1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,520 Oh, crossing family, it is so good to be with you and welcome 2 00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:08,400 those of you joining from one of our different locations, those 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:10,280 of you who are part of the crossing inside. 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,800 And I also want to do a special shout out to those of you who 5 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,640 are watching online, specifically those of you who 6 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:18,000 are watching online from England. 7 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:25,560 We didn't work on Thursday because we won the war, and I 8 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:29,440 just wanted you guys to know that you could have the real 9 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:31,440 red, white and blue flying over you, but you don't. 10 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,720 Anyhow, don't ever try it again. We're love ya, but you're 11 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:37,880 watching the service from the people who beat you in a war. 12 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,960 All right. That being said, I also want to 13 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,440 welcome those of you who are gathered for the first time or 14 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,800 the first time in a long time. We are so glad that you are here 15 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:52,920 and we are in week three of a sermon series called Map Makers, 16 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:59,120 charting a path to better stewardship, less stress, and 17 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,800 greater impact. Because how we handle our money 18 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,800 impacts our mental health, the health of our marriages, the 19 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,200 length of our marriages, and whether or not kids grow up in a 20 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:16,880 home with a mom and a dad. And the stakes are that high. 21 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:22,840 And yet many of us, the sad truth is we are not good at 22 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:27,920 handling our money. Most of us, we're not taught how 23 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,960 to handle our money at home or in school. 24 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:34,440 And so today, when people are asked how to describe their 25 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,600 present financial situation, this is how people describe 26 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:45,080 themselves. 48.6% of Americans consider themselves to be broke. 27 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:51,080 66.2% of Americans feel like they are living paycheck to 28 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,240 paycheck. This series was born out of a 29 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,280 broken heart that I have for you. 30 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,040 I really do love you. I think about you. 31 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,440 I think about your situations, your families, your marriages. 32 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,080 I think about your friends. I cry over your pain. 33 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:10,080 I rejoice over your successes. And while I don't know each of 34 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,480 you, I know many of you. And I've heard stories from so 35 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,200 many of you as our staff or our campus pastors or when I read 36 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,440 your emails. I want you to know we pray for 37 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:23,520 you and we desperately, desperately want what God wants 38 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,360 for you. There are two guiding statements 39 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:30,000 here at The Crossing. The 1st is that we want everyone 40 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:34,720 to have an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 41 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,640 You need to know this. This is why this church exists 42 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:45,000 is because we want everyone, no matter who they are, to find 43 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:50,000 what we have found in Jesus. And the good news is that no 44 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:55,280 matter how messed up you've been, you can be saved, rescued, 45 00:02:55,840 --> 00:03:00,800 redeemed, and made new through the love of God, the cross of 46 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,680 Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. 47 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,160 And what you will come to experience over time as you 48 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:12,440 begin to walk in this intimate, personal relationship with Jesus 49 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:21,160 Christ, is that God's way is the best way in every area of your 50 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:25,000 life. You name it, you cut me, I bleed 51 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:29,840 it, that God's way is the best way to handle it. 52 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,800 Now let me be clear, it is not the easiest way. 53 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:40,280 It is not the funnest way, but it is the best way. 54 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:45,600 In fact, living God's best in your life is so stinking hard 55 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,680 that you actually have to have the power of God, the Holy 56 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,240 Spirit at work in you to accomplish it. 57 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,240 And this is not just my story that God's way is the best way. 58 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,960 This is the story of those who have followed Jesus for a very 59 00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:03,760 long time. And one of the reasons why God's 60 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:10,680 way is the best way is because God blesses obedience. 61 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:16,640 God does not reward rebellion, but he blesses obedience. 62 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,600 And in this series, we've been looking at God's plan for our 63 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:22,800 finances. And you might be going, but 64 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,360 Clayton, you know, my life's kind of falling apart. 65 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:26,920 There's a whole bunch of this other stuff going on. 66 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,040 I need you to know, we want every single week for people to 67 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:31,960 hear. And that's why we proclaim the 68 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:33,960 good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 69 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:36,360 But in addition to that, there are areas of our lives that we 70 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,200 need to bring under the Lordship of Christ so that way we can 71 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:41,400 experience the blessings of Christ. 72 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,040 Because many of you, if you don't get this area of your life 73 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,680 right, you are going to pass on financial problems and hurdles 74 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,440 and, and shame to your future generations. 75 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,120 Or we can go, you know what, I'm going to turn things around. 76 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,800 I'm going to start following God in this area of my life so I can 77 00:04:56,840 --> 00:04:59,920 start experiencing the blessing of God in my life. 78 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,520 And as we're trying to figure out how to navigate our finances 79 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,920 in a spiritual way, the very first thing we're supposed to do 80 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,840 is recognize that all we have is God's. 81 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,560 Psalm 24. One, the earth is the Lord's, 82 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,720 and everything in it, the world and all who live in it, 83 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,520 everything belongs to God. The other day my kids got 84 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:28,800 frustrated because they said that I ate all of their Fruity 85 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:33,000 Pebbles. That is not true because they 86 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:39,080 have no Fruity Pebbles. I have Fruity Pebbles because I 87 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:43,600 have a job. They were eating my Fruity 88 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:48,640 Pebbles because I am a gracious and benevolent father. 89 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:54,440 Sometimes my kids will say to their brother, get out of my 90 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,880 room, which is interesting because they don't have a room, 91 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:04,480 because they don't have a house. I have a wife who has a house. 92 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:10,360 I just pay for it, OK? But even the Fruity pebbles in 93 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,760 my house and even the house do not belong to me. 94 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,440 They belong to the Lord. First thing is to recognize that 95 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:19,680 everything we have belongs to God. 96 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:22,880 The second thing we're supposed to do is we're supposed to bring 97 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,440 10%. We are to tithe. 98 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,880 Tithing is not your time. It's not your talents, it's not 99 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:30,560 your thoughts. I'm going to give 10% of my head 100 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:31,560 to God. It's not it. 101 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:37,040 Tithing is not two percent, 6%. It's 10% of your increase of 102 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,560 your income. So whether you make $100 a week, 103 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:44,400 $1000 of pay period, $10,000 a month, or $1,000,000 a year, we 104 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,120 are to bring 10% to the church for the advancement of the 105 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,920 Kingdom of God. Then the next thing we're 106 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,160 supposed to do. So first thing is we're supposed 107 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:55,160 to recognize that everything we have belongs to God. 108 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,880 Second thing is we're supposed to give 10% back to him. 109 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,880 The third thing we're supposed to do is we're supposed to live 110 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:07,280 below our means to spend less than we make. 111 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:11,560 Proverbs 2110 says or 2120 in the House of the you guys say 112 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:15,960 this word wise are stores of choice, food and oil. 113 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:25,320 But a man devours all he has. So wise person has choices all 114 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,720 over their house because they've lived below their means. 115 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:34,440 A foolish person consumes everything that they make. 116 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,360 Now here's what happens when we begin to live below our means. 117 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:42,680 We create this magical word called margin. 118 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:49,440 And the more margin you create, the better steward we become, 119 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:55,080 the less stressed we experience, and we are better positioned for 120 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:58,480 greater impact. How do we do this? 121 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:02,320 Well, we develop a financial plan, or the way you commonly 122 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:07,080 hear it is we create a budget. A budget positions you for 123 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:11,920 financial success. You see, money is active. 124 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,840 It is never stationary. It moves around, it gains value. 125 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:20,520 It loses value, it appears it disappears. 126 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,040 Therefore, you have to manage it. 127 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:27,240 You have to steward it. I'm going to take you through a 128 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,080 passage of Scripture and then I'm going to explain it because 129 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:30,960 at first it's going to sound a little weird, but just walk with 130 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:32,880 me for a second. Proverbs 27. 131 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,520 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks. 132 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:41,679 Give careful attention to your herds. 133 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,520 Why? Because the lambs will provide 134 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:48,240 you with clothing and the goats with the price of a field. 135 00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:53,080 You will have plenty of goat's milk to feed your family. 136 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:58,760 How you care for your herds will determine how well your herds 137 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:03,800 take care of you. How you handle your money will 138 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:07,240 determine how your money will take care of you. 139 00:09:07,680 --> 00:09:11,480 If you would for a second see the money that gets deposited in 140 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,880 your checking account after you work as these itty bitty cute 141 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:20,880 little sheep and these itty bitty little goats that you are 142 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,320 supposed to take care of and how you take care of those itty 143 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:28,600 bitty cute little sheeps. Sheeps, sheep and goats you 144 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:32,840 shouldn't have made. OK, why is sheep plural? 145 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,280 But OK, you guys get it. I didn't mean to say sheeps. 146 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,320 How you take care of your cute little sheep and your goats 147 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,960 determines how your sheep and goats will take care of you. 148 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:45,880 Because there's going to be a time where you're going to want 149 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:49,200 to have some milk. And if you took good care of 150 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,800 your little goats, you've got milk and there might be some 151 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,520 time when you want to buy some land and you'll go in there and 152 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:59,040 you'll be like, hey, come here little lambs, it's time for us 153 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:01,760 to go buy fields. And how you take care of them 154 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,360 will determine how later on they will take care of you. 155 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:10,120 So before I entered into 7th grade, I was, I've been in 156 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:12,560 private school from kindergarten through 6th grade. 157 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:14,560 And I was entering public school. 158 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:21,640 And before I went in, my dad sat me down at the kitchen table and 159 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:26,120 he said, Clayton, you're going to live on a budget and you need 160 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:30,280 to go and put together the list of all of your expenses for the 161 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:34,360 upcoming year, write them down on a legal pad and you go, you 162 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:36,560 need to include everything. You need to include food out. 163 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,920 You need to include school lunches, you need to include 164 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:43,040 shoes and basketball equipment, and you need to figure out 165 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:44,800 birthday parties. How many of those are you going 166 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:47,320 to go to and what kind of gift are you going to do and how are 167 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,120 you going to navigate school clothes and how are you going to 168 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:53,400 navigate Christmas? And so I went upstairs and I get 169 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:57,080 the legal pad out and I put all of it, and I came up with a 170 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:03,880 number and I came downstairs and I slid the legal pad 1300 171 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:11,000 dollars. And he gave it to me, opened up 172 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:18,880 a checking account, gave this guy when he was thirteen, $1300. 173 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:29,040 I rolled into 7th grade. Yeah, ladies, I got a checkbook. 174 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:35,520 I can buy things. The problem is I had 175 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:40,040 miscalculated. We are not sure what I had 176 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:44,640 miscalculated. Either I needed more money than 177 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:48,680 I realized or I was spending more than I was supposed to. 178 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,800 And next thing I know I am doing a really good job when I get in 179 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,840 a car of finding like the quarters and the spare change 180 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:59,600 starting to swing by the dryer to see if there's any coins in 181 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,880 there because I had misjudged what was needed. 182 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:11,520 The good news is I learned that in 7th grade with the safety net 183 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:19,880 of my home versus learning those things after you're married, 184 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,240 already have a bunch of kids, already have a house and cars 185 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:26,840 that you're. I learned it early. 186 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,400 When you start looking through your budget, you will find 187 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:33,080 things that you don't need any more. 188 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,120 You will find areas that are getting way out of hand. 189 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,160 You see, we don't just get hit by our big purchases like our 190 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,360 houses and our cars. We also get hit by our small 191 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:48,840 purchases that happen over and over and over again. 192 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:52,800 When Jennifer and I got married, we can bind our accounts. 193 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:54,760 Why? Because we're one flesh. 194 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,440 If you don't trust this person with your money, you should not 195 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:00,680 trust them with your heart, right? 196 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:02,720 So we're one flesh. We're in this together. 197 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:06,120 And so there are not her bills and my bills. 198 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:11,200 There's just my bills, OK? And there's not her money and my 199 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,000 money. There's just her money. 200 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,400 And so when things arrive at our house, if it arrives in the 201 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,040 mailbox, it belongs to me. And if it arrives in a cardboard 202 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:23,360 box with a big smile on it and it shows up on the step of the 203 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:27,160 house, it belongs to her. See, we're in this together. 204 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:33,000 I pay for it, she enjoys it, and we are in mutual stewardship and 205 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,800 mutual submission to one another because both of us are going to 206 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,560 stand before God and be answerable to how we've operated 207 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:41,400 with what He has given us. And for many of you, you'll 208 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:43,000 probably notice this inside of your marriage. 209 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:48,800 One of you is predisposed towards saving, and one of you 210 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,680 is predisposed towards, what's the right word, fun. 211 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:59,960 And if you let one rule, you'll have plenty of money, but you'll 212 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:02,840 live in constant stress and anxiety because it'll never be 213 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:05,160 enough and you won't have any fun. 214 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,160 And if you let this person win all the time, you'll have tons 215 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:13,880 of fun for like 3 days, and then you'll spend the rest of your 216 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,320 life paying for it. So you work together to make 217 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,000 sure that your family gets to experience both the good 218 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,880 principles of stewardship and get to enjoy the fruit of your 219 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:24,680 labor. And Jennifer and I, we would sit 220 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,920 down and we would come up with a plan and we could see a future 221 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:29,840 reality. Like we could look into the 222 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:32,040 distance where we're like, hey, we're going to finally be on the 223 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,080 other side of this financial hump. 224 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:35,720 And eventually we'll be in this place. 225 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,000 And eventually we're going to get a little bit further ahead. 226 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,960 And then sometimes you're going through your budget and you're 227 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:41,760 like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. How did this happen? 228 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:43,600 Like all the sheep are getting out of the pen. 229 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:45,240 You've had that happen before, right? 230 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,400 You know what I mean? We're like, you've got your 231 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:52,200 little sheep in the pen and you've got your you've got your 232 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:56,240 food out sheep. And you're like, you know what, 233 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,400 let's not, let's just go out, let's grab a bite to eat. 234 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,360 Let's just go out, babe. Let's just take the kids. 235 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:03,200 And that's not a big deal. But for me and Jennifer and two 236 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:07,160 Sasquatches, like a McDonald's trip is like 40 bucks, right? 237 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,640 And that's not a big problem once. 238 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,240 But if all of a sudden you kind of get, you know, kind of crazy 239 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:19,160 and you food out like three times in one week and then four 240 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,160 times you do that four times over the course of a month. 241 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,760 Now all of a sudden your food out sheep took your car payment 242 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:31,360 sheep and they ran off together. Like, why get get back in here 243 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:33,920 And you you're over here. You've got your, you know, you 244 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,600 got your house payment sheep. And then, you know, your Amazon 245 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,880 sheep was supposed to be this itty bitty Amazon cheap. 246 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:45,760 But the little the little Amazon sheep ate all the oats got real 247 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:47,680 big. And when he ran out, he took the 248 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:51,400 house payment sheep with them. Yay, get back over here. 249 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,960 And if you don't watch where stuff's going, all of a sudden 250 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,520 when you go for the things you want, like the savings or the 251 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:02,840 generosity, and what God actually says is the very first 252 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,920 sheep in the pen belongs to him. The 1st 10% goes to him, and 253 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,760 then you're supposed to be a good steward of the rest. 254 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:15,440 And sometimes our savings sheep, our generosity sheep, our margin 255 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,040 sheep, makes friends with one of our other things and it goes out 256 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:23,000 the drive through window or it's in all the things that we've 257 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,760 subscribed to that we don't even pay attention to anymore. 258 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:27,680 You've probably seen this happen before. 259 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,080 When you put on a budget, you start taking careful or you 260 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,280 start paying attention and tending your financial flock. 261 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,000 Jennifer and I have used envelopes, we've used apps, 262 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:42,240 we've used Excel spreadsheets. And over time, what happens is 263 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:46,680 you build a rhythm of stewardship and you learn to say 264 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:51,800 no in the present for a better yes in the future. 265 00:16:52,280 --> 00:17:01,520 There are things that future you wants to do, but the only way 266 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:06,079 future you will get to do the things that future you wants to 267 00:17:06,079 --> 00:17:13,240 do is if present day you puts them in a position to do so. 268 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:19,200 So give a gift to yourself and start putting yourself on a 269 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,800 track record so future you can do what future you wants to do. 270 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:29,080 Proverbs 25 verse 28 says this like a city whose walls are 271 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:34,560 broken through is a person who lacks self-control. 272 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:42,360 Present you will rob future you unless present you learns 273 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:49,080 self-control, the ability to say no, the ability to say later, 274 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,120 the ability to say I don't need this. 275 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:57,080 So, for instance, I really want a pair of golf shoes. 276 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,080 I know exactly what I want. I can't wait to have them. 277 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,400 It's going to be fantastic. I can afford to buy the shoes, 278 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:07,320 OK, but I'm not allowing myself to buy the shoes until I break 279 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:11,640 100 golfing. I am intentionally forcing 280 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,000 myself to delay the gratification. 281 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:18,200 I'm making myself earn it in another way. 282 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:22,360 And when you start developing a rhythm of restraint, you put 283 00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:26,000 yourself on a track record to greater freedom and flexibility. 284 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,160 I remember, like, here are some of my financial targets. 285 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:30,520 Some of you guys might be able to relate. 286 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:35,920 I remember when I didn't have to worry about how much money I had 287 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,800 in the account when I was filling up my car with gas. 288 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:43,640 Like, I remember when I could fill it all the way up. 289 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,240 Yeah. You're dating girls. 290 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:48,920 Yeah, I'm just going to fill the whole thing up. 291 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:50,840 Sometimes I'll put premium in it. 292 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,080 Boo. I'm not even worried. 293 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:54,800 Oh, yeah. It's 23 gallons. 294 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,280 I can handle it. Oh, yeah, I've got margin. 295 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:02,040 Then I remember getting to a spot where I had enough money 296 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,200 set aside where I could go anywhere in the country if 297 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:08,480 somebody needed me. If any of my friends were 298 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,840 anywhere in the country, I knew I finally had enough margin that 299 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,960 I could be there because my heart would want to go. 300 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,720 But my, they don't scan hearts at the airport. 301 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:20,240 I'm. I'm here. 302 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:21,640 Yeah. I have a good heart. 303 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:23,240 Can you? Yeah. 304 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:25,640 We don't take good hearts here. We take credit cards. 305 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,520 So you have to put yourself in a position to be able to go and be 306 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,040 where you want to be able to be. I remember when I finally got to 307 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,040 a spot where I didn't have to worry about my house payment, 308 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:37,920 where I didn't have to worry about where we were at in the 309 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:40,360 month and what things were coming out when that I finally 310 00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:44,040 had built up enough margin. Now the crazy thing is you're 311 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:45,080 going, yeah, this is going to be great. 312 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:46,880 I must start doing it. But I want you to know, when you 313 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:49,360 start living on a budget or living with a plan in mind, 314 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,160 nothing changes radically overnight. 315 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:56,440 It is something that is built up over time. 316 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:03,680 July bodies are built in January, February and March. 317 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,800 And we get in financial shape the same way we get into 318 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:13,440 physical shape. We watch our intake and our 319 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,720 output. Recently I met a guy who started 320 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:18,920 coming to our church. He moved in from out of town. 321 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:24,960 We kind of became friends and he's a chef and he is a Dang it. 322 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:28,440 I did this the previous service. He is a meal prepper. 323 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:30,960 I always want to say a food prepper, but then I start 324 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,960 thinking the people who build the dungeons in their in their 325 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:35,960 backyard in case there's an apocalypse. 326 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:38,440 And if you are one of those people, God bless you, but you 327 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:42,800 think that's going to work. He's a he's a meal prepper and 328 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:44,840 so on. I asked him. 329 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:46,080 I said, hey, would you be willing to help me? 330 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:49,480 I'm trying to get a little bit more dialed in and how he goes. 331 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:53,000 Yeah. And I said, so he brings over on 332 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Sundays 10 crates, not crates. That's your problem, stupid. 333 00:20:58,160 --> 00:20:59,400 Yeah. You're eating crates of food, 334 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:01,360 fatty. He brings over. 335 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:03,560 It's not a container. That's what it is. 336 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,640 He brings over a container and it's purpose built with the 337 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,800 Saint with the right amount of calories and protein grams that 338 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:13,840 I'm supposed to have if I want to hit my track record. 339 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:16,520 Like if you want to try and lose a a pound a week, this is the 340 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:18,440 food you eat. And he comes all over all ten of 341 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,120 them and we just shove them in the fridge. 342 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:21,600 You know what I'm putting in my fridge? 343 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:26,880 I'm putting in a budget and if I stick to the budget, I'll lose 344 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:33,240 weight. Now that works as long as I 345 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:37,080 don't eat the Fruity Pebbles or late at night. 346 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:41,440 Go do we want to go to TCBY and thank God for cows and chickens 347 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,080 and just dairy in general? Yeah, let's do that. 348 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:50,280 But if I, if I stay out of there and I stay on budget, I start to 349 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:54,680 experience success. Proverbs 1311 says this 350 00:21:55,360 --> 00:22:00,240 dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little 351 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,160 by little makes it grow. Some of you are gone, man. 352 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:07,360 When I make, when I win the lottery and I have like $100 353 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:11,080 million, I'm going to do all kinds of the right stuff. 354 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,920 And I just want you to know, statistics show that if you have 355 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:17,880 not been faithful with little, you will not be faithful with 356 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:19,800 much. You'll be broke again. 357 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:21,600 In fact, I'm just on this out there. 358 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,320 If you want to feel like you win the lottery, take the money that 359 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:30,480 you would be spending on the lottery, open up an account and 360 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:34,720 start buying like stock with it. And then I'm just throwing this 361 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:38,040 out there, in like 30 years, go back to that account and you'll 362 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:42,720 feel like you actually won the lottery and you'll be able to 363 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,520 manage the money that's in there. 364 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:50,080 But when you gather money little bit at a time, over time it 365 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:52,920 makes it grow. While the changes are not 366 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:57,400 massive at first, over time you will build margin. 367 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:02,440 Margin is savings, and when it's gathered, little by little it 368 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:06,160 grows. The sad truth is today very few 369 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:11,880 Americans have margin. Very few Americans have savings. 370 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:16,560 Bank rate says that one in four people have no emergency 371 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,040 savings. More than one in three Americans 372 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:22,640 have more credit card debt than emergency savings. 373 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:29,520 Go Banking did a study and they found out that 57% of Americans 374 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:36,000 don't have enough money to cover a $500 unexpected expense. 375 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:42,120 They don't have any margin. I once met with a guy who was 376 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:48,880 making over $300,000 a year and his whole family had super sweet 377 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,600 vehicles. They went on incredibly epic 378 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,560 vacations. They had it all and he was 379 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:58,880 confiding in me that he was stressed out because his 380 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:02,600 basement had flooded and he didn't have the $5000 in the 381 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:08,080 bank to take care of his his his deductible on his insurance when 382 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:12,280 his basement flooded. There's a guy who was making 383 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:17,120 over 10 times what I made and had less in savings than I did 384 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:25,040 because he had no margin. And when you don't have margin, 385 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:29,160 you don't have freedom and you don't have flexibility. 386 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:32,880 Almost all financial experts agree that you should have at 387 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:36,560 least $1000 in an emergency fund when you're starting out. 388 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,200 Then you should get your on your budget and stay diligent in it 389 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,240 and get out of all consumer debt as fast as you can. 390 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,160 Then focus on like your car loans and your student loans. 391 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:49,920 And then you should start building a larger cushion in 392 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:52,880 your savings. You may have heard the story of 393 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:56,360 Joseph who was sold into slavery by his his brothers, the coat of 394 00:24:56,360 --> 00:24:58,920 many colors, all that stuff. There's an interesting story 395 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:02,880 about Joseph. He's in a prison in Egypt and he 396 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,920 was been told that he interprets dreams. 397 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:09,960 And so Pharaoh has him come in and interpret a dream. 398 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:14,640 And as Joseph stands before Pharaoh, he begins to interpret 399 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:16,120 the dream. Here's the dream. 400 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:27,120 There were seven beautiful fat cows, followed by 7 ugly skinny 401 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:28,800 cows. This is my favorite part of the 402 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:33,240 Bible because the fat and happy ones are the good years, and the 403 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:39,240 skinny cows are just so ugly and hideous. 404 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:48,960 And then there was 7 fat heads of grain and then seven skinny. 405 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:54,120 And the seven fat cows and the seven fat were years of 406 00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:58,320 abundance and prosperity. That's what I am. 407 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,120 I'm a picture of abundance and prosperity. 408 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:11,240 And then there were seven skinny cows, 7 skinny heads of grain, 409 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:16,400 and they represented 7 years of famine and destruction. 410 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:20,120 And so here's what Joseph told him to do. 411 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:27,800 And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put 412 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:29,400 him in charge of the land of Egypt. 413 00:26:30,120 --> 00:26:33,640 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to 414 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:39,080 take a fifth of the harvest, 20% of Egypt during the seven years 415 00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:42,480 of abundance. They should collect all the food 416 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,040 of these good years that are coming and store up the grain 417 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:48,480 under the authority of Pharaoh to be kept in the cities for 418 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:50,920 food. This food should be held in 419 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:55,160 reserve for the country to be used during the seven years of 420 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,840 famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may 421 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:04,360 not be ruined by the famine. Joseph rose to power because he 422 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:08,840 had this solution in the years of abundance. 423 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,800 Live on less than you make, put 20% into savings. 424 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:16,760 So that way when the years of famine come, you have a nest 425 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:19,120 egg, you have margin to navigate it. 426 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:22,840 Very few of us are going to have to navigate a national crisis at 427 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,520 on the financial or food side of things, but we are going to have 428 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:29,160 to navigate financial storms. You're going to have a 429 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,160 refrigerator go out, a car breakdown, an HVAC unit quit 430 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:33,640 working, a roof that needs fixed. 431 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,360 And having a plan to build margin helps us navigate the 432 00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:41,200 storms because if you don't have margin when the storm hits, 433 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:44,400 you're going to get wet. But if you plan in advance for 434 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,280 the storm when it comes, it doesn't affect you. 435 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:52,160 I was invited one time not too long ago up way up north to go 436 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,040 on a fishing trip. And I'm not a big fishing guy, 437 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:56,680 but I was like, OK, I'll go. And they go, hey, make sure you 438 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:58,080 bring some rain gear and stuff like that. 439 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,320 And I was like, I'm a man. I don't need rain gear. 440 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,200 I can get wet. You know what I mean? 441 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:06,040 I like, I always write it out. I was like, how bad can it be? 442 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:08,560 Well, it was incredibly bad. I'll be honest with you. 443 00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:14,040 We, we, we got out there and it started raining and I had 444 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,720 nothing that would make me not wet. 445 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,840 And we're the first half hour in and I am like, I don't want to 446 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,440 be alive anymore. Like my teeth were chattering so 447 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:25,880 bad I was cussing in Morse code. It was just. 448 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:31,840 And the good news is we only had 8 1/2 more hours before we got 449 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:34,120 back. It was horrible. 450 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:37,800 As soon as we hit dry land I immediately drove to the nearest 451 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,840 place that sold rain gear and I bought it all. 452 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,720 I bought the pants, I bought the shoes, I bought the the the 453 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:46,200 jacket that goes over the top of it. 454 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:50,240 I bought the big hat that basically says I don't ever want 455 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:52,960 a woman to look at me and lust ever again. 456 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:55,760 You know, like I, I haven't even showed Jennifer the hat because 457 00:28:55,760 --> 00:29:00,000 I, I want her to keep loving me. But I put it all on the next day 458 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:07,480 to go fishing and it rained and I didn't care because I wasn't 459 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:13,880 getting wet because I was pre prepared for the storm. 460 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:18,320 And when storms hit, it is too late to prepare. 461 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:21,760 So you have to prepare in advance, which gives you the 462 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:25,600 margin, which helps you navigate the storms that will come. 463 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:29,320 Rick Warren says this. Most people fail to realize that 464 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:32,360 money is both a test and a trust from God. 465 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:37,680 God uses finances to teach us to trust him. 466 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:45,320 And for many people, money is the greatest test of all. 467 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:53,040 God watches how we use our money to test how trustworthy we are. 468 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:57,920 He goes on to say if you are trustworthy about worldly 469 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:01,920 wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 470 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:07,600 Citing Luke chapter 1611 and 12, God says that there is a direct 471 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:14,200 relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my 472 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:18,520 spiritual life. How I manage money, which is 473 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:22,480 worldly wealth, determines how much God can trust me with 474 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,080 spiritual blessings, true riches. 475 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:34,800 Life is a test and a trust, and the more God gives you, the more 476 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:38,600 responsible He expects you to be. 477 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:42,320 End Quote. Now I want to be clear, we are 478 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,960 talking about money as a church because it is a place where 479 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,360 Satan is taking ground in many of our lives. 480 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,360 We're talking about money because how we handle it or 481 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:54,040 mishandle it impacts our mental health, our marital health, and 482 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,480 our spiritual health. But I don't want you to think 483 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,080 for a second that as you put these principles in practice and 484 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:02,000 your financial position begins to strengthen, that you should 485 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,840 ever put your trust in riches. Because how we use our money, 486 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:09,800 spend our money, and save our money is just simply part of how 487 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,840 we love God and join Him in His mission. 488 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:19,080 And I just want you to be in a position to say yes to whatever 489 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:23,440 He calls you to do. We don't want to have financial 490 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,280 anchors that are keeping us from being able to lean into the 491 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:28,680 areas that God is calling us to lean into. 492 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:31,600 Our trust is never supposed to be in our bank account. 493 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:35,520 Our trust is always supposed to be solely placed on Jesus. 494 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:38,160 He's our hope. He's our firm foundation. 495 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,160 He's our guiding light. He's our true North star. 496 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:43,480 He's our refuge. He's our strength. 497 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:47,720 He can be trusted in absolutely every single area of our lives 498 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:52,440 and every area where we trust him, we can readily and easily 499 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,840 see the fruit, but we want to be the kind of people that can use 500 00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:01,040 our money to bless him and bless others. 501 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,720 So the way I kind of set up my finances is I have a bunch of 502 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:09,080 different accounts and one of my accounts is my car account. 503 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,160 It's actually called my car savings account. 504 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:15,560 And I pre limit what I'm allowed to spend on vehicles. 505 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:20,800 So my cars, gas, maintenance, tires, everything that goes 506 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:22,200 that's a car thing happens there. 507 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:26,200 Because when you need a car, when your car breaks down is not 508 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:29,560 the time to start saving to get your car fixed, right. 509 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:32,680 It's a little late for that. So you pre save. 510 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:35,120 So that way when problems come, they're not a problem. 511 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:38,880 And well, one, one of our vehicles needed new tires. 512 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:41,080 And so I called up a guy and I said, Hey, I need to get new 513 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,160 tires on the vehicle because my tires are balding like they're 514 00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:46,720 turning 40. And we got to, we got to, we got 515 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:48,560 to fix it. And he's like, not a problem. 516 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:50,440 He goes, here's the tires I would get and like, that sounds 517 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:53,040 perfect. You know, So he gets the tires, 518 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:54,520 puts them on my vehicle and it's great. 519 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:56,680 So I call him up to go, all right, how much do I owe you? 520 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,480 And he said, it's already taken care of. 521 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:02,640 And I said, that was not the deal. 522 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:05,880 And he said it was the deal. And I said, I didn't agree to 523 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:07,080 the deal. And he said, well, that's the 524 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:08,360 deal. And I said, well, if I'd have 525 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:09,960 known that there's the deal, I wouldn't have done the deal. 526 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:11,360 And he says, well, the deal's already done. 527 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:16,880 And so now I have a pile of money in my car savings account 528 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:20,080 that was supposed to go to tires that didn't get to go to tires. 529 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:24,720 It's sitting there. And that same week, I get a text 530 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:28,600 message from a guy who is in contact with pastors in India. 531 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:32,960 And there's a pastor in India who had his church burned down 532 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:36,120 by extremists. And so he lost his church. 533 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:39,160 And So what he was going to start doing is he was going to 534 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:43,280 start walking four days into the jungle to tell people about 535 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,280 Jesus in distant villages. And I was like, I've never 536 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:49,560 walked four days. That seems like a long way. 537 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,320 And I would think if he had to walk less, he could talk about 538 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:55,920 Jesus more. And so I just asked this 539 00:33:55,920 --> 00:34:00,840 question, how much for this guy to have a really nice motorcycle 540 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:02,800 to be able to go travel through the jungle? 541 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:09,000 And he came back with a number and I looked at the number that 542 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:12,840 I had leftover that I had pre budgeted for my tires. 543 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:15,840 And then I looked in another account, which I'm going to talk 544 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:17,960 about next week, which is my generosity account. 545 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:21,000 So you've have you ever been there where like you wanted to 546 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:25,719 do something for somebody and you're like, and yet you've been 547 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:27,520 doing that for a really long time. 548 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:32,040 The way you get around the oh man, I wish I could is you pre 549 00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:35,280 plan to be generous. And so I put money in a 550 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:37,600 generosity account. So here's what I was able to do. 551 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,040 I was going to take money that a guy blessed me with out of my 552 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:43,719 car savings account by not having to pay for tires and 553 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:45,440 money from my generosity account. 554 00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:48,600 And I was able to buy the guy a motorcycle in India. 555 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:50,480 And then I told the guy that gave me the tires. 556 00:34:50,639 --> 00:34:54,719 I said, you own the front of the the first tire of the motorcycle 557 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:57,120 and I own the back part. You're the direction, I'm the 558 00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:58,800 power. So here's why this mattered to 559 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:01,960 me is because when he's sleeping, I'm awake and I'm 560 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:05,560 telling people about Jesus. And when I'm sleeping, he's 561 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:07,640 awake and he's telling people about Jesus. 562 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,400 And there's going to be people in heaven that I'm going to meet 563 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,960 that are going to know Jesus. Because I had margin in my life 564 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,720 to be able to say yes to buying a motorbike for a passer that 565 00:35:16,720 --> 00:35:19,120 I've never met in a part of the country I could never pick out 566 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,240 on a map. And all that happens because I 567 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:26,560 just had margin. You know this to be true deep 568 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:28,840 down inside. We want to use our money for 569 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:32,160 more than just lowering our stress levels, more than just to 570 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,280 be greater stewards. We want to do it because we want 571 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:38,720 to have greater impact because we know that deep down inside, 572 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:43,800 every person needs to know about Jesus and we want to put 573 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,320 ourselves in a position to do something about it. 574 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:49,000 We're moving to a time, a decision. 575 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,480 If you're listening to me right now, I want to level with you. 576 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:59,240 If you don't have a relationship with Jesus, just if you tune to 577 00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:02,200 everything out in that sermon, I just want you to hear this. 578 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,000 There is a biblical principle that you know. 579 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:11,520 Here it is. You reap what you sow. 580 00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:19,040 If you want to have a bunch of corn grow in your field, you 581 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:23,840 don't plant strawberry seeds. That would make you stupid. 582 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:31,920 If you want to grow a bunch of soybeans, you have to put in 583 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:35,760 beans. When you plant the field, you 584 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:40,840 reap what you sow universal principle. 585 00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:46,160 If you don't have friends, it's 'cause you're not a nice person, 586 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:52,760 you reap what you sow universal principle. 587 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:58,080 It's in the Bible, and we know this instinctively to be true. 588 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:05,920 And there are some of you who are desperate for a spiritual 589 00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:13,440 harvest, but you cannot experience a spiritual harvest 590 00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:17,480 unless you have sown spiritual seed. 591 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:25,680 Some of you, you want hope, you want forgiveness, you want 592 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:31,760 redemption, you want peace. But you cannot experience a 593 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:37,400 spiritual harvest unless you have spiritual seed. 594 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:42,240 But the good news is you can have spiritual seed. 595 00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:46,120 How do you get it? When you start an intimate, 596 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:51,840 personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can't try harder to 597 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:56,360 have peace. You can't work harder to get 598 00:37:56,360 --> 00:37:59,400 forgiveness. This is a spiritual harvest that 599 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:01,400 only comes through a spiritual act. 600 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,960 And the spiritual seed that you sow is you turn your life over 601 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:07,600 to Jesus. And then the Holy Spirit comes 602 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:12,720 in and he doesn't improve you. He doesn't change you. 603 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:19,840 He comes in to make you new. Some of you are going. 604 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:22,840 I would love to have Jesus come into my life and repaint the 605 00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:25,640 walls. He doesn't repaint walls. 606 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:29,000 I'd like him to come in and rearrange furniture. 607 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:35,000 He doesn't rearrange furniture. He comes in and he makes you 608 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:39,440 new. Jesus comes in and he kicks down 609 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,560 some walls and said we're expanding this. 610 00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:46,160 He comes into other areas of the house and he tears down walls 611 00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:48,640 and he goes, we're shrinking this. 612 00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:53,760 He starts building and moving and placing and making new 613 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:57,200 because this new house is not for you. 614 00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:06,280 The new house is for him to dwell inside of you. 615 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:14,000 He's the one who makes you new, and He's the one who gives you 616 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:17,840 the spiritual seed to have the spiritual harvest. 617 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:21,880 You want peace, you get it from Him. 618 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:27,000 You want to have the ability to forgive, you get it from Him. 619 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:32,880 You want mercy and grace in your life, you get it from Him. 620 00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:35,560 There is no way to have those on your own. 621 00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:39,800 You get it in Him. And if you are here today and 622 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:43,600 you've never started an intimate personal relationship with Jesus 623 00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:49,280 Christ, hear me, you need a spiritual harvest and you can 624 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:53,200 have it in him and you might be gone. 625 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:57,160 But Clayton, I couldn't get it because I'm too messed up. 626 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,000 You're right, you are too messed up. 627 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:07,160 But God, who is rich in mercy, sent his Son Jesus to die on the 628 00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:11,240 cross to purchase and advance the thing that you simply take 629 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:14,240 hold of by faith. And if you're here today and 630 00:40:14,240 --> 00:40:17,800 you're going, I want it. The good news of the gospel is 631 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:21,160 you can have it and in just a few moments there are going to 632 00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:24,160 be people who are going to stand around you and sing and worship 633 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:26,040 and some are going to come to the steps and pray. 634 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:32,560 And I want to encourage you to take a faith filled walk from 635 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:36,360 wherever you are sitting right over there underneath that 636 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:40,880 screen next to the baptistry and say I have questions about how 637 00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:45,600 to start this intimate personal relationship your church loves. 638 00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:50,200 And we would love to tell you to the rest of you in the room, to 639 00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:52,840 those of you who don't have or who already have a relationship 640 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:54,640 with Jesus, I just want to level with you. 641 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:58,240 What is this step that you know God wants you to take? 642 00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:02,680 More than likely it's the exact same step that Satan has been 643 00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:07,920 trying to keep you from taking. It's the same step that fear has 644 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:13,840 been preventing you from taking. Tough question, are you using 645 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:18,800 what God has given you to build your Kingdom or His Kingdom? 646 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:22,680 When it comes to your finances? Is this an area where you are 647 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:27,280 trusting God? When you hear me talk about 648 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:30,680 people starting and finding an intimate personal relationship 649 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:35,160 with Jesus Christ, are you a person who cheers about it or 650 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:38,720 you're a person who wants to support it happening? 651 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:43,920 Would you stand with me? God, I'm relying on you because 652 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:47,920 you know this exact situation of every single person within the 653 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:52,000 sound of my voice. And God, I'm asking that you 654 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,320 would help each and every single one of us have the courage to 655 00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:58,760 take the step that we desperately need to take to 656 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:04,680 experience exactly what we need to experience to live the life 657 00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:07,600 that we were destined and called to live. 658 00:42:09,480 --> 00:42:11,960 And God, I know there's fear and there's challenges and there's 659 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:16,080 worry and there's stress. But God, we want to trust you. 660 00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:19,800 So give us the strength we need to do so. 661 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:21,520 And you name our pray. Amen.