1 00:00:02,009 --> 00:00:04,586 Thanks for tuning in to the Sandals Church podcast. 2 00:00:04,698 --> 00:00:08,541 Our vision as a church is to be real with ourselves, God, and others. 3 00:00:08,676 --> 00:00:11,439 We're glad you're here, and we hope you enjoy this message. 4 00:00:14,609 --> 00:00:16,602 Hi, guys, and welcome to Sandals Church. 5 00:00:16,666 --> 00:00:20,153 I just want to share with you that there are a ton of reasons I love the church. 6 00:00:20,202 --> 00:00:23,609 Some of you are joining us for the first time at a Sandals Church campus. 7 00:00:23,690 --> 00:00:28,230 Some of you are watching online for the first time, and you're not sure about this whole 8 00:00:23,690 --> 00:00:28,230 church thing. 9 00:00:28,300 --> 00:00:30,626 Look, let me tell you, I love the local church. 10 00:00:30,658 --> 00:00:33,173 I've lived my life in a commitment to three things. 11 00:00:33,212 --> 00:00:34,454 Number one, the Lord Jesus Christ. 12 00:00:34,491 --> 00:00:35,381 We give a hand for that. 13 00:00:35,435 --> 00:00:36,161 Amen. 14 00:00:36,305 --> 00:00:41,381 Number two, my beautiful wife who helped decorate this amazing studio. 15 00:00:41,526 --> 00:00:42,566 Thanks for the golf clap. 16 00:00:42,597 --> 00:00:44,758 She'll write down all the names of the people didn't clap. 17 00:00:44,853 --> 00:00:47,926 And then number three, to the local church. 18 00:00:48,037 --> 00:00:51,334 And there's tons of reasons I love the local church. 19 00:00:51,381 --> 00:00:55,898 And some of you are missing out on the blessings of being a part of a local church. 20 00:00:55,993 --> 00:00:59,438 But here's one of the things that I just love the local church for. 21 00:00:59,524 --> 00:01:05,042 It's one of the last remaining places where we can talk about real things and hard things. 22 00:01:05,176 --> 00:01:14,914 I want you to think about Thanksgiving last week, how hard it was to have a real 23 00:01:05,176 --> 00:01:14,914 conversation about anything politics, money, marriage, sexuality, you name it. 24 00:01:14,951 --> 00:01:25,602 We're all walking on eggshells in our culture because there's a heightened sensitivity and 25 00:01:14,951 --> 00:01:25,602 there's really a low, low level of grace for anybody who disagrees or thinks differently. 26 00:01:25,745 --> 00:01:30,102 And the church really is one of the last places where we can talk about hard things. 27 00:01:30,236 --> 00:01:38,489 And as your pastor, I just want to say thank you for giving me permission to talk about 28 00:01:30,236 --> 00:01:38,489 hard things, to challenge you to think about hard things. 29 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:44,569 And I don't know if there's a harder thing in our lives right now than talking about 30 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:44,569 money. 31 00:01:44,719 --> 00:01:46,105 And so I just love our church. 32 00:01:46,138 --> 00:01:47,054 You keep coming every week. 33 00:01:47,091 --> 00:01:48,025 You know, this whole series. 34 00:01:48,058 --> 00:01:50,414 You're like, okay, what could generous like Jesus be about? 35 00:01:50,531 --> 00:01:51,885 It's going to be about money. 36 00:01:51,987 --> 00:01:53,822 And you guys keep showing up. 37 00:01:53,876 --> 00:02:00,500 And I just want to say thank you, Sandals Church, for being brave enough to be challenged 38 00:01:53,876 --> 00:02:00,500 about such a sensitive issue. 39 00:02:00,950 --> 00:02:17,270 And I would say this for the singles in here who are dating somebody, seriously, before 40 00:02:00,950 --> 00:02:17,270 you say I do, I would have a conversation about money, because money separates families, 41 00:02:00,950 --> 00:02:17,270 parents and kids, brothers and sisters, and it can even separate husbands and wives. 42 00:02:17,849 --> 00:02:22,906 And there's a reason Jesus never shied away from tough conversations about money. 43 00:02:23,087 --> 00:02:27,686 Now, if you're new to Christianity, you don't know this, but he talked more about money 44 00:02:23,087 --> 00:02:27,686 than any other topic. 45 00:02:27,717 --> 00:02:30,780 Isn't that interesting for somebody who never owned anything? 46 00:02:31,389 --> 00:02:33,993 He talked about money more than any other topic. 47 00:02:34,042 --> 00:02:40,509 If you took the New Testament Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and you laid out all the 48 00:02:34,042 --> 00:02:40,509 verses and you divided them numerically. 49 00:02:40,930 --> 00:02:42,509 Jesus would talk about money. 50 00:02:42,580 --> 00:02:43,310 Listen to this. 51 00:02:43,379 --> 00:02:45,629 Every 6th verse. 52 00:02:46,129 --> 00:02:47,373 Isn't that crazy? 53 00:02:47,572 --> 00:02:53,346 And so what I want to talk to you today about is how Jesus teaches me to get the most out 54 00:02:47,572 --> 00:02:53,346 of my money. 55 00:02:53,448 --> 00:02:55,409 Anybody been to the grocery store lately? 56 00:02:55,909 --> 00:02:57,933 The other day, Tammy sent me to a restaurant. 57 00:02:57,981 --> 00:02:59,342 I bought salsa. 58 00:02:59,485 --> 00:03:01,234 Salsa and rice. 59 00:03:01,282 --> 00:03:02,306 He's like, Why would you buy rice? 60 00:03:02,337 --> 00:03:03,425 Because we can't make Mexican rice. 61 00:03:03,457 --> 00:03:03,877 We can't do it. 62 00:03:03,883 --> 00:03:05,879 We're white people, so we pay for it. 63 00:03:06,490 --> 00:03:08,437 And I bought Mexican rice. 64 00:03:08,614 --> 00:03:10,662 Salsa and Mexican rice. 65 00:03:10,725 --> 00:03:12,539 The guy said, 32 50. 66 00:03:13,229 --> 00:03:13,689 What? 67 00:03:13,759 --> 00:03:16,219 That's the most appropriate what ever. 68 00:03:16,990 --> 00:03:19,765 And I said, no, just salsa and rice. 69 00:03:19,798 --> 00:03:20,361 He said yes. 70 00:03:20,415 --> 00:03:21,545 32 50. 71 00:03:21,728 --> 00:03:24,110 And I was just like, oh, my gosh. 72 00:03:24,770 --> 00:03:26,557 Felt like a crack deal or something. 73 00:03:26,723 --> 00:03:28,240 I didn't know what it was. 74 00:03:29,569 --> 00:03:33,373 And when I told my wife, she's like, well, how many things of rice did you get? 75 00:03:33,412 --> 00:03:34,478 I was like one. 76 00:03:34,644 --> 00:03:35,406 One. 77 00:03:35,587 --> 00:03:42,066 And so all of us are having to make our money go further, and Jesus is going to teach you 78 00:03:35,587 --> 00:03:42,066 today how to do that. 79 00:03:42,247 --> 00:03:44,401 Thank you so much for joining us for our service today. 80 00:03:44,455 --> 00:03:52,294 I want to take a quick second and invite you to give and to be a part of the work that 81 00:03:44,455 --> 00:03:52,294 we're doing here at Sandals Church, you can do so by going to donate SC for. 82 00:03:52,331 --> 00:03:54,949 Now, let's get back into our sermon with Pastor Matt. 83 00:03:55,289 --> 00:04:00,086 This is one of the most challenging sermons on money that Jesus ever gave. 84 00:04:00,187 --> 00:04:00,901 It's challenging. 85 00:04:00,966 --> 00:04:02,473 It's difficult to understand. 86 00:04:02,671 --> 00:04:06,598 But we're going to walk through this together verse by verse. 87 00:04:06,693 --> 00:04:11,578 So to get the most out of my money, number one, if you're taking notes, I want you to 88 00:04:06,693 --> 00:04:11,578 follow along. 89 00:04:11,743 --> 00:04:14,879 I must see myself as a manager of God's money. 90 00:04:15,409 --> 00:04:17,694 If you're a Christian, this will set you free. 91 00:04:17,891 --> 00:04:23,629 If you're not a Christian, I'm going to talk in a moment why you need to believe this and 92 00:04:17,891 --> 00:04:23,629 start living this way. 93 00:04:23,779 --> 00:04:25,994 So Jesus told this story to his disciples. 94 00:04:26,041 --> 00:04:29,553 So if you're a Christian, you're a disciple, this story is for you. 95 00:04:29,752 --> 00:04:31,906 If you're not a Christian, this is for you. 96 00:04:31,927 --> 00:04:32,353 At the end. 97 00:04:32,391 --> 00:04:35,682 Because there are non Christians, we find out that are listening as well. 98 00:04:35,815 --> 00:04:37,220 They don't love the message. 99 00:04:37,589 --> 00:04:39,473 Matter of fact, they think it's a joke. 100 00:04:39,601 --> 00:04:44,279 And a lot of people who don't get God don't get money, and they won't get this message. 101 00:04:44,889 --> 00:04:50,050 He says there was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. 102 00:04:50,129 --> 00:04:51,237 Wouldn't that be nice to be so rich? 103 00:04:51,254 --> 00:04:52,730 You have people that handle your money. 104 00:04:52,879 --> 00:04:54,213 I don't have enough to have it handled. 105 00:04:54,262 --> 00:04:54,970 Amen. 106 00:04:56,110 --> 00:04:57,514 But one day, listen to this. 107 00:04:57,552 --> 00:05:02,639 A report came that the manager was wasting his employer's money. 108 00:05:03,089 --> 00:05:09,454 And so the employer called him and said, what is this I hear about you get your report in 109 00:05:03,089 --> 00:05:09,454 order? 110 00:05:09,492 --> 00:05:13,701 Can you imagine freaking out because you are going to be fired. 111 00:05:13,865 --> 00:05:14,689 Whoa. 112 00:05:15,350 --> 00:05:17,379 Here's what you need to know about God. 113 00:05:17,750 --> 00:05:19,694 Nothing on earth is yours. 114 00:05:19,742 --> 00:05:20,877 It's all God's. 115 00:05:21,053 --> 00:05:22,398 It's all God's. 116 00:05:22,494 --> 00:05:23,314 Psalms 24. 117 00:05:23,351 --> 00:05:29,014 One says this the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world. 118 00:05:29,132 --> 00:05:32,759 And listen to this, and all its people belong to him. 119 00:05:33,850 --> 00:05:41,480 If you can just pray this psalm, believe this psalm, live out this psalm, god will set you 120 00:05:33,850 --> 00:05:41,480 free. 121 00:05:42,410 --> 00:05:48,966 And some of you, you say, well, that's easy for you to say, Pastor, because you want me to 122 00:05:42,410 --> 00:05:48,966 give my money to the church because you own the church. 123 00:05:48,997 --> 00:05:50,473 I hear this all the time. 124 00:05:50,672 --> 00:05:52,730 Do you know I don't own the church? 125 00:05:53,230 --> 00:05:54,665 I don't own anything in the church. 126 00:05:54,697 --> 00:06:00,826 The other day, we were going to Lax, and somebody took us in a brand new, sweet, beautiful 127 00:05:54,697 --> 00:06:00,826 minivan. 128 00:06:01,017 --> 00:06:02,105 And I love minivans. 129 00:06:02,137 --> 00:06:04,110 And my wife says, that's because I never had to drive one. 130 00:06:04,180 --> 00:06:07,326 But I was like, man, this is a great minivan. 131 00:06:07,358 --> 00:06:08,641 I said, whose is this? 132 00:06:08,696 --> 00:06:10,206 And the driver said it's yours. 133 00:06:10,237 --> 00:06:11,230 Pastor Matt. 134 00:06:11,389 --> 00:06:12,653 I was like, I don't own a minivan. 135 00:06:12,701 --> 00:06:14,322 He goes, well, the church does. 136 00:06:14,456 --> 00:06:17,637 But even one of our key volunteers confuses this sometimes. 137 00:06:17,803 --> 00:06:19,377 I don't own the van. 138 00:06:19,473 --> 00:06:21,937 I don't own anything at Sandals Church. 139 00:06:22,033 --> 00:06:22,742 Listen to me. 140 00:06:22,795 --> 00:06:27,000 I'm building a multimillion dollar business I will never own. 141 00:06:27,769 --> 00:06:33,050 Now, I am either a fool or the wisest business owner on earth. 142 00:06:34,029 --> 00:06:35,305 Now, let me tell you something. 143 00:06:35,408 --> 00:06:40,406 A couple of years ago, when we built this building, the studio I'm speaking from is from 144 00:06:35,408 --> 00:06:40,406 our Hunter Park campus. 145 00:06:40,517 --> 00:06:48,781 We had some well meaning staff, and they were so grateful, and we were so grateful that 146 00:06:40,517 --> 00:06:48,781 God allowed us to build this $15 million project. 147 00:06:48,836 --> 00:06:49,374 This was huge. 148 00:06:49,411 --> 00:06:50,413 We were a bunch of college kids. 149 00:06:50,451 --> 00:06:57,120 We had two nickels together and faith in Jesus, and we were able to do a $15 million 150 00:06:50,451 --> 00:06:57,120 project. 151 00:06:57,509 --> 00:07:02,401 And so the staff got together and they bought a bronze plaque, and they wanted to put it 152 00:06:57,509 --> 00:07:02,401 on the building. 153 00:07:02,456 --> 00:07:03,853 And it said Sandals Church. 154 00:07:03,901 --> 00:07:07,490 Founded in 1997 by Pastor Matt Brown. 155 00:07:07,990 --> 00:07:09,814 And they said, what do you want me to do to this? 156 00:07:09,851 --> 00:07:11,189 I said, Throw it in the trash. 157 00:07:11,529 --> 00:07:13,266 And our know, they were sweet. 158 00:07:13,298 --> 00:07:14,641 Their feelings were hurt. 159 00:07:14,786 --> 00:07:15,685 But listen to me. 160 00:07:15,708 --> 00:07:18,910 If Sandals is founded and owned by Matt Brown, we're in trouble. 161 00:07:19,089 --> 00:07:21,002 It was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ. 162 00:07:21,055 --> 00:07:22,117 This is his church. 163 00:07:22,213 --> 00:07:23,338 He owns it. 164 00:07:23,423 --> 00:07:26,281 And let me tell you something, there is freedom in that. 165 00:07:26,415 --> 00:07:27,899 There's freedom in that. 166 00:07:30,189 --> 00:07:34,089 So we're in this giving campaign, and we're trying to raise an extra couple million 167 00:07:30,189 --> 00:07:34,089 dollars. 168 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:35,533 I know I don't know what your problems are. 169 00:07:35,572 --> 00:07:36,639 Those are my problems. 170 00:07:37,170 --> 00:07:40,634 And last week I get a text message that our Palm Avenue campus. 171 00:07:40,682 --> 00:07:43,120 And pray for them because they're trying to stress me out. 172 00:07:43,730 --> 00:07:46,819 But our Palm Avenue campus main water line went out. 173 00:07:47,350 --> 00:07:48,660 Now, here's the thing. 174 00:07:49,029 --> 00:07:51,939 If that's my problem, I'm flipping out. 175 00:07:52,310 --> 00:07:54,401 But I got good news that's god's problem. 176 00:07:54,536 --> 00:07:55,565 You see, I'm not an owner. 177 00:07:55,598 --> 00:07:56,610 I'm a manager. 178 00:07:57,269 --> 00:07:59,718 And do you know that God handled it? 179 00:07:59,803 --> 00:08:02,262 We had people donate time dollars. 180 00:08:02,396 --> 00:08:12,379 We were able to do it almost at no expense because the people of our church rallied 181 00:08:02,396 --> 00:08:12,379 together, paid for the cement cutting, paid for the plumbing, paid for the cement work, 182 00:08:02,396 --> 00:08:12,379 donated their time. 183 00:08:15,470 --> 00:08:16,601 And listen to this. 184 00:08:16,656 --> 00:08:18,233 And why is that? 185 00:08:18,432 --> 00:08:21,129 Because they believe this is God's church. 186 00:08:21,810 --> 00:08:25,374 What would happen to your money if God believed your money was his money? 187 00:08:25,411 --> 00:08:26,430 I'm just curious. 188 00:08:27,170 --> 00:08:28,430 I'm just curious. 189 00:08:28,930 --> 00:08:33,677 So to get the most out of my money, I've got to do a couple of things. 190 00:08:33,844 --> 00:08:36,186 I got to see myself as a manager. 191 00:08:36,217 --> 00:08:38,529 And number two, I got to be honest, real honest. 192 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:40,162 If you're a young person, write this down. 193 00:08:40,216 --> 00:08:41,139 This is free. 194 00:08:41,590 --> 00:08:48,241 I got to be honest about my income earning potential, because some of you, you're on 195 00:08:41,590 --> 00:08:48,241 TikTok, but you're not in reality. 196 00:08:48,306 --> 00:08:49,110 Amen. 197 00:08:49,450 --> 00:08:52,053 And all these young people, I want to be a billionaire, man. 198 00:08:52,091 --> 00:08:53,313 I want you to make minimum wage. 199 00:08:53,361 --> 00:08:53,666 Amen. 200 00:08:53,697 --> 00:08:54,581 Let's start there. 201 00:08:54,716 --> 00:08:56,039 Let's start there. 202 00:08:56,809 --> 00:09:02,134 And this is the reason so many people are miserable with your $6 coffee. 203 00:09:02,182 --> 00:09:08,070 Because you got a 60 cent budget for coffee and you're just miserable. 204 00:09:08,149 --> 00:09:09,193 You know what the Bible says? 205 00:09:09,231 --> 00:09:13,789 The Bible says that Godliness with contentment is great wealth. 206 00:09:14,129 --> 00:09:15,309 Let me say that again. 207 00:09:15,379 --> 00:09:19,001 Godliness with contentment is great wealth. 208 00:09:19,145 --> 00:09:20,509 You want to know what misery is? 209 00:09:20,580 --> 00:09:22,320 Always wishing you had more. 210 00:09:23,429 --> 00:09:30,100 So the manager finds out all this money, this lifestyle he's been living, it actually 211 00:09:23,429 --> 00:09:30,100 isn't his. 212 00:09:31,590 --> 00:09:34,542 And the master said, I want an accounting. 213 00:09:34,605 --> 00:09:35,529 You're fired. 214 00:09:35,629 --> 00:09:38,245 Turn in all my money. 215 00:09:38,427 --> 00:09:40,519 Give a report for my stuff. 216 00:09:40,970 --> 00:09:43,813 And the manager says, now what? 217 00:09:44,011 --> 00:09:45,240 Now what? 218 00:09:45,850 --> 00:09:47,525 My boss has fired me. 219 00:09:47,628 --> 00:09:52,330 I don't have the strength to dig ditches, and I'm too proud to beg. 220 00:09:52,669 --> 00:09:54,570 Some of you are like, I'm not, pastor. 221 00:09:55,629 --> 00:09:56,730 He says, ah. 222 00:09:56,879 --> 00:10:03,149 He says, I know how to ensure that I'll have plenty of friends who will give me a home 223 00:09:56,879 --> 00:10:03,149 when I'm fired. 224 00:10:03,649 --> 00:10:04,909 Let me say this. 225 00:10:05,059 --> 00:10:08,190 Unrealistic ideas about money will make you miserable. 226 00:10:10,370 --> 00:10:15,634 I heard this song at my gym, and the song was, I Want to be a millionaire, and I'm going 227 00:10:10,370 --> 00:10:15,634 to say, so flipping bad. 228 00:10:15,672 --> 00:10:16,899 That's not what he said. 229 00:10:17,509 --> 00:10:18,734 But I was like, who doesn't? 230 00:10:18,782 --> 00:10:20,740 Dude, that's a dumb song to sing. 231 00:10:23,350 --> 00:10:24,974 He's like, I want to be like Oprah. 232 00:10:25,022 --> 00:10:27,029 I'm like, you're not going to be Oprah. 233 00:10:27,690 --> 00:10:29,080 You're not even close. 234 00:10:29,529 --> 00:10:30,919 You're not even close. 235 00:10:31,690 --> 00:10:36,677 And so many young people today have these aggrandized views of what life is going to be. 236 00:10:36,764 --> 00:10:41,259 And when you set the bar ridiculously high, you're never going to be happy. 237 00:10:42,350 --> 00:10:43,481 And let me say this. 238 00:10:43,535 --> 00:10:50,121 If you're older, you can't manage imaginary money unless you're in government. 239 00:10:50,176 --> 00:10:51,754 And you do it every day, right? 240 00:10:51,792 --> 00:10:53,019 You do it every day. 241 00:10:54,190 --> 00:10:54,714 I know. 242 00:10:54,751 --> 00:10:55,309 That was free. 243 00:10:55,379 --> 00:10:56,320 That was free. 244 00:10:57,409 --> 00:10:59,453 But you can't manage imaginary money. 245 00:10:59,491 --> 00:11:00,953 Years ago, we were doing a giving campaign. 246 00:11:01,001 --> 00:11:10,690 And this young man came up to me and he handed me a CD and he said, pastor, this CD is 247 00:11:01,001 --> 00:11:10,690 going to change the world, and I'm going to donate all the proceeds from this CD to the 248 00:11:01,001 --> 00:11:10,690 giving campaign. 249 00:11:11,029 --> 00:11:17,645 And I listened to his CD and there may be a future in music, but it is not with him 250 00:11:11,029 --> 00:11:17,645 singing. 251 00:11:17,677 --> 00:11:18,433 Let me just say that. 252 00:11:18,471 --> 00:11:20,610 Let me just say that it was awful. 253 00:11:20,690 --> 00:11:22,070 It was terrible. 254 00:11:22,570 --> 00:11:25,509 And some of you, that's what you tell God you're going to give. 255 00:11:25,580 --> 00:11:28,557 I'm going to give this to you when I'm famous. 256 00:11:28,754 --> 00:11:31,769 I'm going to give this to you when I'm rich. 257 00:11:32,909 --> 00:11:35,114 And let me tell you something, that doesn't work. 258 00:11:35,312 --> 00:11:39,129 You need to be honest about your income earning potential. 259 00:11:39,950 --> 00:11:41,610 And the world is changing. 260 00:11:42,750 --> 00:11:44,190 America's changing. 261 00:11:44,690 --> 00:11:46,878 We used to value a college education. 262 00:11:46,964 --> 00:11:47,981 Listen to me, young people. 263 00:11:48,035 --> 00:11:49,658 Now we value labor. 264 00:11:49,833 --> 00:11:53,086 Things are changing and we need to pay attention to that. 265 00:11:53,268 --> 00:11:59,086 And you can spend $200,000 to go work in labor, to get a college degree and go work in 266 00:11:53,268 --> 00:11:59,086 labor. 267 00:11:59,197 --> 00:12:00,769 The money is shifting. 268 00:12:01,429 --> 00:12:02,929 The money is shifting. 269 00:12:03,350 --> 00:12:03,922 It's interesting. 270 00:12:03,975 --> 00:12:05,265 And we need to pay attention to this. 271 00:12:05,288 --> 00:12:07,057 And so what can I do? 272 00:12:07,224 --> 00:12:08,433 So what does he say? 273 00:12:08,552 --> 00:12:10,049 I'm too old to dig ditches. 274 00:12:10,129 --> 00:12:11,639 You need to be thinking ahead. 275 00:12:12,730 --> 00:12:14,994 And so many people today because money's getting tight. 276 00:12:15,042 --> 00:12:21,019 Did you know that there is an epidemic of people robbing their four hundred and one K to 277 00:12:15,042 --> 00:12:21,019 pay their bills today? 278 00:12:21,789 --> 00:12:26,730 More people in 2022 have done that since the 2008 crisis. 279 00:12:27,629 --> 00:12:29,114 They're robbing their future. 280 00:12:29,231 --> 00:12:30,153 And let me tell you something. 281 00:12:30,192 --> 00:12:34,905 If you're doing that, you're taking money from when you can't work to pay for your bills. 282 00:12:34,937 --> 00:12:39,070 Now, when you can work, that's not wise. 283 00:12:39,889 --> 00:12:41,261 You need to be thinking about this. 284 00:12:41,316 --> 00:12:42,014 Be honest. 285 00:12:42,131 --> 00:12:44,799 And some are like, I'm going to work till I'm 80, okay? 286 00:12:45,169 --> 00:12:46,985 You can't even walk to church. 287 00:12:47,018 --> 00:12:51,250 I see you guys parking right up front when you're 50, what are you going to do when you're 288 00:12:47,018 --> 00:12:51,250 80? 289 00:12:51,669 --> 00:12:53,201 So be thinking about this. 290 00:12:53,255 --> 00:12:54,625 Be thinking about your future. 291 00:12:54,727 --> 00:12:55,538 And be honest. 292 00:12:55,624 --> 00:12:57,220 What can I do? 293 00:12:57,990 --> 00:12:59,446 Like, I meet young kids all the time. 294 00:12:59,467 --> 00:13:00,498 I'm going to be a professional athlete. 295 00:13:00,514 --> 00:13:02,440 And I look at them like, probably not. 296 00:13:03,370 --> 00:13:04,053 Probably not. 297 00:13:04,091 --> 00:13:05,394 Have you seen a professional athlete? 298 00:13:05,442 --> 00:13:06,919 They don't look like you. 299 00:13:07,529 --> 00:13:09,000 They don't look like you. 300 00:13:09,850 --> 00:13:12,453 And so a lot of us have these unrealistic expectations. 301 00:13:12,501 --> 00:13:14,038 And I'm not saying you shouldn't have goals. 302 00:13:14,134 --> 00:13:16,409 I'm just saying they should be realistic goals. 303 00:13:16,830 --> 00:13:18,789 They should be realistic goals. 304 00:13:18,950 --> 00:13:21,340 What can you really do? 305 00:13:22,269 --> 00:13:25,419 And so here's the thing, is jesus is going to commend this guy. 306 00:13:25,870 --> 00:13:27,405 And a lot of people have a problem with it. 307 00:13:27,427 --> 00:13:29,594 But here's one of the things I think Christ is commending. 308 00:13:29,642 --> 00:13:30,879 He's at least real. 309 00:13:31,250 --> 00:13:33,070 And some of you just aren't. 310 00:13:34,210 --> 00:13:41,553 And instead of playing the lottery hoping, what I would encourage you to do is start 311 00:13:34,210 --> 00:13:41,553 planning out and working and say, okay Lord, what can I do? 312 00:13:41,672 --> 00:13:42,402 What can I do? 313 00:13:42,456 --> 00:13:43,662 And again, what is happiness? 314 00:13:43,725 --> 00:13:45,490 Happiness is not the money that you don't have. 315 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:49,090 It's learning to make it work with what you do have, that's happiness. 316 00:13:49,990 --> 00:13:54,961 So to get the most out of my money, number one, I got to say, oh, I'm a manager, not an 317 00:13:49,990 --> 00:13:54,961 owner. 318 00:13:55,025 --> 00:13:58,182 Number two, I got to be realistic about what I can do. 319 00:13:58,235 --> 00:14:02,409 And number three, I got to use the resources that I do have strategically. 320 00:14:03,789 --> 00:14:05,419 This is so huge. 321 00:14:06,110 --> 00:14:07,913 Jesus says, so here's the guy. 322 00:14:07,951 --> 00:14:10,666 I can't work because I can't dig ditches because I'm too old. 323 00:14:10,768 --> 00:14:12,905 I'm not going to beg because I'm too proud. 324 00:14:13,018 --> 00:14:14,477 I know what I'll do. 325 00:14:14,563 --> 00:14:15,453 And so what does he do? 326 00:14:15,491 --> 00:14:21,840 He invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. 327 00:14:22,769 --> 00:14:25,854 And he asked the first one, he says, how much do you owe him? 328 00:14:25,892 --> 00:14:30,254 And the man replied, I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil. 329 00:14:30,381 --> 00:14:33,250 Now, this is hard for us because in our world, everything's money. 330 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:36,100 But for most of the ancient world, they traded in things. 331 00:14:36,950 --> 00:14:47,601 Tammy and I just were in Ireland a couple of weeks ago, and do you know, the Irish didn't 332 00:14:36,950 --> 00:14:47,601 have money until the twelve hundreds they traded in sheep and cattle. 333 00:14:47,745 --> 00:14:48,759 That was it. 334 00:14:49,610 --> 00:14:52,618 There was no such thing as coin until the 1200s. 335 00:14:52,624 --> 00:14:53,690 Isn't that incredible? 336 00:14:54,190 --> 00:14:57,129 Just 800 years ago, there's no money in Ireland. 337 00:14:57,549 --> 00:15:02,405 And so he says, look, you owe him all of this oil. 338 00:15:02,597 --> 00:15:06,937 And so the manager told him, take the bill quickly and change it to 400 gallons. 339 00:15:07,033 --> 00:15:07,789 Whoa. 340 00:15:09,409 --> 00:15:12,985 And then he asked the next man, how much do you owe my employer? 341 00:15:13,018 --> 00:15:13,710 He asked him. 342 00:15:13,779 --> 00:15:17,437 He said, I owe him a thousand bushels of wheat. 343 00:15:17,614 --> 00:15:19,614 Now, I don't know about you, but I don't traffic in wheat. 344 00:15:19,662 --> 00:15:20,350 Amen. 345 00:15:20,509 --> 00:15:22,546 I have no idea how much this is. 346 00:15:22,727 --> 00:15:29,990 1000 bushels of wheat is 60,000 pounds of wheat. 347 00:15:30,970 --> 00:15:32,600 Let me put it this way. 348 00:15:33,929 --> 00:15:38,230 It's several hundred tons of wheat. 349 00:15:38,590 --> 00:15:41,179 Wow, this guy owes a lot. 350 00:15:42,029 --> 00:15:43,258 And here's what he said. 351 00:15:43,344 --> 00:15:45,340 Take the bill and change it to 800. 352 00:15:45,870 --> 00:15:50,620 He just took tons, literally tons of debt off of him. 353 00:15:50,990 --> 00:15:52,278 And so here's the thing. 354 00:15:52,384 --> 00:15:58,841 The rich man, the master in this story, had to admire the dishonest Rascal for being so 355 00:15:52,384 --> 00:15:58,841 shrewd. 356 00:15:58,905 --> 00:16:02,077 And this is where Christians in private school flip out. 357 00:16:02,163 --> 00:16:02,841 Oh my gosh. 358 00:16:02,905 --> 00:16:04,282 Jesus is saying we can lie. 359 00:16:04,346 --> 00:16:05,700 That's not what he's saying. 360 00:16:06,789 --> 00:16:08,514 Listen to what he's saying. 361 00:16:08,711 --> 00:16:17,480 He says, and it's true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the 362 00:16:08,711 --> 00:16:17,480 world around them than are the children of light. 363 00:16:18,730 --> 00:16:19,793 Here's the lesson. 364 00:16:19,841 --> 00:16:25,014 Jesus says, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. 365 00:16:25,211 --> 00:16:30,220 And then when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you into an eternal home. 366 00:16:30,990 --> 00:16:31,913 Can I just say this? 367 00:16:31,951 --> 00:16:34,299 If you're a Christian, this is not always true. 368 00:16:34,909 --> 00:16:38,778 But oftentimes nonchristians are better with money. 369 00:16:38,864 --> 00:16:40,299 Than Christians are. 370 00:16:41,090 --> 00:16:42,320 Why is that? 371 00:16:43,250 --> 00:16:49,519 Because nonchristians don't believe in a man upstairs who will fix their dumb decisions 372 00:16:43,250 --> 00:16:49,519 down here. 373 00:16:51,090 --> 00:16:52,254 That's why. 374 00:16:52,451 --> 00:17:00,610 And some of you keep believing this, that God is going to bail me out from my continued 375 00:16:52,451 --> 00:17:00,610 foolish financial decisions. 376 00:17:01,029 --> 00:17:03,533 And you say, well, Pastor, I thought God was a God of grace. 377 00:17:03,581 --> 00:17:04,145 He is. 378 00:17:04,248 --> 00:17:07,480 It's amazing grace, how sweet the sound. 379 00:17:07,849 --> 00:17:09,970 But let me say this, and this will preach. 380 00:17:10,049 --> 00:17:14,119 There's a difference between fixing something and forgiving something. 381 00:17:15,130 --> 00:17:17,349 God will forgive you for your stupidity. 382 00:17:18,009 --> 00:17:19,594 Yes, you got it. 383 00:17:19,632 --> 00:17:21,769 But that doesn't mean your situation is fixed. 384 00:17:22,589 --> 00:17:28,809 Did you know that there are eleven specific biblical commands to be wise? 385 00:17:30,289 --> 00:17:35,869 Why would God say eleven times in the Bible, be wise, be wise, be wise. 386 00:17:36,369 --> 00:17:39,680 Here's the thing, because your decisions matter. 387 00:17:42,609 --> 00:17:50,930 Listen, if I'm a Christian and I am, god will not bless my foolish financial decisions. 388 00:17:53,509 --> 00:17:55,201 And we need to think about this. 389 00:17:55,336 --> 00:17:59,986 And that's why Jesus says the children of this world are wiser. 390 00:18:00,018 --> 00:18:03,559 They're more shrewd with their money than are the children of the light. 391 00:18:04,970 --> 00:18:09,269 And some of you are saying God's in control, not of your spending. 392 00:18:09,950 --> 00:18:11,339 That's on you. 393 00:18:12,670 --> 00:18:15,718 God's in control, not of your management. 394 00:18:15,894 --> 00:18:20,857 You see, this story from, from beginning to end is god is in control of everything. 395 00:18:20,943 --> 00:18:22,718 But he's expecting you to manage. 396 00:18:22,804 --> 00:18:26,000 Listen to this, what he's put you in control of. 397 00:18:26,930 --> 00:18:29,279 And so many Christians miss this. 398 00:18:30,930 --> 00:18:32,559 Completely miss this. 399 00:18:33,490 --> 00:18:36,190 And so here's what I would challenge many of you to do today. 400 00:18:36,339 --> 00:18:40,019 You want to get more out of your money, you got to be wiser about your money. 401 00:18:41,589 --> 00:18:44,980 I learned this long ago when we started Santos Church and we had nothing. 402 00:18:45,589 --> 00:18:48,390 Every dollar mattered, every penny mattered. 403 00:18:49,450 --> 00:18:54,726 And we literally had to get every last drop out of the money that we brought in. 404 00:18:54,748 --> 00:18:55,685 It was so difficult. 405 00:18:55,788 --> 00:18:57,029 It was so scary. 406 00:18:58,569 --> 00:19:13,069 And many churches today, and many Christians are in trouble because they operate their 407 00:18:58,569 --> 00:19:13,069 finances by faith and not out of wisdom, believing that God will bail them out for their 408 00:18:58,569 --> 00:19:13,069 foolish decisions. 409 00:19:14,609 --> 00:19:23,519 And Jesus says, this dishonest guy is better with money than you are and you should learn 410 00:19:14,609 --> 00:19:23,519 from him. 411 00:19:24,630 --> 00:19:25,233 Why? 412 00:19:25,352 --> 00:19:27,170 Because he has a strategy. 413 00:19:27,829 --> 00:19:31,650 And his strategy was a relational strategy. 414 00:19:32,950 --> 00:19:38,182 Even though he continued to rip off his manager, his owner, excuse me, as the manager, he 415 00:19:32,950 --> 00:19:38,182 kept ripping him off. 416 00:19:38,316 --> 00:19:40,200 He said, I got to do what I got to do. 417 00:19:41,130 --> 00:19:46,119 So to get the most out of my money, I got to keep the end in mind. 418 00:19:48,009 --> 00:19:50,299 Man, this is what some of you miss. 419 00:19:52,109 --> 00:19:56,380 The second this guy knew he was fired, he changed his whole financial life. 420 00:19:57,630 --> 00:20:00,074 You see, he knew what the end was. 421 00:20:00,192 --> 00:20:01,630 He knew the end game. 422 00:20:01,700 --> 00:20:06,509 Some of you Christians, oh, you believe in heaven, but you live like you're going to be on 423 00:20:01,700 --> 00:20:06,509 earth forever. 424 00:20:08,849 --> 00:20:13,481 Some of you Christians are Christian atheists. 425 00:20:13,546 --> 00:20:14,819 When it comes to your money. 426 00:20:17,349 --> 00:20:21,619 You have faith in your heart for God, but when it comes to your money, like, I don't 427 00:20:17,349 --> 00:20:21,619 really believe. 428 00:20:25,970 --> 00:20:30,653 Romans 1412 is a news flash, and many Christians don't realize this. 429 00:20:30,852 --> 00:20:33,246 This is written to Christians for believers. 430 00:20:33,278 --> 00:20:34,769 I'm going to give you two verses. 431 00:20:36,150 --> 00:20:40,046 So many Christians, when I ask them, where are you going to go when you die? 432 00:20:40,077 --> 00:20:41,670 And everybody says heaven. 433 00:20:42,569 --> 00:20:44,279 That's not what the Bible says. 434 00:20:45,289 --> 00:20:48,869 When you die, you stand before God and are judged. 435 00:20:49,690 --> 00:20:53,109 The first place you go is judgment. 436 00:20:54,250 --> 00:21:05,369 The first thing that happens to you when you take your last breath on earth and you take 437 00:20:54,250 --> 00:21:05,369 your first breath before Jesus is you are going to be held listen to these words 438 00:20:54,250 --> 00:21:05,369 accountable. 439 00:21:06,670 --> 00:21:11,279 There's an accounting, and some of you are not ready for that. 440 00:21:12,529 --> 00:21:14,814 You're not ready for the audit of your life. 441 00:21:14,852 --> 00:21:16,137 Anybody ever been audited? 442 00:21:16,314 --> 00:21:17,006 Oh, I have. 443 00:21:17,028 --> 00:21:18,377 It's super fun. 444 00:21:18,564 --> 00:21:19,726 Super exciting. 445 00:21:19,837 --> 00:21:22,900 You get that love letter from the IRS, it shows up. 446 00:21:23,509 --> 00:21:24,769 It's terrifying. 447 00:21:25,750 --> 00:21:27,089 It's terrifying. 448 00:21:27,430 --> 00:21:31,869 A couple of years ago, Tammy and I, we got our wages garnished by the IRS. 449 00:21:31,950 --> 00:21:32,930 That's super fun. 450 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,874 When our accountant at church is like, oh, our pastor doesn't pay his taxes. 451 00:21:35,922 --> 00:21:38,738 He's like, we got to garnish your wages here's. 452 00:21:38,753 --> 00:21:43,094 The thing is, I told our business director here, I said, do whatever they say. 453 00:21:43,132 --> 00:21:46,233 I told my wife and I told our tax guy the same thing. 454 00:21:46,271 --> 00:21:47,589 I said, we've not cheated. 455 00:21:47,750 --> 00:21:51,529 And I have absolute confidence that in this end, we will be exonerated. 456 00:21:51,950 --> 00:22:00,526 Now, I didn't like it, but I had faith that I was going to survive the accounting and by 457 00:21:51,950 --> 00:22:00,526 the grace of God, we got through it. 458 00:22:00,548 --> 00:22:02,013 And actually they owed us money. 459 00:22:02,051 --> 00:22:03,945 So hey, god reigns. 460 00:22:03,978 --> 00:22:04,698 Amen. 461 00:22:04,874 --> 00:22:07,306 Yeah, god reigns. 462 00:22:07,498 --> 00:22:08,660 It was awesome. 463 00:22:10,150 --> 00:22:11,506 Romans 1412. 464 00:22:11,607 --> 00:22:11,970 Yes. 465 00:22:12,039 --> 00:22:14,740 Each of us will give a personal account to God. 466 00:22:16,869 --> 00:22:17,619 Personal. 467 00:22:18,470 --> 00:22:20,339 Tammy and I will not stand together. 468 00:22:21,769 --> 00:22:25,720 She will stand alone before God, and I will stand alone before God. 469 00:22:26,809 --> 00:22:27,960 Are you ready? 470 00:22:29,529 --> 00:22:31,493 Two corinthians 510. 471 00:22:31,692 --> 00:22:35,849 For we all must stand before Christ to be judged. 472 00:22:37,789 --> 00:22:42,458 Some Muslims understand judgment day better than Christians do. 473 00:22:42,463 --> 00:22:42,826 You know that? 474 00:22:42,847 --> 00:22:47,950 Muslims understand they will stand before Jesus and be judged. 475 00:22:49,250 --> 00:22:51,599 Many Christians have forgotten this. 476 00:22:52,609 --> 00:22:53,405 Listen to what he says. 477 00:22:53,428 --> 00:23:04,258 We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and we will receive whatever we 478 00:22:53,428 --> 00:23:04,258 deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. 479 00:23:04,423 --> 00:23:05,809 Now, let me say this. 480 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,738 We're not saved by works. 481 00:23:08,824 --> 00:23:10,289 We're saved by grace. 482 00:23:11,130 --> 00:23:13,394 You cannot earn your salvation. 483 00:23:13,521 --> 00:23:15,329 The Gospel is opposed to earning. 484 00:23:15,410 --> 00:23:16,198 Listen to me. 485 00:23:16,284 --> 00:23:18,230 But Jesus demands effort. 486 00:23:19,130 --> 00:23:22,630 He demands effort, and he wants you. 487 00:23:22,779 --> 00:23:25,461 Like, what did you do with the fact that you were saved? 488 00:23:25,526 --> 00:23:27,561 What did you do with the fact that he died for you? 489 00:23:27,615 --> 00:23:30,953 What did you do with your life after he paid it all? 490 00:23:31,152 --> 00:23:32,619 What did you pay forward? 491 00:23:35,630 --> 00:23:36,586 See, here's the thing. 492 00:23:36,607 --> 00:23:39,630 The servant in this story was not ready to be held accountable. 493 00:23:40,369 --> 00:23:42,430 He wasn't ready for how he managed. 494 00:23:42,930 --> 00:23:45,279 As a believer, you should be. 495 00:23:46,049 --> 00:23:51,442 As a believer, you should be, jesus said. 496 00:23:51,576 --> 00:23:52,849 Here's the lesson. 497 00:23:53,509 --> 00:23:58,513 Use your worldly resources to benefit others and to make friends. 498 00:23:58,711 --> 00:24:04,726 And then when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you into an eternal home. 499 00:24:04,907 --> 00:24:09,720 This text is so rich, and some of us have missed this. 500 00:24:11,529 --> 00:24:15,640 Our life should be lived to make one friend. 501 00:24:18,690 --> 00:24:19,874 I meet so many people. 502 00:24:19,912 --> 00:24:20,925 How do you know you're going to heaven? 503 00:24:20,958 --> 00:24:22,049 I believe in Jesus. 504 00:24:22,390 --> 00:24:25,630 The scariest verse in the Bible is found in Matthew. 505 00:24:25,789 --> 00:24:29,029 There will be all these people on the Day of Judgment that said, Lord, I did all of these 506 00:24:25,789 --> 00:24:29,029 things. 507 00:24:29,099 --> 00:24:30,865 And he says, Depart from me, you sinner. 508 00:24:30,897 --> 00:24:31,718 Listen to these words. 509 00:24:31,804 --> 00:24:33,000 I never knew you. 510 00:24:34,650 --> 00:24:35,862 You know what he's saying? 511 00:24:35,996 --> 00:24:37,160 We weren't friends. 512 00:24:38,569 --> 00:24:39,799 We weren't friends. 513 00:24:41,309 --> 00:24:43,557 So Jesus has two audiences. 514 00:24:43,733 --> 00:24:48,246 One audience is his disciples, and the other are Pharisees. 515 00:24:48,438 --> 00:24:50,380 And you're going to hear from them in the end. 516 00:24:51,230 --> 00:24:55,038 But the Pharisees, when they hear this word, make friends for an eternal home. 517 00:24:55,203 --> 00:24:59,534 There's two people in the Jewish Bible that are called friends of God. 518 00:24:59,571 --> 00:25:00,846 Did you know who they are? 519 00:25:01,028 --> 00:25:03,869 Moses and Abraham. 520 00:25:04,710 --> 00:25:08,099 They're both called friends of God. 521 00:25:08,630 --> 00:25:13,700 And both of them lived every day on this earth for God. 522 00:25:15,349 --> 00:25:16,900 Who are you living for? 523 00:25:18,309 --> 00:25:21,789 This last week, Tammy and I, we've started our Christmas movie. 524 00:25:21,869 --> 00:25:22,541 Movie season. 525 00:25:22,605 --> 00:25:29,253 We have all of our Christmas movies, and one of the movies that I love to watch is the 526 00:25:22,605 --> 00:25:29,253 Lord of the Rings trilogy from the early two thousand s. 527 00:25:29,291 --> 00:25:30,165 I absolutely love it. 528 00:25:30,188 --> 00:25:31,569 I'm a big Tolkien geek. 529 00:25:31,650 --> 00:25:32,337 I love it all. 530 00:25:32,364 --> 00:25:42,809 But that there's this scene in the first movie, Fellowship of the Rings, where they're 531 00:25:32,364 --> 00:25:42,809 trying to enter a cave, and they have Gandalf the wizard who can't figure out the riddle. 532 00:25:43,410 --> 00:25:46,473 And here's what it says in Elvish on the door. 533 00:25:46,521 --> 00:25:49,119 It says, Speak, friend and enter. 534 00:25:50,609 --> 00:25:52,319 And they can't figure it out. 535 00:25:52,690 --> 00:25:55,529 And some of us as Christians are just like Gandalf. 536 00:25:55,690 --> 00:25:57,200 We can't figure it out. 537 00:25:57,809 --> 00:26:00,660 And it's the Hobbits that say, what's the word for friend? 538 00:26:01,029 --> 00:26:03,779 And they say it, and they're welcomed in. 539 00:26:04,150 --> 00:26:06,210 Let me tell you how you're going to get in heaven. 540 00:26:06,710 --> 00:26:07,953 Are you a friend? 541 00:26:08,152 --> 00:26:10,913 Have you spoken friend in this life? 542 00:26:11,112 --> 00:26:12,193 That's how you get in. 543 00:26:12,231 --> 00:26:12,617 Jr. 544 00:26:12,653 --> 00:26:14,230 Tolkien is trying to teach us something there. 545 00:26:14,299 --> 00:26:22,539 He was a devout Christian, devout believer in God, and some of us are failing to be 546 00:26:14,299 --> 00:26:22,539 friends of God. 547 00:26:23,309 --> 00:26:29,786 Use your money in this life to make friends and to usher people in to the kingdom of God. 548 00:26:29,887 --> 00:26:32,220 That's what you should be using your resources for. 549 00:26:34,809 --> 00:26:35,973 So here's what he's saying. 550 00:26:36,011 --> 00:26:41,190 Be generous to people and God in order to have an eternal impact. 551 00:26:42,650 --> 00:26:44,150 An eternal impact. 552 00:26:46,009 --> 00:26:49,834 I don't know about you, but I've wasted my money on stupid things. 553 00:26:49,872 --> 00:26:51,589 Anybody ever bought something that's stupid? 554 00:26:51,750 --> 00:26:52,266 Okay? 555 00:26:52,367 --> 00:26:55,529 And if your hands not up, you probably did it yesterday. 556 00:26:57,150 --> 00:26:58,539 But here's the thing. 557 00:26:59,390 --> 00:27:11,039 When we get to heaven, I'm going to get to see the money that I gave to Jesus and how it 558 00:26:59,390 --> 00:27:11,039 impacted not just my life, not just your life, but every life. 559 00:27:12,930 --> 00:27:16,013 I'm going to get to see all the saints and their offerings. 560 00:27:16,061 --> 00:27:18,930 I'm going to get to see what it did forever. 561 00:27:19,589 --> 00:27:20,402 Here's the thing. 562 00:27:20,455 --> 00:27:22,930 Nothing that we buy in this Earth lasts. 563 00:27:23,589 --> 00:27:26,470 Everything that we give to God lasts forever. 564 00:27:27,369 --> 00:27:28,710 It lasts forever. 565 00:27:29,849 --> 00:27:36,279 And so I want you to think about that when you're spending your money, be asking yourself, 566 00:27:29,849 --> 00:27:36,279 what is the eternal impact of this? 567 00:27:38,329 --> 00:27:41,099 All of my financial decisions are made out of that. 568 00:27:41,630 --> 00:27:46,057 We don't buy cars we can't afford because I don't want to be a slave to a car company. 569 00:27:46,144 --> 00:27:47,930 I want to be a servant of Jesus. 570 00:27:49,470 --> 00:27:51,965 I don't buy a house that's going to put pressure on me. 571 00:27:51,988 --> 00:27:55,513 So I become a slave to my house because I'm a servant of Jesus. 572 00:27:55,642 --> 00:27:59,039 All of my financial decisions are funneled through this idea. 573 00:27:59,890 --> 00:28:03,059 Years ago, Tammy and I wanted to buy our first brand new home. 574 00:28:03,430 --> 00:28:08,450 And when we sat down with a housing agent, we wrote down our expenses, and he asked, 575 00:28:03,430 --> 00:28:08,450 what's tithing? 576 00:28:11,670 --> 00:28:13,134 And I said, that's tithing. 577 00:28:13,182 --> 00:28:13,917 And you know what he said? 578 00:28:13,943 --> 00:28:19,079 If you put that down as an actual expense, the bank will not qualify you for this home. 579 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:23,476 And you know what I said then? 580 00:28:23,498 --> 00:28:24,819 I guess we don't qualify. 581 00:28:26,759 --> 00:28:32,119 I guess we don't qualify, because I'm not going to buy a house that's going to put 582 00:28:26,759 --> 00:28:32,119 pressure on my Tithing. 583 00:28:36,380 --> 00:28:37,849 I'm not going to do it. 584 00:28:38,299 --> 00:28:39,690 I'm not going to do it. 585 00:28:41,819 --> 00:28:45,150 Just so you know, that was a hard no, because Tammy really liked the house. 586 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:47,549 I really liked the house. 587 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:49,516 But we never lived there. 588 00:28:49,538 --> 00:28:51,710 One day, and I don't regret it at all. 589 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:59,009 To get the most out of my money, I must be listen to this a faithful manager who is worthy 590 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:59,009 of more. 591 00:28:59,940 --> 00:29:03,903 How many of you guys in here and if you're watching from a campus, how many of you guys 592 00:28:59,940 --> 00:29:03,903 could use a little more money? 593 00:29:03,942 --> 00:29:04,336 Raise your hands. 594 00:29:04,357 --> 00:29:04,880 It's okay. 595 00:29:04,950 --> 00:29:05,788 There's nothing wrong with that's. 596 00:29:05,804 --> 00:29:06,284 Not a sin. 597 00:29:06,332 --> 00:29:08,289 You guys like, no. 598 00:29:08,740 --> 00:29:14,559 Let me explain theologically what you're asking God for a raise. 599 00:29:16,420 --> 00:29:18,839 You you're asking God for a raise. 600 00:29:20,299 --> 00:29:21,607 And I want you to know this. 601 00:29:21,693 --> 00:29:22,855 I tell this with people all the time. 602 00:29:22,877 --> 00:29:26,776 I have people all the time that work for me are like, I want to plan a church, or I want 603 00:29:22,877 --> 00:29:26,776 to go here, I want to do that. 604 00:29:26,798 --> 00:29:27,991 And I tell them this all the time. 605 00:29:28,046 --> 00:29:29,640 I say, every day is an interview. 606 00:29:31,839 --> 00:29:33,339 Every day is an interview. 607 00:29:34,079 --> 00:29:37,339 I want you to know with God, every day is an interview for a raise. 608 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:39,448 Listen to Jesus. 609 00:29:39,544 --> 00:29:41,288 This is all in his teaching. 610 00:29:41,463 --> 00:29:46,609 He said, if you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in large ones. 611 00:29:47,779 --> 00:29:49,019 You want to raise? 612 00:29:49,180 --> 00:29:50,079 You want more. 613 00:29:50,150 --> 00:29:51,490 Be faithful little. 614 00:29:52,740 --> 00:29:59,556 But Jesus says if you are dishonest in the little things you see, some of us believe money 615 00:29:52,740 --> 00:29:59,556 will change us. 616 00:29:59,577 --> 00:30:00,288 No, it won't. 617 00:30:00,304 --> 00:30:01,589 It just reveals us. 618 00:30:02,599 --> 00:30:06,208 You won't be honest with greater responsibilities. 619 00:30:06,304 --> 00:30:07,976 You want to know how much you have? 620 00:30:08,077 --> 00:30:09,880 You have what you can handle. 621 00:30:11,420 --> 00:30:19,480 He says this and if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, then who will trust you 622 00:30:11,420 --> 00:30:19,480 with the true riches of Heaven? 623 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:23,788 And then here's where the challenge comes. 624 00:30:23,874 --> 00:30:32,609 And if you are not faithful with other people's things, why should you be trusted with 625 00:30:23,874 --> 00:30:32,609 things of your own? 626 00:30:34,259 --> 00:30:38,369 I would encourage you to park in this verse for the rest of your life. 627 00:30:40,420 --> 00:30:46,630 If you're not faithful with someone else's things, why would you be given something that's 628 00:30:40,420 --> 00:30:46,630 your own? 629 00:30:47,799 --> 00:30:49,955 What on earth is Jesus teaching here? 630 00:30:50,057 --> 00:30:51,670 This is huge. 631 00:30:54,039 --> 00:30:57,155 One of the guys I've been following for ten years died this last week. 632 00:30:57,178 --> 00:30:58,756 His name is Charlie Munger. 633 00:30:58,948 --> 00:31:03,160 He's the chief financial analyst for a guy you've probably heard of, warren Buffett. 634 00:31:04,299 --> 00:31:06,743 These guys bet on Costco 20 years ago. 635 00:31:06,781 --> 00:31:08,009 How'd that work out? 636 00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:13,559 I mean, he has bet on companies that you all know. 637 00:31:13,630 --> 00:31:14,655 Target costco. 638 00:31:14,708 --> 00:31:15,692 I mean, you name it. 639 00:31:15,826 --> 00:31:18,220 He's just worth billions and billions of dollars. 640 00:31:18,289 --> 00:31:19,596 But you know, he died this week. 641 00:31:19,617 --> 00:31:21,630 And guess how much he got to take with him? 642 00:31:22,079 --> 00:31:22,731 Zero. 643 00:31:22,865 --> 00:31:23,175 Here's. 644 00:31:23,208 --> 00:31:24,104 What Jesus teaching? 645 00:31:24,152 --> 00:31:26,700 No matter what you have in this life, it's not yours. 646 00:31:26,779 --> 00:31:28,127 Here's what Timothy says. 647 00:31:28,213 --> 00:31:32,609 You come into the world with nothing, and you will leave with nothing. 648 00:31:33,380 --> 00:31:34,928 Here's what Jesus is saying. 649 00:31:35,013 --> 00:31:39,119 You want true riches, you want real riches, then you want something that lasts forever. 650 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,172 I don't care what you think you own. 651 00:31:41,226 --> 00:31:43,059 When you die, you let it go. 652 00:31:43,210 --> 00:31:45,200 It's not really yours. 653 00:31:45,359 --> 00:31:51,183 Jesus is teaching something here in eternity, not just in Heaven. 654 00:31:51,231 --> 00:31:52,791 Oh, by the way, some of you don't know this. 655 00:31:52,846 --> 00:31:54,200 There's a new Earth. 656 00:31:54,619 --> 00:32:00,048 There's a new Earth, there's a new Heaven, and there's no gap anymore, and there's no 657 00:31:54,619 --> 00:32:00,048 sickness, and there's no death. 658 00:32:00,084 --> 00:32:02,119 But you know what there is on the new Earth? 659 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:03,710 Things you can actually own. 660 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:11,950 Things that will actually be yours, because they will never be taken away from you. 661 00:32:13,039 --> 00:32:14,028 Think about that. 662 00:32:14,114 --> 00:32:18,288 Some of you are gambling your whole life on everything you have to give up here. 663 00:32:18,374 --> 00:32:22,289 And you're missing out on the blessings of what you get to own forever there. 664 00:32:25,769 --> 00:32:29,834 Why on earth would God give you more when you've not been faithful with what you have? 665 00:32:30,031 --> 00:32:35,450 Why park in that verse? 666 00:32:35,950 --> 00:32:41,645 Why would I ever, God says, give you something that you can own when you haven't been 667 00:32:35,950 --> 00:32:41,645 faithful with what I own? 668 00:32:41,748 --> 00:32:51,842 God says so many Christians think that Heaven is this socialist empire where everything is 669 00:32:41,748 --> 00:32:51,842 equal. 670 00:32:51,905 --> 00:32:53,670 You've not read the Gospels. 671 00:32:54,089 --> 00:32:55,874 Everything in the next life. 672 00:32:56,011 --> 00:33:02,410 Your position, your status, where you are, what you do, it's all based upon the rewards 673 00:32:56,011 --> 00:33:02,410 that are handed out for your faithfulness here. 674 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:10,846 And, oh, by the way Jesus says, whatever you spend in this life for his kingdom, you get 675 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:10,846 100 X in the next life. 676 00:33:10,948 --> 00:33:13,279 100 times in the next life. 677 00:33:14,609 --> 00:33:16,640 How's your 401K doing this year? 678 00:33:17,089 --> 00:33:19,380 I don't know about you, but I'm not getting 100 X. 679 00:33:21,910 --> 00:33:22,273 Man. 680 00:33:22,311 --> 00:33:22,766 I'm grateful. 681 00:33:22,798 --> 00:33:23,794 This year I got 1%. 682 00:33:23,832 --> 00:33:25,105 I made 1%. 683 00:33:25,288 --> 00:33:28,099 And if you know anything about inflation, that means I'm down 20. 684 00:33:32,089 --> 00:33:39,400 Jesus is saying, Whatever you do for me, I'm going to multiply it a hundred times in the 685 00:33:32,089 --> 00:33:39,400 next life. 686 00:33:40,809 --> 00:33:43,000 And you get to own it. 687 00:33:43,769 --> 00:33:45,180 You get to own it. 688 00:33:45,869 --> 00:33:48,700 Listen, this life is tough, but this life is just a test. 689 00:33:49,150 --> 00:33:51,259 It's real, but it's a test. 690 00:33:51,869 --> 00:33:58,814 And some of us, unfortunately, are failing miserably because we're like the dishonest 691 00:33:51,869 --> 00:33:58,814 manager who thinks we own something. 692 00:33:58,932 --> 00:34:06,799 And then all of a sudden, the owner calls for an accounting, and we realize we got 693 00:33:58,932 --> 00:34:06,799 nothing. 694 00:34:07,410 --> 00:34:08,289 We got nothing. 695 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:14,610 Now, in the story, the master laughs at the rascal, but he still knows he cheated. 696 00:34:15,670 --> 00:34:17,969 He still knows what he did was dishonest. 697 00:34:19,590 --> 00:34:21,746 And the compliment is not to go and be dishonest. 698 00:34:21,777 --> 00:34:29,414 The compliment is to be shrewd and strategic and figure out the blessing of seeing 699 00:34:21,777 --> 00:34:29,414 everything in your life. 700 00:34:29,452 --> 00:34:30,389 As God's. 701 00:34:31,849 --> 00:34:39,420 To get the most out of my money, I must not just work hard, but work hard to keep money in 702 00:34:31,849 --> 00:34:39,420 its place. 703 00:34:41,710 --> 00:34:46,639 Man some of you, you work hard, and the Lord has blessed you, and I'm grateful for that. 704 00:34:48,289 --> 00:34:53,920 But as hard as you work for money, I want you to work equally hard to not be enslaved to 705 00:34:48,289 --> 00:34:53,920 money. 706 00:34:55,250 --> 00:34:58,557 Jesus ends this teaching with this statement. 707 00:34:58,653 --> 00:35:06,449 No one can serve two masters who did the dishonest manager ultimately serve himself. 708 00:35:09,590 --> 00:35:17,559 You can't kind of serve God and yourself, he says, for you will hate one and love the 709 00:35:09,590 --> 00:35:17,559 other. 710 00:35:18,250 --> 00:35:21,686 You will be devoted to one and despise the other. 711 00:35:21,788 --> 00:35:22,677 He says this. 712 00:35:22,764 --> 00:35:26,057 You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. 713 00:35:26,143 --> 00:35:27,420 You can't do it. 714 00:35:28,590 --> 00:35:31,034 And by the way, in the Greek, the word is not money. 715 00:35:31,072 --> 00:35:31,686 It's mammon. 716 00:35:31,717 --> 00:35:33,898 It's the God of Money. 717 00:35:33,983 --> 00:35:38,639 It's the only God Jesus ever mentions, the God of money. 718 00:35:39,409 --> 00:35:49,054 And many of us worship him, are enslaved to him, pray to him, wish to him, live for him, 719 00:35:39,409 --> 00:35:49,054 and for what? 720 00:35:49,092 --> 00:35:50,739 You lose it all in the end. 721 00:35:53,719 --> 00:35:57,748 I don't know if Charlie Munger was a Christian, but here's what Jesus said. 722 00:35:57,833 --> 00:36:02,099 What do you gain if you inherit the whole world, but you forfeit your soul. 723 00:36:04,219 --> 00:36:04,887 Listen to me. 724 00:36:04,893 --> 00:36:08,489 If money is first in your life, then your soul is last. 725 00:36:10,219 --> 00:36:11,769 Your soul is last. 726 00:36:13,980 --> 00:36:16,110 So put money in its proper place. 727 00:36:17,599 --> 00:36:19,230 And here's the sad thing. 728 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:27,260 The story ends, and the Pharisees think Jesus is a joke. 729 00:36:29,860 --> 00:36:31,570 And do you know what the Bible says? 730 00:36:32,019 --> 00:36:35,090 Because they loved money. 731 00:36:37,380 --> 00:36:38,610 They loved money. 732 00:36:41,469 --> 00:36:49,545 Look, every single week when we have offering time, it's a tough time, and I get it. 733 00:36:49,568 --> 00:36:50,650 Money's tight. 734 00:36:51,230 --> 00:36:52,539 I get it, man. 735 00:36:53,409 --> 00:36:54,266 Times are tough. 736 00:36:54,297 --> 00:36:55,050 Times are scary. 737 00:36:55,130 --> 00:36:56,320 I understand it. 738 00:36:57,489 --> 00:37:03,949 The offering time is a reminder to us every single week, what God do we serve? 739 00:37:05,730 --> 00:37:06,989 Who do we serve? 740 00:37:08,630 --> 00:37:10,340 It's a check yourself time. 741 00:37:11,750 --> 00:37:13,380 It's a check yourself time. 742 00:37:13,989 --> 00:37:16,782 And for those of you who aren't Christians, you're like, oh, I came to church. 743 00:37:16,846 --> 00:37:17,358 George. 744 00:37:17,373 --> 00:37:18,353 The church is all about in the money. 745 00:37:18,391 --> 00:37:21,253 No God could care less about your money. 746 00:37:21,291 --> 00:37:22,710 He cares about your soul. 747 00:37:23,289 --> 00:37:27,400 And money robs you of your own soul if you love it. 748 00:37:27,769 --> 00:37:29,045 If you love it. 749 00:37:29,228 --> 00:37:35,829 And I want you to know there's such freedom when you make a decision that I'm not an 750 00:37:29,228 --> 00:37:35,829 owner, I'm a manager. 751 00:37:35,909 --> 00:37:37,579 There's such freedom in that. 752 00:37:40,030 --> 00:37:42,780 There's such peace with that. 753 00:37:43,789 --> 00:37:45,554 Years ago, I got sued. 754 00:37:45,621 --> 00:37:53,920 Somebody in our church got hurt volunteering, and they sued me for $2 million, which I 755 00:37:45,621 --> 00:37:53,920 thought was kind of funny because I don't have $2,000. 756 00:37:55,329 --> 00:37:56,797 But I was pretty stressed out about it. 757 00:37:56,804 --> 00:37:57,545 I had to go to court. 758 00:37:57,577 --> 00:37:59,505 I had to stand before a judge, and I felt bad. 759 00:37:59,527 --> 00:38:01,838 This volunteer got hurt at our church volunteering. 760 00:38:01,934 --> 00:38:03,153 And I felt bad for them. 761 00:38:03,192 --> 00:38:05,699 It impacted his finances and his situation. 762 00:38:06,550 --> 00:38:10,920 So I loved him as a member of our church, but I was mad at him because he was suing me for 763 00:38:06,550 --> 00:38:10,920 $2 million. 764 00:38:11,449 --> 00:38:18,869 And the judge was looking through the paperwork, and he looked up at me and he said, you 765 00:38:11,449 --> 00:38:18,869 don't own Sandals Church. 766 00:38:20,250 --> 00:38:21,461 And I said, no, I don't. 767 00:38:21,525 --> 00:38:22,409 Your Honor. 768 00:38:23,309 --> 00:38:25,210 He said, Then you were dismissed. 769 00:38:25,630 --> 00:38:26,730 Come on now. 770 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:27,606 Amen. 771 00:38:27,717 --> 00:38:28,809 You're dismissed. 772 00:38:30,110 --> 00:38:31,273 And I said, listen this. 773 00:38:31,311 --> 00:38:32,730 I said, I'm free to go. 774 00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:34,539 And the judge said, you are. 775 00:38:35,070 --> 00:38:36,409 And I walked out of there. 776 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:37,269 And you know why? 777 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:38,590 Because it wasn't mine. 778 00:38:39,090 --> 00:38:40,409 It wasn't mine. 779 00:38:40,570 --> 00:38:41,914 And there was such peace. 780 00:38:41,961 --> 00:38:45,193 I was so worked up leading up to have to standing in front of a judge. 781 00:38:45,242 --> 00:38:49,961 I didn't know what was going to happen, and I was so overwhelmed. 782 00:38:50,025 --> 00:38:51,134 But there was such peace. 783 00:38:51,181 --> 00:38:53,780 Hearing a judge say, It's not yours, is it? 784 00:38:54,309 --> 00:38:57,041 He looked at the paperwork, he looked at the facts, and he let me go. 785 00:38:57,096 --> 00:38:57,585 Listen to me. 786 00:38:57,608 --> 00:38:58,500 I was free. 787 00:38:59,510 --> 00:39:06,130 There is such freedom for those of you who aren't Christians yet, when the judge looks at 788 00:38:59,510 --> 00:39:06,130 you and you say, oh, this isn't yours. 789 00:39:06,289 --> 00:39:08,869 There's such freedom there, and there's such peace. 790 00:39:09,210 --> 00:39:16,085 And I cannot tell you how amazing it is as a family when you need a raise to look to God 791 00:39:09,210 --> 00:39:16,085 and say, god, we need a raise. 792 00:39:16,117 --> 00:39:17,530 And you know, we've been faithful. 793 00:39:19,469 --> 00:39:24,378 We know we've been faithful, and, you know, we live like this is all yours. 794 00:39:24,554 --> 00:39:25,545 There's such peace. 795 00:39:25,577 --> 00:39:30,750 There Sandals Church, and I want you to experience that peace. 796 00:39:31,250 --> 00:39:32,429 Let's pray together. 797 00:39:32,579 --> 00:39:37,393 Heavenly Father, would you bless us with the peace that surpasses all understanding God? 798 00:39:37,431 --> 00:39:44,402 And I know families are struggling, Lord, to pay for milk, diapers, rent, mortgage, car 799 00:39:37,431 --> 00:39:44,402 payment. 800 00:39:44,456 --> 00:39:46,500 Lord, our insurance has gone up. 801 00:39:46,949 --> 00:39:49,246 And, Lord, many of us haven't gotten a raise. 802 00:39:49,358 --> 00:39:52,246 And we're really struggling trusting you in this time. 803 00:39:52,427 --> 00:40:00,786 God, I pray that you would give us a sense of freedom to know that if our money is yours, 804 00:39:52,427 --> 00:40:00,786 these financial problems are not ours, they're yours. 805 00:40:00,978 --> 00:40:03,719 And, God, I pray that you would help us to get to that place. 806 00:40:04,329 --> 00:40:07,606 And, Lord, I pray for those who are faithful, who are giving. 807 00:40:07,708 --> 00:40:09,489 God, I just want to pray for a raise. 808 00:40:09,650 --> 00:40:12,777 I want to pray for a real raise and a substantial raise. 809 00:40:12,914 --> 00:40:17,802 And I pray that you bless them this week in the midst of their finances and their 810 00:40:12,914 --> 00:40:17,802 faithfulness. 811 00:40:17,865 --> 00:40:19,326 I pray this in Jesus name. 812 00:40:19,427 --> 00:40:19,769 Amen.