1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:05,960 Welcome to the Liberty Baptist Sermon Archives. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,040 The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:13,040 Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:17,280 or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,760 us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,080 message from God's Word will be a blessing to you. 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,160 Proverbs Chapter 11. And if you were a guest this 8 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:29,960 evening, boy, what a time to pop in Stewardship Sunday. 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,680 How about that? To be able to come and visit us 10 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:34,320 this evening. You know, I'm thankful though, 11 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,160 that the principles of stewardship go far beyond money. 12 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:39,200 They go far beyond our local church. 13 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,280 And really, it's all about our lives, isn't it? 14 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,920 About making sure that we are who we're supposed to be in the 15 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:47,480 light of all that God has done for us. 16 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:51,040 And we started a message this morning from Proverbs chapter 17 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:54,040 #11 called How Much. Does. 18 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,080 How Much land, rather, does a Man Need? 19 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:01,400 And it's based on the title on a short story by the author Leo 20 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,920 Tolstoy titled How Much Land Does a Man Need? 21 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,080 And we said that the story was about a man named Payham, a 22 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:12,320 Russian peasant who heard a debate about town life versus 23 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:18,080 farm life and thought if I had plenty of land I shouldn't fear 24 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,680 the devil and pay. Hum eventually gained land and 25 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,800 he became greedy and quarreled with his neighbors and 26 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:29,360 eventually moving to ever larger plots but get growing 27 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,520 frustrated. But then he heard of a land rich 28 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,880 area called the Baskers or the people that lived there were the 29 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:42,560 Baskers and he sought a cheap deal for even more land and for 30 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,480 1000 rubles they offered. They offered him as much land as 31 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,360 he could circle in one day marking the perimeter with his 32 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,040 spade. The deal was if he returned by 33 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,880 sunset and picked up the cap that he left on the ground when 34 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,440 he first started then he would receive all of that land that he 35 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,480 had walked around in the day. However, if he wasn't back in 36 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,480 time to pick up his hat and put it on his head, then he would 37 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,160 lose his thousand rubles and would get nothing. 38 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,960 And so we asked the question this morning, how much land does 39 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,360 a man need? And while it may seem like that 40 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:19,880 has nothing to do with your life and my life, we looked at the 41 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:21,960 thought process from Proverbs Chapter 11. 42 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:26,080 That really the idea of how much does a person need has to deal 43 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:27,480 with all of our lives, doesn't it? 44 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,520 The thought process that every single one of us have to live 45 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,880 our lives with. This idea of how much is 46 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,320 appropriate for me to have and how much even more so is 47 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:41,000 appropriate for me to use. And really we saw that is 48 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,520 understanding that everything that we received came from God 49 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,400 and that everything that we have received belongs to him. 50 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,280 That whether it's our treasures, as we often think of with 51 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,880 stewardship, right, that it deals with our wallets, with our 52 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,080 pocketbooks, but it's our treasure, our time and our 53 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,200 talents, really our whole lives that they belong to him. 54 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,080 If you have something that you earned without God's help, you 55 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,520 can spend however you want. The problem is everything we 56 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:07,360 have has come from him, hasn't it? 57 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:09,920 And so we're to be the right types of stewards. 58 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:13,680 And so this morning we saw the paradox of stewardship that you 59 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,000 have to be able to give to receive. 60 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,160 We saw the principle of giving that the liberal soul shall be 61 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:21,960 made fat. One of my favorite verses in the 62 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:25,280 Bible that the liberal soul shall be made fat. 63 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,520 The public reaction to givers, that everybody loves a giver, 64 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,320 but people are not happy when someone is a hoarder. 65 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:33,760 And so we have the thought process that we love it when 66 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,160 people give, but yet we don't always have that same zeal to 67 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,880 give within our own lives. We like others to give not as 68 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,120 much ourselves. And then the procuring of favor 69 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:48,520 that we saw that when you do right, that when you invest 70 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:50,800 right, when you when you know what's right and when you know 71 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,840 what's wrong and invest in the right and avoid the wrong, that 72 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,840 God will protect you and God will help you and God will give 73 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,080 you what you need. And we even ended the message 74 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,960 this morning by looking at a man named Scotty Scheffler, who 75 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,320 probably the US Open or the British Open's about done right 76 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:06,400 now. I don't know whether he won or 77 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,520 not, but he's won $150 million. And just this last year in 78 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,520 playing golf, he just the last few days in playing golf, he 79 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,519 mentioned that I don't even know what the point of all of this 80 00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:19,079 is. I win, it's not a big deal, and 81 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:20,839 then I move on. But he says I can't stop. 82 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,040 I just keep going. And we saw that's a lot of how 83 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,880 life is, isn't it, That we have this thought process, we live 84 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,960 for life, that if we reckon things incorrectly, that all of 85 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,560 a sudden life doesn't have the meaning that it ought to have, 86 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,680 that truly the stewardship life is a life of meaning. 87 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:38,280 It's a life of grace. It's a life of joy. 88 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,360 And that's what God desires for each and every one of us. 89 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:44,200 So we're going to continue this thought process in the text that 90 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,840 we did not finish this morning. I wanted to cover the 1st 4 91 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:49,280 verses this morning. We'll cover the last four verses 92 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:51,560 this evening. So if you would for the reading 93 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,120 of God's Word, would you stand? If you're physically able to 94 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,560 read Psalm, or rather Proverbs chapter #11 and we'll start from 95 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,680 our text this morning in verse #24 we'll work through the rest 96 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,640 of the chapter. It says there is that scattereth 97 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,920 and yet increaseth, and there is that withholdeth more than his 98 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,600 meat, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made 99 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,760 fat, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. 100 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,920 He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him, but 101 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,680 blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. 102 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,600 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor. 103 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:28,800 He that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. 104 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,000 Now next 4 verses are what we'll be covering specifically this 105 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,200 evening. He that trusteth in his riches 106 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:37,840 shall fall, but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. 107 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:41,440 He that troubled his own house shall inherit the wind, and the 108 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,800 fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. 109 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,800 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that 110 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,400 winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be 111 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:56,000 recompensed in the earth, much more the wicked and the center. 112 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,720 Why don't we be seated as we pray together this evening and 113 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:04,080 we look at this thought process of stewardship and how much land 114 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:08,560 does a man need? Heavenly Father, do pray that 115 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:10,720 you be with us this evening. Thank you for your word and 116 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:14,520 thank you for what it means to us, that it is our authority for 117 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:16,800 faith and practice. There is no greater authority 118 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,080 than your word. And I pray that it would teach 119 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,840 us tonight. Help us, exhort us, correct us. 120 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:24,880 Encourage us whatever our need is tonight, through your Holy 121 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,280 Spirit, I pray that you would do the work that is needed in every 122 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:31,280 heart and every life, including myself here tonight, that we may 123 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:34,800 all humbly receive Your word and that we may leave this building 124 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,120 better than which He came. And we do ask it all in Jesus 125 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,320 name, Amen. Picking up in verse #28 we see 126 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:44,840 the prospects of the righteous this evening. 127 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:48,160 Verse #28 teaches us the prospects of the righteous. 128 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:50,200 Look at it again. It says he that trusteth in his 129 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:54,200 riches shall fall, but the righteous shall flourish as a 130 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:55,920 branch. This verse tells us that the 131 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,640 prospects of the righteous are bright, but those who trust in 132 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:02,040 their wealth will not have the same prospects. 133 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,080 And listen, understand that it's nothing wrong with being able to 134 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,840 invest and there's nothing wrong with being able to save, to have 135 00:07:07,840 --> 00:07:09,880 an S stag, to have an emergency fund. 136 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:12,040 Those things are good and right. In fact, I'd say there's 137 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:13,840 something very prudent about all of those things. 138 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:15,760 But that's not what this verse is talking about. 139 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:19,240 There's some that believe that their security in life comes 140 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,440 from that which they possess. There are some that believe all 141 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,920 of their comfort, all their security, that all that they are 142 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,960 in this life all comes down to what they are and what they own. 143 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,360 And the Bible says that that could not be further from the 144 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:36,200 truth. You know, wealth can shield us 145 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,840 from many problems. I think of when we were young 146 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,600 and we had, like I said this morning, we lived on love and 147 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,240 ramen noodles, and that's out about all that we had when we 148 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:45,880 were young. I think about all of those types 149 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,040 of things. I'm thankful in many ways for 150 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,200 those times because wealth can shield you from problems. 151 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,520 But listen, wealth can also create a lot of new problems 152 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,840 too, can't it? Oh sure, wealth can help you 153 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,080 with certain things, but it also creates new problems as well. 154 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:02,840 The old saying more money means more problems. 155 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:04,120 And there's a lot of truth to that. 156 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,280 And we need to look no further than Hollywood to get the idea 157 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:11,080 of of names of Hollywood stars or even look to the sports 158 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,000 arenas and find the name of sports stars and realize that 159 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,560 they have more money than many of us can even comprehend. 160 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,280 But yet while they have been saved from some of the problems 161 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:22,600 like you and I have, like what are we going to do with our 162 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:24,880 groceries this week? Or how is this bill going to get 163 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:26,720 paid? Or how is this credit card going 164 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:28,800 to be taken care of it? They don't have to worry about 165 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,240 those problems in some ways, but they have so many more problems 166 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:34,720 in return. I more money, more problems. 167 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,919 I think of names like Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston or OJ 168 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:41,799 Simpson or Daryl Strawberry. And those are just names from 169 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:45,920 the past, from entertainment and from sports people who had more 170 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:47,120 money. And the more money they 171 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,680 accumulated, the more problems that they had. 172 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:51,840 In fact, I was just reading the testimony. 173 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:55,080 Darryl Strawberry, some of you might know the baseball player 174 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:58,240 for the New York Mets in the 1980s, a very gifted athlete. 175 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,160 He and many other players for the New York Mets, like Doc 176 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,920 Gooden and Keith Hernandez, A lot of those men in the 1980s 177 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,600 got involved in the drug scene and a lot of them got involved 178 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,000 into some very bad business to the plate place that Darryl 179 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:16,160 Strawberry particularly and Doc Gooden left the league because 180 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,840 they just could not play because of the bad choices they have 181 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:21,800 made in their life. Well, I'm thankful over the last 182 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,040 few years that Darrell Strawberry has a testimony of 183 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,880 coming to Jesus Christ and actually has become a Baptist 184 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:27,840 minister. Of what stripe? 185 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,520 I couldn't tell you, but it's just the fact that he realized, 186 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,920 you know, I have all this money, but it hasn't protected me the 187 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,880 way I thought it would. I have all of these means I have 188 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,840 all of these goods, but it's really not helping me at all. 189 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,160 And he's trusting his riches, but it says those who trust in 190 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:46,240 the riches shall fall. So we wealth can shield you from 191 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,040 some problems, but it creates new problems. 192 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,360 But wealth can shield from certain problems. 193 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:53,560 But I will tell you this just in the same vein. 194 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,640 Wealth can never shield you from all your problems. 195 00:09:57,560 --> 00:10:00,520 I think of Kobe Bryant, the incredible basketball player who 196 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,320 played for the Los Angeles Lakers. 197 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:07,240 He retired then back in 2020, in the height of the pandemic, he 198 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,800 was in a helicopter with his daughter and a few other people. 199 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,880 And there's Kobe Bryant just taking a helicopter ride from 200 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,200 one place to another there in Los Angeles. 201 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:17,600 The helicopter crashed and they died. 202 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:22,640 And I say this not to try to make some sort of larger 203 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:25,280 application or to say something about Kobe Bryant's life 204 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,160 specifically, because I can't say this tonight, but I will say 205 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:32,440 this, that if you're in a crash, if there's great calamity, if 206 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:37,440 there's disease, if there's some sort of cancer, that it doesn't 207 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,760 matter how much money you have, it doesn't matter what's in the 208 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:43,400 bank. There is no protection that is 209 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:47,480 afforded in those situations. Oh sure you can trust in wealth, 210 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,560 but not all who trust in wealth will be saved. 211 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:53,280 In fact, the evidence is quite the opposite. 212 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:55,240 One of the richest men, whoever lives? 213 00:10:55,240 --> 00:11:00,920 Steve Jobs, who created Apple from his garage, ended up having 214 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:06,000 cancer back in the early 2000s and received treatment and got 215 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,440 alternate treatments and doctors and bills and all kinds of 216 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:11,360 stuff. Probably accumulated enough 217 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:14,240 bills that. You and I couldn't even pay if 218 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:16,280 we had a whole lifetime to be able to pay him. 219 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,360 But he was able to pay it literally out of pocket because 220 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,080 the amount of money that he had, the best of doctors, the best of 221 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:24,080 care, the best of everything, and he died from pancreatic 222 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:25,400 cancer. Why? 223 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,000 Because money can't. Cure all issues of life. 224 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,160 And so we're the Bible's telling us that when we get to the place 225 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,680 where we are so holding on to that which we have because we 226 00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:40,840 believe it Shields us or we believe it serves us in some 227 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:43,960 specific way, that we need to remember that when we get to 228 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,720 that place where we hold on to it that tightly, that's more of 229 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,160 a worship of money than it is a worship of God. 230 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,480 Because trust is being placed in riches. 231 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:54,640 Trust is being placed in things. Trust is being placed in items 232 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,800 instead of our ultimate trust being in God and God alone. 233 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,760 Listen, God is the giver of life. 234 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:02,960 God is the protector of life. God is the healer of the body. 235 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:05,560 God is the healer of the soul. And listen, I'm not saying 236 00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:06,800 there's anything wrong with money. 237 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,360 I heard a preacher once say that money is the root of all evil. 238 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,200 That's not what the Bible says. It doesn't say money is the root 239 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:15,360 of all evil. It says the love of money is the 240 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:17,800 root of all evil. We have our priorities in the 241 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:20,960 wrong place when our emphasis is in the wrong place. 242 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,320 But know this tonight, that no matter what you try to hoard, no 243 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:27,800 matter what you try to hold on to, to be able to save yourself, 244 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:30,560 there's only one who could save save you from the issues of this 245 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:33,360 life, and there's only one who can save you the issues of life 246 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,200 to come, and that's Jesus Christ and Christ alone. 247 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:41,840 The steward understands he has to trust in God, not in his 248 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:45,080 riches. First Corinthians 4/2 Moreover, 249 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:49,880 it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. 250 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:54,760 A steward is faithful God, and he is as healthy and flourishes 251 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:56,720 as a branch. It says there at the end of 252 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:01,760 verse #28 that when our trust is placed in the right place, there 253 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,760 is a flourishing that takes place, that there is a health, 254 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:09,400 there is a vitality that comes to the heart, that comes to the 255 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,840 soul. Oh, don't hold on to that what 256 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,360 you have, whether it's your wallet. 257 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:16,080 Don't hold on to that what you have, whether it's your talents. 258 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,800 Don't hold on to that what you have, whether it's your 259 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:20,720 calendar, your time, your schedule. 260 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:23,280 No be liberal and how you give to God. 261 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,640 Be liberal and how you give to your neighbor. 262 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,040 Be liberal and how you give to your friends. 263 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,880 Be liberal how you give to your family, to your spouse. 264 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,280 Be liberal in all of these things. 265 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:35,840 And the liberal soul shall be made fat. 266 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:39,000 Remember, there shall be blessings and bounty and 267 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,600 healthfulness that comes when we do that which God has called us 268 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:44,880 to do. That's the prospects of the 269 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,760 righteous. But we also see verse #29 270 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:51,120 there's the problems of the fool, the problems of the fool. 271 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:54,280 Verse #29 he that troubled his own house shall inherit the 272 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:58,720 wind, and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. 273 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,800 Now again, verse #29 might seem unrelated, kind of like we had 274 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:07,600 looked at verse #27 a little bit earlier in the morning and 275 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,040 thought that maybe that was unrelated to what we're looking 276 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,080 at too. But I would suggest to you this 277 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:16,360 evening that verse #29 fits very well in that which we're talking 278 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:20,120 about, those so far, the idea that troubling your own house 279 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:24,120 mouse shall inherit the wind. What is an inheritance? 280 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,120 An inheritance is something that is accumulated from someone else 281 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:28,840 and it's passed on to someone else. 282 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:31,320 Now, there's a lot of different types of inheritances that are 283 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:33,960 out there, aren't there? You can inherit money, you can 284 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:38,320 inherit land, you can inherit cars, you can inherit any number 285 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,600 of different things, real tangible things. 286 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,920 But you can't inherit wind. Why? 287 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:47,440 Because the wind is there one moment and gone the next. 288 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,840 It's not something you can box up, bottle up, save up and be 289 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:52,040 able to pass it on to someone else. 290 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,280 Well, well, what? What did I, what did I get in 291 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:55,440 the will? Dad? 292 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:56,880 What? What did grandpa leave me in the 293 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:58,960 will? Well, it says here he left you a 294 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,280 box of wind. Well, that would be awkward, 295 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:04,000 wouldn't it? That wouldn't be very helpful, 296 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:05,560 would it? If that was the case? 297 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,840 No, it wouldn't be at all. But we see that that when one 298 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,320 troubles his own house, it's like inheriting the wind. 299 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:15,280 It seems like something is there and it's there for a moment and 300 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:20,040 it's gone the next. I looked with some hilarity and 301 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:23,640 sadness, as many of you did, of the viral video. 302 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,800 You know what I'm talking about, a viral video, something that's 303 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,160 gone and all over the Internet and people are seeing it 304 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,520 everywhere. And this spread like wildfire 305 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:33,320 over the Internet. That happened right in our 306 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:37,840 backyard right at Foxboro just a few days ago of a concert that 307 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:39,120 was taking place at Gillette State. 308 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:40,640 Some of you smile because you already know what I'm talking 309 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:42,320 about, aren't you? Because it's all over the 310 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,960 Internet of of a concert that was taking place and they were 311 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,640 kind of going through with a camera and showing people on the 312 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:50,760 big screen. And all of a sudden, right there 313 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:54,120 on the big screen was a man and a woman that were kind of slang 314 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,480 with the music enjoying themselves until they saw 315 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,560 themselves on the screen. And both of them split. 316 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,800 And one of the band members who was I guess, watching what was 317 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,400 happening on the camera, and he said this, he said either 318 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:10,080 they're really shy or they're having an affair. 319 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:16,240 And that seems really funny. Until you realize the news was 320 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:20,800 it was actually the second. It was a married man and a woman 321 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:24,200 who was recently divorced. They're thinking that. 322 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:28,720 No one would ever know. In a sea of 70,000 people who 323 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,320 would ever know that these two were together until they were 324 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:36,720 plastered on ATV. That was about 100 feet by 100 325 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,600 feet. And not only did all in the 326 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:44,600 stadium know, people who took videos of the concert started 327 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:50,680 uploading it online, and all the world knows it was viewed over 328 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:54,600 70 million times in the last few days. 329 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:57,640 And there's a couple different thoughts I have about this, by 330 00:16:57,640 --> 00:16:59,240 the way. First of all, the Bible says be 331 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:03,160 sure your sin will find you out, and that's a biblical truth. 332 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,079 The second is this, aren't you glad your sins aren't plastered 333 00:17:06,079 --> 00:17:10,160 on a Jumbotron? I'm glad my life's worst 334 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,160 mistakes have been placed on a Jumbotron for everyone else to 335 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:14,720 see and for 70 million people to see. 336 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,040 No, I don't feel sorry for them. I'm just saying we ought to be 337 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,560 careful before we get too much pleasure out of these things, 338 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,280 before we realize we could be found in the same position 339 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:24,920 within the sins of our own heart. 340 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:27,200 But God has grace has not made it. 341 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:28,800 So that's the case in our own lives. 342 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:33,080 But you know, I said a lot of people got humor out of this. 343 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:36,040 And although there is that humorous thought of, wow, look 344 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:39,760 at them, they got caught. There's the sadness of there are 345 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:45,440 two families involved, children who were involved, who for the 346 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:47,880 rest of their life will be saddled with the fact that their 347 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:53,480 dad, their mom were on that viral video in 2025. 348 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:57,480 Oh, that video. And people will immediately 349 00:17:57,480 --> 00:17:59,960 know. You know what happens when you 350 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:04,240 sow to the wind? You reap the whirlwind, and so 351 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,560 we as stewards need to make sure that we're investing in the 352 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:11,040 right things. If you're as if your 353 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:16,440 unrighteousness is on display, you may have riches, but that 354 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,360 may be all that you have. You know that man has as much 355 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:22,760 money today as he did at the beginning of the week. 356 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:27,000 Do you think he's happier now or worse off? 357 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,400 I'd say he's in a much worse spot than he was a week ago, 358 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,920 wasn't he? His wallet is exactly the same. 359 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:35,520 Why? Because there's more to life 360 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:37,840 than riches. Because there's more to life 361 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,600 than what you can count on the bank account, than what's in 362 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,840 your checkbook or what your debit card has on it. 363 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,120 There's so much more. The problems. 364 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:51,320 Of the Fool, and we must be careful of our own selves it. 365 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:53,200 And maybe he would say faster, I mean. 366 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:56,800 That's a very extreme example. I mean, I would never do 367 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:58,480 something like that. I can't imagine being in that 368 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:00,280 situation. I can't be imagine being in that 369 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,760 type of concert and listening that kind of music and do it 370 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:03,120 all. I can't. 371 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:05,440 I can't even imagine. I can't even fathom that anyway, 372 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:07,320 So surely this doesn't apply to me. 373 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:09,840 What? We don't have to be as foolhardy 374 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:14,080 as the most foolish to still exhibit the foolish behavior and 375 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:15,760 tendencies within our own life as well. 376 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,760 What happens when we ignore? The preached word. 377 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:24,600 What happens when we don't open our Bibles and read them every 378 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:27,440 day as we should? Or we open them and read them, 379 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:31,360 but we're reading it just to get it done for the day because I 380 00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:35,200 want to be a good Christian? What happens when we ignore the 381 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,040 pleas of a Christian brother or sister who says please don't go 382 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:42,120 this way, please don't do this? What do we do? 383 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:45,320 We ignore the counsel of the pastor who lovingly says, I've 384 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:47,880 seen other people go this way before, but please don't go this 385 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:49,400 way. There is a better way. 386 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,920 There's the Bible way. What happens? 387 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:56,240 We can be just as much of the fool as the fool that we see 388 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,720 here in verse #29 Oh, we must be careful of the problems. 389 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:04,240 Of the fool, the number 30. I see verse #30 rather we see 390 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:06,920 before that the prospects of the righteous, the problems of the 391 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:08,440 fool. But in verse #30 I see the 392 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:13,360 propagation of the steward, the propagation of the steward. 393 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:17,040 It says the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and 394 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:22,320 he that winneth souls is wise. Now, most of the verses we've 395 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:24,720 covered so far come from the future. 396 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:28,160 If you do this, this will happen in the future. 397 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:31,600 If you make this decision, you'll receive this later on. 398 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:34,160 If you forsake this in your life, then you will have 399 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:35,920 something negative that happens in your future. 400 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:37,960 That's everything that we've seen so far. 401 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:42,560 There is a cause and effect, A cause and effect, and the cause 402 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:45,120 is now and the effect will come later. 403 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:48,600 But here in verse #30 we see a little bit of a tonal shift. 404 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,680 We see a little bit of a shift in the verbiage that we have 405 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:53,960 here where it's not necessarily talking about something that 406 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,360 will happen in the future. It's talking about something 407 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,200 that you will receive live in your life now when you live the 408 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,600 stewarding life that God has called you to live. 409 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:04,840 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of the life. 410 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,880 He that when the souls is wise, when you invest in the right 411 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:11,760 things, when you invest in that which God has called you to 412 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,400 invest in, it's not just that there will be something in your 413 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:17,480 future that will be a blessing and a help. 414 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:19,760 But listen, you live the stewarding life. 415 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:23,120 It's a good life now. It's not just that it will be 416 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:24,600 later on. I'm just going to soldier 417 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:26,080 through. I mean, this life should be 418 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:27,560 pretty miserable if I be a steward. 419 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:29,000 But eventually I guess it'll be good. 420 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:31,280 And maybe it won't even be good in this life, but at least it'll 421 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:32,720 be good at the judgement seat of Christ. 422 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:34,640 And it will be good at the judgement seat of Christ. 423 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:36,360 Amen. That when you live the life that 424 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:39,000 God wants you to live, that there'll be gold and silver and 425 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,080 precious stones that we cast in the fire that will come out only 426 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,560 the Finder. And that we'll be able to lay 427 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:47,520 those at the feet of our Savior to be able to say thank you for 428 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,440 all that He's done for us. It will be worth it all like the 429 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:52,880 Him says. It will be worth it all when we 430 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:55,120 see Jesus. It is true, but I would submit 431 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:58,360 to you tonight, it's not just going to be worth it when we 432 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:00,080 live the life that God has called us to live. 433 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:04,120 It's worth it right now. It's worth it right here right 434 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:07,200 now where we live. It is worth it for you to serve 435 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,680 God now. It's worth it for you to be the 436 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,080 steward that God has called you to be now. 437 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,480 The fruit of righteous is a tree of life. 438 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,200 It reminds me of Psalm chapter 1, where it talks about those 439 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,800 who are not, those who were standing in the midst of the 440 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:25,560 sinners and in the seat of the scornful. 441 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:30,200 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he 442 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:33,120 meditate day and night. We see He shall be like a tree 443 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,960 planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth His fruit 444 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,400 and his season. His leaf shall also shall not 445 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:43,320 wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 446 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,560 So we come to the realization that when we live the life that 447 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:51,560 God has wanted us to live, we are green, we are fertile, We 448 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,000 are. We are the tree that has life 449 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:58,560 and vitality on it, not the gnarled up dry tree that is just 450 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:03,240 one step close to death, though that we can be that which God 451 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,360 has called us to be and even more. 452 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,240 In fact, in the Book of Revelation, it says that the 453 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,520 tree of life that is there is for the healing of the nations. 454 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,440 And I'm not saying that you will become the tree of life. 455 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:15,000 That's not what I'm preaching here tonight. 456 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:19,760 What I'm saying is that in the tree there is life and innate 457 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:21,200 right type of tree that has growth. 458 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,160 There is life. And where does that life come 459 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,360 from? Well, we're to be abiding in the 460 00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:28,040 branches. He is the vine, we are the 461 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,160 branches, and this is what God has called for us in our life. 462 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:36,240 So what do we do that the steward is to be able to invest 463 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:39,480 in that which is right. But that word propagation, there 464 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:41,760 I said it's the propagation of the steward. 465 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:47,640 You know, to propagate is to live and to continue to bring 466 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,960 life. A tree that is healthy should in 467 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:54,160 essence bring forth more trees that are healthy. 468 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,920 They bear acorns. They bear fruit that has seeds. 469 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:01,840 And what does it do? A healthy tree should bring 470 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:08,680 forth more healthy trees. And you know that you and I, as 471 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:13,480 being the tree that God has called us to be, we should be 472 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,440 able to bring forth others as well into the Kingdom. 473 00:24:17,360 --> 00:24:19,000 I love the second-half of that verse. 474 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,120 It's often quoted when we talk about soul winning. 475 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:24,280 We talk about telling other people about Jesus Christ. 476 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:30,480 He that winneth souls is wise. We've talked a lot about wisdom, 477 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:32,480 haven't we? In First Corinthians chapter #1 478 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,520 about what is wise and what's foolish. 479 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:36,840 We've been talking about that a lot on Wednesday nights here at 480 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:39,040 Liberty Baptist Church. For those of you who are guests, 481 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:40,520 we've been talking about it quite a bit. 482 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:44,600 If you want to know what real wisdom is, real wisdom is 483 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:49,080 recognizing who real wisdom is and telling someone else who 484 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,840 real wisdom is. That's what wisdom is. 485 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,640 Wisdom is looked at in so many other ways in the world. 486 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,880 Wisdom is looked at in so many other facets in this world. 487 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:02,880 But we have to get to the place that we understand Wisdom isn't 488 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:08,440 necessarily in a thing. Wisdom is in an entity, God 489 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:10,960 himself. He doesn't just embody wisdom. 490 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:12,640 He is wisdom. He is truth. 491 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:16,880 And those who are truly wise will tell other people, hey, you 492 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,200 need to know him like I know him. 493 00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:22,560 You know, there's so many things that when we're convinced of it, 494 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:25,600 or so many things that when we're impressed by it, we want 495 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:29,400 to tell other people about it. If you ever bought a a certain 496 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:32,280 product or you've ever bought something that that was was 497 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,480 really helpful. To you that you wanted. 498 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:37,480 To tell other people about it. And I was talking with someone 499 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,440 recently about buying a car and I said, well, listen, I like our 500 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:41,880 car. We bought our car a year ago and 501 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,240 I went through all the reasons why I like our Kia. 502 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:46,760 Now, you don't have to like Kia's, that's OK, But I like it. 503 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:48,880 I like the car, how it drives, how it handles. 504 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:53,880 And I was very, in glowing terms, telling somebody about 505 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,120 how this Kia drove because I like it. 506 00:25:56,120 --> 00:25:59,200 I think you'll like it too. I remember the first time I ever 507 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,880 saw an iPhone, I thought, how is someone going to make a call? 508 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:08,520 There's no buttons on it. That doesn't even make any 509 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:10,680 sense. There's a web browser on this 510 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:11,520 thing. How are you going to see 511 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,920 anything on the web browser? Because I was just used to 512 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,320 scrolling on a screen and that's the way that it works. 513 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:21,240 And I remember someone that I knew came up to me and they and 514 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:25,120 they started pointing at it and they started pinching it and 515 00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:28,840 dragging it and expanding it. And it's like some of you are 516 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:30,680 young enough that you think that's no big deal. 517 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,280 This was a big deal. And I thought, this is 518 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:36,000 incredible. And he was showing everybody and 519 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,720 people were gathering around. People were visibly gasping over 520 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:41,720 this. Look at that web page. 521 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,080 I can read, I can make it larger, I can make it smaller. 522 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,680 And then the buttons appear and then you can call and then you 523 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:49,480 can you can listen to music and you can do all these things on 524 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:51,280 it. And people were saying, look at 525 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,120 this, you got to see this. Now listen, by now we're like, 526 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:58,000 not that impressed anymore, are we? 527 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:01,920 In fact, there's a lot of times you just kind of want to with it 528 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:04,360 because there's smartphones. But I feel like they made us 529 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:10,120 Dumber in a lot of ways. Can I tell you that if we can 530 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:13,840 get that excited about a product, if we can get that 531 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,720 excited about an experience, if we can get that excited about 532 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:20,120 any other entity of life, how much more? 533 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,760 Should we be ambassadors of Christ when He is wisdom? 534 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:28,280 The wisest thing you could ever do is tell someone else, hey, He 535 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,440 is wisdom. Need to trust in Him as your 536 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:34,080 Lord and Savior. There's nothing great, by the 537 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,640 way. We get tired of these things. 538 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,040 You get to know Him the more you know him. 539 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,400 You don't get tired of him the more you know Him, the more you 540 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,080 want to know Him. The more you read of Him, the 541 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:45,680 more you want to read to him, of him. 542 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,160 The more you pray, the more you'll want to pray, the more 543 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,360 you'll worship Him. The more you want to worship 544 00:27:50,360 --> 00:27:52,040 Him. It's not the well. 545 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,240 The closer you get, the more I'll tell you it's it, it's 546 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:56,560 just, you're not going to like it. 547 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,240 I feel like that's the way with a lot of human entities. 548 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:01,080 They say, well, you know, when you're on the outside, 549 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:03,160 everything looks good. But the closer you get inside, 550 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:05,840 you, you see what it's really like and it's not as impressive. 551 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,560 You, you see the, you see the emperor behind the curtain, and 552 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:11,280 it's just not what you want it to be. 553 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:13,360 It's just not what you would expect it to be. 554 00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:16,760 No, no. The more I see him, the more I 555 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,160 want to see him. So why wouldn't I tell someone 556 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,960 else so that they can live the stewarding life like I live the 557 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,480 stewarding life, but I can't do that unless I'm living the life 558 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:29,920 that God wants me to live. And by the way, soul winning is 559 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:34,840 all about stewardship. It's about realizing I have time 560 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:36,480 to reach these people for Christ. 561 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,600 Because what do we often say? I don't have time for it. 562 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,000 I don't have time to give them a track. 563 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:41,120 I don't have time to go to outreach. 564 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:42,920 I don't have time to be able to tell other people. 565 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:46,960 I, I, I, I want, I desire, I, I'd rather do someone else. 566 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:48,640 I'm not comfortable with it and saying no no. 567 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:54,040 I can't use those. My life belongs to Him, my time 568 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,920 belongs to Him, my missions money belongs to Him, and I want 569 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,800 to steward right so other people can be saved. 570 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:05,440 And the naked steward as well. The propagation of the steward. 571 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:08,360 So we see in verse #28 The prospects of the righteous Now 572 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:10,320 verse #29 the problems of the fool. 573 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:14,000 Verse #30 The propagation of the steward in verse #31 The payment 574 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:17,600 to the steward. The payment to the steward. 575 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,360 It says, Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the 576 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:24,120 earth much more than the wicked and the Sinner. 577 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:27,680 Much Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, 578 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,400 much more the wicked and the Sinner. 579 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,720 That word recompense there means to compensate, to make return of 580 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:38,880 an equivalent for any given thing done or suffered, as to 581 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,520 recompense a person for services, for fidelity, or 582 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:44,720 sacrifices of time, for loss or damages. 583 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:49,600 Now listen if you are being the steward that God has called you 584 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:54,320 to be, you will not just gain. I believe that this verse tells 585 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:59,000 us you will literally be repaid by God for that what you do. 586 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:02,880 Now listen, if I asked you, hey, can you spot me $20 and by. 587 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:04,680 The way can you spot me $20? No, never mind. 588 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:07,520 Can you imagine if I asked you spot me $20? 589 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:11,640 Can I borrow it for a week? You may have reasonable 590 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:13,960 expectation that I will pay you back, but you know. 591 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,320 It could be that I have a downturn, it could be that I 592 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:19,680 just forget. It could be any number of 593 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:21,480 different things that take place. 594 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,480 And maybe I don't recompense you the way that I ought. 595 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,840 But do you realize when you live the stewarding life, when you 596 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:32,080 live the life that God wants you to live, that He will pay you 597 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:34,840 back every single time? And I'll put it to you this way, 598 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:36,280 He'll pay you back with interest. 599 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:39,440 That doesn't mean, like I said this morning, that if you give 600 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:41,240 10, you get 20. That doesn't mean if you give 601 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:43,120 100, you'll get 1000. It just means this. 602 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:48,000 He will so bless you and he will so give to you that you you 603 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:52,960 can't out give God if you give the way that God wants you to 604 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:54,640 give. If you have a heart that just 605 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,320 wants to help others and to serve others and to live for 606 00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:01,120 others and to love others far beyond your capacity, that God 607 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,680 will put into your bosom far greater than you can ever 608 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:06,200 imagine. That's what we looked at this 609 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:10,280 morning that Jesus said, press down shaken shall men give unto 610 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:14,320 your bosom running over. There'll be a recompense, 611 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:17,640 there'll be a payment that will be made to you, and God will 612 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:21,520 repay you in this life, and God will repay you in the life to 613 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:22,920 come. We do this when you turn to 614 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:25,760 Matthew chapter 25. I believe this is illustrated 615 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:29,360 very vividly for us by Jesus Christ in the parable, Matthew 616 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:31,600 chapter 25. Likely you're familiar with it 617 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:40,960 This Evening in verse #14 Matthew 2514. 618 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:49,560 Here's a parable of stewardship. There's some servants that are 619 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:54,120 here, and it says this, for the Kingdom of heaven is that a man 620 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:57,160 traveling into a foreign country called his own servants and 621 00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:00,320 delivered unto them his goods. So we know these are stewards 622 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:05,320 because whatever these servants have does what they have belong 623 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:07,040 to them. The answer is no. 624 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:11,400 He says he had some goods and he gave them to the servants. 625 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:14,600 So this is important. And he gave to one the five. 626 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,240 Talents. To another two and to another 627 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:20,760 one to every man according to a several ability and straightway 628 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:23,320 took his journey. Now when we see that word 629 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:26,120 talents there, it's not talking about talents like you can sing 630 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:29,040 or, or you can speak well or you have hospitality. 631 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:31,400 Although certainly I think we can make some applications 632 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,240 there. We're just talking about literal 633 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:35,800 amounts of money. The talent that's what would be 634 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:41,320 given one received 5 talents, an amount of five talents, 1-2 and 635 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:44,680 another one one. And it's interesting that it's 636 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:48,400 said by Jesus US that he gave everyone according to his 637 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:50,360 ability. Now I'll just say this, this 638 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:52,520 isn't the thrust of my message this evening, but I will say 639 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:55,520 this, believe it or not, there are other people who have more 640 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,960 money than you, more goods than you, more talents than you, more 641 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:00,880 abilities than you, more everything than you. 642 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:02,000 There are people that have more than you. 643 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:05,800 I don't think that's a surprise anyone tonight is there, but you 644 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:07,240 know the. Bible says that God gives to 645 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:10,560 everyone as he desires, according to his ability. 646 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:16,480 Listen, don't get upset at God by what you have or what you 647 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,880 don't have. May I remind you that there may 648 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,800 be someone that likely could look at you and think about how 649 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,080 much you have in the same way as you're looking up at someone 650 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:28,960 else at how much they have. There's always someone that has 651 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:30,720 more than us. And listen, there's always 652 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:34,080 someone who has less than us. Leave that to God. 653 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:36,160 Comparing ourselves among ourselves. 654 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:38,240 We're not wise. Listen, it's not up to the 655 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:41,840 steward to complain how much was put in his hand, it's up to the 656 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:45,120 steward to only use that which was given to him. 657 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:49,520 And so it says that there was given to his ability and 658 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:52,240 straightway took his journey. Then he that received the five 659 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:55,280 talents went and traded with the same and made another 5 talents. 660 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,160 And likewise he that received two, he also gained other two. 661 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:02,320 But he that received one went and dig to the earth and hid his 662 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:04,640 Lord's money. After a long time. 663 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,600 The Lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them. 664 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:09,679 Is that word reckon? Remember we saw that this 665 00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:11,480 morning. That's not a coincidence that 666 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,080 we're looking at that here to reckon not, I reckon. 667 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:16,040 I never would have thought that there'd be people who get that 668 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,880 this morning, this evening. But I reckon like I reckon we're 669 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:20,600 going to. I reckon we'll go to that church 670 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,639 on a Sunday night, you know. Not that we're talking about 671 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:27,360 Reckon as in an accounting. The man came and was ready to 672 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:30,360 make an accounting, and it says this. 673 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:33,440 And so he that received 5 talents came and brought other 674 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:37,120 five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliverest unto me 5 talents. 675 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:40,120 Behold, I've gained beside them five talents more. 676 00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:43,400 And the Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful 677 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:45,239 servant, thou has been faithful over a few things. 678 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:47,000 I will make thee ruler over many things. 679 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:48,960 Enter thou into the joy of the Lord. 680 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:53,040 What happened? He received a recompense because 681 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:58,040 he was a good steward, he says. You had five, now you have 10. 682 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:02,120 Enter into the joy of the Lord. You will now receive far more 683 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:05,680 than you could have imagined. But he continues on to the one 684 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:08,280 that had two. And it says, And he that 685 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:10,840 received 2 talents came and said, Lord, thou delivers unto 686 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:12,960 me two talents. Behold, I've gained two other 687 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,680 talents beside them. His Lord said unto him, Well 688 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:18,800 done, good and faithful servant, thou has been faithful over a 689 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:21,160 few things. I will make the ruler over many 690 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:22,640 things. Enter thou into the joy of the 691 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:23,400 Lord. Now listen. 692 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:28,080 One had a return of five, the other only had a return of two, 693 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:30,760 but they both received the same blessing. 694 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,160 Do you realize that tonight? Well, I may not be the biggest 695 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:36,040 tither in the church. I might not be able to give as 696 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:37,720 much. I don't feel like I have as much 697 00:35:37,720 --> 00:35:39,720 to offer to the church. I don't feel like I can help 698 00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:42,440 other people the way I want to because of my job situation or 699 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:44,720 my, my life situation where I am right now. 700 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:46,920 Well, listen, don't worry about what you can't do. 701 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:50,520 Just concern yourself with what you can do with what God has put 702 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:53,880 into your hand because the five talent man and the two talent 703 00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:58,360 man both had an increase by what they had and God commended them 704 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:01,960 both both the exact same way. Well, I can't help, I can't 705 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:03,640 serve the Lord now I'm, I'm too young. 706 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:06,800 Listen, you can especially serve the Lord when you're young. 707 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:09,720 Well, I can't do all the things older folks can do and I can't 708 00:36:09,720 --> 00:36:11,880 do all the things that that those who have experience can 709 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:13,360 do. And you might be an elder who 710 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:15,440 says, well, I can't do as many things as I used to do. 711 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:17,800 And I used to be able to do a whole lot, but now I can't do as 712 00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:20,400 much as I used to do because my knees are aching, my back is 713 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,520 aching, my, my body is not what it ought to be. 714 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:26,000 Listen, don't worry about what you can't do. 715 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,440 Concern yourself with what you can do for God in his work. 716 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:33,520 And the five talent man, the two talent man both had the same 717 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,520 commendation. They both received the same 718 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:40,840 recompense. But then it says verse #24, then 719 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:42,560 he which had received the one talent. 720 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:47,040 Came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, 721 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,880 reaping where thou has not sown, and gathering where thou hast 722 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:53,480 not strawed. I was afraid. 723 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:58,880 I went and hid thy talent in the earth, and lo, thou that thou 724 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:03,040 hast, that is thine. His Lord answered and said unto 725 00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:07,320 him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I 726 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:10,080 reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed. 727 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,920 Thou oughtest therefore to put my money the exchangers, and 728 00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:16,680 then at my coming I should have taken or should receive mine own 729 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:18,720 with usury. Take therefore the talent from 730 00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:20,920 him, and give it unto him to have 10 talents. 731 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,360 For everyone that hath shall be given, and he that has shall 732 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,320 have abundance. But from him that shall not have 733 00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:29,840 shall be taken away even that which he hath. 734 00:37:30,240 --> 00:37:32,800 And he cast ye and Cassie the unprofitable servant. 735 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:35,680 In the outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of 736 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:39,920 teeth. The one that had one says I 737 00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:42,960 can't lose it, I'm going to hide it in the Earth. 738 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:45,960 But he said something that was very revealing. 739 00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:48,560 He said, I don't know if you caught this. 740 00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:55,280 He said in verse #24 Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard 741 00:37:55,560 --> 00:38:00,520 man. This was an unfaithful steward. 742 00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:04,360 This is a man who did not do what his Lord had called him to 743 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:06,480 do. And I believe the fundamental 744 00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:11,080 problem with this man was this. He didn't truly know the nature 745 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,680 of his master, said you're a hard man. 746 00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:21,520 So I was afraid and so I hid it. You realize the other two knew 747 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:24,280 the same man. The other two knew his same 748 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:27,600 characteristics. But because they truly knew him 749 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:31,160 for who he was and they trusted who he was, it compelled them to 750 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,400 be stewards. I want to say this, and I don't 751 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,040 want to be unkind tonight, Liberty Baptist Church 752 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:36,360 especially, I want you to listen to me. 753 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,400 If you're not willing to live the stewardship life, if you're 754 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,880 not willing to trust the Lord in ties and in offerings, if you're 755 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,480 not willing to trust the Lord and that which He has told you 756 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:48,920 to trust Him and listen, it is indicative of a heart that truly 757 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:55,400 doesn't know the nature of God. That sounds harsh, but that's 758 00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:00,960 the reality because the ones who knew him said we know that when 759 00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:04,920 we give, we know that when you give to us and then we give in 760 00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:07,280 return, that there will be a recompense. 761 00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:13,080 And so we trusted you. We trusted the system that you'd 762 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:15,960 take care of us. And when we hold on because 763 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:17,560 we're just trying to make things work. 764 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,000 When we hold on because we're just trying to balance the 765 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,800 budget. When we hold on just because our 766 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,840 time is our time. And I need me time because me 767 00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:28,280 needs me time. Now listen, there's nothing 768 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:30,080 wrong with having a little me time here and there. 769 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:32,800 There is not. But when our life is consumed 770 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:35,560 with me time and when our life is consumed with all of our 771 00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:39,080 other things and our stuff and Kingdom type things are put off 772 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:42,400 to the side, friend, it shows us that you fundamentally do not 773 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:44,360 understand the nature of who God is. 774 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:47,040 I'm not saying you're not saved. I didn't say that. 775 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:50,680 But it seems very clear that this man did not know the master 776 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:53,600 the way he said he did. I'm sure he offered platitudes. 777 00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:57,920 Sure, he talked a good game, but you know where the evidence was, 778 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:01,320 The evidence that he didn't know God was buried in the dirt, 779 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:05,120 because if he knew God, he would have taken that money out of the 780 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:07,280 dirt and he would have given it to others. 781 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:11,280 I say this not to chastise anyone tonight because I didn't 782 00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:13,560 know who to chastise. And I don't know why I would 783 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:15,720 chastise you. I don't know what your heart is 784 00:40:15,720 --> 00:40:16,920 and I don't know what you're giving is. 785 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:21,000 I do know this. Trust the Master that he can 786 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,920 recompense you. Trust the Master. 787 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,520 That he can take care of you. Listen, listen better than you 788 00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:31,440 can take care of yourself. He can trust you, you can trust 789 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:34,920 him, and he can take care of you better than you can take care of 790 00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:37,320 yourself. Because in the end, how much 791 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,280 man, doesn't it? How much land does a man need? 792 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:43,280 You may have thought I forgot about that. 793 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:48,040 I've been, you know, dangling that since about 11:30 this 794 00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:51,480 morning, haven't I? How does the story end well? 795 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:54,360 This man pay him, goes out in the morning. 796 00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:57,560 He's pretty happy. I mean, he's excited, he's 797 00:40:57,560 --> 00:41:01,640 walking along, he's thrilled with his prospects and he knows 798 00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:04,880 that he's going to get a large amount of land for a rock bottom 799 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:09,080 deal of 1000 rubles. But as he goes before he makes 800 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,360 that first turn, he convinced himself, he go a little bit 801 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:14,920 further and a little bit further, and he gets right about 802 00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:17,160 to the place where he's going to take his first right turn. 803 00:41:17,520 --> 00:41:21,760 And he realizes, and there's a bog just ahead in that bog. 804 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:25,480 I can grow flax in that bog. I can make a great deal of 805 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,600 money. I probably should just go beyond 806 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:31,960 that blog, that bog. And he does so and finally makes 807 00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:33,760 his right turn. It's a little bit after lunch 808 00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:38,120 and he realizes that he probably needs to pick up his pace a 809 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:40,320 little bit. But at the same time, listen, 810 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:43,160 he'll have the whole rest of his life to be able to enjoy this. 811 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:45,200 So why not just enjoy a little bit of it today? 812 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:50,160 So he sits down and rests for a few moments and then eventually 813 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:53,280 gets back up. And as he's walking, he realizes 814 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:56,520 I'm going to actually have to quicken my pace if I'm going to 815 00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:59,920 make it back because I'm not even really halfway there, as 816 00:41:59,920 --> 00:42:01,920 the story goes, and it's not a very long story. 817 00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:03,360 We're not talking War and Peace here. 818 00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:06,000 Literally, we're not talking War and Peace by Tolstoy. 819 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:07,520 You read War and Peace. I bet you have, Dave. 820 00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:08,920 No, you haven't. All right, we'll work on that by 821 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:11,120 next week. All right, That's your book 822 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:16,600 report this week. He realizes he's not going to 823 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:21,640 make it because he's gone far too far in his thirst and his 824 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:25,920 quench and his desire, rather, for as much lane as possible. 825 00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:29,960 He went way too far and he's never going to make it back. 826 00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:34,720 He breaks out into a run and those last few moments he is 827 00:42:34,720 --> 00:42:38,080 running at a breakneck. Pace, I'll let Tolstoy finish 828 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:41,520 himself. There's plenty of land thought. 829 00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:44,120 Pay him. But will God ever let me live on 830 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,040 it? I've lost my life. 831 00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:50,040 I've lost my life. I shall never reach that spot 832 00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:52,880 again. Payham remembered his dream. 833 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:56,400 He uttered a cry. His legs gave way beneath him. 834 00:42:56,960 --> 00:43:00,640 He fell forward. And reached the cap with his 835 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:03,720 hands. Ah, what a fine fellow, 836 00:43:03,720 --> 00:43:07,760 exclaimed the chief. He has gained much land. 837 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:11,880 Payham servant came running up and tried to raise him from the 838 00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:15,960 ground but saw that blood was flowing from his mouth. 839 00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:22,320 Payham was dead. The people clicked their tongues 840 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:26,440 to show their pity. His servant picked up the spade 841 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:31,080 and dug a grave long enough for Payham to lie in, and he buried 842 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:35,440 him in. Six feet from his head to his 843 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:38,920 heels was all the land that he needed. 844 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:42,080 You know what his recompense was? 845 00:43:43,240 --> 00:43:48,040 6 feet for all that he desired and all that he wanted. 846 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:52,440 Now listen, I'm not a expositor of Russian literature. 847 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:56,800 I'm a preacher of the gospel. And I do know this, while it may 848 00:43:56,800 --> 00:44:00,560 not seem like that has a lot to do with us, it has everything to 849 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:04,360 do with us. Listen, don't reach for those 850 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:07,640 things that will not last for eternity. 851 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:12,120 God does allow us to have some things in our life, and isn't He 852 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:13,320 good? He doesn't just give us our 853 00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:16,040 needs, He also gives us some of our wants too, doesn't he? 854 00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:19,400 Isn't he so good like that? I mean, God could just literally 855 00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:22,640 give us the bread and water that we need and sustain us, the 856 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:24,680 housing that we need to sustain us, and that's it. 857 00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:30,600 But we have good food, we have good houses, many of us have 858 00:44:30,600 --> 00:44:32,840 cars that are able to take us from here and there. 859 00:44:33,240 --> 00:44:36,000 We have enough money not just for our needs, but also our 860 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:40,480 wants and our desires. We serve a good God, but pay 861 00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:43,040 him. Realized he needed a lot less 862 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:47,960 than he really did. First Timothy verse chapter 6 863 00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:51,240 verse 7 says for we brought nothing into this world and it 864 00:44:51,240 --> 00:44:53,760 is certain we can carry nothing out. 865 00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:59,360 You know you need much less than you think and others need much 866 00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:03,240 more than you may notice. God has called us to be a 867 00:45:03,240 --> 00:45:05,440 steward. He's not a hard man. 868 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:11,640 No, He's the most gracious and loving and just God you could 869 00:45:11,640 --> 00:45:14,880 ever have. If you know Him, you will desire 870 00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:18,720 to live the stewarding life. Thank you for listening to the 871 00:45:18,720 --> 00:45:21,360 sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church. 872 00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:24,960 If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we 873 00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:28,080 can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at 874 00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:32,960 info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday 875 00:45:33,160 --> 00:45:36,880 at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA. 876 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:39,920 May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.