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good morning transformation church men I

am so excited that you are in the

building today and if you are here I

know that God has an extremely amazing

plan for your life this is the start of

a brand-new series week one that we are

calling secure the band look at your

neighbor and say secure the bag come on

um this is a time every year that we

take to be able to honestly realign our

lives and get stronger which is the word

for the year to get stronger in the area

of stewardship and finances and

generosity and since the very beginning

of me being the pastor of transformation

church we have you done this it was my

second sermon series that God told me

Michael I want you to teach

transformation church how to live a

blessed life everybody say a blessed

life not just a blessed wallet not just

a blessed home but a blessed life and

the problem is many of us don’t know how

to live a blessed life and Robert Morris

which has been one of my spiritual

mentors from afar he wrote this book and

has this revelation on living a blessed

life and so we came in to being the

pastor’s of the church and I preached a

series for a month on vision and then

God said you need to sit down and you

need to teach your church through video

how to live a blessed life and y’all

already know that I can’t preach nothing

I don’t know and so what God said is

Mike I need you to be an example of

being hot humble open and transparent

and I stood in the front of my church

the second month of being the pastor and

I said listen y’all God wants us to live

a blessed life and I haven’t quite

figured out how to do it yet so I’m not

gonna play you and teach you a bunch of

Lies that I haven’t lived out imma let

this man teach you and we’re gonna see

here and he white and he’s older and his

humor is dry but he got the revelation

and we sat and we listened to the blend

blessed life for five weeks in a row and

I sat on the front row taking notes

because a leader is not a leader because

you know more a leader is a leader

because you do what is best for the

people that are following you I already

hear me

some of y’all needed that nugget right

there and so I said and every year God

would continue to give us more

revelation until two years ago he said

Michael I think you’ve learned a few

things about the blessed life

you can teach not the whole series a

couple of messages in the series and we

and we did wait till I get my money

right and then last year we did ducks in

a row and this year we’re doing a series

call secure the what the bad and some of

you are like Sally securing the bag I

have no idea what that means well I’m

about to teach you right now but I need

to calm everybody down who may be a

little insecure about the topic of

finances generosity and stewardship

because I know some of y’all’s they just

want my money the church just want my

money meter is going off right now relax

everybody say relax we don’t want your

money we’re not doing any separate

offerings during the series we don’t

have a capital campaign in case you

haven’t heard the build is paid off Oh

y’all hear me and listen we are walking

in a season of abundance so we’re not

teaching this series because the church

needs more money this is the best the

church has ever been financially in our

church history I’m teaching this because

I’m passionate about you living a

blessed life I don’t want the church to

be flourishing as an organization and

the church as an organism is not

flourishing I want your home to be

blessed

I want your bank account to be blessed I

want your health to be blessed somebody

say I’m gonna live a blessed life silly

I don’t believe it yet but say it one

more time I’m going to live a blessed

life and so for the next four weeks I

need you to walk in with me not because

we’re trying to get something from you

I’m trying to get something to you and

the crazy thing about it is these

principles and God’s Word are something

that I’ve last

time and we need to adopt these

principles live these principles and be

ones to actually live a blessed life the

coolest thing about this entire series

is that in a series where we’re talking

about us being generous and stewards

over what God’s placed in our hand we’re

not just not taking second offerings and

trying to get money we’re actually gonna

give money away now some of y’all don’t

understand this cuz you just started

watching transformation church but when

we first started this God told me he

said Michael I want you to take up an

offering and I want you to give

everything in that offering away and I

am so grateful for the people who’ve

been down for transformation Church and

his vision of crazy faith from the very

beginning of us being leaders because

that day we raised $8,000 and on that

day this you may be like oh that’s not a

lot but to us that was everything we

brought our finances together and

there’s people in this room who gave in

that offering and when we gave we took

all of that money and we gave it away as

a seed and we said this is going to

produce a life for our church that we

would be marked as a generous church

well I’m glad to tell you during the

next four weeks

we’re not giving away eight thousand

dollars we’re gonna be giving away to

different organizations and nonprofits

that help change cities the US and the

world we’re gonna give away three

hundred and fifty thousand dollars in

the y’all come on that’s huge

and I’ll see you in the back right how

can I get some of that money it’s

already designated what I’m telling you

though is because of transformation

church’s generosity and people who’ve

already caught this message of the

blessed life we’re able to be a blessing

not just ask for one what would happen

if you can be a blessing and not just

ask for one what can happen when you

walk into the room the blessing just

showed up what happens that our church

whatever we work whatever we go

we are the blessing that people are

praying for and that is my desire is

that we could be the answer to prayer

instead of just the ones praying for

things but that takes us being able to

walk in a level of generosity and

stewardship that allows us to live say

it one more time the blessed life all

right so I want to talk about this whole

concept of securing the bag for a second

because a lot of people don’t know how

to live a blessed life because they

don’t know how to be generous but look

what proverbs 1124 says it says the

world of the generous gets larger and

larger but the world of the stingy gets

smaller and smaller now that’s a

powerful piece of Scripture right there

cuz somebody I won’t even share french

fries you hear what I’m saying you just

Angie you just mean but I’m trying to

think about in the kingdom of God when

we are generous with whatever we have

our gifts and talents our finances our

love God says people’s world get bigger

and bigger but if we hold back if we try

to keep it if we try to keep it only for

our family our four and no more God says

that your your world gets smaller and

smaller and some of you are in such a

tight space not because that’s where God

wants you is because where you have been

having your faith act for generosity

over the years God will bless you and

you won’t give anything God will expand

you you won’t share your knowledge he

gives you more contacts and you won’t

hook nobody else up and your world has

just begin to collapse on you silly

Allah claustrophobic right now not

because of what God has done because of

what you have done I’m talking to

somebody but today I want us to get

stronger in the area of generosity and

stewardship and that’s why we’re gonna

secure the bag now this is this whole

thing I’ve secured the bag this is a

phrase a cultural phrase that came up

over the past five years and for some of

you I say secure the bag then you have

different meanings in your head for some

of you when I say secure the bag you

think of this you think of the little

brand ties that you have to put back on

to the braid because we want our brand

to not be um hard so that’s

secure in the back for others of you

when I say secure the bag you think of

this

yeah that’s a chick-fil-a bag and and

and it’s a Monday through Saturday

that’s the only thing you want to secure

is Christ um chicken is its Christ

chicken Jesus chicken whatever they’re

some of the ladies in the room we’re

securing the bag looks like this yeah

yeah this is the celebrities purse

closet and some of y’all wouldn’t want

this to be the bag that was secured for

you and then some of my fellows in the

the room we got to work out because we

have secured the bag those are bags of

potato chips and she knows that you have

been securing for a long time but when I

say secure the bag this this looks like

something a little different today and I

want us to look at a definition of this

and I want you to write it down um this

is from the most reliable source that I

could find the Urban Dictionary an

expression used to describe the act of

taking advantage of a situation or this

is what I want you to focus on keeping

something of value like when I secure

the bag

I keep something of value when I secure

the bag I do what I teach something of

value today I want to talk about what

you found as we start this series as we

go down this journey I need to ask you

what you value because when you see

something that you value our natural

inclination is to secure it just to

think about the most expensive thing

that you own that’s the thing you don’t

leave sitting out that’s the thing you

don’t let kids play with that’s the

thing you don’t poor things up because

it’s valuable to you you try to secure

it and a lot of times we keep things

secure that are valuable or we keep them

the secure because they’re vulnerable

now I want you to think about that why

do I secure anything because of its

value and its vulnerability now I’m

about to teach you something I had a

very hard time with this concept of

giving and this concept of generosity

because I valued by

and I know there’s nobody in here like

this but I wasn’t giving my money to

nobody not a little things when I like

would you like to get 50 cents to some

kids in the day I’m like no I got three

kids in the car I got to give to I got

to feed these children laughs II don’t

like be honest okay maybe I’m being too

real right now

but-but-but because I value my money I

don’t just give it away and any time my

money’s vulnerable I’m trying to secure

it and the thing about our entire life

specially when it comes to finances the

only reason you secure something I want

you to write this down the only reason

you secure something is when what’s

extremely valuable becomes extremely

vulnerable when it’s valuable and

vulnerable your security I want to show

you a practical example here’s a picture

of me and my kids

and whenever you get past how beautiful

my wife is and how I’m cute these little

offspring we made are and how much we

spent being at this Disney park the

thing I want you to notice is that we

all have on the same colored t-shirt and

the reason that we have on the same

colored t-shirt is because me as the

father of this beautiful family got a

little insecure before we went to Disney

World the night before we went to Disney

World I don’t know how I ended up on it

but I was looking up rides for Disney

World on YouTube and the best thing and

then I got to this page where they was

talking about kids who got lost at

Disney World and um your boy started

freaking out and so 24 hours before we

went to Disney where I stayed up all

night designing these beautiful t-shirts

that talked about our trip and all the

t-shirts were nice I really did he

design them for the ascetic I designed

it because what was valuable to me

wouldn’t be vulnerable when we got into

the park with thousands of people and so

when something is valuable and

vulnerable our natural inclination is to

secure it

and so what I was trying to do in that

moment by giving us all the same color

shirt was trying to secure that if my

kids ran off I could easily identify

them and if they got separated from me

that they could easily identify us I was

trying to secure what was valuable and

vulnerable so when I think about our

finances our families our gifts our

talents many of us have been securing it

because it’s valuable to us

but in some area of our life it’s been

vulnerable and this is the thing I need

you to hear because I’m trying to build

visit this foundation for a god to get

to our hearts in this thing if we do not

feel like something is secure we secure

it ourselves and this is the key to what

many of us do not walk in our callings

while many of us don’t give what we’re

supposed to give is because we’re

insecure in the environment that we are

in and when you are insecure let me just

give you the point because some of y’all

don’t even understand it

insecurity always comes from a lack of

trust and when I am insecure I secure

Maceda game but there’s a lack of trust

you start saying oh if they not gonna do

this for me I’m insecure and how they’re

gonna treat me I’m insecure about how

this is gonna work out when I’m insecure

than an eyes secure I’m God I’ll take

matters into my own hands how many

people in the room right now look at me

be honest how many people are control

freaks come on let’s be honest do you

know the truth about you always wanting

to be controlled if somewhere along the

road trust was broken and you don’t

trust nobody

so you’re insecure now and when you’re

insecure you secure ah I’m gonna give

you the equation of insecurity and this

don’t have to do nothing with finances

you can apply this to every area of your

life but when you have something that is

valuable

and then you put it in a position that’s

vulnerable and you take away trust it

equals insecurity value plus vulnerable

– trust equals insecurity let me give

you an example okay so if you had a

dream when you were young it was

valuable and you you believed in the

dream and you were gonna do great things

and then you got vulnerable that sub

moment and you told a friend somebody

that you you trusted but then they took

away trust they say you could never do

that and nobody in the family has ever

done that and it equals insecurity now

you’re 48 years old questioning your

purpose because what was valuable the

dream I’m talking to somebody right now

was vulnerable and they talked down and

took Trust away and now you’re here

questioning your purpose there are

people who are teenagers and they had

something of value they had their period

they were sexually pure and then they

were vulnerable now yeah we’re just

gonna go over to uncle’s house to spend

the night and they went over to uncle’s

house to spend the night and the trucks

was taken away from them and somebody

touched him inappropriately and I’m

being very sensitive but this is

somebody’s real story right now and now

that’s equal than being insecure and

they haven’t been able to stay faithful

in a relationship and stay true to

something because now they’re insecure

and they don’t know their own self-worth

I’m trying to help you and that’s why I

want everybody in this room to

understand the wounds and the pain that

you have in your life all the things

that are going on a lot of it we’re just

trying to secure what has been damaged

in other seasons that’s why when you get

a cut on your hand the first thing is

put a bandaid on it because if I feel

insecure I secure I’m trying to help

somebody in the room right now that’s

why many of you were type no I’m shy

no you weren’t always shy you used to go

out and do stuff but then trust was

taken away and now you’re trying to

secure yourself from getting hurt

anymore

so you don’t try anymore you don’t step

out you won’t do what God’s called you

to do but if you feel insecure then you

secure that’s why many of you won’t get

in small groups cuz I tried to trust

people one time before and I told

somebody something that really hurt and

they talked about me they got something

about me and so so now I’m insecure

about that and when I’m insecure then I

secure and that’s why others of you we

have thousands of people in this room

right now and only a fraction of them

serve and that’s not because you don’t

have the ability to service because at

your last church somebody took advantage

of your time and so now you’re making

everybody else pay for the mistake of

one person and you’re securing yourself

not to be able to be the blessing that

you could be I’m talking to somebody

right now because when you’re insecure

everybody say I secure so this is what

I’m trying to get everybody to give when

it comes to your family to your future

and specifically in this series your

finances are you securing the bag like

like like people say that in a positive

term and culture like I gotta go secure

the bag baby

I’m out here working secure in the bag

I’m out here I’m about to secure the bag

but but I don’t think that’s such a

positive term when it comes to the

kingdom of God because I found out if

you’re securing the bag that means God

is it if you are the provider in your

life that means God is it if you’re the

way later in your life that means God is

it I don’t think it is a ain’t something

we need to be proud of that yeah I’ll

secure the bag cuz you’re securing what

you’re insecure about and so when you

have to be the one securing your

family’s future when you’re the ones

secure in the family I can’t come I

can’t spend time with the kids I prayed

for cuz I got to make sure they got

money to do this that in the third

the family cuz you’re the man of the

house that means you’re not letting God

secure what he’s already paid for so do

you want to be the provider do you want

to really secure the back because that

goes in exact opposite of what God says

he is in the word he says he’s Jehovah

Jireh you’re pro fighter that only can

be one of those and that’s what I’m

begging you in this series to open up

your heart stay with me through this

whole series cuz I want you to trust God

with your finances trust God with their

family trust God with your future cuz

the truth about it is many of us are

securing what we should be sowing many

of us are supposed to be sowing our

gifts and talents but we’re securing

many of us should be showing our

abilities but we’re securing we should

be sowing our time but we’re securing

them and this is it’s a shame because we

didn’t do anything to earn what we’re

securing in the first place it was God’s

grace who gave us our abilities it was

the grace of God who brought us to the

place we’re at right now see some of

y’all don’t forgot where you used to be

but it’s nothing but the grace of God

and now we’re securing what God says no

if you give it away it’ll multiply if

you give it away it’ll come back to you

if you don’t give it away if you’re

blessing to somebody else it’ll be a

blessing to more but he said no you’re

securing it and that’s not what you need

to do so really maybe the series should

be called don’t slit ear to bag because

if you’re securing it it means that God

isn’t and God is so good that he knew

that we would struggle with this in our

mortal bodies and so he gave us this

parable which is a truth alongside of a

story parabola

to see what the kingdom of God looks

like when we start talking about these

bags and securing the bag turn with me

to Matthew chapter 25 and we’re gonna

start in verse 14 it says again the

kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by

the story of a man who goes on a long

trip that man is God in this in this

passage he called together his servants

and he entrusted money what did he

entrust what did he entrust the only

reason that I’m saying this is he could

have used any other example in the world

but he uses money and I want you to know

in the Bible that we read money and

possessions is referenced over 800 times

it is the second most talked about

subject in the Bible because it matters

okay so I want everybody to check in

with me to this he says um he trusted

them with the money while he was gone

verse 15 he gave five bags of silver to

one two bags of silver to another and

one bag of silver to the last dividing

it in proportion to their abilities and

then left on the trip and some of y’all

a man right there cuz you’re like why do

you give one father and he gave one to

man and he gave me one man si si

all of us are already assuming that

God’s unfailing because my situation

wasn’t like their situation that my

setup wasn’t like their setup and that’s

the plan of the enemy for God’s grace to

then be snuffed out because of

comparison none of them deserved any

bags

none of them deserved the one bag the

fire bag are the two bag and what

happens is we get the grace of God and

then we start looking at what they got

him what they got and we need to

understand that god is so good he said

good master look what it says it even

tells us why he gives them the bags that

they got he says he divided it in a

proportion to their abilities and and

and and most of us we want it to be

something that’s fair even though we

squandered the last season that God gave

us

even though the last opportunity we

didn’t do what we were supposed to do

maybe we should be all on the same level

but God is a good master and I need you

to understand this the next season of

ability is gonna depend on the last

season of responsibility oh that’s good

word right there the next season of

ability it’s going to depend on the last

season of responsibility how did you

steward over the last year how did you

steward over the people that you have

under your leadership how did you

steward over the $50 and 62 cents that

you got from that job last week and many

times we don’t count it as anything and

so we’re like I don’t have to really do

anything with that but the Masters

watching your ability he’s watching how

you handle what he’s placed in your hand

and he’s saying this next level is gonna

be based on how you were responsible

with the last level so right this point

now God knows what you can handle

because he’s watching how do you handle

he knows what you can handle

cuz he’s watching how you handle some of

you have on your crazy face board a new

house it ain’t coming until you handle

that apartment

y’all don’t enough they don’t want to

hear nothing like this but but it’s not

the new car that you’ve got looking

clean on the picture it is far away from

you because of the big size you drove to

get here today you we know what you hate

for the last four weeks if we just look

at the bottom of your floorboard in your

car what I’m telling you is God is

watching how you handle what you have

right now and many of us need to know

that God wants us to go to a whole

nother level of being blessed but our

next season of ability is coming from

our last season of responsibility see

the biblical term for this is

stewardship everybody say stewardship

it’s not even a sexy were like

stewardship like that’s not a sexy word

but it’s a powerful one because if you

could ever get the concept of true

stewardship then you wouldn’t be able to

do things that your your pedigree

doesn’t call for your education doesn’t

call for God’s looking for somebody he

can trust and the thing that you got to

understand about stewardship this is

what stewardship says today matters when

I’m a good steward I’m not looking to

the future I’m looking to what I’m doing

today and that’s why people are like I’m

gonna be a better friend in the future

be a better friend today call the one

person text them back everybody’s

talking about I’ll be a better employee

tomorrow I just got to get through this

season know stewardship says today

matters how I love today matters how I

respond today matters how I saved my

money today matters the thing you gotta

know about stewardship the reason why

today matters come closer

cuz today always shows up tomorrow

some of y’all y’all look at pictures of

yourself when you were smaller I’m

coming for your house today and you’ve

been like oh my god why didn’t y’all

tell me why didn’t y’all tell me that

wasn’t that didn’t happen overnight

that wasn’t a shock to anybody that was

you not stewarding over the day and

because he didn’t do it over at that day

and showed up the next day and you

didn’t show it over at that day and it

showed up the next day and then it shows

up the next day do you hear what I’m

saying to you today matters body needs

to get a revelation in this place

somebody shot at me today matters so in

this story of Matthew we see two

different types of people one who would

steward over it and the one who was

security they would steward over what

the master day

and the other one that with security and

I kind of want to introduce this thing

because when we start talking about

finances and we start talking about

stewardship you know people get a little

antsy there’s some people in this

section that’s tight like all tight

right now and I want you to know that

I’m not coming to judge you but I want

you to be able to assess yourself okay

and and that’s one of the best spiritual

gifts is self-awareness so I want to

give you an opportunity to assess

yourself by something I’m calling the

bag barometer okay and we’re gonna put

up a couple of different scenarios and

you’ll be able to see where you are

either you’re gonna be a person who

stewards the bag which is what God wants

us to do are you gonna be a person who

secures the bag which is what our fear

has us to do so so I’m gonna put these

up in and do this I’m gonna show us and

illuminate some revelation that shows

what those two type of people do either

we’re gonna do it over what God’s given

us or we’re gonna secure this bag okay

and honestly as I look at this story

it’s a perspective if you’re gonna

Stuart the bag that means you know

you’re a manager not an owner see

everybody who’s a steward knows that

it’s somebody else’s and they’re just

taking care of it

they’re just managing it but if you’re

gonna secure the bag you take the idea

of an owner the reason why why why I got

to do this with my money cuz this is my

job and this is my money and this is my

family you do feel like you own

something and the thing that you have to

know as somebody who was steward over it

though this is God’s family this is

God’s job this is God’s money this is

God’s church all I am is a everybody say

manager yeah some of y’all couldn’t even

say it cuz he’s like I’m not that’s a

lie many of us are taking the place of

the owner and that’s what we see in this

in this chapter we can verse 16 it says

is a servant who received five bags of

silver they went to invest the money and

earn five meal the servant with two bags

of silver also went told ooh is that a

cuss word in the Bible what

they went to work oh snap it earns you

four I just gotta talk to somebody real

quick that if you’re in a season right

now where you’re just so creative and

waiting on God that you’re not

stewarding over the season that you’re

in right now you need to be responsible

enough to work and work on your passion

and there’s some people under the sound

of my voice waiting on this big break

maybe you need to do that and clocked in

at settings do you hear what I’m saying

because you have to manage the seasons

so that you can be prepared for what God

has for you to do somebody say that

customer Whitney work I don’t know who

that was for but I just went off on a

tangent

just on somebody here we go verse 18 it

says but the servant who received the

one man he dug a hole in the ground and

he secured the bank or you could say he

hid the money so so let me go back to my

bad barometer if you’re gonna store it

in the bag that means you know you’re a

manager of the bag and that means that

you would be one like the guys with five

and two that they invested they sewed

the bank see the thing that you got to

understand when you’re managing

something that God gives you that you

can show it because any good farmer

knows when I saw something I’m not

saying goodbye to it forever I’m putting

it into the ground

or putting it into a place where they

can produce more and so many of us are

so scared to so because we don’t

understand the concept of sowing and

reaping when I put something good in

that means I’m gonna give you something

good but if I don’t put anything good in

see the guy with the five and the two

they sewed the bag but the guy who tried

to secure the bag he dug a hole and hid

the bag and I just wonder how many of us

are trying so hard to secure what was

supposed to be a seed like that that

book you haven’t given to anybody

because you’re scared of them judging

that wasn’t the best book that you were

supposed to write that was supposed to

be a seat you were supposed to so that

that wasn’t even the one that was gonna

blow up that was the one that was going

to allow somebody to see you who was

gonna partner with you for the book that

was actually gonna blow up but because

you dug a hole and hidden it you’ll

never be able to see what God wanted to

do with it because you wouldn’t show it

and I don’t know who I’m talking to

right now but the Spirit of God is

challenging me to challenge you to dig

up what you ever tried to put in the

ground and high dig up the song dig up

the curriculum dick I feel the presence

of God in this place you better dig up

that art piece you better dig up that

idea and take it out of the place where

was gonna be a grave and planted in say

thank God is going to take that thing

and multiply it

somebody say how much so the bag say it

again I’m gonna show the bag I’m telling

somebody in this room right now that God

is in the idea of trying to get what he

placed in you out of you and he don’t

want it back the same way he gave it to

you

he wants it won’t apply but you only can

multiply something when you’re steward

in the bank and you know you’re not the

owner but you’re the manager of the bag

and you’re not gonna dig a hole for the

bag but you’re gonna sew the bag verse

19 after a long time the master returned

from the trip and called them together

to give an account of how they used his

money remember that they don’t own it

they were managing it but if if you’re

managing something but you have the

perspective that you’re honoring owning

it you’ll do the wrong thing with it

verse 20 the server to whom he had

trusted five bags of silver came forward

and say hey what’s going on master like

it is respected you gave me five bags of

silver to invest and guess what I did

maybe boy

five more I want you to see what the one

who knew he was stewarding the bag with

the with the perspective of prosperity

look what he did he acknowledged where

the bag came from if you’re gonna stew

it over what God is giving you you have

to acknowledge God and many of us have

been walking around like everything that

we have somehow we deserved it and God’s

saying hey it’s me the air that you’re

breathing that’s me

the use of your limbs that’s your boy

everything that’s going on right now

that’s me and I don’t even want you to

turn to stop doing what you’re doing

all I need you to do is everybody say

acknowledge me that’s why the Bible

tells us in proverbs 3 6 in all your

ways acknowledge him and he will be so

good he’ll be your GPS he said and I

will direct your and some of you have

been on the wrong path because you

stopped acknowledging the one who made

the pan and I don’t know who I’m talking

to today but that was the key you came

for is that I am gonna start

acknowledging God this ain’t the job

that I want but I’m here and I thank you

that you allowed me to be here god I

acknowledge that you can make a good

situation out of a bad one God I

acknowledge that the only reason I have

my right mind right now is to be able to

bless people and help people father

hired knowledge I was about to test them

out but I acknowledge this you helped me

team up like we got two egg knowledge

but in direct contrast if you trying to

secure the bag and on the bag and dig a

hole for the bag what you do is what

happens in verse 24 look at it then the

servant was the one bag of silver saying

oh man you know what you look good you

know what I knew I said self and self

same would and I said you know what

the master I know he is a harsh man

yes he is I knew it I knew it was about

you and I know you don’t harvest in

crops that you plant and I know I know

you gather crops that you didn’t

cultivate and I got stopped right here

because this man said I knew he assumed

that he knew what God was gonna do with

what he gave me when you are stewarding

the best bag you acknowledge God but

when you are securing the bag

you assume of God and some of us have

gotten so prideful that we will get

relationships and we own I know what

that relationship is gonna be doing you

look at the money that God asked you to

give her you look at the time he asks

you to sew and you go I know what God

didn’t do do you really there have been

so many times in my life that God was

working something behind the scenes that

I had no clue about but in my pride in

my own arrogance I assumed I knew what

God was going to do and God says that is

a characteristic of somebody who doesn’t

trust me and is trying to secure the bag

because you are one that wants to be

provided for yourself you want to be in

control for yourself and God begin to

tell me Michael you don’t know me have

you ever met somebody who who who acted

like they knew you but they really

didn’t know you and there’s some people

try to make assumptions about what they

don’t know let me say it even clearer

that makes assumptions about people who

they don’t know that’s why it’s very

very very bad to listen to people who

don’t have a real relationship with God

when it comes to the area of your life

because they will assume and put on you

what they assume about God and they

don’t even got a real relationship with

him

and this man he is sold to you what God

was gonna do but I hear God from heaven

telling all of us like he’s told me a

hundred times what he told in Isaiah 55

verse eight my thoughts are nothing like

your thoughts since the Lord and my ways

are far beyond your imagination for just

as high as the heavens are of the earth

so my ways are higher than your ways and

my thoughts are higher than your

thoughts

you better stop assuming how God can

take a little bit of sacrifice a little

bit of seed a little bit of

intentionality and multiply it into

something that will bless so many others

you don’t know what God has in store for

you I feel that thing you have no clue

what God will do it a little obedience

with the little faithfulness with a

little bit of love to somebody who feels

like they’re broken in downcast you have

no clue that’s why any time I walk into

a situation I acknowledge God you’re the

reason that I’m here

direct my path now whenever you want me

to do here who whatever you want me to

say here I’m open somebody needs to

thank God right now come on just give

him praise right now that you are going

to be one that acknowledges the p’pon

come on take 5 seconds and acknowledge

God right now

we thank you Lord we magnify you we

listen to up I don’t have to secure my

future I don’t have to secure my

finances I don’t have to secure it

because I’m just storing all this anyway

the truth is when you’re securing the

bag

securing your finances securing your

family securing all of this it exposes

who you trust and the sad thing to say

in Rome this being a thousands of people

watching and transformation nation is

that most of us are in a building and in

a lifestyle of Christianity where we

where we act like

but we actually don’t I know we don’t

say it in public but our actions our

actions expose who we actually trust and

today I want us to get a different

response than the dude that had one bag

and dug a hole and he secured his own

bag and he thought he owned the bag and

he dug a hole for it and he soon dove

God look at the response that God gave

to the people who steward it the bag in

the right way Matthew chapter 25 verse

21 look what it says and the master was

full of praise well done my good and

faithful servant you have been faithful

in handling this Psalm all am and now

this always messes me up because he’s

talking to the guy with five bags and

remember at the beginning everybody was

probably comparing themselves like you

got one you got two you got five and

look what the master says the one with

five he said that was still a smaller

man oh you thought this was just a test

you thought you was starting up here I

the business that you have right now the

still a small amount the influence that

you have right never still a small

amount like I’ve stuck to what you think

that this is I am the god of abundance I

am the god of a blessing right that’s

the reason I came that you might have

life and have life abundantly turned a

fool and what I’m trying to tell you no

matter if you say well that’s oh my god

don’t need anything unless I have a boat

my kids are in private school all that

that’s still a small amount baby but God

wants to do is take it from Gloria glory

level to level and that’s why you got to

understand this point God is not limited

by our small thinking he’s limited by

our small obedience if we don’t start

obeying God at the small things

the things that seeming significant he

told you to go read with those kids at

that school and you don’t think that

it’s important because nobody else is

doing it because it’s not a church wide

event and God said

I need you to do is be faithful over the

small thing so one day you’re gonna be

the principal on that school but I

wanted you to sow seeds into that school

when it didn’t matter but you’re singing

so narrow you seem so small and God is

saying I see so much bigger whatever you

think it is right now that’s still a

small thing that’s the small thing like

when I started as the sound man at

Greenwood Christian Center when I

decided to stay and be obedient in the

small thing

God saw this he saw the arena full of

people he saw it paid off but he said

will you be faithful I feel this thing

to sow a slow seed to be obedient when

nobody’s looking and all I’m asking you

right now it’s not to look and what

anybody else is doing cuz what your

obedience is it’s significant and that’s

true stewardship whether you’re an

intern who you’re a CEO where you’re

obedience at that level is significant

for what God has for you in your life

verse 22 so the servant who I received

the two bags of silver came forward and

said master you can take three back to

silver to invest and I earned two more

and the master said well done my good

and faithful servant you have been

faithful in handling the small amount

now I will give you more responsibility

not money ah

see y’all thought this was a prosperity

gospel you thought it is you give you

three hundred and thirty three dollars

you get three thousand and thirty three

dollars but this is the key of what God

is saying the reward of being a good

steward is more responsibility you

thought it was more money you thought

this was a magic trick you thought this

was the lotto God says when you handle

what’s in your hand I’m gonna give you

more responsibility so you can go ahead

and tween this this is not a gospel of

prosperity this is a gospel of

responsibility can God trust us the

problem has been and I have to apologize

on behalf of all the pastors and leaders

who mishandled the responsibility of

guarding people’s finances and Trust in

their lives

I’m so sorry that God would trust men

with influence who are imperfect

because they didn’t have accountability

or were drunk on pride or didn’t

understand the weight of what they were

holding on behalf of all of them I say

I’m sorry what God is trying to do is

not make us rich to be rich he’s trying

to make us bless so he can be a blessing

there’s a world out here that’s dodging

there are people who need leadsmen they

don’t want to hear about our God if we

can’t meet their need they need homes

they need shoes they need to be rescued

out of sex trafficking and because we’re

so broke many times we cannot be a

physical extension of God’s hand in his

heart and so what we have to do now is

repent

I’m repenting on behalf of every leader

every CEO every boss who miss use your

trust or subtracted trust and made you

insecure today I’m coming to ask you to

give God another chance through another

leader to another group of people to be

able to stand and say you know what God

doesn’t want us to Stewart over this so

we can just add more and be OK for our

family we don’t need to secure anything

we have to be chitinous and we have to

steward over what God has given us and I

don’t know right now I feel such a

burden right there is that people have

been hurt but what’s happened to them

and today I’m believing that God might

his Spirit is healing people

he’s healing your perspective he’s

healing your heart he’s healing your

mind and the enemy’s trick would be to

let a man keep you from a blessed life

the enemy’s trick wouldn’t make you be

able to blame somebody and now you’re

not living in the fullness of what God

has called you to live but today we’re

coming to reverse that thing I believe

in this room come on somebody help me I

believe in this room that God is coming

to restore trust and his word and the

men and women of God that he has

entrusted this to because we are

supposed to live a blessed life look at

verse 24

did he a servant with one bag of silver

came and said master harvesting crops

you get any plant and gathering crops

that you didn’t cultivate here’s the

whole reason

he dug a hole this is why he tried to

secure the back I was a friend fear was

the culprit that kept him from faith

we’re yelling crazy things we’re wearing

it on our hoodies but you can wear a

crazy faith hoodie and still be walking

in fear you can sit in this big

auditorium that God provided in faith

and still leave out of here in fear and

what I’m coming to do as your pastor is

over the next four weeks I’m about to

break the spirit of fear off of you

first Timothy tells us that God didn’t

give us that experie he didn’t give us

the spirit of fear and timidity but he

gave us the spirit of power love and

what speak that over your language the

man trying to secure the bag he wasn’t a

bad man just the way many of you who

have been trying to secure the bag for

yourself secure your family secure

you’re not a bad person

you’re just afraid you’re afraid that

God doesn’t have a plan that’s bigger

than your savings account you you’re

afraid that God doesn’t have a plan

bigger than your first divorce

you’re afraid that God doesn’t have a

plan bigger than your failure but I’m

here as a living witness telling you

that God’s plans for you and not to harm

me to give you a hope and a good future

and that’s why we can’t be ones to

secure the bag and on the bag and dig a

hole for the bag and assume of God

because he was afraid that man was

afraid to lose the bank and there are

too many of us right now if you’re

living status changed you wouldn’t be a

rank if you went for the home to the

apartment you would fall upon if you

went from three cars to one car that was

ten years old you would feel like you

were

taxi aren’t you driving aren’t you

aren’t you still being able to do what

God’s asks you to do and I don’t know

but this spirit of fear has taken over

our culture when it comes to finances

when it comes to our family when it

comes to disease when it comes to all

this stuff and many people are digging

holes and securing bags because they’re

afraid but when you stew it over

something that you know you’re not the

owner of but you’re just the manager of

and heal so what God gives you and you

acknowledge God at every step away what

you knew is you trust God’s plan for the

future man I’ve got a worry where the

next is coming from I don’t gotta worry

if God has a plan if transformations are

shut down the top household is don’t be

fine cuz I made a declaration to God as

for me in my house we will serve the

Lord

that means I’m a manager so if he takes

something away that means he has

something better for me Oh y’all better

hear me in this room I do not worry

where the next bag comes from because I

am secure any the one who called me to

this place some of y’all need to catch

that you’ve been worried about the

healing you’ve been worried about your

family you’ve been trying to secure it

and all God is saying have faith and

trust me he that began a good work to

see it to completion

his name is alpha and beginning

I don’t worry about where the next bag

comes from I know if I saw it today and

I love today and I’m faithful today and

I screw it over today the next bag is

coming from the one who supplies all the

bags verse twenty-nine to those who use

well what they are getting underlined

that use will not use not use up use way

what they have been given look at this

even more will be given and they will

have an abundance better not sound like

the blessed life to me that sounds like

the black dog bond in life and that’s

what you have to know maybe securing the

bag is not the way that we want to live

our life because when we secure the

bagging exposes our insecurities it

exposes that we don’t trust cuz we only

secure what’s valuable and what’s fun

and in this scripture it tells us if

you’re gonna secure the bag you use

excuses for the bag that you have right

now he said I knew you are a hard master

so what I did was not the faith thing I

did the thing that would just give you

back what you gave me I said I couldn’t

I just could have kept it at that when I

gave you that singing ability I didn’t I

didn’t I didn’t give you that too so you

could give it back to me the way I gave

it to you when I gave you that

administration ability I didn’t I didn’t

ask you to give you that back to me the

same way I gave it to you when I dated

he said I wanted it to multiply and

that’s why when you steward the bag you

use the bag you have it reminds me of a

saying that all you have is all you God

said you don’t need another bag just

flip the one you got

he wasn’t looking for the one with one

bag to end up with ten bags the one with

five ended up with ten cuz he doubled it

the

or to ended up with four cuz he’s

doubled it all he was looking for from

the person with one bag was too many my

question to you is some of us because

we’ve been so anxious and fearful and

trying to secure the bank

double what you have double just exactly

and if you do that you get a well done

my good and faithful but for those who

this is scary all even what little they

have will be taken away now throw this

useless piece of servant and it took

other darkness where there will be

weeping and gnashing of teeth and that’s

what many of our finances look like I do

let me help our only true security is in

trusting God i’ma say one more time our

only true security is in trusting God I

gave you the equation of insecurity

earlier but let me give you the equation

of security trust plus value plus being

vulnerable equals security when Trust is

the foundation I trust them with what I

value my money I trust God with my money

I trust God with my resources and it’s

vulnerable so it’s vulnerable when I

bless others when I give it to a church

when our tight end presents it

vulnerable but that’s the only way you

have true security let me give a

practical example I have a daughter

named Bella and Bella trust her father

so because she has trust and she knows

she’s valuable to me

she has no problem being vulnerable with

me we were at the pool this summer right

after we took that

Disney picture and um we were out of poo

at the little rental house the Airbnb

that we had and Bella she can’t quite

swim yet and so her mom is super like

stay away do the water and um I was in

the deep end of the pool

I said Bella jump and her mama in the

background saying don’t jump

and I’m saying I’m looking her in our

eyes and I’m saying jump and she’s

Mama’s like don’t do it but because she

trusted her father and she she said I

don’t know how this is gonna end up but

in a place that I can’t secure myself in

my hands like the hands of the Father I

see it stretching out to some of you are

gonna take steps in this next season

trust God and I just feel that in this

room that’s the picture that God wants

to give some of you as you step out and

you put your trust in the one who will

never fail you he you can be vulnerable

in them and he won’t touch you insecure

today I just want your heart to be open

to what God is saying when you trust God

with what you consider valuable and you

are vulnerable enough to sowing he

provides trust in God we have to learn

so much more about generosity and

stewardship over the next four weeks you

don’t want to miss one moment of this

series because it can change like

every year and I’m telling you we would

not be here today if we didn’t embrace

this idea of living the blessed life

maybe it’s not the best thing for us to

secure the bag maybe it’s better if we

steward the bag

cuz I don’t have to secure the bag

because I’m secured by God oh that’s

good teaching right there

I don’t gotta secure nothing because I

secure by God the reason you find that

revelation it was found in verse 28 from

me and I saw for the first time last

year because you know the man that that

did that secured the bag his bag got

taken from him but what God do with that

bag like I’ve never paid attention to

what he did with the bag until this

moment and this is God’s grace and his

love and His mercy for people who

steward over what was given to him look

at verse 28 of Revelation this is the

real part of God right here it says then

he order to take the money from this

nasty piece of servant I just like

taking it piece of serving and give it

not to himself but God wasn’t trying to

get more so that he could just be

rolling in the dough he said and give it

to the one with the ten bags of silver I

need to give more to the person who

steward over any problem that’s the

heart of God he’s not trying to take

from anybody

he just wants what he gives us to be

used properly in many of us right now as

our bank accounts have other priorities

in them as our families have other

priorities God saying hey yo could you

stop securing the bag and steward over

it so I can secure you and the thing

that I found out about this servant with

ten bags he didn’t know he was getting

another bag the master saw how he used

what he had given him

and he put his grace on it he put his

abundance on it

he put the best life on it and that’s

why I want you to know while you’re

trying to secure a back God is trying to

supply you with it bags some of you are

so uptight about securing this one thing

and I said I’m trying to give you more

if you would Stuart oh I’m gonna pray

for everybody into the sound of my voice

right now come on

all over this room stand up all over

this room and I want you to lift your

hands and I’m gonna pray that if there’s

an area of your life that you have been

securing ah and you know you need to

give it over to God right now it may be

your finances it may be your family

it may be your talents and your gifts

but if there’s an area that you have

been secure in the bag and now you want

to give it over to God and you want to

steward it with the right heart so he

can direct your path can’t slip it all

over this place watching online right

now watching the rebroadcast lift it up

Father in the name of Jesus come on I

believe father God that today you gave

us revelation that father that you don’t

just want us to live an okay life but

you want us to live a blessed life and

today that starts with trusting you with

what’s valuable and vulnerable God and

I’m asking you right now in the presence

of all your people that you would touch

the hearts of people who trust have been

stolen and they would get a supernatural

infusion of safety in this building to

believe you again God I’m asking you to

give us the faith of the one with five

bags in two bags not to try to get as

much as we can but just do it well over

what you put in our hands today Holy

Spirit I’m asking that you start our

surgery only inside of our heart that

will allow us to come from poverty to

live in a blessing that Cup brings us

from living our greedy life to live in a

blessed life that keeps us from living a

reserved life to live in a blessed life

I command the floodgates of generosity

are open in this church in our lives and

in our families

today card we surrender everything we’ve

been trying to secure and today we put

our trust back in you have your way in

our lives come and I thank you that we

don’t have to secure a bag because we’re

securing you in Jesus somebody thank you

so much for watching transformation

churches YouTube and I just want you to

take another step if this is feeding you

join transformation nation let’s

everybody that doesn’t live here in

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