1 00:00:02,089 --> 00:00:04,634 Thanks for tuning in to the Sandals Church podcast. 2 00:00:04,761 --> 00:00:08,621 Our vision as a church is to be real with ourselves, God, and others. 3 00:00:08,756 --> 00:00:11,439 We're glad you're here and we hope you enjoy this message. 4 00:00:14,689 --> 00:00:15,214 Hi, guys. 5 00:00:15,252 --> 00:00:16,474 Welcome to Sandals Church. 6 00:00:16,521 --> 00:00:18,829 And I just want to start off with a question today. 7 00:00:18,980 --> 00:00:24,158 If you had to define Jesus with one word, what word would that be? 8 00:00:24,324 --> 00:00:32,353 I imagine that, man, if I just went around the room, if I could just interview every 9 00:00:24,324 --> 00:00:32,353 person, there would just be so many words that would define Jesus. 10 00:00:32,402 --> 00:00:38,582 But let me give you a word or a thought that I don't think comes to the forefront of our 11 00:00:32,402 --> 00:00:38,582 minds when we think about Jesus. 12 00:00:38,725 --> 00:00:40,890 And the word is generous. 13 00:00:41,229 --> 00:00:45,066 If you think about John 316, generosity defines his life. 14 00:00:45,167 --> 00:00:47,113 For God so loved the world that he gave. 15 00:00:47,231 --> 00:00:47,899 Who? 16 00:00:48,270 --> 00:00:49,130 Jesus. 17 00:00:49,469 --> 00:00:52,201 Jesus is a gift. 18 00:00:52,345 --> 00:01:00,317 And so if I'm going to worship someone whose life is defined by generosity, what must I 19 00:00:52,345 --> 00:01:00,317 become? 20 00:01:00,404 --> 00:01:05,549 As a Christian who follows Jesus, I must become a generous person. 21 00:01:05,700 --> 00:01:08,433 Now, I want you to think ahead to the day when you die, right? 22 00:01:08,552 --> 00:01:11,762 We can't control when we're born and we can't control when we leave. 23 00:01:11,816 --> 00:01:14,658 All we can control is that dash in the middle. 24 00:01:14,823 --> 00:01:28,150 And I'm wondering if at your funeral, when your family and your friends, when people who 25 00:01:14,823 --> 00:01:28,150 speak about you, when you can't argue, I'm wondering if one of the words that they're 26 00:01:14,823 --> 00:01:28,150 going to use to describe you is generous. 27 00:01:28,650 --> 00:01:37,689 Now, I can't control when I die or how I die, but I'm hoping that when people talk about 28 00:01:28,650 --> 00:01:37,689 me, I'm hoping my wife will say, Matt was generous. 29 00:01:38,189 --> 00:01:42,170 I'm hoping my kids will say my dad was generous. 30 00:01:42,329 --> 00:01:55,489 I'm hoping that people that interacted with me will not say, Matt was someone who was 31 00:01:42,329 --> 00:01:55,489 always asking for something, but Matt was someone who was giving something, looking for an 32 00:01:42,329 --> 00:01:55,489 opportunity to give. 33 00:01:55,640 --> 00:02:04,049 You see, I learned early on in my Christian walk that if I was truly going to follow 34 00:01:55,640 --> 00:02:04,049 Jesus, I had to have a life marked by generosity. 35 00:02:04,709 --> 00:02:08,861 And so we're going to talk today about Jesus and you're going to be blown away through 36 00:02:04,709 --> 00:02:08,861 this series. 37 00:02:08,925 --> 00:02:11,105 You're like, how can you do a whole series on generosity? 38 00:02:11,138 --> 00:02:12,439 Oh, wait, we're going to. 39 00:02:12,889 --> 00:02:21,560 Because Jesus is the most generous human being to ever walk the face of the earth and he 40 00:02:12,889 --> 00:02:21,560 wants to help change your heart and help you become a more generous person. 41 00:02:22,330 --> 00:02:24,457 Hey, guys, thanks so much for joining us today. 42 00:02:24,544 --> 00:02:29,397 If you want to be a part of the work in the ministry here at Sandals Church, you can go 43 00:02:24,544 --> 00:02:29,397 today to donate. 44 00:02:29,493 --> 00:02:32,860 SC, thanks again for watching and let's continue on in the message. 45 00:02:33,569 --> 00:02:38,990 So we're going to start this series in Luke chapter Eleven, verses 37 through 39. 46 00:02:39,060 --> 00:02:40,397 We're going to start this story. 47 00:02:40,484 --> 00:02:43,758 And at the end of the message, we're going to finish this story. 48 00:02:43,924 --> 00:02:47,265 But as Jesus was speaking in Luke Eleven, it says this. 49 00:02:47,288 --> 00:02:50,861 One of the Pharisees invited him to his home for a meal. 50 00:02:50,925 --> 00:02:51,794 Let's just stop there. 51 00:02:51,831 --> 00:02:53,026 Let's pause here. 52 00:02:53,207 --> 00:03:02,439 Before you invite Jesus into your heart, into your home or into your head, be careful, 53 00:02:53,207 --> 00:03:02,439 because when he comes into your life, he wants to change your life. 54 00:03:03,610 --> 00:03:05,762 And so he went and he took his place at the table. 55 00:03:05,825 --> 00:03:06,439 Right? 56 00:03:06,810 --> 00:03:08,530 There's a place for Jesus. 57 00:03:08,689 --> 00:03:12,554 And his host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat. 58 00:03:12,592 --> 00:03:18,457 Without first performing the hand washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. 59 00:03:18,623 --> 00:03:19,705 Jesus didn't wash his hands. 60 00:03:19,728 --> 00:03:20,939 It's kind of gross, right? 61 00:03:21,469 --> 00:03:22,860 But he has a point. 62 00:03:23,330 --> 00:03:27,741 And then the Lord said to him, you Pharisees, this is the guy who invited him over. 63 00:03:27,795 --> 00:03:29,401 Think a priest or a pastor. 64 00:03:29,466 --> 00:03:32,581 Super religious person in the Jewish religion. 65 00:03:32,665 --> 00:03:39,246 He says, you Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and dish. 66 00:03:39,437 --> 00:03:41,409 But inside, listen to this. 67 00:03:41,479 --> 00:03:42,849 You are filthy. 68 00:03:43,669 --> 00:03:44,813 Full of what? 69 00:03:44,951 --> 00:03:48,789 According to Jesus, greed and wickedness. 70 00:03:50,009 --> 00:03:55,990 If I'm going to be a generous person, I must be honest about the problem of greed. 71 00:03:56,490 --> 00:03:58,614 How many of you have ever known or met a greedy person? 72 00:03:58,651 --> 00:03:59,639 Raise your hands. 73 00:04:00,889 --> 00:04:01,879 Look around. 74 00:04:02,590 --> 00:04:03,882 I mean, we've met these people. 75 00:04:03,936 --> 00:04:05,689 Some of us have been raised by these people. 76 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:07,900 Some of us have worked for these people. 77 00:04:08,430 --> 00:04:10,366 Some of us are sitting next to these people. 78 00:04:10,388 --> 00:04:10,746 Amen. 79 00:04:10,777 --> 00:04:11,840 Don't look at them. 80 00:04:12,370 --> 00:04:13,680 Don't look at them. 81 00:04:14,610 --> 00:04:17,519 Here's what the Bible says about greedy people. 82 00:04:17,889 --> 00:04:24,500 Such God denying people are never content with what they have or who they are. 83 00:04:25,110 --> 00:04:29,009 Their greed drives them relentlessly. 84 00:04:30,709 --> 00:04:34,194 Now, before you judge a greedy person, I just want to say this. 85 00:04:34,312 --> 00:04:36,002 We need to have compassion upon them. 86 00:04:36,055 --> 00:04:37,221 And why is that? 87 00:04:37,355 --> 00:04:39,189 Because greed is oppressive. 88 00:04:39,930 --> 00:04:41,057 It's oppressive. 89 00:04:41,153 --> 00:04:42,117 It owns them. 90 00:04:42,204 --> 00:04:43,685 It controls them. 91 00:04:43,867 --> 00:04:46,709 They go to sleep at night thinking about what they don't have. 92 00:04:46,779 --> 00:04:49,658 And they wake up in the morning thinking about what they don't have. 93 00:04:49,744 --> 00:04:52,533 They are a slave to their desires. 94 00:04:52,661 --> 00:04:54,089 Greed's oppressive. 95 00:04:54,509 --> 00:04:55,257 Next. 96 00:04:55,423 --> 00:04:56,697 Greed is blinding you. 97 00:04:56,704 --> 00:04:58,105 Ever wonder how they don't get it? 98 00:04:58,208 --> 00:05:00,266 How on earth do you not get this? 99 00:05:00,447 --> 00:05:01,353 I'm a married man. 100 00:05:01,391 --> 00:05:07,230 And so what that means is from time to time I watch television programs that I would not 101 00:05:01,391 --> 00:05:07,230 watch if I was single, okay? 102 00:05:07,379 --> 00:05:10,793 And one of those programs was the Johnny Depp Amber Heard trial. 103 00:05:10,841 --> 00:05:11,934 Anybody watch that? 104 00:05:12,052 --> 00:05:13,593 Oh, my gosh, I wish I didn't. 105 00:05:13,641 --> 00:05:14,639 But I did. 106 00:05:15,250 --> 00:05:18,317 You want to talk about a greed slug fest? 107 00:05:18,494 --> 00:05:23,922 It was ugly and awful looking at people that will have more money than you and I ever 108 00:05:18,494 --> 00:05:23,922 will. 109 00:05:23,975 --> 00:05:27,665 Johnny Depp's lost more money than I've ever just. 110 00:05:27,687 --> 00:05:28,194 He's just. 111 00:05:28,232 --> 00:05:29,182 He's drowning. 112 00:05:29,245 --> 00:05:30,002 Sleeping in money. 113 00:05:30,055 --> 00:05:35,302 I don't know if you know, I saw in the trial, but he owns his house and every house around 114 00:05:30,055 --> 00:05:35,302 him in his cul de sac in LA. 115 00:05:35,355 --> 00:05:37,766 That's mean. 116 00:05:37,788 --> 00:05:39,110 Where do we put all those homeless people? 117 00:05:39,180 --> 00:05:39,973 Johnny Depp's house. 118 00:05:40,012 --> 00:05:40,305 Amen. 119 00:05:40,338 --> 00:05:41,500 That's all I'm saying. 120 00:05:42,509 --> 00:05:43,302 I'm kidding. 121 00:05:43,365 --> 00:05:44,185 Don't actually do that. 122 00:05:44,208 --> 00:05:46,661 I don't want Johnny Depp to sue me anyways. 123 00:05:46,805 --> 00:05:50,122 But, you know, Amber Heard was suing him for millions and millions of dollars. 124 00:05:50,175 --> 00:05:51,466 And you remember what she said? 125 00:05:51,567 --> 00:05:53,242 She said, I don't actually want this money. 126 00:05:53,295 --> 00:05:55,230 I'm going to donate it to charity. 127 00:05:56,050 --> 00:06:01,742 And then they pulled out the charity foundation where she donated the money and she had 128 00:05:56,050 --> 00:06:01,742 pledged it, but she never gave it. 129 00:06:01,795 --> 00:06:05,410 And she said this, she said, a pledge is just as good as a gift. 130 00:06:07,509 --> 00:06:09,314 Now, don't laugh, because that's how some of you give. 131 00:06:09,351 --> 00:06:09,553 Okay? 132 00:06:09,591 --> 00:06:10,353 You know what I'm saying? 133 00:06:10,471 --> 00:06:11,502 Don't laugh. 134 00:06:11,646 --> 00:06:13,293 You're like, it's coming, Pastor. 135 00:06:13,341 --> 00:06:14,180 It's coming. 136 00:06:17,689 --> 00:06:25,529 But I want you to see, Greed is blinding one of the give the biggest pledges we've ever 137 00:06:17,689 --> 00:06:25,529 had in our church. 138 00:06:25,870 --> 00:06:27,913 A pledge was for millions of dollars. 139 00:06:28,112 --> 00:06:29,579 Do you want to know what they gave? 140 00:06:30,129 --> 00:06:30,879 Zero. 141 00:06:31,810 --> 00:06:35,069 Zero, man. 142 00:06:35,220 --> 00:06:37,021 And you say, how could a person do that? 143 00:06:37,076 --> 00:06:37,901 It's not the person. 144 00:06:37,956 --> 00:06:39,360 It's the greed in the person. 145 00:06:39,970 --> 00:06:42,494 And greed blinds you. 146 00:06:42,692 --> 00:06:48,113 Now, if you're a Christian or you're new to Christianity or you're considering, man, I 147 00:06:42,692 --> 00:06:48,113 don't know if I want to be a Christian or not. 148 00:06:48,151 --> 00:06:49,185 You need to know this. 149 00:06:49,288 --> 00:06:52,766 Greed is a sin according to the Bible. 150 00:06:52,877 --> 00:06:54,002 Now, here's the problem. 151 00:06:54,136 --> 00:07:00,149 It's the most prevalent sin in the church, but it's the least talked about sin in the 152 00:06:54,136 --> 00:07:00,149 church. 153 00:07:01,529 --> 00:07:05,346 This is how bad sin is, according to the Apostle Paul. 154 00:07:05,458 --> 00:07:10,970 He says, but among you, there must not even be a hint of greed. 155 00:07:11,550 --> 00:07:12,298 Why? 156 00:07:12,463 --> 00:07:15,100 Because these are improper for the Lord's people. 157 00:07:16,430 --> 00:07:18,038 Here's my prayer for sandals Church. 158 00:07:18,053 --> 00:07:23,769 We're never going to be defined as a perfect church, but I want us to be defined as a 159 00:07:18,053 --> 00:07:23,769 generous church. 160 00:07:23,930 --> 00:07:28,509 And if you're a Christian, your life should be marked by generosity. 161 00:07:29,649 --> 00:07:33,694 Greed should be as disgusting to you as a Porta potty on a hot day. 162 00:07:33,732 --> 00:07:34,430 Amen. 163 00:07:35,430 --> 00:07:36,401 You ever done that? 164 00:07:36,456 --> 00:07:37,762 I mean, you got to go. 165 00:07:37,896 --> 00:07:39,089 You got to go. 166 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:40,740 You don't want to be there. 167 00:07:42,149 --> 00:07:43,954 But that's what greed should be like for us. 168 00:07:43,992 --> 00:07:51,079 We should smell greed, we should loathe greed, and we should never want it to be in our 169 00:07:43,992 --> 00:07:51,079 life. 170 00:07:52,089 --> 00:07:53,793 So Greed's terrible. 171 00:07:53,841 --> 00:07:54,562 Greed's awful. 172 00:07:54,625 --> 00:07:56,069 Greed's a sin. 173 00:07:57,769 --> 00:07:59,160 So here's my question. 174 00:07:59,610 --> 00:08:02,329 Are there some areas in your life where you're greedy? 175 00:08:03,149 --> 00:08:07,819 See, if I'm going to become generous like Jesus, I got to admit what greed is. 176 00:08:08,189 --> 00:08:13,790 And then I got to identify areas in my life where I might be greedy. 177 00:08:14,850 --> 00:08:16,862 This is what Jesus says in Luke twelve. 178 00:08:16,915 --> 00:08:18,314 This is a different teaching. 179 00:08:18,442 --> 00:08:22,500 And then he said to them, watch out, watch out. 180 00:08:22,870 --> 00:08:27,101 Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. 181 00:08:27,165 --> 00:08:28,062 Whoa, wait a minute. 182 00:08:28,125 --> 00:08:29,139 Back up there. 183 00:08:29,829 --> 00:08:31,677 Greed is multifaceted. 184 00:08:31,853 --> 00:08:33,700 It's not just about money. 185 00:08:34,470 --> 00:08:36,241 Watch out for all kinds of greed. 186 00:08:36,306 --> 00:08:43,413 Greed is so sticky, so evil, so dark, it can trip us up in multiple areas in our life. 187 00:08:43,611 --> 00:08:47,394 Jesus says, life does not consist in abundance of possessions. 188 00:08:47,522 --> 00:08:50,490 Watch out for all kinds of greed. 189 00:08:51,149 --> 00:08:53,001 Now, I've been a pastor for 30 years. 190 00:08:53,056 --> 00:09:01,360 I have had people confess things to me where I've wanted to laugh, I've wanted to cry, 191 00:08:53,056 --> 00:09:01,360 I've wanted to run. 192 00:09:03,169 --> 00:09:06,014 I mean, I've had people confess murder to me. 193 00:09:06,211 --> 00:09:11,802 I've had to contact the police and involve the police in something someone in our church 194 00:09:06,211 --> 00:09:11,802 had done. 195 00:09:11,875 --> 00:09:20,049 But do you know, in 30 years as your pastor, in 30 years, no one has ever confessed greed. 196 00:09:21,909 --> 00:09:23,282 Can you believe that? 197 00:09:23,416 --> 00:09:29,509 What do you think the chances are in a church of 40,000 people that there isn't somebody 198 00:09:23,416 --> 00:09:29,509 right now wrestling with this sin? 199 00:09:30,090 --> 00:09:33,830 We've probably had a million people come through the doors of Santa's church since we 200 00:09:30,090 --> 00:09:33,830 started. 201 00:09:33,899 --> 00:09:37,960 What do you think the chances are that there wasn't one person one time? 202 00:09:39,529 --> 00:09:41,605 And I've had people confess crazy things one time. 203 00:09:41,628 --> 00:09:44,234 I remember a young man right in the lobby said, I haven't looked at porn in three days. 204 00:09:44,272 --> 00:09:45,193 And he gave me a high five. 205 00:09:45,231 --> 00:09:47,370 I was like, you just said that out loud. 206 00:09:51,330 --> 00:09:57,950 I've had people confess crazy things, but nobody has ever confessed greed. 207 00:09:58,529 --> 00:09:59,453 You know why that is? 208 00:09:59,491 --> 00:10:00,750 Greed is sneaky. 209 00:10:01,830 --> 00:10:02,542 Sneaky. 210 00:10:02,605 --> 00:10:03,405 I'm not greedy. 211 00:10:03,437 --> 00:10:04,258 You are. 212 00:10:04,423 --> 00:10:05,460 They are. 213 00:10:06,870 --> 00:10:08,769 So how might I be greedy? 214 00:10:09,269 --> 00:10:10,673 Let's just run through a couple of things. 215 00:10:10,711 --> 00:10:15,399 How about with my time, man? 216 00:10:15,470 --> 00:10:19,179 One of the questions I get the most in the debrief is, do I have to go to church? 217 00:10:20,799 --> 00:10:21,851 You know what you're saying? 218 00:10:21,905 --> 00:10:23,149 This is my time. 219 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,990 And to your credit, the Lord has given you six days. 220 00:10:27,919 --> 00:10:29,163 Do what you want for six days. 221 00:10:29,201 --> 00:10:32,370 He says, but on the 7th day, give me his time. 222 00:10:33,460 --> 00:10:36,080 Here's the one way you are identical to Jesus. 223 00:10:37,220 --> 00:10:42,419 Here's the one way where there's absolutely nothing different about the life that you live 224 00:10:37,220 --> 00:10:42,419 and the life that Jesus lived. 225 00:10:42,759 --> 00:10:46,470 Jesus had 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 226 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:49,669 How about with my things? 227 00:10:50,279 --> 00:10:50,895 Oh, my gosh. 228 00:10:50,927 --> 00:10:52,067 Anybody got kids? 229 00:10:52,234 --> 00:10:52,943 That's mine. 230 00:10:52,991 --> 00:10:54,000 That's mine. 231 00:10:54,159 --> 00:10:54,916 Stop touching it. 232 00:10:54,937 --> 00:10:55,296 That's mine. 233 00:10:55,327 --> 00:10:55,716 That's mine. 234 00:10:55,748 --> 00:10:56,600 That's mine. 235 00:10:57,820 --> 00:11:09,980 My brother and I used to fight over toys so much, my mom would mark all of his toys with 236 00:10:57,820 --> 00:11:09,980 Green toenail polish, and all my toys were with red toenail polish because we fought over 237 00:10:57,820 --> 00:11:09,980 whose was whose. 238 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:12,091 How about this? 239 00:11:12,145 --> 00:11:13,128 My emotions. 240 00:11:13,303 --> 00:11:17,549 Some of you have been so hurt by people, you'll never share an emotion again. 241 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:23,649 I'm going to show my current husband and blame him for what your last husband did. 242 00:11:25,940 --> 00:11:27,211 How about your affection? 243 00:11:27,275 --> 00:11:30,879 Some of us are so greedy with our affection. 244 00:11:31,620 --> 00:11:37,299 Last month, I had the opportunity to go visit my 97 year old Grandmother, Grandma Flo. 245 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:42,772 I haven't seen her for various reasons because of COVID The last time I saw her, man, she 246 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:42,772 was 90. 247 00:11:42,826 --> 00:11:44,149 Now she's 97. 248 00:11:44,519 --> 00:11:50,548 And I just hugged her all day long, gave her little kisses, played with her hair, a little 249 00:11:44,519 --> 00:11:50,548 purple hair. 250 00:11:50,644 --> 00:11:51,879 This is so cute. 251 00:11:52,379 --> 00:11:54,200 And I just rubbed her back. 252 00:11:54,269 --> 00:11:55,864 You know what she said to me? 253 00:11:56,062 --> 00:11:58,379 She said, it's so nice to be touched. 254 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,230 I said, grandma, I'm just treating you the way you treated me when I was little. 255 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:17,169 But some of us, man, we're so afraid to hug our kids, to hug our wife, to hug our husband, 256 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:17,169 to hug a friend, to say, man, I just love you. 257 00:12:18,419 --> 00:12:22,259 We live in a world that's digitally connected but physically separated. 258 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:26,950 Some of us are greedy with our words. 259 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:31,750 Do you know how important it is to speak an encouraging word? 260 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:33,635 Man, I just love you. 261 00:12:33,658 --> 00:12:34,611 I just appreciate you. 262 00:12:34,666 --> 00:12:36,389 I'm just thankful for you. 263 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:40,048 And some of us, man, we just. 264 00:12:40,073 --> 00:12:41,943 We're so afraid of saying the wrong thing. 265 00:12:41,981 --> 00:12:44,090 It keeps us from ever saying the right thing. 266 00:12:45,259 --> 00:12:48,169 And now let's get to what you're afraid I'm going to talk about. 267 00:12:49,419 --> 00:12:50,909 Greedy with my money. 268 00:12:53,279 --> 00:12:54,727 Listen to me, parents. 269 00:12:54,903 --> 00:12:57,789 You know what word you will never have to teach your child to say? 270 00:12:58,240 --> 00:12:59,179 Mine. 271 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:05,570 But if you're a Christian parent and you want to raise Christian kids, you've got to teach 272 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:05,570 them to say his. 273 00:13:08,179 --> 00:13:09,615 Nobody ever told a two year old. 274 00:13:09,638 --> 00:13:10,491 Repeat after me. 275 00:13:10,566 --> 00:13:11,183 Say mine. 276 00:13:11,231 --> 00:13:12,672 Now say it with passion. 277 00:13:12,735 --> 00:13:14,447 Now say it with anger. 278 00:13:14,624 --> 00:13:15,539 Mine. 279 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,235 No one's ever taught a child to say that. 280 00:13:21,418 --> 00:13:28,120 But that's what a child says, and so we've got to teach them, no. 281 00:13:28,269 --> 00:13:33,929 Everything is God's, and he has given this to us, and we need to learn to share it. 282 00:13:34,460 --> 00:13:36,250 You ever watch three year olds share? 283 00:13:38,220 --> 00:13:40,860 A potential murder is about ready to break out. 284 00:13:41,009 --> 00:13:41,563 It's okay. 285 00:13:41,601 --> 00:13:43,224 Let's not stab each other with a dinosaur. 286 00:13:43,272 --> 00:13:45,480 Let's share the dinosaur. 287 00:13:45,639 --> 00:13:47,196 So let me ask you a question. 288 00:13:47,378 --> 00:13:51,360 I mean, as Christians, I would assume you take sin very seriously. 289 00:13:52,580 --> 00:13:53,631 You want to love God. 290 00:13:53,686 --> 00:13:55,039 You want to live a holy life. 291 00:13:55,190 --> 00:13:58,720 So why is it that you give yourself permission when it comes to greed? 292 00:14:00,659 --> 00:14:04,870 Here's what I think we do is, well, I'm not as greedy as that person, or I'm not like 293 00:14:00,659 --> 00:14:04,870 them. 294 00:14:06,039 --> 00:14:07,299 You know why I think it is? 295 00:14:07,370 --> 00:14:10,580 I Think it's because we don't understand the consequences of greed. 296 00:14:12,279 --> 00:14:13,264 That's why we lie. 297 00:14:13,312 --> 00:14:15,269 Like, we know what adultery can do. 298 00:14:15,639 --> 00:14:17,559 We know what murder can do. 299 00:14:17,710 --> 00:14:19,576 We know what lying does. 300 00:14:19,758 --> 00:14:21,351 We know what cheating does. 301 00:14:21,405 --> 00:14:21,816 Right? 302 00:14:21,918 --> 00:14:23,895 But we don't know what greed does. 303 00:14:23,918 --> 00:14:25,207 You want to know what greed does? 304 00:14:25,293 --> 00:14:28,990 Greed invites evil into my life. 305 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,860 The Bible is full of so many sad stories. 306 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:34,519 So many sad stories. 307 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,155 And one of the saddest stories in the Bible is in Genesis, chapter four. 308 00:14:38,177 --> 00:14:45,259 It's a story of two brothers, two brothers who didn't learn from their parents mistake. 309 00:14:46,500 --> 00:14:49,024 Some of you have never thought about what the original sin is. 310 00:14:49,062 --> 00:14:55,830 God says you can have anything and everything on earth except this one thing. 311 00:14:57,799 --> 00:15:00,224 And what drove Adam and Eve to sin? 312 00:15:00,272 --> 00:15:01,059 Coveting. 313 00:15:01,399 --> 00:15:02,559 It's greed. 314 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,100 It's taking that which is not yours. 315 00:15:07,019 --> 00:15:09,255 And then they said, let's have kids, right? 316 00:15:09,278 --> 00:15:10,264 Some of you did the same thing. 317 00:15:10,302 --> 00:15:11,224 Let's change the world. 318 00:15:11,261 --> 00:15:12,679 Let's make the world a better place. 319 00:15:12,750 --> 00:15:13,850 Let's have children. 320 00:15:15,019 --> 00:15:18,110 And then you look at your sin in the lives of little people. 321 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:26,456 In Genesis, chapter four, verses two through seven, it says, when they grew up, Abel 322 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:26,456 became a shepherd, and Cain cultivated the ground. 323 00:15:26,488 --> 00:15:29,000 So Cain is the oldest, Abel is the youngest. 324 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:35,340 And when it was time for harvest, Cain presented some of the crops as a gift to the Lord. 325 00:15:35,500 --> 00:15:38,831 Genesis, chapter four is an offering to God. 326 00:15:38,966 --> 00:15:40,692 God, you've given this to us. 327 00:15:40,745 --> 00:15:44,549 You've protected us, and we're going to give a portion back to you. 328 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:51,909 You see, everybody who acknowledges God wants to return the blessings of God back to him. 329 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,850 And I want you to know that there's no mandate to do this. 330 00:15:57,179 --> 00:15:58,889 They just felt like they should. 331 00:16:00,139 --> 00:16:02,355 Abel also brought a gift. 332 00:16:02,548 --> 00:16:03,683 And what was his gift? 333 00:16:03,731 --> 00:16:04,344 Listen to this. 334 00:16:04,381 --> 00:16:08,807 From the best portions of the firstborn lambs of his flock. 335 00:16:08,984 --> 00:16:12,024 And the Lord accepted Abel and his gift. 336 00:16:12,072 --> 00:16:15,899 But he did not accept Cain and his gift. 337 00:16:16,559 --> 00:16:18,110 I wonder why that was. 338 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,484 The Bible makes a point that Abel gave his very best. 339 00:16:21,601 --> 00:16:24,495 And it says nothing about the offering that Cain gave. 340 00:16:24,677 --> 00:16:25,903 It always amazes me. 341 00:16:25,942 --> 00:16:27,264 Christians, I love you very much. 342 00:16:27,302 --> 00:16:27,871 I love you. 343 00:16:27,926 --> 00:16:28,879 I appreciate you. 344 00:16:28,950 --> 00:16:29,919 Your money is your money. 345 00:16:29,990 --> 00:16:30,943 Your stuff is your stuff. 346 00:16:30,981 --> 00:16:32,144 But let me ask you this question. 347 00:16:32,182 --> 00:16:36,230 If the couch ain't good enough for your house, why is it good enough for God's house? 348 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:39,552 I just want to donate. 349 00:16:39,615 --> 00:16:41,059 I was feeling generous. 350 00:16:41,559 --> 00:16:43,056 I can't have this for my buns. 351 00:16:43,087 --> 00:16:46,009 But the Lord's buns, he can sit right on this. 352 00:16:48,460 --> 00:16:49,176 Listen to me. 353 00:16:49,197 --> 00:16:51,529 Goodwill is great, but that's not always God's will. 354 00:16:52,539 --> 00:17:00,408 And so many Christians fail when they read to the Bible, don't donate the lamb with one 355 00:16:52,539 --> 00:17:00,408 eye. 356 00:17:00,583 --> 00:17:02,269 That's not the one God wants. 357 00:17:08,339 --> 00:17:14,940 And some of you, you fail to understand the teachings of scriptures, the scriptures that 358 00:17:08,339 --> 00:17:14,940 seem so minute and so tedious. 359 00:17:15,019 --> 00:17:18,079 What God is saying, don't give me your crap. 360 00:17:20,019 --> 00:17:21,155 I just love the Lord so much. 361 00:17:21,178 --> 00:17:24,420 I'm going to give this lamb that's going to die tomorrow. 362 00:17:26,279 --> 00:17:27,855 But listen to Cain's response. 363 00:17:27,887 --> 00:17:33,700 This made Cain very angry and he looked dejected. 364 00:17:34,140 --> 00:17:39,960 So in Genesis chapter three, Eve looks at the fruit. 365 00:17:40,460 --> 00:17:47,900 In Genesis chapter four, Cain looks at himself and the Lord says, why are you so angry? 366 00:17:48,319 --> 00:17:50,940 Why do you look so dejected? 367 00:17:51,519 --> 00:17:53,852 He says, you will be accepted if what? 368 00:17:53,905 --> 00:17:55,630 If you do what is right. 369 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,791 But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out. 370 00:17:59,846 --> 00:18:04,799 God says sin is crouching at the door. 371 00:18:05,700 --> 00:18:06,655 Listen to this. 372 00:18:06,758 --> 00:18:09,248 And it is eager to what? 373 00:18:09,413 --> 00:18:10,690 Control you. 374 00:18:12,500 --> 00:18:13,695 And some of you. 375 00:18:13,798 --> 00:18:17,951 You're going to spend your whole life asking God to take away your desire for sin. 376 00:18:18,016 --> 00:18:22,549 And God is going to spend your whole life telling you your job is to control it. 377 00:18:24,539 --> 00:18:27,559 Wouldn't that be great if God just took away our desires for sin? 378 00:18:29,500 --> 00:18:33,880 What God thinks would be great is if you served him in spite of those desires. 379 00:18:35,759 --> 00:18:39,400 He said, but you must subdue it and be its master. 380 00:18:39,559 --> 00:18:40,269 Wow. 381 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:44,029 And does Cain listen? 382 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:45,150 No. 383 00:18:46,079 --> 00:18:48,849 He lures his brother into the field. 384 00:18:49,539 --> 00:18:54,450 And murder occurs in Genesis, chapter four. 385 00:18:56,420 --> 00:18:58,720 Man, that's the power of greed. 386 00:18:59,539 --> 00:19:01,589 Why do you think most wars start? 387 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:04,564 You see, professors in colleges love to blame God. 388 00:19:04,602 --> 00:19:06,271 Let me give you the real culprit. 389 00:19:06,415 --> 00:19:07,539 It's greed. 390 00:19:08,039 --> 00:19:09,220 It's greed. 391 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:12,309 We don't have guns to protect us from God. 392 00:19:13,180 --> 00:19:15,690 We have guns to protect us from each other. 393 00:19:16,779 --> 00:19:22,135 Greed is the culprit behind all of these conflicts, all of these problems. 394 00:19:22,238 --> 00:19:23,700 A fight for resources. 395 00:19:23,779 --> 00:19:28,519 Instead of sharing, we hoard and we take and we kill and we murder. 396 00:19:28,599 --> 00:19:38,923 And this happens in Genesis chapter four, because if you don't identify greed that is 397 00:19:28,599 --> 00:19:38,923 crouching at your door, it will destroy you and worse. 398 00:19:38,971 --> 00:19:39,970 Listen to this. 399 00:19:41,539 --> 00:19:45,009 Greed can create conflict with those I love. 400 00:19:46,819 --> 00:19:52,069 Isn't it interesting that Genesis four starts out as a problem between Cain and who? 401 00:19:52,519 --> 00:19:52,980 God. 402 00:19:53,049 --> 00:19:56,819 But it results in a problem between Cain and Abel. 403 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:00,950 Proverbs 527. 404 00:20:01,319 --> 00:20:08,675 Greed brings grief to the whole family, man, that's a blessing. 405 00:20:08,708 --> 00:20:09,203 If you're poor. 406 00:20:09,251 --> 00:20:09,988 Amen. 407 00:20:10,163 --> 00:20:13,112 You ain't going to fight over nothing, because all you're going to get to Bill. 408 00:20:13,165 --> 00:20:13,960 Amen. 409 00:20:14,700 --> 00:20:15,940 I love poor funerals. 410 00:20:16,019 --> 00:20:16,675 Nobody's fighting. 411 00:20:16,708 --> 00:20:21,230 Everybody's trying to get out quickly because they know somebody's going to write a check. 412 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:29,407 But when you have resources and there's something left over, your parents have worked a 413 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:29,407 hard enough life to leave something for you. 414 00:20:29,493 --> 00:20:32,369 Oh, watch the siblings turn on each other. 415 00:20:33,380 --> 00:20:34,450 Watch it. 416 00:20:36,099 --> 00:20:37,170 It's amazing. 417 00:20:39,779 --> 00:20:41,811 So greed invites evil into my life. 418 00:20:41,865 --> 00:20:43,269 It separates me. 419 00:20:44,039 --> 00:20:46,223 And by the way, it just doesn't separate brothers. 420 00:20:46,271 --> 00:20:48,180 It separates husbands and wives. 421 00:20:50,839 --> 00:20:55,268 You want to know the secret to stop fighting about money? 422 00:20:55,354 --> 00:20:59,895 If you're married, when it's your money, you're going to fight about it. 423 00:20:59,917 --> 00:21:02,170 When it's God's money, you're going to learn to share it. 424 00:21:04,059 --> 00:21:05,907 My wife and I, we've had a lot of fights. 425 00:21:06,003 --> 00:21:11,819 We're blessed when it comes to we are like Christian kung fu marriage artists. 426 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:16,269 But, you know, we've never once in our marriage had a fight about money. 427 00:21:17,039 --> 00:21:18,316 And you want to know why that is? 428 00:21:18,337 --> 00:21:20,968 Because when we got married, we decided it was all God's. 429 00:21:21,144 --> 00:21:22,455 And here's the beauty of being poor. 430 00:21:22,488 --> 00:21:26,400 It's a whole lot easier to give God nothing than it is something. 431 00:21:26,549 --> 00:21:28,144 That's why I love college students, man. 432 00:21:28,182 --> 00:21:29,375 We're like, you need to serve God. 433 00:21:29,397 --> 00:21:30,556 They're like, oh, take it all, Lord. 434 00:21:30,587 --> 00:21:32,470 And Lord's like, there's nothing in there. 435 00:21:32,839 --> 00:21:34,579 Nothing but a little dust. 436 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,336 I love that college students are take it all, even my debt, Lord. 437 00:21:38,367 --> 00:21:39,509 You can have it all. 438 00:21:40,839 --> 00:21:42,819 God's like, wow, you're faithful. 439 00:21:44,039 --> 00:21:47,349 But listen, I want you to understand this. 440 00:21:48,140 --> 00:21:52,743 Not only does greed invite evil into your life, not only does it divide you from the 441 00:21:48,140 --> 00:21:52,743 People you love, you know what it does? 442 00:21:52,781 --> 00:21:56,730 It destroys my soul, man. 443 00:21:58,700 --> 00:22:00,619 It destroys my soul. 444 00:22:04,220 --> 00:22:06,483 And some of you listen to me, that are wealthy. 445 00:22:06,531 --> 00:22:09,720 You've given greed permission in your life because you pay taxes. 446 00:22:12,410 --> 00:22:13,509 Look, I get it. 447 00:22:13,579 --> 00:22:15,420 I don't like paying taxes either. 448 00:22:16,430 --> 00:22:18,326 But you know, when you're paying a lot of taxes. 449 00:22:18,357 --> 00:22:19,034 You know what that means? 450 00:22:19,071 --> 00:22:20,730 You've experienced a lot of blessings. 451 00:22:23,660 --> 00:22:35,819 You've experienced a lot of blessings, and you have given yourself permission to be greedy 452 00:22:23,660 --> 00:22:35,819 because you think something's unjust, something's unfair. 453 00:22:36,559 --> 00:22:38,369 You know who else felt that way? 454 00:22:38,740 --> 00:22:39,599 Cain. 455 00:22:40,579 --> 00:22:48,690 He felt like he was getting unfair criticism, and ultimately, it led him to take his 456 00:22:40,579 --> 00:22:48,690 brother Abel's life. 457 00:22:51,059 --> 00:22:52,463 Two Peter, 214. 458 00:22:52,511 --> 00:22:53,380 This is how the message. 459 00:22:53,450 --> 00:22:54,192 Translation. 460 00:22:54,336 --> 00:22:55,587 Translation says this. 461 00:22:55,673 --> 00:22:57,519 Their specialty is greed. 462 00:22:57,599 --> 00:23:02,432 Peter is talking about ungodly people, and it says they are experts at it. 463 00:23:02,506 --> 00:23:03,144 Listen to this. 464 00:23:03,182 --> 00:23:04,023 I love this. 465 00:23:04,142 --> 00:23:06,039 Dead souls. 466 00:23:07,579 --> 00:23:09,049 You want to die inside? 467 00:23:10,059 --> 00:23:11,400 Become greedy. 468 00:23:12,619 --> 00:23:14,680 Become greedy. 469 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:18,695 So what do we do as Christians? 470 00:23:18,887 --> 00:23:20,124 What do we do? 471 00:23:20,321 --> 00:23:24,349 We have to work on becoming generous through giving. 472 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:26,589 This is so important. 473 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:28,430 So important. 474 00:23:29,519 --> 00:23:30,983 So let's go back to the dinner. 475 00:23:31,031 --> 00:23:33,644 Remember the dinner with Jesus where he offends everybody at the table? 476 00:23:33,771 --> 00:23:35,519 Thank you so much for having me over. 477 00:23:35,670 --> 00:23:38,144 And he's like, you want to talk about my dirty hands? 478 00:23:38,182 --> 00:23:39,847 Let's talk about your soul. 479 00:23:40,044 --> 00:23:42,291 Let's talk about what's happening inside of you. 480 00:23:42,346 --> 00:23:43,215 Can you imagine? 481 00:23:43,327 --> 00:23:45,700 You're like, I don't want Jesus over here anymore. 482 00:23:48,279 --> 00:23:51,190 So Jesus is criticized for not washing his hands. 483 00:23:52,380 --> 00:23:55,607 Jews were meticulous at cleaning things. 484 00:23:55,773 --> 00:23:57,529 Extraordinarily clean people. 485 00:23:58,220 --> 00:23:59,784 And then Jesus comes at them. 486 00:23:59,821 --> 00:24:02,359 Listen to what he says, you fools. 487 00:24:04,059 --> 00:24:05,240 You fools. 488 00:24:05,599 --> 00:24:09,150 Didn't God make the inside as well as the outside? 489 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:13,084 So clean the inside. 490 00:24:13,281 --> 00:24:14,167 How, Jesus? 491 00:24:14,263 --> 00:24:15,500 How do I clean the inside? 492 00:24:15,569 --> 00:24:16,619 Listen to what Jesus says. 493 00:24:16,690 --> 00:24:24,369 By giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over. 494 00:24:24,740 --> 00:24:26,079 Isn't that incredible? 495 00:24:27,619 --> 00:24:28,849 Think about that. 496 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:31,700 Giving is powerful. 497 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:33,491 These aren't my words. 498 00:24:33,546 --> 00:24:34,415 This is Jesus. 499 00:24:34,528 --> 00:24:40,579 According to Jesus, giving releases me from the power of greed. 500 00:24:42,380 --> 00:24:43,849 Now, think about that. 501 00:24:46,519 --> 00:24:54,900 Some of you as Christians, you say you love God with all of your heart, but you don't love 502 00:24:46,519 --> 00:24:54,900 him with anything in your wallet. 503 00:24:58,859 --> 00:25:01,347 This is a huge problem in the church. 504 00:25:01,523 --> 00:25:03,210 It's a huge problem. 505 00:25:04,779 --> 00:25:07,160 As your pastor, can I just be honest with you? 506 00:25:07,309 --> 00:25:10,829 I wish I never had to talk about giving, ever. 507 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,069 But it's a rampant problem in our culture today. 508 00:25:17,599 --> 00:25:22,269 And the antidote to greed is giving. 509 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:28,432 If you knew what greed does to your life, you know what you'd ask me to do? 510 00:25:28,486 --> 00:25:31,759 You would say, Pastor, when we start church, can we start with the offering? 511 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:43,700 If you knew how devastating greed was to your life, to your marriage, to your kids, to 512 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:43,700 your heart, and to your soul. 513 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:47,923 And here's the thing. 514 00:25:48,122 --> 00:25:51,288 So many Christians, well, I just don't think that the church should talk about money. 515 00:25:51,374 --> 00:26:06,990 Do you know that Jesus Christ talks about money more than any other issue in the 516 00:25:51,374 --> 00:26:06,990 scriptures, if you took Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and you numbered every single verse 517 00:25:51,374 --> 00:26:06,990 and you laid them out every 6th verse, Jesus talks about money. 518 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:11,190 Do you know why that is? 519 00:26:11,980 --> 00:26:14,170 Because it's a problem for us. 520 00:26:14,700 --> 00:26:22,675 Now, sometimes it's a problem for pastors who live fancy lifestyles and lifestyles from 521 00:26:14,700 --> 00:26:22,675 the rich and famous. 522 00:26:22,788 --> 00:26:25,223 That is the unusual form. 523 00:26:25,342 --> 00:26:29,099 Usually the problem with greed is not in the pulpit, but it's in the seats. 524 00:26:30,079 --> 00:26:31,339 It's in the seats. 525 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:36,059 I know far more starving pastors than I do wealthy pastors. 526 00:26:38,500 --> 00:26:38,960 Next. 527 00:26:39,029 --> 00:26:43,359 Giving cleanses me from the stain of greed. 528 00:26:43,859 --> 00:26:45,440 From the stain of greed. 529 00:26:45,779 --> 00:26:47,084 I thank God I'm married. 530 00:26:47,132 --> 00:26:48,720 Single guys, you will, too, one day. 531 00:26:48,789 --> 00:26:54,784 Like, when single guys get a stain, it's just either with you for the rest of your life, 532 00:26:48,789 --> 00:26:54,784 or you just throw it out, right? 533 00:26:54,821 --> 00:26:56,271 You just get a new shirt. 534 00:26:56,415 --> 00:27:01,776 And I don't know what it is, man, but whenever I eat, you remember, like our grandparents, 535 00:26:56,415 --> 00:27:01,776 they would do the thing in the neck. 536 00:27:01,807 --> 00:27:04,036 And I don't know why we got away from that. 537 00:27:04,218 --> 00:27:10,440 But literally, my first bite, I just want to just offer up an offering and throw the oil 538 00:27:04,218 --> 00:27:10,440 right on my chest. 539 00:27:10,940 --> 00:27:12,263 And especially if you wear white. 540 00:27:12,301 --> 00:27:12,644 Amen. 541 00:27:12,692 --> 00:27:13,559 Anybody wear white? 542 00:27:13,630 --> 00:27:16,119 Just roll in the mud before you go out to dinner. 543 00:27:16,779 --> 00:27:20,683 But I get these stains, and I'm always asking my wife, how do I get this out? 544 00:27:20,801 --> 00:27:22,155 How do I get this out? 545 00:27:22,258 --> 00:27:25,516 ANd what I really mean by that is, Tammy, wash this. 546 00:27:25,698 --> 00:27:27,195 That's what I mean by that. 547 00:27:27,298 --> 00:27:28,743 The Lord has given me gifts. 548 00:27:28,791 --> 00:27:32,508 He's given you gifts, and you have the gift of stain removal. 549 00:27:32,683 --> 00:27:37,730 So my wife, the other day, she takes us over to our washer, and she says, oh, this is how 550 00:27:32,683 --> 00:27:37,730 we do it. 551 00:27:38,740 --> 00:27:40,415 And that's when you have to play dumb, guys. 552 00:27:40,438 --> 00:27:42,769 You just go, oh, okay. 553 00:27:43,380 --> 00:27:45,296 And you start pressing buttons everywhere. 554 00:27:45,327 --> 00:27:47,076 And then she just gets frustrated and does it for you. 555 00:27:47,097 --> 00:27:47,910 It's awesome. 556 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:55,160 But here's the thing, is, giving removes the stain of greed. 557 00:27:56,859 --> 00:27:58,872 And somebody say, well, Pastor, were you talking about works? 558 00:27:58,925 --> 00:28:00,440 No, I'm talking about Jesus. 559 00:28:01,339 --> 00:28:02,791 Jesus said, listen this. 560 00:28:02,846 --> 00:28:11,420 When you give the filth that's on the inside, listen to these words, will be cleansed, 561 00:28:02,846 --> 00:28:11,420 cleansed. 562 00:28:13,599 --> 00:28:22,779 And this is why so many of us, and I learned this early on, I need to give regular, and I 563 00:28:13,599 --> 00:28:22,779 need to give sacrificially. 564 00:28:22,859 --> 00:28:28,130 I needed to do that because I thought I was a generous person. 565 00:28:29,460 --> 00:28:37,220 And what I've learned over the years is I can be occasionally generous, but my default is 566 00:28:29,460 --> 00:28:37,220 greed. 567 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:39,779 I don't wake up in the morning. 568 00:28:39,849 --> 00:28:42,084 How can I serve thine wife today? 569 00:28:42,281 --> 00:28:44,692 What could I do to die to thyself? 570 00:28:44,836 --> 00:28:47,496 How can I bless these children that you have anointed me with? 571 00:28:47,518 --> 00:28:48,135 Lord, no. 572 00:28:48,238 --> 00:28:50,730 I wake up in the morning thinking about me. 573 00:28:51,339 --> 00:28:52,089 Me. 574 00:28:53,819 --> 00:29:03,900 And what giving allows me to do is to tame that monster that crouches at my front door 575 00:28:53,819 --> 00:29:03,900 every single day when I wake. 576 00:29:05,119 --> 00:29:06,748 And what did God say? 577 00:29:06,834 --> 00:29:08,849 Its desire is for you. 578 00:29:09,700 --> 00:29:11,084 So take it away, Lord. 579 00:29:11,132 --> 00:29:11,759 Take it away. 580 00:29:11,829 --> 00:29:14,127 No, that's not what he said. 581 00:29:14,294 --> 00:29:15,809 You must master it. 582 00:29:16,819 --> 00:29:18,450 You must master it. 583 00:29:19,220 --> 00:29:20,451 You must fight it. 584 00:29:20,506 --> 00:29:24,692 You must deal with it, because it's not going away. 585 00:29:24,826 --> 00:29:26,195 And here's the reason. 586 00:29:26,298 --> 00:29:27,750 Because it's not outside. 587 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:29,990 It's inside. 588 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:32,230 It's inside. 589 00:29:34,619 --> 00:29:35,127 Next. 590 00:29:35,213 --> 00:29:37,690 And this is huge giving. 591 00:29:38,380 --> 00:29:40,329 Here's why you need to learn to give. 592 00:29:41,420 --> 00:29:43,400 Giving fights greed. 593 00:29:44,460 --> 00:29:48,670 Giving also pours the blessings of God over my life. 594 00:29:50,559 --> 00:29:54,844 There's so many of you say, Pastor, this is so easy for you because your kids are out of 595 00:29:50,559 --> 00:29:54,844 the house. 596 00:29:54,882 --> 00:29:56,155 They've been through college. 597 00:29:56,337 --> 00:29:57,675 You and Tammy have been blessed. 598 00:29:57,708 --> 00:29:59,599 Let me tell you why we're blessed. 599 00:30:01,140 --> 00:30:07,970 Because 27 years ago, we made a commitment to be generous to God. 600 00:30:08,980 --> 00:30:10,450 To be generous to God. 601 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:12,390 And here's the thing. 602 00:30:13,079 --> 00:30:18,390 I've not lived a perfect life by any means, but I have lived a blessed life. 603 00:30:19,799 --> 00:30:28,423 And if you're 20 years old, you're 25 years old, and you're looking at me, and you say, 604 00:30:19,799 --> 00:30:28,423 okay, what do I want my life to look like when I'm Pastor Matt's age? 605 00:30:28,622 --> 00:30:29,592 And there's the problem. 606 00:30:29,645 --> 00:30:30,423 See what Greed says? 607 00:30:30,461 --> 00:30:32,009 Greed says, look right here. 608 00:30:33,099 --> 00:30:34,471 You know what God says? 609 00:30:34,605 --> 00:30:35,930 Let's look to the future. 610 00:30:36,940 --> 00:30:38,316 Let's look to the future. 611 00:30:38,498 --> 00:30:39,771 Greed says, I don't have enough. 612 00:30:39,826 --> 00:30:41,435 God says, you'll always have enough. 613 00:30:41,617 --> 00:30:42,619 You always have enough. 614 00:30:42,690 --> 00:30:43,771 You know what Jesus says? 615 00:30:43,826 --> 00:30:46,059 He says, consider the lilies. 616 00:30:46,559 --> 00:30:47,819 You're like, I'm talking about. 617 00:30:47,890 --> 00:30:48,511 Said, no, no. 618 00:30:48,566 --> 00:30:50,703 Jesus says, consider the lilies of the field. 619 00:30:50,902 --> 00:30:51,935 God takes care of them. 620 00:30:51,958 --> 00:30:54,369 And they're dressed more beautiful than Solomon was. 621 00:30:56,259 --> 00:30:57,291 Consider the crows. 622 00:30:57,355 --> 00:31:00,511 An ugly, nasty bird, the crows. 623 00:31:00,576 --> 00:31:01,811 Unless, of course, you love them. 624 00:31:01,865 --> 00:31:03,269 I apologize for that. 625 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:10,819 But every time I think the crows just always say, I want to eat you, they're just nasty 626 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:10,819 birds. 627 00:31:12,059 --> 00:31:18,890 But he says, consider the ravens, the crows, they don't plant, but the Lord blesses them 628 00:31:12,059 --> 00:31:18,890 with food every day. 629 00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:30,140 You see, greed, the Book of Proverbs says, causes fighting, but trusting the Lord leads to 630 00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:30,140 prosperity. 631 00:31:31,119 --> 00:31:36,750 So in this series, we're on a journey, and some of you are trusting what you can see. 632 00:31:37,519 --> 00:31:38,316 And I get it. 633 00:31:38,337 --> 00:31:43,935 Some of you are going, Pastor, Matt, I was talking to a young adult in our church, and 634 00:31:38,337 --> 00:31:43,935 they literally said this to me. 635 00:31:43,958 --> 00:31:47,711 Pastor Matt, you don't understand how the cost of groceries has affected me. 636 00:31:47,766 --> 00:31:48,496 And you know what I said? 637 00:31:48,518 --> 00:31:49,307 You're right. 638 00:31:49,493 --> 00:31:50,483 You're right. 639 00:31:50,682 --> 00:31:53,910 Tammy and I are a place in our life where groceries aren't the issue. 640 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:55,859 We're blessed. 641 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,539 And some of you, inflation is crushing you. 642 00:31:59,690 --> 00:32:04,579 And the temptation is, well, I don't have to trust God because of inflation. 643 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,019 I don't have to trust God because of the cost of groceries. 644 00:32:08,099 --> 00:32:10,500 I don't have to trust God because of the economy. 645 00:32:10,660 --> 00:32:11,384 Let me tell you something. 646 00:32:11,422 --> 00:32:15,130 Your whole life, whether you're blessed or broke, you got to trust God. 647 00:32:15,740 --> 00:32:17,150 You got to trust God. 648 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:19,867 And here's the thing. 649 00:32:19,953 --> 00:32:25,692 Here's my prayer for you, especially our young people who struggle so much when you're a 650 00:32:19,953 --> 00:32:25,692 child. 651 00:32:25,746 --> 00:32:26,236 Listen to me. 652 00:32:26,258 --> 00:32:26,923 Your parents pay. 653 00:32:26,961 --> 00:32:29,230 When you become an adult, you pay. 654 00:32:29,700 --> 00:32:31,355 And this is the shift in our church. 655 00:32:31,387 --> 00:32:38,400 We got a lot of babies in this church that are living off the generosity of the adults in 656 00:32:31,387 --> 00:32:38,400 this church. 657 00:32:39,539 --> 00:32:44,435 And what I'm saying is, I want us all to become adults, and I want us all to step in this. 658 00:32:44,458 --> 00:32:45,332 And I get it's hard. 659 00:32:45,385 --> 00:32:46,355 I get it's difficult. 660 00:32:46,458 --> 00:32:48,980 This is why church, we got to start talking about greed. 661 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:51,940 We got to start talking about this sin. 662 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:58,435 We got to start holding each other accountable because this sin is destroying our church. 663 00:32:58,468 --> 00:32:59,271 And here's the thing. 664 00:32:59,326 --> 00:33:04,119 If we raise up a generation of greedy people, there will be no church for the next 665 00:32:59,326 --> 00:33:04,119 generation. 666 00:33:05,500 --> 00:33:06,455 Here's what you need to know. 667 00:33:06,478 --> 00:33:08,455 I know many of you are brand new to church. 668 00:33:08,567 --> 00:33:10,349 Let me tell you how this works. 669 00:33:10,799 --> 00:33:19,220 Every single year, the church starts with a budget of zero, and we raise the money all 670 00:33:10,799 --> 00:33:19,220 year long. 671 00:33:19,750 --> 00:33:20,786 All year long. 672 00:33:20,887 --> 00:33:26,069 And the way we do that is through the generosity of the people of this church. 673 00:33:26,890 --> 00:33:27,874 Of this church. 674 00:33:27,922 --> 00:33:29,814 We don't have, like, a wealthy grandpa, unless you do. 675 00:33:29,852 --> 00:33:30,453 I want to meet you. 676 00:33:30,491 --> 00:33:32,619 I need to understand why he's not given. 677 00:33:35,390 --> 00:33:36,779 But here's the thing. 678 00:33:37,150 --> 00:33:46,380 God doesn't work through millionaires and billionaires for his church because the worst 679 00:33:37,150 --> 00:33:46,380 thing that could ever happen to this church is we have too much money. 680 00:33:47,150 --> 00:33:48,910 Because you know what happens when you have too much money? 681 00:33:48,980 --> 00:33:50,430 You got too little faith. 682 00:33:52,210 --> 00:33:54,538 And so this is going to be a challenge for us as a church. 683 00:33:54,554 --> 00:34:01,902 As we end the year, inflation is up, the economy is coming down, and the worries are 684 00:33:54,554 --> 00:34:01,902 everywhere. 685 00:34:02,046 --> 00:34:03,220 I see it. 686 00:34:03,829 --> 00:34:11,150 What I'm saying is we got to trust God in the middle of this process, because if we want 687 00:34:03,829 --> 00:34:11,150 to be more generous. 688 00:34:11,230 --> 00:34:15,269 I got to at least ask the question, God, where am I greedy? 689 00:34:16,170 --> 00:34:18,518 And so I just want to end with a prayer for you. 690 00:34:18,684 --> 00:34:22,646 I don't know your life, I don't know your situation, but God does. 691 00:34:22,827 --> 00:34:24,293 God sees you. 692 00:34:24,492 --> 00:34:37,679 And just like God had a conversation with Cain, and I'm not calling you Cain, but just 693 00:34:24,492 --> 00:34:37,679 like God had a conversation with Cain about his offering, I want God to have a 694 00:34:24,492 --> 00:34:37,679 conversation with you about your offering and understand this. 695 00:34:38,690 --> 00:34:43,309 A Christian life that is not marked by generosity has not been marked by Jesus. 696 00:34:44,849 --> 00:34:46,800 There's just no other way around it. 697 00:34:47,570 --> 00:34:51,773 And we need to be Christians that are marked by a life of generosity. 698 00:34:51,822 --> 00:35:02,690 So we're going to pray, and I'm just going to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you wherever 699 00:34:51,822 --> 00:35:02,690 you are and say, Lord, is there an area of my life where I've been greedy? 700 00:35:03,050 --> 00:35:06,306 Because some of us today need to go to apologize to our spouse. 701 00:35:06,338 --> 00:35:07,719 I've been greedy with my words. 702 00:35:08,409 --> 00:35:09,733 We need to apologize to our kids. 703 00:35:09,771 --> 00:35:17,739 I've been greedy with my affection, and some of us today need to apologize to God and 704 00:35:09,771 --> 00:35:17,739 said, I've been greedy with my money. 705 00:35:19,150 --> 00:35:21,420 And let's just start there with the word my. 706 00:35:22,909 --> 00:35:27,340 I need to confess, Lord, I view this as mine, and that's the problem. 707 00:35:28,130 --> 00:35:30,378 Help me, Lord, to see this as yours. 708 00:35:30,554 --> 00:35:31,353 So let's pray. 709 00:35:31,402 --> 00:35:32,942 Let's bow our heads and close our eyes. 710 00:35:33,076 --> 00:35:45,793 Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we just ask that we would become more generous 711 00:35:33,076 --> 00:35:45,793 people, more generous to our family, more generous to our friends, Lord, more generous to 712 00:35:33,076 --> 00:35:45,793 everyone around us, God, and specifically right now. 713 00:35:45,831 --> 00:35:50,690 I pray that you would help us to become more generous to you and to this church. 714 00:35:50,849 --> 00:35:55,030 Lord, is there an area where I've been greedy in my offerings? 715 00:35:55,369 --> 00:36:01,880 Is there an area where I'm intentionally holding back something that you are asking me to 716 00:35:55,369 --> 00:36:01,880 give? 717 00:36:02,969 --> 00:36:04,726 Lord, speak to me through this series. 718 00:36:04,757 --> 00:36:05,978 Help me to not check out. 719 00:36:06,063 --> 00:36:11,179 Help me to not run away, because this may be the most important series of my life. 720 00:36:12,269 --> 00:36:17,769 Lord, let us be a people whose life is marked by the word generous. 721 00:36:18,190 --> 00:36:19,653 Change our hearts. 722 00:36:19,782 --> 00:36:28,621 Help us to deal with greed, and help us, Lord Jesus, to become like you, the most generous 723 00:36:19,782 --> 00:36:28,621 human being to ever walk the face of the earth. 724 00:36:28,766 --> 00:36:29,853 We love you, Jesus. 725 00:36:29,902 --> 00:36:31,121 We want to be like you. 726 00:36:31,175 --> 00:36:32,733 It's in your name we pray. 727 00:36:32,862 --> 00:36:33,789 Amen.