Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:00]:
Hey. You know, last week we, started our series just called, I have decided. Because I think that that the decisions that we make, especially in these fateful days in which we're living, is so necessary. You know, like we cannot just kind of go on a default, in this season. You can't go on, like who wins in the election. You can't go on, like, what, what's happening with the economy. You can't just kind of let the values of the world affect our life or our life style, but we need to live intentionally. And last week, we talked about finding our hope in Christ, and saying, you know, deciding to follow Jesus, decide deciding to follow God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:36]:
And so that's what we started with, becoming a person who seeks after him, follows his direction, is willing to say yes, even when sometimes you're not really sure where he's leading. But this this evening, we're gonna continue, this this trend that we've been talking about on I have decided, and what some tremendously important decisions we will need in order to, embrace not just the next season, but to thrive in the next season. And so this this evening, we're gonna begin by looking at 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. And so would you be kind enough? Let's stand in reverence for God and reverence for His word, and we're gonna read this together out loud. Okay. This is what it says. Let's read. This is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:29]:
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. And in this passage, you know, the Apostle Paul is talking about that basically what they've been doing and that they're, that they are stewards, that they are not the owners of the message, but they are representatives of the owner to go and and declare this message, stewards of the mysteries of God. And he says, and moreover, it's required of stewards anytime that you deal with something that is not your own. Right? That you are a manager, that you are, at some way, some kind of a person who who handles something that doesn't really belong to them, although you may have responsibility, he says, it's necessary that they be found faithful. And you know, this is talking about this aspect, of faithfulness, I think. And and when it comes to the most important things in our life, I believe that all of us want to be found faithful one day. Right? That, that that word faithful in this passage means to be trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. And that when Jesus comes back, will He find us to be faithful? You know, but how do we do that? It takes more than just an emotion, it takes more than just kind of making a decision, but it's choosing to be faithful.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:53]:
And so this evening, do me a favor, before you're seated, just turn to your neighbor and say that God wants you to be faithful. And then you can have a seat. You know, I did a wedding this morning, and you know, it was at a beautiful location out at Yokohama, and it's like the water is, like, crystal clear. There's not that many people out there, and, it's kinda it's the couple's favorite, spot, so they they look beautiful, you know, they look ready, and and, just seeing, kind of the their faith, clicking all of a sudden, and it's just their life is, just kinda on this turn, and and it's a it's a beautiful thing. Some friends came, supporting them, and because they're not from here, you know, a lot of people on Zoom, on the phones, and the whole thing. But you know, one of the things that's, that happens in, that happened today, that happens in every day, is that they made a promise that, to be honest, they made a promise today that that promise alone is is unable to take them all the way to where they want to be. Because they made a promise that they would be faithful to one another, they would be faithful, and that's a promise they made before God, to honor Him. And and, you know, that's a, it's it's a beautiful day, it's a powerful day, but you know, if you just had to just do that once, just make that decision once, right? And I've seen people say that, like, I've talked to some people, you know, when I was in Japan actually, and I was a missionary, still single, and I was having dinner with this family and the guy, they just come back from a vacation, like a second honeymoon after 20 years of marriage, and they come back from Australia, and so it sounds like a big deal.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:45]:
And so I just said to, the brother, I said, wow, that's amazing that you guys have been married 20 years, and together. And I said, so do you tell your wife that you love her often? And she said, no. And the thing is, is this the translation? Is this just my English and Japanese mixture? I said, well wait, I mean, you you love your wife, right? He says, yes, I love my wife, right. And I said, so, yeah. So I was saying that, do you tell your wife that you love her often? And he says, no. I said, have you ever told your wife that you love her? And he goes, yes. I said, when was that? 20 years ago. Right.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:30]:
And, you know, that kind of a thing that, when we come to this place, it's like I'm glad that he did. He loved his wife all these 20 years, but if the only time that he ever said something, you know, I think that something might feel a little lacking. And and so we need more than good intentions and emotions, to be faithful. And and why is that? Because to be honest, our culture, our flesh, the enemy, today faithfulness is not easy, right, faithfulness is not a given. And so sometimes we, you know, maybe we get a little lazy, sometimes we get a little selfish, sometimes we get a little distracted, sometimes we get a little tempted. And so, all of us, we need to understand that choosing to be faithful involves more than just good intentions and emotions. Like today, they were filled with emotions and they have good intentions, and it is a day to celebrate. But the reality is, he's going to have to make that same decision tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:37]:
And so when we come to this place, it's because, I don't know if you guys noticed this about yourselves or noticed this about other people, but how many of you noticed that we tend to be selfish, Ray Jain? Right. Now, I'm not saying you're as selfish as you could be. I'm not saying that you're really horrible people, but to be honest, that when push comes to shove, whose way do you want to do it? Your way or somebody else's way? Right, to be honest with you, don't we don't we all kinda think that sometimes it's like, my way is the best way? Right? And, and the thing is that, you know, like that we will do it what we can get, right? And the thing is, so Paul said in the midst of this, he says, you know brothers, I says, I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in, by the boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. And if you just circle that phrase, I die daily, you know what that he's saying? He's saying, you know, that in in my bid to steward this this responsibility as a minister of the gospel, he he said, like, we talked about being faithful, and we talked about this aspect in being found faithful. He's saying, Sometimes, to be honest, I don't feel like doing it. Sometimes, I might get a little lazy. Sometimes, my flesh pulls me one way, and the spirit's pulling me the other way. And so what he's saying is, I have to die to myself at times, right, throughout the day.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:02]:
And when I read that, and I read this, and I think about that, it's like that it's the same decision that not only Paul makes, and not only that you have to make, and that I have to make, but everybody has to make this. That at times to die to our own way, to die to our to die to our flesh at times, to die to our our, what's easy at times, and to do what is right, that we need this. And you know, the, Jesus talked about this aspect of why do we why do we need to do this, and and He says it's because that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Right. Sometimes it's like, that for many of us, I think we relate to that. That on one hand, we want to do it, but there's another part of us that doesn't want to do it because we want to be faithful. Who doesn't want to be faithful to the end, right? But it takes making sometimes the same decision over and over again. Because no one, this is one of the things I found, is no one wakes up one morning and without any focus, without any effort, just finds they've been faithful for a lifetime.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:12]:
Right? It doesn't happen like that, because it's a decision that we have to make. And sometimes, to be honest, how many of you, you take things for granted at times? How How many of us that sometimes when it's something becomes familiar, sometimes it becomes a little boring, and and that there are times when maybe things even get a little overwhelming. I don't know if you guys have, know what this is just from looking at it. Anybody? A puzzle. Exactly. It's a puzzle. And, any puzzle people here? You guys love puzzles. Oh, okay.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:45]:
Awesome. Awesome. Yeah. Kind of Peter's like, I can do it. But like, but you know, again, in my wife's family, puzzles are a big deal. This is a puzzle, you know, it's a nice little Christmas display, kind of looks like a Thomas Kinkade like picture, and it has a 1,000 pieces in this box. But you know, whenever we go to Japan, that when when we get there, my mother-in-law, she has a big table, and she'll put a board on top to extend it, and she won't have a 1,000 piece puzzle. She'll have like a 6000 to 10000 piece puzzle.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:22]:
And then, you know, like for a lot of people, they you know, like the biggest thing that you do in the beginning is just turn those little pieces over, so that the picture is up on the right thing, and then sometimes they start grouping them by colors and all that, And it depends on the puzzle, obviously. But but you know, the thing is that I see them every day, and I say them because I'm not participating, because, like for some people that you guys love puzzles, don't you guys you guys feel great when you do puzzles? Right? It's just like it's rewarding. You put this piece in. You know like how I feel when I chatted it out. It just gives me stress. Like it's like it's like undone, and it's like it's a mess, and I it's overwhelming sometimes for me. Right? And and sometimes life can be like putting all these pieces, life can be like putting all these pieces together in the puzzle. Because sometimes you go like, oh my gosh, I'm just turning over pieces again, right.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:12]:
I'm just trying to fit and find this thing that doesn't fit again. Maybe sometimes, sometimes, you're just trying to fit and find this thing doesn't fit again. Maybe sometimes things get hard, sometimes things get long, and sometimes we feel like, when will it ever be finished? I tell you one thing, a 10,000 piece puzzle takes a lot longer than a 1,000 piece puzzle, right? And so, you know, sometimes that's how it gets, right? Now, if you made a decision to follow Jesus, right, if you made a decision to follow Jesus, that's a, that's a kind of a woo hoo moment, right? That's an exciting moment, right? How many of you guys believe that? You guys believe that, right? So hey, let's just give Jesus a chi hoo moment. Let's give Jesus like a praise. Let's give Jesus a chi hoo praise today, because isn't He worthy of that? Chi hoo. Right? Right? It's like awesome, right? Wouldn't it be awesome if every day you wake up in the morning, you just go chi hoo. Right? Like I said, for Jesus, right? Yeah. Like that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:10]:
But how many of you, that's how you feel every morning? Probably not, right? There's days. There's days. That's great that you have them, but the Holy Spirit doesn't always move like that in our life. It's not like that. And and I was talking to a guy when he was a young believer that he would just say, he says, you know what, it's so And he was a he was an older guy. He was a tough guy, to be honest. He he used to be a syndicate guy. He he and he gave his life to Jesus, and he was kind of well known, in in the community at that time.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:40]:
But he gave his life to Jesus, and he just said this. He was giving a testimony at church, and he said, You know, it's so awesome when the Holy Spirit moves because then it's like, I don't have to do anything. And this is what I was thinking as he said that. What planet do you live on, brother? Because I I understand it starts out like that, but to be honest, that sometimes, this following Jesus, it costs us our life. Right? It's, you know, Paul said this, my life is like a drink offering poured out. He's not saying that I'm a martyr. He's not saying that it doesn't, there's no joy, but he's saying that it's like our life has to be invested into something. And sometimes there's great joy and there's the chi hu moments, whether it's spontaneous, you just, but you feel it and then sometimes it's just a little tough, right? You know, the Ecclesiastes says, For the dream comes through what? Much effort.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:42]:
For the dream comes through much effort. So sometimes people get tired. Sometimes people get weary. Sometimes things happen to us that we never thought was possible. Sometimes it's a loss. Sometimes it's unmet expectations, right. How many of you that when you had something that you were looking forward to, right, I'm gonna get on this team. I'm gonna, I'm gonna move to this neighborhood.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:10]:
I'm gonna, I'm gonna, you know, kind of get together with this person that you envision like this wonderful experience, and I'm not saying it sucked or anything, but how many of you found almost everything you do, over the long run, sometimes there's some unmet expectations? You guys know what I mean? Right? Sometimes it's like, I didn't think we would have to struggle with this thing. I sometimes it's, I didn't realize that the company was going to move. Sometimes I didn't realize that my position would change, right? That we have sometimes these expectations that it'll be that way always, but sometimes things don't always meet our expectations. And and the reality is that we need to be faithful because sometimes it's much easier to hold on to our preferences and tell God our preferences, claim our preferences to God, and not claim His promises. Because God's promise is that He's a provider, isn't He not? That's His thing. Right? He says, God says, I'm my provider. Do do me for a turn to your neighbor and says, God's your provider. God's your provider, right? But you know what, he doesn't always say it's gonna be that place that you like right now.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:25]:
He doesn't always say that. That's my preference for many of us, right? How many of you that you, God provided something, and it's like a great season, and it's like that maybe even with those of us with kids, you have this great season with the kids, and it's like just wonderful and just great, and you see them growing and blossoming, and it's wonderful, and then they hit a teenager. No, no. But like, you know what I mean? Then something changes, and and then all of a sudden you go like, oh my gosh, God. Right? And like he he's a he's the one who gave me the relationships. He said, well, yes, he did. He that children are a blessing from the god, from the Lord. That's what he says.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:03]:
But sometimes it don't feel like the blessing. You know what I mean? It's like, so we claim the preference. God, I like that season. But you know what God says? No. I I I fulfill my promises. I do. He always does. And you know, sometimes we're in this place where God promised He'd meet all your needs.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:26]:
God promises that he'll be your healer. God promises that that he's gonna lead you and guide you, but he doesn't always promise that it's gonna be good weather. Right? How many of us remember not very long ago, on the East Coast that there were people who, went through 2 hurricanes, not one hurricane, but like I think in the course of a month or something like that, they had 2 hurricanes, and in Florida, right, and it hit Tennessee and in North Carolina, and we actually have people from church who are working with FEMA, who are like, kind of in those places and trying to help people. How many of us that when those hurricanes happen, we go like, Oh, lucky you live Hawaii. You know what I mean? There's a little bit of that, and yeah, when's the last time we had a hurricane? But the reality is, every life has storms at times. Every life has storms. And so, you know, even the Apostle Paul says this, he was excited about Christ. He says, man, I, that Christ is my life, and he says, like, I love and that the one who lived and died for me, I want to live for Him.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:31]:
He says all these things, but you know in in the in Acts chapter 14, he he gets to this place where he goes, and he preaches the gospel in this one city called Lystra, and and when they went, it's like they just are like, wow, this guy is amazing. God, he did some healing, and then all of a sudden, they thought Paul and Barnabas, they thought these guys were gods. He says, like, and they tried to worship them, and they tried to put on a garland, like, you know, to kind of like to signify that they were deities, that they were gods. And they had to restrain them. And then later that day, it says that that people from the other cities, Jews who didn't like the gospel and didn't believe the gospel, came and turned the city around and stoned them. They stoned Paul and, well, Barnabas somehow escaped it. But he stoned him until they thought he was dead. And this is what it says that after that time, he gets up, and he goes back into the city.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:35]:
Now, I don't know about you guys, but if I went to preach the gospel on a mission trip, and we went to Fiji, and you know, the thing is that, that when we go to on these mission trips, we eat well. Do we not, hail? We eat very well. And he says that, and Hale likes to say, it's like, we like Fiji because we eat so well, but we know in the past that you used to eat the missionaries, right, and and which is true, like they they were cannibals, and so they kind of chuckle half laughed. But you know, the thing is that, but if we went to Fiji and they literally stoned us with stones, I might be tempted to say to hell, maybe we should go to Vanuatu, or maybe we should go to some other, neighboring country. I would be tempted to do that, but this is what Paul, the scriptures say about Paul. But he went back to the city months later as well, and he says this is what he was doing, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith that we must go through many hardships. Let's say many hardships To enter the kingdom of God. You know, the Psalm says it like this, Many are the afflictions of the righteous man, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:54]:
And it's not to say I believe. It's not to say that you get extra hardship. It's not to say that you get extra hardship. It just says this, you're not immune from hardships, right? That that all of us that we're subject to the same hardships in life. Now, I I I think there's some things that you don't tend to do once you follow Jesus is that you tend to shoot yourself in the foot a little less. Right? How many of us that you blew up your things in your life because you had things in your life that were out of control? Your temper was out of control. Your your self control wasn't there. You know, your, maybe they were they're drinking.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:25]:
They're You know, your, maybe they're drinking, the different things in your life, and so you were out of control. Yeah, you tend to shoot yourself in the foot less. But the reality is, it doesn't mean that, you know, we don't have parents, that grow old, or get sick, or different things, right? And so, everyone's life has storms. And so, we need to be reminded because of these things, that being faithful isn't automatic. It's a choice that we have to make, and these are it's a lifestyle we have to develop. It's a muscle that we have to strengthen. And like any muscle, like any decision, that the more you use it and the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. But this is the thing, is that everybody, what I've noticed in life, there's going to be a thing that you go like, I knew that I wasn't immune, but I didn't expect that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:21]:
If you stick around long enough, there's always something like that because that's just life. Good news is Jesus is able to deliver you through it all. Do be afraid. Tell your neighbor and say, Jesus is able to deliver you through it all. But He's saying to us, we've got to be faithful. He's calling to us that you have to be faithful. Now, why do we have to be faithful as well? Because God will also hold us accountable to what he entrusts to us. And he says that this life that you have is really not your own anymore.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:00]:
Once we come to Christ, he says, I bought you with a price. He says, I that the sacrifice of my son, the of his blood, that he literally gave his life and he died that you might live. And so we talk about this great exchange that now that that Jesus, the the the Son of God, the the creator of of everything that you can see, touch, and feel, he says that the one who made it all, gave it all, that the ones He gave it for might live for Him now. Right? So He delivered us from the death of our sin and our separation from God, the fact that we didn't deserve it, but He gave it to us. And so He says now, this life that you and I live, it's a sacred trust. It's a relationship that we have with him, but what he gives us, he says, I will entrust things to you. And there's a number of things he'll entrust to us. And if you read, because it's a long passage, I couldn't put it in your notes, that Jesus tells the story of a king who who gives 3 of his servants these these bags of gold, of silver.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:17]:
And he says that he gave 5 bags of silver to 1, 2 bags of silver to another, and 1 bag of silver to the last, dividing it in proportion to their abilities. Let's say the word abilities. Your abilities matter. Right? But he says, and then he left on his trip, and then the servant who received the 5 bags of silver, you might be familiar, that what he did is he got, he went and he invested the money, and a bag of silver that he's talking about, some of your Bibles will say talents, and the talent is just a measure. Right? So it's not like a talent, like one guy could like sing and dance, and one guy could, you know, like that's not the talent. It's actually £75. It's about £75 of silver. So this is like, to be honest, 20 year salary, one bag of silver, is like £75.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:05]:
So it's like about 20 years of your of an average person's salary. That's a lot of money. And he he's saying, so one was given 5, one was given 2, and one was given 1, and and the the one who was given 5, he went invested it, he got 5 more. And the guy who had 2, he he invested his, and then he got 2 more. And then one guy who got 1, I think he looked at the other guys who had 5 and 2, and and he said, man, it's like how come I wanna get I mean, it's a lot. It's a long 20 years worth, but he he didn't do anything with it. And and he just buried it in the ground. And he says that he goes on in the story, and he says after a long time, the master returned from the trip and called them to give an account of how they had used the money.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:45]:
And to the one that he entrusted, the 5 bags of silver came forward with 5 more and said, master, you gave me 5 bags of silver to invest. That's like a 100 years worth of salary, and I have earned 5 more. And the master was full of praise. And he said this, well done, my good and faithful servant. How many of you heard that phrase before? Right? Well done, my good and faithful servant. He says, you have been faithful in handling this small amount. Small amount. I mean, this is a huge amount of money.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:20]:
But small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together. Chee hoo moment. It's a chee hoo moment. Yeah. Like tiny chee hoo over here. Chee hoo. I heard right on the table, but, then he says, the servant who had the 2 bags, he did it, and he said, Master, I've done 2 more.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:39]:
And the master responds exactly the same. He says, well done my good and faithful servant. You know what he doesn't say? Hey, I think I had 5 bags, and he made 5 more, and you only get 2? He never said that, right? He's commended, what, for his faithfulness, his dependability, his his trustworthiness, his his desire to to care and and to see the best that's given in the story. And then he comes to the last one, and he he says to the to the master, he says, you know, you've been, master, that you gave me one bag of silver, and I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate, and I was afraid I would lose your money. So I hid it in the earth. Look here, is your money back? And the master replied, You wicked and lazy servant. He says, If you knew I harvested crops that I didn't cultivate, and why didn't you deposit my money in the bank, and at least I could have gotten some interest for it. And you know, he goes on and he's saying this, that if you really, really thought that this is who I was, you should have done more with it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:59]:
Right? And the reality is that in this story, what he's saying is that the point of it is all of us are going to be accountable with what God gives us. And you're not going to be accountable that you got to hit a certain, you know, a number in your bank account, or that you have to, like, you have to walk, you know, how many old ladies across the street, or give to so many people food pantry. It doesn't say it like that. It's just saying this. It says, you need to be faithful with what God has given you. Now, what has God given us? I I think God gives us different kinds of things. Sometimes, I think God gives us relationships in our lives. Right? To be honest, it says that for a man, it says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:48]:
Right? And and so, you know, one of those things I I think God gives us is covenant relationships. That's marriage. Right? Sometimes it's a it's a business partner. That's a covenant partnership that that you guys enter into. Sometimes it's like best friends. Right? They say, man, you know, whatever you do, buddy, I'm gonna be there. Like like, I'm making a promise. I'm gonna, I got your back.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:12]:
Right? That kind of a thing. And and that when, you know, when I, did the wedding, I was a little thrown off because there were some things going on today and, one of the things I normally say is to them because, you know, you can see that they're in love and it's a young love, it's a great love, and it's fun, but usually one of the things I say is that, you know, she looks great today, you look great today, but you know, how well know that you've done well is if in 10 years, that there's still that glimmer in her eye. Right. This is, then I'll know that you've done well to love your wife. Right. And then you'll know, and because you stewarded your marriage well. And we'll stand accountable for how we treat one another. That you and I, like whether it's the people that you work with, that's a very different thing, whether it's your neighbor, that's a very different thing than your marriage, but we all will stand accountable.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:10]:
And I think all of us this, you know, in 1st Peter 37, and it says this, you know, in 1st Peter 37, and it says it to to husbands, but wives, I think it would be, you know, go the same way. It says, in the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Let's say honor to your wives. Alright. So we're supposed to honor. If you're a married man, you're supposed to give honor to your wife. Right? And and he says, Why? Why is that? And he says, Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:58]:
Now for most of us, that's true, right? That your spouse is not as physically strong as you, right? How many of that is true? So I mean, there's some guys, they're pretty strong. Like Steve, if his wife was stronger than him, I would be scared of his wife, man. But like, so I'm glad he's stronger than his wife. But, the thing is that, you know, that he's saying that yes, there's this thing that there's physical differences, he says, but she is your equal partner. Let's say equal partner. Equal partner. In God's gift of new life. Now equal doesn't mean same.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:30]:
Right? Because sometimes people wanna say equal means interchangeable. It's the same. No. It just means that you have the same value, but you're different. And so he says, treat her as you should. Why? So your prayers will not be hindered. You know what is God saying? He's saying, we have to treat the covenant partners in our life, knowing, treating them well, caring for them as a gift from God. Husbands honoring your wife.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:04]:
And I believe the same way, wives honoring your husbands. Right? Why? So God, so your prayers are not hindered as well. And so, I don't know about you guys, but, you know, when I was newly married or kind of young, I would see sometimes, like, old couples walking down hand in hand, and I would say, you know, that's so cute. My wife and I will see that, like, old couples, and there used to be some people like where we live, and we used to see them like, man, I don't know how they walk so far, but, you just see them hand in hand, and it's like, obviously, they've been together. It seems like a lifetime, right, and, you know, we've had some people in here that you guys have had some great anniversaries, right, like my wife and I. We've been married 27 years now, right, and, but, and Hale and Gail, we've been married 30 30, I guess. They'll figure it out later. Like, and Alan and Ronnie, 50 years that we forgot to say that they're there.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:06]:
50 years. Right? That's like a that's a she who thinks, whew, whew. Right? But you know, Billy Graham though, and his wife, Ruth, they've been married, they were married together for 64 years. They met in Bible College, till Ruth passed away, some 64 years later, and they got married and you know, when she was asked once, you know, like, about marriage, and she was in this thing where, you know, they're talking about marriage. And Billy Graham is well known for being a guy who has standards in his life. The way it was said about Billy Graham is that he would never be in a room with a closed door with a woman by himself. And so sometimes, you know, like, there would be, these aspects that it would be uncomfortable because, you know, there needed to be changes, because sometimes you still have meetings and different things, but it was a standard that he has. And we have standards here too, like, when we talk to the staff, we talk about, like, you know, like, you should keep the door open, we should, like, when we're counseling or whatever.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:08]:
And generally, we say that men should counsel with men and women should counsel with women, but sometimes like in my role, I I do have to counsel women, but when that happens, I have some rules as well, right. So one of those things I say is, like, if it ever gets an emotional thing, it's not just a simple thing, it gets emotional. You know, we're a pretty huggy church, right? We hug around here, right? But one of the things that I have as a as a rule, for myself and I want, like, everybody else to do is like, if it if it gets that way, and it gets emotional, I don't hug my sister at that time. Why is that? Because it's a vulnerable moment, right? And sometimes, you know, in vulnerable moments, that we can get confused in vulnerable moments. I'm not saying they'll be confused or I don't want to get confused too, right? That somebody is really vulnerable and there's something about that moment. So we just said like, you know, I don't just say, okay then, but but it's in between that, right? But it's in between, but we but I don't know why is that? Because I want to honor my wife, and I want to honor my marriage, and I wanna honor the people that that are in this kind of a thing. Right? So, you know, because I wanna steward that relationship. But you know, Ruth was asked once about some of the hard times in marriage.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:31]:
I had 5 kids. I don't know if you know this. Billy Graham had had 5 kids, and he was known to travel all over the United States, travel all over the world. So Ruth was often left raising the 5 kids all by herself when when Billy Graham was out winning the world for Christ. And one of their sons, that his name is Franklin Graham. You guys know Franklin Graham? He's the, right now, he's the guy who's leading the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and he heads up this thing called Samaritan's First that does great disaster relief all over the world, right? During COVID, they set up hospitals in New York City. Right now, in they're in North Carolina, all over the world. They when, Ukraine happened, the war, they're there.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:11]:
They're an amazing group. But Billy Graham was the wild child before that. He wasn't like the guy, he wasn't the good kid, walked with Jesus his whole life. He was like out there. He was a party kid, and Billy Graham and Ruth Graham had to pray for him. So they weathered some storms, right? Like nothing that they thought, like, hey, we serve God, we love God, but sometimes, you know, you have somebody that just wants to cut their own path. Right? He, obviously, he comes around. And so they, some lady asked Ruth, in the middle of all that, and knowing all the troubles that they'd gone through and how God brought them through, and she said, Billie, I mean, sorry, Ruth, have you ever thought about divorce before, you know, when things got tough? And she said, No, no, I can't say I have.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:58]:
Murder, yes. But divorce, no. Right? And the reality is just that there's no perfect marriage, no perfect relationship, but God says this, can we be faithful? Not just to be faithful in not like having an affair, not faithful just to say, that I I I we I provide financially, but to say to steward the gift of God, that your spouse is the gift of God in your life. Right? Your kids are the gift of God in your life. And it's just that we would understand, one day we're gonna be accountable for those things. And so God will ask me one day, did you treat my daughter the way that she deserved to be treated? Because when I miss if I mistreat my wife, you know, I don't want God to be saying, 'I didn't like the way that you treated my daughter.' Because she's not just my wife. She's God's daughter before she became my wife, right, and she'll be God's daughter, you know, way after when we're in heaven. And so I remember that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:11]:
I'm I'm gonna be accountable. Am I perfect? No. Far from it. But but I do understand this concept, and And it helps me that when I make a mistake, I own it or we work it through, right? And so that's all I'm saying. Does that make sense? And so, you know, be faithful. Faithfulness matters. In this life, in this season, there is so much against being faithful in stewarding your covenant relationships. That's why we have to make this kind of a as a decision.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:47]:
Second thing I've seen is abilities and gifts. Right? Abilities and gifts. And it it it could be, you know, like, the guys who are up here, like, you know, singing. And it's like, man, Imelda, she's just she was belting it today, like when we're singing Rado. I love that song. Right? Or like when they're they're playing, I see Steve, you know, like whether he's singing or or playing guitar or or Peter, seeing him on the drum, and I'm seeing, Jeff play bass, to me it's always amazing because I cannot do any of that. Right? So it's an amazing Chad and Anala, right, it's like kind of doing a vocal, and it's like I can't do any of that. So it's always amazing to me, but when we say abilities, it's not just that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:29]:
It could be whatever it is, right? Everybody has some kind of ability. Now, the thing about the ability is that nobody has, you know, every every gift. Right? There's nobody who has every gift. But the reality is everybody has something. The reality is everybody has something. This is what it says in 1st Corinthians chapter 12 verses 4 to 7, that there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit is the source of them all. And there are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:10]:
Let's read what it says, that last verse, at least together. Ready? Begin. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. Right? And so the thing is that what it is saying is that nobody has everything, but everybody has something. Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something of significance, right? But there's some of us here that when we talk about this, I don't know. I don't know my gift. I don't know if I have any gifts, or I'm not like, like, so this is the thing that you're not supposed to compare, right? You're not supposed to compare. You know, like, when I was a kid and we would go on a field trip, you guys remember those days? You guys ever like, when people would get their lunch, you guys ever compare your lunch? Right.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:55]:
I don't know, like some days we had the bento lunch, and it's like, oh brother, that was like the bomb. And then there's days that my mom just made this like a salami sandwich, and and when we would go, and it's not that I didn't like it, but it wasn't like bento. Right? It wasn't like the full, but, you know, and my kids, when they would go to school, they took home lunch every day. And my my kids would say that everybody would be envious of their lunch, and so like my son, he used to like to brag, show everybody his lunch. But the thing is, we're not supposed to be comparing. Right? It's just it's like, hey, some days you get salami sandwich, and some days you get Rika's, like, knockout lunch that she would make for the kids. But the thing is that it's not what it is, it's are you using it. Right? Because that you're supposed to discover your gift and develop them.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:51]:
Now that if you don't know what your gift is, I I I did put in there, there's a little website that you can go to. It just it has that, h t p s, that gifts test dot com. And, this this might give you an idea, and then, you know, you can talk to any one of the staff or or other some other leaders that, you know, normally we do a class for this, but we haven't been doing classes on this lately, but it might give you an idea. It's it's not to say this is a guarantee, this is the thing, because it's, you know, self identified. You answer a series of questions, and it'll try to give you some idea, and it's helpful to do this. But the reality is that you and I, we were all made to do something of significance. You know, today, I was, before service, I was talking to, Dick Hatcher here and he was today, he, he helped this person who fell, couldn't couldn't get up. He had to carry this lady to her house.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:50]:
And, I said to him, I'm just glad that you could carry that lady to her house. Right? Because Dick's a big guy, but sometimes there's big women, right? No, but you know, that there's, there's this aspect, and he had an ability that maybe some of you wouldn't have had that ability, But God doesn't call you to do what you're not gifted to do. God doesn't call you to do something that you're you don't necessarily like doing per se, but He's calling you to use whatever gifts you have. Right? So whatever your gift, God wants you to use it. Turn to your neighbor and says, Whatever gift you have, God wants you to use it. The one thing about that is sometimes, when you have a gift, that it gets a little rusty when you haven't used it in a while, right? You guys, like I hadn't done a, somehow I hadn't done a wedding in a little while, and I feel a little rusty today, and you know, there were some other things that were going on, so, I was in a little different kind of a place today when I went down. But you know, the other thing is, sometimes it's not just disuse, sometimes it's misuse, right? Sometimes it's misuse. Or maybe it's overuse of a gift.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:09]:
What is misuse? You know, some gifts that you have, to be honest, you can use it not to bring glory to God, but you can use it to bring glory to yourself, right? It's like you have a speaking gift, if you have a teaching gift, if you have a gift that can motivate people or do sales, you can have this gift. And you know what? God would probably, if you have a gift like you can kind of lead people to make decisions they wouldn't normally make without some assistance, but they're glad they made it when they made it. To be honest, that should be the salesperson. Right? A salesperson shouldn't be a person that manipulates somebody to do something that's not good for them and that they really regret it, then that you're you'll you'll never make it as a salesperson, to be honest. Because you're not really helping people. But people who help people generally do well. Right? And but you know what? If you only used your gift to kind of enrich yourself, I would say this in some ways, that that's a misuse of the gift. Because maybe, God, you're supposed to be sharing the gospel with people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:18]:
Maybe you're supposed to be an encourager somewhere. Maybe you're supposed to be making a difference that brings glory to God. Not, not saying that you you won't honor God with the increase in your wealth or anything like that, but but sometimes that's like, if that's the only way you use your gift, it's for yourself, then maybe that's the misuse of that gift. Because you can use whatever gifts you have for the glory of God. Last night, some of us went to a movie, that really was a testimony of Pastor Wayne Cordero. He's the pastor that started the New Hope movement and originally started in Hilo. And, he came in in a very kind of a difficult season in the church. To be honest, the church was supposed to be closed down, and there were, 25 people in the church, 25, 30 people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:17]:
And he came in, and God used him in a tremendous way. And and and it just kinda told his story. But the guy who put this whole thing together had the idea to do it and and just the the whisper of God who did it is a guy named Tim Savage. Tim, him, and his wife, Martie, have been part of the New Hope family for, like, 19 years. And before he became, part of the family in in the New Hope churches, he was a very successful, kind of a videographer, producer, director. That if you ever saw any of the local commercials, Bank of Hawaii commercial, that that was him. If you you would see other kinds of storytelling things that he would do. And his company was well well known in the industry, well loved in the industry, and he sold his business to go on staff at New Hope Oahu that when the kind of this peak of the TV ministry for New Hope Oahu.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:20]:
And Tim didn't realize that all the years that he had developed in learning video and all the different things that, you know, you could use that for the glory of God. He didn't put it together. His dad was a pastor. So he thought the only way to glorify God was to do what I'm doing now, is to get up and do a message. And you know what Tim thought? I can't do that. And you know what God was saying to Tim? You're not supposed to, but you will preach the gospel using the skills that you've developed. Right? And so whatever skills you have, we're supposed to use them for God's honor and God's glory. Can we do that? Right? Yes.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:06]:
Yeah. Let's say that. I can do that. I can use whatever gift I have. You don't have to be like the next person. You just gotta be like you, right, and become more and more like Jesus. Here's the next to the last thing. It's, your resources as well, that you and I will be will be accountable for our resources of time and money.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:29]:
And, you know, Jesus told this story. He said this, he gave some instruction in in Matthew 6. He says, do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, or do not store up only your treasures on earth where moth and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. And let's read that last verse together, verse 21. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So he's saying, if you only invest in this life, that's where your heart will be. But if you invest your time, if you invest some of your money for kingdom purposes, right, that you store up for riches in heaven, because, why is that? Because this life, no matter how long you live, you can live to be a 100 years. I I read this one, this lady was a 116 some country, that oldest lady in that country, she passed away like the other day.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:40]:
You know, even if you live to be a 116, that is such a small point. It's such a it will be indistinguishable in the line of eternity than all that we have, right? And so we ought to invest for eternal things, not simply only in this life. Does this life matter? Yeah, of course it does, right? And God says, you know what, you should be able to enjoy some of the things, from what you have. Use your time. You know, I'm not saying you're not, you shouldn't take a break or take vacations or you shouldn't get like a new car or whatever. If you can afford it, that's fine, right? If you can't afford it, he's telling you you shouldn't do it. But he's saying these things, it's that invest your heart, right? And this is the reality. How will you know where your heart is, largely, that where this goes and where your time goes? That's how we'll know what you really think is important, right? If you only spend on the things that benefit you directly, or benefit your family directly, that's where we know your heart is.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:00]:
And is that bad to be investing in your family? Of course not. But God's saying is this, that would you invest in my family, right? Would you invest in my purposes? That if you give time for your interests and your hobbies, is that bad? No. He's just saying, if that's all you do, then he says, you're gonna be accountable for that one day. God will hold us accountable. And so this aspect of of, of giving, it's really a training for the heart. Right? It's really a a getting us to participate with God in partnership for kingdom purposes. In Deuteronomy 14, it says it like this. Let's read what it says.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:44]:
Then would you join me? Let's read together. It says, Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship, the place the Lord your God chooses for His name to be honored. Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God. So in other words, one translation says this, it says that tithing teaches us to place God first. Right? Because it's a heart issue. God says, I'm going to use this. And you know, like, it's one of the things that I, when I grew up, in the in the faith, it was the hardest thing to do because I thought, I give my time for for God. And I was.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:51:23]:
I was serving God. I was involved in so many things, but I had a very low income. And then when I became a missionary, even after that, right, and I used my time, and my house was a gathering place. But when I read this, and I understood that tithing is a principle, it's a principle, it's not a law, it's a principle that that it is showing God where my heart is on this issue, where my faith is on this issue, that I I had to understand that, you know what, I needed to invest in the things of God. I was doing it with my time. I was doing it with my energy. I was doing it with my resources, whatever house I had, but I wasn't doing it with my income. And so, now I I'm saying this because someone approached me a couple weeks ago and he said, you know, pastor Glenn, I, then they just started coming back to church.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:52:20]:
They had they'd been they used to come and they they hadn't come for, quite a while, and they came back and they they just pulled me on the side. He says, pastor, can can I I was curious about this tithing and I feel like we should be doing and and I said, you know, like, here's my take on how you can do that. Because tithing means 10%. Right? And so I've had friends that just say, God's word says it, we got to do it. And then I hear, like, the wife says, we're gonna go bankrupt if that's the case because their money is already allocated. Right? And this is what I said to them. This is this is what I want you to do. Choose a percentage that you can do that will that will test your faith in some ways because God says, in this area, in Malachi, he says this, test me in this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:05]:
See, if I will not pour out the the, the floodgates from heaven and pour out abundantly. Right? So this is the only time in the Bible it says test me. But but you should have agreement, you and your spouse. Right? You should have agreement. And so this is what I I I said, just choose a percentage. And why do I say choose a percentage? Because for some people, $20 is huge. For some people, $20, they don't even think about it. And so choose a percentage.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:41]:
1%, 2%, whatever it is. Choose a percentage and give that percentage, and then see if God is not faithful. And then see if God doesn't pour out. And then if He's faithful, then you know what? Then just do what your faith can handle. Do what your faith can handle, Right? And so, some guys, 1%, 1%. And we've had people, just the blessings of God, and many of them financial, but not all, but they would say this, I saw the change, and I saw the thing. And for some of us, we'll do we'll talk about this, we don't really talk about this very often, not on this level. But to be honest, I know that we need to because I think a it's a sensitive issue, and so we it deserves a little bit more time.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:54:32]:
But just this, you know, on this end, this time, this makes sense, what I'm saying, right? So I don't wanna belabor a thing, but just knowing because we'll be accountable, right? So God wants us to be faithful. Here's the last thing, is, is God's gonna hold us accountable for our assignment. And, you know, sometimes God tells you to do something that He doesn't tell somebody else to do. That's your assignment. Right? Ezekiel was called to be the watchman on the wall in Israel. Not everybody was called to be the watchman on the wall, but Ezekiel was. See, God's not gonna hold you accountable for all that you did. He's gonna hold you accountable for all you were supposed to do.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:55:16]:
And so sometimes we get sent somewhere, and sometimes you you may not realize it. It doesn't feel like an assignment. Maybe it wasn't even your choice, but but God has an assignment for each of us and sometimes this assignment changes over time. Your gifts generally don't change very much. Sometimes different things that you do will allow different gifts to come out, but your assignment can change, but you're supposed to finish your assignment. And, and so, when I was a young believer, I became a Christian when I was in college, right? And I was, my whole thing was I just wanted to graduate. And when I wanted to graduate, it's because I had already been going for like 4 years, and then in the next year, I would have graduated. That was my whole thing after, becoming a believer.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:10]:
And so I kinda worked hard at that to be able to do this thing. And then, my friend who was leading the Bible study asked me, he said, you know, Glenn, would you consider going on a mission trip? And I said, oh, I can't go on a mission trip because I gotta graduate and then go to work and, you know, kind of start helping my family out and doing all these things. And and he said, you know, that's great. I know that thing. And he just said, would you do me a favor? Would you just pray about it? And I said, sure. I can do that. And, and I prayed about it, but I was sort of like, Lord, what do you want me to do? And I was just expecting to say, oh, you didn't say anything? Oh, okay. Then I can just do what I want, right? That's what I expected to happen when I prayed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:51]:
But that's not what happened when I prayed. When I prayed, I had this sense that said that, Glenn, you know I called you in the season in your life that sometimes I felt like I wish he had called me sooner. You guys ever know what I'm talking about? Like, I wouldn't have made as many of the mistakes that I had made. But he says, no, I called you in this season for a reason. And so I knew that God had a purpose for me in this season and that He wasn't done yet. And so I thought, oh, maybe that should have just been my focus to graduate and get out of here and go move on with my life that God wanted me to extend. And so I said, okay. You know, if that's the case, if that's what you want me to do, then I have the time this summer to go on this mission trip.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:57:43]:
And so I went from from Hawaii to a little place called Wildwood, New Jersey, which is in the East Coast. And, and people kids from all over the the United States would come, other Christians, for this mission, and we would just reach out to the people who live there as well as, like, the people who would come in the summer. And this is where, like, all the people from New York City, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia would come. And so the people who would come, a lot of them talk like Rocky. Hey, yous, guys. Right? Like, it was kind of that thing, and it was a party town, to be honest. It would be like a 1000000 people, this town of 25,000 normally. So it was up to a1000000 on, like, 4th July weekend.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:58:34]:
And it was there that I kind of really sharpened my faith and how to share my faith and tell somebody about Jesus and how to be bold and how to do what I needed to do, and and it stretched me. And it was there that it wasn't a missionary who said it. It wasn't another teacher, you know, staff guy because I was just a college student, but it was one of my closest friends on that mission trip. This guy named Dave Warren, who went on staff with Campus Crusade later and so did I, but this is what he said. He says, look, what are you gonna do? What are you gonna do after you graduate? He says, well, I'm probably going to go and, you know, I want to this is my my dream. I said, I want to go and, get an accounting degree. I'm going to graduate in in management first, go back and maybe do a master's in business, maybe do a law degree, and then what I'll do is I want God to see promoted, right, do all these things, and then people can see that this is what it's like to follow the Lord. And this is what my friend said to me, And we're he just says, oh, you just want all that you want for yourself, and you're going to give God the leftovers of your life.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:59:57]:
And I was, like, ticked off. And then I thought, well, you're right. You're right. And I said to him, it's like, well, what are you gonna do? He says, I just want to serve the Lord. Now he went into full time ministry. I went into full time ministry later. Is the whole thing is that you're supposed to do this as your vocation? No. That's not the point.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:00:28]:
But the point is, it's not just that people who do stuff like me that are going to be held accountable, it's all of us. And so if I didn't say that to you, then you couldn't be faithful, right? So what are you supposed to do? Like right where you are, love God, serve God. Right? Right where you are. And if God changes your assignment, then sometime later you know what? That's his prerogative. Just be faithful where you are. Be faithful in this season of your life. For some of you, you got little kids and it's like, you know what? Be faithful to love your kids and be faithful to to to share maybe with your neighbors. Be faithful because each one can reach 1.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:01:13]:
Right? Or for some of us, we're in a different season and whatever that means. But I'm just saying, God's saying this: wherever you are, He wants you to be blessed so that you can be a blessing. And one day He's gonna He's just gonna ask us, what did you do with what I gave you? The time, the abilities, the talents, right, the relationships. Because one day I wanna hear, not just for myself, I want all of us to hear that when you stand before Jesus, well done. Well done, my good and faithful servant. Make sense? This bar ends. We're closing the word prayer. And, you know, maybe you've never heard this kind of a message before Because we talk about that Jesus can help you, and he can.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:02:12]:
Because we talk about how much he loves you. He does. We talk about making a difference. Yes. You're designed for that. But part of the issue is if we never realize that God will hold us accountable one day, then to be honest, we might so easily get so involved in things that we shouldn't. And maybe that I don't want you to be at the end of your day saying, I would've, I should've, and I could've. God's gonna just say this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:02:52]:
From like, this couple that got married, this is what he's most concerned about, from this day forward. Does that make sense? So you may see you had seasons in your life where you you weren't doing well. It's okay. God's not gonna beat you up for that. Let's say from this day forward, God, I want to honor you. God, from this day forward, I want to get stronger. Lord, from this day forward, I want to be a blessing to the family in my life. Lord, from this day forward, I know you gave me abilities and and skills and talents, god, from this day forward.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:03:40]:
Lord, I know that I have time or I have financial resources from this day forward. Lord, that whatever this assignment is, would you make it clear to me? Because from this day forward, I wanna bring you honor and glory. If that's your prayer, if that's your prayer, would you pray with me? Lord Jesus, I recognize that all that I have and all that I am really came from You. You made me. You gave me abilities and talents. Lord, you give me the time of my life. I don't know how much time I have, but what time I have, I wanna use it well. Thank you for giving me resources.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [01:04:40]:
Lord, I want to use them to honor you. Use my life to bring you honor and glory. And Lord, would you train me? I wanna be faithful, but I need to practice. Help me to become who you created me to be. In Jesus name, amen. Hey, God bless you guys. Thanks for joining us today. Have a great weekend.