WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:06.280 You know, finances can be a tough subject. But today 2 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:09.119 on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, we're going to begin a 3 00:00:09.279 --> 00:00:13.800 powerful series called financial Fitness. In this series, Rick's going 4 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:16.760 to open up the word and tackle the tough stuff, 5 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:20.039 show you how to manage what you've been given with wisdom, 6 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:23.320 faith and purpose. And I'm sure, like me, as you 7 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:28.000 apply these biblical principles, you'll start to experience real financial 8 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:31.480 freedom and more peace. So let's get right into it. 9 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:34.479 This is part one of a message called the Foundation 10 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:36.159 of Financial Health. 11 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:39.159 First, we're going to study two of my favorite books 12 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:41.799 of the Bible, the Book of Proverbs and the Book 13 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:45.359 of Ecclesiastes. They're in the Old Testament, written by Solomon, 14 00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:47.759 the wisest man who ever lived, and I love these 15 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:52.880 books and they are literally filled chock filled with advice 16 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:55.560 on how to get out of debt, how to stay 17 00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:59.159 out of debt, how to prosper, how to have financial stability, 18 00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:03.640 how to say spend, invest, not waste your money, make 19 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:05.239 the most of it, how to have money work for 20 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.519 you and not you work for money, and a lot 21 00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:09.480 of principles. We're going to be looking at the laws, 22 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:13.040 the financial laws that are in the Bible in God's Word, 23 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:15.560 and they're twenty thirty of these we're going to look 24 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:20.480 at during this series. Now, before we look at Proverbs 25 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:24.239 and Ecclesiastes, we start looking at these laws of financial freedom, 26 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:30.439 laws of financial fitness, laws of financial blessing in your life. 27 00:01:30.680 --> 00:01:32.200 I want us to look at first of what Jesus 28 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:36.120 said about it. You see, Jesus talked more about money 29 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:37.840 than he did heaven or hell. Did you know that 30 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:41.239 he talked more about money than heaven or Hell? Why? 31 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:44.000 Because we spend more time thinking about money than heaven 32 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:47.159 or hell. We spend much of our time thinking about 33 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:49.599 how to get it, how to make it, how to 34 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:52.079 save it, how to spend it, how to invest it, 35 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:56.519 how to protect it, how to know, you know, ensure it, 36 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:01.040 and all the other things. And it dominates much of 37 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:04.400 our lives. And so Jesus had a lot to say 38 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:08.240 about money management. He also told us that money management 39 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:11.520 is a spiritual discipline, that God is actually watching how 40 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:15.520 I handle my wealth to see what He can trust 41 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:20.639 me with with true spiritual riches in heaven. Jesus when 42 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:22.960 he told the parables, you know the stories, the famous 43 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:26.199 stories of Jesus, over half of the parables Jesus told 44 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.560 deal with material possessions. So there's a lot of material 45 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:32.000 in the Bible on how to get out of debt, 46 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:34.919 how to stay out of debt, how to control money 47 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:39.080 instead of having it control you. Now this weekend, before 48 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:42.159 we begin Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I want us to look 49 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:45.199 at Matthew chapter twenty five. If you have a Bible, 50 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:47.800 you might want to open to Matthew chapter twenty five. 51 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:50.080 We're just going to look at the story that Jesus 52 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:52.639 told there. If you don't pull out your message notes 53 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:54.439 and all of the verses we're going to look at 54 00:02:54.639 --> 00:03:00.240 are there. This is called the Parable of the Talents. Now, 55 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:04.240 many people misunderstand this parable because it has the word 56 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:06.639 talent in it. And when we hear the word talent, 57 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:11.599 we think of gifts, abilities. You know, your shape, your personality, 58 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.360 your spiritual gifts, your heart, the things you love to do, 59 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.840 what you're naturally good at. The word the English word 60 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:21.960 talent actually comes from this chapter in the Bible. Before 61 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:26.280 there was this Jesus told this story, that word talent 62 00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:31.680 didn't exist. But a talent is actually a measurement of money. 63 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:35.840 And while this does have application to your talents, your gifts, 64 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:39.439 your abilities. This is actually a parable a story about 65 00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:44.439 money management. A talent was a specific weight of gold, 66 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.560 and there was a Babylonian talent, there was a Greek talent, 67 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:49.960 and there was a Roman talent, which was a specific 68 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:53.120 amount of money. So we're going to look at it now. 69 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:56.560 In this chapter. We're going to start in verse fourteen. 70 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:01.280 We have the story of a rich businessman, and Jesus 71 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:04.560 tells the story of a guy who's very, very wealthy. 72 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:07.759 We can know that by what he gives his servants 73 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:09.639 to take care of. And he says, I'm going to 74 00:04:09.639 --> 00:04:11.360 go away on a trip and I'm going to be 75 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:13.520 gone for a long time, so I'm going to put 76 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:18.120 you in charge of my property. And he divides up 77 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:20.560 his wealth. You know, in those days, there weren't any banks, 78 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:23.360 and so you didn't keep your money in a bank. 79 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:26.079 So he's got all of his wealth at home, and 80 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:29.319 he divides his wealth up among his three servants, and 81 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:31.399 he says, I expect you guys to make the most 82 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:33.959 of this, and when I come back, we'll see what happens. 83 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:36.920 And so he's gone for a long time, and later 84 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:40.000 the businessman comes back home and he says, Okay, give 85 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:41.680 me an account. What did you guys do with my money? 86 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:46.319 And they tell the story, and two of the guys 87 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:47.720 have a good report, and one of the guys has 88 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:51.319 a bad report. And then Jesus draws some spiritual truths 89 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:55.480 out of this. Out of this story, we learn seven 90 00:04:55.680 --> 00:05:01.279 foundations for financial fitness. You ever needed to take notes, 91 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.199 you need to take notes this weekend, because these are 92 00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:08.759 foundations that base the stability of your life on in 93 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:11.319 order to become all God wants you to be. Now, 94 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:14.000 let's look at it together. There on your outline. In 95 00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:17.680 Matthew twenty five, verse fourteen, we see the beginning of 96 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:21.680 the story and it says this the kingdom of Heaven, 97 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:26.279 Jesus said, will be like a man going on a journey, 98 00:05:26.360 --> 00:05:30.759 this businessman. And he called his three servants together, and 99 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:34.800 he entrusted his property to them. Now, if you're taking notes, 100 00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:37.480 I want you to circle the word his there on 101 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:42.000 that verse. It says he called his three servants together 102 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:47.040 and entrusted his property to them. So when we're talking 103 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:49.759 about money here, whose money are we talking about? The 104 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:52.560 money owned by the master or the money owned by 105 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:56.800 the servants? Yeah, the Master Okay, it's not the servant's money. 106 00:05:56.800 --> 00:05:59.480 It's the master's money. But he's giving it to them 107 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:03.040 to take care of this, by the way, is called stewardship. 108 00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:07.439 You've heard this word before. A steward or a stewardship. 109 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.639 That's the old English word for manager. Any of you 110 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:13.639 who are managers or involved in management in a business 111 00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:17.160 are actually starts. A steward is a manager, and stewardship 112 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:20.240 simply means management. We are called to be stewards of 113 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:23.279 our time, manager time. We are called to be stewards 114 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:26.040 of our influence. We are called to be stewards of 115 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:30.319 our health, of our minds, of our relationships, of our opportunities. 116 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:33.439 Everything you have, you are to be a steward or 117 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:38.920 a manager of. Now, he says, here he entrusted his 118 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:44.000 property to his servants. Now, this is the first law 119 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:47.399 of financial freedom. And it is this. The law possession 120 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:50.360 is this. You might write this down. Everything I have 121 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:54.639 belongs to God. I need to just settle that one 122 00:06:54.720 --> 00:07:00.120 right up front. It's not my money. It all belongs 123 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:02.319 to God. He said. Wait a minute, but I worked 124 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:04.879 for this. Where do you think you got your body 125 00:07:04.920 --> 00:07:06.160 to work for it? Where do you think you got 126 00:07:06.199 --> 00:07:07.600 your mind to work for it. Where do you think 127 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.560 you got your energy to work for it? Where do 128 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:12.319 you think you got your intelligence work? Everything you have 129 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:15.800 is a gift from God. So you don't really own 130 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:19.439 anything in life. It's all on loan. Someday I'm going 131 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:20.759 to write a book and the first sentence of the 132 00:07:20.759 --> 00:07:24.240 book will be what you think you own is really 133 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:28.519 on loan. You see, I didn't own anything before I 134 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:31.959 was born. I didn't bring anything into the world. I've 135 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:34.000 been there at the birth of all my babies and 136 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:36.879 grand babies. None of them came in carrying a satchel 137 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:40.839 full of money. Okay, you didn't bring anything into the world. 138 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:43.279 And I've been there at the other end to you, 139 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:46.240 at the funerals. Nobody takes it out with them. You 140 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:48.639 never see a hearse driving a you know, a U 141 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:53.000 haul with it, okay, So you only get to use 142 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:57.319 it while you're here. It's God's money. God loaned it 143 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:00.319 to somebody before you. He's loaned it to you for 144 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:02.680 eighty years, and he's going to loan it to somebody 145 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:06.199 else after you die. You don't own it. It's all 146 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:11.639 under management. The master owns it all. God is the owner. 147 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:16.680 Now the risk is really important because we tend to 148 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:20.519 forget it. We forget and when we forget it, you 149 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:22.439 know what is the sign that you've forgotten that it's 150 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:25.600 God's and not yours. When you think it's yours, you 151 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:30.439 worry about it. Worry is the sign that you think 152 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:35.759 it's all yours. Now. Let's say you had a beach 153 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:37.960 house and you said, Rick, I'm going to Spain for 154 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:39.919 a year and we're gonna let you and Kay use 155 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:43.360 our beach house for a year. So we use your 156 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:45.000 beach house for year, and then you call up a 157 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:47.120 year later, go, you know what, we think we're gonna stay. 158 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:48.440 We're having a good time, so we're going to stay 159 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:51.000 another year in Spain. Use our beach house for another year. 160 00:08:51.799 --> 00:08:53.600 And so then on the third year you call up 161 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:55.039 again say hey, go ahead and use it for a 162 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:57.159 third year. By this time, I'm starting to think this 163 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:00.639 is mine. You come home about you years and you 164 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:02.120 say I'm ready to move back in. I said, what 165 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:04.639 do you mean, You're not moving This is my house, 166 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:09.399 you know, possessions nine tenths of the law. It's mine now. 167 00:09:10.039 --> 00:09:13.639 And we tend to think because God has loaned it 168 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:15.879 to us for an extended period of time that it's ours. 169 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:19.080 It's not. If you would remind yourself of this first 170 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:22.200 truth every day, you'd worry a whole lot less. Now, 171 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:25.440 in the next verse, verse fifteen, it says this master 172 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:27.480 he loans his money out, and he says to one 173 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:30.679 servant he gave five talents of money, and to another 174 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:35.000 he gave two talents of money. And to another it 175 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:39.519 says he gave one talent of money. Okay, now, what's 176 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:43.440 he talking about here, Well, a talent, literally, a Roman talent, 177 00:09:43.559 --> 00:09:47.720 is seventy one pounds of gold. I think about that 178 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:53.840 now today yesterday gold was sixteen hundred dollars an ounce. Okay, 179 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:57.200 So that means if you got a talent of gold, 180 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:01.000 you got one point eight million dollars. This is not 181 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:06.840 a small investment. Okay. If you got two talents, which 182 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:09.440 he gave to one guy, he's just given you three 183 00:10:09.480 --> 00:10:12.320 point six million dollars to take care of while he's gone. 184 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:16.600 If he's given you five talents, he's just given you 185 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:20.559 nine million dollars to take care of. This is not 186 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:24.720 a small amount. He's really trusting and God has made 187 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:27.840 a huge investment in you. We'll talk about that later. 188 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:31.519 But the first law, the law God possesses everything, it 189 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:34.879 all belongs to him. And then this is the second law, 190 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:37.840 and it says he gives one five talents to one, 191 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:40.840 two talents to another, and a one talent of goal 192 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:43.080 to another guy, each according to his ability. Then he 193 00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:45.320 left on his journey. This is the law of allocation, 194 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:51.759 and it is this God has loaned me money. I 195 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:54.480 just talked about that. You don't really own it. He's 196 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:57.639 loaning it to you for thirty forty, fifty, sixty, eighty 197 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:01.840 ninety at the most one hundred years. Now you notice 198 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:05.000 in this story that Jesus tells everybody gets a different amount. 199 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:08.759 That's obvious. We're not all equally wealthy. We're not all 200 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:13.879 equally you know, have the same economic status. It says, 201 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:17.200 some guy get one talent, some guy gets two talents, 202 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:20.240 some guy gets five talents of gold. But the point 203 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:24.480 is this, everybody gets something. Now, there are no no 204 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:28.759 talent people in the world. If you're breathing, that is 205 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:32.240 a blessing. If you are alive, that in itself is 206 00:11:32.279 --> 00:11:36.840 a blessing. Now everybody gets something, and they all begin 207 00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:39.159 to go out. Now, notice the next verse verse sixteen 208 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:41.840 there in your outline. The man who had received the 209 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:47.919 five talents went at once and put his money to work. 210 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:53.120 Circle that phrase, put his money to work and gained 211 00:11:53.159 --> 00:11:57.080 five more talents of gold. And so the one with 212 00:11:57.399 --> 00:12:02.240 the two talents also doubled his money. But the man 213 00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:04.960 who had received the one talent went off, dug a 214 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:09.480 hole in the ground and just hid his master's money. Now, 215 00:12:09.480 --> 00:12:11.159 there's a couple of things I want to point out here, 216 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:14.799 and the first is this money is a tool to 217 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:20.399 be used. You put it to work. You use money, 218 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:25.039 and you love people. Now, if you get that reversed, 219 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:27.320 you're going to be in trouble because if you start 220 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:33.600 loving money, you will use people. No, people are to 221 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:36.600 be loved. Money is to be used. You are to 222 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:39.679 never love money. You are to use it. It is 223 00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:41.480 a tool to be used. You say, well, wait a minute, 224 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:43.320 isn't money the root of all evil? Then not what 225 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:45.120 the Bible says. No, that's not what the Bible says. 226 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:47.159 The Bible does not say money is the root of 227 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:51.240 all evil. It says the love of money is the 228 00:12:51.320 --> 00:12:54.879 root of all evil. Money is totally neutral. It can 229 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:57.159 be used for good or bad. It can be used 230 00:12:57.159 --> 00:13:01.240 by Hitler to bomb Europe, or it could be used 231 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:06.679 by churches to spread good news and feed the hungry. 232 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:10.159 You can use it on very selfish centered purposes, or 233 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:12.879 you can use it for very unselfish purposes. You can 234 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.559 use it to create businesses and products that bless the 235 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:19.879 entire world. Money is a neutral thing. It's neither good 236 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:23.240 nor bad. It's what you do with it. But he says, 237 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:26.519 put your money to work. One of the things we're 238 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:30.600 going to learn in the next several weeks together is 239 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:33.559 how to put your money to work. The reason why 240 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:37.000 most people are in debt, and the reason why most 241 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:39.919 people never get out of debt is because they are 242 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.039 always working for their money instead of having their money 243 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:46.519 work for them. You got to reverse this. This is 244 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:49.200 a whole different way of thinking about money. You've got 245 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:52.200 to learn how to put your money to work for 246 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:55.720 you instead of you working for money. If you work 247 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:59.480 for money, you will always be needing more, you will 248 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:02.840 always be in debt. But if you learn how to 249 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:06.840 make money work for you, then money becomes your servant. 250 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:09.919 Money is a wonderful servant. It is a terrible master. 251 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:13.639 It is a terrible master, and you know it's a master. 252 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:16.600 When it's causing stress in your life, then it's mastering you. 253 00:14:16.679 --> 00:14:20.799 It's controlling you. Now, he says, he gives the money 254 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:23.120 out to these three servants. One goes out and invests it, 255 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:25.200 puts it work, goes out and puts it to work. 256 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:27.320 The third guy goes and hides it in the ground. 257 00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:30.679 Here's the point. You get to choose what you do 258 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:34.720 with what God gives you. You don't get to choose 259 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:38.399 what you're given. Some people are given one talent, some 260 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:41.080 people are given five talents. Some people are given ten talents. 261 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:45.120 Some people are given two talents. It's just different amounts. 262 00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:49.080 But you do get to choose what you do with it, 263 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:54.200 and what you do with it is what God is watching. Now. 264 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:56.480 When you get to heaven one day, God is not 265 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:58.799 going to say, why weren't you more like your brother? 266 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.639 Why wan't you more like your dad? Why wan't you 267 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:06.039 more like your mother? Why weren't you more No, you 268 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:09.000 are only responsible for the talents you've been given. And 269 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:11.960 I'm talking about not just money, but your time and 270 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.720 your abilities and all these other different things. When you 271 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:17.799 get to heaven, God is never going to compare you 272 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:21.399 to anybody else, And you can't say, well, look, you 273 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:23.240 only gave me one talent. You gave you that guy 274 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:26.240 five talents. God isn't going to say, who are you 275 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:29.559 talking about. God wants to know what did you do 276 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:33.279 with what you were given? What did you do with 277 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:35.840 what you were giving? Not what I gave somebody else, 278 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:39.360 but what I gave you. So God says, you get 279 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:43.200 to choose what you do with the money I give you. Now, 280 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:45.320 what can you do with that money? You can waste it, 281 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:49.039 and there are plenty of ways to waste it. You 282 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:53.320 can spend it, you can use it, you can invest it. 283 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:57.519 You know, they're all different kind You could hoard it. 284 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:59.799 There are lots of ways. Of God lets you choose 285 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:01.480 which way you want to do it. But you will 286 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:03.840 have to give an account one day for the reasons 287 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:06.320 you chose to do what you did with the money 288 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:09.679 He loaned to you while you were alive. This is 289 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:12.600 a test. One day you're going to have to explain it. 290 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:15.720 And that's why. In verse nineteen, it says, after a 291 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:20.919 long time, the master of the three servants returned to 292 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:26.600 settle his accounts. Circle the word accounts. He said he 293 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:31.440 returned to settle his accounts. This is the next law, 294 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:34.759 the third law, and the third law is the law 295 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:38.480 of accountability. And the law of accountability is this. One 296 00:16:38.600 --> 00:16:45.200 day God will audit me. One day God is going 297 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:48.360 to audit me. He's going to come and settle accounts. 298 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:51.559 There's going to be a final exam on the life 299 00:16:51.639 --> 00:16:54.879 God gave you. It will be a life audit, not 300 00:16:55.039 --> 00:17:00.799 by the irs, but by the good. Difference with between 301 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:03.720 the irs and the God is God has all the records. 302 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:08.000 You don't have to bring any to that audit. He's 303 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:11.079 already got it. He's seen everything you've ever done with 304 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:14.640 your time, with your words, with your money, with your life, 305 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:17.440 the times you used it for good and the times 306 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:20.359 you just flat out blew it. But you will give 307 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:22.680 an account one day. And it is foolish to go 308 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:24.599 through life thinking that I'm not going to have an 309 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:27.079 audit at the end of life. You think God would 310 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:29.680 create you, put you on this planet, and then at 311 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:31.559 the end say now what'd you do with your life? 312 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:34.960 I put you, I created you, and I made you 313 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.079 for reason. And so there's going to be this this audit. 314 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:42.559 God has made an investment in you. He has given 315 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:46.519 you certain gifts, certain abilities, certain opportunities. He's given you 316 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:50.200 certain resources, he's given you a certain heritage, he's given 317 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:52.119 you certain freedoms. He's given you a certain amount of 318 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:56.599 intellect and intelligence and energy. And God's going to what'd 319 00:17:56.599 --> 00:17:59.839 you do with all that stuff? Well, I made a 320 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:03.920 lot of money, retired and die A wrong answer. You 321 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:05.839 think I put you on earth to live for yourself? 322 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:10.759 I mean, come on, I mean really, come on. You 323 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:13.440 think I put you on earth to live simply for 324 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:17.160 yourself and to stockpile a bunch of things that you're 325 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:18.720 not going to take with you anyway when you die. 326 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:23.000 Life is not the in the acquisition of things. You've 327 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:25.160 seen that bumper sticker, he who dies with the most 328 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:28.839 toys wins. No, the sticker should say, he who dies 329 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:33.640 with the most toys still dies, and he wasted his life, 330 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.680 because life is not about the acquisition of things, because 331 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:40.759 you're not taking any of it with you. It all 332 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:44.400 belongs to God that God has loaned it to me. 333 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:47.839 He's watching what I do with it, and one day 334 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:50.359 I'm going to give an account of how well I 335 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:54.839 used the money, the resources, the time, the energy, all 336 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:58.359 things that God gave me. The Bible says this here 337 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:02.079 on the screen Romans fourteen to well, each of us 338 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:06.640 will give an account of himself to God. Now, you know, 339 00:19:08.599 --> 00:19:12.839 it's fun to be irresponsible, but you can't be responsible 340 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:15.240 irresponsible your entire life. My guess is that when you 341 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:18.119 got out of high school, you either a went off 342 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:19.839 and tried to get a job or you went off 343 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:23.000 to college. And either way, whether you went to college 344 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:24.720 or went to work, there's probably a few years in 345 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:27.759 there you were just slacking around. You think I'm out 346 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:30.160 of the house. I'm going to have some fun, and 347 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:32.440 you're kind of, you know, irresponsible. You sleep in you 348 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:34.880 don't really try to get a job. You're watching cartoons, 349 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:38.920 eating cocoa puffs. You know, I'm playing video games and 350 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:42.279 things like that. But at some point you have to 351 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:44.279 wake up and go, excuse me, I got to get 352 00:19:44.319 --> 00:19:48.880 a life. I cannot be irresponsible my entire life. It 353 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:52.640 might work for a year or two, but the Master's 354 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:54.319 going to come back and I'm going to give an account. 355 00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:58.640 And irresponsibility never lasts. It always catches you in the end. 356 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:01.319 And that's what happens to people when they get in debt. 357 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:05.279 We are financially irresponsible, and it eventually catches up with 358 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:08.759 us and the chickens come home to roost. Right now, 359 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:15.799 America is reeling in the results of decades of overspending. 360 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:20.079 And how the most blessed and most prosperous and the 361 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:24.279 most wealthy nation in the world can be on the 362 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:27.000 verge of bankruptcy isn't amazing, but it can happen. All 363 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:28.920 you have to do is just spend trillions and trillions 364 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:33.079 and trillions of dollars and keep spending it. You cannot 365 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:36.279 be irresponsible forever. At some point you have to kind 366 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:40.200 of man up. Now, the law of accountability says that 367 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:42.200 one day God's going to say, what'd you do with 368 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:44.839 what I gave you? Now, notice these three guys have 369 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:48.599 three different responses. The first guy, he's got a good report, 370 00:20:48.599 --> 00:20:51.000 he's got a good ROI return on in his investment. 371 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:53.920 And in verse twenty one, twenty twenty one, it says 372 00:20:54.599 --> 00:20:59.000 the man who had received five talents okay, brought the 373 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:01.920 others I remember this nine million bucks brought the other 374 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:07.200 five he had made. And master, he said, you entrusted 375 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:11.759 me with five talents. See I've gained five more. His 376 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:14.720 master replied, well done, good and faithful servant. Well I guess. 377 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:18.000 So he's got one hundred percent return. I'd be happy 378 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:23.119 for a tenth of that today, wouldn't you. I mean, 379 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:25.839 I mean one hundred percent return. He doubled his investment. 380 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:30.720 I mean this guy bought Google. Okay, he clearly he 381 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:32.960 got in on the front end of Amazon or something, 382 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:36.279 and his stock has really soared. He doubles investment on 383 00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:39.279 hundred percent return. Same thing with the second guy. Second 384 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:42.640 guy has another good return and a good report to share. 385 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:46.160 Verse twenty two, that servant who was given two talents 386 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:49.079 of money also came and said, Master, you entrusted me 387 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:53.559 with two talents. Now see I have gained two more. 388 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:57.640 He's doubled his and his master replies to him, well done, 389 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:59.920 good and faithful servant. One hundred percent return on invent. 390 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:04.319 Now the third guy does not have a good story 391 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:08.440 to tell because he has not used what God gave 392 00:22:08.519 --> 00:22:11.720 him wisely, and he doesn't have a good report. In 393 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:13.759 verse twenty four, then the man who had received the 394 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:19.519 one talent came and said, Master, I knew that you 395 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:22.440 are a hard man. I notice he's turning the tables. 396 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:25.559 He's trying to put the blame on his boss. Master, 397 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:29.519 I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where 398 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:32.000 you have not sown and gathering where you haven't scattered seed. 399 00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:35.720 So I was afraid, you know, I was afraid to 400 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:39.359 lose your money. And I went out and I hid 401 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:43.440