33:15.730 --> 00:33:18.769 until this is right. Everything else will build 00:33:18.769 --> 00:33:22.170 off of this. Father, we come before you today. 00:33:22.690 --> 00:33:25.710 God, I know you are the keeper of life. God, 00:33:25.750 --> 00:33:28.670 your spirit is the one who came this morning. 00:33:28.690 --> 00:33:31.589 We felt your presence so strong in this place. 00:33:32.279 --> 00:33:34.960 But we know that we must walk in your truth and 00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:38.039 your word, Lord, if we are to go forward, Lord, 00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:41.119 if we are to know, God, your presence, if we 00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:43.339 are to know, God, your freedom, if we are to 00:33:43.339 --> 00:33:46.259 know deliverance. God, if we're to know that 00:33:46.259 --> 00:33:49.200 one day we will walk into your presence and we 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:52.420 will stand before you at a judgment, at a review, 00:33:52.759 --> 00:33:55.559 but we will answer for the deeds that we've done. 00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:58.799 And we'll either receive reward or we'll be burned 00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:03.279 up like chaff. And God, it's not that we're after 00:34:03.279 --> 00:34:05.740 the reward. Lord, we're after hearing, well done, 00:34:05.799 --> 00:34:09.719 good and faithful servant. We want your favor. 00:34:10.900 --> 00:34:14.039 And we want to see the kingdom increase. So Lord, 00:34:14.099 --> 00:34:16.619 I pray for every person in this house. God, there's 00:34:16.619 --> 00:34:19.440 people represented here that could be deep in 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:22.820 debt and they need freedom. They might be thinking, 00:34:22.900 --> 00:34:25.059 Pastor, you don't understand. I'm drowning right 00:34:25.059 --> 00:34:27.880 now. We want to help them, Lord, get above water. 00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:30.179 God, your plan will help them get above water. 00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:32.920 God, we want them to swim. We want them to know 00:34:32.920 --> 00:34:34.679 what it is to walk in your freedom. You want 00:34:34.679 --> 00:34:37.320 your people free. So, Lord, I pray for that couple, 00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:40.139 that person, that individual. God, I pray, Lord, 00:34:40.199 --> 00:34:42.039 for the one that's had the history. And, God, 00:34:42.079 --> 00:34:45.079 the one maybe who's caught and they need to confess 00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:47.679 and repent right now that it is materialism. 00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:50.099 It is the things that's had me. I don't own this 00:34:50.099 --> 00:34:52.980 stuff. The stuff owns me. So Lord, I pray, God, 00:34:53.079 --> 00:34:54.579 that they would confess it and they would repent. 00:34:54.699 --> 00:34:56.360 And God, they might just be like the rich guy 00:34:56.360 --> 00:34:58.820 that you encountered. They may have to go sell 00:34:58.820 --> 00:35:00.940 a bunch of that just to get it out of their presence. 00:35:01.039 --> 00:35:03.219 I don't know, whatever you instruct them to do, 00:35:03.280 --> 00:35:05.920 or it might be that they use it for the kingdom, 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:08.519 whatever it is, but Lord, shift their hearts. 00:35:09.159 --> 00:35:13.139 And God, help us to stand before you whole and 00:35:13.139 --> 00:35:20.300 right and holy, because you are a holy God. And 00:35:20.300 --> 00:35:22.480 Lord, we don't want to miss a thing expanding 00:35:22.480 --> 00:35:25.420 the kingdom of God. We don't want to miss a thing, 00:35:25.500 --> 00:35:27.860 Lord, with what you're doing in the kingdom. 00:35:29.320 --> 00:35:32.519 God, I ask for each person. I pray as they pray, 00:35:32.659 --> 00:35:35.659 your spirit would overshadow them and fill them. 00:35:36.400 --> 00:35:40.579 Give them vision and sight. And Lord, I ask this 00:35:40.579 --> 00:35:53.639 in Jesus' name. Take this serious. God can do 00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:57.699 great things in your life. He wants, and listen, 00:35:57.820 --> 00:36:02.159 I don't know, maybe you're a one talent, right? 00:36:02.360 --> 00:36:04.760 Maybe God gave you the one, maybe he gave you 00:36:04.760 --> 00:36:08.039 the two, maybe he gave you the five. That's irrelevant. 00:36:08.539 --> 00:36:10.579 Just take what God's given you in the bucket 00:36:10.579 --> 00:36:13.900 and use it for the kingdom. All right, that's 00:36:13.900 --> 00:36:25.630 how you hear well done. to this message from 00:36:25.630 --> 00:36:28.849 Lifehouse Church. We pray that you were impacted 00:36:28.849 --> 00:36:31.909 powerfully by this message. 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