Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Well, good morning, everybody.
[00:00:04] Amazing how a week will change things, right?
[00:00:08] My name is Craig Jarvis. I'm the lead pastor here at Village Church East. I'm really glad that you're here.
[00:00:13] I woke up this morning and I thought to myself, you know, every time.
[00:00:17] I don't know about you, but, you know, and now you look for the AI junk, right? And you're like, oh, come on. I just want. Just show me reality of what's happening.
[00:00:27] And so you search for it. You search for it. And as I just kind of dwelt on those things and thought about today, I gotta tell you, it was like, I woke up this morning and I thought, I can't wait to see you people.
[00:00:39] So I thought I would just stand here and look at you for a second, and you would be my joy. You know, Jesus, when he explained Hebrews, explained to us his emotions as he went to the cross.
[00:00:54] It says in the book of Hebrews, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame.
[00:01:00] And I love that verse. And you may not know this, but that verse talks about us. The joy that was set before him was us. It was you.
[00:01:08] And as I woke up this morning, I thought, you know, you are the joy. We are the joy of God's heart. And as the world changes and crumbles and burns and as these situations happen and we don't know what's going to happen in the future, there will be wars and rumors of wars. That's just how it is.
[00:01:28] But the church will always remain. We will always remain. And the gospel will always change lives until we see Jesus face to face.
[00:01:39] So I thought about that this morning, and I thought, I'm just gonna stand up here and look at all of you for a second before I yell at you. I'm just gonna look at you.
[00:01:48] I don't yell at you. The Holy Spirit hopefully does a little prompting without my.
[00:01:53] Without my encouragement. But we're starting a new series today. I'm excited about this series where we finished up in Deuteronomy. That was a lot of fun. We did Jesus View of Deuteronomy, which was a lot of fun to do as well.
[00:02:07] But today, not only did things change politically, but things also changed a little bit in the direction that we're going to go leading up to Passion Week. You know, it's only five weeks away. Can you believe that?
[00:02:17] Palm Sunday is coming up quickly?
[00:02:20] And then Easter, actually, if you remember, Easter is our celebration of one year in this place.
[00:02:25] So we haven't if you're new with us, we haven't actually been here very long. This hasn't even been a year for us. So we're going to celebrate that, and I'm looking forward to that as well. But this sermon series is called Becoming a Responsible Manager, and we're going to talk a little bit about, if you're familiar with this term, stewardship.
[00:02:49] I'm going to be using the word manager a lot because I think that's a little closer to where our world understands the term.
[00:02:56] But we're going to be talking a little bit about what it means to be a manager of God's things.
[00:03:02] How many of you like taking risks? Do you like taking risks? Are you good with taking risks? No.
[00:03:08] Sometimes. Not always.
[00:03:10] Okay. All right. I'm curious, because if you like taking risks, this message might be completely boring to you. I think most people are really not keen on taking risks. When we take risks, we get these feelings, right?
[00:03:26] This nervous feeling, this anxiety, this stressful feeling.
[00:03:31] And sometimes we're just not sure.
[00:03:33] A risk literally means we're not sure how the outcome is going to be. And this is what Jesus did with his disciples on a regular basis. This is why Jesus constantly said to his disciples one of the most used phrases in Scripture, he pulls on it. He doesn't make it up. He pulls on it because it is used over and over and over again from Genesis, revelation. And it is two words that are constantly spoken again and again to people who are a little stressed about what's happening in the world around them and a little stressed about the fact that sometimes they have to take risks. Do you know what? Those two words are very popular in the Bible.
[00:04:08] Fear not.
[00:04:10] Fear not.
[00:04:12] So I particularly don't like this next illustration. And I cannot look at the screens because I'm going to give you one of the things I fear the most.
[00:04:23] I am scared to death of taking an mri.
[00:04:27] Now, if you've never done this, you have no idea how fortunate you are.
[00:04:32] But if you have done this, you probably kind of know how I feel. I am extremely claustrophobic. I don't even like to sit on a plane against the window to. Because the curve of the plane makes me claustrophobic. And it's getting worse as I get older. So I had to go get an mri.
[00:04:51] And as I walked in there and I saw this machine, I said, nope, I'm not gonna do it. And Beth is going, well, you have to get an mri. Your back is seriously messed up. And this was many years ago, and you have to get this mri. I said, no, I'm not gonna do it. And she said, listen, don't be a child.
[00:05:08] Remember, Jesus, Fear not. And I'm going, yeah, pull the Bible on me. Okay? So I laid down on the machine and they started the ch, ch, ch. You know, pushing me in there. I'm going, nope, nope, this isn't going to work. Take me out. Take me. And they give you that safety ball, you know, that safety ball. And I'm just squeezing the life out of that. Like, nobody's listening. Get me out of this thing.
[00:05:31] So they pulled me out and they said, listen, what if we turn you around and we won't put you head first? Who would ever put you head first? Put you feet first. Okay, fine, I'll take feet first. So they put me under there. And I don't know if you've noticed this about me, but I'm not a small individual. And when I got into that machine, as you start getting in there, my shoulders, I could feel them going, like.
[00:05:52] And I'm thinking to myself, I can't feel the ball. I can't feel my legs. I can't feel anything anymore. Squeezing the ball, trying to get out of there. And I have to tell you to be completely transparent. And Beth. Beth would agree with this. I got out of that machine and Beth is going, fear not. The guy in the booth is going, fear not. They're all going, fear not. I'm going, yeah, forget that. I am not going on this machine. And I went to the room and I got changed and I walked out without getting my mri. I thought, it's better for me if I'm lame for the rest of my life than to go in that machine one more time.
[00:06:26] Logical or illogical?
[00:06:30] Yeah, that's what drugs are for. Yeah, I need a lot of them.
[00:06:34] Logical or illogical, the outcome is always the same. Unchecked fear will steal away your potential. I needed to go through that machine because I needed to find out what was wrong with me. And the truth of that is, almost straight across life, unchecked, fear will steal away potential that. That you might have.
[00:06:58] That you might see in your life. And so today we're starting a new series. We're gonna be talking about us as God's managers, and we're gonna talk about managing things. God made us managers, stewards. If you wanna throw that word in there, fine. But God gave us this responsibility to be managers. And it started with the Garden of Eden. God created everything and then gave it to who was in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve. And he said, listen, I have made. Do you ever think about this? Like when God created everything, he said it was very, very good, right? And then he gave it to Adam and Eve and he said, make it better.
[00:07:38] That's crazy, right?
[00:07:40] They were supposed to tend the garden and make better what God already said was good.
[00:07:45] That's what it means to be a manager.
[00:07:48] So we are managers. This responsibility has never stopped for us. And.
[00:07:52] And if you're struggling with that, I'll prove it with two questions. All right? Two questions. And if you know Christ as your savior, you will answer these correctly. And if you don't, you may not. But here's the two questions. Number one, what does God own?
[00:08:07] Everything. Okay, good. What do I own?
[00:08:12] Nothing.
[00:08:14] All right? That's the message right there.
[00:08:16] God owns everything.
[00:08:19] I own nothing.
[00:08:21] And so I need to be a responsible manager of the stuff God owns. He has loaned them to me so that I can make more of them.
[00:08:31] Just like Adam and Eve made more of what God did in the Garden of Eden. I am to make more of what God gives to me as well. So we're going to be talking about what it means to be a responsible manager. We're going to talk today about a manager's rationale. Next week, we're going to talk about a manager's reasoning, then his reward, then their faithful or their refinement, and then their responsibility.
[00:08:52] So this is where we need to start. If I'm going to be a faithful manager for God, I need to have my mind correctly thinking about the fact that I am a steward.
[00:09:02] I need to think correctly about my stuff.
[00:09:08] I want to please the one who has entrusted all these things to my care. So what kind of an attitude should a manager bring to their calling? What is the difference between. And this is today's message. What is the difference between a cautious manager and a contagious manager? Now, we're in flu season, so don't take that the wrong way. It just started with C, and I liked how it sounded. So we're going to talk about the difference between a cautious versus a contagious manager and how we can become contagious in the way that we manage so that that influence passes on to those around us.
[00:09:45] I want you to take your Bibles, if you would, and turn to Matthew, chapter 25. This is our main passage for today, like Beth said. Blue Bible. Is that what it's called? Blue Letter Bible? If you don't have a Bible on your device, that's a good one to use. I'm using the ESV version, English Standard Version. I'd encourage you to read along with me. It's also on the overhead, so you can read up there as well. Matthew 25:14 says this. For Jesus says the kingdom of heaven will be like a man going on a journey. Who called his servants and entrusted to them. What did he entrust to them? Church.
[00:10:20] His property. Not their property, his property.
[00:10:24] In this parable, all right, Jesus is the master and we are the servants.
[00:10:32] Parables are God's way of teaching us a truth by telling us a story.
[00:10:37] It's like a fable, but better.
[00:10:39] And a parable for Jesus always strikes us where we need to be hit the most.
[00:10:48] This one, in this case. In this case, we are the servants, and the master is Jesus Christ.
[00:10:55] He says the kingdom of heaven will be like a man going on a journey. What is the kingdom of heaven? The kingdom of heaven is how we live as kingdom citizens, here and later. All right. The kingdom of heaven is where God rules. One day, the kingdom of heaven will be a visual reality for us. He will rule, and we will not even have a chance to sin anymore. Wouldn't that be great? Sin will be gone and he will be the king. And Revelation talks about all of this. You can read about it in chapter 21 in particular.
[00:11:26] But the kingdom of heaven will come and we will be.
[00:11:31] We will be in this place that there will be no more crying or pain or sorrow, for the old things will be passed away.
[00:11:40] We look forward to that day. But in this day, we have the chance to experience kingdom living. Now, this is what Jesus is talking about in these parables. When he talks about the kingdom of God, he's saying kingdom life in the future can be experienced in the present.
[00:12:01] All right? The kingdom of heaven is when we live out citizen principles of being under God's rule.
[00:12:12] Right? Now, you know this already. I mean, think about the Lord's Prayer.
[00:12:18] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:12:23] Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Right? Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Kingdom living is an attempt to make much of a world much of Jesus in a world that casually makes him an afterthought. Every time you live and I live in a way like, we're citizens of the kingdom of heaven where he rules, we do what he wants. We bring out kingdom principles, and in this world, you get it.
[00:12:53] So this is what Jesus prays for us, and this is what we want to do. And for us, this is our primary concern.
[00:12:58] This is really easy to see. Jesus talks about it all the time. This is one of my favorite verses. Matthew 6. 33. Jesus says, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. This is not talking about the future. In the future, the kingdom of God will come whether you like it or not.
[00:13:19] But for now, for now, we live out kingdom principles in this world as if we are already living there. That's why we stick out like sore thumbs.
[00:13:32] We don't act like our allegiance is primarily to a country or a leader. We act like our allegiance is to God alone.
[00:13:41] Okay?
[00:13:43] This is why we stand out so much. Today we're going to be talking about six of these principles because they all have to do with how we manage God's stuff. Number one. Principle number one, I own.
[00:13:59] I own nothing. It's good to say. Why don't we just say it all? Like just say the whole phrase together. Here we go. Ready? I own nothing.
[00:14:10] But you own your house, right? No. The bank owns your house, right?
[00:14:14] Don't pay your mortgage and you'll find out who owns your house. Well, I own my car. No, you don't own that either. I own my computer. No, you don't own that. I own my kids. Yeah, see how that goes for you, right?
[00:14:28] I own property.
[00:14:30] I own something, don't I? I own my toothbrush. No, no, no.
[00:14:35] I own nothing.
[00:14:38] I just watch over God's stuff for a while.
[00:14:42] Remember? We just said it. He owns all things.
[00:14:45] Everything in my realm of existence belongs to God and not to me. Now, if I know Christ is my Savior, I am redeemed, right? My destination is secure, right? If the bombs fall here, I go there in a heartbeat.
[00:15:03] My destination is secure. I am redeemed. But my goal as a manager is to redeem the stuff God owns and I watch over.
[00:15:15] So my goal as a manager is to make sure that all of the things that I have are used in a way that pleases him, not me.
[00:15:26] That's what a good manager does. Property, money, relationships, ideals, dreams for my future.
[00:15:32] God takes what has been in the kingdom of this world and he gives it to me. And I have the opportunity to redeem it.
[00:15:40] Now, I brought with me an illustration that you're going to love.
[00:15:45] I have in my pocket here a ten dollar bill.
[00:15:52] This is rare for me because I have kids, so I have a $10 bill.
[00:15:58] I had to take it out of my wallet and make sure that it went in my pocket so it wouldn't disappear when I wasn't looking. All right.
[00:16:05] I Wonder where this $10 bill has been.
[00:16:09] You ever wonder where your money's been?
[00:16:12] Was it used in a drug transaction?
[00:16:17] Was it used to pay for sex traffick?
[00:16:24] Was it used in a way so that like the youth went to North Carolina and help people? Was it used in a way where somebody just gave this $10 bill to somebody at one time and said, here, go buy some groceries with this?
[00:16:41] Was it used in a good way or was it used in a bad way? I have no idea. I have no idea the journey this ten dollar bill has been on.
[00:16:50] I don't know if it's use that somebody may have spent it on their last groceries that they could afford.
[00:16:56] But now all of a sudden I have it in my pocket.
[00:17:00] It's mine.
[00:17:03] God's goal is to redeem everything that I have, and my goal is to do the same.
[00:17:10] I have this $10 bill. I don't know how long I'll have it.
[00:17:13] One of my daughters is home from college, so I don't know if I'll have it all that long. But I have it for now.
[00:17:20] Now Rebecca's home. I'm so glad you're home, baby. It's so good. Was it good to have her playing the guitar again? I loved it. Yeah, love it.
[00:17:29] I don't know how long I'll have this $10 bill. All I know is that wherever this has been, God has taken it from the kingdom of this world and he has put it into my hand for now.
[00:17:43] Now I am to use this $10 bill. And in a way that would please him, he takes whatever's in the kingdom of this world and he gives it to his people for a time. I may not have this very long, but while I have it, I want to make sure that I am a good manager of this ten dollar bill. My goal is to redeem this $10 bill for his glory, for his work, and for his fame.
[00:18:10] As his manager, my responsibility is to to be sure whatever he has taken from the world and put into my hand, that I manage it well.
[00:18:20] And it doesn't even have to be a ten dollar bill. It can be my car, it can be my house, it can be my kids, it can be anything. Whatever got my relationship with other people at work only for a little while. But I have the chance to redeem this thing because God has given it to me for a little while.
[00:18:39] Here's a verse that goes along with that. Second Corinthians, 9, 11. You will be Enriched in every way, to be generous in every way, which through us will bring thanksgiving to God.
[00:18:51] God entrusts his stuff to me for just a time, a temporary time, and church.
[00:18:59] He expects a return.
[00:19:01] Let's read forward in the parable and find this out to one. Remember, the master's going away. He calls three servants together. Let's call them Larry, Curly and Mo. All right?
[00:19:12] He calls Larry, Curly and Mo together, and he gives them his property. Verse 15 to 1. He gave five talents to another, two to another, one each according to his ability.
[00:19:25] Then he went away.
[00:19:27] A talent. You may wonder what a talent is. This is going to shock you. All right.
[00:19:32] A talent is a measure of weight.
[00:19:35] A talent in this day, in Jesus day was equal. A talent was equal to gold.
[00:19:42] That would pay for 20 years of wages.
[00:19:46] One talent, 20 years of wages.
[00:19:49] That would be about $400,000.
[00:19:51] If you translated that into gold today, that means one talent equals $2.1 million.
[00:20:01] So don't think the guy that got one talent got gypped.
[00:20:05] This is like God saying, all right, I've got a couple of really nice Maseratis Ferraris sitting out front here. I want you to have keys to the Ferrari. You can have keys to the Maserati. He entrusted to them his property, and he did so because he wanted them to make more of the stuff while he was gone.
[00:20:27] He wanted them to be wise managers, right?
[00:20:32] So the things that I have have the potential to double or triple in the kingdom of God. And my goal is to take all of the things that God gives me from the world into the kingdom of God and do more with it.
[00:20:45] $10. I should have had 2.1 million up here. That would have really got your attention, right?
[00:20:51] Principle number two.
[00:20:53] The way that I use things I manage over determines my devotion to the real owner.
[00:21:01] If you want to know how devoted you are to Jesus Christ, my only question is, how do you use his stuff? Not yours. None of it's yours.
[00:21:10] How do you use his stuff?
[00:21:14] So verse 16. He who received the five talents went at once traded with them and made five talents more. That's about $10 million.
[00:21:24] He also who had the two talents, made two talents more.
[00:21:29] But he who had received the one talent went out, dug in the ground and hid his master's money.
[00:21:36] Hid his master's money.
[00:21:38] Now, everyone is commended in Scripture when they exhibit a heart of generosity like their masters would. Managers are commended when they take what God gives them and make more of it. But no one, no one is ever commended for going and Hiding God's stuff in barns or in the ground.
[00:21:57] Because that is not what God would do with his stuff.
[00:22:00] Which brings us to this phrase on the screen, which is a good one to remember. Managers please their master when they use his blessings to grow his kingdom.
[00:22:11] He would.
[00:22:13] Now, don't be too hard on the guy that hid the one talent. I mean, can you imagine your Boss giving you $2.1 million and leaving and not telling you when he'll come back and just saying, you know, do what I would do with this, would you? And gives you a suitcase with $2.1 million? He had 20 years of wages. He didn't want to make a mistake. He was scared to death. He was staring at an MRI machine and he was thinking to himself, I can't make a mistake because I can't blow this opportunity.
[00:22:49] He gave in to fear.
[00:22:51] Now, I want you to back up a second to a verse. We just read the verse right before this in verse 15. And let me remind you. To one, he gave five talents.
[00:22:59] To another he gave two, and to another one. Would you read the next phrase for me, please? To each according to his ability. Does that make you a little uncomfortable?
[00:23:15] So let's call him Larry, Curly and Mo. All right, Larry gets five, Curly gets two, and Mo gets one. Why does Mo get one?
[00:23:24] And why doesn't Mo look at the other two guys and go, wait a doggone minute. Why are they getting all the cash? And. And I'm just getting a measly 2.1 million. This doesn't seem very fair to me.
[00:23:35] Mo was given 1, Curly, 2, Larry, 5.
[00:23:41] Each one was given to his own ability. And I think why it says that church is this. And this is what I hate most about this parable. And that is this. God knows our potential.
[00:23:58] I'd love to be Larry, wouldn't you?
[00:24:01] God says, listen, I'm going to give you 10 million. See what you can do with it. And I'd be like, oh, thank you. Watch me. I can do something with this.
[00:24:10] But I think some of us are more like Mo than we think.
[00:24:14] We don't want to take risks. We feel uncomfortable living by faith.
[00:24:18] We have a tendency to use our stuff as though it were our stuff and not his stuff to begin with. And God knows this. Our relationship with him is based not out of love, but out of fear. What if I do something wrong?
[00:24:34] And fear motivated this poor guy then verse 19.
[00:24:39] Now, after a long time. How long was it?
[00:24:43] A long time.
[00:24:45] The master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. What does that mean?
[00:24:50] He's going to sit down and he's going to say, what'd you do with my stuff?
[00:24:55] Right.
[00:24:57] And he came at a time that they didn't know.
[00:25:02] Yeah. If it was like next Friday, I know there's a deadline. I can do something with that. But if it's like, yeah, no, I'm going to come back. It'll be a while, but you won't know when I come back.
[00:25:14] Do something with what I give to you.
[00:25:17] Verse 20. This is a long part of it, but if you're not uncomfortable now, you will be in a minute.
[00:25:25] And he who received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more.
[00:25:29] Imagine laying $10 million on the table.
[00:25:33] Master, you delivered to me five talents. Here, look, I've made five talents more. His master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a little. What a little?
[00:25:48] To this master, it was a little, but to Larry, it was a lot.
[00:25:53] You've been faithful over a little. So I will set you over much.
[00:25:59] Enter into the joy of your master.
[00:26:02] And also he who had the two talents came. Curly shows up.
[00:26:06] He came forward. He said, master, you delivered to me two talents here. I've made two talents more, $4 million more. His master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a little.
[00:26:19] I'll set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. Brings us to principle number three.
[00:26:25] How I manage the things in my life will often reveal God's values. And my values are the same or a whole lot different.
[00:26:35] God says, you've been faithful.
[00:26:38] What does faithful mean? Faithful means I use his stuff as he would use his stuff.
[00:26:46] That's what faithfulness means.
[00:26:49] I don't use the stuff that God takes out of this world and gives to me in a way that he would not use it. That's unfaithfulness.
[00:26:58] Faithfulness is taking one thing that he took out of this world, gives it to me, and I use it and as he would use it. That's faithfulness.
[00:27:08] You've been faithful over a little.
[00:27:11] I love that the things that we value in the world today are not the things that God values.
[00:27:18] We value fame and we value power and we value standing on a platform and we value inventing the electric car.
[00:27:29] We value all kinds of different things. That is not what God values.
[00:27:34] What does God value?
[00:27:36] He values a heart for Him.
[00:27:38] He values taking care of the least of these.
[00:27:41] He values giving a cup of cold water to the poor. He values giving your time to the needy.
[00:27:49] He values you making food for a family that's hurting. He values helping the widows and the orphans. He values defending the unborn.
[00:27:59] He values the widow who gave a mite, not the proud Pharisee who gave a suitcase full of money.
[00:28:07] What I consider a talent investment.
[00:28:11] One talent investment God may see as a five, talent investment.
[00:28:17] I've seen people with very little get a lot of joy out of giving a lot with what they have, and I think that's what the master would want. Which brings us to principle number four.
[00:28:32] Shrewd managers are the ones commended in God's kingdom.
[00:28:37] God says, well done, good and faithful servant.
[00:28:42] I am faithful when I display more of him through how I use his stuff.
[00:28:48] The demands to live by faith sometimes feel risky, but. But risk is often needed in order to do something great for God.
[00:28:57] So I'm going to use an illustration that is sitting right in front of me right now.
[00:29:04] Almost nine years ago, some of us sat together on my back porch and talked about starting a church.
[00:29:13] I had no idea that this is what the Lord had for us.
[00:29:17] And if you're new with us, this is where Village Church east started.
[00:29:23] We're sitting around and Village Church of Bartlett approached me and said, hey, why don't you guys help us start a church? Because the Lord is really blessing us and we need to start another location in another city close to us. And so we started praying about it and we started. And I need to tell you, Michael is the pastor of Village Church of Bartlett. They were actually using this space yesterday. Did you know that? They came over here. Those guys came over here that started. That helped us start this church and use this space for their Alpha ministry yesterday. And they filled it up and they asked us if they could use our space.
[00:30:04] And it's like the child has become, you know, the graduating senior. Now we can start. We can start. We can stand on our own as a church. And I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful that now we have a mature relationship where we don't depend on anybody else.
[00:30:23] We depend on the Lord and him alone.
[00:30:26] This is where all of that started.
[00:30:28] Almost nine years. It'll be nine years.
[00:30:31] Oh, my goodness.
[00:30:33] It's nine years this weekend.
[00:30:35] It's nine years this weekend. Happy anniversary.
[00:30:40] Yeah.
[00:30:42] We didn't know.
[00:30:43] Michael came to me and he said, hey, why don't you start a church? And I said, no, I'm not going to do that.
[00:30:48] True story. I said, no, I'm not going to do that. I'm old.
[00:30:53] I've Been in the ministry long enough to know how difficult it is to work with people, especially when you start a church.
[00:31:00] I don't want all that extra responsibility of, you know, starting a church from scratch. I'd never done it before, but to me, it was risky.
[00:31:10] So he comes to me the next month and he says, you know, Craig, we really would like for you to help us start a church. And I said, yeah, we've already had this conversation. I'm not going to do that.
[00:31:19] And then he came to me the next month and he said, you know, Craig, you should really start a church. And I'm thinking, are you like, is there something wrong with your brain? Because we've had this conversation. And he said, no, I really think you should. And I said, okay.
[00:31:32] I said, I'll pray about it. And that was my first mistake.
[00:31:38] So Beth and I prayed about it, and it wasn't a mistake. Beth and I prayed about it. And I said, lord, if you want me to start a church, I've never done it before. Been in the ministry for 30 years, but I've never started a church.
[00:31:51] And if you want me to do that, I'm willing to do it.
[00:31:55] And from that moment, we began talking to Village Church of Bartlett. They helped us get our feet underneath of us and helped us with launching. We were in Fountain View Athletic center for seven years and for eight years, and this is nine years. Yeah. And then we moved into here. And we are a church that wasn't here 10 years ago. And I think that's really cool. I think it's really cool.
[00:32:22] And I use this illustration not to brag on us, not to brag on our elders, not to brag on the people that were at the very beginning. Because quite frankly, some of those aren't with us any longer. They're in different places serving the Lord in different places. Some of them you recognize from being there. Some of you were on that deck with us on that day.
[00:32:41] But I am grateful for that day, and I'm grateful that we stepped out in faith, and I'm grateful we took the risk because we have been used by the Lord in this place to do so many good things for the kingdom of God.
[00:32:55] Some of you are sitting here today having given your life to Jesus because of this church. Some of you have been baptized because of this church.
[00:33:04] Some of you have gone through really rough patches in your relationship, and you have found a strength that you didn't know before because of this church. And I'm not. I'm not bragging on me or on the elders. None of that. I'm just saying if you want to be a good manager, you can't let your first word be. No, you have to pray about it.
[00:33:24] Because God is taking your time and your talents and your heartbeat and your health and your life that he has given to you. And he's saying, are you willing to take a risk?
[00:33:36] Shrewd managers are the ones that are commended in God's kingdom.
[00:33:41] And you may not think that you have much to give, but you have more to give than you know.
[00:33:49] He doesn't need you to stand in front.
[00:33:52] He doesn't need you to invent an electric car.
[00:33:56] He just needs your heart. He needs you to have a relationship with him that goes beyond your allegiance to anything else.
[00:34:04] Lives have been changed. People have been baptized. Missionaries have gone out from this church. We started a church at Bridgeway that was not there before.
[00:34:13] God has been glorified and we have redeemed this space for his glory.
[00:34:17] And I'm grateful that we took the risk and I'm grateful that you're here to enjoy it with us.
[00:34:24] God doesn't judge us on the outcome of our risk. Did you know that? Let me just say that one more time. It's so free.
[00:34:31] God does not judge you on the outcome of your risks. That's his department.
[00:34:38] God judges us on our faithfulness and our willingness to follow him with what we have now.
[00:34:47] Which brings us to principle number five. My relationship to my master will determine my effectiveness.
[00:34:54] I need to think so highly of him that I'm willing to. To give him whatever he asks for.
[00:35:01] Verse 24. He who also received the one talent came forward. Uh oh, this is Mo.
[00:35:08] He would receive the one talent came forward saying, master. Now get this. This is a speech he wrote in the garage before he went and had his moment, right?
[00:35:17] He had this down.
[00:35:19] Master, I knew you to be a hard man. Reaping where you do not sow, gathering where you scattered no seed.
[00:35:29] Lots of accolades, lots of compliments.
[00:35:33] So I was what church?
[00:35:37] He didn't understand his relationship with his master.
[00:35:41] I was afraid.
[00:35:43] That's why I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, have what is yours.
[00:35:49] Oh, yo, yo, yo.
[00:35:54] He saw the commendation Larry and Curly got.
[00:35:59] What is the thing about Mo's attitude that was different from Larry and Curly? He was afraid.
[00:36:06] And this is totally understandable. He's got keys to a Ferrari. I'm not going to drive it. I'm afraid I'm going to wreck it.
[00:36:15] So I'm going to hide it. In the ground and not do anything with it so that when the master comes back who owns it, I won't have wrecked things for him.
[00:36:26] He didn't have the relationship with his master his friends had, which brings up three V's. His view of the master was warped. He said, I know you are a hard man. Oh, my goodness gracious.
[00:36:39] When you describe God, I pray that you never describe God as a hard God.
[00:36:46] I hope the first thing you would say is, I know that you are a loving. God didn't know his master.
[00:36:55] His vision of his job was wrong. I hid it in the ground. Our goal is not to preserve what God gives us. It is to make more of it.
[00:37:04] His vision was wrong. He didn't understand his job description and his vested interest toward things were was put in the wrong place. Here, take back what is yours. God has taken what is his, given it to me. It's still his, but I got it for a while. The question is, what am I going to do with it while I have it?
[00:37:25] The reason God entrusts anything to us is so that this is key. We can make more of him with it. This is why you don't want to use your stuff to sin.
[00:37:38] Don't use your stuff to sin.
[00:37:40] Don't take your car where he wouldn't take it. Don't watch things on your TV he wouldn't watch. Don't use your computer for things he wouldn't use them for. It's his stuff. You got it for a while.
[00:37:49] You need to take those things and make more of him with them.
[00:37:55] Your relationship with people. I can't talk to them. They're just. They're nuts. They don't make sense. I don't like them. They treat me badly.
[00:38:02] People nailed Jesus to a cross and what did he do for them? He prayed for them.
[00:38:07] Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. Listen, you live in a world that's blind. It's natural. You get treated badly.
[00:38:15] But our goal is not to treat people badly, who treat us badly. Our goal is to take our time, our health, our heart, and use them as though they were God's time, heart and health.
[00:38:30] The reason God entrusts anything to us is so we can make more of him with us.
[00:38:34] With it. We take you to 2 Corinthians 9, 2nd Corinthians 9. We read it this morning together as a congregation. We're going to be parking here a lot in the weeks to come. But this is a great passage of scripture.
[00:38:47] You will be enriched in Every way. Church. Listen. You'll be enriched in every way so that you can be.
[00:38:54] What's the next word?
[00:38:56] You'll be riched in every way so that you can store it in barns and have it for your future. True or false?
[00:39:02] False. You'll be enriched in every way so that you can hide it in the ground so you don't blow it. When God comes back, you can give it back to him. True or false?
[00:39:10] You'll be enriched in every way so that you can have some fun until your parents come home. True or false?
[00:39:18] You'll be enriched in every way so. So that you can be generous. You know why? Because God is.
[00:39:26] And we take what he has given to us and use it as he would use it. You have been enriched in every way so that you can be generous in every way. Which through us, the apostles Paul says will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but also overflowing many thanksgivings to God. What he means is what. What we are doing and how you're supporting us is causing other people to glorify God. We're taking the money that you're giving to us. In this case, Paul is saying we're taking it and we're taking it to other churches and they're getting food and they're getting necessities and they're getting medicine and they're getting care that they need. Your gifts taken from the world that God has given to you, that you're giving to us are now blessing so many people and they're not thanking us, they are thanking God overwhelmingly.
[00:40:20] Listen, this is why I use the word contagious.
[00:40:22] Don't be a cautious manager, be a contagious one. Because people around us will see the blessings that we are able to give them in their generosity and they will catch the fever and they will give it. Give God thanks.
[00:40:39] You know this is true. I mean, how many of you. The other day I went through McDonald's because, yeah, I go to McDonald's once in a while.
[00:40:46] So I went to McDonald's like you can't tell. So I went to McDonald's and I drove through the drive through and I got my food and the attendant said, I said, yeah, how much? You didn't take my money yet. And they said, no, no, no, the person in front of you paid for your food.
[00:41:01] And I was going, I should have order.
[00:41:08] I mean, we call pay it forward, right? People are doing this all the time. And you know what? You know what? That Made me feel like that. Made me feel very, very thankful. I mean, it's just a burger and fries. It's not much, but to me it was like, oh, that's so nice of them. That's really. That's really generous of them. And when you do that in a way so that you see your whole life that way, nothing you have is yours. It's taken from the kingdom of this world. It's put into your hands so that you can use it for the kingdom of God. You've got a chance to bless God with this in a way that causes other people to give thanks to him, causes their heart to beat stronger, maybe causes them to have to have a little more faith in God than they had before.
[00:41:51] The cautious manager is never commended. But the contagious manager is commended because that attitude goes far.
[00:42:01] He hid it because he was fear of damaging it or risking it.
[00:42:06] But he said to the guy, he said to the master, I didn't lose it either. There's got to be something for that.
[00:42:11] Look in verse 26.
[00:42:14] His master got his 2.1 million back. Keep that in mind.
[00:42:19] But he's not happy.
[00:42:22] But his master said to him, you wicked and slothful mo servant.
[00:42:30] You know that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers. Do something with it.
[00:42:38] And at my coming, I should have received what is my own, plus a little interest.
[00:42:43] So take the talent from this guy and give it to Larry and Curly. No, give it to Larry. Larry has 10 talents.
[00:42:50] For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. An unhealthy fear always supplants a healthy trust in our Creator.
[00:43:06] This is an unrational fear.
[00:43:08] Cause him to do a stupid thing. This is MRI stuff.
[00:43:13] Which brings me to our final principle number six. My master is never happy when I choose safety over faith.
[00:43:21] That is a good one. You should take a picture of that one.
[00:43:24] My master is never happy when I choose safety over faith. How does the master describe this guy's attitude?
[00:43:32] Is he like, oh, yeah, I can understand you've never had $2.1 million before. I have a lot. I own a lot of stuff. But for you, this must have been difficult. I made a mistake. I shouldn't have given it to you. I trusted you too much.
[00:43:49] Don't worry about it.
[00:43:51] Next time I'll know and you won't be given. He doesn't say any of that.
[00:43:56] The master says to the servant, he doesn't say, I understood that you fear. He says, I understand one thing. You're lazy.
[00:44:06] You're lazy. Isn't that crazy?
[00:44:11] God never seems happy with those who play it safe. This is why, O you of little faith is all over Scripture. God brags over those who faithfully take big steps for him. Hebrews chapter 11 is all about these people. Fear will cut out your talents and potential faster than any other thing. Listen, Craig, I can't serve because I don't have the ability to. Yes, you do.
[00:44:36] You got something you can give the Lord.
[00:44:39] Listen, Craig, I can't give because I don't have enough money. I'll get out of here.
[00:44:43] Yes. You got something?
[00:44:45] God doesn't commend the guy that comes in with a briefcase full of money. He commends the woman who gives a mite because for that, for her it was all she could give and he couldn't care less how much it is. He's just looking at the heart.
[00:44:59] I can't love Craig because I've been hurt too many times.
[00:45:02] So I'll protect this as best I can.
[00:45:05] I understand.
[00:45:06] But listen, fear will steal more from you than you can possibly, possibly imagine. God doesn't judge you on the risks and the outcomes. He judges us on our faithfulness.
[00:45:21] I'm meant to live out every part of life with a faith that impacts it. That's why in First Corinthians 10:31, it says, so whether you eat or you drink, what do you do every day? You eat and you.
[00:45:33] He uses these two things because it's what we do every day. Whether you eat or you drink or whatever you do, do all to the what church.
[00:45:42] It impacts everything we do. Our faithfulness as managers impacts every part of our lives.
[00:45:49] We'll fail if we let fear stop us from attempting great things for God. So we are not called to be cautious managers. We are called to be contagious managers.
[00:45:59] You'll be enriched in every way so that you can be generous in every way which will produce thanksgiving giving to God.
[00:46:07] You want to know what happens to the wicked servant? I was going to cut this because it's getting a little long, but I got to finish the story for you.
[00:46:15] It's a real bummer, but here's how it goes. Verse 30.
[00:46:21] Remember, take the 2.1 million from this guy, dust the dirt off it, dig it out of the hole and give it to Larry because he's a good, trusting servant, good manager.
[00:46:32] And verse 30, cast the worthless servant into outer darkness in that place where there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[00:46:43] That's kind of harsh, don't you think?
[00:46:46] I know. I didn't want to include it because it's awful.
[00:46:50] Outer darkness here does not mean.
[00:46:52] Does not mean hell.
[00:46:55] But it simply means that this master takes this that seriously.
[00:47:02] God doesn't take lazy managers lightly. And so Church, I and you am better off when we know who really owns our stuff.
[00:47:15] Here's some. So what's number one? All God asks for is fearless trust. Ooh.
[00:47:21] God asks for fearless trust. He doesn't want your money, your talent, or your stuff. Those are already his. What does God own?
[00:47:28] Everything. He doesn't want anything from you. He doesn't want anything. All he wants is trust in how you use the stuff that you are overseeing you're managing over.
[00:47:38] So what does it mean to trust in the Lord?
[00:47:41] One of my favorite verses. You probably know this. Proverbs 3, 5, 10. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. You're not responsible for the outcome. He is. And if you go down to verse nine, it says this. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of your produce, and then your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats bursting with wine. I don't know what that means, but it sounds really good, don't you?
[00:48:15] It doesn't mean if you give a dollar, he's going to give you 10. That's not what that means.
[00:48:20] What it means is if your heart is to manage things for him and not for yourself, then you will see blessings in your life. You don't see.
[00:48:31] You will live by faith.
[00:48:33] Let me break down trust for you. Here it is. T means take an inventory. What did you get on your own Church?
[00:48:42] Nothing. The fact that your heart is beating is all up to him.
[00:48:46] Where do you plug in to recharge?
[00:48:49] Nowhere. You ever think about that? Like my computer. I got to plug it in. This little thing here. Got to plug it in. I got to plug in everything so I can get some juice flowing through it. And then it dies again. Right? And then they change the adapters all the time and I got to buy new adapters and. Yeah.
[00:49:04] What keeps your heart beating?
[00:49:10] Yeah. Food and sun and taking care of yourself. That's all true, but the fact of the matter is, Church, you got nothing on your own. If God stopped thinking about you for a minute, you're gone.
[00:49:22] That's t Take an inventory. What do you really own? What are you really in control of?
[00:49:28] Nothing.
[00:49:29] Can you guarantee me that you'll get home today?
[00:49:31] Nope. But he can.
[00:49:34] Number two r recognize God as your source. All good things come from Him. We talked about that. You understand God's principles?
[00:49:42] God's principles are simply. Generosity is highly valued in the kingdom of God. It increases our trust in Him. When we give to others, we have to depend on him for what he gives to us. Generosity is highly valued. If you are not generous, if you're holding back, you're probably the kind of person that is willing to give him a little. But hide a bit in the ground for you too.
[00:50:08] Understand God's principles. S surrender everything to God.
[00:50:11] The moment that we understand the principles of God, we understand our lives are nothing more than an act of surrender.
[00:50:18] And t trust God's promises.
[00:50:21] He will provide for you. He always does.
[00:50:25] In some way or another, he always does. 2. Faith might require risk, but it may just feel that way.
[00:50:35] Remember the Kingdom metrics. Does God get angry with failure? If we try to take a faithful step for him, does he get mad at us for failure?
[00:50:43] No, absolutely not.
[00:50:46] How many failures does God brag about in Scripture?
[00:50:49] Think about the people of scripture. Moses, David, Abraham, Peter, any one of the disciples.
[00:50:57] God, he doesn't judge us on our failures. He judges us on our lack of faith.
[00:51:04] Is fear benign?
[00:51:07] No. If you're afraid to do things for the Lord, it will paralyze you. It will bring doubt into your world.
[00:51:14] Is laziness something that God understands and can live with?
[00:51:18] No. Not as managers.
[00:51:21] We must never stop attempting great things for God, believing He can make something great with our little efforts.
[00:51:28] Managers are not driven by emotion, but by duty. The fact is that Jesus has left like the Master.
[00:51:38] Jesus is not here with us in person if you didn't know that. He's not. But he is with us because his spirit is in us.
[00:51:48] That's why we say Jesus is among us.
[00:51:51] But Jesus, the Master has left. But I need to tell you something. The Master will return.
[00:51:57] And when he does, we will give an account.
[00:52:02] Fact is, you have all the tools and resources you need right now. You don't need to wait for a better paying job. I had people say, craig, you know, if I won a million dollars in the lottery, I would give all of it to the church. And at that moment, I've got like, okay, I got a couple of questions for you. At this point point right now, God doesn't want a Million dollars from you. He wants to be faithful with what you have now.
[00:52:26] So what's keeping you from taking an active risk for kingdom work? And finally, number three, faithful managers will realize rewards now and later. What are our two greatest objectives as a church?
[00:52:39] What is our two greatest objectives as people? What's the two greatest commandments? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength. We just went through Deuteronomy. That's where it comes from. And love your neighbor as yourself. It's just two.
[00:52:56] When we do these things, we reap eternal and immediate rewards. Immediate because God calls it life abundant.
[00:53:05] All the promises in scripture come to life. Peace that passes, understanding, joy, unspeakable hope to carry us through the darkness. God gives us stuff in this life, more than we can imagine. But he also promised us a life to come.
[00:53:19] So, church, God has loaned you all your stuff for a reason.
[00:53:24] Things in our lives. The talents, the abilities, the use of our time, our families, our houses, our cars, everything.
[00:53:30] There's not things to gather for any other reason than. Than to love God more and serve others better with them.
[00:53:38] Whatever you have that God has taken out of the kingdom of this world and given to you for a little while, this is your opportunity to love God more with it and to bless others with it.
[00:53:51] Larry and Curly worked.
[00:53:54] They busted their buns. They got up early, they went to bed late. They worked and they worked. And their one objective was to please their master. They couldn't wait for their master to return. Look what I have done. I can't even wait.
[00:54:07] It's like a kid drawing a really cruddy picture and waiting for their parents to come home and saying, see, I made this for you. And you going, that is the worst thing I've ever seen. But I love it because you drew it.
[00:54:20] The kid can't wait for the dad and the mom to come home.
[00:54:25] I want to be that kind of manager.
[00:54:29] I want to be the kind of manager that can't wait for their master to return so he can see what I have done with the time he's given me, with the talents, with this body, with these eyes and this heart and these hands. I want him to be pleased with me so that someday I don't care if I get a crown or two. I couldn't care less.
[00:54:51] What I care most about is for him to call me into account someday and say, you know what, Craig? I've been looking forward to seeing you Because I got one thing to say.
[00:55:02] Well done, good and faithful servant. Oh, Not a penny of mine was ever my own.
[00:55:12] And I pray that my contagious behavior rubbed off on somebody.
[00:55:18] So are you a cautious manager or are you a contagious one?
[00:55:26] We're going to do communion, and this is your opportunity to respond to the way that God is speaking to you. I know every time I do these stewardship messages, because it's all the way through Scripture, but every time I do them, they land differently.
[00:55:41] For some people, it's like, yes, I can't wait to give more. For other people, it's like, I'm not really used to that at all. Like, I don't think I have a lot to give him at all. Sure you do. Sure you do.
[00:55:52] Everybody has something that he has given you to manage for a little while.
[00:55:58] So I don't know how this message has landed with you, but I pray it's landed in a way where you felt like I wrote this for you.
[00:56:06] Because I like to think that, you know, it's not my words, but it's how the Holy Spirit lands these words in our hearts.
[00:56:14] And I pray that he has landed them in yours. So every time before we take communion, we give you an opportunity to just quietly have a moment with Him.
[00:56:24] So we're going to go right into the communion service. And as we spend this time, my prayer is that you would focus on that. If you're new to our communion service and your tradition of doing communion is a little different. Different. If you don't want to participate, don't feel like you need to. This is nothing we're coercing anyone to do. But we do it because we're excited to do it.
[00:56:46] We do it because we're told in Scripture that we need to keep doing it.
[00:56:50] We're doing it because the blood is represented in the juice, and the body of our Lord is represented in the bread. And when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim what God has given us in Jesus Christ. Until we see him again face to face, we proclaim the fact that he gave everything for us so that we could give him everything back.
[00:57:14] And so, as we come to the table, you're going to hear some music play. And if you would just come down the middle aisle, they're going to sing a song actually this morning, one of my favorite songs. It's an old hymn called Trust and Obey.
[00:57:27] Great, great song.
[00:57:29] Listen to the words. I don't know if we got them up on the screen or not, but they're great words to this song. Good old song, kind of solidifies what we've been talking about. But if you would just come up down the middle aisle. There's a tray here, and there's a tray here. Grab your two cups. They're piled on top of each other. Be careful as you take them apart. The bread is on the bottom, the juice is on the top. Walk back to your seat and just stay there and stand and wait for everybody to get their cups. And then we'll eat and we'll drink together.
[00:58:01] Like I said right before that, I'm going to give you a chance to speak to the Lord, because I'm sure he's spoken to you.
[00:58:09] So whatever you need to give to him, whatever you need to repent from, whatever you need to say. You know, I've been using this time or whatever it is that has been on a plate, and I thought it was mine. I recognize now that it's your plate. It's yours. Help me to manage it well and stop claiming it as my own. I don't know how the Lord's spoken to you, but however it is, this is your chance to respond to Him.
[00:58:37] So why don't we do that right now, Father, as we spend some time with you? Speak to us as only that you can. Your Holy Spirit can. Your presence is with us. You are with us, and you are anxious to see how we respond as managers of what you've given to us.
[00:58:58] So, Church, just take a moment, silently speak to God. He hears every word, every word in your mind. And would you just pray to him and do business with Him?
