Trust Fund | Trust Fund | Generosity; A Biblical Approach to Money, Generosity & Legacy

Well, good morning, everyone. Who's glad to be at church today? It's so good to have you guys. Of course, we have those online at the county jails and also at our other locations. So, come on, let's welcome the rest of our family. Good to have you guys with us. So, we are concluding a two-week series today on finances. Everybody say, woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Hey, that's pretty good. The reason why we're doing this is really twofold, but the first one is, and I shared a lot of this last week, but you know what's interesting about church? That the average person only attends church twice a month. Now, I know you guys are not average. You're way, way above average, so you're only like once a month. No, just kidding. Just kidding. So, anyway, I'm gonna make sure you understand as I set this up today, because a lot of you probably didn't hear this, that right now Americans are in financial stress. Really, they say it's the highest that it's been in their lives as long as they even can remember. It's actually the number one stressor in families' homes

today, and 69% of Americans say that it affects their sleep and even causes depression in their lives. So, I don't know if you guys are feeling it, but inflation, right, is a big deal, right? And so, what this is saying to me, the way that this money situation or finances is impacting people, is that it isn't just a numbers thing. It isn't just a spreadsheet thing. It's an emotional thing, and I submit to you, it is a spiritual thing as well. Did you know that the tension that Americans are in right now, the studies that just came out from the Federal Reserve says that only 63% of Americans could cover a $500 emergency if they had to use cash for whatever the emergency was. They're having to use credit cards because they don't have cash. That means 4 out of 10 Americans, they don't have $500 when their tires go out or the air conditioning breaks or something goes wrong. And so, it puts all this pressure, so much so that people are actually putting off medical procedures, because how many of y'all know medical care is skyrocketing as well? People are actually, listen to this, that they say that 18% or, I'm sorry, 26% of Americans have skipped medical care because of this. In other words, what's going on in our financial life in America right now is people aren't making progress. They're just one more emergency away from another stress causer in their lives. And so, that's the reason why we're doing this series is

because that's where Americans are right now. But the reason why we find ourselves here, there's two reasons why. First one is we have the wrong view of money. Like the way we think about money, the way we process money, and the way that we use money, it actually, I think, is compounding the problem. It actually causes more stress. We don't understand the value of what the resources that God has given us. The good news is the Bible speaks a lot about this. And so, because if we have the wrong view of money, then we're gonna spend it, we're gonna use it the wrong way. And the main reason why I would submit to you guys that we here at Bayside are experiencing that is because I haven't been teaching you guys financial principles. I don't know, I told you guys this last week, and this happened to me one other time in 2010 in the church, but I just haven't been teaching on it. And I feel like people, you know, a lot of times people say, all the church wants is my money anyway. Oh, and that big mega church, they just, you know, trying to buy more airplanes. It's like, no, we're not doing any of that stuff. We're trying to make it hard for people to go to hell, right, all over the west coast of Florida. But that's what people think. And so, I apologize because we teach on every spiritual principle you can, but we haven't been teaching on this. Now, we talk about money, but we haven't been teaching it.

And that's why the Bible says this in Hosea. The Lord is saying, my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Destroyed, coming undone, dealing with unnecessary things because you don't know. And the reason why you don't know is because I haven't been teaching it. So, y'all please forgive your pastor, okay? And so, that's the reason why we've done this series, and we're gonna talk about it more as well. Because until we start walking in the blessings and the provisions of the Lord, I'm gonna keep teaching on it, amen? Because what I have found is every year we do a survey as well at all of our Christmas services, and we ask, what is it that you wanna hear sermon titles on? And these topics like, you know, depression or anxiety keep coming up, and we teach on it, and then the survey says the same thing again. in the next year. And so my prayer is that we're not just gonna hear this message about finances, but we're gonna implement it. So last week, we started with putting God first. Everybody say God first. God first. The Bible says in Proverbs that we have to honor the Lord with our first fruits, and then he will fill our barns. I don't have a barn, but y'all know what I mean. He'll provide the resources you need. And so that's the first topic.

And then tonight at all of our campuses at five o'clock, we're doing a workshop, a financial workshop. We're gonna give you training. We're gonna give you tools. We actually have this whole tool, this resources that was given to us that we're gonna get to give it away free to you that will help you manage and use your resources in the right way. We're gonna help you create a vision for your life financially. Like if my life financially could be anywhere I want it to be, here's where it needs to be. And then we're gonna help you build a plan and give you the tools and the resources to do that. Everybody say, praise God. Praise God. And so five o'clock today, we got childcare and we're providing dinner. So at all of our campuses at five o'clock. And so that's important because we need to know how to use the resources that God has given us. I saw this quote and I don't know who it was, so I'm gonna take credit for it, okay? It says, your body is the result of a thousand meals that you've eaten. Your mind is the result of a thousand conversations that you've had. And your finances are a result of the last thousand decisions that you've made.

And here's what I thought was interesting. Nothing about your current situation is a mystery, it's simply a receipt. And so what that means is if we're in situations where we are under stress regarding finances, then there are probably some decisions that have been made that have led us here. And it doesn't mean that we've made bad decisions, sometimes there's catastrophic things that happen that put us in situations like this. And so how can we actually begin to stack principles on top of each other so we can say, my last thousand decisions actually have placed me in a better spot than our previous was. Somebody ought to say amen to that. So that's why we're talking about this. And today I'm gonna give you this particular thesis, if you will, that I wanna talk about today in generosity. Everybody say generosity. Because a successful life is measured by what you accumulate, but a significant life is measured by what you leave behind. And generosity is the only way to accomplish leaving something behind that will last forever. Jesus said, don't store for yourselves treasures in heaven on earth, where moths and venom or vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy

and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. I want to show you guys something that I think is important, that we understand how this storing up treasures in heaven works and being generous. Everybody say generous. I'm holding, I think the most ridiculous decision I've ever made in my life is what I'm holding in my hand right here. What I'm holding right here is a million Iraqi dinars. And those of you that were adult age in the early or the mid 2000s, like 2005 and six, when Iraq was completely destroyed, from the Gulf War and Saddam Hussein fell. As a result of that, the country was in a mess. So there came this scam that if you would buy these Iraqi dinars, then it's going to revalue, the currency is going to revalue like it was when it was in its peak in 1990s. So you could buy these for like $300, but one day it's going to be worth at least a million or it could even be more than that. Biggest scam ever. I paid $300 for this. You know what it's worth right now, $459 and 76 cents. This thing never is going to revaluate, right? And I want you guys to understand today is that you and I think sometimes the things we are doing

are going to bring the value to our life that we want. And I submit to you, not that we shouldn't enjoy life and that we shouldn't have fun. We live in Florida, come on man. I mean, it is hot right now. Like hot as hell. I think if I preached on hell right now and we all went outside, everybody gets saved. Okay. But I think, I think what the problem is, is we don't, we're not investing our lives in the right thing that's gonna revalue. So that's what I wanna teach you about today. Luke chapter 10, everybody got a Bible? Hold it up, let me see, printed Bibles. Digital Bibles, hold them up. All right, I want you to turn to Luke chapter 10. We're gonna study a passage that is gonna teach us how we can in our everyday lives, use it to store up treasures in heaven. Okay, Luke 10, 25 through 29. On one occasion, an expert of the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the law? He replied, how do you read it? He answered, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.

You have answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked the Lord, who is my neighbor? Can we pray? You close your eyes and open your hearts up. God, thank you for the word today. Help me to preach it in such a way that it is received. I come against any attack of the devil to try to steal this, but we are living our lives in such a way with eternity in mind. And I pray, God, that you would help me. I pray you would touch my body as I'm sick and feeling bad. I pray you just heal me right now. In Jesus' name, devil, you will not steal the word today. Amen. Come on, give Jesus some praise, would you? And as you listen today, y'all pray for me because I really am pretty sick. Anyway, so you know it's gonna be good. Everybody say it's gonna be good. All right, here's what we can learn. The law or God's love. When it comes to being generous, what this person was asking really was the difference between what's the law say and what exactly does God's love say? Because he came and says, how do I have eternal life? And that's a great question to ask God, right?

God, how can I live in the fullness of the life that you have for me? But he did it in such a way where he was asking God, what's the least amount that he can do? He was a lawyer. They always are trying to figure out a way, right? To skirt by some things. If you're a lawyer, thank God for you. And sometimes, not so. Depends on what side you're on, right? It says that he did this to test Jesus. I don't know about you, but I don't like tests. I didn't do so good in tests. In fact, I had to take the ACT three times to get a 21 so I could go to LSU. And we added them all up together to equal 21, right? But we studied last week where the Bible says that you can test Jesus when it comes to honoring him with your first. And so this guy is testing Jesus in the wrong way. Like to see what's the least amount I can do and actually still make it to heaven. And I have a feeling that you and I need to get to the place where we realize, God, it's not a matter of do I have to be generous to people? Do I have to help serve other people? But God, does your love impact me in such a way that I wanna store up treasures in heaven? See, our love for God is shown in how we love others. It's our neighbor.

That's what it says, love your neighbor as yourself. That word is plesion, which means someone that you come in contact with. Basically, your neighbor is people that are sitting by you at church right now. Your neighbor is at the Publix grocery store and at Detweilers and at First Watch and all the places you go eat. When you run into people, God wants you to realize that he's put you here on a purpose, not to just make you comfortable, but to challenge you to impact other people. Somebody ought to say amen to that. That's how we store up treasures in heaven. And then it goes on in Luke 10, back in the air, verses 30 through 33. Jesus replied, a man was going down to Jerusalem. It's gonna explain to him who his neighbor is, right? And when he was attacked by the robbers, they stripped him of his clothes, they beat him, and he went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, he passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him. Okay, write this down. Generosity sees what others walk past. Think about this.

God's love should go from duty to action. And this guy was knowing, what is my duty? What do I have to do? And God is always gonna say, look, if you truly love me, love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, then you're also gonna love your neighbor as yourself. And the Samaritan is the only one that acted. See, it's gonna take you and I being inconvenienced a little bit in order to make a difference in this community, in order for us to make a difference in our family, in our workplaces. We can't just say, hey, God, I just wanna serve you so you can make me comfortable. God is setting us up in a place and with the relationships you have so that you can share the love of God with other people. Amen? I found this incredible story of these seminary students. And this happened several years ago, but these seminary students had to prepare a message, if you will, on the Good Samaritan. And so they showed up for class that day. And when they got to their class, the people there at the class said, hey, listen, it's gotten changed. It's in another building across the campus. You better hurry up and get over there. And they strategically placed the guy that was hurting and kind of homeless looking, if you will, on their path. They had to pass right by him.

So on their way to preach a message on the Good Samaritan, 90% of those students walked right past them and didn't stop. Isn't that so funny, right? Going to preach a sermon on the Good Samaritan, right? They also did another study and they did it in such a way where those students were gonna walk by the same person, but they didn't tell them they were running late. So they had time to stop. 63% of them stopped when they weren't so busy. Here's the thing that I've heard someone say before. If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy. And we get so busy in life so many times that we don't have time to stop and help someone else. We just, like even my own life. Listen, I got so convicted about this when I was studying this week. And what I realized is that I've talked about this before. I'm hanging out in the foyer a lot of times and Amy's out there as well. And Amy will talk to one person for 10 minutes. And I teach her, no, Amy, there's so many people. We gotta stick and move, stick and move. Say hello, how you doing? Talk to somebody else, stick and move, stick and move. Not Amy. She sits there with him and just locks in on them. And you know what? I think she has it right. She does.

And I think so many times we're just looking for the next thing, right? Where am I going next? And what's on my list? And where do I need to get to in a hurry? I do that walking through here. Like I'm in a hurry. Jesus walks slowly through the crowds. And I think he was pretty busy. I mean, y'all know he had a big to-do list, right? But he modeled that for us as well. And so we have to be willing to be inconvenienced. We have to be willing not just to see, but actually God wants to use us. In fact, I would submit to you, if you see somebody hurting, God has called you to solve it. Rather than thinking, oh, well, somebody else will do it. I called a church. Church, I just saw this need and we need to take care of this. God's calling me. Everybody say, God's calling me. God's calling me. The scripture says this in Proverbs, do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to help them. Help, that word even means like fraction or just to share. It doesn't mean you have to solve the whole thing. It's like Mother Teresa said, just because you can't do everything

doesn't mean you shouldn't do something. And so I think we need to realize that, hey, God is calling me to see this. I'm seeing this person in need. I'm seeing this opportunity. I need to realize God is calling me to solve it. Somebody say, amen. And then write this down. Generosity uses what you already have. Back in Luke chapter 10, Jesus went on and went on to say this. He went to him, this good Samaritan, and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. "'Look after him,' he said. "'And when I return, I will reimburse you "'for any extra expenses you may have.'" He doesn't say, well, man, if I had more money or if I had more time, he realizes that God put him there to make a difference with this person who had a need. And it says there that he didn't like, well, somebody else will take care of this. He took the responsibility for it. And you see, the fact that you see it is what I believe qualifies you and God wants you. you to be an encouragement to other people.

And it isn't always that you have to give money to people. I mean, sometimes people just need some encouragement. In fact, you probably know people at your workplace and people that you were in contact with and you know they're going through something. When's the last time you just paused and said, hey, I'm concerned what's going on, I wanna pray. Can I pray with you and encourage you? This is how we use our lives in such a way that it lasts forever. Somebody say amen to that. So just use what you have. But too many times we go, well, when my kids grow up, I'll have more time. Or when I get more money, I'll be able to be more generous. And I know that some people say this, oh, well, I've already paid my dues. And now I'm just at church here to enjoy it because I've helped start churches or been involved in ministry before. And I'm ready to retire from that. No, there is no retirement in the kingdom of God. Somebody say amen. Amen. And it doesn't matter who you are and how little you feel like your contribution may be. But if we all take it upon ourselves to store up treasures in heaven by looking at people as the opportunity for us to pray with them, encourage them,

yes, give and support them. It's not for somebody else to do it. God's calling us, amen. Like the boy walking on the beach and there were starfish and he was picking them up and throwing them back into the water and a man came upon him and said, what are you doing? He goes, I'm saving these starfish. And he goes, the man, the adult, the man said, listen, you are never gonna be able to save all these starfish. I think it's too big of a project. And he picked up another one and threw it. And he said, I made a difference in that one. And so maybe you can't solve all the problems, but you can realize that when you see somebody in need, God put you there for a reason, amen. Last thought is this, generosity is an expression of our own gratitude to God. Listen, we don't know why this guy was robbed. Maybe he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe he had it coming to him. Maybe he was somebody that put himself in that position because of how he treated other people. We don't know. But what we know is he needed help and someone stopped to help him. And here's what I want you to know, that you and I are blessed when we give and when we love others, regardless of what they do with it. Amy and I ran into this student

before our youth conference, our 12 conference. And he was at a restaurant we were eating at, we were just talking, he worked there. And I said, are you going to our youth conference? He said, no, I don't know. I can't afford to go right now. He goes, but I'm praying something works out and I'll be able to go. And Amy and I left with our food, went and sat at the table and we were like, why did we see this and hear this and know about it? Why can't we help this kid? So we took out money and brought it over to him and gave it to him and said, here you go so you can go to the conference. So we prayed for him and blessed him and we were driving home later and I thought to myself, what if he doesn't go to 12 conference? What if he, I don't know, go buy beer, maybe parties with his friends, I don't know. And then I realized Amy actually checked me. She's sweet y'all, but she will call me out. I need that, right? For sure. Y'all don't say amen. Come on y'all, relax. And her, one of Amy's favorite verses is first Corinthians 15, 58. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord

because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain, it's not wasted. When you give, your blessing is tied to your action, not what they do with it. That's a reality. Now, wisdom tells you don't give an addict cash, okay? Seriously, you have to use wisdom. But the point simply is the same. When you give, it opens up a blessing. You are storing up treasures in heaven. And listen, there was this woman that went to Jesus' house one time and she opened up this box of perfume and was pouring it all over Jesus' feet and of course the religious people were like, that's so dumb, what a waste of money. You know, we could have fed the poor with that. And there was a whole conversation, Jesus was like, listen, I'm the Messiah and she knows what she's doing. But here's what Jesus said at the end of that. He said, for those who have been forgiven. Living much, love much. Now, I don't think that verse means like if you were a notorious sinner, that you love God more. Because all of us are separated from God. And even the little tiniest sin will separate you from God. And when you realize forgiveness, that God has paid for your sin,

and you get to walk freely, and you get to live that and experience it here on earth and eternity forever, when you realize the forgiveness of God, it'll cause you to be more generous. And the reason why she was on the ground weeping and using her resources for the kingdom of God is because she saw an opportunity that the religious people didn't. I think you and I need to get to the place where we realize when we give, we're just in essence showing how grateful we are for the grace of God. And listen, this whole message that I'm teaching here today in the Good Samaritan, it all started with this thought right here. How can I inherit eternal life? It's an inheritance. Would you guys write that in your notes? He's asking, how can I be an heir? How can I be a recipient, God, of your blessings? Eternal life is the word zoe. It doesn't just mean making it to heaven. It's like Jesus said, I came to give life and life to the fullest. It's life here on this earth and eternity. He's saying, I want to inherit that. In order for you to receive an inheritance, you gotta be part of the bloodline, right? You leave stuff to your kids or your grandkids

or the people that are your family, that's where you leave an inheritance to. And we're asking God the same thing. I want eternal life as well. How can I be a part of that as well? Let me tell you, Jesus' blood paid for it. You get to receive it as if you've always been a part of it because he gives freely. For God so loved the world that he what? He's a giving God. He's a generous God. But you know, the reason why we named this series Trust Fund is because the Trust Fund is in essence similar to an inheritance. You put away this money that is then given to your family and it usually, it always has rules or stipulations on when you can get it and what you do with it when you disperse that money. It's Trust Fund. I'm teaching you how to live with a spiritual Trust Fund. First of all, you can only receive it through Jesus Christ. Amen? And we're gonna pray in just a moment for those of you that don't know him. But then those of you that are praying in your own life, saying, God, what can I do to inherit your blessings, eternal life? Like, God, I need help. We're gonna teach you how to manage what you have tonight and that's very important.

I told you last week how to honor God and putting him first. That's the most important thing. Today, what you're learning and I'm encouraging is that your life should be an overflow, an expression of generosity in every way you can in life. And I wanna read this last story in Matthew chapter 25. And I say this because, and I wanna read this because it's a pretty heavy passage. And I want you to understand you only make it to heaven through what Jesus has already done. I'm trying to set you up for storing treasures in heaven, that your life goes from success to significance. Let's read it in Matthew 25, verses 31, all the way through 46. When the Son of Man comes in his glory. In other words, Jesus is coming back again. How many of y'all are thankful for that? All right, he's coming back again with all the angels and he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him. And he will separate the people from one another as shepherds separate sheep from goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, come you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you. The kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothed you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The king replied, truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters. You did it for me. Then he will say to those on his left, depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in. I needed clothes, and you didn't clothe me. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't come look after me. They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger needing clothes or sick or in prison, and I didn't help you.

He will reply, truly, I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then you will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous, eternal life. And the reason why I read you that is, first of all, I want you to understand that I need to repent. I'm the one trying to move fast through life and accomplish things, but I'm walking by needs and opportunities every day. Reminds me of an opportunity or what happened to me when we first started the church. We lived in this neighborhood, and this little boy that lived there, he was a middle schooler, and he was going to school, crossing the street one day, and for some reason, he didn't look both ways, and the truck didn't pay attention to the school crossing and hit this boy, and he died. Now his house, this family's house was in our neighborhood, and I drove by it every day, several times a day. The church was less than a year old. And I remember one day in my office at the house, just praying like, God, help us to reach this city. God, help us to make a difference. Help Bayside to be a church that represents you really well. I was asking for God's blessings on what we were doing. God's like, Randy, you're asking for people to come so you can pastor them and make a difference.

And you pass by this family's house every week, multiple times, and you've never done one thing for them. I mean, you know, I felt like, okay, God, I repent. And actually, I did. I went to their house and repented and told them I was a pastor, prayed with them and encouraged them and helped them whatever we could. And I just remember the Lord saying, Randy, you have opportunities all the time. Why don't you use it? And I repent to you guys again. I think it's easy to get busy and running fast, but I'm gonna tell you right now, this church is always gonna be about helping those who need help. And guess what? We have a chance to do that every week when you come. All of our ushers in our parking lot and our kids' ministry people. Can we just give it up for all of our Dream Team? Come on, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. We are always gonna help because we know our part is gonna be brought up in every canative of God,

especially the little prefixes. You're gonna be called out, just because you're a child of somebody else. He's gonna be your pastor to you for the rest every day, although it might be an individual loss, if you've never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, for you to be adopted into God's family, it's just recognizing who Jesus is and what he did and how he died so that you could live. You get to receive that. That's part of your inheritance, but it starts with that. And if you've never done that before, never surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, I wanna give you a chance to do that. In fact, I'm gonna count to three. And when I do, I want you to put your hand up and we're gonna pray for you right where you are. One, two, three. Come on, all over the place, all of our campuses, those online, in the jails. Okay, church, let's pray this prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for your love. You love me so much that you gave. Thank you, Jesus, for what you did. You gave too. You gave up your life. You died so that I can live.

I receive that today. Jesus, you are my Lord and my Savior. Amen. Amen.