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Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS023001S
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00:13 (music ends) 00:15 >>Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 I'm your host, Eric Flickinger, 00:20 and this week we are beginning a brand new quarter, 00:23 looking in the Sabbath school lesson 00:25 at "Managing for the Master Till He Comes." 00:29 We're looking this quarter at faith and finances, 00:31 how the two intertwine with one another. 00:34 And it's a very important lesson, 00:36 especially considering the things that have happened 00:38 in the world over the course of the last couple of years 00:41 and some of the financial challenges 00:43 that many families are facing right now. 00:45 Delighted to have with us the author 00:47 of this quarter's lesson, Ed Reid. 00:49 He is a licensed attorney and an ordained minister. 00:53 And we're gonna be delving in, for the next 12 weeks, 00:56 into this very significant subject. 00:58 But before we get started, let's have a word of prayer. 01:01 Father, we want to thank You for being with us today 01:03 and ask that You will bless our time together in Your Word. 01:07 Help us to understand how these two significant subjects, 01:10 faith and finances, interact with one another, 01:13 and how we can be a blessing to others as a result of it. 01:16 We thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 01:19 Ed, thanks for joining us today. 01:21 We're glad that you could be with us. 01:23 >>It's a pleasure. I've been looking forward to it. 01:25 >>So give us a little overview of where we're gonna be going 01:29 during the course of these 12 weeks 01:31 and maybe a little bit of behind-the-scenes background 01:33 into how this all came to be. 01:36 You've been involved with stewardship now 01:38 for quite a few years. 01:39 How did this lesson come into being and what's it all about? 01:43 >>Well, this is an interesting topic 01:44 'cause the background is very unique, I think. 01:47 Right after finishing law school, 01:49 the Georgia-Cumberland Conference asked me 01:50 to teach stewardship in that conference, 01:52 and I used Larry Burkett's materials, 01:54 "Your Finances in Changing Times" first. 01:58 And people were so interested, it was so practical, 02:01 and that's what we're gonna like about these lessons. 02:03 It's not just theological or not just ethereal; 02:05 it's actually practical day-to-day living 02:08 that's gonna be helpful to people. 02:09 So, the North American Division called me to serve up there, 02:14 first of all as the secretary of ASI for three years, 02:18 and during that time the Review and Herald asked me 02:20 to write a book about money management 02:21 'cause I've been doing these seminars. 02:23 So that's when I wrote "It's Your Money, Isn't It?" 02:25 Which is a bestseller, still sells really good in ABCs. 02:28 And we did a series, the Review did a series for us, 02:32 with recording a video studio and so on. 02:36 So we wrote the book and the workbook. 02:37 And believe it or not, 02:39 I went to all 58 conferences in the North American Division 02:42 preaching and teaching and camp meetings, 02:44 workers' meetings and teachers' meetings and so on. 02:46 So it's been very popular. 02:48 So this is actually the culmination of 02:52 about 30 years of study that we're gonna do this quarter. 02:55 So I'm looking forward to the practicalness of it. 02:57 >>So we're getting 30 years of experience, 03:00 practical experience, in this subject, 03:02 all distilled down into 12 lessons, 03:05 and this is the first one. 03:07 First lesson here we're starting off 03:08 is "Part of God's Family." 03:10 And it's interesting, the memory text 03:13 that you've felt impressed to begin us with 03:15 is 1 John 3, verse 1, which says, 03:17 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 03:22 that we should be called children of God!" 03:26 So in the scope of these lessons, why is it so significant? 03:30 What's the significance of us understanding 03:33 that we're God's children? 03:34 >>That's a very good question, 03:36 because the real bottom line is if we're God's children, 03:38 we have a relationship with Him. 03:39 People always talk about having a relationship with God. 03:41 If He's your Father, 03:42 you should have a good relationship with Him. 03:44 And this is one of the most practical ways 03:45 to have a relationship with God, 03:46 because it's all a faith venture. Just-- 03:50 one of the lessons, we'll talk about tithing. 03:52 If you give 10% right off the top to God, 03:55 you have to trust Him 03:56 to take care of the rest of it for you. 03:58 And He does that; that's one of His promises for us. 03:59 So we'll get a whole lesson on that one in a few weeks. 04:03 >>As we delve into this week's lesson, 04:05 Sunday's lesson is called "We Are Part of God's Family." 04:10 I wanna read this verse that is in the lesson, Ephesians 3, 04:13 verses 14 and 15, actually a couple of verses here. 04:16 It says, "For this reason I bow my knees 04:18 "to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 04:21 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." 04:25 So what's the imagery that's evoked here? 04:29 And is there some hope that we find in these verses? 04:33 I think there is, but what is that hope? 04:36 >>Well, this is very interesting 04:37 that God has asked us to be His Father. 04:39 When we look at this, it's real interesting. 04:41 When Jesus was teaching in the Sermon on the Mount 04:43 early in His ministry, 04:45 He spontaneously told 'em how to pray, and He said, 04:47 pray "Our Father, which art in heaven." 04:49 A few months later with just the private disciples, 04:52 the disciples came to Him and said, 04:54 "Lord, teach us to pray." 04:55 So when He told them, He said the same words, 04:57 "Our Father in heaven." 04:59 He later repeats the same thing privately to His disciples. 05:02 And that's the point we wanted to make now. 05:05 Interestingly enough, at the Resurrection day, 05:08 when Mary came to grab His feet and hug Him, 05:10 Jesus said to her, "Don't try to hinder me 05:13 "because I haven't been to my Father yet. 05:15 "But go and tell the brethren I'm ascending to my Father 05:18 and to your Father, and to my God and your God." 05:20 So His Father is our Father, and His God is our God, 05:24 a real close relationship. 05:27 >>So if He's our Father, how do we-- 05:31 that would make us children of God. 05:34 How does a person become a child of God? 05:38 >>That's a good question, 05:39 because that's all we'd wanna do, isn't it? 05:42 Become a child of God. The concept is real interesting, 05:44 because John, the first chapter, both the-- 05:47 the King James Version says gives us 05:49 the "power to become the sons of God," John 1, verse 12. 05:53 But the New King James says, 05:56 "The right to become the [sons] of God, 05:58 to [them that] believe [on] His name." 06:00 And Galatians 3:26 says, 06:02 "[You're] all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." 06:04 So, once we enter into a relationship with God that way, 06:07 He blesses us with the power 06:09 and the strength to do it as well. 06:12 This is loving imagery of a family. 06:14 He calls His people Israel "my people," 06:16 "sons of God," refers to the family as "our Father." 06:19 And then the point is that we are in God's whole kingdom. 06:24 >>When we get to Monday's lesson, 06:27 this idea of God being our Father, I think, 06:31 gains an even deeper meaning because in Monday's lesson, 06:34 it says that God is the owner of everything. 06:37 Where do we get this idea 06:39 that God is the owner of everything? 06:42 Is it just something that we believe, 06:45 or is there a biblical foundation for it? 06:48 How do we know that God owns everything? 06:51 If He's our Father, what does that mean for us? 06:53 >>Well, many people in my generation 06:55 worked their way through school. 06:56 They worked hard to get their education paid for and so on. 07:00 So you just think, "Well, God doesn't own my stuff. 07:02 I own it myself; I've worked hard for it," and so on. 07:04 But the Bible is very clear, 07:06 and you asked for biblical references. 07:07 Psalm 50, verses 10-12 talks about 07:09 "every beast of the forest is mine, 07:11 ...the cattle on a thousand hills." 07:13 One of my favorite ones is God says, 07:15 "If I [was] hungry, I wouldn't tell you; 07:16 [because] the world is mine, and [everything in it]." 07:18 So He's not asking us for any help that way. 07:21 Then Psalm 24, verses 1 and 2 talk about 07:23 "the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; 07:25 the world, and they that dwell therein." 07:27 One of my favorite ones is 1 Chronicles 29:13-14. 07:31 Many of you know that King David wanted 07:33 to build a house for God. 07:34 He had a beautiful home for himself and said, 07:35 "I need to build a place for God." 07:37 So one day Nathan the prophet came to visit him, 07:39 and he said to Nathan, "I have this idea 07:41 that I wanna build a wonderful house for God." 07:44 And he told him about it and what he thought it looked like. 07:46 And Nathan said, "Go forward; go with it." 07:49 What would you say if you were the pastor, 07:50 and one of your parishioners said, 07:52 "I'm gonna pay for most of this, 07:53 and I'll be responsible for it"? 07:54 You'd say, "When can we get started?" 07:56 Well, that's what Nathan said basically. 07:58 But that night when he went back to talk to God, 08:00 Nathan went back and had his devotions, 08:04 and God spoke to him and said, 08:05 "You'll have to go back and tell David 08:07 "that he can't build it 08:08 'cause he's a man of war and has blood on his hands." 08:09 And then the interesting part happened. 08:11 David said, "Well, could you ask God 08:13 "if I could at least get the building materials together 08:15 and get the plans drawn and so on?" 08:16 And so he did, and he was allowed to do that. 08:20 Now, listen carefully to what I'm gonna tell you next. 08:23 David spent the rest of his adult life, 08:25 his whole life from that point on, 08:27 collecting the material for the temple. 08:28 The Bible says that stones without number, cedarwood, 08:32 precious stones, marble, gold, silver, 08:35 brass without number, and it's all there together. 08:38 So he piled it on the site 08:39 where the sanctuary would be built, 08:41 and then he called all the leaders of Israel together 08:44 and said, "We're gonna have a thanksgiving 08:45 and praise service for God's been able to do this." 08:47 And that's what 1 Chronicles 29:13-14 says. 08:50 David had a prayer in this meeting, and he says, 08:53 "Now therefore, our God, we thank [Thee] 08:54 "and [we] praise [Thy] glorious name. 08:56 "But who am I, and who are my people, 08:58 "that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? 09:00 "[Because] all things come from You, 09:02 and of Your own we have given You." 09:03 In other words, we're just giving You back Your own stuff. 09:05 He recognized that God was the owner of everything. 09:07 Even though he had worked hard for it, 09:09 and he had paid for most of the stuff, 09:10 he gave God credit for it. 09:12 God is the owner of everything because He is our Creator. 09:16 >>So He's our Creator. He owns everything. 09:19 And I expect because we have some of it, 09:22 we are not the owners; we're simply managing it. 09:25 In fact, that's where the concept of stewardship comes from. 09:29 On Tuesday you talk about the resources 09:32 that are available for God's family. 09:34 We are part of God's family, 09:35 therefore some of these resources, 09:37 it would seem, are available to us. 09:40 What are some of these resources 09:42 that God has made available for us 09:45 so that we can be good stewards of what He's given us? 09:49 >>That's a good question, because the last lesson, 09:52 number 12, we're talking about the rewards of the faithful, 09:54 and a lot of that is pie-in-the-sky by-and-by, people think, 09:58 but it's real, of course. 10:00 But the bottom line is there's blessings 10:01 for your everyday life, the abundant life. 10:04 And that's what John 10:10 says, 10:05 that He came "that [we might] have life, 10:07 and...have it more abundantly." 10:09 And I believe that I can look back 10:11 on a long period of my life and just say, 10:13 "God has really taken care of our family." 10:15 There's no question about that. 10:17 So we've had an abundant life from there. 10:19 We also have John 3:16, and this one is amazing, 10:22 and that is--everybody knows this by heart-- 10:24 but you have two options in life. 10:26 You either have everlasting life, or you perish. 10:29 And that's an offer that He's given to us. 10:31 This is the hope, Eric, that we have when we're Christians, 10:35 that we look forward to the hope. 10:37 It's kind of like the carrot 10:38 for making the old mule go forward. 10:40 The idea is that we have this hope, 10:43 and we have a song about it, we all love it, 10:45 but that's what the hope is all about. First and foremost, 10:48 of course, we have the gift of salvation. 10:50 But when we talk about the gift, 10:52 God made it possible for everybody to get it, 10:54 but it only is to those who believe on Him 10:56 and follow Him in that way. 10:58 Well, there are many verses in the Bible. 10:59 Some of our other famous verses are Psalm 23, verse 1: 11:03 "The Lord is my shepherd." What's the next part? 11:06 "I shall not want." 11:08 He's taking care of us, so that's important. 11:11 Psalm 37:25, I can look at this 11:14 and say this is almost my experience: 11:16 "I have been young, and now am old; 11:17 "yet [I've never] seen the righteous forsaken, 11:19 nor his [seed] begging bread." 11:21 So God provides for our food and drink 11:23 and all the things that He has. Philippians 4:19-- 11:27 "My God [will] supply all [of] your need 11:28 according to His riches in...Christ Jesus." 11:30 So, Jesus asked His disciples when He sent them out, 11:34 "Did you lack anything?" 11:36 No, they didn't. God took care of them. 11:38 This is the day-to-day stuff we're talking about. 11:41 >>So God has taken care of His people in the past. 11:44 We can expect that He is going to continue 11:47 to take care of His people--that is, us--in the future. 11:51 And this quarter we're really looking at that, 11:53 how He takes care of us, and how He can use us 11:56 to help take care of other people. 11:58 You know, one of the things that we're blessed to have 11:59 is a companion book to this quarter's lesson. 12:02 The lesson, of course, is called 12:03 "Managing for the Master Till He Comes." 12:05 But we have a companion book 12:07 that goes along with this quarter, 12:08 which is simply called "Managing for the Master." 12:11 And, of course, you, Ed, are the author of this. 12:13 If somebody wants to get more out of this quarter's lesson, 12:18 give us a little, little sneak peek 12:19 into what this book contains that the lesson doesn't. 12:24 >>Very good question. 12:26 It's amazing, really, that there's-- 12:27 when the Pacific Press asked me to write the book, 12:29 they said, "Don't just repeat the Sabbath school lesson; 12:31 make it special." 12:32 So there's a lot of things in that book 12:34 that I've never written or spoken about 12:35 in public before; it's amazing. 12:36 For example, there's a whole chapter on covetousness. 12:39 There's a whole chapter on rewards 12:40 of the faithful in the end. 12:42 And a lot of things like that are incredible. 12:45 We understand that what brought the devil down-- 12:49 this is Isaiah 14, verse 14; 12:51 the devil says, "I will be like the Most High [God]." 12:54 So he wanted it. Covetousness is the idea 12:57 that you have an inordinate desire 13:00 for either the person or the possessions of another person, 13:02 their position or their possessions. 13:05 And Satan wanted to be like God. Adam and Eve 13:09 were in the Garden of Eden, you know, for quite a while, 13:11 and the interesting thing is the devil kept wondering, 13:12 "What can I do to get them? 13:14 I know what I'll do; I'll do what got me." 13:16 So he told Eve that, when she came near the tree, 13:19 "If you eat this, you'll be like God, 13:22 knowing good and evil." 13:23 Same thing, coveting the position of another, 13:25 not satisfied with their own place. 13:29 >>So that's just a little insight into what is 13:30 in this companion book, "Managing for the Master." 13:33 If you are interested in picking this up, 13:35 and I would encourage you to do so, 13:37 you can find it at itiswritten.shop. 13:39 Again, that's itiswritten.shop. 13:42 You're looking for the book "Managing for the Master" 13:45 by G. Edward Reid. 13:47 And I'm gonna be back with Ed here in just a moment. 13:49 We're gonna take a quick break. 13:50 When we come back, we're going to continue 13:52 with lesson number one 13:54 as we are looking at being a part of God's family. 13:57 We'll be right back. 13:58 (inspirational theme music swells and ends) 14:03 >>[John Bradshaw] You know that at It Is Written, 14:05 we are serious about the study of the Word of God, 14:08 and we encourage you to be serious about God's Word also. 14:12 Well, I wanna share with you another way 14:14 that you can dig deeper into the Word of God. 14:17 And here it is: itiswritten.study. 14:23 Go online to itiswritten.study 14:25 and you can access the It Is Written Bible Study Guides, 14:30 25 in-depth Bible studies 14:32 that will walk you through the Bible. 14:35 It's gonna be good for you, and it's the sort of thing 14:38 that you will want to tell somebody else about 14:41 so that they can dig deeper into the Word of God 14:44 and come to know the things of the Bible intimately. 14:47 As you get into the It Is Written online Bible study guides, 14:51 you'll understand the prophecies of the Bible, 14:53 the plan of salvation, and more. 14:55 So don't forget itiswritten.study, 14:58 itiswritten.study. 15:03 (inspirational theme music) 15:07 >>[Eric] Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 15:09 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:11 We're joined here, of course, by Ed Reid; 15:13 he's the author of this quarter's lesson. 15:15 And we're looking at lesson number one of 12. 15:18 Ed, I want to go back to something that you mentioned 15:21 just a moment ago because it's really a significant subject. 15:24 And that was on Sabbath afternoon; 15:26 we were talking about the significance 15:28 of being God's children. There are a lot of people, 15:32 a lot of people in the world today who, 15:34 well, many don't believe in God, 15:35 but some believe that He exists, 15:38 but they don't really have a personal relationship with Him. 15:41 Why is it so important for us to understand 15:43 that we are the children of God, 15:45 and what benefits are there? 15:47 Why is that so valuable for us to really be able 15:51 to internalize that and allow it to sink in? 15:55 >>Well, the real interesting point about this is 15:56 that God allows us to manage His affairs on the earth. 16:01 Every local church has a treasurer there, 16:03 and every conference has a treasurer. 16:04 No one ever gets a check signed by God; 16:06 it's always through people who have a relationship with God. 16:09 And so He allows us to manage His affairs on the earth. 16:11 He blesses us with the resources, 16:14 and then we are the ones that He's entrusted to manage them. 16:18 So we collect the money, we write the checks, 16:20 we do the electronic transfers, we make the budgets, 16:24 and we bring in our tithes and offerings 16:25 as worship on Sabbath morning. 16:26 So there's a direct relationship 16:29 between our relationship with God 16:30 and what happens on the earth. 16:31 It's really interesting also that the Bible encourages us 16:35 to spend resources that God's given us 16:37 for three different things. 16:38 One is for our own needs, and that's always put first. 16:40 And the second one is for the needs of others 16:43 that God puts around us. 16:44 And the third one is to help advance the cause of God. 16:47 And the second two help store up treasures in heaven, 16:49 as you probably know. 16:50 It's really interesting that, incredible as it may seem, 16:53 God allows us to raise His children, 16:57 build His buildings, 16:59 and educate the succeeding generations as well. 17:03 So there's a lot of responsibility and a lot of action 17:05 and a lot of happiness involved as well. 17:09 >>That's amazing that God-- 17:10 I dunno if I wanna use the word "condescends"-- 17:12 He condescends to allow us to play a very real role 17:16 in the care of others, 17:17 in the spread of the gospel all around the world 17:20 by some of the finances that He entrusts to us. 17:23 He then trusts us to put that back 17:26 into spreading the gospel. 17:27 Of course we know that the gospel has to go to all the world 17:29 before Jesus comes back. Jesus makes that very plain. 17:33 And we get to play an active role 17:35 in doing that. That's exciting. 17:37 Which kind of leads us to Wednesday's lesson: 17:39 "The Responsibilities of God's Family Members." 17:43 So God gives us all of these gifts. 17:48 He entrusts all of this to us. 17:52 What should we do? 17:55 How does that play itself out in our lives? 17:59 Because He's given us all these gifts, how do we respond 18:03 to that in a way that makes God happy, 18:07 puts joy in His heart, and also is a blessing to others? 18:10 >>Well, the real response given to us in the Bible, 18:12 both Old and New Testament, is the total commitment to God. 18:16 And we call that the "shema," actually, as Deuteronomy 6:5, 18:20 where it says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 18:22 "with all [thy] heart, ...with all thy soul, 18:24 ...with all thy might." 18:25 And then Jesus, when He was giving His sermon, 18:27 to one of the disciples said, Jesus said unto him, 18:30 "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 18:33 all thy soul, and all thy mind." 18:35 So the really interesting part is the book of Deuteronomy, 18:38 most of you are very familiar with the book, 18:40 it's Moses's last comments to Israel, 18:43 and he says in that--he reviews all the leadings of God 18:47 from the Exodus clear to the Promised Land. 18:50 It's an amazing story. 18:52 And then he says in Deuteronomy 28, 18:55 "If you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, 18:57 "and do all the things He's commanded you, 18:59 "then I'll bless you, 19:00 and all these blessings will come on you and overtake you." 19:02 Now, this is interesting. 19:03 I like that all the verses, all the translations 19:05 of the Bible that I've read, 19:06 talk about blessings overtaking you. 19:08 We see a lot in the crime world today; 19:10 people are getting their car carjacked or something; 19:12 you always have to watch out what's around you. 19:14 How would you like to have a look around you 19:16 and have blessings coming that overtake you? 19:18 That's what it talks about there. 19:20 So, it's important that we understand 19:22 that God's wanting to bless us. 19:25 >>And I think that's evident as you read the Bible. 19:27 God does want to bless us, 19:29 and He gives us some practical ways 19:30 that we can make ourselves more open 19:33 to receiving those blessings. 19:35 I think some of the blessings that He wants us 19:37 to receive are, of course, financial, 19:39 but there are other ones, there's health, 19:41 and there's spiritual blessings and so forth. 19:43 It's interesting--on Thursday, 19:46 the lesson is entitled "Treasure in Heaven." 19:51 And the verses--Matthew 6, verses 19-21--are, I think, 19:55 familiar verses to many Christians. 19:58 I wanna read those verses because I think that this passage 20:02 really helps us to put into perspective 20:05 how God's blessings and our situations 20:08 that we find ourselves in, our realities, can come together. 20:12 Here's what it says in Matthew 6, verses 19-21. 20:16 Jesus says, "Do not lay up for yourselves 20:19 "treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy 20:22 "and where thieves break in and steal; 20:25 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 20:29 "where neither moth nor rust destroys 20:31 "and where thieves do not break in and steal. 20:34 "For where your treasure is, 20:36 there your heart will be also." 20:40 So these are words from Jesus, spoken by Jesus, and they're, 20:44 really, they're directed towards us, 20:46 just as much as anything else Jesus had to say. 20:49 And He tells us, 20:50 do "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven," 20:52 not here on earth. What do heaven's-- 20:56 what are the treasures that we lay up in heaven have 20:59 over the treasures that we lay up here on earth? 21:02 >>Let me first give you a little bit more 21:03 about the setting here, Eric. 21:05 The setting is right in the middle 21:06 of the Sermon on the Mount. 21:08 And anybody that's taken speech lessons, 21:10 there's an introduction, a body, and conclusion. 21:12 Really the body of Jesus's sermon is about money management, 21:15 and so He's trying to give good counsel 21:17 about where to make your investments. 21:19 So in this particular case, 21:21 He's talking about don't lay them up on earth 21:23 'cause they're not safe here. 21:24 It's not because it's wrong; it's because it's stupid. 21:27 You lay it up here--you're gonna lose it. 21:29 Everything's gonna get burned up pretty soon, 21:31 as we all know. 21:32 The point is that, either way, remember that, 21:36 don't lay it up here 'cause it isn't safe, 21:38 that's the reason, but lay it up in heaven. 21:40 But notice where the text says, that you read, 21:42 "Lay up for yourselves..." 21:45 Now, this is not--some people think, 21:46 "Well, if I give a whole bunch of money to God, 21:47 "it just goes into a big black hole, 21:49 and that's the end of it." 21:50 But you're laying up treasures in heaven 21:51 when you advance the cause of God. 21:53 That's the important thing to remember. 21:55 I think that what we can can look here and see 21:57 is there's no thieves that break through and steal, 22:01 that it's safe there; 22:02 the treasures laid up will be there also. 22:05 >>You know, Ed, you make mention of a, 22:08 or you quote an interesting passage here 22:11 from a book called "Christ's Object Lessons." 22:13 I wanna read this from page number 351. 22:17 I think it's valuable, and maybe you can elucidate 22:20 a little bit on this for a moment. 22:23 It says, "Money has great value, 22:26 "because it can do great good. 22:28 "In the hands of God's children it is food for the hungry, 22:32 "drink for the thirsty, and clothing for the naked. 22:36 "It is a defense for the oppressed, 22:38 "...a means of help to the sick. 22:41 "But money is of no value than sand, 22:44 "only as it is put to use 22:47 "in providing for the necessities of life, 22:50 in blessing others, and advancing the cause of Christ." 22:55 So, money has no value 22:57 unless it is put to something good. 23:01 And the author here lists a number of things 23:04 that money can be put toward 23:06 in order to be a blessing to others. 23:08 Any other thoughts on that? 23:10 >>Yes, I think it's interesting there's-- 23:12 people always ask, "How can I store up treasures in heaven?" 23:14 And the last sentence there is one of the ways. 23:16 Of course we all need to provide for ourselves, 23:20 but then the other two, 23:21 helping others and helping advance the cause of God, 23:22 store up treasures in heaven. 23:24 You can just take any of the stories of the Bible, 23:26 but I'll just give you an illustration. 23:28 The rich young ruler is mentioned three times in the Bible; 23:31 all three synoptic gospels mention the rich young ruler. 23:34 He came to Jesus and said, "What can I do to be saved?" 23:36 And He said, "Well, keep the commandments." 23:38 "Which ones?" he'd say. 23:40 Well, Jesus started telling him about the 10 Commandments. 23:43 "Oh, I've been doing that since I was a kid. 23:44 What do I lack yet?" 23:45 He says, "Sell what you have, give to the poor, 23:48 and thereby you'll have treasures in heaven." 23:51 All three of the synoptic gospels 23:52 mention treasures by helping others. 23:54 So it's a practical illustration 23:56 of that as well, in that case, 23:58 blessing others and advancing the cause of God. 24:01 But money's valuable because it can do great good. 24:04 The bottom line, I think, in life 24:06 is that we wanna die penniless. The trick is dismantling. 24:08 How do we give it away to the right causes and so on? 24:11 So Kathy and I pray daily that we'll be able 24:13 to advance the cause of God by things that we can do, 24:16 to help others, help our local church, 24:18 and help advance the cause of God. 24:21 >>So it sounds like, as members of God's family, 24:24 when He entrusts us with these funds, 24:27 He's entrusting, or He's trusting, 24:29 that we will do something beneficial with them. 24:32 You mentioned there are certain needs 24:34 that we need to take care of for ourselves, 24:36 our food, our clothing, our... 24:40 where we live, our shelter, if you will. 24:43 But there's also a lot of things that we can do 24:45 for the benefit of others. 24:46 Some of them are very practical, maybe providing food 24:49 or clothing or shelter for somebody else 24:51 in this life, if you will. 24:54 But there are also spiritual things 24:57 or ways that we can help out spiritually with others 24:59 in advancing the cause of the gospel 25:02 and helping people to get a better understanding 25:04 of who Jesus is and what His plan for their life is. 25:08 So it's not just limited to earthly things, 25:12 and it's not just limited to heavenly things, 25:15 but it sounds like it's a mixture of both. 25:16 >>Yes, indeed, and something interesting also is 25:19 in this same sermon, verse 33, it says, 25:21 "I know you have needs of these things"-- 25:23 food, clothing, and shelter and so on-- 25:25 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 25:27 and all [this will] be added unto you." 25:29 So that's the, kind of the culmination 25:30 of Jesus' stewardship materials in the Sermon on the Mount. 25:33 This is the longest recorded sermon of Jesus in His life, 25:36 on this earth, of course. And right in the middle of it, 25:38 He has this good counsel on stewardship: 25:39 "Seek first the kingdom of God." 25:41 That means if we put God first, He'll bless the rest, 25:45 and that our whole lives will be blessed 25:46 as a result of that. 25:48 >>So that's encouraging. 25:49 Now we know, in case we didn't beforehand, 25:51 that we are part of God's family. 25:53 And as a part of God's family, He wraps His arms around us, 25:57 He promises to take care of our needs, 25:59 and He gives us some counsel, some wise counsel, 26:02 on how we can best take care of the gifts 26:05 that He has given us, 26:06 what He expects us to do with those gifts. 26:10 Ed, give us just a sneak peek, a keyhole view, 26:14 of where we're going to go for the next 11 weeks. 26:18 We don't wanna steal all the thunder, 26:20 but we want to give a little, 26:21 a little idea of some exciting things 26:23 that we're gonna look at in the next 11 weeks. 26:25 >>One of the first things I'll tell you about is the fact 26:27 that God makes contracts with us. 26:30 In law school, first year of most law schools, 26:32 you take a course called contracts. 26:35 Most contracts are bilateral; if you do this, I'll do that. 26:39 Well, the contracts that God gives us are the same way. 26:42 There's a few unilateral contracts when God says, 26:44 "Whether or not you do anything, I'll do this." 26:45 Like He says, "I'll never put another flood 26:47 on the whole earth." 26:49 Sun and moon will come, sun and springtime, 26:53 and showers will come to people and so on. 26:55 That's unilateral, no matter what we do, 26:57 God's gonna provide for us. But most of them are bilateral. 27:00 The tithing contract we're gonna study in a few weeks 27:02 is the same thing. 27:04 God says, "If you do this, I'll do that." 27:06 And that's the way we know God exists. 27:08 Because of His providential leading, His promises are true, 27:12 prophecies fulfilled, and so on, 27:14 those kinds of things, we know God exists. 27:16 So, we're gonna be able to make it very practical. 27:19 I'll just mention one other thing. 27:20 The prodigal son when he came back-- 27:22 so anybody that hasn't been faithful, 27:23 when they come back to God, 27:25 He'll give you the ring again to sign the checks. 27:27 In other words, you'll be a faithful part of God's family. 27:31 >>That's pretty exciting. 27:32 So we're gonna be looking at all of that coming up, 27:34 and we're looking forward to having you join us. 27:36 God bless you. Thanks for joining us this week. 27:38 Next week I'll be back again with Ed Reid 27:40 as we continue our study of this incredible subject. 27:44 We are looking at "Managing for the Master Till He Comes." 27:46 God bless you, we'll see you next time. 27:48 (inspirational theme music) 28:26 (music ends) |
Revised 2022-12-28