Secure the Bag (Part 1)(Michael Todd)

good morning transformation church men I am so excited that you are in the building today and if you are here I know that God has an extremely amazing plan for your life this is the start of a brand-new series week one that we are calling secure the band look at your neighbor and say secure the bag come on um this is a time every year that we take to be able to honestly realign our lives and get stronger which is the word for the year to get stronger in the area of stewardship and finances and generosity and since the very beginning of me being the pastor of transformation church we have you done this it was my second sermon series that God told me Michael I want you to teach transformation church how to live a blessed life everybody say a blessed life not just a blessed wallet not just a blessed home but a blessed life and the problem is many of us don't know how to live a blessed life and Robert Morris which has been one of my spiritual mentors from afar he wrote this book and has this revelation on living a blessed life and so we came in to being the pastor's of the church and I preached a series for a month on vision and then God said you need to sit down and you need to teach your church through video how to live a blessed life and y'all already know that I can't preach nothing I don't know and so what God said is Mike I need you to be an example of being hot humble open and transparent and I stood in the front of my church the second month of being the pastor and I said listen y'all God wants us to live a blessed life and I haven't quite figured out how to do it yet so I'm not gonna play you and teach you a bunch of Lies that I haven't lived out imma let this man teach you and we're gonna see here and he white and he's older and his humor is dry but he got the revelation and we sat and we listened to the blend blessed life for five weeks in a row and I sat on the front row taking notes because a leader is not a leader because you know more a leader is a leader because you do what is best for the people that are following you I already hear me some of y'all needed that nugget right there and so I said and every year God would continue to give us more revelation until two years ago he said Michael I think you've learned a few things about the blessed life you can teach not the whole series a couple of messages in the series and we and we did wait till I get my money right and then last year we did ducks in a row and this year we're doing a series call secure the what the bad and some of you are like Sally securing the bag I have no idea what that means well I'm about to teach you right now but I need to calm everybody down who may be a little insecure about the topic of finances generosity and stewardship because I know some of y'all's they just want my money the church just want my money meter is going off right now relax everybody say relax we don't want your money we're not doing any separate offerings during the series we don't have a capital campaign in case you haven't heard the build is paid off Oh y'all hear me and listen we are walking in a season of abundance so we're not teaching this series because the church needs more money this is the best the church has ever been financially in our church history I'm teaching this because I'm passionate about you living a blessed life I don't want the church to be flourishing as an organization and the church as an organism is not flourishing I want your home to be blessed I want your bank account to be blessed I want your health to be blessed somebody say I'm gonna live a blessed life silly I don't believe it yet but say it one more time I'm going to live a blessed life and so for the next four weeks I need you to walk in with me not because we're trying to get something from you I'm trying to get something to you and the crazy thing about it is these principles and God's Word are something that I've last time and we need to adopt these principles live these principles and be ones to actually live a blessed life the coolest thing about this entire series is that in a series where we're talking about us being generous and stewards over what God's placed in our hand we're not just not taking second offerings and trying to get money we're actually gonna give money away now some of y'all don't understand this cuz you just started watching transformation church but when we first started this God told me he said Michael I want you to take up an offering and I want you to give everything in that offering away and I am so grateful for the people who've been down for transformation Church and his vision of crazy faith from the very beginning of us being leaders because that day we raised $8,000 and on that day this you may be like oh that's not a lot but to us that was everything we brought our finances together and there's people in this room who gave in that offering and when we gave we took all of that money and we gave it away as a seed and we said this is going to produce a life for our church that we would be marked as a generous church well I'm glad to tell you during the next four weeks we're not giving away eight thousand dollars we're gonna be giving away to different organizations and nonprofits that help change cities the US and the world we're gonna give away three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in the y'all come on that's huge and I'll see you in the back right how can I get some of that money it's already designated what I'm telling you though is because of transformation church's generosity and people who've already caught this message of the blessed life we're able to be a blessing not just ask for one what would happen if you can be a blessing and not just ask for one what can happen when you walk into the room the blessing just showed up what happens that our church whatever we work whatever we go we are the blessing that people are praying for and that is my desire is that we could be the answer to prayer instead of just the ones praying for things but that takes us being able to walk in a level of generosity and stewardship that allows us to live say it one more time the blessed life all right so I want to talk about this whole concept of securing the bag for a second because a lot of people don't know how to live a blessed life because they don't know how to be generous but look what proverbs 1124 says it says the world of the generous gets larger and larger but the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller now that's a powerful piece of Scripture right there cuz somebody I won't even share french fries you hear what I'm saying you just Angie you just mean but I'm trying to think about in the kingdom of God when we are generous with whatever we have our gifts and talents our finances our love God says people's world get bigger and bigger but if we hold back if we try to keep it if we try to keep it only for our family our four and no more God says that your your world gets smaller and smaller and some of you are in such a tight space not because that's where God wants you is because where you have been having your faith act for generosity over the years God will bless you and you won't give anything God will expand you you won't share your knowledge he gives you more contacts and you won't hook nobody else up and your world has just begin to collapse on you silly Allah claustrophobic right now not because of what God has done because of what you have done I'm talking to somebody but today I want us to get stronger in the area of generosity and stewardship and that's why we're gonna secure the bag now this is this whole thing I've secured the bag this is a phrase a cultural phrase that came up over the past five years and for some of you I say secure the bag then you have different meanings in your head for some of you when I say secure the bag you think of this you think of the little brand ties that you have to put back on to the braid because we want our brand to not be um hard so that's secure in the back for others of you when I say secure the bag you think of this yeah that's a chick-fil-a bag and and and it's a Monday through Saturday that's the only thing you want to secure is Christ um chicken is its Christ chicken Jesus chicken whatever they're some of the ladies in the room we're securing the bag looks like this yeah yeah this is the celebrities purse closet and some of y'all wouldn't want this to be the bag that was secured for you and then some of my fellows in the the room we got to work out because we have secured the bag those are bags of potato chips and she knows that you have been securing for a long time but when I say secure the bag this this looks like something a little different today and I want us to look at a definition of this and I want you to write it down um this is from the most reliable source that I could find the Urban Dictionary an expression used to describe the act of taking advantage of a situation or this is what I want you to focus on keeping something of value like when I secure the bag I keep something of value when I secure the bag I do what I teach something of value today I want to talk about what you found as we start this series as we go down this journey I need to ask you what you value because when you see something that you value our natural inclination is to secure it just to think about the most expensive thing that you own that's the thing you don't leave sitting out that's the thing you don't let kids play with that's the thing you don't poor things up because it's valuable to you you try to secure it and a lot of times we keep things secure that are valuable or we keep them the secure because they're vulnerable now I want you to think about that why do I secure anything because of its value and its vulnerability now I'm about to teach you something I had a very hard time with this concept of giving and this concept of generosity because I valued by and I know there's nobody in here like this but I wasn't giving my money to nobody not a little things when I like would you like to get 50 cents to some kids in the day I'm like no I got three kids in the car I got to give to I got to feed these children laughs II don't like be honest okay maybe I'm being too real right now but-but-but because I value my money I don't just give it away and any time my money's vulnerable I'm trying to secure it and the thing about our entire life specially when it comes to finances the only reason you secure something I want you to write this down the only reason you secure something is when what's extremely valuable becomes extremely vulnerable when it's valuable and vulnerable your security I want to show you a practical example here's a picture of me and my kids and whenever you get past how beautiful my wife is and how I'm cute these little offspring we made are and how much we spent being at this Disney park the thing I want you to notice is that we all have on the same colored t-shirt and the reason that we have on the same colored t-shirt is because me as the father of this beautiful family got a little insecure before we went to Disney World the night before we went to Disney World I don't know how I ended up on it but I was looking up rides for Disney World on YouTube and the best thing and then I got to this page where they was talking about kids who got lost at Disney World and um your boy started freaking out and so 24 hours before we went to Disney where I stayed up all night designing these beautiful t-shirts that talked about our trip and all the t-shirts were nice I really did he design them for the ascetic I designed it because what was valuable to me wouldn't be vulnerable when we got into the park with thousands of people and so when something is valuable and vulnerable our natural inclination is to secure it and so what I was trying to do in that moment by giving us all the same color shirt was trying to secure that if my kids ran off I could easily identify them and if they got separated from me that they could easily identify us I was trying to secure what was valuable and vulnerable so when I think about our finances our families our gifts our talents many of us have been securing it because it's valuable to us but in some area of our life it's been vulnerable and this is the thing I need you to hear because I'm trying to build visit this foundation for a god to get to our hearts in this thing if we do not feel like something is secure we secure it ourselves and this is the key to what many of us do not walk in our callings while many of us don't give what we're supposed to give is because we're insecure in the environment that we are in and when you are insecure let me just give you the point because some of y'all don't even understand it insecurity always comes from a lack of trust and when I am insecure I secure Maceda game but there's a lack of trust you start saying oh if they not gonna do this for me I'm insecure and how they're gonna treat me I'm insecure about how this is gonna work out when I'm insecure than an eyes secure I'm God I'll take matters into my own hands how many people in the room right now look at me be honest how many people are control freaks come on let's be honest do you know the truth about you always wanting to be controlled if somewhere along the road trust was broken and you don't trust nobody so you're insecure now and when you're insecure you secure ah I'm gonna give you the equation of insecurity and this don't have to do nothing with finances you can apply this to every area of your life but when you have something that is valuable and then you put it in a position that's vulnerable and you take away trust it equals insecurity value plus vulnerable - trust equals insecurity let me give you an example okay so if you had a dream when you were young it was valuable and you you believed in the dream and you were gonna do great things and then you got vulnerable that sub moment and you told a friend somebody that you you trusted but then they took away trust they say you could never do that and nobody in the family has ever done that and it equals insecurity now you're 48 years old questioning your purpose because what was valuable the dream I'm talking to somebody right now was vulnerable and they talked down and took Trust away and now you're here questioning your purpose there are people who are teenagers and they had something of value they had their period they were sexually pure and then they were vulnerable now yeah we're just gonna go over to uncle's house to spend the night and they went over to uncle's house to spend the night and the trucks was taken away from them and somebody touched him inappropriately and I'm being very sensitive but this is somebody's real story right now and now that's equal than being insecure and they haven't been able to stay faithful in a relationship and stay true to something because now they're insecure and they don't know their own self-worth I'm trying to help you and that's why I want everybody in this room to understand the wounds and the pain that you have in your life all the things that are going on a lot of it we're just trying to secure what has been damaged in other seasons that's why when you get a cut on your hand the first thing is put a bandaid on it because if I feel insecure I secure I'm trying to help somebody in the room right now that's why many of you were type no I'm shy no you weren't always shy you used to go out and do stuff but then trust was taken away and now you're trying to secure yourself from getting hurt anymore so you don't try anymore you don't step out you won't do what God's called you to do but if you feel insecure then you secure that's why many of you won't get in small groups cuz I tried to trust people one time before and I told somebody something that really hurt and they talked about me they got something about me and so so now I'm insecure about that and when I'm insecure then I secure and that's why others of you we have thousands of people in this room right now and only a fraction of them serve and that's not because you don't have the ability to service because at your last church somebody took advantage of your time and so now you're making everybody else pay for the mistake of one person and you're securing yourself not to be able to be the blessing that you could be I'm talking to somebody right now because when you're insecure everybody say I secure so this is what I'm trying to get everybody to give when it comes to your family to your future and specifically in this series your finances are you securing the bag like like like people say that in a positive term and culture like I gotta go secure the bag baby I'm out here working secure in the bag I'm out here I'm about to secure the bag but but I don't think that's such a positive term when it comes to the kingdom of God because I found out if you're securing the bag that means God is it if you are the provider in your life that means God is it if you're the way later in your life that means God is it I don't think it is a ain't something we need to be proud of that yeah I'll secure the bag cuz you're securing what you're insecure about and so when you have to be the one securing your family's future when you're the ones secure in the family I can't come I can't spend time with the kids I prayed for cuz I got to make sure they got money to do this that in the third the family cuz you're the man of the house that means you're not letting God secure what he's already paid for so do you want to be the provider do you want to really secure the back because that goes in exact opposite of what God says he is in the word he says he's Jehovah Jireh you're pro fighter that only can be one of those and that's what I'm begging you in this series to open up your heart stay with me through this whole series cuz I want you to trust God with your finances trust God with their family trust God with your future cuz the truth about it is many of us are securing what we should be sowing many of us are supposed to be sowing our gifts and talents but we're securing many of us should be showing our abilities but we're securing we should be sowing our time but we're securing them and this is it's a shame because we didn't do anything to earn what we're securing in the first place it was God's grace who gave us our abilities it was the grace of God who brought us to the place we're at right now see some of y'all don't forgot where you used to be but it's nothing but the grace of God and now we're securing what God says no if you give it away it'll multiply if you give it away it'll come back to you if you don't give it away if you're blessing to somebody else it'll be a blessing to more but he said no you're securing it and that's not what you need to do so really maybe the series should be called don't slit ear to bag because if you're securing it it means that God isn't and God is so good that he knew that we would struggle with this in our mortal bodies and so he gave us this parable which is a truth alongside of a story parabola to see what the kingdom of God looks like when we start talking about these bags and securing the bag turn with me to Matthew chapter 25 and we're gonna start in verse 14 it says again the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man who goes on a long trip that man is God in this in this passage he called together his servants and he entrusted money what did he entrust what did he entrust the only reason that I'm saying this is he could have used any other example in the world but he uses money and I want you to know in the Bible that we read money and possessions is referenced over 800 times it is the second most talked about subject in the Bible because it matters okay so I want everybody to check in with me to this he says um he trusted them with the money while he was gone verse 15 he gave five bags of silver to one two bags of silver to another and one bag of silver to the last dividing it in proportion to their abilities and then left on the trip and some of y'all a man right there cuz you're like why do you give one father and he gave one to man and he gave me one man si si all of us are already assuming that God's unfailing because my situation wasn't like their situation that my setup wasn't like their setup and that's the plan of the enemy for God's grace to then be snuffed out because of comparison none of them deserved any bags none of them deserved the one bag the fire bag are the two bag and what happens is we get the grace of God and then we start looking at what they got him what they got and we need to understand that god is so good he said good master look what it says it even tells us why he gives them the bags that they got he says he divided it in a proportion to their abilities and and and and most of us we want it to be something that's fair even though we squandered the last season that God gave us even though the last opportunity we didn't do what we were supposed to do maybe we should be all on the same level but God is a good master and I need you to understand this the next season of ability is gonna depend on the last season of responsibility oh that's good word right there the next season of ability it's going to depend on the last season of responsibility how did you steward over the last year how did you steward over the people that you have under your leadership how did you steward over the $50 and 62 cents that you got from that job last week and many times we don't count it as anything and so we're like I don't have to really do anything with that but the Masters watching your ability he's watching how you handle what he's placed in your hand and he's saying this next level is gonna be based on how you were responsible with the last level so right this point now God knows what you can handle because he's watching how do you handle he knows what you can handle cuz he's watching how you handle some of you have on your crazy face board a new house it ain't coming until you handle that apartment y'all don't enough they don't want to hear nothing like this but but it's not the new car that you've got looking clean on the picture it is far away from you because of the big size you drove to get here today you we know what you hate for the last four weeks if we just look at the bottom of your floorboard in your car what I'm telling you is God is watching how you handle what you have right now and many of us need to know that God wants us to go to a whole nother level of being blessed but our next season of ability is coming from our last season of responsibility see the biblical term for this is stewardship everybody say stewardship it's not even a sexy were like stewardship like that's not a sexy word but it's a powerful one because if you could ever get the concept of true stewardship then you wouldn't be able to do things that your your pedigree doesn't call for your education doesn't call for God's looking for somebody he can trust and the thing that you got to understand about stewardship this is what stewardship says today matters when I'm a good steward I'm not looking to the future I'm looking to what I'm doing today and that's why people are like I'm gonna be a better friend in the future be a better friend today call the one person text them back everybody's talking about I'll be a better employee tomorrow I just got to get through this season know stewardship says today matters how I love today matters how I respond today matters how I saved my money today matters the thing you gotta know about stewardship the reason why today matters come closer cuz today always shows up tomorrow some of y'all y'all look at pictures of yourself when you were smaller I'm coming for your house today and you've been like oh my god why didn't y'all tell me why didn't y'all tell me that wasn't that didn't happen overnight that wasn't a shock to anybody that was you not stewarding over the day and because he didn't do it over at that day and showed up the next day and you didn't show it over at that day and it showed up the next day and then it shows up the next day do you hear what I'm saying to you today matters body needs to get a revelation in this place somebody shot at me today matters so in this story of Matthew we see two different types of people one who would steward over it and the one who was security they would steward over what the master day and the other one that with security and I kind of want to introduce this thing because when we start talking about finances and we start talking about stewardship you know people get a little antsy there's some people in this section that's tight like all tight right now and I want you to know that I'm not coming to judge you but I want you to be able to assess yourself okay and and that's one of the best spiritual gifts is self-awareness so I want to give you an opportunity to assess yourself by something I'm calling the bag barometer okay and we're gonna put up a couple of different scenarios and you'll be able to see where you are either you're gonna be a person who stewards the bag which is what God wants us to do are you gonna be a person who secures the bag which is what our fear has us to do so so I'm gonna put these up in and do this I'm gonna show us and illuminate some revelation that shows what those two type of people do either we're gonna do it over what God's given us or we're gonna secure this bag okay and honestly as I look at this story it's a perspective if you're gonna Stuart the bag that means you know you're a manager not an owner see everybody who's a steward knows that it's somebody else's and they're just taking care of it they're just managing it but if you're gonna secure the bag you take the idea of an owner the reason why why why I got to do this with my money cuz this is my job and this is my money and this is my family you do feel like you own something and the thing that you have to know as somebody who was steward over it though this is God's family this is God's job this is God's money this is God's church all I am is a everybody say manager yeah some of y'all couldn't even say it cuz he's like I'm not that's a lie many of us are taking the place of the owner and that's what we see in this in this chapter we can verse 16 it says is a servant who received five bags of silver they went to invest the money and earn five meal the servant with two bags of silver also went told ooh is that a cuss word in the Bible what they went to work oh snap it earns you four I just gotta talk to somebody real quick that if you're in a season right now where you're just so creative and waiting on God that you're not stewarding over the season that you're in right now you need to be responsible enough to work and work on your passion and there's some people under the sound of my voice waiting on this big break maybe you need to do that and clocked in at settings do you hear what I'm saying because you have to manage the seasons so that you can be prepared for what God has for you to do somebody say that customer Whitney work I don't know who that was for but I just went off on a tangent just on somebody here we go verse 18 it says but the servant who received the one man he dug a hole in the ground and he secured the bank or you could say he hid the money so so let me go back to my bad barometer if you're gonna store it in the bag that means you know you're a manager of the bag and that means that you would be one like the guys with five and two that they invested they sewed the bank see the thing that you got to understand when you're managing something that God gives you that you can show it because any good farmer knows when I saw something I'm not saying goodbye to it forever I'm putting it into the ground or putting it into a place where they can produce more and so many of us are so scared to so because we don't understand the concept of sowing and reaping when I put something good in that means I'm gonna give you something good but if I don't put anything good in see the guy with the five and the two they sewed the bag but the guy who tried to secure the bag he dug a hole and hid the bag and I just wonder how many of us are trying so hard to secure what was supposed to be a seed like that that book you haven't given to anybody because you're scared of them judging that wasn't the best book that you were supposed to write that was supposed to be a seat you were supposed to so that that wasn't even the one that was gonna blow up that was the one that was going to allow somebody to see you who was gonna partner with you for the book that was actually gonna blow up but because you dug a hole and hidden it you'll never be able to see what God wanted to do with it because you wouldn't show it and I don't know who I'm talking to right now but the Spirit of God is challenging me to challenge you to dig up what you ever tried to put in the ground and high dig up the song dig up the curriculum dick I feel the presence of God in this place you better dig up that art piece you better dig up that idea and take it out of the place where was gonna be a grave and planted in say thank God is going to take that thing and multiply it somebody say how much so the bag say it again I'm gonna show the bag I'm telling somebody in this room right now that God is in the idea of trying to get what he placed in you out of you and he don't want it back the same way he gave it to you he wants it won't apply but you only can multiply something when you're steward in the bank and you know you're not the owner but you're the manager of the bag and you're not gonna dig a hole for the bag but you're gonna sew the bag verse 19 after a long time the master returned from the trip and called them together to give an account of how they used his money remember that they don't own it they were managing it but if if you're managing something but you have the perspective that you're honoring owning it you'll do the wrong thing with it verse 20 the server to whom he had trusted five bags of silver came forward and say hey what's going on master like it is respected you gave me five bags of silver to invest and guess what I did maybe boy five more I want you to see what the one who knew he was stewarding the bag with the with the perspective of prosperity look what he did he acknowledged where the bag came from if you're gonna stew it over what God is giving you you have to acknowledge God and many of us have been walking around like everything that we have somehow we deserved it and God's saying hey it's me the air that you're breathing that's me the use of your limbs that's your boy everything that's going on right now that's me and I don't even want you to turn to stop doing what you're doing all I need you to do is everybody say acknowledge me that's why the Bible tells us in proverbs 3 6 in all your ways acknowledge him and he will be so good he'll be your GPS he said and I will direct your and some of you have been on the wrong path because you stopped acknowledging the one who made the pan and I don't know who I'm talking to today but that was the key you came for is that I am gonna start acknowledging God this ain't the job that I want but I'm here and I thank you that you allowed me to be here god I acknowledge that you can make a good situation out of a bad one God I acknowledge that the only reason I have my right mind right now is to be able to bless people and help people father hired knowledge I was about to test them out but I acknowledge this you helped me team up like we got two egg knowledge but in direct contrast if you trying to secure the bag and on the bag and dig a hole for the bag what you do is what happens in verse 24 look at it then the servant was the one bag of silver saying oh man you know what you look good you know what I knew I said self and self same would and I said you know what the master I know he is a harsh man yes he is I knew it I knew it was about you and I know you don't harvest in crops that you plant and I know I know you gather crops that you didn't cultivate and I got stopped right here because this man said I knew he assumed that he knew what God was gonna do with what he gave me when you are stewarding the best bag you acknowledge God but when you are securing the bag you assume of God and some of us have gotten so prideful that we will get relationships and we own I know what that relationship is gonna be doing you look at the money that God asked you to give her you look at the time he asks you to sew and you go I know what God didn't do do you really there have been so many times in my life that God was working something behind the scenes that I had no clue about but in my pride in my own arrogance I assumed I knew what God was going to do and God says that is a characteristic of somebody who doesn't trust me and is trying to secure the bag because you are one that wants to be provided for yourself you want to be in control for yourself and God begin to tell me Michael you don't know me have you ever met somebody who who who acted like they knew you but they really didn't know you and there's some people try to make assumptions about what they don't know let me say it even clearer that makes assumptions about people who they don't know that's why it's very very very bad to listen to people who don't have a real relationship with God when it comes to the area of your life because they will assume and put on you what they assume about God and they don't even got a real relationship with him and this man he is sold to you what God was gonna do but I hear God from heaven telling all of us like he's told me a hundred times what he told in Isaiah 55 verse eight my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts since the Lord and my ways are far beyond your imagination for just as high as the heavens are of the earth so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts you better stop assuming how God can take a little bit of sacrifice a little bit of seed a little bit of intentionality and multiply it into something that will bless so many others you don't know what God has in store for you I feel that thing you have no clue what God will do it a little obedience with the little faithfulness with a little bit of love to somebody who feels like they're broken in downcast you have no clue that's why any time I walk into a situation I acknowledge God you're the reason that I'm here direct my path now whenever you want me to do here who whatever you want me to say here I'm open somebody needs to thank God right now come on just give him praise right now that you are going to be one that acknowledges the p'pon come on take 5 seconds and acknowledge God right now we thank you Lord we magnify you we listen to up I don't have to secure my future I don't have to secure my finances I don't have to secure it because I'm just storing all this anyway the truth is when you're securing the bag securing your finances securing your family securing all of this it exposes who you trust and the sad thing to say in Rome this being a thousands of people watching and transformation nation is that most of us are in a building and in a lifestyle of Christianity where we where we act like but we actually don't I know we don't say it in public but our actions our actions expose who we actually trust and today I want us to get a different response than the dude that had one bag and dug a hole and he secured his own bag and he thought he owned the bag and he dug a hole for it and he soon dove God look at the response that God gave to the people who steward it the bag in the right way Matthew chapter 25 verse 21 look what it says and the master was full of praise well done my good and faithful servant you have been faithful in handling this Psalm all am and now this always messes me up because he's talking to the guy with five bags and remember at the beginning everybody was probably comparing themselves like you got one you got two you got five and look what the master says the one with five he said that was still a smaller man oh you thought this was just a test you thought you was starting up here I the business that you have right now the still a small amount the influence that you have right never still a small amount like I've stuck to what you think that this is I am the god of abundance I am the god of a blessing right that's the reason I came that you might have life and have life abundantly turned a fool and what I'm trying to tell you no matter if you say well that's oh my god don't need anything unless I have a boat my kids are in private school all that that's still a small amount baby but God wants to do is take it from Gloria glory level to level and that's why you got to understand this point God is not limited by our small thinking he's limited by our small obedience if we don't start obeying God at the small things the things that seeming significant he told you to go read with those kids at that school and you don't think that it's important because nobody else is doing it because it's not a church wide event and God said I need you to do is be faithful over the small thing so one day you're gonna be the principal on that school but I wanted you to sow seeds into that school when it didn't matter but you're singing so narrow you seem so small and God is saying I see so much bigger whatever you think it is right now that's still a small thing that's the small thing like when I started as the sound man at Greenwood Christian Center when I decided to stay and be obedient in the small thing God saw this he saw the arena full of people he saw it paid off but he said will you be faithful I feel this thing to sow a slow seed to be obedient when nobody's looking and all I'm asking you right now it's not to look and what anybody else is doing cuz what your obedience is it's significant and that's true stewardship whether you're an intern who you're a CEO where you're obedience at that level is significant for what God has for you in your life verse 22 so the servant who I received the two bags of silver came forward and said master you can take three back to silver to invest and I earned two more and the master said well done my good and faithful servant you have been faithful in handling the small amount now I will give you more responsibility not money ah see y'all thought this was a prosperity gospel you thought it is you give you three hundred and thirty three dollars you get three thousand and thirty three dollars but this is the key of what God is saying the reward of being a good steward is more responsibility you thought it was more money you thought this was a magic trick you thought this was the lotto God says when you handle what's in your hand I'm gonna give you more responsibility so you can go ahead and tween this this is not a gospel of prosperity this is a gospel of responsibility can God trust us the problem has been and I have to apologize on behalf of all the pastors and leaders who mishandled the responsibility of guarding people's finances and Trust in their lives I'm so sorry that God would trust men with influence who are imperfect because they didn't have accountability or were drunk on pride or didn't understand the weight of what they were holding on behalf of all of them I say I'm sorry what God is trying to do is not make us rich to be rich he's trying to make us bless so he can be a blessing there's a world out here that's dodging there are people who need leadsmen they don't want to hear about our God if we can't meet their need they need homes they need shoes they need to be rescued out of sex trafficking and because we're so broke many times we cannot be a physical extension of God's hand in his heart and so what we have to do now is repent I'm repenting on behalf of every leader every CEO every boss who miss use your trust or subtracted trust and made you insecure today I'm coming to ask you to give God another chance through another leader to another group of people to be able to stand and say you know what God doesn't want us to Stewart over this so we can just add more and be OK for our family we don't need to secure anything we have to be chitinous and we have to steward over what God has given us and I don't know right now I feel such a burden right there is that people have been hurt but what's happened to them and today I'm believing that God might his Spirit is healing people he's healing your perspective he's healing your heart he's healing your mind and the enemy's trick would be to let a man keep you from a blessed life the enemy's trick wouldn't make you be able to blame somebody and now you're not living in the fullness of what God has called you to live but today we're coming to reverse that thing I believe in this room come on somebody help me I believe in this room that God is coming to restore trust and his word and the men and women of God that he has entrusted this to because we are supposed to live a blessed life look at verse 24 did he a servant with one bag of silver came and said master harvesting crops you get any plant and gathering crops that you didn't cultivate here's the whole reason he dug a hole this is why he tried to secure the back I was a friend fear was the culprit that kept him from faith we're yelling crazy things we're wearing it on our hoodies but you can wear a crazy faith hoodie and still be walking in fear you can sit in this big auditorium that God provided in faith and still leave out of here in fear and what I'm coming to do as your pastor is over the next four weeks I'm about to break the spirit of fear off of you first Timothy tells us that God didn't give us that experie he didn't give us the spirit of fear and timidity but he gave us the spirit of power love and what speak that over your language the man trying to secure the bag he wasn't a bad man just the way many of you who have been trying to secure the bag for yourself secure your family secure you're not a bad person you're just afraid you're afraid that God doesn't have a plan that's bigger than your savings account you you're afraid that God doesn't have a plan bigger than your first divorce you're afraid that God doesn't have a plan bigger than your failure but I'm here as a living witness telling you that God's plans for you and not to harm me to give you a hope and a good future and that's why we can't be ones to secure the bag and on the bag and dig a hole for the bag and assume of God because he was afraid that man was afraid to lose the bank and there are too many of us right now if you're living status changed you wouldn't be a rank if you went for the home to the apartment you would fall upon if you went from three cars to one car that was ten years old you would feel like you were taxi aren't you driving aren't you aren't you still being able to do what God's asks you to do and I don't know but this spirit of fear has taken over our culture when it comes to finances when it comes to our family when it comes to disease when it comes to all this stuff and many people are digging holes and securing bags because they're afraid but when you stew it over something that you know you're not the owner of but you're just the manager of and heal so what God gives you and you acknowledge God at every step away what you knew is you trust God's plan for the future man I've got a worry where the next is coming from I don't gotta worry if God has a plan if transformations are shut down the top household is don't be fine cuz I made a declaration to God as for me in my house we will serve the Lord that means I'm a manager so if he takes something away that means he has something better for me Oh y'all better hear me in this room I do not worry where the next bag comes from because I am secure any the one who called me to this place some of y'all need to catch that you've been worried about the healing you've been worried about your family you've been trying to secure it and all God is saying have faith and trust me he that began a good work to see it to completion his name is alpha and beginning I don't worry about where the next bag comes from I know if I saw it today and I love today and I'm faithful today and I screw it over today the next bag is coming from the one who supplies all the bags verse twenty-nine to those who use well what they are getting underlined that use will not use not use up use way what they have been given look at this even more will be given and they will have an abundance better not sound like the blessed life to me that sounds like the black dog bond in life and that's what you have to know maybe securing the bag is not the way that we want to live our life because when we secure the bagging exposes our insecurities it exposes that we don't trust cuz we only secure what's valuable and what's fun and in this scripture it tells us if you're gonna secure the bag you use excuses for the bag that you have right now he said I knew you are a hard master so what I did was not the faith thing I did the thing that would just give you back what you gave me I said I couldn't I just could have kept it at that when I gave you that singing ability I didn't I didn't I didn't give you that too so you could give it back to me the way I gave it to you when I gave you that administration ability I didn't I didn't ask you to give you that back to me the same way I gave it to you when I dated he said I wanted it to multiply and that's why when you steward the bag you use the bag you have it reminds me of a saying that all you have is all you God said you don't need another bag just flip the one you got he wasn't looking for the one with one bag to end up with ten bags the one with five ended up with ten cuz he doubled it the or to ended up with four cuz he's doubled it all he was looking for from the person with one bag was too many my question to you is some of us because we've been so anxious and fearful and trying to secure the bank double what you have double just exactly and if you do that you get a well done my good and faithful but for those who this is scary all even what little they have will be taken away now throw this useless piece of servant and it took other darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and that's what many of our finances look like I do let me help our only true security is in trusting God i'ma say one more time our only true security is in trusting God I gave you the equation of insecurity earlier but let me give you the equation of security trust plus value plus being vulnerable equals security when Trust is the foundation I trust them with what I value my money I trust God with my money I trust God with my resources and it's vulnerable so it's vulnerable when I bless others when I give it to a church when our tight end presents it vulnerable but that's the only way you have true security let me give a practical example I have a daughter named Bella and Bella trust her father so because she has trust and she knows she's valuable to me she has no problem being vulnerable with me we were at the pool this summer right after we took that Disney picture and um we were out of poo at the little rental house the Airbnb that we had and Bella she can't quite swim yet and so her mom is super like stay away do the water and um I was in the deep end of the pool I said Bella jump and her mama in the background saying don't jump and I'm saying I'm looking her in our eyes and I'm saying jump and she's Mama's like don't do it but because she trusted her father and she she said I don't know how this is gonna end up but in a place that I can't secure myself in my hands like the hands of the Father I see it stretching out to some of you are gonna take steps in this next season trust God and I just feel that in this room that's the picture that God wants to give some of you as you step out and you put your trust in the one who will never fail you he you can be vulnerable in them and he won't touch you insecure today I just want your heart to be open to what God is saying when you trust God with what you consider valuable and you are vulnerable enough to sowing he provides trust in God we have to learn so much more about generosity and stewardship over the next four weeks you don't want to miss one moment of this series because it can change like every year and I'm telling you we would not be here today if we didn't embrace this idea of living the blessed life maybe it's not the best thing for us to secure the bag maybe it's better if we steward the bag cuz I don't have to secure the bag because I'm secured by God oh that's good teaching right there I don't gotta secure nothing because I secure by God the reason you find that revelation it was found in verse 28 from me and I saw for the first time last year because you know the man that that did that secured the bag his bag got taken from him but what God do with that bag like I've never paid attention to what he did with the bag until this moment and this is God's grace and his love and His mercy for people who steward over what was given to him look at verse 28 of Revelation this is the real part of God right here it says then he order to take the money from this nasty piece of servant I just like taking it piece of serving and give it not to himself but God wasn't trying to get more so that he could just be rolling in the dough he said and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver I need to give more to the person who steward over any problem that's the heart of God he's not trying to take from anybody he just wants what he gives us to be used properly in many of us right now as our bank accounts have other priorities in them as our families have other priorities God saying hey yo could you stop securing the bag and steward over it so I can secure you and the thing that I found out about this servant with ten bags he didn't know he was getting another bag the master saw how he used what he had given him and he put his grace on it he put his abundance on it he put the best life on it and that's why I want you to know while you're trying to secure a back God is trying to supply you with it bags some of you are so uptight about securing this one thing and I said I'm trying to give you more if you would Stuart oh I'm gonna pray for everybody into the sound of my voice right now come on all over this room stand up all over this room and I want you to lift your hands and I'm gonna pray that if there's an area of your life that you have been securing ah and you know you need to give it over to God right now it may be your finances it may be your family it may be your talents and your gifts but if there's an area that you have been secure in the bag and now you want to give it over to God and you want to steward it with the right heart so he can direct your path can't slip it all over this place watching online right now watching the rebroadcast lift it up Father in the name of Jesus come on I believe father God that today you gave us revelation that father that you don't just want us to live an okay life but you want us to live a blessed life and today that starts with trusting you with what's valuable and vulnerable God and I'm asking you right now in the presence of all your people that you would touch the hearts of people who trust have been stolen and they would get a supernatural infusion of safety in this building to believe you again God I'm asking you to give us the faith of the one with five bags in two bags not to try to get as much as we can but just do it well over what you put in our hands today Holy Spirit I'm asking that you start our surgery only inside of our heart that will allow us to come from poverty to live in a blessing that Cup brings us from living our greedy life to live in a blessed life that keeps us from living a reserved life to live in a blessed life I command the floodgates of generosity are open in this church in our lives and in our families today card we surrender everything we've been trying to secure and today we put our trust back in you have your way in our lives come and I thank you that we don't have to secure a bag because we're securing you in Jesus somebody thank you so much for watching transformation churches YouTube and I just want you to take another step if this is feeding you join transformation nation let's everybody that doesn't live here in Tulsa watching live with us on Sunday mornings gather your family let's make this thing an every week situation and please share share if it has impacted your life there is somebody that is waiting for you to share this with them and transformation is only a click away and there's one more thing I want to ask you to do pray about giving if you want to help us take this message all around the world and represent God to lost-and-found people for one reason transformation in Christ you can do that right now by clicking the giver I cannot wait to see you the next time we're here live a transform life you [Music]

Channel: Transformation Church

Views: 524,161

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Keywords: Transformation Church, Tulsa, Represent, God, Christ, Sermon, Jesus

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Length: 63min 7sec (3787 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 16 2020