That's one of my favorite trailers that we've ever done.

My favorite part is if I had a box of ho-hos and I ran out, I'd throw the box down too.

Okay, Matthew chapter 25.

I want you to turn in your Bibles.

We're going to spend a lot of time there.

Matthew 25, verse 14.

Let me remind you, we're disciples now, right?

And this is God's revelation to us, and our feelings have to be guided and directed by what we're about to learn in the Word of God.

And as we get into this, I just want to remind you that there's a lot of excitement around this place right now.

Something special is happening everywhere.

It's in our high school group, in our junior hires, in our young adults, it's in our campuses.

I mean, this is a great time to be part.

of what God is doing.

And I wonder sometimes, I wonder sometimes if, you know, we've been praying for this kind of thing for a long, long time.

And I just wonder how much of it has to do with rather than us asking God or waiting on God, that God's been waiting on us and that God's been waiting on us maybe to get serious about spirit and truth, the word of God and the spirit of God.

And maybe when a church gets, I don't know, I don't have a formula here and I'm not trying to find one.

I just look back over the course of my ministry here, and I wonder why all of a sudden is everything falling into place.

I mean, a lot of things I've been praying for for 15 years.

So why now?

And, you know, it has very little to do with us, really.

It's all God's timing, God's purpose.

But, man, now that we're here, don't we want to stay on course?

So we don't want to go back the other way.

I can't do that anymore.

I just can't.

So let's keep going.

We're in a series now that's a short series, but it's called Ready or Not.

And it's called Ready or Not because it deals with last words.

More specifically, the last stories Jesus told before He marches to the cross.

So, this is all based on Matthew 25.

Scholars believe in Matthew 25, these are the last parables or stories Jesus tells before He puts His head down, now He's going to the cross.

It's almost like He says, By the way, before I go and die on the cross, just one more time, I've got to tell you something.

And I've always been a fan of last words.

Because when people say their last words, they're meaningful, aren't they?

It's what they're really thinking about at that time.

I've got some famous ones here for you.

St.

Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Rome.

He was one of the seven deacons of Rome in 258, very famous.

But he also lived during a time of Christian persecution.

He was burned alive at the stake, and his last words were, Turn me over, I'm done on this side.

He later became known as the patron saint of cooks and comedians.

Had a sense of humor.

A priest once asked Voltaire if he wanted to denounce Satan and all his works.

And Voltaire responded just before he died, now is not the time to be making new enemies.

James French, you've heard me say this one before because it's hilarious, was on death row.

That's not that funny.

But he was a murderer on death row.

And right before they electrocuted him, he said, hey fellas, how about this for a headline in tomorrow's paper?

French fries.

Last words.

How many of you remember, if you're my age, you have to be a little older, Buddy Ritz.

Buddy Ritz was the renowned jazz musician.

Widely considered to be one of the best drummers of his time, he was asked by his nurse on the way into surgery, is there anything you can't take?

And he said, yes, country music.

And I love that.

That's one of my favorites.

And then, of course, there's John Sedgwick, who was the general in the Union Army.

He was shot in mid-sentence.

and died almost instantly when he said they couldn't hit an elephant at this disc that was in.

So think about death just for a moment.

Death is like summer and 109 degrees weather, right?

It's like Santa Ana winds.

It's like a tax audit.

It's like old age.

It's like trouble.

It's like a Raiders loss.

You don't know exactly when it's coming.

You just know it's coming for sure.

Have I picked on the Raiders too much?

Is it time to stop that now?

No?

No?

Okay, I'm going to think about that.

I'll turn my attention elsewhere.

But that's not the only thing, folks, that is certain.

Come on now, what else is certain?

I'll tell you what's certain is Jesus is coming.

That is certain.

He knows He's coming.

We know He's coming.

We may not know when He's coming.

So after Jesus gives the signs of the end of the times in Matthew 24, He gives in Matthew 25 His last seminar.

And it's important because He tells three parables.

And each parable is supposed to remind you of something that's very important before He goes to the cross.

Now what we're going to deal with, we're not going to go in order.

We're going to deal with the parable that starts in verse 14.

It's a parable, listen.

that you have heard many, many times, especially if you went through the rooted celebration and graduation.

However, remember what we've said before, familiarity breeds contempt.

And we've said the Word of God is like a precious diamond that reflects colors and beauty based on the direction and the angles of the light.

So too, the Word of God is alive and active.

And depending on what season of life you're in, or what season of life the church is in, you're gonna glean...

something different from the same passage every time.

So here's what we read.

Remembering that we're in the middle of revival and that we're having impact in this valley like we've never had before.

Here is what Jesus says.

Here's one of his last teachings.

He says again, it, it is the kingdom of God.

Now we'll be like a man going on a journey who called to his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, to another one bag, each according to his ability.

Then he went on his journey.

The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.

So also the one with two bags of gold gained two more.

But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money.

Now, okay, I love preaching on this passage when we're not in a giving series.

and when we're not trying to raise money.

And that's not what we're doing.

We can just look at it as it is.

This is one of those cause and effect passages.

I've used that term a lot this week.

A cause and effect passage is this.

So, we know that we are saved by grace through faith, right?

I mean, it's the beauty of the gospel.

So what Jesus does is He often teaches something that is meant to remind us that if you do this thing He's saying, It will not save you.

But if you are saved, you will do this thing.

You with me?

This does not earn you salvation, but someone whose heart has been transformed, there's a cause and effect.

Now, to what degree, that's not certain.

We just know that one of the areas that significantly changes when you encounter Christ is you look differently at all the resources He sends your way.

So when Jesus returns, He's going to ask us, What did you do?

Now, please don't just isolate this on money.

This is more about all the gifts and talents God has given you, okay?

All the resources you've been given by God.

Does it include money?

Of course.

But don't get stuck on that.

Bring it all together.

And according to the parable, Jesus says that one of the first orders of business when He returns is to Determine what you have done with the resources He's given you.

Does it determine your salvation?

No.

Does it reflect your salvation?

Yes.

And the reason is, Jesus says, whatever it is that captures your heart will capture your resources.

Wherever your treasure is, thou wilt your heart be also.

The example that I like to use, men, is when we were dating the woman that we will marry, we didn't think...

two thoughts about dropping resources to whatever it took to get this woman to marry us.

I mean, I grew up in a poor family, no doubt.

I look back now and I didn't know we were poor at the time, but now I know we were poor.

We had no extra income.

Our parents lived week to week.

I got no allowance.

The only allowance I got is you're allowed to live in the house.

That was it.

And my father said, if you want money, you go out and you work, you get a job and you do it.

My father didn't spend his life worried about how much he was going to leave us.

He left us nothing.

He didn't have anything to leave us.

And so I had to work if I wanted anything.

And yet when I started dating Robin, I didn't mind working more and more and buying her flowers and chocolates and whatever I could to show my affection.

I didn't spend this and think, oh, I didn't have any buyer's remorse whatsoever.

Because it's what guys do.

It's what we do.

That's what we love.

Even still today, I've told you this.

I love golf.

I do.

If I could go back in a time machine, Ricky Reed.

And I could go back to the time I picked up golf.

You know I wouldn't pick it up again.

It's cost me that much heartache.

But it's too late.

And I do enjoy it.

But I don't regret for a second going to Dick's Sporting Goods and buying a dozen Pro-V golf balls, which are the most expensive golf balls you can buy.

Because I think they're going to help me somehow beat this clown over here.

So, the reason is because whatever you love, you pursue.

Alright, so there are three words in the text.

Let's let the text do the talking.

Three words.

Number one is the word awareness.

Verse 14 says, Again, it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

Now, here's a little question and answer to make sure you're following.

In the parable, since it is about the kingdom of God, who is the master going on the journey?

God.

Who are His servants?

You and me.

To whom does the wealth belong?

God.

Are we owners or tenants?

Tenants.

So everything we have, talents, abilities, monies, resources, all of it ultimately is on loan from God to us, whatever it is.

And Jesus taught that when the Spirit of God gets poured into a person or individual, they move.

from realizing they're not an owner, they're actually a steward.

Before Christ gets hold of your life, you think you're the owner.

You think you're in charge.

You think you're in control.

But once you become a Christ follower, you realize that your life is totally dependent and contingent on the grace and the goodness and mercy of God.

One little verse in John 3, verse 27 says, A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.

Now, how many of you remember the old show, Dragnet?

Okay?

What's the famous line from Joe Friday?

Just the facts, man.

Here are the facts.

The logical assumption Jesus makes.

One, God created everything.

That includes your body and your ability to work.

It includes your temperament and your personality.

It includes your intellect, your ability to reason.

Everything that you have has been given to you by God.

And the reason you can't get angry with God, because you might say, well, you know what?

He gave, you know, he made Rick a better golfer than Jeff.

Or he gave Rick more resources than Jeff.

Well, you can't get mad at God because neither of us deserve anything.

It's not like up in heaven we did something good before we were born.

No, whatever God gives is a gift of grace.

So you can't complain that you don't have as much as somebody else because what do you deserve?

You deserve nothing.

You deserve punishment and judgment.

That's where grace comes in.

But we're given grace and mercy.

Now it is true that some are given more than others because of calling and capacity.

So if God's going to call you to do this, He's going to give you gifts that match that.

If you have a capacity for this, He's not going to give you above and beyond your capacity.

He's a wise investor.

So the Bible tells us that to whom much is given, much is required.

And we've learned that we in the West are the ones He's talking about.

We're the ones who've been given the much.

That's us.

I've got a friend that I often mention, Mike Masterson, who's been a friend of mine for a very long time, all the way back when I first got here.

And I've shared before that Mike is, he's smart, he's good looking.

I don't really like him in some ways.

He has entrepreneurial skills.

He started his own company, Isotech, and then sold it.

He used to write ideas for television programs.

He can sing.

He's good at golf.

I mean, how can one man have so many things given to him?

But here's the beauty of Mike.

Mike, if you know him and you really get to know him, lives for one primary purpose, and that is to expand the kingdom of God.

It's not his only purpose.

He loves his wife and his daughter and his son.

He loves working and accomplishing.

But his first and foremost goal is to use every resource available to him for one goal.

ultimate goal to expand Christ's kingdom.

He doesn't announce it.

If he sees this, he's going to give me a hard time.

He likes to remain anonymous.

He lives for an audience of one.

But he's such an example of how he uses his resources to me that it's compelling.

Because he believes that everything he has ultimately belongs to God.

Everything he has ultimately belongs to God.

And the one thing you're never going to hear him say ever, even though he's very successful, you're never going to hear him say, I am a self-made man.

Folks, all of us have prayed that God make us something that we want to be.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

So I prayed very early in my life.

When I realized there was a call of God on ministry, I prayed that God would make me an effective communicator of the gospel.

I prayed that every night before I went to sleep.

Now, I didn't know in order to make me an effective communicator of the gospel, I was going to have to suffer.

That I am giving the potter permission to shape and mold the clay.

And anybody who's been a pastor for any length of time knows, if you're going to be a pastor and you really want to be an effective communicator of the gospel, you're going to have to suffer.

You're going to have to go through difficult times.

You're going to have to go through what everybody else goes through so that you can speak the Word of Scripture into their lives.

Now, here's the thing.

Here's what I want to ask you.

Should I be thankful for all the difficult times in my life?

And the answer is yes, because all of those were training ground for the very thing I was asking God for.

So even if you want to be an actor or an actress in LA, in Hollywood, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, whatever it is you want to be, once you start praying that God would give you that, would gift that to you, a lot of that gifting is going to mean that you're going to have to struggle in order to build, mold, and shape you into the thing that you're wanting to become.

Which means God still gets the credit because He's the trainer.

He's the one that orchestrated all those events around your life that would bring your request.

to fruition.

Everything all of us are today, everything that you are, is a result of God's gifting, God's sifting, and God's blessing.

Whatever your ability, mechanic, plumber, carpenter, entrepreneur, preacher, musician, sportsman, food services, whatever it is you're involved in, it all has been given to you as a gift from God.

And Jesus wants you to see that it came from God.

You are not self-made.

You may have honed some of your skills.

But it all comes from the One who breathed life into you.

And the overarching truth is that everything you have has been entrusted to you for a purpose greater than yourself.

So, ready or not, Jesus is coming.

And when He comes, His question is going to be the first order of business, What did you do with the resources I gave you?

Okay, so back to the parable, verse 15.

To one He gave five talents, to another two talents, to another one talent.

If you're taking notes, circle the word talent.

It has a dual meaning.

Talent can mean money, gold, an economic insinuation, but it can also mean talent, skill, and ability.

Now, both are included.

It's true that our culture values some skills above others, and it rewards those skills to a greater degree than it values.

It is true, but the reality is God doesn't see it that way.

God sees all skills as equally valid, and He rewards them according to the attitude and the will of the person using them.

So in the 1920s, the average NFL salary, what do you think it was?

The average salary in the NFL in the 1920s was $1,200 per season or $100 per game.

Today, the average salary is $3.2 million per season.

And I'm not good at math, so I didn't average it out over games.

The point is, regardless of the skill or the reward, there is great power in awareness that it all belongs to God, and your talents and your money, your bags of gold, are for primarily not you, but for investment in something beyond yourself.

Okay, so let me ask you something.

What do these men have in common?

Derek Carr, C.J.

Stroud, Kirk Cousins.

Lamar Jackson.

Do you know what they have in common?

They all tithe their income.

That's right.

And their priority is the expansion of Christ's kingdom so much that each of them are involved in transforming their communities.

They say, wait a minute, what does C.J.

Trout do in Upland?

No, the community he transforms is Houston.

But if you read any article, and I've done a lot of research this week, these guys are heavily invested in what they're doing to make a difference in their community because they see everything, every gift they have, and every resource they have is ultimately God's.

So one, awareness.

It all comes from God.

Look again in verse 14.

It, the kingdom of God, will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

So let me ask you again, whose wealth is it?

And where did it come from?

You know, one of my favorite illustrations, Michael Jordan was a heavy gambler.

And Michael Jordan said, I like gambling on everything.

I like gambling on gambling.

I mean, he loved gambling.

And he said, it wasn't because I needed the money.

He says, I just like the idea of me having your money in my pocket.

Whose money is in your pocket?

Oh, yeah.

Now, the parable says that the master goes away.

So Jesus goes away, which He's done in the ascension.

And He's trusted His servants, entrusted His servants with bags of gold.

And when he returns, the first order of business is to determine what his servants have done with his assets.

Verse 19, after a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

That's called the day of accountability.

Verse 20, the man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five.

Master, he said, you entrusted me with five bags of gold.

See, I have gained five more.

I love the way this is written in the original language because there's no hint of pride or self-congratulation.

He just simply states a fact.

He says, I know that everything started with you, Master.

And everything I have started with what you gave me.

And so I've invested it and I've doubled it.

I've invested it wisely.

So what Jesus is impressed with, who is the king or the master, is the attitude of the servant.

Because he took what the master had entrusted to him and he expanded it.

Now what is the reward?

He says, you've been faithful with a few things.

I'll put you in charge of many things.

Now listen carefully.

Parables have a duality to them.

In parables, especially those related to the kingdom of God, they're not only describing for you what the kingdom of God will be like, but they're also describing for you what the kingdom is like now.

So, I am the farthest away from the prosperity gospel as you could get.

But there's no getting around this, that God is a wise investor.

And God basically says, you know, if I can trust you with resources, and I know that you're going to invest them in the kingdom of God, then I'm going to send more your way.

If I can't...

I'm not stupid.

I'm not a bad investor.

I know whose heart is right and whose heart is not.

Now, I don't know.

It's kind of like 1 Corinthians 14 and the gift of tongues.

I don't know everything or how it works itself out here.

I just know that there's a principle here that when somebody can be trusted with resources, God seems to be more willing than he ever is to funnel resources toward that person's way because he knows they're going to impact the kingdom of Christ.

So, he says, come and share your master's happiness.

Now, I'm going to get to that in a moment.

That's a key phrase.

Verse 22, the man with two bags of gold also came.

Master, he said, you entrusted me with two bags of gold.

See, I've gained two more.

His master replied, well done, good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful with a few things.

I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master's happiness.

So, the second servant did exactly what the first servant did.

He expanded the wealth of the king, doubled his two talents.

Which tells me we are not all given equal wealth, but we're expected to make equal sacrifices and investments with what God has given.

So the master's response to the second servant is the same as the first.

It's identical.

You've been entrusted with a little.

You're going to be entrusted with more.

And come and enter into your master's happiness.

Again, we'll get to that in a second.

But then, okay, then there's the third servant.

Verse 24, let's read it.

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came.

Master, he said, I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you've not sown and gathering where you've not scattered seed.

So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground.

See, here is what belongs to you.

His master replied, Oh boy, you wicked, lazy servant.

So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned, I would have received it back with interest.

So take the bag of gold from him, and give it to the one who has ten bags.

For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.

Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

And throw that worthless servant outside into the darkness, where they'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now, this is severe language, but it's important to understand how parables work.

It appears that Jesus now gives us the characteristics of a person.

who may look like a follower of Jesus, but they're not.

The identification or that person's identification with Jesus is superficial at best.

There's no genuine faith or regeneration that has taken place.

You say, how do you know that, Jeff?

Well, number one, he makes no attempt to use the gifts God has given him, no attempt at all for his master's profit.

There's no attempt to expand the master's kingdom.

There's no genuine effort to invest his time, talents, his monies into Christ's kingdom.

He simply lives his life for his own purposes.

He's living for himself without thinking at all about the fact that God gave him this gift or these gifts and the responsibility that he has to serve his master with it.

Two, and it took me, you know, actually, I've got to be honest with you.

I've studied this parable numerous times, but I saw something for the first time in my preparation this week.

He actually demonstrates his counterfeit allegiance by deprecating his master's character, accusing him of being a hard man.

Listen, he says, Master, he said, I knew that you're a hard man, harvesting where you've not sown and gathering where you've not scattered seed.

Folks, do you see this insult?

Basically what he's saying to this, you're just a bully.

You even reap where you've not even sown.

You go to places where you have no right of ownership and you take.

Wow!

And you're unmerciful.

You're not forgiving.

Now what does that tell you about the servant?

It tells you he does not know God.

He doesn't know who the master really is.

So instead of allowing the character of God to judge him, he's judging the character of God in light of his perverted perceptions.

He's blaming God for his lack of service.

Oh my goodness, how real is this?

Do you know how many times I've heard somebody say to me, well, if God would give me more, I'd give him more.

Well, God, if you were a bit more merciful and gracious, I'd be more willing to invest in your kingdom.

Well, God, if you'd help me get out of debt and pay for this big house, give me a better job, do more for me, then I might do more for you.

Wow.

This is a person who has no gratitude, entitled, and their whole focus is on themselves.

And what they ultimately value is not Christ and His kingdom.

What they ultimately value is them.

The real issue is self-aggrandizement and a lack of focus on the kingdom of God and the mismanagement and the gluttony that's in their lives that they don't see in any way that everything they have has been given to them, has originated from God.

Now, one commentator, at first I thought this was kind of harsh.

I'm going to read what he said about this passage because he's so well-respected.

He said, his erroneous estimation of his master's character was sufficient proof that his slave had no intimate or reliable knowledge of him.

That slave portrays the unregenerate church member who has no spiritual fruit in his life and no spiritual worship in his heart.

He is blind to the Lord's kindness, grace, compassion, mercy, honor, majesty, and glory because he's never surrendered himself to the Lord's sovereignty and grace.

Wow!

Everything the man believes contradicts who God really is.

And it even says that he was fearful, but it's not reverential fear and respect.

Listen now, this is going to be the hard part.

It's contempt.

It's resentment.

It's hatred.

In Luke 20, verses 9-12, the Bible says, He, meaning Jesus, went on to tell them this parable.

A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers, and went away for a long time.

At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.

But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed.

He sent still a third and they wounded him and threw him out.

So notice, every time a messenger comes to remind them that you're not the owner, you're the tenant, the violence gets more and more aggressive.

When I read that with the parable that we're dealing with, I am reminded that Paul said that the carnal mind is enmity toward God, and that word means hatred.

That deep down inside all of us, whether we're willing to admit it or not, is a hatred toward God.

And do you know why?

Because we know we're not in control or in charge.

And we want to be.

So when a pastor comes along and reminds us, we want to kill him.

That's why I have security with me on both sides.

Because when you hear a message like this, now let me take a deep breath.

and remind you without softening it too much that it loses its punch.

God is gracious, so kind, but He wants you to grow.

And this is the season that we're in.

It's time to tell the truth.

And the truth is that God has given us so much.

And when somebody comes along and reminds us, that we are not independent, but we are dependent, and our life is contingent on the blessings and the mercy of God, there's a part of us that just doesn't want to hear it, because if we hear it and believe it, there's responsibility.

An example I used this past week, have you ever been convicted, like your preacher preaches a sermon on forgiveness?

And you're convicted there's somebody you need to forgive.

Now you think about this.

Somebody you know, oh man, the Holy Spirit brought that person to your mind and you know you need to forgive.

You know it.

And you walk out Sunday after church with all intention to forgive.

And then you see them on Wednesday.

And the Spirit of God is still speaking to you.

And you don't say it out loud.

And you may not even be conscious of the reality that you're saying it.

But what you're saying to God is this.

What you're saying to the Holy Spirit is this.

Shut up.

There ain't no way I'm forgiving this dude.

What he did to me is to go away.

Go away.

You're angry because you don't want to feel the conviction.

And there's a real hatred.

I don't want to have to do this.

And that's how we are sometimes when somebody reminds us, everything you have belongs to God.

It's God's money in your pocket.

What are you doing with it?

And so what happens to the third servant?

who looks like a servant of God, but in reality resents the fact that he's required to serve the Master and to expand his kingdom.

Verse 28, So take the bag of gold from him, give it to one who has ten bags, for whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.

Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

Remember, there's a dualism here.

He's talking about the kingdom that is to come and the kingdom that is.

So I have to, I can't escape the reality that He's so gracious and so kind.

And the problem is, because He is so gracious and kind, those of us who are not living out our lives in the manner that we should, sometimes we mistake that for God's approval.

Well, since God's not getting me, He's obviously approving.

No, He's just incredibly merciful and gracious.

But a time comes when He says, you know what?

There's been no progress in this person's life, so I'm going to take these resources and transfer them over to somebody else who's going to use them for my purposes.

Some of you are going to say, hold on a second, Pastor Jeff.

There are plenty of people who hate the Master who've become quite wealthy.

Yes, and it will be taken away, right?

Those who invest in Christ's kingdom, their wealth will last forever, and they'll be given more.

But those who have invested only in their kingdom, one day it will all burn up in hay and stubble.

and they will go into a Christless eternity away from the goodness of God.

I read a story years ago.

There were several men in a locker room at a private club.

They were exercising, and suddenly there was a cell phone that went off, started ringing on the bench.

And a man comes over and picks up the cell phone, and the conversation ensues.

Hello?

On the other end, honey, it's me.

He says, sugar?

He says, are you at the club?

She says, are you at the club?

He says, yes.

She says, great, I'm at the mall two blocks from where you are, and I saw a beautiful mink coat.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

Can I buy it?

What's the price?

Only $1,500.

Well, okay, go ahead and get it if you like it that much.

But I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the 2025 models.

I saw one I really liked.

I spoke with the salesman.

He gave me a really good price, and since we need to exchange the BMW that we bought last year, what price did he quote you?

Only $160,000.

Okay, but for that price, I want it with all the options.

Great.

Now, before I hang up, something else, honey.

What is it?

It might seem like a lot, but I was reconciling your bank account, and, well, I stopped by to see the real estate agent this morning, and I saw the house we looked at last year.

It's on sale.

Remember?

The one with a pool, an English garden, an acre of park area, and beachfront property.

How much are they asking?

$1.5 million.

Obviously, it's not in California.

1.5 mil.

A magnificent price.

I see that we have that much in the bank to cover it.

Well, go ahead then, buy it, but just bid 1.2, okay?

Okay, sweetie, thanks.

I'll see you later.

Love you.

Bye.

I do too.

The man hangs up, closes the phone's flap.

It's an old story.

and raises his hand while holding the phone up and he says, does anybody know who this phone belongs to?

I like that story because it's very easy to give somebody else's money away.

But that's the point.

A true servant of God has an easy time giving money away because they know it doesn't belong to them anyway.

Now let's finish this.

So we've got awareness.

The second word is adventure, very quickly.

And we're told that the master says, come and enter into the master's joy and happiness.

Verse 16, the man who had received five bags of gold went at once, put his money to work, to work and gained five more bags.

So if you're taking notes, you can circle work.

It's a word that means toil or effort, obviously, but primarily it's connected with investment.

What are you investing your time, talents, and money into?

And Jesus knows that it's true that all of us spend a lot of our money on things we really don't like.

Speeding tickets.

Man, I hate speeding tickets.

Just forking out that cash for speeding.

Or a power bill.

I'm not a big fan of Southern California Edison.

Just drives me crazy when I have to write that check.

The IRS.

Gasoline.

Property taxes.

In fact, here's the...

just so we're...

just the facts.

Here's the latest breakdown of where people who live in Southern California spend their money.

Okay?

Southern California.

37% on housing, 17% on transportation, 15% on food, 12% on insurance, 8% on health care, 6% on entertainment, 3% on apparel, and 2% on education.

Now...

What's really interesting about that is 47% of the 15% on food is eating out.

We like to eat out.

That's between $500 and $1,000 per family per month.

The average.

Now what's really interesting is I learned something else about us Southern Californians.

We spend more money on coffee than any other state in the United States.

I'm not surprised.

$250 per month per household, $3,000 a year.

But that's nothing compared to what we Southern Californians spend on alcohol.

$42 billion a year.

$42 billion a year on alcohol.

Mercy, I'm glad I don't drink.

I couldn't afford it.

$3,000 to $5,000 a year.

And ultimately, the statistic I was really interested in, Southern California spend $1,500 to $2,000 per month on non-essentials.

Is that possible?

Now, that's the average.

But evidently, Southern Californians have a lot of dispensable income.

Now, contrast that with what if you spent your money instead.

Now, let me remind you.

I am not saying in any form or fashion that you should give all your money away.

You have a responsibility to take care of your family.

You have a responsibility to pay the rent.

You have a responsibility to buy food for your family.

What I'm saying is you have a lot more spendable income.

There's a lot more things that you spend your money on that you don't need.

That you don't need.

And that money goes to usually things that are luxurious.

Which again, luxury is not bad as long as you're giving.

and prioritizing your resources for the kingdom of God.

So imagine what you spend your money on.

Now think about spending it on children in the slums of Kenya who are now able to go to school, accelerate their learning in a computer lab, and who are given legitimate opportunities to break the cycle of poverty and poor health conditions and early death because of your investment, which is what one and all does.

Or the children in Zimbabwe that you're saving one village at a time.

As we dig these wells and attach solar panels to them in order they can grow their own food, that no matter when drought comes, they're not going to starve to death.

They're always going to have food.

And what about India and Ajay Law and the pastors in the northern regions that we help support so that their families can come while they're educated, they can have a bed and food before they give their lives for the cause of Christ in those difficult nations where their Christian persecution is intense.

Now, let me say something else to you.

I love doing overseas work, but our primary calling is right here at home, in this valley.

And I'm telling you that when we become serious disciples, that we would be able to embark on adventures like you wouldn't believe.

God is doing something special in our youth and our young adults.

Do you know this morning I spent a couple of hours with some people training future disciples?

Because we are going to disciple the next generation in this church.

We are a gospel movement.

And we're going to disciple them, and then we're going to train them and teach them in leadership.

Why would we do that?

Because we know that many of them are going to be sent out into this valley, and we're going to saturate this valley with the good news of the gospel.

And some of them are going to open coffee shops, and some of them are going to start sporting events for the less fortunate.

Some of them are going to open medical clinics.

There's so many ideas when you train leaders and disciples to go out into this valley so that we can literally change the place that we live.

And the more you and I say, you know what?

That's worth doing.

That is worth investment.

The more we say that, then the more you and I will leave a legacy in this valley.

And the time will come when people will say, man, am I glad one and all church was in this valley.

I'm glad they had campuses in Rancho and San Dimas and Westco.

Because of their presence, man, our lives were changed.

That's an investment that will go into eternity.

You know, I've had this crazy vision for a long time, and I don't think I've ever verbalized it.

But...

I'm going to get it out right here and right now because you're that crowd.

You know, Chick-fil-A sits vacant every Sunday.

Man, wouldn't it be great if we went to Chick-fil-A and said, look, you're vacant every Sunday.

We'd love to come in there and do Bible studies.

So the only thing having a Chick-fil-A on a Sunday.

Now I know what you're thinking.

Well, you got to go through the bureaucracy.

Well, hold on now.

You got to have a little faith here.

You got to have a little faith that God can open incredible doors.

Wouldn't it be great if in every Chick-fil-A in our valley, there's a Bible study instead.

So people come up to order food.

You go out the window, they order a meal, sorry, the only food available today is spiritual food, come on in.

Crazy ideas.

I can tell you, my friend Rick Reed and I are getting ready to make a little journey to Africa, and we're going to be working with pastors and leaders, and I want to tell you, when they see us, the gratitude is off the charts.

When we go to Mondaro and Gora, the villages where we put wells, and where you have put wells, where you have created solar panels, where you have made it possible for them to have gardens, when we get there, the little kids, man, they run up to us.

Man, they are so thankful.

But I'm just representing you.

It's because of your sacrifice and your generosity that there are seeds being sown into the kingdom that will last for eternity.

Now, here's what I want to ask you.

Don't you get a lot more joy out of that?

out of knowing that you're doing something that's going to last forever, then you do a $5 latte.

I'm not telling you to stop drinking $5 latte because I'm not going to.

When I do it, I'll ask you to.

But right now, but the question is, do you give equal about and above in what you spend on coffee to the kingdom of God?

That's the question.

Am I willing to drop into the kingdom of God what I drop in a dozen Pro-V golf balls?

That is the question and more.

And the answer in my life is yes.

And it ought to be that way in your life.

Okay, finally, awareness, adventure, and then finally apprehension.

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came.

Master, he said, I knew that you're a hard man, harvesting where you've not sown, gathering where you've not scattered seeds, so I was afraid.

The bottom line, I've asked this question all of my life.

So he's afraid, and he's afraid because he doesn't trust the king.

He doesn't trust the Master.

He's afraid that if he invests in the Master's kingdom, that he's not going to have what he wants, and that the Master won't take care of him.

Even though the Master's proven, he's always going to take care of him.

But the question I've asked my entire life is this.

Why do those who claim to be Christ followers refuse to use their resources for the kingdom of Christ?

And as a 60-year-old pastor now, I can tell you some of the possibilities.

Because I've heard them all.

Number one, they don't know God.

That's the simple answer.

They just don't know God.

They don't know the Master.

They don't know who God really is, so they're not motivated.

Number two, maybe they know God, but they've never had a Jesus revelation.

Their heart has never been captured by the gospel.

That simple.

When the Apostle Paul wanted Christ followers in the New Testament to invest in the kingdom of God, he was very successful.

How did he do it?

2 Corinthians 8 and 9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor.

so that you through his poverty might become rich.

So what has he done there?

He says, Jesus, the God-man, had infinite wealth.

Had he held on to it, we would have died in our spiritual poverty.

If he had stayed rich, we would have died poor.

But because he died poor, we have become rich.

Our sins have been forgiven and we've been admitted into the family of God.

So Paul was not giving the church a mere ethical precept, exhorting them to stop loving money and to be more generous.

Instead, he simply recapitulated the gospel.

He said, here's why you give, because Christ gave it all for you.

And when you realize what Christ gave up to make you His treasure, you'll make Him your treasure and you will separate yourself from your money.

Remember what he said, I hit it in the ground.

Basically what he's saying is, I put what's yours over here and what's mine over here.

But when you really belong to Christ, what is yours belongs to Him.

It's not separated.

It's all one and the same.

You don't know God, you've never had a Jesus revelation.

And three, this is the part that's new to me.

He said, you wicked, lazy servant.

You know, I really believe that there are a lot of well-meaning people who will hear this sermon who really know that it is right and really know that it is good and actually agree with it.

But they're lazy.

You'll just walk out and there'll be no action.

And you'll think feeling the conviction is the same as activity.

That's like saying that transparency is the same as repentance.

I may be transparent and tell you things I struggle with, but unless I repent, that's all it is.

A confession without action.

And I think for a lot of you, it's just a matter of you sitting down with a budget and looking at what you have with somebody who can do this and teach you, hey, you know, you actually can give to the cause of Christ.

If you'll just sit down and do a budget, you'll realize you've got more than you know.

And you can still have things to spend on yourself.

It's a matter of laziness, and you're lazy because you don't really care that much about expanding the kingdom of Christ.

Because if you did, you'd get it done.

And when the Master returns, this parable teaches us that one of the first items on the agenda is you're going to be asked, what did you do with the stuff I gave you?

And the excuses I've heard all of my life are things like, I had nothing left over.

Wait a minute.

What do you mean you had nothing left over?

It's all mine anyway.

That's why we call it the first fruits.

Give the first to me and then whatever's left over is yours.

I meant to, but I never got around it.

Laziness.

I didn't see the need.

Jesus' revelation.

Or you'll say what most of us should say.

Jesus, I constantly tried to reorder my life and my priorities so that I can invest in what truly mattered.

I wasn't always really good at it, but I spent my life trying desperately.

Your kingdom, Jesus, on this earth as it is in heaven.

And He'll say to us, well done, good and faithful servant.

You've been faithful with a few things.

I'll put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master's happiness.

Folks, I believe I've gotten in a bad habit with time.

It's going to take time to break it.

But can I tell you something?

This morning, Brother Michael preached the funeral of an incredible man, Dave Tellez, who worked as a first responder all of his life.

And I got to come in and just see the story of his life and his beautiful wife, Yolanda.

It was a beautiful, beautiful funeral.

But the thing that impressed me most, Michael, was when the color guard came in.

And they marched up.

And these two first, well, actually, we're talking about Marines at this point, I believe.

Sheriffs, were they?

Shows you how much I know.

Came to the front and they folded the flag.

You remember?

First, we saluted the flag in paying honor, and then they folded it very meticulously.

And then they walked over and presented the flag to Yolanda.

But what I noticed is they saluted every time, but they weren't saluting Yolanda.

Every time they saluted.

is almost they were thinking of David.

Thank you for your service, right?

Folks, that's what I want.

I so desperately long for Jesus to say to me when I meet Him, and I know I wasn't perfect and I know I needed a lot of forgiveness, but I so yearn to hear Him say, not salute, He's not going to salute me, but I yearn to hear Him say, well done, Jeff.

You were faithful.

You were faithful with a little.

Now I'm going to give you responsibility of much.

You shared in my happiness on earth.

Now come and share in my happiness in heaven.

Ready or not, He's coming.

Father, thank You for all of Your goodness and Your mercy.

And none of us are perfect in this, but I pray that Your Spirit and Your truth would fall on this place and we would be convicted.

We know that we no longer stand in condemnation because we live and stand in your presence by the grace of God, your grace.

But we also know that those whose hearts have been transformed and are being transformed grow in their knowledge and understanding that it's all yours.

You're the owner.

We're the tenants.

Help us, dear God, to invest the very best part of us in what will last.

The kingdom of God coming to the kingdom of earth.

In Christ's name, everybody said.

So glad you were here with us today to listen to the message.

If you have questions about what to do next, or maybe you really want to explore what it would be like to follow Jesus, we would love to come alongside you.

In fact, you can go to oneandall.church.com and we have a team that is especially prepared, ready to walk you through what that decision might look like.

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We hope this message blessed you and that you have a great week.

Let's go as we always do with one hope, one life in Christ.