Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180002A
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00:01 Bible tells us,
00:02 "In the beginning was the Word, 00:04 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls." 00:13 And to, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Stewardship, Motives of the Heart. 00:32 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:36 I'm Shelley Quinn and on behalf of the entire panel, 00:39 we just want to say we're thankful 00:41 that you're joining us today. 00:42 Hope you have a Bible, 00:43 and a pen, and a pad to take some notes. 00:46 We are studying at this first quarter, 00:49 The Stewardship, Motives of the Heart. 00:53 And today, we're beginning on lesson two which is, 00:56 "I see, I want, I take." 01:00 Let me introduce our illustrious panel. 01:03 Here we have kid, Pastor Kenny Shelton, 01:06 Mollie Steenson, Pastor John Lomacang, 01:08 and Jill Morikone. 01:10 And we're very glad to have each one of you here 01:13 because we learn from one another. 01:15 We really enjoy that. That's right. 01:16 If you would like to follow along with us, 01:18 you can go to 01:20 ABSG.Adventist.org and download the lesson 01:27 or you can also go to a Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:31 near you and they'll be happy 01:33 to give you a Sabbath School Quarterly. 01:36 We'd like to start with prayer. 01:38 Kenny, would you like to have our opening prayer? 01:39 Absolutely! 01:41 Let's pray. Shall we? 01:42 Loving Father in heaven, truly we thank You 01:43 for the privilege of prayer. 01:45 We thank You for just loving us today 01:47 and thank You for Calvary 01:49 and so we pray in our special ways. 01:50 Promise me Your word, if we ask, we shall receive. 01:53 We ask for the power of thy Holy Spirit. 01:55 Please come and take control of our hearts, 01:57 our minds, our life. 01:59 Lord, we pray that you'll bring to our remembrance the things 02:02 that we've studied, that we've prayed about. 02:03 And things that maybe we haven't even thought about, 02:05 the Holy Spirit can bring into us 02:07 that will affect all of our hearts and our lives. 02:09 And Lord, we thank you for this privilege 02:11 to be able to work for You today. 02:13 I ask You that you'd bless each one, those in their homes, 02:16 those who are taking that pencil and paper, 02:17 and those who are opening the Word of God right now. 02:20 We pray that the Holy Spirit will accompany 02:22 every word that's said and done. 02:24 May it bring honor and glory to you and to you alone. 02:26 And we would get thank You for this privilege, 02:28 thank You. 02:29 The field is wide for harvest. 02:31 And, oh, Lord, we know you're coming soon. 02:32 Help us to be ready and we thank You. 02:34 In Jesus name, amen. Amen. 02:36 Well, before we do our repeat our memory ticks, 02:40 I just want to kind of set this up. 02:42 We're going to be looking 02:45 which is our memory text. 02:47 And this is from the Parable of the Sower 02:51 where it's talking about, as the sower was sowing, 02:54 some fell by the roadside, what happened to that? 02:57 It was snatched up immediately. 02:59 The people heard the message but didn't grasp it. 03:02 Some spilled on rocky ground, 03:06 it wasn't much soil, it was scorched by the sun, 03:08 it withered up and died, 03:10 and Jesus was using this to talk about people 03:13 who hear the word 03:15 but don't let it get rooted in their heart. 03:17 Some people received it with joy 03:22 but it came among thorns and what does that mean? 03:26 Well, that's what we're going to be looking at today. 03:28 Let's say our memory text together. 03:31 "Now he who receives seed among the thorns 03:35 is he who hears the word, 03:38 and the cares of this world 03:40 and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, 03:44 and he becomes unfruitful." 03:47 These people are what I call Carnal Converts. 03:52 They are people who are walking with 03:54 one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world. 03:57 So as worldly cares come in and the deceitfulness, 04:01 what a great term, deceitfulness of riches. 04:05 This absolutely chokes out the Word of God 04:09 from their heart. 04:11 They begin to look to the world, 04:13 they're looking to the problems of the world 04:16 and they've got maybe a love of money 04:19 for material possessions. 04:21 So let me read from Sabbath, Ellen White had a quote 04:24 about how the devil's ploy is to lure us 04:28 through the viles materialism. 04:30 She says, "Go," 04:32 this is as she was speaking for the devil, 04:34 "Go make the positions of lands and money 04:36 drunk with the cares of this life. 04:39 Present the world before them in its most attractive light 04:43 that they may lay up their treasure here 04:45 and fix their affections apart earthly things. 04:47 We must do our utmost to prevent those 04:50 who labor in God's cause from obtaining 04:52 means to use against us." 04:54 This is Satan talking, 04:56 "Keep the money in our own ranks. 04:58 The more means that they obtain, 05:00 the more they will injure our kingdom 05:02 by taking from us our subjects. 05:04 Make them care more for money 05:06 than the up building of Christ's kingdom, 05:08 and the spread of the truth we so hate. 05:11 And we need not fear their influence for we know 05:14 that every selfish covetous person 05:17 will fall under our power 05:18 and finally be separated from God's people." 05:22 That's from Sixteen Counsels On Stewardship. 05:26 So we need to be on guard against this danger. 05:30 Do we not? Absolutely! 05:31 All right, let's look at Sunday's lesson, 05:33 the prosperity gospel. 05:36 The prosperity gospel, 05:38 think of this, people say, 05:40 "Follow God and He'll make you wealthy. 05:43 Give to God and He's gonna give you more." 05:46 And what this is, is half truths 05:49 that are just kind of cloaked in Biblical language. 05:53 It is a false self-centered theology 05:58 and it's so sad when you see people 06:02 who are lured into this trap 06:04 and they begin to give for the wrong reasons. 06:08 They're not giving to God out of a heart of love 06:11 but they are giving to receive. 06:14 Are they not? That's right. 06:15 So let's read, 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. 06:20 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 06:25 and see what principles are in these texts 06:27 that go against this idea 06:30 of the false prosperity gospel. 06:36 2 Corinthians 8:1, 06:40 Paul writes, "Moreover, brethren, 06:42 we make known to you the grace of God 06:44 bestowed on the churches of Macedonia. 06:48 That in a great trial of affliction, 06:50 the abundance of their joy, 06:52 and their deep poverty 06:54 abounded in the riches of their liberality." 06:56 Let me just pause for a second. 06:58 The Macedonian churches, 07:00 Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea 07:04 faced the most difficult circumstances 07:07 of all the churches. 07:09 They were persecuted from the beginning 07:10 and these people were down to their last penny. 07:13 I mean, they were in deep poverty. 07:16 But it's interesting 07:17 when you read the letter to the Philippians, 07:19 joy and rejoicing are the two key terms 07:23 that are used in there. 07:25 So he says, "In their deep poverty, 07:27 they abounded in the riches of their liberality." 07:33 Even though they had extreme poverty, 07:35 it welled up in rich generosity. 07:38 And he says, "For I bear witness 07:40 that according to their ability, 07:42 yes, and beyond their ability, 07:45 they were freely willing, 07:47 imploring us with much urgency 07:50 that we would receive the gift in the fellowship 07:53 of the ministering to the saints. 07:56 And not only as we had hoped, 07:58 but they first gave themselves to the Lord, 08:00 and then to us by the will of God." 08:03 So they were happy Christians 08:07 and generous beyond their ability. 08:10 It was beyond mere human generosity. 08:14 This was sacrificial giving 08:15 like the little widow at the temple. 08:18 So their hearts were moved 08:21 by the immeasurable riches and love of God 08:25 and they dedicated themselves, first to God in Jesus, 08:28 and then to the apostles and his purposes, 08:31 but they didn't want to be left out of the joy of giving. 08:37 And I think that is, you know, 08:39 we often see poor people can be more generous than the wealthy. 08:44 It's very interesting to note that. 08:45 That's true. 08:47 Now he goes on in verse six. 08:49 What he's doing here is, 08:51 Paul's using the example of the Macedonian churches 08:55 to try to motivate the Corinthians 08:59 to do as they did. 09:00 They gave from a free willing heart. 09:02 They didn't have to be coerced into giving. 09:05 So verse six, he says, 09:06 "So we urged Titus, that is, he had begun 09:09 so he would also complete this grace in you as well 09:14 as you abound in everything," 09:17 speaking to the Corinthians, 09:18 "In faith, in speech, in knowledge 09:20 and all diligence and in your love for us, 09:23 see that you abound in this grace also." 09:29 See that you excel in the grace of giving. 09:35 The Corinthians had a lot of blessings from God. 09:40 They were well off, they had a lot of faith, 09:43 gifted speakers, they had things, 09:45 the enthusiasm and in love, 09:47 but now Paul is telling them, 09:49 "There is one grace that you need to learn from God." 09:53 Isn't it interesting that he calls it 09:55 the grace of giving or this grace also 09:58 because what we're looking at is that giving is a grace 10:05 where you are spiritually endowed from God 10:09 with this love of others 10:12 loving your brothers as yourself. 10:15 The Macedonian saw that the Jerusalem Christians needed, 10:19 they were starving, and that they needed something 10:21 and even though the Macedonians were so poor, they gave. 10:25 So verses such as this, you know, 10:28 it's God that divinely enabled them to give. 10:31 And verses such as this 10:33 actually refute the prosperity gospel. 10:38 This is something that's interesting. 10:41 When it comes to financial responsibilities in the church, 10:47 we often kind of put that to... 10:52 We assign it as a responsibility, as a duty. 10:56 We don't think of it as a grace from God, do we? 11:00 And when we are considering aspects of discipleship, 11:05 let me ask you a question. 11:07 Do you want God to just measure you 11:10 a small grace as far as love, 11:13 and knowledge, and faith? 11:17 We don't want our growth to be stunted there. 11:19 Yet, what do we do? 11:21 We determine a percentage that we're going to give, 11:24 we return or tithe, our 10% to the Lord, 11:27 determine the percentage 11:28 that we're going to give for offering, 11:30 and often we live with that the rest of our lives. 11:34 See, we want to grow in the other graces 11:37 but not too many people pray 11:39 to grow in the grace of giving. 11:43 So money's a touchy topic with a lot of people, isn't it? 11:49 But there, you can't avoid it 11:52 when you're talking about God's church. 11:54 Because the local churches need money 11:57 for the building, for the utilities, 11:59 they need money for full-time ministers. 12:03 There's the administration of the church requires money, 12:07 sending out the missionaries, 12:09 and seeing that the message goes out requires money. 12:13 And what does the Bible instruct us? 12:16 "Freely you have received, freely give." 12:20 So when we're thinking about giving, 12:26 look at that as a grace 12:28 and realize that God can change your heart. 12:33 I want to share, I won't mention her name 12:36 but a friend of ours preceded us to 3ABN. 12:40 We had introduced her to 3ABN 12:43 and she had just gone through 12:45 a most of the difficult divorce. 12:48 Her husband had, she'd married a very wealthy man, 12:52 he had stripped her of everything 12:54 to gain control over her 12:56 and she no longer had her business or her home 13:00 or any of the positions that she came... 13:03 He would have her sell them off 13:06 and then he would give her something in replacement, 13:09 then he'd take them. 13:10 And so she was left without a vehicle, 13:12 she was left without anything. 13:14 And when she came here, I'll never forget, 13:16 I was talking with her. 13:18 And on her way here, someone who had nothing, 13:22 she saw a man who'd had a flat tire, 13:25 she stopped to help him 13:26 and he had no money to get his tire fixed, 13:29 he had no money for food and she gave. 13:33 Her last money she gave to him. 13:37 She has such a giving heart but I have to tell you, 13:40 the end of the story is this, 13:43 that when God sees a cheerful giver, 13:46 when He sees one of His children 13:48 meeting the needs of others, 13:50 He's not gonna leave our needs unmet, is He? 13:55 God restored to her everything that she lost 13:59 and she is very happy today. 14:04 I just think about Jesus sitting at the temple, 14:09 watching the widow put in her two mites 14:13 and He praised her for giving, saying that, 14:17 "She gave more than everybody else gave combined 14:20 because she was giving sacrificially." 14:22 And now what we need to remember is that 14:25 the Holy Spirit is watching what we give. 14:28 And He's making notes against the Day of Judgment in the book 14:32 to say, "Were they generous? 14:35 Did they really allow God to develop 14:37 in the grace of giving? 14:41 Well done, well done. 14:43 Praise the Lord. 14:44 You know, these lessons are good for someone 14:46 who's been in the movement for a long time 14:49 or have maybe just begun or somebody's just come in 14:53 because I'm hearing these points of principle that apply, 14:56 that we need to be, make sure that we're following 14:59 by the Word of God. 15:00 We're gonna be doing once, I think Monday's lesson. 15:02 And interesting, I have this one here it's blurred, 15:05 blurred spiritual eyesight. 15:07 So physically, I can look around and say, 15:11 my eyesight's a little blurred at times. 15:13 But it's interesting 'cause you can, not physical 15:16 but certainly the spiritual aspect 15:18 of the blurred spiritual, 15:19 you know, what does riches do? 15:22 What do the material things do to us? 15:24 Is it possible that we can have blurred vision. 15:28 As Helen Keller, 15:30 she was in our lesson, it brings out she was blind. 15:34 And who would you say, 15:36 who is the most pathetic person on the face of this earth? 15:39 We don't have to answer, just think about it? 15:41 May be it's a tough question but think about it 15:45 the most pathetic person on the face of this earth? 15:48 Helen Keller said it this way, she said, 15:50 "The most pathetic person in the world is someone 15:54 who has sight but no vision." 15:58 That's a great quote. 15:59 The most pathetic person is the one who has sight, 16:02 sometimes we can see but you have no vision. 16:05 You can see but you don't understand 16:07 maybe the possibilities that God has for us by faith. 16:12 They're looking and are seeing, and I see this-that 16:14 but really you're not, you're seeing those things 16:16 that are in front of us 16:18 which the Bible tells us that we... 16:19 In 2 Corinthians 4:18, 16:20 I'm gonna read that verse, it says, 16:22 "We look not at the things which are seen." 16:25 In 2 Corinthians 4:18, 16:28 "but notice which are not seen 16:30 for the things which are seen are," what? 16:32 "Temporal, but the things 16:33 which are not seen are eternal." 16:37 So everything, I just came to the conclusions as I read, 16:39 it's pretty simple, isn't it? 16:41 If I see it, what is it? 16:42 Is it temporal? 16:44 It's temporal, isn't it? 16:45 If I see it, it's temporal. 16:47 But we are to fasten our heart and our minds 16:49 up on things that are eternal, 16:51 that's going to last for eternity. 16:53 When you were talking a while ago, 16:54 it just ring a bell because you're talking about, 16:56 you know, sometime we judge 16:58 by what people maybe have or they have riches or they... 17:01 Has anyone ever, 17:03 maybe at this table you remember, the ingathering. 17:06 Oh, yeah. 17:08 In Advent here, we go back to where it was a competition, 17:13 you know, 'cause this wasn't my brother so naturally, 17:16 you know, we would go out and that's if... 17:17 For those you don't know that's the caroling, 17:20 you go out and you collect funds for the needy and so on, 17:23 and so you'd go knock on the doors. 17:25 And so we want to make sure that we've got the most. 17:29 When we got home we counted up, and this was competitive, 17:32 that sounds right but we, so what we do? 17:36 We looked, I looked, they looked 17:39 at the biggest houses. 17:41 The ones that were decorated the brightest and we said, 17:44 "Man, we've got to get there." 17:45 And I remember several times three of us meeting at the gate 17:48 at the same time running, trying to get the house, 17:50 you know, because we thought they would give more. 17:54 You know, these are just children, right, just kids. 17:57 But we realized what really happened was, 18:00 when we went to the poor houses... 18:02 Amen. 18:03 The people in there gave more 18:05 than those who had a whole lot more. 18:07 That was interesting. Wow. 18:08 Consistently, they gave. 18:10 When you look like the house, 18:12 no use to even going to the door. 18:13 So that really rang a bell with me, I think. 18:15 And then the other is, we talk about blurred vision. 18:18 What material things can do 18:21 and again we'll look at the physical part of it 18:23 and think about the spiritual 18:25 because sometime we think we see when we don't see. 18:28 Just, oh, a couple of years ago, 18:32 this is kind of before, hopefully, 18:34 I thought I could see pretty well then, 18:35 you know, I went to take my driver's test. 18:38 Anybody ever take the driver's test, 18:39 you have to take the eye test, you know? 18:42 So I got, I knew the lady 18:43 somewhat that was giving the test 18:46 and I didn't want to have to wear glasses when I, 18:48 driving. 18:49 So, you know, I'm squinting and carrying on, 18:52 trying to see in the test and she said, 18:55 "Kenny, just read the first line?" 18:57 Oh, I read it. 18:58 Man, I had it down pat, you know, 18:59 A-C-D whatever it was, you know. 19:02 Well, let's get down to the fourth. 19:03 Read the fourth one. 19:04 And I said, "Well, let's see. 19:06 There's a, 19:07 there's B-8-C-3." 19:13 She said, "Kenny, you know and I know, 19:15 there's not, there's no numbers." 19:18 She helped me out 'cause she could have flunked me, 19:20 there are no numbers in this test, you know? 19:23 And I was given, but I thought that's what I saw. 19:28 I thought that was really that what was on there 19:30 but it really wasn't 19:32 and she had to bring me back to the reality of, 19:34 number one, to help us. 19:35 Yes. 19:37 No, there's not numbers, they're letters, you know, 19:39 so that helped me to kind of understand 19:41 right there how God does for us, 19:43 how He helps us, to bring us back sometimes, 19:46 when we think we see it and we think we've got it, 19:48 our vision can be blurred. 19:51 It goes back to what you were reading and our memory text 19:54 of the talking about the tears and so on, 19:56 the cares of this life and so on so forth. 19:58 I thought how interesting that is because of the seed 20:02 and I just want to go over that just a little bit here. 20:06 Not to go into may be a lot of detail on it, 20:08 but I thought how interesting it is 20:10 and I jotted down a few things I thought, 20:11 how we can have blurred eyesight? 20:13 Think about it. 20:15 Number one, the cares of this world 20:17 can keep us from 20:18 realizing our personal need of the gospel. 20:22 So, you know, talking about this seed, this sower, 20:23 he went out to sow and what did he do? 20:25 There you saw him, we know of it 20:26 went in the stony ground, 20:27 that went in the... get sowed. 20:29 But the point is what happens in this world, 20:32 we get so carried away with earning a living 20:34 which is okay to earn a living. 20:36 It's okay to earn money. 20:37 You've mentioned that before, 20:39 it's okay in that to have finances. 20:40 That's what we do with them 20:41 and how we react with those things 20:44 but we forget that Gospel, 20:46 realizing our personal responsibility sometime 20:49 when we're out with the cares of this world. 20:51 Number two, it can make us inattentive. 20:55 Thought how interesting, when I focused on the world 20:57 and the things of the world 20:59 or even just make it live doing that, 21:00 may be not bad within themselves but what happens, 21:03 sometime I'm not, 21:05 I'm inattentive to the spiritual things of God, 21:08 and then what happens when we're inattentive? 21:10 That means we neglect, 21:12 and when the pastor goes and gives the Bible study 21:14 or some of it, they can't catch what you're saying. 21:16 Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, 21:18 they're not understanding these things. 21:20 They hear them, and they simply say to you and me, 21:22 "That doesn't make any sense to me." 21:24 Because sometimes, it's the cares of the world, 21:27 they're so wrapped up, their job makes sense to them, 21:30 their paycheck makes sense to them, 21:31 the things of this world seems to make sense to them, 21:34 but the spiritual things just doesn't grab a whole, 21:37 like it should 21:38 when our attitude is somewhere else, 21:40 makes no sense. 21:42 Such individuals become that someone mentioned here, 21:45 we've become self-absorbed. 21:46 It's all about self and what self can do, 21:49 what self needs to be. 21:50 And you simply say as in result, 21:53 "Well, I can't see straight." 21:55 My mom, you say, "I get so aggravated sometime, 21:57 I just can't see straight." 21:59 Well, you know, in this life, 22:01 we get blurred vision from the things of the world 22:03 and what the enemy throws at us constantly 22:06 that our vision becomes blur. 22:07 We can't see straight anymore 22:10 because we're not spending time in the Word. 22:12 We're not doing that which we should be doing. 22:14 We're not putting, you know, He said, 22:15 "Well, you know, you put Me first, 22:17 all these other things will be added unto it. 22:21 I mean, that is such a key and such a simple thing for us. 22:24 If we put God first, 22:25 all of these other things that you need 22:27 will be added unto you. 22:30 My mother and dad were faithful tithe payers 22:32 and when we had no groceries, 22:33 I know people get tired of hearing that, but it's true. 22:35 They had no groceries, 22:36 they'd be somebody knocking at the door saying, 22:39 "We had extra and we just thought 22:41 maybe you folks might want this," 22:43 just in time. 22:45 What a blessing? God always blesses. 22:47 I want to read something here from Christ Object Lesson, 22:49 number 53, it says, 22:51 "All habits," all of us have some habits, right? 22:54 They're all good. 22:55 "All habits of indulgence that weaken the physical powers 22:59 that becloud the mind 23:01 or that benumb the spiritual perceptions 23:04 are fleshly lust." 23:06 So there's a warfare going on, right? 23:07 The fleshly lust that we've been talking about here, 23:10 so it's any indulgence that weakens the physical, 23:13 the mental, the spiritual, these are fleshly lust 23:16 which war simply against the soul. 23:19 Christ Object Lesson, 55 again, notice what it says, 23:22 "Cares, riches, and pleasures are all used by Satan 23:26 in playing the game of life for the human soul. 23:30 The enemy thinks that, he says, "It's a game." 23:34 I thinks it's a warfare. 23:36 You really think about what's going on in the world, 23:38 there's a warfare every day, there's battle that's going on. 23:41 And so we know that the enemy says, 23:43 "This is a game and so 23:44 I'm going to put cares over here." 23:46 Does any of us ever have a care? 23:48 I have some cares, you said 23:50 the things we're interested in, right? 23:51 And there's pleasures and there's rich, 23:54 you have to be careful about our riches, 23:56 but this is what the enemy uses 23:58 so let's just be careful with those. 23:59 That's just a warning to me 24:01 and I'm thankful that God gives us that warning. 24:03 1 John 2:15, the Bible says, we know that, 24:06 "Love not the world," or what? 24:08 The things in the... 24:10 "Neither the things that are in the world." 24:12 So we're not to love those things in the world. 24:15 And we need to fix our mind upon what? 24:17 Upon Christ and I don't have time to go into the other 24:19 because we realize that something's choking the Word 24:22 may be out in our hearts 24:24 and life, we have to be careful. 24:25 What that is, is choking us from, you know, 24:27 daily Bible study, witnessing, doing what we need, 24:30 giving to the cause of Christ 24:31 is choking our spiritual condition 24:33 and I like it. 24:35 At the end, he says that, he said, 24:36 "All the riches them self are not evil. 24:39 They still possess the power to deceive." 24:43 So what everyone's been saying? 24:44 It's the power to deceive us in ways 24:47 that can lead to our ultimate, the word is destruction. 24:51 This can lead to, we're actually talking about, 24:53 you know, we say it's so simple. 24:55 To me, it's life and death issue 24:57 of how we handle. 24:58 So it's very important how we handle the Word of God 25:01 and that which we're putting forward 25:02 to help someone along the way 25:04 because ultimately you see we're being deceived 25:07 and God is calling us out. 25:08 We need to behold Christ and certainly not the world. 25:12 Sister Mollie Steenson? Amen. Amen, beautiful. 25:15 I'm looking at Tuesday's lesson 25:20 and I'm looking at steps to covetousness. 25:24 I think we've defined covetousness a few times, 25:28 but I'll define it one more time. 25:30 An ordinate desire of wealth or possessions, 25:36 it just is greediness. 25:38 So there are steps to covetousness. 25:41 As a rule, covetous people 25:43 didn't start off being covetous. 25:46 Just as Eve in the Garden of Eden 25:49 didn't start out wanting to eat the forbidding fruit, 25:55 she wanted to be obedient to God 25:58 until she was tempted and enticed. 26:02 Have you ever heard anyone say, 26:03 "I can resist anything but temptation?" 26:07 Oh, that's a sad place to be. 26:09 There were steps that Eve followed 26:12 to arrive at her final destination 26:15 which was covetousness. 26:17 Now again, today, we're looking at our, 26:21 this Week in the quarterly, 26:22 we look at I see, I want, I take. 26:26 There are steps in covetousness like all sin, all sin, 26:32 covetousness begins in the heart, 26:35 it starts inside of us 26:38 and then it works its way outward. 26:41 Proverbs 23:7 says, 26:44 "For as a man thinketh in his heart, 26:48 so is the covetousness begins in the heart." 26:52 Now there's this progression 26:54 and I know we share it quite often, 26:57 watch your thoughts, they've become words. 27:00 Now remember your thoughts 27:01 as you think in your heart so are you. 27:04 Watch your thought they become words. 27:06 Watch your words they become actions. 27:10 Watch your actions they form your habit. 27:14 Watch your habit that forms your character. 27:17 Watch your character that becomes your destiny. 27:21 So it all begins where? 27:23 On the inside of you. 27:25 Yes. In our hearts. 27:26 As a man thinks is heart so is he. 27:29 So I want us to look at Eve. 27:33 So I want us to go to Genesis 3:1-6, 27:38 the steps of covetousness. 27:40 Originally in the Garden of Eden, 27:43 Eve was not covetous. 27:46 She became covetous by the things 27:49 that she was tempted with, allured with. 27:52 Last week, you covered allurement so well. 27:56 So Genesis 3:1-6. 27:58 "Now the serpent was more cunning 28:00 than any beast of the field 28:02 which the Lord God had made and he said to the woman, 28:05 'Has God indeed said, 28:07 you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' 28:09 And the women said to the serpent, 28:12 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden 28:14 but of the fruit of the tree 28:15 which is in the midst of the garden, 28:17 God has said, 'You shall not eat it 28:19 nor shall you touch it lest you die.' 28:22 'Then the serpent said to the woman,' 28:25 You shall not surely die 28:27 for God knows that in the day you eat of it, 28:30 your eyes will be opened and you will be like God 28:34 knowing good and evil.' 28:35 So when the woman saw 28:38 that the tree was good for food, 28:40 that it was pleasant to the eyes 28:42 and a tree desirable to make one wise, 28:45 she took of its fruit and ate. 28:48 She also gave to her husband with her and he ate." 28:51 So there were steps in Eve's deception, 28:55 steps in her becoming covetous 28:58 and terminology that I haven't heard before 29:02 that Shelley Quinn shared, 29:04 I believe in last week's lesson as well 29:06 was triad temptations. 29:09 So what Satan did, he came to Eve 29:12 with that triad temptation, 29:14 lust of the flesh, 29:16 lust of the eyes, pride of life. 29:19 Lust of the flesh, good to eat. 29:21 Lust of the eyes, 29:24 she saw that it was a tree desirable to make one wise 29:27 which is the pride of life. 29:29 So those three areas 29:31 Satan appealed to Eve in all three areas, 29:36 lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, 29:38 and pride of life, 29:40 what she did, I see it, I want it, 29:43 and then what did she do? 29:45 Take it. She took it. 29:47 Now that's 1 John 2, I want to read 15-17. 29:51 We've been all over that scripture 29:53 and quoted it a few times 29:55 but 1 John 2:15-17, 30:02 "Love not the world, 30:04 neither the things that are in the world. 30:07 If any man love the world, 30:09 the love of the Father is not in him 30:11 for all that is in the world. 30:13 The lust of the flesh, 30:15 the lust of the eyes and the pride of life 30:18 is not of the Father but is of the world." 30:20 And here is the consequence, 30:22 "And the world passes away and the lust thereof, 30:25 but he that doeth the will of God," 30:27 does something? 30:28 "They abide forever." 30:30 Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, 30:32 pride of life. 30:34 Satan presented the fruit of the forbidden tree 30:38 in a way to create in Eve, a desire to want more than 30:43 she'd already had and to make her think 30:47 that she needed something that she really didn't. 30:50 That's called allurement, isn't it? 30:53 He used allurement. 30:54 He allured her, he seduced her. Yes. 30:57 But she gave into it 30:59 because it appealed to her eyes 31:04 and it appealed to her, we called it ego, didn't we? 31:07 That pride of life to her ego, lust of the flesh, 31:10 lust of the eyes, and pride of life. 31:13 Covetousness can be a quiet sin like lust. 31:18 It's hidden behind the veil of our flesh 31:22 but given time it will always surface. 31:25 How often will it surface? Always. 31:27 It will always surface 31:29 and the results are always damaging. 31:33 Covetousness is another form of selfishness. 31:37 Now let me ask you this let's go to King David. 31:43 How many wives and concubines did King David have? 31:47 Too many. 31:49 Too many 31:52 and I looked and I studied, 31:54 I never did find an exact count. 31:57 I did find that before his affair, 32:00 what did I use that as a word? 32:02 His affair with Bathsheba, he had six wives. 32:07 And later in Second Samuel, 32:09 well, it's noted that he left Jerusalem, 32:13 when he left, he took ten, 32:15 he left ten concubines behind. 32:18 Wow. 32:19 Now he had six wives then there was Bathsheba, 32:22 he left ten concubines behind. 32:25 That would indicate that he had more than ten concubines 32:28 if he left ten behind. 32:30 Now again, we're talking about steps to covetousness. 32:35 I see, I want, I take. 32:38 So what did King David do? 32:41 Remember King David was on his rooftop, was he not? 32:45 Now where were the rest of his men? 32:48 Battle. They were in battle. 32:49 Where should King David have been? 32:51 In battle. 32:52 He should have been in battle with his men but he wasn't. 32:55 He was own his rooftop just looking around. 32:57 Now a point I want to make is it was at dusk, 33:03 it was the time when women were to go and bath under the, 33:08 you know, the cover of darkness. 33:11 So Bathsheba wasn't enticing him, 33:15 he was where he shouldn't have been 33:18 and he saw something he wanted, lust of the eyes, 33:22 lust of the flesh, pride of life. 33:25 He saw it, and then what did he do? 33:29 I see it, I want it, and he took it. 33:34 He saw, he wanted, and he took. 33:38 He coveted another man's wife 33:40 and set about taking 33:42 what wasn't rightfully his to take. 33:45 Now it wasn't enough that he set about taking something 33:50 that wasn't his to take but he even went further. 33:54 What did this allurement do? 33:55 What did this lust of the flesh, 33:59 and lust of the eyes, and pride of life do? 34:02 It led him to commit a heinous crime. 34:04 Remember, I believe it was the prophet Nathan, 34:07 came to him and gave a scenario 34:09 and King David was all up in arms 34:12 and about the scenario and what did Nathan do? 34:16 He said, "Thou are the man." Right. 34:19 So King David was so deceived in this. 34:23 Here is a warning that Paul gives 34:26 to again his prodigy Timothy. 34:28 It's in 2 Timothy 3:1-2, 34:32 "This know also, that in the last days 34:35 perilous times shall come. 34:36 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, 34:40 boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, 34:46 unthankful, unholy." 34:48 Like all sins, all sins, where does covetousness begin? 34:53 It begins in the heart. 34:54 It starts inside us and then works its way outward. 34:59 Could it be possible? 35:00 And here's a question to everyone at this table, 35:03 could it be possible with there, 35:06 that there is covetousness lurking in our hearts? 35:09 Kenny, could that be a possibility? 35:11 Absolutely! What do we do? 35:12 Again, if you come with a problem, 35:14 what is the solution? 35:16 You know, the solution is the same solution 35:19 for almost every situation we find in the Word, 35:22 "Ask God to look into our hearts." 35:24 And that would be psalms 139:23-24. 35:29 "Search me oh, God." 35:30 If God finds anything unlovely, unlike him in our hearts, 35:34 don't we want him to purge it out? 35:37 That's right, thank you, Mollie. 35:39 Wow, this lesson, I see it, I want it, I take, 35:43 kind of reminds me of a slogan somewhere. 35:47 It was mine, actually, my day having things your way. 35:50 I call it the Burger King sin. 35:53 Have it your way and there are many people 35:56 that are motivated to have things their way. 36:00 That in and of itself is covetousness 36:02 because they are taking the place 36:03 that belongs to God alone. 36:06 The song years ago, 36:07 I think the one I most remember to sing 36:09 this is I did it my way. 36:11 And I don't know who originated that song 36:13 maybe some of you might know 36:15 but I know Elvis sang it, Frank Sinatra sang it, 36:19 number of other very famous people... 36:21 And how terrible to close your life 36:24 and say I did it my way when Jesus said, 36:29 "Not my will but Thy will be done." 36:32 So somewhere along the way this lesson points out 36:36 that our way and God's way 36:41 are diametrically opposed, 36:43 and if the Kingdom is our focus, 36:45 we have to be willing to lay down our way 36:48 and submit to God's way. 36:49 If Jesus, the Son of the most high 36:54 can submit to the will of His father and say, 36:56 "I came not to do My own will but the will of the Father." 36:59 How much more important is for us 37:01 to lay down our way 37:03 in order to embrace the father's way. 37:06 Isaiah 56:11 is a passage that shows the mentality. 37:13 In this passage, Shelley pointed out 37:16 the prosperity aspect of it and each one of us had, 37:19 at a particular aspect to it, 37:20 but this reminds me 37:22 of the prosperity mindset of today. 37:25 A lot of preachers and I have heard 37:26 little snippets of preachers that say, 37:29 "The reason why you don't have it 37:32 because you haven't gone after it." 37:33 God didn't want poor Christians. 37:37 God's plan for you, Jill, is that you be rich 37:39 but the reason why you ain't rich is 37:41 you don't believe you can be. 37:42 They pushed this whole ideology, 37:45 when you can't take up... 37:47 I'm using this example, 37:50 I know I cup my thought on middle 37:52 but here as where I'm going. 37:53 A micro SD card, now I don't know 37:56 if any of you know what that is, 37:58 but in our phones most of us, 37:59 the card that receives and transmits data 38:04 or has the signature of each of the phone 38:06 that identifies with us is a micro SD card. 38:09 And when my wife and I were in Bogota, Colombia, 38:13 I was switching it out of my camera, 38:15 putting it in a holder to put it into my camera, 38:17 and I thought I held that on my fingertip and I said, 38:23 "Angi, we can't even take that with us to heaven." 38:27 It's tiny as that is. 38:29 You can slip anything into the kingdom, 38:32 yet, when we begin to amass, surround ourselves with, 38:36 I use a word that I used to use years, 38:38 beaucoup possessions 38:41 and we can't take any of it with us. 38:43 But this passage talks about, and I believe the mentality 38:47 of many of those men who claim to be followers of God, 38:52 notice what it points out in Isaiah 56:11, 38:54 do you have that Jill? Mm-Hm. 38:56 Read out for us. 38:57 "Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough 39:00 and they are shepherds who cannot understand. 39:04 They all look to their own way, 39:05 everyone for his own gain from his own territory." 39:10 They never have enough 39:12 and the news media has been zeroing, 39:15 you know, what they call prosperity preachers 39:18 and the IRS has been doing the same thing 39:20 and I remember a number of years ago 39:21 this came back to me. 39:24 You may have heard the story, Mollie, 39:26 because we're all at 3ABN 39:27 that some of the other TV networks 39:30 receive letters of rebuke 39:32 because when 3ABN began to become visible on television 39:36 they started looking at 3ABN, the humility of the set, 39:40 the chairs that are not ostentatious, 39:42 the people that are not flamboyant, 39:44 and they started going back to other commercials 39:45 or other networks and said, 39:48 "Why? What's up with all those big gold chairs 39:51 and all that goo and all that diamonds." 39:55 And it was creating a discontent in the hearts 40:00 of those who may not know differently 40:02 but the whole point of the matter is 40:04 when you compare the person 40:05 who says that he and she is connected to Christ 40:08 to the one who is not really, 40:10 usually, there should be a visibility of humility 40:14 and not have the attitude 40:15 of I see it, I want it, I take it 40:18 or have things your way 40:19 and think that God is connected to it. 40:21 So I put together a number of things 40:23 that I believe are very important 40:25 when it comes to breaking down 40:26 how important it is for us to be 40:28 people that are having things God's way rather than our way. 40:33 The compromise of greed, Matthew 26:15, 40:36 this is what Judas said. 40:40 the Judas mentality, the Judas mentality. 40:44 Matthew 26:15, 40:47 and I'm going to just go to the focal point. 40:50 "What are you willing to give me 40:52 if I deliver Him to you?" 40:55 That is a chilling passage, Pastor Kenny. 40:56 Yes, it is. 40:58 May I say I will deliver my Lord to you 41:00 based on a price we can agree on 41:03 and we know that he get agreed on 30 pieces of silver. 41:06 But then when he saw the futility 41:09 that the silver couldn't buy him out of a sin, 41:11 he threw it away but he never really repented. 41:14 His repentance was a repentance of I got caught. 41:17 That's right. 41:20 He traded eternity for economy. 41:23 He sold high and bought low, 41:26 and he decided I no longer want to follow Christ. 41:30 So here are some of the antidotes 41:31 what the antidote to the issues. 41:34 Example of Jesus, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 41:39 let's break it down into four categories, 41:41 the example of Jesus is the first one. 41:44 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ," 41:48 that through, "That though he was rich, 41:51 yet for your sakes He became poor 41:53 that you might through His poverty become rich." 41:59 So the Lord was willing to lay down His wealth 42:02 that we can be partakers of His wealth. 42:05 And I tell you one day the only reason, Jill, 42:06 we're going to walk on streets of gold 42:08 is because He came down to walk on streets of asphalt, 42:11 roads of dust in clay and persecution and torment. 42:15 He walked our road that one day we might walk on His road. 42:18 That's the example of Jesus. 42:19 Next is the directive of Jesus, look at this, Luke 18:22. 42:23 The directive of Jesus 42:26 and it says, Luke 18:22, 42:31 "So when Jesus heard these things 42:33 He said to him, 'You still lack one thing.'" 42:37 The directive, "'Sell all that you have 42:41 and distribute to the poor 42:44 and you will have treasure in heaven 42:46 and come follow Me.'" 42:48 Well, you know the rest of the story. 42:51 Peter was so upset by that. 42:52 He said, "Lord, I mean, who is going to be saved?" 42:55 if that's the kind of condition. 42:57 He said, "If he had given up," the young ruler, 42:59 "If he had given up what he had," 43:02 this is a powerful thing, 43:03 you cannot be this economic plan, 43:05 "He would have had a hundred times more 43:08 in this life 43:10 and in the world to come eternal life." 43:12 You can't beat the economy of God. 43:14 He's more willing to give but as He did with Abraham 43:18 and His son Isaac, 43:19 He's seeing what we're willing to give up 43:21 before He can trust us 43:22 with what He's willing to give us. 43:24 Third thing, the promise of Jesus, 43:26 look at that one, the promise of Jesus 43:27 Luke 18:29-30. 43:30 Luke 18:29, you have that, Mollie? 43:32 Read that for us. I do. 43:34 Now, this is in the King James. That's okay. 43:36 "Verily I say unto you, 43:37 there is no man that hath left house, 43:39 or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, 43:42 for the Kingdom of God's sake, 43:44 who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, 43:48 and in the world to come life everlasting." 43:52 And that's where you find the wealthy men in the Bible. 43:54 They were willing to not, 43:56 they held on to everything with loose hands. 43:58 They didn't hold on to these as greed or as obsession, 44:02 they were possessions but not obsessions. 44:05 That's the difference. Indeed, they were stewards. 44:07 They were stewards 44:08 but these were the possessions but not their obsessions. 44:12 And the reason why the promise of Jesus 44:14 was you would have much more, 44:16 and then you'll have eternal life. 44:18 You can't beat the economy of Christ. 44:20 But then the guarantee of Jesus, Philippians 4:19, 44:24 who can get to that and read that for me? 44:25 Philippians 4:19. 44:27 Jill, I notice you're really fast. 44:28 If you get there in a hurry, you have 10 seconds. 44:31 Philippians 4:19, the guarantee of Jesus. 44:36 "And my God shall supply all your need 44:38 according to the riches and glory by Christ Jesus." 44:41 Supply how many of our needs? 44:42 All. That's a guarantee. 44:44 You don't know of anybody that can guarantee that. 44:46 I don't know if anybody that can guarantee that. 44:48 I have known people that can say a lot. 44:50 I'll be willing to help you as far as I can go 44:52 but Pastor Kenny, just say, you'll supply all my need 44:54 and then where is the, where is the storehouse, 44:57 His riches and glory. Amen. 44:59 Nobody can boast that 45:00 and the other thing the reality of greed. 45:02 Let me get ready to transition on the reality of greed. 45:05 1 Timothy 6:7, and I say this very quickly, 45:09 "For we bought nothing into this world 45:12 and it is certain we carry," how much? 45:14 Nothing out. 45:17 Not taking anything with us. 45:20 That's right. 45:21 The inoculation for greed is Jesus. 45:25 Amen. Amen. 45:27 The immunization shot for greed is Jesus. 45:30 That's right, amen. 45:31 And here's my question, 45:33 what is the price of your service and your salvation? 45:37 When somebody says it's not about the money, 45:39 it is about the money. 45:40 Let it be about Jesus. Amen. 45:43 Amen, that's beautiful pastor, thank you. 45:45 I have Thursday which is self-control. 45:49 Now the lesson brings it, a couple of verses, 45:53 the common verses that you would think of 45:54 when you think about self-control 45:56 would be the fruit of the Spirit, 45:57 of course, Galatians 5, 45:58 the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, 46:00 longsuffering and it ends with self-control. 46:03 And then it also brought out Peter's ladder, 46:05 you know, in 1 Peter 46:07 where it talks about the virtues, 46:08 the Christian graces that we are to have. 46:11 And the lesson said, 46:13 "The common thread 46:14 with these verses is self control." 46:17 Self control can be difficult. 46:21 In my life it's always difficult, 46:22 but self-control can be difficult 46:24 when it comes to greed and covetousness. 46:28 And the solution is to surrender ourselves, 46:30 as you've said, as Jesus took Christ control. 46:34 Self-control is not about me trying harder 46:37 or me gritting my teeth. 46:38 It's about surrendering myself to Christ control. 46:42 That's right. 46:43 I want to look at this from a little different angle, 46:46 a different direction here, how do I protect myself 46:49 against covetousness and greed? 46:50 We've been talking the whole way through on the panel. 46:53 How to protect ourselves from covetousness and greed 46:55 or how to eradicate that from my life? 46:58 You had us in 1 Timothy, Pastor John, 47:01 6 and let's read verse 10. 47:03 Okay. 47:04 A couple of foundational principles 47:06 and then we'll get to three points 47:07 to eradicate that covetousness and greed from our lives. 47:11 1 Timothy 6:10, and we have read this verse before 47:15 and it's a fabulous one. 47:17 When we're talking about stewardship, 47:19 "The love of money 47:21 is the root of all kinds of evil." 47:24 Now the word in Greek for root literally means is the origin, 47:28 or is the source. 47:29 So we could say, 47:31 "The love of money is the source 47:33 or the originator of all kinds of evil." 47:37 And the word for love of money in Greek is one word 47:41 and it means covetousness. 47:42 I think you've read that in King James, 47:44 that say's covetousness. 47:45 So the root or the origin 47:48 of all different kinds of evil is covetousness, 47:52 "For which some have strayed 47:54 from the faith in their greediness," 47:58 greediness literally means to stretch out or to yearn for. 48:04 "They have strayed from their faith 48:05 in their greediness 48:07 and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 48:11 So, Miss Mollie, you talked about 48:13 what is the danger of a guilty look. 48:16 In the case of David, 48:17 a guilty look led to adultery and murder. 48:22 What is the case of a guilty desire, acting on that? 48:26 You think of Ahab and he had a guilty desire, 48:28 he had a desire for Naboth's vineyard. 48:31 And what happened? That led to murder. 48:34 What is the result of a guilty longing? 48:38 You think about Achan. 48:40 and he had a longing, covetous longing, 48:43 for something that was not his. 48:45 And the result of that, that little bit of gold 48:48 that he had hid underneath his tent 48:50 and that babylonish garment, the result of that, 48:54 of his desire for that was stealing, 48:56 but it was the loss of lives of many of the Israelite men. 49:00 Remember, they went out to Ai, 49:01 and they lost the battle 49:03 because of his covetous longing. 49:06 And this verse of 1 Timothy 6:10, 49:08 "Covetousness is the root of other sins." 49:12 Other sin, you get, it stems from that covetousness. 49:15 In addition, covetousness is idolatry. 49:19 Colossians 3:5, 49:21 "Put to death your members which are on the earth. 49:24 Fornication, uncleanness, passion, even desire, 49:28 and covetousness which is idolatry." 49:33 Why is it idolatry? 49:34 I think that contentment 49:36 that our hearts should be getting from God, 49:39 we look for that contentment somewhere else. 49:42 The first commandment, 49:44 "Thou shall have no other gods before me." 49:47 The last commandment, "Thou shall not covet." 49:50 When we covet, we create an idol or a God 49:53 that we put in the place of God, 49:55 we put it in place of Him. 49:57 So how do we eradicate 49:58 that covetousness and greed from our lives? 50:01 I think the opposite of covetousness is contentment. 50:04 That's right. 50:06 So, number one, practice contentment with Godliness. 50:10 1 Timothy 6, we're still there, just jump back to verse six, 50:12 "Now Godliness with contentment is great gain." 50:18 Philippians 4:11, 50:19 "I have learned and whatsoever state 50:22 I am there-with to be content." 50:26 Contentment does not come from having all we want. 50:29 Contentment comes from not wanting more than I have. 50:35 Contentment comes from not wanting 50:38 or coveting more than I have. 50:42 I remember when Greg and I were first married, 50:45 we were very poor. 50:47 I'm not saying we're rich now 50:48 but we just lived hand to mouth. 50:50 When we first got married, 50:53 I didn't work the first couple of months 50:55 and so we lived entirely on his salary, 50:57 and it was very small. 51:00 And I remember my budget for food was $20 a week. 51:06 Now that included toiletries, that included everything, 51:10 including food. 51:11 The first year we were married, 51:13 I don't think we once bought a bag of chips 51:15 because we can't afford them, 51:16 we never bought crackers. 51:18 We lived almost entirely on rice, beans, oatmeal. 51:24 Things that are economical, you can buy it in quantity, 51:28 and you can stretch it, right? 51:31 I made our own bread, we did everything. 51:33 I bought vegetables when they were on sale. 51:35 So this week, lettuce is on sale, 51:37 we're having a lot of that. 51:38 Next week such and such is on sale, 51:40 we're having a lot of that. 51:41 You bought what you, what you had 51:43 but you know what, 51:44 I look back on those days, I was so content. 51:48 I didn't wish to go out and do something else. 51:51 I was so happy because I had Greg. 51:55 Nothing else in the world mattered 51:57 because I had Greg. 51:59 I think that's what Paul is saying here, 52:01 "Godliness with contentment is great gain." 52:04 If you have Jesus, nothing else matters, 52:09 as long as we have Jesus. 52:11 Number two, practice thankfulness, 52:14 you know, they say that practice makes perfect, 52:17 you've heard that adage many times 52:19 but I don't believe that. 52:20 I believe practice makes permanent. 52:23 When I taught music lessons, 52:25 if a student all week played middle C, 52:28 when they were supposed to play a D, 52:30 guess what happened the next week? 52:31 They permanently remembered the wrong note 52:35 and they played it wrong. 52:36 Now it was permanently ingrained as the wrong note. 52:40 So practice makes permanent. 52:43 So what are we supposed to practice? 52:44 We're supposed to practice thankfulness. 52:46 Yes. Amen. Practice thankfulness. 52:48 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 52:51 "Rejoice evermore... Pray without ceasing... 52:56 In everything give thanks, 52:58 for this is the will of God 53:00 in Christ Jesus concerning you." 53:02 So, so many times I know I talk to people, 53:04 they call on the phone, 53:06 "Jill, my life is terrible 53:07 and I just wish I had this and that 53:10 and I'm not doing so well and guess what? 53:13 Start a gratitude journal, begin everyday, 53:17 write down the things you're thankful for. 53:21 What happens when we make it a habit 53:24 to choose, to practice thankfulness 53:27 that makes it permanent. 53:28 And pretty soon, my outlook is thankfulness to God 53:33 for the blessings He has given me 53:35 and that works to eradicate 53:37 or pull out the greed from my heart. 53:40 Number one, we practice contentment with Godliness. 53:43 Number two, we practiced thankfulness. 53:46 And, number three, we practice generosity. 53:50 You know, if you think about the stages of giving, 53:52 now this could apply to kids growing up 53:54 but I think it applies to baby Christians in the church 53:57 and as we mature in Jesus. 54:00 The first stage would be an infant, 54:02 an infant doesn't give it all. 54:03 Would that be accurate? 54:04 An infant is not focused on the needs of others. 54:07 The second stage would be in childhood, 54:09 we would call that impulse-giving. 54:11 May be someone gives an emotional appeal in church 54:14 and I think, "Oh, I better give some money to help so and so." 54:19 We become a youth 54:20 and we turn into legalistic giving. 54:22 I give tithe because I have to 54:25 and I'm not giving much in offering, 54:27 I just do the minimum what I have to do. 54:29 We become an adult 54:31 and we learn management of money. 54:33 How to manage money and I need to give to others 54:36 but what God wants to bring 54:38 you and I is mature 54:39 which is sacrificial giving. 54:43 David, 2 Samuel 24, 54:46 "He refused to make an offering to the Lord 54:48 that cost him nothing." 54:50 He said, "I'm not even going to do that 54:52 because it costs me nothing. 54:53 I have to give something." 54:55 The widow, we've talked about her and her two mites. 54:58 Luke 21, she gave all she had. 55:02 Now we might look at that and say, 55:04 "That was kind of stupid." 55:05 But you know what, that is mature, 55:07 that is sacrificial giving. 55:10 The Christians in Macedonia, you talked about that, Shelley, 55:14 and how they sacrificially gave even beyond 55:17 what they were able to for the cause of God. 55:20 When we give sacrificially, it works against the current 55:23 of selfishness and covetousness. 55:27 So the cure for eradicating covetousness, 55:30 from my own heart and life, 55:32 is to practice contentment, practice thankfulness, 55:36 and practice sacrificial giving. 55:40 Amen and amen. 55:42 You know, we've all been talking 55:44 the thought that has gone through my mind. 55:45 We've just come through a holiday season 55:48 and if ever there was an instrument 55:53 to procure I see, I want, I take, 55:56 it's the credit card. 55:58 And there's so many people, who during the Christmas season 56:02 and other times of the year, they use their credit cards 56:07 to purchase things that they cannot afford. 56:11 Right. 56:12 So I just want you to just give me a 30 second answer. 56:18 Think about your title of your week, 56:24 your week's lesson, 56:25 apply that to the credit card. 56:30 I see, I want, I take, start with you Kenny. 56:32 Yeah, though of that, I challenged, one time, 56:34 the church body, I said, 56:36 "You can take and you take a credit card 56:38 and you can charge a bunch of stuff 56:39 and once you take the credit card 56:41 and charge something, give it to God." 56:43 There was no takers. Wow. 56:45 That blurred spiritual eyes, that is. 56:49 Mollie? Steps of covetousness. 56:51 Okay, step number one, you see something, 56:53 you can't afford and you don't need, 56:55 but you have a false sense of having money 56:59 that you don't have and you put it on the credit card. 57:02 John? 57:03 Yeah, and don't let the season of thanks giving be followed 57:05 by the by the season of I want. 57:07 Yeah, Jill? 57:09 Self control, practice self control 57:10 with a credit card that you have. 57:12 Absolutely! 57:13 We should be using our credit cards 57:15 for emergency purposes and not for that. 57:19 Well, this has been a wonderful time. 57:21 We thank you so much for joining us 57:23 and please join us next time. 57:25 We pray that God is teaching you 57:28 the real principles of contentment. |
Revised 2018-01-10