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Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] Welcome to Verity Baptist Church. Can I please have everyone find their seats and grab their songbooks, and we're going to turn to page number 22. Please find your seats, grab your songbooks, and turn to page number 22. We're going to be singing, Are You Washed in the Blood? That's page number 22, Are You Washed in the Blood? And let's sing that out on the first. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you washed in the blood, in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Page number 22 on the second. Are you walking daily by the Savior's side? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Do you rest each moment in the crucified? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you washed in the blood, in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? When the bridegroom cometh, will your robes be white? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Will your soul be ready for the mansion sprite? Can be washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you washed in the blood, in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Let's sing it out on the last. Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin, and be washed in the blood of the Lamb. There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean, so be washed in the blood of the Lamb. Are you washed in the blood, in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Great singing. Let's open up on a word of prayer. Father God, thank you so much for this church, Lord. Thank you for these people coming out here on a Wednesday evening to praise you. I pray that our singing would glorify you, Lord, and I pray that you'd bless this service and the preaching to come. In your holy and precious name, I pray. Amen. All right, please turn to your song books, page number 96. Page number 96, we're going to be singing God Leads Us Along. Page number 96, God Leads Us Along. And let's sing that out on the first. In shady reed pastures so rich and so sweet, God leads us here, children, along, Where the water's cold flow begs the weary one's feet, God leads us here, children, along. Some through the water, some through the flood, Some through the fire, but all through the flood, Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song In the night season and all the day long. Page 96 on the second. Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads us here, children, along. Sometimes in the valley in darkness of night, God leads us here, children, along. Some through the water, some through the flood, Some through the fire, but all through the flood, Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song In the night season and all the day long. Though sorrows befall us in Satan opposed, God leads us here, children, along. Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes, God leads us here, children, along. Some through great sorrow, some through the flood, Some through the fire, but all through the flood, Some through great sorrows, but God gives a song In the night season and all the day long. Let's sing it out on the last. Away from the mire and away from the clay, God leads us here, children, along. Away up in glory, eternity's day, God leads us here, children, along. Some through the water, some through the flood, Some through the fire, but all through the flood, Some through great sorrows, but God gives a song In the night season and all the day long. Great singing. Amen. All right. Well, let's go and take our bulletins tonight. We'll look at some announcements. If you do not have a bulletin, you're out of luck because we don't have any. So I should just stop asking people if they need bulletins. Maybe you can share with somebody that Romans 12 2, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And that's a good verse there. If you open up your bulletins, you'll see our service time Sunday morning service 10 30 a.m. And we do invite you to be with us on Sunday on the Lord's Day, of course, for church Sunday evening service 6 p.m. And we're glad you're with us for the midweek Bible study. If you look at our sowing times, our main sowing times on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. And then we have additional sowing times on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays at 2 p.m. So if you'd like to go sowing this week, there'll be a time for you to be able to do that. And then, of course, we are a family integrated church. What that means is that children and infants are always welcome in the service. We don't separate children from their parents for any reason. We do have mother baby rooms and daddy rooms available for your convenience. So if you have a child that's been distracting during the service, or if you need some privacy, we'd encourage you to use those rooms. If you need to be baptized, please let us know. We'd love to baptize you. Just let us know on your communication card in the back. There's a place for you to check that off, and we'll follow up with you in regards to that. If you look at the announcements and upcoming events, of course, we have our Journey with Jesus series that we're going through, and we're going to continue that tonight. And then, of course, we have our Harvest Party coming up on Monday, October 31st at 6 p.m. And we'll have our annual chili cook-off, and we'll be giving out a $50 gift card to the first-place winner, $25 gift card to the second-place winner, bag of treats for every child in attendance, games. Of course, we'll have games and fun on that night. And if you'd like to bring cornbread or desserts, if you could help with that, we've got some sign-up sheets in the foyer, and we would appreciate your help there. And then, of course, we also have our Striving Together New Members class. It's coming up on Sunday, November 6th, right after the morning service. Lunch will be provided, and it's a class where we'll go through some things, just kind of let you know about our church and what it means to be a member of our church. And we try to get all of the new members to come to the class. Of course, if you're newer to our church, we'd love you to join. Homeschool group, they've got a field trip on Thursday, October 27th at 10 a.m. You can see my wife for the flyer. P.E. class is on Thursday, November 10th. And then, of course, the private school affidavits are due on October 15th, so don't forget about that. Upcoming cleaning crew, you can check for your name there. Other things there for you to look at. Please don't forget to turn your cell phones off or place them on silent during the service. They're not a distraction to anybody. If you look at the back of the bulletin, birthdays and anniversaries for the month of October, today is Madison Johnson's birthday on October 12th, and also Mauricio Hernandez's birthday on October 12th. And then tomorrow, Jill Maples III has a birthday. Our evangelist to the Philippines, Brother Matthew Stuckey, has a birthday on October 14th. And Brother Matt and Miss Casey Taylor have an anniversary on October 15th. Praise Report, Money Matters, all those things are there for you to look at. And I think that's it for all of the announcements. So let's go ahead and take our songbooks tonight. And we'll go to page number 66. Page number 66, we'll sing at Calgary as we prepare to receive the offering tonight. Page number 66, sing it out. On the first years I spent in vanity and pride Was crucified, knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary Mercy there was grain and grace was free Pardon there was multiply to me There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary Page number 66, sing it out. On the second, by God's word at last my sin I learned Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary Mercy there was grain and grace was free Pardon there was multiply to me There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary Oh the love that true salvation's planned Oh the grace that brought it down to man Oh the mighty gulf that God did spend at Calvary Mercy there was grain and grace was free Pardon there was multiply to me There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary Good, sing it out. On the last, now I begin to choose else everything Now I gladly own him as my king Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary Mercy there was grain and grace was free Pardon there was multiply to me There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary Amen. Good, sing it. We'll have the guys come up and help us with the offering at this time. And let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do thank you for allowing us to gather together tonight. Lord, we pray that you bless the offering, the gift, and the giver. And we ask that you meet with us as we take time to open up your word and study the Bible together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. All right, well, let's go ahead and take our prayer sheets tonight. If you did not get a prayer list on your way in, just raise your hand and one of our ushers can get one for you. If you need a prayer sheet, just put your hand up and we'll get one for you. Of course, I want to remind you that the way you add a request to the prayer sheet is through your communication card. On the back of the card is a place for you to write down requests. Make sure you mark whether it's private or public. If it's private, only I will see it. If it's public, we'll put it on the prayer sheet. If you don't mark it, we'll do our best to figure it out. But we usually don't put those on there. They are added in the order that they are received and they are removed after a couple of weeks. I would like you to make a note there in the back. There's a request there, but I just want you to notice it for Ms. Christine Ortiz. She was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer and we're waiting on a biopsy to see how bad it is. I want you to make a note there for Ms. Christine. Of course, she's here tonight and just praying that the biopsy will come back with the best results possible. Also, I'd like you to notice a couple of names were added to the expecting mothers. We have Ms. May and Ms. Ajana both added. So congratulations to Brother Armando and Ms. May and Brother Serge and Ms. Ajana and make sure we are in prayer for them as well. Let's go ahead and take these requests to the Lord. Pray out loud as you follow along in your mind and your heart and let's pray together. Heavenly Father, Lord, we come to you tonight asking for these requests from our church family. And Lord, we begin with these requests regarding friends and family. Brother Ike praying for his brother-in-law, Joseph, who is bereaved. And Brother Darryl praying for the Venable family, specifically his parents with, of course, handling old age and handling it with grace. Lord, we pray that you'd help them. Brother Montel praying for Isabel to be able to live with them permanently. And Ms. Amy Cortez praying for her friend, Sharon Smith. And Lord, we pray that you would help these individuals with these requests. Brother Salvador also praying for his family. Lord, we ask that you would please help these different individuals in different areas in which they're asking. Also, we pray for these that are asking for the salvation of loved ones. Brother Darryl praying for the salvation of Bill and Jeannie. And Brother Vlady and Ms. Antonina praying for their family's salvation. Ms. Natalie praying for her husband and her family's salvation. And Ms. Christine Ortiz praying for her children and her grandchildren's salvation. Ms. Dogma praying for her daughter and her family's salvation, Lord. And we ask for all these individuals, we pray that you would move in their hearts and their minds, Lord, that your Holy Spirit would use whatever seeds have been sown in the lives of these individuals. That they might come to a place of salvation. We pray, Lord, that a soul winner would communicate the gospel clearly to them, that they might be saved. Lord, we also pray for these that are asking for health requests. Brother Vijay and Ms. Joyce praying for Ms. Joyce. She'll be having a knee replacement surgery on October 19th, praying that that goes well. And for a speedy recovery, Brother Joe Maples praying for Joe Jr. to heal, to have better sleep, to gain weight, which is for his general health. Ms. Amy Cortez praying for her own health and also for the mental health of her son, Joselito. And Lord, asking that you would help in that situation. Ms. Christine Ortiz, of course, praying for her health and praying that this biopsy would come back with the best results possible. That this cancer would not be in too much of a progression. Lord, we pray that you'd put your healing hand over her and help her with that. Lord, we pray for Brother Salvador for his health and Ms. Dogma for her pain, that you would heal her pain and for her son-in-law's recovery from surgery as well. And Brother Edgar and Ms. Selena praying for Little Urezi to continue to be healthy. Lord, we ask for all these individuals. We pray that you put your healing hand over them. We pray that you would help them, that you would heal them, that you'd give wisdom to the doctors, nurses dealing with them. We also pray for the ladies in our church that are expecting. Ms. Esther, Ms. Antonina, Ms. Katie, and also Ms. May and Ms. Ajana praying, Lord, that you would give them healthy pregnancies with no problems, no complications. Lord, we ask that you just help them during this time, Lord. We also pray for Ms. Christine for her walk with you, her faith, Brother Salvador, his faith as well, Lord, and also for their finances and work. We pray that you'd bless and help with regards to that. And then we ask for these unspoken requests. Ms. Andrea having an unspoken request, Ms. Kimmy having an unspoken request, Ms. Laura Beth having an unspoken request, Ms. Natalie having an unspoken request, Brother Salvador having an unspoken request, Ms. Docma having an unspoken request. Lord, you know what their petitions are, you know what they're asking for. We pray that you'd answer according to your will, Lord, and we pray that your answer be clear. We also pray for our church and our ministries, Lord. We pray for our prison ministry that you continue to bless and help the ministry with the mailers going out every month and the visits, the in-person visits and services that are being held. And, Lord, we pray for our churches in the Philippines, Manila, Pampanga, and Bicolor that you keep these places healthy and strong. We pray that you bless, Brother Stuckey and Ms. Tan as they lead those locations. Lord, we pray for our church here in Sacramento that you continue to bless us and help us. Lord, we ask that you meet with us as we take time to open up your word and study the Bible together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please open the rows to Luke 16. Luke, chapter number 16. Luke 16, if you need a Bible, just put your hand up and an extra one might bring you a Bible. Luke, chapter number 16. If you need a Bible, just keep your hand up and an extra one will come by. Luke 16, we'll read verses 10 through 18. Luke 16, verses 10 through 18. Luke 16, we can read verse number 10. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. And he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust to true riches? If you have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. He cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also who are covetous heard all these things and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it. And it is easy for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail. Whosoever putteth away his wife and marrieth another, comitteth adultery. And whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, comitteth adultery. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for this evening. God, I thank you for your word, for our church, for everyone that's here. As you please give us all a tender heart to the message, Lord. As you please be the pastor, strengthen him and fill him with your spirit. We love you. In Jesus' name, pray. Amen. Amen. Alright, we're there in Luke chapter number 16. And of course we are continuing in our series through the Gospel of Luke verse by verse, chapter by chapter. And we are tonight in Luke chapter number 16. Tonight we'll be looking at verses 10 through 18. And one of the reasons that I like the verse by verse studies is because it really forces you to focus in on every verse. And even verses that you might normally ignore or normally just kind of look past. And of course in Luke 16, Luke 16 has some very famous passages in it. We saw this last Sunday night, the first nine verses in Luke 16. And we saw the very well-known controversial parable of the unjust steward. And then of course on Sunday morning we'll be looking at verses 19 through 31. And we'll be seeing another very famous story in Luke 16 about the rich man and Lazarus. But between these very two well-known passages lies these few verses we're going to look at tonight, verses 10 through 18. And these verses might be ignored in light of the parable of the unjust steward and the story of the rich man Lazarus. It might not be something that you would necessarily spend a whole sermon on or really look at. But every part of Scripture is important and it's good for us to look at these passages. Now before we get into these passages, I want you to quickly go back to Luke chapter 12 if you would. And I'd like to show you one verse in Luke chapter 12 just by way of introduction. And I want you to understand that of course on Sunday night we saw the first nine verses of this chapter and we talked about the unjust steward. And if you remember we talked about the fact that a steward is one who manages the resources of another. And we saw the story of Jesus using an unjust steward, a dishonest steward, and using that as an example to teach us some things about stewardship. On the heels of that parable we have in verses 10 through 18 some well-known verses, some are not so well-known verses. We've got some verses that seem like they're just kind of randomly put together but I want you to understand that they're not randomly put together. On the heels of the parable of the unjust steward and right before the story of the rich man going down to hell, Jesus gives us some principles about stewardship. Principles of stewardship and we're going to look at those tonight. As far as I can tell in these 10 verses there are seven principles on stewardship, maybe more, but I'll highlight seven of them for you tonight. If you want to write those down I would definitely encourage you to do that. Obviously when we're talking about stewardship we're talking about the management of resources. And generally speaking when we think of a stewardship we think about finances, although that's not the only thing that we've been given to steward. When you consider stewardship you should consider that yes treasure, our treasure is part of that, but also our time, also our talents. Anything that God has given us is to be steward for Him. But Jesus deals primarily with money. It's not the only thing He deals with in this passage but He deals primarily with money. I don't know if you noticed but Jesus seems to have two hobby horses. He preaches a lot about soul winning and He preaches a lot about money. And He talks about money and so we're going to talk about money because He talks about money. But I will say this, what I've learned is that preaching about money is not generally the sermons that go over the best. People generally don't like to hear what the Bible has to say about money. Specifically because of the fact that the Bible teaches such a different mindset regarding finances than what we as human beings tend to have. And the reason I think that people don't like it is because of what Jesus said in Luke 12-34. In Luke 12-34 He said this, The truth is that finances tell a lot about our hearts. In fact, if I wanted to get to know what was important to you, and I wouldn't have access to do this without you allowing me to, but if I wanted to know what was important to you, all I would have to do is to log in to your online bank account and see where you spend your money. Because where your treasure is, there where your heart be also. And the Bible is very clear about that. So Jesus deals with the subject of money a lot and stewardship in general because of the fact that it's so revealing to your heart. So if you're sitting here tonight and you're thinking, I don't like this sermon and I don't like what Jesus is teaching, or I don't like what Pastor Jimenez is teaching and saying that it's what Jesus said, you might want to check your heart. Because where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. And that's why I believe Jesus touches on this and I think this is why it's so emotional sometimes for individuals as we talk about this idea of finances and stewardship. Make your way back to Luke chapter 16 if you would. And I'd like to just quickly, as quickly as possible, give you seven principles on stewardship we find in this passage. And these are not alliterated and they're not short statements. Generally I like to give you short statements, alliterated, though that is not the case tonight. So I will do my best to repeat this for you if you want to write these down and I would definitely encourage you to write them down. In Luke 16 and verse 10 we see the first principle and it is this. Jesus says, remember this is within the context of the parable of the unjust steward and leading us into the story of a rich man who died and went to hell. In Luke 16 and verse 10 Jesus says, he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. So in Luke 16 and verse 10 we find the first of the stewardship principles that Jesus teaches and the first stewardship principle is this. Be faithful in that which is least and you will be trusted with that which is much. Be faithful in that which is least and you will be trusted with that which is much. Now keep your place there in Luke 16, that's obviously our text for tonight. But go with me real quickly to the book of 1 Samuel in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel chapter 17. If you find the one and two books in the Old Testament, they're all clustered together, 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 1 Samuel 17. And I'd like to just kind of highlight this principle for you from a well-known story, Luke chapter, 1 Samuel 17, excuse me. Be faithful in that which is least and Jesus says, you will be faithful also in much. If you're unjust in that which is least, you'll be unjust also in much. And again, I want you to notice as we look at these stewardship principles from the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll notice that they are counterintuitive to what human nature says. Because what does human nature say? What does the average person think? Here's what the average person thinks. They go to their first job or some sort of beginner job, some entry level position and they don't work very hard. And you ask them, why don't you work very hard? If they would admit it, sometimes they do, if they would admit it and oftentimes they don't, but if they would admit it, they would say, well, you know, I don't get paid very well, it's not that important, it's not that big of a job. And here's what people think. They think, when I get paid more, I will work harder or when I get a higher position, I will be a better employee. That's what human nature says. Human nature says, if the job is not important but doesn't pay well, then treat it as such. And when you get a more important job, when you get a higher paying job, when you get more responsibility, then you will treat it with more responsibility. But Jesus looks at that and says, no, that's not how it works. He says, when you are faithful in that which is least, then you will be trusted in that which is much. And when you are unjust with that which is least, then you're also going to be unjust with that which is much. This is a stewardship principle and a principle of life. And I want you to notice this in the story of David. David, whenever I think of this principle, I read this, I always think of David and I always think of this story. 1 Samuel 17, if you look at verse 15, 1 Samuel 17, the Bible says, But David went and returned from Saul. I want you to notice what the Bible says here, to feed his father's sheep. Here we have David as a young man and he's already been identified as having some talents and abilities. He's already actually working for Saul. But he has returned from working from Saul and he's back at home. And he's been given a responsibility to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem, is what the Bible says here in 1 Samuel 17, 15. I want you to notice that David was given what we would call a that which is least responsibility. Feeding your father's sheep is not the greatest promotion. Feeding your father's sheep is not necessarily an impressive job. Feeding your father's sheep is something that David was given to do because it's something that you would have your youngest kid take care of for you. And David was given this that which is least responsibility of feeding his father's sheep. But I want you to notice, and by the way, David's a young man. He's probably a teenager here. And I want you to notice that though David was given this very little responsibility, he took it very seriously. David took seriously his responsibility to that which was least. Notice now, when you talk about David taking the sheep seriously, there are some passages we're going to look at here in a minute that people mostly think of. It's probably what you're thinking. You're thinking I'm going to go there. But in verse 17, some of you are smarter than that and you know where I'm going to go, but not all of you. Verse 17, And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren. Of course, just for context, the children of Israel are engaged in a battle with the Philistines, specifically with Goliath. The older, elder brothers of David have followed Saul into that battle. And now Jesse, David's father, has asked him to basically run an errand to go see how his brothers are doing, to give him some things, and then to ask how they are doing. Verse 19 says this, Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines. Look at verse 20, and David, because remember, Jesse asked David, I want you to go run this errand for me. I want you to go take these certain things to your brothers and I want you to see how they're doing. Verse 20, And David slept in till about half the day. Is that what it says? And David rose up early in the morning. Why don't you notice that this was a young man with some character. He's a teenage boy. He's been given a task. He rose up early in the morning. And then notice what the Bible says, and here's what I want to highlight for you. And left the sheep with a keeper. Why don't you notice that this was a young man that had been given a responsibility of taking care of sheep. And when dad said, hey, go do something else, he didn't just forget about the sheep. And just ran off and, you know, what's going on with the sheep? I don't know. No, he left the sheep. He took the time to find someone to watch the sheep for him while he was gone. He left the sheep with a keeper and took and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the trench as the host was going forth to fight and shouted for the battle. So I want you to notice that even before we get to the fighting of the lion and the bear, we see that David took seriously this responsibility. Very small responsibility. Something you'd give to a young teenage boy to watch the sheep. But he took it seriously. In fact, when he had something else to do, he made sure to leave the sheep with a keeper because he was taking care of his very least responsibility. I want you to notice that David's responsibility was not only a least responsibility, but it was a responsibility that was even minimized by others. Notice in verse 28, remember David gets to the camp with his brothers and in verse 28 the Bible says this, And Eliab, his eldest brother, heard when he spake unto the man, and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? Now I want you to notice what Eliab says to David as an insult. Eliab, the eldest brother, says this to David, the youngest brother, as an insult. He says, Why camest thou down hither? And with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? Here, Eliab is assuming that David has not taken care of his own responsibilities. He said, I bet you left those few sheep just by themselves. He doesn't realize that David has actually taken the responsibility very seriously. He's left the sheep with a keeper. But here we have Eliab, he's minimizing, he's mocking David. He says, you know, your responsibility is so small, even if you left those sheep by themselves, nobody would care with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness. I know thy pride with naughtiness of thine heart, for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. So I want you to notice that David had a very small responsibility. He took that responsibility very seriously, even while others mocked his responsibility and minimized it, and made statements like, With whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? And I want you to notice that David, that God used that time to help David and prepare David for greater battles. Look at verse 34, 1 Samuel 17, 34, And David said unto Saul, Thy servant. This is when David wants to go fight Goliath. Saul is trying to talk him out of it. And David says, No, I can do this. Notice what he says. And David said to Saul, Thy servant kept thy father's sheep. Now that's not usually what you would say, put on your resume as, you know, I want to be the hero of the battle. I want you to send me out and fight Goliath. You know, well, what have you accomplished? You know, who have you fought? Who have you killed? What battles have you been? He's like, Well, you know, I kept my father's sheep. And, you know, you would chuckle at that and laugh at that, but that was the responsibility that David was given, and David took that responsibility seriously. He says, He kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock, and I went after him and smote him and delivered it, delivered the sheep out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and smote him and slew him. Look at verse 36, Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he had defiled the armies of the living God. I want you to notice that God used this little responsibility that David had been given. He takes it very seriously. God used it to mold and to help this young man David. Now go to 2 Samuel, chapter number 7. 2 Samuel, chapter 7. You might be thinking to yourself, I thought we were preaching out of Luke. Now it seems like you're preaching out of 1 Samuel, but I want you to understand why I'm making a big deal. You say, Why are you making a big deal about these sheep? I understand he killed the lion and the bear. That's impressive. It was probably a mountain lion. I'm sure that's what we would all think, right? It was a smaller lion, like if that's not impressive. It was probably a small bear, like if that's not impressive. Look, you kill any bear with your bare hands. That's impressive. And David is taking this little job seriously. Now here's why I highlight that and here's what I want you to understand. When God, not David, remember David says, Why should we let you into battle? Well, I kept my father's sheep. Okay, that's David speaking. But when God tells us why it is, listen to me, especially young men, you ought to listen. When God explains to us why it is that he chose David to be the king of Israel, to be the ruler of his people, to go in before and to come after his people, to lead his people. When God tells us, when the Bible tells us why David was chosen, I want you to notice what the Bible says. 2 Samuel 7 and verse 8, Now therefore, so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts. This is God speaking. Notice what God says. He says, I took thee from the sheep coat. You say, what's a sheep coat? It's a sheep pen. It's where you keep sheep. God says, I took thee from the sheep coat, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel. See, God says, David, when you were out there with those little sheep, that little responsibility, that least of the jobs that you were given, and you took that job seriously. God says, I noticed that. I noticed that you took it seriously. I noticed that you are faithful. And what the Bible is teaching and what Jesus is teaching is this, that when you are faithful with that which is least, you will be trusted with that which is most. And God says, I took you from the sheep coat, from following the sheep, to be ruler over the people, over Israel. I wonder how many other teenage boys were watching their dad's sheep and messing around at the same time David was. Just sleeping in, not caring, not taking care of business. And God's looking down and he's looking for a man that he can use, a man that he can trust, a man that he knows will take his responsibility seriously. And we learn this principle from David and Jesus reiterates it there in Luke. He that which is faithful in the least will be trusted with that which is much. And maybe you've been wondering why you don't get the promotion. Maybe you've been wondering why you keep getting passed up. Maybe it's because you're not really doing that great of a job with that which is least. And in your mind you say, yeah, but it's not that important. If it was more important, I would take it more seriously. But I'm here to tell you that the way God sees it and the way most bosses see it, they see it this way. If you can't be trusted with the little things, why would I give you more? Why would I give you more responsibility? If you can't show up on time with the entry level position, you think I'm going to make you the boss? You can't show up to church when you're not the pastor. You think you'll show up to church on time when you are the pastor? You can't get involved in the things of God. Look, here's all the Bible is teaching is be faithful in that which is least. You say, it's just sheep. No one's even watching. No one's even paying attention. God was. God looked down at a young man named David and saw him take those sheep seriously. And he said, I'm going to choose that man to be the ruler over my people. Go back to Luke chapter 16. So we see number one tonight, first stewardship principle, be faithful in that which is least. You'll be trusted with that which is much. People say things, well, you know, I can't tithe right now because I don't make a lot of money. But once I make a lot more money, pastor, you're always tithed. No, you won't. No, you won't. You say, well, I can't. I can't tithe. I don't make a lot of money, you know, and I can't afford to tithe. Well, here's the interesting thing about a tithe. It's a percentage. So if you don't make a lot of money, you know, there's a lot of negatives in not making a lot of money. But here's the positive. When you don't make a lot of money, you don't have to tithe a lot. It's a percentage, and it's the same percentage for everybody. I want to make $100 a week. Well, you only got to tithe $10. But if you can't tithe $10 making $100 a week, you think God's going to give you a job where you make $1,000 a week? Well, then I'll be, no, no, no, be faithful in that which is least, and then you'll be trusted with that which is much. That's the first stewardship principle. Notice the second stewardship principle in verse 9. Luke 16 and verse 9. He says, And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. Remember, verse 9 is actually the last verse of the parable of the unjust steward. Remember, the unjust steward, he made himself friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. The word mammon is a reference to material wealth. That's what the word mammon means, material wealth. Anything you can buy with money, including money, is what the Bible refers to as mammon. He says, I say unto you, make of yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. Notice verse 11. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, by the way, unrighteous mammon is that which is least, who will commit to your trust the true riches? I want you to notice that the Bible and Jesus here differentiate between unrighteous mammon and true riches. Jesus says there is a difference between unrighteous mammon and true riches. In fact, here is stewardship principle number 2. For those of you taking notes tonight, stewardship principle number 2 is this. Understand the difference between unrighteous mammon and true riches. He says, look, if therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? The fact that he's differentiating these two is he's telling us there is a difference between unrighteous mammon and true riches. There's a difference between material wealth and true riches. You say, well, what in the world could that be? Well, go back to Luke chapter 12. In Luke 12, we have a lot of teaching on stewardship and finances as well, which is why we're referencing it. Understand the difference between unrighteous mammon and true riches. Luke 12 verse 15. And he said unto them, take heed and beware of covetousness. What's covetousness? Covetousness is a lust for things. It's a lust for unrighteous mammon. It's a lust for material wealth. Jesus says, take heed, be careful, watch out, and beware of covetousness. Say, why? Why should I beware of the love of unrighteous mammon, of the love of covetousness? Here's why. For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. You say, what does that mean? Here's what it means. There is more to life than the things you have. There's more to life than the things you own. There are things that are more important in life than the things you possess. A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Now look down at verse 21, same chapter, Luke 12, 21. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God. These sayings are counterintuitive to human nature and especially, and especially, counterintuitive to American Christianity. But please understand something. That there's more to life than stuff. There are some things that are just more important than the things we own. And today, we put even the most spiritual of us, put such an emphasis on where we live and what we drive and what we wear and you literally just wear away your entire life just chasing after material wealth and mammon and this and that. And look, I'm all for working hard and I'm totally against laziness. The Bible is against laziness. But you need to make sure that you are not just chasing after stuff. You say, why? Because you'll be solely disappointed. Because of the fact that a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Because of the fact that you will get to the end of your life, you will get to the end of your life and you will not say, I wish I just had one more boat, just one more boat, just one more motorcycle, just one more this and one more. And look, if you have a boat, I'm not against you having a boat. I'm just saying there's more to life than the things you own. And you may want to consider, you say, well, if I worked more hours, I could own more things. True. Or you could spend more time with your kids. Or you could spend more time with your wife. Or you're so busy you don't have time, you're so busy you don't have time to read the Bible, maybe you're a little too busy. Well, I'm so busy with work. Well, maybe you're a little too busy with work. You can't read the Bible. You can't show up to church. You can't be a consistent soul. I'm just here to tell you, I realize this goes against everything that our American culture teaches. But I just want you to know that if you ask Jesus, he would say there's a major difference between unrighteous mammon and true riches. And Jesus would say, I would look at an individual with a big house and a big bank account and a big retirement account and nice vehicles and nice clothes, but his wife hates them and his children hate them. And I would look at another man with a not nice house and maybe broken down vehicles and thrift store clothes, but he's got to walk with God and he loves his wife and his children are serving God. And God would look down and say, that's the one with the true riches. Because a man's life consisted not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. Now also, let's be careful and I'll take this teaching to the other extreme where all the lazy guys are like, yeah honey, that's why I don't work. Okay, that's another problem. God wants you to work. God wants you to work hard and go to work and look, we as men, we need to strike this balance. Number, there are two major complaints that my wife and I when we do counseling get from wives regarding their husbands. Lots of complaints, but these are the two major complaints. One is, he works too much. The other complaint, he doesn't work enough. Generally speaking, those are the complaints and sometimes I wish I could just like, can we just kind of find the middle where you get a job but you don't get consumed by the job? Will you realize that unrighteous mammon is just a tool we use on this earth? It's all going to corrupt and decay, burn up. So we see the stewardship principle was number one, be faithful in that which is least and you will be trusted with that which is much. We see the second principle, and by the way, that principle, you find that all throughout the Bible. You see Joseph taking his slave job seriously. And then you see Joseph taking his prisoner inmate job seriously. After he's been lied about and thrown in prison falsely, and then God raises him to be the second most powerful man in Egypt. Why? Because when you are faithful in that which is least, you'll be trusted with that which is much. And then we see the second principle, that we must understand the difference between unrighteous mammon and true riches. And we must understand that we need unrighteous mammon in this world because they don't allow us to turn the lights on here in this building by paying with prayers. Obviously, it takes money to live in this world and we understand that. And we should understand that money is simply a tool that we can use to do what God has actually called us to do. But we should not get wrapped up in it. Understand the difference. There's a difference between true riches and unrighteous mammon. Look at the third stewardship principle, verse 12. And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? Here's stewardship principle number three. Be faithful in that which is another man's and you will be trusted with that which is your own. These are principles of stewardship. He says, look, you take it seriously not only when it's little, but how about when it doesn't belong to you? Go to Exodus 24, if you would. Exodus 24 in the Old Testament. You have Genesis, Exodus, Exodus 24. And look, this applies to business, this applies to ministry, this applies to anything. Be faithful in that which is another man's and you'll be trusted with that which is your own. The Bible teaches that when we work hard and are diligent in things that do not belong to us, then God will allow us and entrust us with that which does belong to us. Let me just give you a couple of examples of this in the Bible. The first example is that of Joshua, Exodus 24. I talked about Joshua and Elisha recently in a sermon, but I want to use them again and highlight this. Exodus 24, 13, the Bible says that Moses rose up. This is Moses going to meet with God. Why don't you notice what the Bible says? And his minister, Joshua. And Moses went up into the mount of God. We know Joshua, usually when we think of Joshua, we think of Joshua as the great military leader that led the children of Israel into Canaan land, but that is not where Joshua began his work. Joshua began his work as Moses' assistant, his minister. Moses rose up and his minister, Joshua. Moses went up into the mount of God. Go to Exodus 33. Exodus 33, look at verse 11. Exodus 33 and verse 11. Exodus 33, 11, and the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend. This is God again speaking to Joshua. And he turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, notice the words there. His servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. It's interesting to me that this young man, the Bible tells us his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. Here we have Joshua just being near Moses. And look, why is it that Joshua was chosen of God to lead the children of Israel after the death of Moses into the Promised Land? Part of it is just the fact of Joshua's faithfulness. And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who will give you that which is your own? But I will tell you that there's very practical applications. It's not just a spiritual application. It's not just that God is looking down from heaven and watching David be faithful with sheep that are not his own. That is part of it. But there's also a practical application that in those lesser jobs, when you're under the authority of someone else, there's a lot of experience to be gained. We saw that with David. He killed the lion. He killed the bear. That gave him the confidence that the other men did not have. No one wanted to fight Goliath, but David had some experience. He had already trusted God killing the lion, killing the bear, and he knew that God could kill the giant as well. There was experience there. Here, Joshua. You don't think Joshua got some experience by just, The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as his man speaketh unto his friend. We usually think about Moses in a very unique way, that God spoke to him face to face, that they spoke as friends. And look, that's great. And that was unique for Moses. Nobody else got that. But let me tell you something. Nobody else is going to get that. The second best seat is to be there listening in. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend, and he turned again into the camp. But his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. Joshua was happy to just listen in. Joshua was happy just to be there. God was not there to speak to Joshua. God was there to speak to Moses. Joshua was just there to help Joshua, but he got some experience. He got to listen in. He got to know Moses and see Moses and see how Moses acted and how he thought and the things. And did Joshua make mistakes? Of course he made mistakes. And Moses, we find in the Bible, Moses was correcting Joshua at times. But that's why Joshua was chosen to be the next leader. Why? Because when you are faithful in that which is another man's, you will be trusted with that which is your own. Let me give you another example. Go to 1 Kings 19. 1 Kings 19. Let's make the applications at work. I can't wait one night till I run my own business. Will you run, you work, the guy you're working for, treat that seriously. What's on my business? Well, run it like it's your business. Treat it like it's your business. I want God to bless me. Okay, then you go to work. And by the way, this should not be hard because no matter who you're working for, even when you're working for yourself, as a Christian, the Bible says that we're ultimately working for the Lord. Not with eye service as men pleasers, but we're supposed to serve as unto the Lord. We do it for the Lord. Well, I'm not the boss. I'm not in charge. I'm not the business. I'm not making all the money. Okay, well, you know what? Be faithful in that which is another man's. And then you'll be trusted with that which is your own. 1 Kings 19. Are you there? Look at verse 21. Here's another example. Elisha. And he, Elisha, returned back from him and took a yoke of oxen and slew them and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen and gave unto the people and they did eat. Then he, again Elisha, arose and went after Elijah. That's the same idea as when Jesus says, come after me. He became the disciple of Elijah. Notice, and ministered unto him. That's the same thing that is said in Exodus 24, 13 about Joshua, Moses' minister. A minister is a servant. You say, well, what is it that Elisha was doing and Joshua were doing? They were getting coffee for their boss. They were just helping, assisting, whatever that was needed. And you say, ah, I minimize that. No, no. There's some experience there to be gained. 2 Kings 3. 2 Kings 3, verse 11. See, Elisha, the great prophet of the Old Testament, started off with very minimal tasks. I mean, let's look at it. 2 Kings 3, 11. But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the kings of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha, the son of Shaphat. Notice what Elisha was doing, which poured water on the hands of Elijah. Elijah needed to wash his hands. Elisha was the guy that went and got the water. That's what he did. But because that's what he did, he was also the man that was given the mantle when Elijah went to the Lord and took on the ministry and got a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. And I'm just here to tell you, the Bible teaches that to be faithful in that which is another man's, and you'll be trusted in that which is your own. I remember years ago, before we were in ministry, the church we were at, the pastor said to me, I remember the pastor saying to me and to my wife, If you can't serve here, you think you're going to start a church in Sacramento and get people? I remember he said to me, If you can't get people to come to this church with a nice building and a big crowd and all the ministries, how are you going to get somebody to show up to your living room? And he was right. Be faithful in that which is another man's, and by God's grace, we were faithful there. And the Bible says when you're faithful in that which is another man's, you'll be trusted with that which is your own. And you young guys that want to go into ministry, I always think it's funny, these young guys want to go into ministry, and then all they do is show up to church. I think to myself, is that what you're going to do when you're a pastor? I don't know if you know what a pastor does, but that's not what a pastor does. I'm just telling you, if I was a young man who wanted to go into ministry, you know what I'd be doing? Everything. You know what I'd be showing up? To everything. I'd get involved in every ministry. In fact, I'm not telling you hypothetically, that's what I did. That's what we got engrossed in the ministry of another man, and we learned and got experienced and grew. By God's grace, for the last 12 years, God has trusted us with that which is our own. But look, this isn't just ministry, it's not just business. You think some young lady, you think some 16, 17, 18-year-old girl is going to be lazy, laying around, doing nothing at home all day, and then get married and become just super housewife? No. You know what? The 18 and 19-year-old girl that is sleeping all day when she's not married is going to get married, and you young guys, sorry to tell you, she's going to be sleeping all day while you're at work. You say, why? Because when you're faithful in that which is another man's, you'll be trusted with that which is your own, and when you suck at that which is another man's, you'll suck when it's your own. It's just true. It's reality. It's just the way life works. But people think, oh, no, no, no, all you're serious about, no, you won't. Because you are developing the habits. You are developing the character. You are developing the work ethic right now that God is going to need. Look, if you can't kill the lion and the bear, he can't have you kill Goliath. And by the way, killing Goliath was a ticket that got David the kingdom. So we see number one, the first stewardship principle. Be faithful in that which is Lee's, and you'll be trusted in that which is much. We see the second stewardship principle. Understand the difference between unrighteous mammon and true riches. We see the third stewardship principle. Be faithful in that which is another man's, and you'll be trusted with that which is your own. Here's the fourth stewardship principle, verse 13, Luke 16, verse 13. I won't spend a lot of time on this one. We've covered this a lot. Luke 16, 13, no servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. He cannot serve God and mammon. It is impossible to serve God and material wealth. It's impossible to serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. This is a stewardship principle. The Bible says, you don't have to turn there, James 1-8, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Your focus cannot be divided. You've got to decide that you're going to live for God, and that God is what you're about, and that God is the goal, or you need to decide that you're going to live for money, and money is what it's about, and money is the goal, but you can't do both. No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot, you cannot, you cannot, even in America, you cannot serve God and mammon. That's what Jesus said. He said, I don't like that. Well, take it up with Jesus. Here's stewardship principle number five. It's in verse 14. And the Pharisees also, who were Americans, I mean covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him. The word deride means to scoff or mock. They were upset at him. They didn't like this. Why are you preaching like this? They're making fun of it. I think Luke 16, 15, if you've been checked out the whole sermon, just check in for just this one verse. I think this is the most interesting verse in this entire passage. And I think this is the verse that we would skip if we weren't going verse by verse. Luke 16, 15. And he said unto them, remember, the Pharisees who were covetous are deriding Jesus' teaching. They're saying, ah, this guy. And he said unto them, ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your heart. So notice he's saying, look, I know you're interested in looking good in front of men, but God knows your heart. Now notice what he says. This is interesting. Here's stewardship principle number five. For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. What does it mean to be highly esteemed? Highly esteemed is to think of very well. That which you think of really highly and well, this is what the Bible says. The things that we as human beings normally are impressed with, we think of very highly. We think, wow, that's amazing. That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. What does the word abomination mean? It means to cause disgust. It means to hate. Here's stewardship principle number five. The things that are highly esteemed among men are highly disparaged by God. Say, what do you mean? Here's what I mean. All those things that you are impressing your friends with, all those things you post on Facebook about, Instagram, all those cool things that everybody is impressed with, God isn't impressed. In fact, he's disgusted by it. God says, I'm not impressed with your bank account. I'm not impressed with how much money you make in a year. I'm not impressed with where you live or what you drive. He says, all those things. Remember, he's talking to men that were covetous. He says, all the things that you do to impress everyone. God says, I'm not impressed with that. But look at all the gold, the gold we have. And he's like, I paved the streets in heaven with that. The things that are highly esteemed among men are highly disparaged by God. They're an abomination in the sight of God. The things that make us go, wow, look what they're driving, wow, look what they're wearing, wow, look at that brand, or wow, they live in this neighborhood, look at that. Those things God says, I'm not impressed. And look, I'm just here to tell you something. This goes against everything that our human nature believes, and it requires us to kind of change our mindset and to realize the things that we chase after. God says, that is such a waste. And this is why the prophet said in Isaiah 55, you don't have to turn there. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. God just says, I'm not impressed with the things that impress you. The things that are highly esteemed by you, I'm not impressed. For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Then in verse 16, we have the sixth stewardship principle. The law of the prophets were until John. Since that time, the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. I want to just teach you something out of this verse real quickly before I give you the sixth principle, okay? I want you to notice that here, when he talks about the law and the prophets, he's talking about the Old Testament, or the time of the Old Testament, the time of the Old Covenant. He says, the law and the prophets were until John. John was the last prophet. And then he says, since that time. Since what time? Since John. Which would be what? Since the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, John is the one who said, behold, the Lamb of God will take away the sins of the world. John was the one that introduced Jesus publicly in his public ministry. So, Jesus says, the law and the prophets were until John. And he says, since that time. And what he's literally saying is, since Jesus showed up publicly in ministry. Since Jesus began to preach, he says, the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. Now, oftentimes people like to read a lot of things into this. And they like to focus on that every man presseth into it and talk about all the revivals and all those things. But I want you to notice that what Jesus is saying is that when Jesus began to preach. Since that time, the kingdom of God is preached. When somebody started preaching, then every man was pressing into it. See, Jesus went to a dark place, right? The nation of Israel, Judah, for 400 years had been dark, silent. Nothing was going on, really, for God. There was Christian people and believers, good people. But there wasn't much going on. But then Jesus shows up, and now sermons are being preached, people are getting saved. And it's not just Jesus. I mean, obviously, Jesus is amazing, he's a deity, he's God. But Jesus said that we could do the same works that he did, and he said that we could do more of it. He said that we could have his works more abundantly, not in quality, but in quantity. And look, I believe that this could apply to anybody. Since that time, the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. Jesus is saying, look, I showed up to an area where nothing was being done, I started preaching, and people started getting saved. And you know, I believe about Sacramento, not all of Sacramento, but specifically Natomas and Del Paso area. For years and years and years and years and years, nothing was going on here. And one day, Verity Baptist Church gets started, and since that time, the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it. Lots of people are getting saved, and if they're not getting saved, they're pressing into it in the sense that we're making them make a decision. We're bringing it to them and saying, hey, make a decision about Jesus, make a decision about Christ, and it's affecting areas. And I'm not equating myself to the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm saying, anybody, Pastor Steven Anderson goes to Tempe, Arizona, where nothing is getting done, 15 years ago or whenever that was, 18 years ago, and starts preaching and training soul winners, and people start getting saved. And I'm just telling you that when the kingdom is preached, people will press into it. It doesn't matter if it's Boise, it doesn't matter if it's Fresno, it doesn't matter if it's the Philippines, it doesn't matter if it's Vancouver, Washington, it doesn't matter if it's Sacramento, California. It doesn't matter where it is, whenever someone shows up. I like how the Bible says about Nehemiah, how there was a man who sought the welfare of the people. When someone shows up and begins to preach the word of God, God will work. Since that time, the kingdom of God has preached, and every man presses into it. When the kingdom is preached, people will press into it. And the reverse is true, when it's not, they won't. When churches aren't started, when sermons aren't preached, when soul winners aren't trained, when the kingdom of God is not preached, then people won't press into it. So here's stewardship principle number six. Since people will get saved when the work of God gets done, then the work of God must be the most important work in the world. The work of the kingdom is the most important work in the world. If we preach, and this is why Jesus is teaching, look, and Jesus, please understand, he's not against you having money. All throughout the Bible, God used people with lots of money. But what he wants us to realize is that we have been given an opportunity, we have been given a time, we have been given resources right now, and we can use those for the gospel's sake, or eternity's sake. So since the work of the kingdom is the most important work in the world, we should make it the utmost priority. Matthew 6, could you go there real quickly? Matthew 6, we're almost done. Matthew 6, 31. You go backwards, you have Luke, Mark, Matthew. Matthew 6, 31. I want you to notice that the context, I want you to look at verse 33, but I just want you to get the context in verses 31 and 32. Therefore take no thought saying what you shall eat. What is that? Stewardship, resources, right? That's your grocery money, your grocery budget. Take no thought saying what you shall eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed. These are all financial stewardship budget things that are being brought up here, right? For after all these things that the Gentiles seek, there's no new thing under the sun. Every human being has to worry about these things, what we shall eat, what we shall drink, wherewithal shall we be clothed. But your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. That's the context, verse 33. He says, but seek ye first the kingdom of God. What does that have to do with eating and drinking and being clothed? Here's what he's saying. Kingdom work is the most important work in this world. And I understand we have to eat, and I understand we have to drink, and I understand we have to be clothed, and I understand we have to pay bills. And I understand that God wants you to work and make money and all those things. But don't lose sight of the fact that we are to seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And then God says, here's a promise, and all these things shall be added unto you. God says, look, I'll take care of that. That's no big deal. Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. I'll take care of that. He said, I'll take care of your business, you take care of my business. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. So we see that the work of the kingdom is the most important work in the world. And I want you to notice, lastly tonight, go back to Luke chapter 16. Noticing these stewardship principles, what are they? Number one, be faithful in that which is least, and you'll be trusted with that which is much. Number two, understand the difference between unrighteous mammon and true riches. Number three, be faithful in that which is another man's, and you'll be trusted with that which is your own. Number four, you cannot serve two masters. Number five, the things that are highly esteemed among men are highly disparaged by God. Number six, the work of the kingdom is the most important work in the world. And then here's number seven. Now I want you to notice it because it kind of just seems odd, the way it's kind of brought in. Jesus says in verse 17, And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail. He emphasizes the law. And I believe that the reason that Jesus emphasized that is because he just got done, he just got done telling us in verse 16 that the law and the prophets were until John, referring to the fact that though we don't believe in dispensationalism, we don't believe in dispensational theology, if you want to break down human history into two different quote-unquote dispensations, here they are, the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. And Jesus acknowledges that and he says, the law and the prophets were until John, showing that there was an end to that Old Covenant, but then he says in verse 17, It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail. And here's what he's saying. Though the Old Covenant is done and I am creating a New Covenant, Jesus is bringing a New Testament. He says that doesn't mean that you can just throw away the Old Testament law. He says there's no value to the Old Testament. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail. And then in that context, Jesus brings up something that seems kind of random. And I'll explain to you why I believe he brings it up. Verse 18, he says, Whosoever putteth away, the term put away is the biblical way of saying divorce. The word divorce is used in our King James Bible one time, but generally speaking, when the term divorce is used, is this term put away or putteth away. Whosoever putteth away his wife and marrieth another, commiteth adultery. And whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, commiteth adultery. And here Jesus brings this up and it kind of seems a little random because of the fact that he's been talking about finances and work and working hard and being responsible. And then he just brings this divorce thing up. Now, a couple of things. I believe he brings it up because of the fact that we know that the Pharisees were just abusing this idea of divorce. They come to Jesus in another gospel and say, Is it lawful to put away your wife for any cause? Can we just divorce for any reason? And Jesus, of course, explains in Matthew chapter 4, he explains what Deuteronomy and what the Old Testament teach in regards to the one exception to divorce, which I'm here to tell you something. I'm not preaching on divorce tonight, but let me just say this. It applies to none of you. You say, Oh, I wonder if that one. No, it doesn't. I mean, it applies to very few people and simply, and I preach entire sermons on it, but it's if you find out that the person you're marrying committed fornication before you consummate the marriage and you've already legally contracted ceremonially, you're married but you've not consummated the marriage, then you could divorce for fornication only. And even that, he says, I'm only letting you do that for the hardness of your heart because you should just forgive and move on, is what he says. But let me just say this, and I'm not preaching on divorce. I preach entire sermons on that, but let me just say this. Before you start trying to figure out all these, because everybody was always trying to figure out how they can be the exception. You know, they want to go to Matthew 4, they want to go Deuteronomy, they want to go to 1 Corinthians chapter 7 and try to figure out, well, if the unbelieving depart and all these things, and everybody's trying to figure out how maybe they can get. Look, but before you go into all that, first of all, let me just say, none of that even applies to you. But before you even, you say, well, let me try. Let me get a little, you know, look at the Greek. You don't speak Greek. But before you even go there, I want you to just look at Luke 16, 18, and allow the weight of Jesus' teaching on divorce to settle into your heart. Whosoever putteth away his wife, whosoever divorces his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery. I don't like you saying that. I didn't say it. Jesus said it. That's what the Bible said. He said, well, Pastor Mike, you're offending me because I've been divorced. Look, we live in the United States of America. Half of you have been divorced. I mean, can we just say that? Can we just say that? Literally, like half of you have been divorced. So what does that mean? You're attacking us. Look, you're a sinner. The Bible preaches against sin. If I couldn't preach about every sin that anyone in this room has committed, I couldn't preach about anything. So you say, well, I've been divorced. Okay. Well, for all I've sinned, come show the glory of God. Confess your sins to God. Confess it, ask for forgiveness, and move on. Stay married to the one you're married to. We're not mad at you. I'm just telling you, this is what Jesus taught. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery, and whosoever marrieth her that is put away. So I didn't get divorced, but I married someone that was divorced. Whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, committeth adultery. I'm not mad at you if you've been divorced and remarried. We love you. But I'm not going to apologize for the teaching, the clear teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the weight of that settle in. You say, well, why? So I feel guilty? No, so you'll stay with the one you're with. And so you young people that have not been divorced will just decide, I'm going to stick with it. It's till death do us part. God gave me a command. I can love my wife, I can love her husband, and you can work it out. You say, but what does this have to do with stewardship? Why is this just kind of thrown in? Because we start with the parable of the unjust steward, and we end with the parable of the rich man in Lazarus. And in between we've got these stewardship principles, and they all kind of make sense. But then Jesus just kind of throws this thing in about divorce and remarriage, and it seems kind of random. But please understand this, it's not that random when you realize that stewardship has more to do, has more in sight than just money. We are managers of everything that God has given us. And here is stewardship principle number seven. The greatest way for you to personally be a good steward is to invest in your family. So Jesus says, Whosoever put it away, his wife, and married another committed adultery. You think God, I'm thinking, we're thinking about getting divorced. What do you think? Well, God says it's adultery. I think I'm just going to find somebody else. No, it's adultery. Whosoever made her that is put away from her husband committed adultery. Since your family is the most important factor in your stewardship life, you better work at it. You better be committed to it. You need to decide divorce is not an option. Look, you've heard me say it, and I'll say it, and I'll continue to say it. You couples like to fight, and you like to throw this word divorce around. Stop doing that. Stop it. It's stupid. If you're going to fight, fight. I'm not against you fighting. If you're going to fight, fight. Say whatever you've got to say. But don't threaten divorce. That's not an option. We made a vow to God. We made a commitment to God. It's till death do us part. And look, when you realize and you get to the place where you say, This is it. This is the choice we've made. Then you will work things out. But this is part of your stewardship. What I've learned over the last 12 years of ministry, what my wife and I have learned over the last 12 years of ministry, is that people, you know, they start having problems in their marriage, and they start having problems with their family. And instead of realizing, wow, the greatest way for me to impact eternity is through the stewardship of my family. The stewardship of my family is important. Instead of realizing my family is important, my marriage is important, my children are important, they act like it's not important. And here's what usually happens. People start having problems, and they want to go to everybody except the pastor. They want to go to everybody except the pastor's wife. They want to go to everybody except the people who can actually help them. And then people, you know, and it's like, and then they'll just wait till it gets out of control. And then once it's just out of control, and once, you know, it's like, you know, once they can't hide it, then it's like, here you go, pastor. And I'm just like, thanks, you know, you could have came to me like a year ago when it was like this, and we could have solved it. Oh, well, I'm too embarrassed. But when the cops get called, you're not embarrassed? But when the lawyers are suing each other, you're not embarrassed? But when the children are getting taken away, you're not embarrassed? Come on, realize that your family is important. Your marriage is important. Realize that God has given you a stewardship of your wife, a stewardship of your family, a stewardship of your children. Protect it. Put the work in required to make it work. Put the work in to love your wife. Put the work in to love your husband. Put the work in to be a good parent. And if you need help, get the help. Because the greatest way for you to personally be a good steward, you can't be a good steward for God. Your marriage is falling apart. You can't be a good steward for God. When your relationship with your children is deteriorating, it won't happen. So Jesus finishes this talk on stewardship with saying, Take your family seriously. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, commiteth adultery. And whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, commiteth adultery. So don't go there. Don't think of that. Work at it. Do what you got to do. Because the greatest investment you can make is in your family. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your Word. Thank you for these stewardship principles you teach us. Lord, I pray you'd help us. I pray you'd help us to realize that you have given us responsibilities, things to steward on your behalf, resources. And it's not just money. It's our family. It's our health. It's our time. It's our ability. And yes, it also is our treasure. I pray you'd help us to take those stewardships seriously. Help us to look at our marriage as a stewardship opportunity. Look at our children as a stewardship opportunity. Look at our job as a stewardship opportunity. Look at our area of service where we volunteer in church and realize it's a stewardship opportunity to show ourselves good stewards. We love you. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen. We're going to have Brother Moses come up and lead us in a final song. Just want to remind you just quickly, don't forget that in the foyer, we've got the clipboards for the desserts and for the cornbread for the harvest parties. So make sure if you've not yet gone by there and signed up for that, make sure you do that. And then don't forget, for those of you in the homeschool group, if you need to file a private school affidavit, you're going to run out of time. You've got to do that before the 15th. So make sure you do that. We just want to remind you so you don't forget. If there's anything we can do for you, please let us know. Brother Moses, come up and lead us in a final song. We send our song books to page number 138. Page number 138. We're going to be singing The Haven of Rest. Page 138. Let's sing it out on the first. My soul in said exile was out on life's eve, so burdened with sin and distress, until I heard a sweet voice saying, make me your choice, and I entered the haven of rest. I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest, I'll sail the wide seas no more. The tempest may sweep, or the wilds or me gee, in Jesus I'm safe evermore. Page 138 on the second. I yielded myself to his tender embrace and faith, taking all of the word. My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul. The haven of rest is my Lord. I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest, I'll sail the wide seas no more. The tempest may sweep, or the wilds or me gee, in Jesus I'm safe evermore. The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole, has been the old story so blest. Of Jesus who saved, whosoever will have, a home in the haven of rest. I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest, I'll sail the wide seas no more. The tempest may sweep, or the wilds or me gee, in Jesus I'm safe evermore. Page 138, let's sing it out on the last. O come to the Savior, he patiently waits, to save by his power divine. Come anchor your soul in the haven of rest, and save my beloved is mine. I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest, I'll sail the wide seas no more. The tempest may sweep, or the wilds or me gee, in Jesus I'm safe evermore. Amen. Amen. Amen.