Central Christian Church Message Podcast

The Myth of Ownership | In God We Trust | Pastor Cal Jernigan

January 23, 2022 Central Christian Church of Arizona
Central Christian Church Message Podcast
The Myth of Ownership | In God We Trust | Pastor Cal Jernigan
Show Notes Transcript

If you are 95% faithful to your spouse, are you considered faithful? If your car breaks down once a week but runs well the rest of the time, is it a faithful source of transportation? Join us this week as Pastor Cal Jernigan reminds us that when we choose to follow God, He is concerned with more than just 10% of our resources. He wants us to be faithful with all of the blessings He gives us.

[00:00:00] Hey, if you would take your Bibles, open them to Matthew chapter 25, we will be there in a little while. I'm going to show you some other passages before we get there. So just if you'll take time to find that that would be great while you're doing that. Let me tell you about what's going to happen next week.

Dave Ramsey is a friend of ours, a friend of central. He's been here a number of times and his daughter, Rachel Cruz has been here one time, but we are. We were just thrilled that next week, Rachel is going to be our special guests and I'm telling you, you just don't want to miss that. So I just want to get that on your radar and make a priority of it.

And also often when she speaks, you have to have access to the event, you know, they take stadiums and stuff. Um, so I just would encourage you to bring somebody. And I think there'll be delighted by her and her wisdom. And so, anyway, just want to put that on your radar. I am going to pray right now that God will just do something incredible among us [00:01:00] and I'm going to pray that we'll all participate.

Okay. So we're all on the same page. Let's pray. So God, I do invite you on all of our behalf to be very present. God, open our eyes and ears. Uh, literally our hearts and. Uh, to be able to understand stuff differently than the world in which we live. Uh, we're we're to be different we're to be called out. And so often we're not that different and we're not that called out.

And God, I just pray that you just give us the ability to see what it is that you wanted from us. And then let us wrestle with whether or not we're going to do that. So to that end God, we invite your presence. And I ask this in your son's name. Amen. Okay. So I don't know how it goes for you, but most people anticipate the day.

Eager. They're like waiting and you're like, I can't wait till it gets here. You wait patiently. And, and then the day comes. You're not sure what word is going to be. You're placing bets, you're coaching offline. [00:02:00] You're using flashcards to influence the outcome. It's kind of a contest between you and your spouse are the first is the first word out of your baby's mouth is going to be mama or.

And you're doing everything you can do. If you're a guy or you're doing everything you do to influence me data. And if you're a mom, mama, and, and then the day comes and you're so excited because you could see the energy and the effort your kid is putting forth. And then they say a word you weren't expecting them to say, they say a totally different word.

And as soon as you hear it, you knew, you know, with all, everything in you, it was your spouse that caused them to want to say. So were they actually say is not mama or dadda, but mine, right mine. Now they don't literally say that first, but let's just, let's just be honest, man. One of the very first words we learn in life is the word.

And when you say the word, and I've said this before, I've used this thought before, I just remind you of it. [00:03:00] That usually it, mine is it's like you clutch something in your hands, you pull it to your chest, you turn your back and you say mine with the most demonic voice of Witcher capable by mine. And this is the world in which we're born.

We would love to say that that doesn't happen, but most all of us would go. That is exactly what. We live in a me first world in a world that we're preoccupied with us. I'm number one. And mine is simply selfishness in diapers. That's all it is, but it comes naturally. All right. So it's not that hard to get.

I want to say this. This is a most troublesome word I'm going to cause you to think about that word a bit today. The word mind, thus less, any of us are confused. Like I don't even know what he's talking about. Let me make sure we understand what the word mine means. All right. Very simple definition. Mine means not yours.

Okay. So I need you to [00:04:00] practice. I need you to say that with me, mine means not yours. Okay. And yours. It's not that hard. Yours means not mine. All right. So we got that basic understanding. All right. It's pretty simple because we're so into this from the time we're little, we learn how to identify our stuff.

I have a Sharpie here. Sharpie is permanent black ink, and we love to write our names. We learned very early on to identify our stuff so that nobody else seeks us to their stuff. Cause my beans. I can't hear you, not yours. All right. So I gotta make sure you understand this belongs to me, not you. So as a kid, you start to write your name on, you got a little football, you write your name, you know, you've got a jacket, you write your name, you got a new notebook, you write your name, whatever it is.

Uh, this is so much a part of the culture Pixar, or whoever picked up on this. You've [00:05:00] seen this. This is belongs to Annie. All right. So you understand this isn't yours. This is Andy's. You would think that as we get older, we would go, okay, we're going to see this a little bit differently and we would quit using this, but the truth is we just become much more sophisticated and using our Sharpies, but now it's a deed of a visa property, or it's a.

To a car or something, but we use this to make sure that, you know, Hey, I'm laying claim to something. We, we, we find in what they call your full, full legal signature. So there is no question who we're talking about owns this. It is the way we live now. I I've said this, but I gotta make sure in ironclad legal terms, we get this.

So let me repeat. Whenever I claim something is mine. I am saying it is not. The very, very important. All right. Now, let me ask you this question. How would you handle? And just be honest, you're not going to have none going to get [00:06:00] tested just in your heart. How would you handle? Hold on. Let's create a situation.

All right. So you walk out of this service or you walk out online into your driveway or to your, you know, the parking lot. And you see somebody about to drive off with your. Now, how do you know it's your car? You see as my car, because I have a title to that. I bought it, I financed it. I have the note on it or whatever.

Right. And so the person who's driving away with your car, you, you would, you likely just go, oh, well, good for them. You know, I should've been more careful. And the answer is absolutely not. You would feel violated. Yes. Can I get an amen? Somebody what's the word stole. You stole my car, who steals stuff, thieves steal stuff.

Right. And you would go thief, thief, you know, and, and [00:07:00] try to get somebody, uh, you know, to help you. We live in a culture that steals all the time anymore. Let's just call it out. Okay. The thing most of us are most concerned about is somebody stealing your idea. And using your person for their right, because you're saying it's mine, but they're going to say no, it's theirs because they're going to pretend like they're you.

So we live in a world of that. We live in a grand theft auto world. All right. We live in a world where you have to watch to make sure that you're not being. That somebody is not taking something, um, whenever. And so it's pretty simple. Just got to make sure we're on the same page. Whenever you take something of somebody else's, that's not yours.

And you act as if it is yours, you are stealing. All right. Around the same page. Is anyone on the same page? Okay. So when's the last time you got something stolen [00:08:00] from you now? I don't know. I didn't have. It probably doesn't happen all that often, really, but here's what I want to show you today. It happens to God every single day, multiple times.

Now let me show you where I'm going with this. All right. We have this thing that says it. If I write my name on it, I'm laying claim to it and it's mine. All right. Let me tell you what scripture says about that. Let me go to first Chronicles 29. It says yours. Wait, wait, wait. No, no, no, if it's yours, it's not mine.

If it's mine, it's not yours. Okay. Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor for everything in heaven and earth is mine. No. It's yours. If it's yours, it's not mine. If it's mine, it's not yours. It's [00:09:00] scripture. You're saying everything out there is his not mine.

Yours. Lord is the kingdom and you are exalted as head over all wealth and honor come from you. You are the ruler of all things in your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all God you bless who you bless. You. Choose not to bless who you choose not to bless your. Is the decision, not mine.

You determine not me. That's what he's saying here. All right. It's not a unique thought. It's throughout scripture, Psalm 24, 1, the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. Now we have this thing. No, no, it's not yours. God, it's mine because I wrote my name on it. Scripture says all of it belongs to him, regardless of what you wrote your name on you, vandalized it by writing your name on it.

Cause it was never yours to write your name. Um, if it belongs to him, then it can't really belong to me. I have anything [00:10:00] that I would call mine only because he allowed me to have that. And he put that in my hands. Now I know we're quick to go. No, no, no. I earned that. I bought that because our perspective is that we have ours and whatever God has.

That's his, this is mine and that's yours. I don't want to make sure we all see this. It's all his. Uh, but we have a myth that we all believe in that. Uh, it's called ownership. Uh, you've heard this passage, no doubt. Uh, Joe, 1 21 naked. I came from my mother's womb and naked. I will depart the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

May the name of the Lord be praised? Tim knew very clearly all that I have. I have because God. And God has entrusted me with this now again, in our culture, we don't think like that at all. And I know that because we have in our culture, we have, we have a shame, man. He who dies with the most toys [00:11:00] don't act like you don't know.

He who dies with the most toys wins. We die with the most toys. We have the most stuff. The Bible would suggest that he who dies with the most toys dies. You're then dead. You have the toys, but, but you're dead. All right. And, uh, we, we, we have these expressions that we, we don't really say this one, but I would die before I give this up.

I would die before I let go with this. Actually, how we say it is more like, you know, this, you want this, you'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands. Right? You'll see that expression. You'll hear that expression. I want to suggest that that if that's your attitude that can be arranged, that can be arranged.

All right. And I think God wants you to understand he could control that. [00:12:00] It's not a really good stance to take with God. If you want this, you can pry it out of my cold dead hands. As you wish I want to show you something. Jesus said, he told a parable, the parable is a little story with a punch. It's a little earthly story that has a huge heavenly meaning.

He tells these stories that would kind of sneak up on you. And then all of a sudden you're like, oh no, let me, let me read to you. One of them. All right, Luke 12, 15 says this Jesus to speak. And then he said to them, now watch out all the y'all watch out, be on your guard against all kinds of. Uh, just so you know, life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.

That's not life now. How, who I got the most stuff. Okay. That's not life. And he told them this parable, the ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, well, what should I do? I have no place to store my crops. My barns are full. That's his. Then he said, this is [00:13:00] what I'll do.

I'll tear down my barns and I'll build bigger ones and they're all store my surplus grain. And I'll say to myself, you have plenty of grain laid up for many years, take life easy, eat, drink, and be Merry. But God said to him, you fool, you fool this very night. Your life will be demanded from you then who will get what you have prepared for yourself.

This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves, but it's not rich towards. Wow. Are you ready for the shocking truth? Okay. Can you handle something shocking? Can you, you know, you can't handle the truth. Here's the truth. Everything you today call yours in a few short years, someone else is going to call.

Everything with your name on it today? Uh, someday maybe sooner than you think is going to have somebody else's name on it. Well, why, why is that? Okay. Here's why it's really simple. It's not hard [00:14:00] because ownership is a myth. It's a myth because you have an expiration date. And so everything you collect in your living years expires when you die.

And it all is going to go to somebody else. Everything about life on this earth is temporary. We forget this. Everything is, you know, the only thing you actually could ever own in your life. The only thing you actually could ever own is your personal faith in God, because that's eternal and that's going with you where, where you're going, right?

You're your faith in God is the only eternal thing you could, you could say is. And it's one of the least things we pay attention to because we're so busy collecting stuff because we're in a contest and we have to win. So today what we're doing is we're beginning a brand new series it's called the in God we trust.

And I like the [00:15:00] expression in God. We trust. Most of us would, it's a phrase we're familiar with. It's catchy. It's easy to say. It's memorable. It's wise. What we're going to wrestle with in this series is, is it. Because there's all those other things, but the real question is, is it true in God? We trust really, really in God we trust and, and, and some of us would be so resistant to the idea of in God we trust, we would say, well, why should I trust in God?

Well, here's my thought, as hard as this is to believe, why should you trust in God? Because whether you realize it or not, this or not, he trusts in you. Yeah. Yeah, you should trust in God because God trusts in you. And I just want to show you how this works. So in Matthew 25, the passage I asked you to open to Jesus tells another one of his little stories.

That's all, it is just a little story, but it's so important that we see the first part of this before we [00:16:00] read the rest of the story. I want to just bring up the first part and then the rest of. Uh, along with me as I read it, you can read in your own Bible. All right. But everybody, we want to see the sea.

This is a section of Matthew where Jesus is talking about the kingdom. He's talking about that, which is eternal. He's talking about that stuff that really matters. All right. And it says this. So Matthew 25 14, again, it will be another story. It will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his wealth.

So one, he gave five bags of gold to another two bags and two another one bag each according to his ability. And then he went on his journey. Now there's a couple of things. If we miss in this passage, if we don't get it, we're not going to understand what Jesus just did here. So let me kinda show you for sure you get it.

Okay. So somebody is going to place in somebody else's hands, something. You're going to entrust some wealth. So an owner is going to [00:17:00] enter a one who actually it belongs to is going to entrust his stuff into the hands of some servants. All right. And there's no way you can miss the imagery. What he's entrusting to a service is something of great value because.

One bag of gold and there's two bags of gold and there's five bags of gold and he gets one, the one, one, the two and one, the five. Now how much is a bag of gold worth? I don't know. It doesn't ever matter because we all understand, like, I wish I got the five bags, but I'll leave with one. Give me a bag of gold.

That'd be good with that. We understand intuitively this is valuable. And then did you catch the phrase he gets. Uh, to each one, according to his ability, his ability, ability to want to carry vaginal. So the BVS strongest people got the most gold. No, it had nothing to do with what they could lift. It's what they could carry.

Listen carefully, [00:18:00] according to their ability to handle the responsibility of managing as well. According to their ability to handle the responsibility of managing his. How much responsibility can you carry now? How much can you lift? How much can you carry? And then it says he clearly went on a journey.

He'd given him something and he left them on her own. That's what you got to get. That's what you got to get. Now let's get to the rest of the story. What happens? What happens here we go. Ready? Begin with verse 16. If you don't have a Bible, just listen carefully. If you do read along with me. All right, the man who received five bags of gold Goldwind.

Uh, when at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also the one with two bags of gold gained two more, but the men who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hit his master's money. Wow. All right. After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

The man who had received five bags of [00:19:00] gold, uh, brought the other five and he said, master, he said, you entrusted me with five bags. See, I have gained five more C I've carried this master replied well done. Good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things, come and share your master's happiness, man.

You rock way to go. Proud of you have the man who had two bags to go with also came the mastery. He said, you entrusted me with two bags of gold. See, I have gained two more. I carried the responsibility. You entrust. His master replied well done. Good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things.

I will put you in charge of many things, come and share your master's happiness, exact same formula. Then the man who had received one bag of gold cane master, he said, I knew that you are a hard man harvesting, where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid [00:20:00] of you.

I was afraid to trust. 'cause I I know about you. So I went out and I hit your gold in the ground here. Here it is. Here's what belongs to you. Here's your bag of gold back. How's this going to go over? Well, his master replied you wicked lazy servant. So, so let me see if I understand this. You, you see me as somebody who a harvest, where they have not sown and gathering where they have not scattered.

Yep. That's how I see you. Okay. Let's stop right here. Please think with me who harvests, where they have not sown, who gathers, where they have not scattered seed, who a thief, a person of no character, a person you should never trust. Oh, I know who you are. You're the guy I should never trust. So you see me that.[00:21:00] 

Well, then you should have taken my money and put it on deposit with the banker so that when I returned, I would have at least received it back with interest. Now, listen, don't miss this. Take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has 10 backs for whoever has, will be given more and they will have an abundance and whoever does not have even what they have.

We'll be taken from them. That is very cryptic. That is very difficult. You can't please understand. I'm not saying any of this I'm reading what Jesus said when he was talking about greed and having a right attitude towards money. That's just powerful, man. Whoever has, will be given more and they will have an abundance.

Whoever does not have any, what they have, will be taken from him and throw that worthless servant outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Not a pleasant picture. What point was Jesus driving at? I would suggest this point, the true owner of [00:22:00] wealth, who it all belongs to has entrusted his servants to manage his wealth on his behalf.

He expects and he rewards good management. That's what it think Jesus has said. And in the Bible, there's a phrase that is used for somebody who manages somebody else's household who takes care of the affairs of somebody else. Who, so the word often is you as steward, you're a steward or you're a manager.

There's another word. I really liked this word. It's used interchangeably. Somebody who takes care of somebody else's stuff is a trustee, a trustee, a trustee. Um, I, uh, I oversee somebody else's. Always with their best interest in mind, their best interests at heart now my own. All right. So what makes somebody a good trustee according to the Bible?

What makes somebody a good trustee? Well, let me suggest three thoughts quickly. A good trustee is one who can actually be trusted. Let's [00:23:00] start there. Pretty simple, pretty obvious. A second. Win-win good. Trustee does the right thing. Even if they thought they could get away with doing the wrong thing, they would never do the wrong thing because they're a good.

They could be trusted to do the right thing. You don't have to watch him. They're going to do the right thing. A third, a good trustee, never forgets. They will be held accountable for that, which they weren't trusted a day is coming of reckoning. And I'm going to be asked, what did I do? What'd you do with my five backs?

Would you do with my two backs? What'd you do with my one bag? Why'd you do that?

Paul said it this way. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. So God, I didn't ask for this, but you chose to trust me with your stuff and you're watching what I do with your stuff. And it's important that it'd be found [00:24:00] faithful. Yeah. So interesting to me now, I'm going to try my hardest to get this idea of.

If I were to come to you and I would have say something like this, okay. God wanted me to tell you he wanted to give, he wanted me to entrust you with a million of his dollars. You would go, oh, I'm trustworthy. I'm totally trustworthy. I can do this. Go ahead and give me the million dollars. I'll take care of it.

And many of us would say it with all the right heart that I'll do it really, really well. But whenever it's like, you already have his stuff in your hand. It's already in your hands. You go, whoa, I don't have anything I'm having, because we're quick to say what I have is mine, but if you'll give me more, got it.

Got a few would give me, I mean, I don't have anything. If I had something, you know, then, then I would manage it well, but I don't, if I have, than I would, if I [00:25:00] had that, I would. And I think what God wants to say that you and me is, if you would then you'd have, if you would then you'd have, because you cannot get around this from the teaching of Jesus.

Here's a, you're, you're responsible. You're entrusted with what you have, not what you don't yet have what you have. But God, if I had more, I would, if you would. You'd have more. I'm not a prosperity guy. So don't even go there. This is simple teaching. Jesus talked about this stuff all the time. Why? Because where your heart goes with money, your heart goes where your heart goes with many folks.

Your heart goes and sodas, mine, and Jesus knows it. He's going straight to the heart and he's going, let's talk about priorities. Let's talk about what you've trusted him. Let's talk about where your confidence is. Here's what Jesus said. Jesus said, not me. [00:26:00] Jesus, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.

And whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you've not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches, and if you have not been trustworthy with somebody else's property, who will give you property of your own, what if God is actually watching me to see how I manage his stuff, his.

His stuff. Well, what if I start thinking his stuff is my stuff. What if I start writing my name on his stuff, scratching out his name and putting my name where his name was when you walked in today, hopefully you were given a dollar and if you're an online, you should have walked in today. Cause you got paid to go to church today, collect your dollar.

That's kind of a weird thing. And you go to church, they handled. Uh, good news is it's your dollar. You're not giving it back, hit your dollar. Um, but I don't want to say a couple things about [00:27:00] this, that all the things in the intro video that seemed kind of weird, like what's that Latin for? And what's that mean?

They're all taken off the dollar bill. Now, there were scriptures up there that are not on the dollar bill, but there is something very fascinating on the dollar bill. And I just, we wanted to give you this. You don't have to take us out our word. You, you can actually see it for yourself. So just turn your, your bill over on the backside.

And I don't know when the last time you really looked at a, a dollar bill, but I want to show you something that's really kind of odd that looks like it doesn't belong. It's right over the word one. What's right over the word one. And who in God we trust in God. We tried in that facet. In a culture like ours, we have on our dollars.

And by the way, they're on a different denominations. They don't remove it. There's a movement to remove it by the way. But it's on her dollar. Here's my question, which God do you trust [00:28:00] now what the idea was in God we trust in God. We trust what we've done is in our God. We trust. And our God we trust.

And it sounds so good until you get the wrong God and put your trust in that. I want to have you do something I really wanted. I really wanted to have Sharpies and stuff handed out so you could write an underline in God we trust. And I found out you'll go to jail. If you do that, uh, COVID is already done enough harm to our church.

Put you in prison. So can't do that by the way. It's a couple other things you can't do. You can't tear a bill, you know, you can't just start adding zeros. Let's just say you knew that you can't deface this, so you can't, I can't technically ask you to underline it. Then I might go to jail [00:29:00] for leading you into crime.

But I do want you to take the dollar that you were given. And I just want to ask you to put it in a prominent place. What do you mean a prominent place? Put it someplace where you'll see it. I don't know. You can tape it by the way. That's not illegal. You can tape it to your mirror. You could tape it to your dash.

You could tape it to your rear view mirror in your car. You could tape it anywhere. I don't care. You just tape it somewhere where you see it each day in this series, I'm hoping that you put it in a prominent enough place that you'll, you'll see those words. Now, some of you are going, oh man, I've already spent.

Okay. That's in the weeks to come. We're we'll talk about that. Okay. But keep the dollar bill and you can spend it after we get through with the series. All right. Cause it's truly yours. Um, but here's the big idea. All right. Of this message being faithful with little prepares you to be faithful with much, that's the big idea being paid for, with little prepares you to be faithful with much.

If we understand that God's own owns everything. [00:30:00] And that all I have is something he had that he put in my hands that I now hold, I want to write my name on it, but it's not mine. It's his, I'm a trustee then what? God, what do you want? What do you want from me? Okay. Here it is. It's real simple. Listen carefully, everybody.

Listen, he just wants you to be faithful. That's what he wants. What, what do you mean be faithful? He means he wants you to do with this stuff. What he gave you, his stuff for you to. He didn't give you your stuff to destroy your sense of value to make you trust in this. He gave you your stuff for you to do with it, what he wanted you to do with it, not what you wanted to do with it, what he wanted to do with it.

He put it in your hands to bring you into the story. So you have a part to play in accomplishing his will on earth. And you can say, well, I don't have any. But, but you gotta understand it's it's his now, but [00:31:00] I gotta be faithful. What does faithful mean? Let's see. Okay. I'm going to say something's going to be shocking if you hear me out.

All right. What does faithful mean? Faithful means you do what you were expected to do all the time. So, so pastor, are you saying that if, if my car. We won't start two days a month. Are you saying it's faithful or it's unfaithful if your car won't start two days a month, is it faithful or is it unfaithful a come as a heart?

Is it not? They're going to get harder. Okay. It's it's unfaithful if your internet supplier comes through for you every day of the week, except. Is it a faithful service or an unfaithful service? It's an unfaithful service, right? If you go to work and you show up, you know, you're supposed to be there, uh, you know, say 25 days of this month, but you may [00:32:00] 23 of the days and two days you just never showed.

Are you, are you faithful with any employer call you faithful? No. If you're married and you are. Uh, Trudy or wife, I'm a guy. So I'd say that with true to your spouse, 95% of the time. Am I true to my spouse?

Well, 5% short, 95, I got 95%, at least 95 days of this month. I've been faithful to you. Five days were off, you know what you would call me an. What is fateful faithful means I do what I'm supposed to do all of the time consistently do that. That proves whether or not I'm faithful. 95% faithful is 5% short of faithful.

And by the way, [00:33:00] just kind of get something clear. I'm going to talk more about this later. Can we just quit worrying about a tie? 'cause it's a, there's this thing in our head. We think what God is asking of me is that I were faithful with 10% of his stuff. I just need you to know that's not it. He never said that he wants you to be faithful with a hundred percent of his stuff, because a hundred percent of what you call yours, if you belong to him, it's his, it's his, and he doesn't get hung up.

I want you to do a 10%. He's concerned with what you did with the rest of it. So let's be clear and here's the point being faithful with little prepares you to be faithful with much. So I'm going to close this message right now with, uh, another parable. I'm going to do this very, very quickly. So you gotta listen carefully.

Okay. I'm going to tell you another parable that Jesus told, and it's not going to seem like it fits, but it will just trust me. All right. Um, in Matthew chapter 13, verses 45 and 46, Jesus said the kingdom of. It's like a [00:34:00] merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and he sold everything he had and he bought it.

He took everything that he called his, and he exchanged it for this Pearl. That was very, very valuable. He was more than willing to let go of his. Uh, of this to receive that. Okay. That's what you need to understand. Now, this story was taken by a south American preacher by the name of Juan Carlos Ortiz.

And he told a little he's he wrote something. And in fact, I just want to close by reading to you what he wrote. So if you'll allow me, I'm actually going to read, um, because one Carlos Ortiz, the preacher asks the question, so you want God, you want God what's, uh, what's that going to cost? Um, and then he comes along and he says, it costs us every.

You want God, it costs us everything. Now God has happiness and he has joy and he has peace and he has healing has [00:35:00] security, has attorney has everything. So it's not a bad deal, but to get that it costs you everything. So here's how the dialogue goes. Well, I want this Pearl. How much is it? Well, the seller says it's very expensive, but how much we ask a very large amount.

Do you think I could buy it? Of course. Uh, anyone could buy it. Uh, but didn't you say it was very expensive? Yes. Well, how much is it? It's everything you have. I make my mind up. Okay. I want that. Um, so it's going to cost me everything I have. I'll buy it well. Okay. Uh, what do you have? Let's let's just write it down.

All right. So let's make a list. What do you have? It was don't really have much. So I think I'm going to get the good side of this deal. Uh, because when you have, well, like I got just roughly over $10,000 in the bank. Oh, that's a great, great place to start. Okay. Uh, [00:36:00] $10,000 in the bank. Okay. That it's going to cost you that what else you have?

That's it. That's all I got. Do you have anything in your wallet? Well, yeah, I mean, I got like chump change on my wallet. Well, you got in your wallet. He pulls out his wallet. He opens up 10, 20, 30, 40, uh, $57. Okay. So $57. That's good. That's good. You've wiped me out. That's everything I got. Well, where do you live?

Well, I live in my house. Oh, you have a house? Well, you mean it's going to cost you my house. Yeah. Everything. It's going to cost you your house. Well, if you take my house, I'm going to have to live in my camper. Oh, you have a Kemper. Well, we'll write that down or you ain't, you can't take my camper. You can leave me sleeping in my car.

Oh, you have a car. I have two cars. Two cars. You have taken everything really? Have I taken everything? Do you live alone? No, [00:37:00] but you live with my spouse. Oh, you're your, you're married. You have kids. Yeah, my kids, I got kids. Yeah. They're going to go on the list to stop and think here for just a moment. You get to the end and go.

I got nothing that you've taken everything from me. I have nothing. But me. Oh yeah, yeah, you too. You go on the list. Well, everything you, yourself, everything becomes mine. Your wife, your children, your house, your money, your cars. And then he goes on. The seller says, now, listen, all right, all this stuff I'm going to allow you to use.

I'm going to allow you to use it. All right. Uh, for the time being, I'm going to give you some authority here to use these things, but I need to make sure you don't forget. These are no longer yours. These are now mine, and whenever I have a need for these things, you got to remember who they belong to. Now you're free to use them and [00:38:00] enjoy them.

Just never forget who they belong to. And you're going to be fine. Now, the question is you want that Pearl or now. I can't make your mind up for you. I can't, but I can tell you that I have lived long enough in this life. I have been in this thing deeply enough to tell you, we get frustrated with God because we don't have, and God goes, you don't have, because you don't do what I asked you to do.

It's not rocket science folks being faithful with little prepares you to be faithful with much. God, if you give me much. I won't give you much until you and I'm not into prosperity, just so you do not miss the point. See, God is looking. This is the last thought, listen, God is looking for people that he can bless without destroying them in the process where he can park his assets, [00:39:00] where when they're needed, he can allocate them and, and understand that people aren't going to be destroyed.

By writing their name all over everything and losing all perspective of what's actually happening here. You and I own nothing, but our personal faith, we often sacrifice our personal faith for that, which is not worth owning. And as all the stuff you die with a bunch of toys, guys, you're dead. That's all you are.

And someone's going to come along and claim everything that you called years as there's nobody wins. When that happens, God has bigger plans. So I'm going to pray. We'll pick it up next week. Rachel Cruz gonna be awesome. Don't miss it. Let's pray. So God, uh, please cause us to just relax. We're gonna do what we're gonna do, regardless of what I say, regardless, even of what you say, we're going to do what we're going [00:40:00] to.

But many of us are very interested in trying to figure out God, what would you have a stew? And there is going to be a lot of people here who are going to do some stuff differently. And I know that because our desire is not to do it wrong. We want to do it right. We want to be a good trustee who can be trusted, who will be found fee.

We're not going to try to get away with stuff. And we're not going to forget that one day. You're going to ask us, what would you do with my stuff? And we're going to have to explain it. Well, I buried it cause I thought you, and we're going to take a shot at your character and God is not going to have a good outcome.

So may we be faithful in our ability to carry the responsibility of being entrusted with your stuff? Teach us father in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you guys for being here. Have a wonderful week.