So

as

you

have

your

Bibles

in

Matthew,

chapter

25.

I've

been.

I've

had

the

privilege.

How

many

have

ever

flown

on

a

plane

before?

How

many

of

you

like

flying?

You

don't

like

flying?

Okay,

some.

You

may

have

to

fly

at

some.

Point

in

your

life.

If

not,

pray

that

you

don't

have

to

go

too

far.

And

you

can

like

the

driving.

When

you

fly,

you

book

your

tickets

and

you

have

to

check

in

and

then

what?

Some

flights

allow

you

to

select

your

seats.

Every

time

I

fly,

you

get

the

choice.

If

they

can

put

the.

You

guys

are

going

to

have

to

stay

ready.

Which

airline

is

this,

by

the

way?

If

you

guys

fly.

Delta.

Good,

Good.

I'm

a

Delta

guy.

How

many

of

you

like.

Let's

just

do

a

straw

poll

right

now.

How

many

of

you

like

window

seats?

Just

lift

up

your

hand.

Window

seats.

Window

seats.

Just

look

around.

Window

seats.

Wow.

How

many

of

you

like

the

aisle

seats?

Aisle

seats.

Lift

it

up,

lift

it

up.

Aisle

seats.

How

many,

like

the

middle

seat?

Wow.

First

off,

you

must

be

really

skinny

or

I

don't

know

what

else,

but.

Okay,

so

there

you

go.

Yeah.

If

you

travel.

We've

traveled

with

five.

We

really

have

no

choice.

The

kids

got

dibs,

and

we

do

whatever's

left.

And

then

if

you

got

one

like

our

oldest

one,

somebody

stuck

with

her,

and

you

got

to

figure

it

out.

But

I

used

to

like

the

window

seats

when

I

started

to

fly

and

travel

more,

especially

when

we

were

kids,

because

to

see

that

view

from

that

window,

from

that

perspective

is

very

different.

As

I've

grown

older

and

I

get

bigger

and

my

bones

and

my

legs

don't

work

as

good

as

it

used

to,

I

tried.

I

shifted

over

to

the.

Selecting

the

aisle

seat.

But

when

you're,

I

want

to

say.

Trapped

in

the

middle

seat,

you

definitely.

Feel

trapped,

Especially

being

a

bigger

person

and

you're

sitting

like

this

and

like,

I

can't

move.

I

can't

get

my

stuff.

I

can't

move

around

all

those

things.

Today,

I

want

to

share

with

you

or

start

a

series,

a

miniseries

called

Hustle

to

Holy.

And

I'm

coming

back

to

that

illustration.

In

a

moment,

but.

Hustle

to

Holy.

Someone

say

Hustle

to

Holy.

This

series

is

going

to

be

about

making

sure

that

you

and

I,

we

all

are

equipped,

empowered,

and

encouraged

to

use

biblical

principles

to

experience

an

overflow

in

the

area

of

our

finances.

It's

all

about

being

knowledgeable.

This

is

going

to

be

a

teaching

series,

and

you're

going

to

hear

testimonies

and

you're

going

to

hear

biblical

principles

and

how

we

can

be

faithful

in

our

finances

so

that

our

finances

do

not

trap

us

or

restrict

us,

but

gives

us

freedom

in

our

life.

How

we

can

go

from

living

under

financial

pressure

to

financial

peace,

how

we

can

go

from

living

under

financial

bondage

to

financial

freedom,

and

how

we

can

go

from

living

under

the

financial

scarcity

to

financial

overflow.

Today,

this

first

part,

the

message

is

titled

which

seat

are

you

in?

So

I'm

going

to

repeat

that.

Which

seat

are

you

in?

If

I

was

to

draw

an

analogy

to

the

airline

seats,

to

this

area

of

finances

in

our

life,

I

want

to

say

the

window

seat

would

be

like

the

dreamer.

Someday

I'll

be

financially

free.

You

love

to

look

out

at

the

view

and

all

the

possibilities

and

see

the

horizon,

the

sun

coming

up

or

the

sun

coming

down.

Someday

I'll

be

financially

free.

But

you

procrastinate.

You

may

procrastinate

on

budgeting,

investing

and

tithing

while

dreaming

of

financial

success.

There

are

risks

of

being

stuck

if

you

don't

move

from

vision

to

execution.

The

middle

seat

is

not

the

dreamer,

but

the

struggler.

You're

stuck

between

bills

and

responsibilities.

You're

squeezed

by

debt.

You're

living

paycheck

to

paycheck.

You

don't

know

how

the

end

of

the

month

is

going

to

be

in

the

red

or

it's

going

to

be

in

the

positive

and

you're

sitting.

How

am

I

going

to

live

between

fear

and

faith?

The

third

seat,

the

aisle

seat,

is

where

you

could

stretch

a

little

bit.

You

have

a

little

bit

of

room

if

you

have

the

opportunity.

You

know,

I've

had

taken

the

opportunity

to

stretch

my

legs

out

until

the

food

cart

and

the

stewardesses

come,

or

flight

attendants

come,

until

they

bump

you

in

the

knee

with

that

metal

cart

and

that

hurts.

But

that

is

the

wise

steward.

Not

the

struggler

or

the

dreamer,

but

the

wise

steward.

I

want

financial

freedom

and

I'm

taking.

Steps

to

get

there.

They

choose

access

and

mobility.

They

position

themselves

today

for

tomorrow.

They

practice

budgeting,

investing,

generosity.

They

avoid

debt

traps

and

look

for.

Opportunities

to

grow

and

bless

others.

Before

I

get

deep

into

the

scripture

of

what

we're

going

to

look

at

In

Matthew

chapter

25,

I

want

to

just

ask

you

to

bear

with

me.

To

share

where

my

journey

started.

It

started

years

ago,

just

like

any

pastor,

any

other

pastor.

Many

pastors

that

struggle

or

even

hesitate

and

even

avoid

talking

about

this

topic

in

the

church.

Why?

Because

we

all

think

it's

awkward.

It

could

turn

people

off.

What

will

people

think

of

me?

What's

the

motivation?

Has

anyone

ever

thought

that

when

you

hear

pastors

talking

about

money?

Yeah.

You

know,

I

went

to

seminary

for

a

few

years.

I

took

a

lot

of

classes

on

theology,

but

not

one

class,

not

one

teacher

taught

the

pastors

how

to

learn,

teach,

preach

the

church

on

money,

finances,

stewardship.

Not

one

class,

not

one

talk.

But

they

said,

go

lead

a

church,

handle

a

budget.

You

need

money,

you

need

to

raise

it.

I

had

to

figure

it

out,

how

to

talk

about

it,

how

you

ask

other

pastors

who've

done

it.

You

attend

classes

and

trainings.

You

study

the

Word

and

pray

for

wisdom

from

heaven

above.

You

learn

from

others

and

you

say,

God,

enlarge

my

heart,

my

mind,

and

my

faith.

And

eventually

you

have

to

act

boldly.

Listen,

I've

had

a

lot

of

trial

and

error,

a

lot

of

lessons

learned

along

the

way.

But

I'm

coming

to

the

point,

realizing

in

ministry

and

in

life,

I've

started

to

enjoy

talking

about

money.

Anyone

enjoy

talking

about

money

until

you

say,

I

need

some

for

shopping.

And

every

time

we've

taught

about

finances

and

stewardship

in

this

church,

that

fear

started

to

dissipate

and

disappear.

And

why?

Because

I

learned

the

church

also

needed

to

learn

about

it.

And

how

did

I

know

that?

Because

many

of

you

came

and

told

me.

Your

testimonies,

your

conversations,

your

prayers.

We

were

helping

you

master

your

money,

not

letting

money

master

you.

You

and

I,

our

generations,

need

to

learn

how

to

master

our

money,

not

let

money

master

us.

And

along

the

way,

our

life

and

our

personal

lives,

as

well

as

the

life

and

the

testimony

of

the

church,

declares

to

the

Lord,

I

sought

the

Lord

and

he

heard

me.

And

I

trust

him.

I

trusted

him

before,

and

I'll

trust

Him

again.

We've

become

a

generous

church,

but

at

the

same

time,

I

want

to

say.

There'S

so

much

more

potential

in

this

church.

There's

so

much

more

room

for

growth

in

this

body.

And

I

believe

the

Lord

will

help

us

get

to

where

he

needs

us

to

be.

Let

me

share

with

you

four

myths

and

four

realities.

Four

myths

and

four

realities.

You

know

what

a

myth

is?

Anyone

went

to

school

here

and

you

learned

about

mythology.

He's

taking

mythology.

Mythologies

are

basically.

It's

almost

like

parables

or

real.

Almost

sounds

like

real

life

stories,

but

it's

not

true.

It's

almost

like

fables.

It

never

really

happened.

Here's

some

things

that

we

learn

about

in

the

life

of

the

church

and

money.

Myth

number

one,

people

don't

want

to

talk

about

money.

But

the

reality

is

most

people

talk.

About

it,

or

at

least

think

about

it

all

the

time.

I

was

sitting

in

my

office

this

morning,

preparing.

I

overheard

some

People

sitting

in

the

coffee

room

or

in

the

room

and

they

were

talking

about.

I

was

like,

man,

I

almost

wanted

to

come

out

and

say

thanks

for

the

points

that

you're

giving

me

for

the

message,

but

they

were

all

talking

about

money.

How

many

of

you

planning

lunch

this

afternoon?

You're

going

to

decide

based

on

the

menu

cost?

You're

going

to

decide

based

on

your

preferences?

They

say

84%

of

Americans

experience

financial

stress.

36%

of

American

households

experience

financial

insecurity.

Myth

number

two,

talking

about

money

isn't

spiritual.

That's

a

lie

from

heaven.

You

know,

lie

from

hell.

Sorry,

A

lie.

Yeah,

sorry.

But

delete,

delete

that.

A

lie

from

hell.

The

question

is,

what

if

it's

biblically

unfaithful

to

not

talk

about

money?

Because

they

say

there

are

over

2,300

Bible

verses.

Which

verses?

Not

commentary,

Bible

verses.

That

touches

on

finances,

possessions,

stewardship

and

generosity

in

the

Bible.

You

know

what

that

is?

That's

more

verses

in

the

bible

than

all

13

letters

in

the

New

Testament

that

Paul

wrote.

We

like

the

epistles

of

Paul.

We

teach

on

the

epistles

of

Paul.

All

of

that

combined

does

not

add

up

to

all

the

verses

that

there

is

in

the

Bible

about

money,

finances

and

stewardship.

The

Bible

addresses

money,

wealth

and

possessions.

More

frequently

than

it

does

about

faith

and

prayer.

How

many

of

you

like

the

faith

series?

You

like

the

prayer

series,

you

like

the

prayer

meetings,

you

like

the

faith

filled

meetings,

the

revivals.

But

all

that

combined

does

not

add

up

to

the

amount

of

times

the.

Bible

talks

about

possessions,

finances

and

generosity

and

stewardship.

So

this

morning

we're

going

to

look

at

one

of

the

parables

that

Jesus.

Sorry.

Myth

number

three.

People

think

church

wants

their

money.

Now,

even

before

I

go

there,

Jesus

spoke

about

money

and

possessions

in

nearly

15%

of

his

teachings.

Eleven

out

of

the

39

parables

dealt.

With

money

and

stewardship

and

by

the

grace

of

God.

Since

2012

in

this

church,

starting

with

the

generosity

revolution

series

through

2021,

the

blessed

life

series,

we've

had

the

privilege

to

overcome

personally,

my

fear,

but

also.

Of

talking

about

money

with

the

church.

So

I

pray

that

we

continue

to.

Grow

in

this

area.

Myth

number

three

is

another

myth

or

lie.

People

think

church

wants

their

money.

This

is

not

about

what

the

church

wants

from

you.

This

is

what

we

want

for

you.

Just

get

ready.

Get

ready.

All

of

you

are

in

different

stages

of

life.

You

know

how

much

it

costs

to

raise

up

a

baby

now,

from

the

age

of

0

or

birth

to

18

years

old,

$1

million.

There

you

go.

Close.

He's

past

that

Stage

how

much?

Don't

get

nervous.

Whoever's

planning

to

have

kids

and

more.

Kids,

it

costs

now

$310,000

to

raise

a

baby

to

18

years

old.

That

doesn't

even

count

anything

extra.

That's

just

shoes

for

a

bunch

of

girls.

It

annually

costs

$17,000

per

year.

How

many

of

you

graduated

college

are

getting

ready

to

the

average

college

graduate,

at

least

undergraduate

comes

out

with

student

loans

of

about

$37,000.

You're

telling

me

you

don't

have

to

deal

with

money?

Who's

getting

ready

to

get

married

or

just

got

married?

We're

about

to

do

weddings.

An

average

wedding

costs

nationally.

I

don't

know

about

this

is

not

New

York.

Definitely

about

$35,000

a

door.

And

it's

definitely

not

a

cultural

wedding.

That

was

my

food

budget

at

ours

18

years

ago.

Small

weddings,

10

to

15

larger

weddings,

over

$100,000.

You're

telling

me

we

don't

need

to

talk

about

money

to

prepare

you

for

how

to

handle

your

money?

If

you're

a

senior

citizen,

you

need

about

$50,000

per

year

to

just

live

in

a

nominal

life.

If

you

need

nursing

home

care,

you

need

about

$100,000

or

more.

We

don't

want

your

money.

We

want

to

be

able

to

equip

you

to

handle

your

money,

to

prepare

you

for

all

stages

of

life.

A

senior

citizen

getting

ready

to

pass

off

their

inheritance.

On

average,

they

say

they

give

give

inheritance

about

200

to

$300,000

to

their

generations.

You're

telling

me

they

don't

need

to

think

about

their

money

and

how

that

much

money

goes

where

and

when.

Many

of

you

are

smiling.

I

don't

know

why

you

guys

would

thinking

about

myth

number

four,

talking

about

money

will

turn

people

off.

The

reality

is

this

spiritually

and

pastorally,

this

is

discipleship

and

this

is

pastoral

care.

Both

Christians

and

unchurched

people

struggle

with

money.

And

the

only

help

we

get

is

from

secular

sources.

We're

allowing

CNBC

and

Fox

Business

and

E.

Trade

to

tell

us

how

to

use

and

put

our

money

to

use.

But

the

church

needs

to

speak

up

on

this

topic

because

God

has

blessed

us

with

this

resource

and

we

need

to

learn

biblical

principles

on

this.

This

is

discipleship

and

pastoral

care.

You

know

why?

You

know

the

top

three

prayer

requests

that

every

pastor

gets

Its

first

is

finances.

Second

is

health.

Third

is

marriage

and

family.

That's

how

all

the

prayer

requests

fall

into

finances,

health,

marriage

and

family.

You

know,

marital

issues,

premarital

counseling.

When

I

get

to

do

it,

you.

Know,

there's

a

whole

week

or

two

on

finances.

You

know,

when

you

got

marital

counseling

after

you're

married

or

about

to

not

be

married.

You

know

what?

The

most

common

reason,

one

of

the

most

common

reasons

they

have

strife

and.

Issues

is

around

finances.

So

finances

plays

an

integral

part

in

our

daily

life.

We

need

to

be

able

to

be

prepared

to

handle

this

well.

Now

let's

look

at

Matthew,

chapter

25,

and

I

want

to

share

with

you

three

keys

simply

from

this

parable

in

Matthew,

chapter

25,

the

Parable

of

the

Talents.

Someone

say,

Three

keys.

Three

keys.

And

we're

going

to

be

looking

at

the

section

from

verses

14

through

30.

I

don't

have

the

time

to

read

through

every

single

one,

but

let's

start

with

verse

14.

And

it

reads

like

this

from

the

new

Living

translation.

Again,

the

kingdom

of

heaven

can

be.

Illustrated

by

the

story

of

a

man

going

on

a

long

trip.

He

called

together

his

servants

and

entrusted.

His

money

to

them

while

he

was

gone.

Key

number

one.

Everything

you

and

I

have

belongs

to

who?

Belongs

to

God.

Says

he

called

together

his

servants

and

entrusted.

Whose

money?

Whose

money?

His

money?

The

owner

or

the

person

who's

going

on

this

trip

his

money

to

his

servants.

To

be

entrusted

with

something

means

to

be

trusted.

Someone

say,

trust

the

master

here

has

trusted

you

with

his

resources,

or

the

master

here

is

trusting

his

resources

with

his

servants,

and

he's

saying,

listen,

I'm

giving

you

some

of

my

resources

and

I

want

you

to

be

able

to

handle

this.

Whether

it's

1

talent,

2

talent,

or

5

talent,

I'm

deciding

who

gets

how

many.

And

I

want

you

to

be

able

to

manage

what

I

give

to

you.

And

I

want

you

to

know

that

everything

that

you

have

belongs

to

me.

To

be

entrusted

with

something

means

that

someone

trusts

you

with

something.

Amen.

To

be

entrusted

with

something

means

that

God

is

trusting

you

with

something.

When

God

trusts

entrusts

you

with

a

spouse,

he's

trusting

you

to

take

care

of

that

person.

When

the

Lord

blesses

you

with

a

child,

he's

trusting

you

to

steward

that

gift

well.

When

he

trusted

you

with

the

job,

he's

saying,

listen,

not

just

the

employer,

not

just

the

business

owner,

they're

giving

me

money

so

I

can

do

work

for

them.

They're

trusting

me

with

my

skills,

with

my

time

and

my

talent

to

produce

for

them.

And

they

will

give

me

reciprocation

money

for

that.

You

and

I

have

to

be

worthy

of

that

trust

that

God

has

given

to

us.

When

we

see

that

God

sees

us

and

knows

that

everything

belongs

to

God

and

he's

entrusted

us

with

everything,

that

changes

how

we

view

our

responsibility

for

our

possessions.

In

Psalms

24,

verse

1,

it

says,

the

earth

is

the

Lord's

and

everything

in

it,

the

world

and

all

its.

People,

belong

to

Him.

If

you

look

at

the

homeowner

and

a

tenant

relationship,

the

homeowner

owns

the

property,

but

the

tenant

lives

in

it.

And

the

tenant

is

responsible

to

take.

Care

of

it,

right?

If

you've

ever

had

a

tenant

situation

and

they

come

in

and

mess

it

up,

who's

got

to

deal

with

the

mess

afterward?

The

homeowner.

But

you

pray

and

hope

for

tenants

that

are

good

tenants,

they're

good

stewards

of

what

they've

been

given.

But

regardless,

if

there's

a

problem

with

the

pipe,

problem

with

that

place,

who's

coming

to

fix

it?

Not

the

tenant,

but

the

homeowner.

You

and

I

have

to

realize

that

everything

God

has

given

to

us,

he

is

the

owner

of

it

all

and

everything.

When

anything

breaks

down

or

anything

is

needed,

we

have

to

go

back

to

the

owner

and

say,

God,

you

gave

me

this

blessing.

I

need

the

wisdom,

the

wherewithal,

the

understanding

to

take

care

of

this.

But

I

need

you

to

know

that

you

are

in

complete

control.

Help

me.

Not

just

with

the

stuff,

but

even

someone,

say,

talent.

Even

the

talent

and

the

skills

that

God

has

given

to

us,

it

belongs

to

God.

Some

of

us

may

be

thinking,

does.

God

really

own

the

money

I

work

hard

for?

That

doesn't

seem

fair.

It

doesn't.

Naturally

speaking,

because

you

worked

hard.

But

who

gave

you

the

strength

to

get

up

in

the

morning

to

go

to

that

job?

Isn't

that

job

an

answer

to

a

prayer

that

you

fasted

and

prayed

for?

Isn't

that

what

you

put

on

the

prayer

request,

saying,

God,

isn't

that

promotion

something

that

you

did

not

connive

your

way

to?

The

promotion.

But

even

when

you

were

not

qualified,

God

raised

you

up

for

the

promotion.

And

when

God

answers

your

prayers

in

all

those

areas,

you

and

I

have

to

remember,

God

gave

us

the

talents

and

the

skills.

It

was

not

our

abilities,

but

it

was

his

abilities

that

he

put

inside

of

us.

Everything

belongs

to

God

here.

This

parable

also

shows

us

and

teaches

us

God

is

the

best

provider.

Amen.

Sometimes

we

feel

like,

hey,

I

didn't.

Get

enough

from

God.

I

wish

he

gave

me

more.

When

we're

struggling

to

think,

this

is.

A

hard

thing

to

handle.

This

is

too

little

for

me.

I

need

more.

I

need

more.

I

wish

I

had

what

they

have.

Let

me

just

turn

your

attention

to

Matthew,

chapter

6,

verse

31.

It

says,

so

don't

worry

about

these.

Things

saying,

what

will

we

eat?

What

will

we

drink?

What

will

we

wear?

These

things

Dominate

the

thoughts

of

unbelievers.

But

your

Heavenly

Father

already

knows

all

your

needs.

Seek

the

kingdom

of

God

above

all

else

and

live

righteously

and

he

will

give

you

everything

you

need.

Amen.

Seek

first

the

kingdom

of

God

and

His

righteousness.

And

everything

that

you

need,

he'll

provide.

If

you

go

looking

after

the

things

of

this

world,

you

could

go

chasing

after

those

things.

But

I've

learned

instead

of

chasing

after

those

things,

it's

not

bad

to

have

good

things,

by

the

way,

it's

okay.

To

have

good

things.

It's

okay

to

have

nice

things.

I'm

not

speaking

as

any

of

that,

but

I'm

telling

you

right

now,

if

you

chase

after

God,

all

those

things.

Will

come

chasing

after

you.

Instead

of

chasing

after

the

things,

let's

chase

after

the

God

who

provides

all

things.

And

you'll

see

what

God

can

do

for

us

in

those

areas

of

our

life.

So

the

first

key

is

to

embrace

the

truth

that

everything

in

my

life

actually

belongs

to

God

and

He

is.

Entrusting

me

with

those

things.

Let's

move

forward

to

the

second

key

from

this

parable.

Let's

look

in

verse

19,

Matthew,

chapter

25,

verse

19.

After

a

long

time,

their

master

returned

from

his

trip

and

called

them

to

give

an

account

of

how

they

had

used

his

money.

Key

number

two.

God

desires

you

to

be

good

managers.

God

desires

you

to

be

good

managers.

Or

another

word

that

you

may

see

or

hear

is

good

stewards.

Someone

say

stewards.

We

can

all

be

better

managers

of.

Our

money,

can't

we?

My

first

exposure

to

money

was

a

gift

that

I

received

from

my

grandparents

when

I

was

a

kid.

It

was

a

large

amount.

At

that

time,

as

a

kid,

it

was

a

large

amount.

I

think

it

was

20

bucks,

50

bucks,

something.

It

seemed

huge.

Now

20

bucks

is

nothing,

right?

Get

a

couple

of

Starbucks

and

it's

over.

But

the

first

memory

I

had

was

my

parents

received

it.

They

said,

look,

this

is

what

you

got.

But

the

first

thing

you

need

to

do

is

make

sure

you

tithe

to

the

church.

That

was

the

first

one,

a

good

one.

The

second

one

is

I

showed

up

to

college

with

not

much

money,

not

much

of

a

job,

little

job

here

at

Rock

Bottom

or

something.

And

there

was

a

booth.

Anyone

see

those

booths

from

marketing

companies?

Credit

card

company

was

on

the

college

campus

at

Queens

College

and

they

had

a

promo

where

you

get

a

nice

Mets

pull

over

hoodie

or

a

jacket,

a

pullover,

Metz.

It

looked

good,

really

good.

It

was

good

brand,

good

quality,

everything.

I

still

have

it

in

the

closet

somewhere.

But

that

dreaded

hoodie

put

me

in

A

bunch

of

debt.

For

years.

I

signed

up

for

a

credit

card

to

get

the

hoodie,

that

dreaded

hoodie.

And

with

that

dreaded

credit

card,

without

talking

to

my

parents,

without

getting

wisdom

and

guidance,

I

said,

I

need

a

car.

And

went

up,

showed

up

to

a

Nissan,

that

dreaded

salesman

sitting

in

that

Garden

City,

by

the

way,

he

happened

to

be

Indian.

Of

people

my

descent,

that

dreaded

person.

He

should

have

said,

go

talk

to

your

daddy.

Who

are

you?

You

don't

know

what

you're

doing.

But

he

said,

I

got

commission

right

here.

Sitting

here,

dumb

eating,

dumb

little

kid.

About

to

buy

a

car

he's

got

no

money

to

pay

for.

Signed,

put

a

deposit

on

this

dreaded

credit

card,

which

I

had

no

money

to

pay

for

when

the

bill

showed

up

the

next

month.

I

didn't

know

by

the

way

the.

Bill

was

showing

up

the

next

month

and

told

my

parents,

I

said,

listen,

go

cancel

it.

But

it

was

a

nice

dark

green

hunter

green

Nissan

Maximo

with

a

spoiler

with

the

Bose

sound

system,

with

a

nice

tan

leather

inside

with

the

sunroof,

fog

lights,

everything

on

my

wish

list

that

was

like

the

perfect

car.

I

said,

I

want

that

car.

And

I

was

rebellious

and

I

was

disobedient.

I

dragged

my

dad

there

to

help

me

sign

off.

Not,

he

didn't

even

sign

off.

I

didn't

sign

on

this

thing.

You

crazy.

But

that

dreaded

hoodie

led

to

a

dreaded

credit

card

and

led

to

a

nice

car

that

kept

me

in

dreaded

debt

for

years

until

I

had

to

pray

and

work

my

way

through

to

get

out

before

my

wedding

day.

My

prayer,

she

never

knew

this

until

I

told

her

later.

But

my

prayer

was

this.

She

knew

about

the

car

and

she

knew

about

the

payments.

She

knew

about

all

that,

but

she

didn't

know

that

I

was

drowning

months

or

two

months

behind

every

month

making

that

payment

because

I

was

not

a

good

steward

of

what

I

had

at

that

time.

But

my

prayer

to

God,

God,

I'll

work

hard,

I'll

do

my

part.

But

God,

you

got

to

help

me

make

sure

I

get

out

of

this

debt

before

my

wedding

day.

Because

I

don't

want

to

go

into

that

new

relationship

and

season

of

my

life

with

that

baggage

in

my

life.

And

God,

by

the

grace

of

God

and

with

the

strength

that

he

gave,

was

able

to

make

sure

that

debt

was

clear

before

I

showed

up

on

my

wedding

day.

But

you

learned

some

hard

lessons

along

the

way.

If

you

signed

up

for

a

credit

card

for

a

dreaded

hoodie,

cancel

it.

But

be

good

stewards.

Learn

how

much

you

can

handle

and

Learn

how

much

you

can

manage

and

if

you

can

manage

the

little.

That's

the

point

of

this

parable.

And

let's

read

verse

19.

After

a

long

time,

their

master

returned

from

his

trip

and

called

him

to

give

an

account

of

how

they

had

used

his

money.

It

goes

beyond

being

good

with

numbers

and

math.

And

you

don't

have

to

be

a

finance

expert

or

an

entrepreneur

or

understand

hedge

funds

and

stock

markets

and

calls

and

puts

and

all

those

kind

of

stuff.

And

I

know

many

of

you

are

gifted

to

do

that.

Please

use

those

gifts

for

the

blessing

of

your

family,

yourself,

but

also

for

the

kingdom

of

God,

but

also

becoming

a

good

man,

manager

of

the

little

and

the

much

is

important.

We

fail

to

become

good

stewards

because

we're

afraid.

Matthew,

chapter

25,

verse

24.

It

says

the

one.

Before

we

get

to

what

this

parable

teaches

about

good

man,

let's

look

at

the

one

servant

with

the

one

talent.

So

I

was

afraid,

he

said.

He

was

afraid

of

judgment,

afraid

of

failure,

afraid

of

loss.

Because

when

you

only

have

one,

you're

afraid

to

use

that

only

one.

When

you

have

a

multiple,

you

can

maybe

take

a

little

risk,

can't

you?

So

I

understand

his

fear.

But

just

like

the

little

child

that's

sitting

in

the

dark

room

at

night,

it's

okay

to

have

a

little

night

light,

isn't

it?

And

when

you

bring

that

night

light

or

turn

on

the

little

light

in

that

room,

the

darkness

disappears

and

you

have

a

little

sense

of

courage

and

security.

And

let

the

Word

of

God

become

a

guiding

light

in

a

dark

space

where

the

enemy

wants

to

rule

in

our

life.

Read

the

Word

of

God.

Get

the

knowledge

that

the

Word

of

God

provides

to

us.

Bring

it

to

the

light,

turn

it

on,

and

let

the

guiding

light.

Thy

word

is

a

lamp

unto

my

feet

and

a

light

unto

my

path.

This

word

is

knowledge,

biblical

knowledge,

spiritual

knowledge.

But

it

also

gives

us

guidance

practically

on

principles,

how

we

can

do

it,

how

can

we

embrace

this

faith?

Embrace

faith

over

fear.

We

have

to

first

remember

everything

is

a

gift

from

God,

and

he

continues

to

provide

for

us.

He

entrusted

us

with

what

we

have

for

a

reason.

God

has

given

us

wisdom

to

help.

Us

become

good

stewards

or

managers.

There's

the

conventional

wisdom,

then

there's

biblical

wisdom.

Listen,

we

can

learn

from

our

families

and

our

friends

about

how

to

manage

your

money.

You

could

also

learn

from

the

professionals,

your

accountants,

your

tax

preparers,

and

we

got

plenty

of

those

people

here

in

this

church.

Reach

out

to

them.

You

could

learn

a

lot

from

the

world

and

news

and

media.

But

let

me

tell

you

what

the

companies

want

to

keep

us

stuck

in.

They

want

to

keep

us

stuck

in

the

cycle

of

spending

more

money

that

we

don't

have.

I

said

before,

it's

okay

to

enjoy.

And

have

and

get

good

things

and.

Nice

things,

but

make

sure

that

we

could

handle

it.

My

prayer

is,

when

the

Lord

blesses

somebody,

and

the

Lord,

they're

asking

us

to

pray

for

specific

things,

whether

it

be

a

home

or

a

car

or

something

tangible.

My

prayer

after

they

get

it

is,

let

this

never

become

a

burden,

but

a

blessing.

Can

we

pray

that

over

our

things

that

we

have?

Come

on.

Let

it

never

be

a

burden,

but

a

blessing.

The

Bible

says

about

being

good

stewards.

Use

what

you've

been

given.

Use

the

two

talents,

the

five

talents.

Use

it.

Don't

let

it

sit

dormant.

Use

it.

Let

it

multiply

and

reproduce

and

bring

you

more.

It

also

says,

keep

account.

How

many

of

you

know

how

many

of

you

are

good

at

keeping

accounts?

It

says,

I

was,

not.

Now

I've

learned

to

be.

Proverbs

chapter

27:23-24

says,

Riches

can

disappear

fast.

So

watch

your

business

interest

closely.

Know

the

state

of

your

flocks

and

your

herds.

This

is

in

the

Bible,

by

the

way.

Proverbs

chapter

27,

verse

23

and

24.

Riches

can

disappear

fast.

How

many

of

you

know?

Just

as

quickly

as

the

money

showed

up

through

the

direct

deposit,

just

as.

Quick,

it'll

disappear

within

a

matter

of

few

days.

I

see

many

of

your

head

shaking

positively.

How

many

of

you

don't

like

the

time

of

the

month

when

all

the.

Bills

show

up,

right?

Like,

wait

a

minute,

it

would

look

good

for

that.

Friday,

it

looks

so

good.

That

bank

account

looked

nice

and

full.

Monday

shows

up

and

where

did

everything

go?

If

we

learn

to

manage

everything,

steward

everything,

may

there

be

leftover

in

our

accounts.

And

let

me

just

say

like

this.

Watch

closely.

Check

your

accounts.

Check

your

statements.

Practically

speaking,

check,

check.

What's

going

on?

How

many

have

ever

been

scammed

before?

Oh,

wow.

How

many

have

been

scammed

before?

Especially

with

digital

age

now.

Venmo,

PayPal,

you

know,

bank

accounts,

Zelle,

all

that

stuff.

Now

everything's

digital.

You

can,

I

can.

We

can

be

easily

compromised

and

hacked.

Check.

Don't

live

in

it

all

day,

but

check.

Let

me

sum

it

up

by

saying

this.

Every

financial

decision,

because

it

is

from

God

and

God

has

given

you

strength

to

manage

it.

Every

financial

decision

is

actually

a

spiritual

decision.

Amen.

Every

financial

decision

is

actually

a

spiritual

decision.

Every

financial

decision

also

reveals

how

I

see

money.

The

credit

card

statements

at

the

end.

Of

the

year

will

show

you

a.

Summary

where

you

spent

all

your

money?

Is

it

on

food

and

restaurants?

Is

it

on

entertainment?

Is

it

on

other

things?

It'll

show

you

you

can

used

to

be

checkbooks.

No

one

uses

checkbooks

anymore.

Check

all

your

digital.

You'll

see

where

we

spend

our

money.

What

we

value

is

shown

with

what

we

spend

our

money

on.

The

last

key.

Let

me

move

forward.

The

last

key.

Key

3.

God

will

reward

your

faith

filled

obedience.

Your

what

Faith

filled

obedience.

Matthew

25:20

21

says

the

servant

to

whom

he

had

entrusted

the

five

bags

of

silver

or

five

talents

came

forward

with

five

more

and

said,

Master,

you

gave

me

five

bags

of

silver

to

invest

and

I've

earned

five

more.

The

master

was

full

of

praise.

Well

done,

my

good

and

faithful

servant.

You've

been

faithful

in

handling

this

small

amount.

So

now

I

will

give

you

many

more

responsibilities.

Let's

celebrate

together.

How

many

of

us

want

more

to

handle?

Nobody.

How

many

of

us

want

more

to

handle?

Who's

going

to

school

or

college

or

trying

to

get

certifications

or

trying

to

do

something

because

you

want

to

have

more

to

handle,

more

to

do

life

with?

God

will

reward

your

faithful

obedience.

He'll

give

you

two

gifts.

The

gift

of

greater

trust.

I

want

to

be

able

to

earn

the

trust

of

God.

That's

how

I

see

it.

God,

just

give

me

a

handful.

We

started

2011

with

35

people.

Just

give

me

a

handful,

Lord,

now

you

see

the

numbers

and

you

know

what

it's

like.

God,

I

want

more

lives

and

more

souls

to

be

entrusted

with.

We'll

be

faithful

with

the

hundred

and

the

150

and

the

200.

But

God,

give

us

what

yout

can

give

us,

help

us

to

be

faithful,

to

care

for

these.

I

want

to

be

trusted

by

God.

I

don't

just

want

to

put

my

trust

in

God.

I

want

to

be

trusted

by

God.

Do

you

get

that?

Can

we

be

trusted

by

God?

The

second

thing

is

this,

the

gift

of

gratitude.

Someone

say

gratitude.

When

we

realize

that

everything

belongs

to.

God

and

God

is

continuing

to

trust.

Us

and

we're

doing

good

things

with

it,

or

we're

learning

from

it,

we're

making

mistakes,

but

we're

learning

lessons

and

we're

moving

forward,

you

realize

God

is

getting

ready

to

show

grace

and

mercy,

to

say,

hey,

I

want

to

show

you

and

trust

you

with

more.

And

when

we

do,

we

actually

look

around

and

say,

God,

I

thank

you

for

that

gift.

I

thank

you

for

that

family.

I

thank

you

for

that

home.

I

thank

you

for

that

possession.

I

thank

you

for

that

peace.

You

know

how

many

families

and

how

many

couples,

how

many

Generations

struggle

because

of

the

financial

turmoil

they

find

themselves

in.

There's

no

peace

in

the

home.

But

if

you

would

turn

around

and

say,

God,

I

thank

you

for

this

house.

The

earlier

years,

when

we

moved

into

our

home,

where

we

live

now,

there

were

days

when

I

would

just

pull

up

to

the

house

and

just

while

I'm

pulling

up

into

the

driveway,

I

would

just

say,

God,

I

don't

know

how

this

was

possible,

but

God,

thank

you

for

blessing

us

with

this

house.

I

don't

know

how

he

did

it,

but

God

bless.

Thank

you

for

blessing

us

with

this

house.

And

if

you're

able

to

take

care

of

that

blessing

and

you

manage

everything

well,

you

can

see

expansion

in

every

area

of

your

life.

How

many

of

you

blessed

started

with

a

starter

home

or

rented

or

whatever,

and

now

you're

going

to

see

and

you're

going

to

prepare

yourself

to

see

expansion

in

your

life

because

you

were

faithful

stewards

with

what

God

gave

you.

If

you're

good

with

the

little,

God

will

entrust

you

with

more.

I

want

more.

What

God

trusts

me

with,

not

because

of

my

selfishness

or

greed,

but

what

God

gives

it.

It's

something

for

that

he

trusts

me

with.

And

it

fills

my

heart

with

gratitude.

And

the

servant

is

saying,

thank

you.

Thank

you

for

blessing

me.

Thank

you

for

multiplying

this.

Thank

you

for

helping

me,

but

also

thank

you

for

allowing

me

to

celebrate

with

you.

Here's

one

principle

I

want

to

share

with

you.

When

you

see

other

people

grow

and

be

blessed,

don't

be

jealous,

don't

be

envious.

Celebrate

with

them.

Celebrate

with

them.

I

learned

that

watching.

I

learned

that

at

home.

Celebrate

that

with

them.

Because

if

you

could

celebrate

with

someone

else's

blessing,

God

will

get

ready

to

bless

you

somewhere

else.

Maybe

not

with

the

same

things,

with

something

else.

I'm

telling

a

generation

right

now,

don't

look

or

I

don't

know

why

the

Lord's

telling

me

to

say,

don't

look

around

to

your

peers

and

everyone

around

you

say,

oh,

they

got

this,

this

and

that.

Let

me

tell

you,

enjoy

what

the

Lord

gives

you.

If

you

can't

enjoy

what

he

gives

you

and

has

you

in

your

right

now,

you

can

enjoy

what

he's

got

ready

for

you.

As

I

wrap

up,

let

me

remind

you,

God

is

the

owner

and

we

are

the

stewards

or

the

managers.

Lord,

help

us

to

be

good

and

faithful

managers

of

everything.

Not

just

our

treasure,

but

our

time

and

our

talent.

How

many

of

us

are

sitting

on

so

much

potential,

not

money,

so

much

potential

that

God

has

given

to

us

and

we're

just

kind

of

like

eh,

letting

it

go.

You

got

business

ideas,

use

it.

You

know,

I

heard

some

high

schoolers

talk

about

the

power

of

Instagram

and

technology

and

YouTube.

Some

of

the

kids

now

don't

want

to

graduate

high

school

or

go

to

college.

They

want

a

big

become

a

YouTuber.

I'm

like,

what's

a

YouTuber?

I

know

what

it

is,

but

I

want

to

hear

from

them.