Making the Most of What You Have, Part 2

Everything you have belongs to God. It is his property. The parable says that the master called his servants and he entrusted his property to them. He didn't give them their property. He entrusted his to them. Your house, your car, your children, even your own life, everything you have belongs to God. Hello and welcome to Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd. It's a sobering thought, isn't it? That none of what you have really belongs to you.

But that's not the end of the story. God is a good God, a loving Father who entrusts us with time, talent and treasure and who gives good gifts to his children. The question is, will you use those blessings to bless others or to hoard them for yourself? Today's message is straight ahead. Stay with us here or visit pastorpaul.net to listen on demand. That's pastorpaul.net. And with today's Destined for Victory message, making the most of what you have, here's Pastor Paul.

Greater is he that is in me than he that's in the world. You don't have to be afraid of the devil. Peter said now you need to be sober and vigilant. You need to know his tactics. You need to know that he's like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But then Peter said all you got to do is resist him steadfast in the faith. You walk in faith and in obedience the devil cannot do anything to you that the Lord himself doesn't permit. You can walk in victory because the greater one lives on the inside of you. When the devil comes messing with you and you know you're living in faith and obedience, you have power and authority.

You can tell him where to go and draw a map so he doesn't get lost. You have power, you have victory in the name of Jesus. We serve the only sovereign and our place in life is to please him.

That's our goal for we are his servants. So you got to live with that understanding. You got to live knowing that you're one day going to answer to God. For everything the Bible says we will give an account for the things done in this life.

We will give an account. So live with that understanding that you are going to die and after death the judgment. You got to live your life constantly knowing that.

I know we don't like to be reminded of that. We like to be in life mode. But the only way to truly be in life mode is you got to understand that one day and you don't know when you are going to check out of this life. You're going to die. The only way you'll avoid death is if you're still on earth when the Lord comes again. Other than that, my friend, you are going to die. I know you're trying to be healthy. We should all be doing that. We're fighting the good fight, trying to stay healthy and what have you. Do the best you can, but understand that death is going to outrun you one day. It's going to catch up to you one day.

No, you don't understand. My family has longevity. All of my grandparents, they didn't die until their 90s, but then they died. They died.

That's the operative phrase. They are dead now. They checked out of here.

They ran a long time, thank God, but they checked out of here. And furthermore, let me help you. You don't have to be old to die. You can die much younger. You don't have to be sick to die. Oh, my family has great genes.

We just have a great gene pool and we're just fortunate like that. I've never been to the hospital except when I was born. That's great. Wonderful. Congratulations.

Happy for you. But please understand, you don't have to be sick to die. You're going to check out of here one of these days and you don't know when it's going to be. You have to live with that awareness.

And after death, the judgment. You're going to answer to God one day. So please live with that understanding that you're going to check out of here. I know some folk don't want to die.

Oh, I can't leave here. My family needs me. What would they do without me? One day they're going to find out. One day your family's going to find out what to do without you because you will be gone and they will be left here.

And listen, don't get your feelings hurt. I know some of you all think they couldn't make it without you. I dare you to die. When we were kids, we said I deep double dare you.

I deep double dare you to die. You will find out some of you all are a little too full of yourself. You think your folks could not make it. Oh, they would be a mess without me. You'd be surprised.

You'd be surprised. Oh, I know they love you. I'm not saying that they don't love you. Sure, they love you. And when you check out here, they'll be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth to use that Bible phrase. But they are going to make it without you.

They're going to make it without you. I grew up in church, pastor's kid, went to many a funeral. I saw families falling out. You got to pick them up off the floor as they look at the casket. Oh, they can't imagine their loved one is really gone just screaming and wailing and falling out and carrying on. But those same folk after the service, they get in cars and you drive out to the edge of town and they take their loved one and there they are, the saints singing a final hymn and the remains are being lowered into the grave.

Folk are still weeping and crying. And after that, the funeral parlor establishment folks are going back to the cars and what have you. And people go back because it is over and they don't want you to see that next move is they're going to throw dirt in there and cover you up.

And you don't want the loved ones to see that. So you send them back to the car and what have you. And with all that crime, they still might be weeping and dabbing tears, but then they're going to go back to the house or to the church. And if they black, they're going to eat chicken and potato salad.

Trying to help you now, trying to help you. Because our culture, I grew up going to many a funeral and the repass afterwards. And that was the way that we comforted our families and we're grieving and what have you. They cooked comfort food from that soul food tradition. And they come back to the house or somebody's church and they eat chicken.

You walk in the room and you walk in the fellowship hall and the smell would just hit you. And chicken and potato salad, macaroni and cheese, greens, rolls. The old folk had a couple of tables and they over there slicing pound cake and sweet potato pie. And they were going to help you through your grief. Give you a nice little plate of food and you'd be surprised those same folk that were falling out a little while ago.

They're now eating and laughing and carrying on. Why? Because they have an instinct to live. You're gone, but I still got to stay here. So don't get your feelings hurt. Think you all that that you can't afford to die because the folk won't know how to make it without you.

You'd be surprised some of your spouses who think your spouse could not make it without you that day would be a basket case. I dare you. I dare you to die. Oh, no.

And some of you all are so unwise. I've heard married folk ask their spouse. Now, honey, could you even see yourself remarrying if the Lord takes me? Don't get your feelings hurt.

Let me help you right quick before I get on to the rest of this message. Do not get your feelings hurt. Why ask a question like that? You're setting yourself up because that doesn't mean they don't love you. That's not proof that they love you, that once you're gone, they wouldn't even know how to even consider being with somebody else. There are some folk, there's a small percentage of folk I've met who truly feel that way. I honestly would not remarry. This marriage has been so enriching and just the best ever, and I can't even imagine. And so I think I would just make it the rest of the way just with the fellowship of the saints.

I don't see myself remarrying. There's a small percentage of folk who feel that way, but the rest of them, sooner or later, it would dawn on them. You are out on the edge of town. Your remains are out on the edge of town. Your spirit has gone back to the Lord who gave it, and you cannot help them now.

Can't help them now. And you've got to get this thing straight. Some of you all heard me tell the Brother Jones story through the years.

Others hadn't heard it, plus I want to hear it again real quick. Brother Jones helped you understand that. Brother Jones was in our church in Philadelphia. He and Sister Jones had a wonderful marriage. They were just the nicest couple.

You rarely saw one without the other. They were just really close and what have you. And he truly loved his wife. Well, she got sick, and after a period of sickness, Sister Jones died.

And the saints were out burying her remains out at the cemetery, lowering the remains into the ground as the saints sang a final hymn. Brother Jones fell over on my dad, who was this pastor, said, oh, Pastor Shepherd, I loved her so much. He said, I know, I know, Brother Jones. Oh, I'm going to miss her so much. Yeah, I know, Brother Jones.

We're going to be praying for you. Oh, we had the most wonderful marriage. I know you all were just one of the greatest couples in the church. And Brother Jones said, now I've got to find another one.

At the cemetery. He loved Sister Jones. He enjoyed Sister Jones. They had a great life together, but now Sister Jones can't help a brother out. And he mourned her for some months, but it wasn't all that long before Brother Jones went to another church, visiting another church, found him a sister, started talking to her, and next thing you know, he brought her back to our church. I remember the day that Brother Jones introduced her to us. I said, look here.

Before long, they were married. So you got to understand, we are all headed the same way. You're going to check out of here. And after death, the judgment. So the only thing that matters in this life is pleasing God. We'll be right back with more of today's Destined for Victory message from Pastor Paul Shepard. To listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent broadcasts, be sure to stop by pastorpaul.net to listen on demand. That's pastorpaul.net. Did you know there is some rather compelling evidence in support of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Pastor Paul shares that evidence with you in his booklet, He's Alive. That's He's Alive, a brand new booklet from Pastor Paul, in our gift to you by request for your generous donation to Destined for Victory this month. Call 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.

You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538. And stay with us after today's message when Pastor Paul joins me from a studio in California. But first, let's tune into the rest of today's teaching, making the most of what you have. Once again, here's Pastor Paul. When it's all said and done, life is about pleasing God. We are His servants. So with that foundation, Jesus then shows us a third point in this parable.

He has gone away but He's coming back. He is the Master. We are His servants. And the third thing then we learn from the parable is He has entrusted His property to us.

Everything you have belongs to God. It is His property. The parable says that the Master called His servants and He entrusted His property to them. He didn't give them their property. He entrusted His to them.

Why? Because we're His servants. We belong to Him and everything about us belongs to Him. We're His servants. And so He entrusts His property to us.

Now that's a revelation. When you come into kingdom living, you got to understand that that is the revelation to walk in, to live by, to know that your treasure, your talent, and your time are not yours. They are God's. They belong to Him because we belong to Him. And so the goal is to find out how does the Lord want me to use His treasure, His talent, and His time that He has entrusted to me. It's all about learning to be trustworthy to God. That's the journey that we're on, learning to be trustworthy to God.

Because Jesus made it plain that if we can be trusted with the things of God, then God will bless us as a result. I don't know about you, but I'm interested in living in the blessing of God. I want God to be able to bless me. I don't want anything in my life to hinder what He wants to do through me and in me.

And therefore, He's got to find me trustworthy. So the Lord has entrusted to us His treasure, His talent, and His time. The question then is how do I utilize those things in a way that pleases God? Let's begin by looking at the treasure. What do I do with the financial resources that God has entrusted to me?

How can I please Him? Now, you know, most of us, before we come to live our lives by a biblical paradigm, our first instinct is to take money, treat it like it's ours, we can do with it whatever we want. So most of us, when we come into kingdom living, we bring our old worldly mindset, and that mindset is my money is mine, I earned it, I earned a paycheck, whatever it is, my money is mine, my portfolio is mine, so it is totally at my discretion. And most of us then decide, since it's at my discretion, what I'm going to do is spend it. So most of us have the mindset of spending first and foremost. And then from there, we may decide, some people decide to save some, some people decide to give some, but the orientation is spend it because it is at my discretion. Well, if we want to live by a biblical paradigm and we want to please God and be ready to meet Him one day, the Bible is very clear that if you want to honor God with the use of His financial resources that He's entrusted to you, the orientation has to be switched, and the first thing the Bible calls us to do is to give generously. What should we do with God's resources?

There are going to be three things I cover over the next couple of messages. One, to give generously. Two, to save strategically. Three, to spend sensibly. Number one, to give generously. That's the first thing the Bible calls us to do when the Lord entrusts His financial resources to us. The first thing, Proverbs 3, 9 says, honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all of your crops. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits, the idea being first, initial, seek ye first. Jesus said in Matthew 6, 33, the kingdom of God, put the kingdom above everything else.

Seek first the kingdom. Honor the Lord with the first fruits of your crops and to do so generously. 2 Corinthians 9, 6 says, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. It says, but whoever sows generously will also reap generously. So the Bible calls us in handling God's resources, God's financial resources, to give generously as job one. When you receive from the hand of the Lord, whether it's through your paycheck or some other means of income, when you receive, the first thing to do is to not spend. The first thing to do is to give.

I'm talking about using God's resources in a way that pleases Him. The first thing to do is to give and to do so generously. Now, a lot of folks say, well, what is generous?

How will I know what generous giving is? Well, there's a clear biblical pattern that will help us begin to fulfill the principle of generous giving. That's the pattern of giving tithes and offerings. A tithe is 10% of that which God has entrusted to me. And this pattern, there are not many, but there are some people in the body of Christ who have a sort of knee-jerk aversion to tithing because they say, well, but that's under the law and we're not under the law.

Well, I beg to differ. Tithing is a principle and a pattern of honoring God. It has nothing to do with a lawful mandate. It is mandated under the law, but tithing predates the law. The first time you see tithing is not in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy. The first time you see tithing is in Genesis, the book of beginnings. Hundreds of years before the law was established, Jacob tithed to the Lord. Genesis 28, 20, Jacob made a vow and said, if God will be with me and will watch over me, will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my Father's house, he said, then the Lord will be my God and of all that the Lord gives me, I will give back a tenth. A tithe means a tenth. This is in Genesis 28, long before the law was established. This is Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Moses is nowhere to come.

He is nowhere to be found. It is not a matter of the law. It is a matter of honoring God, saying, Lord, this belongs to you. And so the first thing I'm going to do is give a tithe back to you to say, I love you, I thank you for being my source, and I trust you that you will bless me to have wisdom and your favor as I use the rest of these resources according to what you lead me to do.

So that's the first thing to do. I want to encourage any of you who have not practiced tithing to understand that this is a pattern, a biblical pattern of giving. You find it first in Genesis, you find it later on in the law, you find it all the way to the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 3. Many of us are familiar with that statement through the prophet Malachi where it says, bring the tithe into the Lord's storehouse, and then God says, test me, test me, and I will show you that I'll open the window of heaven.

I'll pour out a blessing that you won't even have room to receive. Then when you move over into, now a lot of folks say, yeah, but you don't find it mandated in the New Testament. Well, in the New Testament, what you find is generous giving. Generous giving couldn't possibly be less than the tenth. Don't come at me like generous giving trumps tithing. Generous giving, okay, you don't want to give a tithe, you want to give generously, is that your point? So what percentage are you talking? Well, look at it this way, what percentage are you giving to the mortgage company? That's generous.

Isn't that right? So don't act like grace giving as some call it somehow gets you free from the responsibility to honor God through generous giving. Grace giving frees me to say over and above tithing, over and above the clear pattern that you see in the scripture, I am liable to give any additional percentage as an offering to the Lord.

And so this is God's pattern. Again, the goal is for us to be prepared to answer to him one day for the way we use his resources. Thanks so much for being here for today's Destined for Victory message, making the most of what you have. I'm pleased to welcome Pastor Paul back to the microphone now. Pastor, we're excited for the opportunities the Lord is giving us to expand our ministry this year. Let's make some news here, though.

Let's talk about this new digital platform we'll be launching later this year. Share with us your heart as you look toward the future of Destined for Victory. I thought way back to the 80s when I was an associate pastor in my dad's church in Philadelphia. During those years, the Lord gave me a vision. He sort of downloaded a vision into my heart and mind about the pastorate I would have when he would send me away from my home church somewhere else in the country I didn't know where.

That ended up being Northern California. And I went there with a vision to reach thousands, and I knew that reaching them by means of media would be extremely important. I knew that then, but then that translated into I've got to get on the radio. And so when I came to California, I had a real small church but a real big vision, and I said, well, let's get on radio. Eventually the Lord blessed us to do that, and it went from a local broadcast to eventually a national broadcast, and I was so excited to see God fulfilling the vision in that way.

Well, these days, that vision still lives. I still want to see thousands more discipled and come to Christ, but I realize that it can't just be radio. I'm grateful for radio.

I don't plan to leave radio, but I want to reach people by all means possible. And today, that means we've got to get involved with new digital platforms. I'm excited about what's being developed, the infrastructure we're creating. We're going to have a fresh, new, attractive presence online. We're going to use many social media platforms, everything at our disposal, so I can keep doing what God sent me to California to do back in the late 80s, which was to make sure people understand how to know God's Son, how to apply God's Word, and how to fulfill God's purpose. And I know we're going to do that even bigger and better because of the support we're receiving from our listeners and donors. I look forward to reaching far more people for Christ. That sounds so great. What if God gave us all this technology for the express purpose of his Gospel message?

What do you think? That's an exciting thought. I truly believe that the Church has got to become all things to all men, that by all means we may win some. And in today's world of technology, instead of cursing it, we need to use it for the Kingdom of God. And I'm excited about those possibilities. That's what it all comes down to, reaching as many people as we can with the Gospel of Jesus Christ by any means necessary.

Our new digital platform is set to launch later this year, so stay tuned. Now, here's Pastor Paul with a preview of his next message. The Bible says if you want to please God with your resources, you begin by giving first and giving generously. The tithes and generous offerings are job one for the child of God. To say to the Lord when you are doing that, I trust you. That's Monday in Pastor Paul's message, Making the Most of What You Have. Until then, remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.