PRINT OUTLINEWHOSE IS IT ANYWAY?

Matthew 25.14-30

  Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.  Matthew 25.14 God ________   ______________________.  

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Psalm 24.1 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’  declares the LORD Almighty.  Haggai 2.8 

… remember the LORD your God, for it is he who give you the ability to produce

wealth … Deuteronomy 8.18  God owns you because he _______________ you.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they were created, and have their being.” Revelation 4.11

 

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians 1.16

 God owns you because he ________________ you.… You are not your own; you were bought with a price … 1Corinthians 6.19-20  

I am the  _______________________.

 

You have a great _______________________.

 

Look for ________________.

 

Think of money as a ________________ not an ____________________.

 

Relinquished ____________________ back to God.

  SCREEN OUTLINE WHOSE IS IT ANYWAY?

Matthew 25.14-30

 

"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 25.14-30

   

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. Matthew 25.14

 God owns everything. 

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Psalm 24.1 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’  declares the LORD Almighty.  Haggai 2.8 

… remember the LORD your God, for it is he who give you the ability to produce

wealth … Deuteronomy 8.18  God owns you because he _______________ you.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they were created, and have their being.” Revelation 4.11

 

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians 1.16

 God owns you because he ________________ you.… You are not your own; you were bought with a price … 1Corinthians 6.19-20  

I am the  _______________________.

 

You have a great responsibility.

 

Look for opportunities.

 

Think of money as a means not an end.

 

Relinquished control back to God.

        CRAIG’S MSSWHOSE IS IT ANYWAY?

Matthew 25.14-30

 

[table moved onto stage, bulging briefcase on the table]

 

Take your Bibles, open them to the gospel of Matthew 25.14. This is a story that Jesus told – parable – story that has a spiritual meaning and application for our lives. [READ MT 25.14-30]

 

This past week we did something here at FBCC that we haven’t done before. We decided to give our kids a “hands on” experience living out this story and so we gave money to kids – real money – not the Monopoly kind- real cash in different increments – $25, $10, $5 - and we asked them to live out this story. We challenged them to think about how they could take the money that was given to them and how they could multiply it and give it back to God. And we got some great results. Watch this!

 [KIDS VIDEO] 

Now why did we do that? Because we wanted these kids to learn some incredible lessons about how to handle the things God puts in their hands. Listen, what we do with our money – what we do with our time – what we do with our talents and abilities – what we do with our relationships - what we do with the things God puts in our hands matter to God.

 JESUS ON MONEY

The Bible has a lot to say about money and possessions. 15% of everything Jesus said relates to this topic of money and how to use it. He spoke more about money than he did on heaven and hell combined. Why? Because there is a connection between how you think about money and how you walk with God.

 

We see this all through the Bible – people lives changed, effected the way they thought and handled their money.

 

Zachaeus – saved, gave back what he had taken from others

Widow – gave to God out of her poverty

Lady that took expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet in worship – extravagant gift

 

Not every story is a good one.

 

Rich young ruler – wanted to follow God, but turned away when he as called to release his possessions and wealth. Money had become his idol, his possession were his object of worship.

 

Jesus said it clearly  - where your treasure is, there will be your heart.

In effect, Jesus was saying, you follow the trail of receipts – how and where you spend your money – and at the end of that trail you will find what you worship, what you value, what you are trusting in!

Money can be a powerful tool to make eternal investments – but it can also be a powerful idol that steals away your hearts affection for God. That is why Jesus said – “We’ve got to deal with this issue of money!”

 

And so for the next four weeks we are going to look at what God says about how we handle the things in our hands! And we are going to take apart this story – we are going to look at it from different perspectives – mine deeper – peel back the layers – discover some powerful principles about how to handle the things we have.

  WHO’S IS IT ANYWAY?

The first question we have to answer when new talk about money, possessions –the most foundational question we must answer is “Who’s it is anyway?” It’s a question on ownership.

 

I brought some things that belong to be. It’s all in my briefcase. I want to show you some of these things I own.

 

This is the contract on my house- now I guess officially the bank hold the deed, but it’s my house, I’m paying for it, I own it.

 

These are my car keys – I have two cars, paid in full. They belong to be.

 

Here is my marriage license. Now I wouldn’t say I own her, but she’s mine!

 

Here is a picture of my girls –they are my girls

 

These are my favorite running shoes – I love to run in these shoes, so comfortable

 

Here is a bank statement  -so this is my money, my accounts, my investments

 

This is my diploma from seminary – doctorate degree, lots of hard work when into that!

 

On and this is my cell phone – lot of my friends I have are in this speed dial

 

What is this – Oh, haven’t seen this in a while, this is my birth certificate, it is my life after all.

 

When I look at these things spread out, all this stuff represents the things I have here on this earth. But whose it is really? Do I own these things? You might say, “Sure you do – you worked for it, you earned it…” But do I own these things?

 The story that Jesus told begins with a man who was obviously very wealthy, he own a lot of things! There was a lot on his briefcase. Look at verse v14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.” 

Now look at this one verse. Circle the words “his servants” and the words “his property”. This man was very wealthy. The servants are his. The property is his. He own’s everything in this story. Now Jesus is telling us this story to help us understand who He is and who we are.

 Just as the man own’s everything – God owns everything! Everything that you have belongs to him! It’s not yours – it’s all God’s! “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” Psalm 24.1 “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares the Lord Almighty.” Haggai 2.8 “Remember the Lord your God, fir it is he who give you the ability to produce wealth.” Deuteronomy 8.18  

God owns everything! It’s God’s. There is something about our money and possessions that we love to own. We love to look at it, marvel at it, gaze at it. We like owning it and claiming it as “Mine”. But this story says is “his property” not yours. Lets take that one step further – you are not even your own. The man called “his servants” over to talk to him. They belonged to him. Listen, God not only owns your stuff, he owns you! “How can you say God owns me! Nobody owns me!”

 God owns you because he created you.

Revelation passage – all things are for himself,

Colo 1 – created by him and for him

 God owns you because he bought you.

When Christ Jesus died on the cross, he paid for your sins. He purchased your forgiveness. And you belong to him. You are now apart of his eternal family. You are called is great and precious possession!

 “You are not your own; you were bought with a price.” I Corinthians 6.19-20 

The first lesson we learn from this story is that all the stuff we call ours belongs to God. And even our own lives are not our own, we belong to God too!

 

But there is a second part to that lesson. Not is God the owner, but he has entrusted these things to me to manage them for him.

 

Circle the word “entrusted” – word means:

God has put these things temporarily in your hands to manage them for his interest, and his alone!

 

My kids love watching Oprah’s Big Give – idea people are given money that does not belong to them, but they are entrusted with that money for one purpose – use it to bless people and to stimulate other to give. In the same way – The stuff that you have isn’t yours it’s God – but he has entrusted it into your hands for one purpose, to be blessing to others and to stimulate other to be a blessing as well! To advance his work until he comes again!

 

When I understand that God is the owner and I’m just the manager, then I begin to think about what he has put in my hands in a different way.

 

Realize that you have been given a great responsibility

 

Look for opportunities to use what he has entrusted to you

 

Think of all you have as a means not an end

 

What I really own – is this! (empty brief case) I came into this world with nothing. And I will leave this world with nothing. You are going to leave it all behind.

 

But God has entrusted all these things into my hands.

 

This house –isn’t my house. It’s God house, He has given it to me so that it can be a tool for ministry!

 

This car isn’t my car – it belongs to God. He’s just letting me drive it, so I can use it to be a blessing.

 

This marriage isn’t about pleasing myself –but pointing people to Christ and serving together as a team.

 

My kids are mine – I have them only for a short time, release them into the world to tell people about Jesus!

 

My clothes aren’t my to keep, but something I can give away.

 

My money – it’s his, he wants me to invest it, steward it, give it freely back to him! It’s his money to be used in a way that he would approve.

 

My education – its just a tool to help me reaching people.

 

My phone and relationships – they belong to him, platform to tell people what Jesus has done for me!

 

My life – belongs to him too!

 

So what’s in your briefcase?

 

Quitclaim deed – transfer all the ownership you have back over to it’s rightful owner!

    

________________________________________________________________

  

ACCOUNTABLE:

 

Notice: not all given equal amounts – all have equal accountability

We are accountable to:

 

To whom much is given, much is required

I will be held accountable for three things:

 

1) Manage – Did you manage the resources I entrusted to you the way I want them managed?

2) Invest – Did you invest the resources I entrusted to you for eternal returns?

3) Give – Did you give what the resources I entrusted to you to me? (skittles story)