September 22th Service

Do you ever start feeling like you're getting towards the end of you usefulness?

Not me. That's a tough question to answer is sometimes we start out in life and we really can't figure out what we're doing that use for the other people and maybe we're just serving ourselves because we spend our whole lives trying to make something of ourselves most of us anyway. In in Luke 16 he kind of goes down the road that well it deserves some looking in because this is one of those scriptures on like not unlike many other scriptures that can.

The Lord only has one good intent. No.

It works. the dishonest manager in the end of usefulness And the Lord said who then is the faithful and wise manager know this comes from chapter 12. Who then is the faithful and wise manager who met his master will set over his household to give them their poor?

Bible all ties together and if you don't read what was coming before this scripture were talking about today and if you don't read what comes after it.

and so what we can do is Christian's is we read our Bible and we just take this little for

Today, I hope this to go down a road that you may not have looked. Marilyn had a manager and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possession. Now one thing that we really ought to look at is that we are all managers for somebody. I don't care if you're self-employed. Who's your manager?

People who come in your door, who do you have to answer to the people who come in the door? You know, I know many people who said I'm going to be my own person. I'm going to start a business.

In a few years into it. What are they find out? Everyone is their boss everyone. It's a little bit about submission.

the manager in this story He was taking care of himself. Now. What I want you to know is when it talks about dishonest wealth. He's not talking about true dishonesty like you would think.

gave rules to the Jewish people The gods rule was is that they couldn't charge interest on the money that they loan out.

You can't charge interest to your people.

And he expects you to give to those who need it. It doesn't say they shouldn't pay it back. It just says don't charge interest. In other words, you're not making money off of me. Take it off of that know how you going to make money off of that. But what they decided to do to get around God's law was that they would give oil for payment. They would. Change of wealth or they would give wheat or whatever grain it was you got paid till how they did this so they could charge interest if they if you owe 280 they charged you. You had to pay back a hundred buckets a week if you owed a t and the manager he got his wealth from that.

He didn't have friend in the world. Nobody really cared about him because he was the tax gatherer.

other people That's how you live. You didn't actually give anything will eventually if you don't give in to the world, you'll find out someday that the things you saved up aren't where they're worth nothing.

Time in your life when you realize that perhaps by usefulness has run out and what shall I do? What shall I do?

He called him and said to him. What is this that I hear about you? And how many of you here believe that God is watching you right now.

Do you live your life knowing what you believe? We tend to go through our lives being the shrewd manager, but we don't plan for our futures very well. You see the future that God is talking about in this scripture is that you put in heaven, so

manager that I didn't realize it was going to come a day when I would be useless.

I don't believe for a minute we ever any of us become useless to our Master. Don't get me wrong. But we do come as possible. We come to a time when the phone.

Play okay there comes a time when the pastor becomes useless.

Oh, please don't say that. I love you, but I think about it in your own life is okay. How many time?

Been on my heart a week. That's why I'm having a hard time reaching it. Hi people here need to come together and read their scriptures together. We're going to have Bible studies. We do those things. But how many of you here would say I spend one hour a week in my Bob?

All right. Don't talk to me after church.

You know that was going to be a survey and you were going to get called upon. I'm just I'm just trying to make this as easy.

and what the manager finally decides is

he has to turn in an account of what it is he's doing. How many of you have read the scripture that epithet on?

graveyard

You know, you don't get to write those very often. Somebody in your family all right it and they'll try to guess what it is that you were.

Don't make God Guess Who You Are.

God is writing your app that and if you're willing to be a part of what he's asking you to do. You don't have to worry about what's on your sign. You see people go to the graveyard to look at history things with Pat. God's want you to do something now. I read a story one time recently about a very wealthy man who he gave part of his money away to students going to seminar.

as one up you gave money to students to help lower their debt because it wanted to be fruitful in their Ministry and not be bound by the debt that got them.

I know because I'm in that day.

Someone asked him one day. Why do you do that? He said because I will only get to see the smiles on their faces While I'm Alive.

I will only be able to see the smiles on their faces while I'm a lot in other words. I can't wait to die to start.

And we all have people we know I live in a house that was donated by somebody who loves Jesus and I am so thankful. You know what? I regret?

I don't have the faces play on Ayers look at in my memory cuz I was not here when he died. I can't think or even put a face to What Jesus wants you what Luke is telling you is we have to be in the game? We have to apply ourselves. We have to think about it. And that's part of what the visioning team is going to do is help the vision ourselves.

No, you're fine. I haven't been applying myself. I've been living off of my masters well.

You think God is listening to those who give a report against you. You think that someone is giving a report against you?

Think about that really do it. I get reports as I go into the community and talk, and I don't want anybody here to be discouraged about what we're doing because we're doing great thing and I don't think they're going to hear it this morning for me. Thank you. thank you for thank you for what you're doing. People are being touched by our teachers. by our volunteers by everyone in our church and

believe I'm hearing it. Don't be discouraged. Great things are happening right here right now, but believe me when I tell you that God is hearing from those who give testimony against us as well. Someone's calling and saying hey. They're not managing your your stuff very well here. In a minute manager said to himself what shall I do? Since my master is taking the management away from me. There will come a time and all of our Lives when we will wonder what will I do? You can spend your whole life putting money in the bank. So that one day when you do return.

Will have something to fall back on right?

earthquake You know how many people I've met in my life work their whole life for retirement and see. retirement

they lived their whole life for what master?

comfort

But did any of them ever see the look on someone's face when they did something for them. We were talking this morning in the in the Bible in the in the group don't matter. Well, I knew that but I thought maybe you had another name, you know, the young adults the young adults, right? I don't want to know we were talking about Christmas because this story was about Christmas and we were talking about Of what we where we find. Is it in the giving or?

Is it in you know this gentleman I'm talking about the wealthy man who is paying my debt and other students that? just because you could you got to see the smile on my face. I didn't know it was him until later. I met him. He shook my hand you thank me for where I was going.

We're headed.

I put one foot in front of the other every morning I get up put my pants want you know life is short, but I don't know what have any idea what tomorrow holds right? That's why I want to have a vision team. I want to dream these dreams with each other and share it with each other. Let me ask you another question if your vision team Let's Pretend for just one minute that we get one. Will you listen to what they tell you?

the difficult question answers and I invite all of those who don't join the vision team.

Cuz that's another.

He says I'm not strong enough to dig and I'm ashamed to beg. Can you feel the pain there? How many times do you walk down the street? You don't get it here, but I've been in Annapolis. I've been in places where the Beggars are.

But God, that's not me.

I'm ashamed the back. Is there ever going to be a time in your life when you might have to ask for help?

I've had plenty of it. Am I ashamed of you?

Being a shame means you have to lower yourself humble yourself. Reveal to the world about yourself and your inefficiency. Not planning for retirement putting them money aside may put you in a position where you have to get welfare assistance, whatever. It might be. I don't know.

And then the other person that they're says I'm worried about me. I got a million dollars in the bank.

And then they die before they get a chance to spend any of it.

This gentleman that helped me out some I still got lots of that when it comes to financial student aid and stuff like that. But let's go home and lived his life to see the smiles on people when they rely thousand

he says I have decided what to do so that when I am removed from management people may receive me into their houses. So summoning is Masters debtors one by one. He said to the first how much do you owe my master? You noticed this not me. Is allowed to chant you don't owe me you owe my master. And then he begins to take do you realize this what they would do and he knew he could do this, but he's never done it he could add one.

He didn't he deleted it, but it was still useful. This is called an unjust or a ton.

Just not good, right? What God Says is the world outside

armoire

Can you maybe part of the world and you've been screwed all your life and you've found a way to make money? So what Jesus is really saying through Luke here?

Not storing up your wealth here, but storing it up in heaven.

He spent his whole life living off of his master's painting of money. And his never put a dime back in it.

and now he has had his Awakening. And he has decided I'm going to do the smart thing. Now. I'm going to put things into the kingdom bank cuz he I'm looking for somebody that might say will you help me out? I'll give you a place to live come stay with me. I can still dig I can still work. I'm a manager for the kingdom. You know, I have Brandon it. I used to think the world and I still do think the roller and we've just grown so far apart in my Ministry that I can't hardly identify with him anymore. But I told him that one time when we get to heaven, can I live in your house? Because I can't imagine your house not being a beautiful house.

The world in the Kingdom in that way. You are preparing.

that you're

what you do today is putting the paint on the wall. Do today is hanging pictures on the wall? What you do now is putting smiles on Jesus Christ. He said what you do to the least of these? You do to me. This is what the manager is. The manager can either live off the income and I'll finish with this. I know I got a lot more but I work for a company when I first started out as a maintenance person and in that company, but grandfather started the company back in 1914 and they told rumors that when he worked. You couldn't tell him apart from the workers because he always dressed in his bibs overhauls. He was filthy dirty because he was always doing something to help.

While he was the manager of that and owner of that company he put in a bowling alley he put in baseball field he put in all kinds of stuff for people. And then with his grandchildren came along they lived off his well.

And the last I heard they've just about broken the company. So you can either be a leech on society or you can be part of the answer. You can either live off of what your father and grandfather has established for you. Or you can help people with what has been handed to you. What do you choose to do today? How will your legacy? How will your appetite?

Because what you get roasted for on this life will pale In the comparison of what God will do for you.

What are you not listening to me?

You know what God wants you to do in your life. You're doing it.

I'm not a betting man, but I'm going to say it's probably very thin. Would you love to do something before you hang up your ghost? So that when you get to heaven and you will cuz I know you you're all good people. Your your maker comes to you and says you know what? You Are My People You answered.

You are a good man of my well. And here is your portion.

Don't worry about retirement. I got it covered. There are no retirements are they they're just a new staging light right? There be a new state July 4th. Is it going to start a new thing? Maybe just maybe God save the best for the last year's.

Maybe just maybe he saved the best for last the master can amended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. That seems very odd. How could you be commended for doing something?

Because he wants you to be open-minded and have a great imagination about how to serve. if you can Make money and put it up in the Kingdom. He will praise you for it. dishonest money used for good I scrape just a little bit off the top every month in my business right so that I could pay for insurance for all the people. dishonest truth but meaningful for so many people I don't know he's saying use your imagination. Pray about it and then walk into it. What is my wife a nice things and I don't even I don't even remember this but we talked about it all through high school. I was a c student.

No one cares about C students, right?

You need to you need to go to school and be that. Technical school, right? You need to go get educated, but you're not ever going to make it in high school or put you on high school. It's just not going to happen and no.

I always thought someday. I'm going to store up some money and I'm going to put it Grant or some sort of foundation.

Because this C student became an honor student. later in life

This sea student is going to apply himself because I'm grateful for what people have done for me. And there are more seats students out there that will make the greatest employees or Employers in the world. Because God believes in you and people don't.

First nine citizens and I tell you make friends for yourselves. Make friends for yourself. So that when it fell what's bailing? your plant when your plans You have something to fall back on. Lake Brandt

There's so many friends here. And so many of you would open your doors in a heartbeat for a friend who needed help.

Am I wrong?

So you store up those things in heaven? That people will remember you by. irony pass that you can take to the bank.

I remember when. I remember when my father telling me that when one Christmas when there was nine kids, they didn't have any money. He knew they didn't he was one of the second oldest child in the family. He knew they didn't have

sad time when you have Christmas and no presents, right and dad said that the notes for them unbeknownst to them. One of the neighbors were paying attention. You just lived mile or two down the road. And on Christmas morning when they got up and they thought they were getting nothing. They found presents under the tree. He's just asked walked right into their house while they were sleeping just like ho ho ho in South. And laid presents under the tree and they all got carved wooden.

Somebody took something that they could do and they convert it into love for someone else. My dad said I'll never forget that Christmas. Why right? Because people care because there was something there that you can take the smallest thing that you think is just not worth even sharing and you can sure. the greatest thing ever is what we talk.

Oh, here's and I'll finish I promise. This is the longest sermon ever.

Divide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail where no Thief approaches and no moth destroyed.

What things were they will be protected?

Sometimes the secular World outside is better at that than Christian. Paying it forward giving to someone just out of pure desire to get not looking for recognition or any kind of treasure. You don't need a money bag for the things that you're going to give the God in heaven, but he will certainly paint your room. He will certainly hang beautiful pictures on your wall and he will give you a wonderful send off. Welcome. Do my thing. butter spread Father God we thank you for your message.

My heart is full. I pray that your people's hearts are full.

May we father be your hands and feet right here. May we empty our pockets so that our rooms may be full and beautiful in your kingdom or we are but a blank here, but there we will be at church we pray this in Jesus. America