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Breaking The Spirit of Mammon

Watch Breaking The Spirit of Mammon
Beyond Blessed
October 14, 2019
27:35

Beyond Blessed

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Breaking The Spirit of Mammon

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  • - You know, we've been taught
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  • to avoid talking about money and finances.
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  • But that's exactly what we're gonna do today.
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  • So many of us struggle to reach our financial goals.
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  • But what if you could pay off all of your debt,
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  • save for the future, and turn your money into a tool
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  • that helps you bring joy, freedom, and blessings
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  • to other people that are around you?
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  • I'm Pastor Robert Morris, and over the last 30 years,
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  • I've seen that God has a perfect plan
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  • to overcome all financial stress.
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  • I believe that generosity is the key
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  • to living a blessed life.
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  • But before we can be generous,
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  • we have to learn to be wise and faithful stewards
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  • of the resources that God entrusts to us.
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  • And the Bible is full of practical lessons
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  • that show us how to do just that.
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  • I wanna equip you to bless others
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  • and to experience the fullness of God's blessings
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  • in your own life.
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  • Wherever you are today, you can start living Beyond Blessed.
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  • (lively music)
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  • (applause) Well thank you.
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  • Thank you so much for being here,
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  • and thank you for watching.
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  • You're watching Beyond Blessed,
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  • and we're talking about how to be blessed
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  • so that we can be a blessing.
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  • And that's very, very important.
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  • Because there's a lot of teaching out there
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  • that's very, very good.
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  • There's a little bit of teaching though
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  • that's talking about being blessed
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  • for the sake of just being blessed
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  • or having more of an abundance.
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  • Jesus said,
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  • "A man's life does not consist
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  • "of the abundance of things he possesses."
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  • So that is not what our life consists of.
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  • Our life consists of giving and being a blessing,
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  • being a good steward so we can be a blessing.
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  • Think about this.
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  • When you were young, as a child,
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  • what you enjoyed most about Christmas was getting.
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  • Receiving, what are you gonna get?
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  • The older we get, what we enjoy most about Christmas
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  • is what are we gonna give.
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  • And we actually sit around and watch our children
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  • and our grandchildren and our spouses, our family,
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  • our friends open their gifts
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  • 'cause that's much more exciting to us.
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  • So it's the same way in the Christian walk.
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  • When you mature as a believer,
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  • you get less excited about receiving,
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  • and you get more excited about giving.
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  • So we wanna talk about living life beyond blessed
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  • so that we can be a blessing.
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  • So today I wanna talk to you
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  • about breaking the spirit of mammon.
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  • I have some folks here that I'm preaching to,
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  • trying to get them all saved,
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  • but it's, you know. (laughter)
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  • You'll just have to pray for me.
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  • Actually, they're wonderful, wonderful folks,
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  • and so I'm will preach to you,
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  • I'm will preach to them,
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  • and preach to me also.
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  • So I wanna talk about breaking the spirit of mammon.
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  • And you need to understand that mammon is a spirit.
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  • And I'm gonna explain to you how the people in Jesus' day
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  • knew what he was talking about
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  • when he used the word "mammon."
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  • The word "mammon" is in the Bible four times.
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  • One time it's a repeat.
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  • Matthew, Mark, and Luke are synoptic gospels.
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  • Synoptic means similar.
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  • So they're very similar.
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  • You'll read a lot of the same
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  • passages and parables in Matthew, Mark, and Luke
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  • that you won't read in John.
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  • And one of the reasons is Matthew, Mark, and Luke
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  • cover the last year of Jesus' ministry only.
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  • Even though they'll cover the birth
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  • and a little bit of the death and resurrection.
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  • John covers the first two years of his ministry.
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  • John wrote his gospel later because Matthew, Mark, and Luke
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  • covered the last year,
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  • and John said someone needs to cover the first two years.
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  • That's why in John you'll find things like the water
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  • being turned into wine,
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  • the conversation with Nicodemus,
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  • the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery,
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  • you'll see things that you won't see
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  • in any other book of the Bible, okay?
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  • So in Matthew and in Luke it talks about mammon.
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  • So in Luke there are three references,
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  • three times Jesus used the word "mammon,"
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  • it's the same sermon
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  • one of those times,
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  • it's also in Matthew.
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  • So let me say this again.
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  • I hope I'm not losing you on this.
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  • The word "mammon" is in the Bible four times.
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  • One is a repeat,
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  • so Jesus, that we know of,
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  • used the word "mammon" three times.
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  • And I'm will read you all three, all right?
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  • In the Book of Luke.
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  • Luke 16: 9.
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  • Says, "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves
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  • "by unrighteous mammon,"
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  • there's the first time we see it.
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  • And I'm gonna explain this statement,
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  • because it sounds like it's stating
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  • use your money to make friends.
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  • That's not what it's saying, okay?
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  • "Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon,
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  • "that when you fail,
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  • "they may receive you into an everlasting home.
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  • "He who is faithful in what is least
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  • "is faithful also in much."
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  • This is talking about good stewardship.
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  • This is what we're talking about in Beyond Blessed.
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  • "And he who is unjust in what is least
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  • "is unjust also in much.
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  • "Therefore, if you have not been faithful
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  • "in the unrighteous mammon,"
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  • that's the second time he uses the word,
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  • "who will commit to your trust the true riches?
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  • "And if you've not been faithful in what is another man's,
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  • "who will give you what is your own?"
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  • And then here is the verse that's repeated in Matthew 6.
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  • "No servant, no servant,"
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  • there's no one that's an exception to this rule.
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  • "No servant can serve two masters.
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  • "Either he will hate one and love the other,
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  • "or else he will be loyal to the one
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  • "and despise the other.
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  • "You cannot," this is Jesus speaking,
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  • "you cannot serve God and mammon."
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  • Okay, so Jesus makes these statements.
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  • I'll explain some of them as we go through the message.
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  • But I have three questions for you,
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  • so number one.
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  • What is mammon?
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  • Most people would say money.
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  • It is not money.
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  • I'm just gonna shock you right off the bat.
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  • It is not money.
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  • It is a spirit.
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  • "Mammon" is an Aramaic word, Jesus spoke Aramaic.
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  • "Mammon" is an Aramaic word that referred to a Syrian god.
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  • "Mammon" is an Aramaic word that referred to a Syrian god.
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  • And that god was the god of riches.
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  • That was the name of the god of riches.
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  • So he was saying you cannot serve God and a spirit,
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  • a demonic evil spirit.
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  • And this certain spirit is the spirit of riches.
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  • This spirit came from Babylon.
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  • If you remember about Babylon,
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  • Babylon was built on pride.
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  • They thought they could get to heaven
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  • without God on their own.
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  • So it's built on pride and arrogance.
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  • That's where this spirit comes from.
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  • This spirit says that it can provide for you
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  • what only God can provide for you.
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  • You follow me?
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  • Babylon, by the way, if you're Babylon,
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  • if you wanna know what it means,
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  • I just told you the word "babel" means,
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  • you ever heard someone, you said they just babble on?
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  • (laughter)
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  • That's what Babylon means.
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  • The word "babel" actually means "confusion."
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  • And "on" means "sewn" or "planted in confusion."
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  • So the city of Babylon was planted in confusion, okay?
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  • So when someone is babbling,
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  • you just don't understand what they're saying.
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  • Okay.
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  • So that's where it comes from.
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  • So this is this word "mammon,"
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  • and it is a spirit that rests on money.
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  • The context is money,
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  • but it's a spirit, that's what you have to know.
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  • Now, this might shock you.
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  • All money has a spirit on it.
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  • All money.
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  • All the money in your bank account
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  • has a spirit on it.
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  • It either has the spirit of God on it,
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  • or it has the spirit of mammon on it.
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  • According to the Bible,
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  • the way we get the spirit of God on our money,
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  • is we return the first 10 percent to the house of God
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  • and the other 90 percent it says is redeemed
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  • or purchased back out from under the curse of this world.
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  • So it comes back out of that spirit of mammon.
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  • That's why, by the way, that mammon,
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  • let me say it this way,
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  • that money that has the spirit of God on it
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  • cannot be devoured by the evil one.
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  • Because God's spirit is protecting it.
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  • It's blessed by God.
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  • But if money is not,
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  • the first 10 percent is not returned to God,
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  • it has the spirit of mammon on it,
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  • which, again, let me remind you,
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  • is a spirit of confusion.
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  • You don't know what to do with it,
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  • and it can be devoured by the devourer.
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  • So it's very important that we understand
  • 00:09:06.290 --> 00:09:08.260
  • mammon is always contrasting itself to the spirit of God.
  • 00:09:08.260 --> 00:09:13.170
  • Mammon is looking for servants.
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  • You cannot serve, this is what Jesus said,
  • 00:09:16.180 --> 00:09:19.070
  • God and mammon.
  • 00:09:19.070 --> 00:09:20.210
  • So mammon is looking for servants.
  • 00:09:20.210 --> 00:09:22.210
  • Mammon actually promises us everything
  • 00:09:22.210 --> 00:09:26.170
  • that only God can give us.
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  • Think about it.
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  • Mammon promises us security,
  • 00:09:30.140 --> 00:09:33.180
  • identity,
  • 00:09:35.010 --> 00:09:36.210
  • significance,
  • 00:09:36.210 --> 00:09:38.050
  • peace, joy, happiness,
  • 00:09:39.030 --> 00:09:42.130
  • if you had more money, you'd be happier.
  • 00:09:42.130 --> 00:09:45.040
  • If you had more money, people would listen to you.
  • 00:09:45.040 --> 00:09:48.010
  • If you had more money, you'd be secure.
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  • You wouldn't have to worry about your future.
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  • See what I'm saying?
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  • Only God can do that.
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  • Only God can do that, money doesn't.
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  • I know people that have a lot of money
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  • that have a lot of worry.
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  • And a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety,
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  • they're afraid they're gonna lose it.
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  • Only God can provide you security.
  • 00:10:03.220 --> 00:10:06.060
  • So money is always trying to rule.
  • 00:10:06.060 --> 00:10:08.190
  • Here's another thing about mammon.
  • 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:10.260
  • This is probably gonna shock you a little bit.
  • 00:10:14.060 --> 00:10:15.190
  • But mammon is the spirit of Antichrist.
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  • Antichrist rules through the spirit of mammon.
  • 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:23.000
  • Antichrist rules through the spirit of mammon.
  • 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:27.100
  • And I can prove it to you the one very simple Scripture
  • 00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:30.010
  • that all of you know.
  • 00:10:30.010 --> 00:10:30.290
  • The spirit of Antichrist does not rule
  • 00:10:32.070 --> 00:10:35.040
  • through the threat of nuclear war.
  • 00:10:35.040 --> 00:10:38.000
  • That's nowhere in the Bible.
  • 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:39.090
  • The spirit of Antichrist rules through the threat
  • 00:10:39.090 --> 00:10:43.040
  • of not being able to buy and sell.
  • 00:10:43.040 --> 00:10:45.250
  • That's how the spirit of Antichrist rules.
  • 00:10:48.090 --> 00:10:50.100
  • So it's mammon.
  • 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:52.030
  • Mammon is all through Scripture.
  • 00:10:52.030 --> 00:10:54.060
  • And it's a huge lie, it's just this big lie.
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  • Think about this.
  • 00:10:57.190 --> 00:10:58.220
  • Jesus never told anyone
  • 00:10:58.220 --> 00:11:01.240
  • that the answer to his problems was more money.
  • 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:04.250
  • Not one person.
  • 00:11:06.030 --> 00:11:07.190
  • Not one blind man ran up to Jesus and said,
  • 00:11:07.190 --> 00:11:11.140
  • "Have mercy on me, oh son of David,"
  • 00:11:11.140 --> 00:11:14.060
  • and Jesus said, "You just need more money."
  • 00:11:14.060 --> 00:11:16.100
  • Not once.
  • 00:11:17.090 --> 00:11:18.230
  • But somehow we think that money would solve our problems.
  • 00:11:18.230 --> 00:11:23.090
  • This is why
  • 00:11:23.090 --> 00:11:24.210
  • oh, hear this.
  • 00:11:24.210 --> 00:11:25.270
  • It contrasts God.
  • 00:11:26.260 --> 00:11:29.030
  • See, God's the answer to our problems.
  • 00:11:29.030 --> 00:11:31.040
  • But we actually think, "If I had more money,
  • 00:11:31.040 --> 00:11:34.090
  • "I'd have a better marriage.
  • 00:11:34.090 --> 00:11:36.010
  • "If I had more money, I'd be happier."
  • 00:11:36.010 --> 00:11:37.240
  • Here's the biggie, here's the biggie.
  • 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:40.040
  • If I had more money, I could help more people.
  • 00:11:40.040 --> 00:11:42.130
  • No, God helps people.
  • 00:11:43.220 --> 00:11:45.170
  • Now we're supposed to manage it
  • 00:11:45.170 --> 00:11:46.290
  • and be a good steward of what God gives us,
  • 00:11:46.290 --> 00:11:49.010
  • but it's not the money that helps the people.
  • 00:11:49.010 --> 00:11:51.000
  • It's God that helps the people.
  • 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:52.270
  • So mammon is a lying spirit
  • 00:11:52.270 --> 00:11:56.050
  • that tries us to get to trust money.
  • 00:11:56.050 --> 00:11:58.290
  • I'm gonna show you,
  • 00:12:00.250 --> 00:12:02.020
  • and this is gonna be a little embarrassing,
  • 00:12:02.020 --> 00:12:03.190
  • 'cause it's gonna relate to all of us,
  • 00:12:03.190 --> 00:12:05.160
  • how money affects every one of us
  • 00:12:05.160 --> 00:12:07.260
  • and how mammon affects every one of us.
  • 00:12:07.260 --> 00:12:10.030
  • By the way, if mammon's not a spirit,
  • 00:12:10.030 --> 00:12:13.000
  • how come it can talk?
  • 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:14.080
  • Because if we were gonna take an offering right now,
  • 00:12:17.050 --> 00:12:19.270
  • you'd hear voices.
  • 00:12:19.270 --> 00:12:21.180
  • (laughter)
  • 00:12:21.180 --> 00:12:24.030
  • Right?
  • 00:12:24.030 --> 00:12:25.120
  • You start hearing voices about why,
  • 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.090
  • "No no, you don't need to give that much."
  • 00:12:27.090 --> 00:12:29.090
  • Okay, mammon talks, okay. All right.
  • 00:12:29.090 --> 00:12:31.010
  • Here's something that probably all of us
  • 00:12:33.230 --> 00:12:35.170
  • have had at one time in our life.
  • 00:12:35.170 --> 00:12:37.070
  • I either need God to come through,
  • 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:40.210
  • or I need someone to give me some money.
  • 00:12:42.220 --> 00:12:44.220
  • And if someone would just give me some money,
  • 00:12:47.100 --> 00:12:49.180
  • then God, thank you, but I don't need You anymore.
  • 00:12:51.010 --> 00:12:53.240
  • See, you can't serve God and money
  • 00:12:54.280 --> 00:12:57.260
  • and mammon, the spirit, the spirit of mammon.
  • 00:12:59.010 --> 00:13:02.200
  • By the way, when we think about not serving it,
  • 00:13:04.050 --> 00:13:07.020
  • he says you'll be loyal to one,
  • 00:13:07.020 --> 00:13:09.100
  • and you'll despise the other.
  • 00:13:09.100 --> 00:13:11.180
  • This is why I don't like the give-to-get message.
  • 00:13:11.180 --> 00:13:15.060
  • Give and you'll get, give and you'll get,
  • 00:13:15.060 --> 00:13:16.260
  • give and you'll get.
  • 00:13:16.260 --> 00:13:18.080
  • What happens is is you become loyal to that message.
  • 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:21.040
  • Then when the washing machine breaks,
  • 00:13:22.150 --> 00:13:25.020
  • you actually despise God.
  • 00:13:25.020 --> 00:13:27.030
  • Because you became loyal to mammon instead of loyal to God.
  • 00:13:29.060 --> 00:13:33.110
  • Y'all following me?
  • 00:13:35.050 --> 00:13:36.190
  • You following me?
  • 00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:37.270
  • This is what mammon does, so
  • 00:13:37.270 --> 00:13:39.110
  • what is mammon, I told you what it is.
  • 00:13:40.160 --> 00:13:41.230
  • Here's number two.
  • 00:13:41.230 --> 00:13:43.030
  • Is money evil?
  • 00:13:43.030 --> 00:13:44.130
  • Because it says unrighteous mammon,
  • 00:13:45.170 --> 00:13:48.000
  • so it makes us kinda think that money's evil.
  • 00:13:49.070 --> 00:13:51.190
  • Here's the problem.
  • 00:13:51.190 --> 00:13:53.010
  • That really should be translated,
  • 00:13:53.010 --> 00:13:55.080
  • "riches of unrighteousness,"
  • 00:13:56.090 --> 00:13:59.250
  • not "unrighteous mammon."
  • 00:13:59.250 --> 00:14:01.200
  • In the Greek, many of you even maybe speak Spanish,
  • 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:05.040
  • and you'll see how it's reversed, okay,
  • 00:14:05.040 --> 00:14:07.110
  • it's the same way in the Greek sometime.
  • 00:14:07.110 --> 00:14:09.070
  • So we translate it "unrighteous mammon"
  • 00:14:09.070 --> 00:14:12.100
  • because we're trying to use an adjective
  • 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:14.110
  • to describe a noun.
  • 00:14:14.110 --> 00:14:15.260
  • But in the Greek it's the other way.
  • 00:14:15.260 --> 00:14:17.180
  • It's "riches of unrighteousness."
  • 00:14:17.180 --> 00:14:21.020
  • This is very important because what that means is
  • 00:14:21.020 --> 00:14:24.000
  • riches that have been dedicated to the unrighteous,
  • 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.100
  • to an idol, to mammon.
  • 00:14:28.100 --> 00:14:30.190
  • And he says you can't serve God
  • 00:14:30.190 --> 00:14:32.260
  • and riches dedicated to an idol.
  • 00:14:32.260 --> 00:14:35.120
  • You see?
  • 00:14:36.160 --> 00:14:37.240
  • Those riches need to be dedicated to God.
  • 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:39.190
  • So you can't serve both.
  • 00:14:39.190 --> 00:14:41.140
  • Money in itself is not evil.
  • 00:14:41.140 --> 00:14:43.150
  • Money's neutral.
  • 00:14:44.130 --> 00:14:45.100
  • You can do good things with money,
  • 00:14:46.150 --> 00:14:47.210
  • you can do bad things with money.
  • 00:14:47.210 --> 00:14:49.050
  • So money is neutral.
  • 00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:51.190
  • Some people say, "Well the Bible says
  • 00:14:53.060 --> 00:14:54.290
  • "money's the root of all evil."
  • 00:14:54.290 --> 00:14:56.090
  • Doesn't say that.
  • 00:14:56.090 --> 00:14:57.160
  • 1 Timothy 6 says, "For the love of money."
  • 00:14:57.160 --> 00:14:59.260
  • The love of money is the root of all evil
  • 00:15:01.070 --> 00:15:02.290
  • I'm just saying, loving and serving mammon
  • 00:15:02.290 --> 00:15:06.040
  • is the root of all evil.
  • 00:15:06.040 --> 00:15:07.110
  • That's the root of all evil.
  • 00:15:08.110 --> 00:15:10.040
  • So money can be used either way.
  • 00:15:10.040 --> 00:15:12.000
  • Now, Luke 16:9 is kind of a difficult passage,
  • 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.260
  • and I really wanna explain it to you.
  • 00:15:14.260 --> 00:15:16.130
  • It says, "And I say to you,
  • 00:15:16.130 --> 00:15:17.260
  • "make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon,
  • 00:15:17.260 --> 00:15:22.140
  • "that when you fail, they,"
  • 00:15:22.140 --> 00:15:25.290
  • that's talking about the friends,
  • 00:15:25.290 --> 00:15:27.070
  • "may receive you into an everlasting home."
  • 00:15:27.070 --> 00:15:29.050
  • Okay, here's what he's saying.
  • 00:15:29.050 --> 00:15:31.040
  • And he talks later about taking this unrighteous mammon,
  • 00:15:31.040 --> 00:15:34.140
  • or mammon that's been dedicated to the spirit of the world,
  • 00:15:34.140 --> 00:15:37.180
  • and dedicate to the spirit of God,
  • 00:15:37.180 --> 00:15:39.140
  • and turning it into true riches.
  • 00:15:39.140 --> 00:15:41.250
  • Well what are true riches?
  • 00:15:41.250 --> 00:15:43.040
  • True riches are people.
  • 00:15:43.040 --> 00:15:45.060
  • That's what true riches are.
  • 00:15:45.060 --> 00:15:46.260
  • They're the only thing that are gonna last forever, souls.
  • 00:15:46.260 --> 00:15:49.140
  • So here's what he's saying.
  • 00:15:49.140 --> 00:15:51.050
  • Use this money that what's dedicated
  • 00:15:52.090 --> 00:15:54.030
  • for unrighteous purposes
  • 00:15:54.030 --> 00:15:55.220
  • and dedicate it to God.
  • 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:57.060
  • Give it to the kingdom,
  • 00:15:57.060 --> 00:15:58.280
  • and make friends with yours--
  • 00:15:58.280 --> 00:16:01.040
  • in other words, help people come to know Christ.
  • 00:16:01.040 --> 00:16:04.230
  • And then it says, "and when you fail,"
  • 00:16:04.230 --> 00:16:07.030
  • fail really is not a good translation.
  • 00:16:07.030 --> 00:16:09.050
  • This word actually means "die."
  • 00:16:09.050 --> 00:16:11.240
  • When you die.
  • 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:13.150
  • This, listen.
  • 00:16:13.150 --> 00:16:14.210
  • When you die, they are gonna welcome you
  • 00:16:14.210 --> 00:16:18.230
  • into your everlasting home.
  • 00:16:18.230 --> 00:16:20.030
  • Think about when we go to heaven,
  • 00:16:21.150 --> 00:16:24.080
  • people from other nations
  • 00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:26.210
  • are gonna say to us,
  • 00:16:26.210 --> 00:16:28.110
  • "You've never met me.
  • 00:16:28.110 --> 00:16:29.150
  • "But you gave to this missionary,
  • 00:16:30.130 --> 00:16:32.050
  • "and she brought the missionary,
  • 00:16:33.030 --> 00:16:34.140
  • "and she brought the gospel to me,
  • 00:16:34.140 --> 00:16:36.120
  • "and I accepted Christ.
  • 00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:37.230
  • "And I'm here not just because she came,
  • 00:16:38.270 --> 00:16:40.180
  • "I'm here because you sent her.
  • 00:16:40.180 --> 00:16:42.160
  • "Because you supported her.
  • 00:16:42.160 --> 00:16:44.080
  • "And I came to thank you for that."
  • 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:46.010
  • What a great Scripture.
  • 00:16:48.160 --> 00:16:50.090
  • Take this money that Satan wants you to use
  • 00:16:50.090 --> 00:16:53.020
  • for evil purposes,
  • 00:16:53.020 --> 00:16:54.180
  • dedicate it to God,
  • 00:16:54.180 --> 00:16:56.240
  • and then you're gonna have all these friends in heaven
  • 00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:00.080
  • that you're gonna get to meet there
  • 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:02.060
  • that are actually going to be standing in a welcoming line
  • 00:17:02.060 --> 00:17:06.060
  • and welcome you into heaven.
  • 00:17:06.060 --> 00:17:07.220
  • And they're gonna say, "I'm here because of you.
  • 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:13.000
  • "I'm here because you gave."
  • 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:14.230
  • Every time we're putting money in the offering,
  • 00:17:14.230 --> 00:17:17.170
  • somebody's getting saved.
  • 00:17:17.170 --> 00:17:18.270
  • Something's happening, that's what we gotta think about.
  • 00:17:20.130 --> 00:17:22.290
  • We've gotta remember that.
  • 00:17:22.290 --> 00:17:24.120
  • When I first got saved,
  • 00:17:26.150 --> 00:17:27.270
  • I couldn't talk, I was very shy.
  • 00:17:29.040 --> 00:17:31.150
  • I know that's hard to believe now,
  • 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:34.200
  • but I couldn't talk.
  • 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:36.110
  • By the way I got over it.
  • 00:17:37.150 --> 00:17:38.220
  • I can remember I'd get so burdened
  • 00:17:38.220 --> 00:17:41.050
  • for the people in a restaurant.
  • 00:17:41.050 --> 00:17:42.270
  • I mean I was saved out of drugs.
  • 00:17:42.270 --> 00:17:44.190
  • I get so burdened for the people in the restaurant
  • 00:17:44.190 --> 00:17:46.240
  • that I'd start kinda piddling with my food,
  • 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:50.050
  • 'cause I'd start thinking about these people,
  • 00:17:50.050 --> 00:17:51.170
  • can go to hell if somebody didn't tell them.
  • 00:17:51.170 --> 00:17:53.240
  • And I can remember Debbie looking up at me going,
  • 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:57.110
  • "Oh no."
  • 00:17:57.110 --> 00:17:58.060
  • And she'd say, "You.
  • 00:18:00.030 --> 00:18:01.230
  • "You're not gonna do it, are you?"
  • 00:18:01.230 --> 00:18:04.010
  • I'd say, "Sugar, I have to.
  • 00:18:04.010 --> 00:18:06.270
  • "If I don't do it, who will?"
  • 00:18:06.270 --> 00:18:08.240
  • And I would stand up in restaurants and say,
  • 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:10.260
  • "Can I have your attention please?"
  • 00:18:10.260 --> 00:18:12.150
  • (laughter)
  • 00:18:12.150 --> 00:18:15.040
  • And I'd say, "I don't wanna bother you.
  • 00:18:15.040 --> 00:18:17.290
  • "I don't wanna bother you, but--"
  • 00:18:17.290 --> 00:18:20.040
  • and I would just tell them I was on drugs.
  • 00:18:20.040 --> 00:18:22.110
  • I was on my way to hell.
  • 00:18:22.110 --> 00:18:24.090
  • And I believed in Jesus in my mind,
  • 00:18:24.090 --> 00:18:26.030
  • but a guy told me it's not enough
  • 00:18:26.030 --> 00:18:27.120
  • to believe in Jesus in your mind.
  • 00:18:27.120 --> 00:18:28.200
  • You have to give him control of your life.
  • 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:31.130
  • And I just felt like I had to tell you
  • 00:18:31.130 --> 00:18:32.260
  • 'cause I think a lot of you believe in Jesus,
  • 00:18:32.260 --> 00:18:34.200
  • but you've never given him control.
  • 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:36.130
  • And if you wanna talk about it, I'm available.
  • 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:40.140
  • And I was in Utah one time.
  • 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:42.050
  • Utah.
  • 00:18:43.030 --> 00:18:44.110
  • (laughter)
  • 00:18:44.110 --> 00:18:47.100
  • And three Mormon waiters came over to me and they said,
  • 00:18:47.100 --> 00:18:50.230
  • "We don't like what you said."
  • 00:18:50.230 --> 00:18:52.080
  • And I said to them,
  • 00:18:53.090 --> 00:18:54.170
  • "Hey, I understand that.
  • 00:18:54.170 --> 00:18:56.010
  • "But I understand it's fine for you not to like, it's fine.
  • 00:18:56.010 --> 00:18:59.020
  • "But, can you tell me why you don't like it?"
  • 00:18:59.020 --> 00:19:02.140
  • And they couldn't tell me.
  • 00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:03.230
  • And I started talking to them.
  • 00:19:04.250 --> 00:19:06.230
  • And in about five minutes all three of them accepted Christ.
  • 00:19:06.230 --> 00:19:09.290
  • (congregation murmurs)
  • 00:19:09.290 --> 00:19:11.000
  • So I got over my fear of talking.
  • 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:13.000
  • I started realizing this helps people.
  • 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:16.030
  • When I first got saved,
  • 00:19:16.030 --> 00:19:17.210
  • Debbie and I would save our money,
  • 00:19:17.210 --> 00:19:19.060
  • and we'd go out to eat,
  • 00:19:19.060 --> 00:19:20.120
  • and we'd share a meal,
  • 00:19:20.120 --> 00:19:21.260
  • and I would leave a tip with, a big tip,
  • 00:19:21.260 --> 00:19:25.170
  • with a gospel track.
  • 00:19:25.170 --> 00:19:27.270
  • And so I left like a 20-dollar bill
  • 00:19:27.270 --> 00:19:30.000
  • for like a 10-dollar meal,
  • 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.220
  • and we went back and the lady our server
  • 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:34.140
  • didn't say anything about it.
  • 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:35.280
  • So I thought, "Oh I didn't leave enough money."
  • 00:19:35.280 --> 00:19:38.160
  • I just wanted her to read the book and get saved, you know?
  • 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:41.220
  • So that time I left a 50-dollar tip,
  • 00:19:41.220 --> 00:19:43.260
  • and we didn't make hardly anything.
  • 00:19:43.260 --> 00:19:45.200
  • I went back and she said,
  • 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:48.140
  • "Hey, you remember that little book you left last time?"
  • 00:19:48.140 --> 00:19:50.040
  • She said, "I read it, and I gave my life to Jesus."
  • 00:19:50.040 --> 00:19:52.250
  • And she said, "I called my husband,
  • 00:19:52.250 --> 00:19:54.000
  • "and he gave his life to Jesus."
  • 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:56.050
  • And I said, "Really?"
  • 00:19:56.050 --> 00:19:57.120
  • And I said, "Well,"
  • 00:19:57.120 --> 00:19:59.000
  • I thought about that phrase, she called her husband.
  • 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:01.010
  • I said, "Well, was he at work or at home?"
  • 00:20:01.010 --> 00:20:03.130
  • And she put her head down and she said,
  • 00:20:03.130 --> 00:20:05.120
  • "He's in prison."
  • 00:20:06.130 --> 00:20:07.170
  • And a few years later he got out, and they got baptized.
  • 00:20:09.100 --> 00:20:12.100
  • Here's the point.
  • 00:20:13.210 --> 00:20:15.050
  • God took money that was dedicated to this world system,
  • 00:20:15.050 --> 00:20:19.070
  • and he turned it into true riches.
  • 00:20:20.250 --> 00:20:22.150
  • So, is money evil?
  • 00:20:23.150 --> 00:20:25.010
  • No, here's the third thing though.
  • 00:20:25.010 --> 00:20:27.090
  • What should I do with my money?
  • 00:20:27.090 --> 00:20:28.240
  • What should I do with it?
  • 00:20:30.080 --> 00:20:31.270
  • And it's very simple.
  • 00:20:31.270 --> 00:20:33.080
  • Just be a good steward.
  • 00:20:33.080 --> 00:20:34.120
  • That's what the whole book Beyond Blessed is about.
  • 00:20:35.250 --> 00:20:38.080
  • Be a good steward.
  • 00:20:38.080 --> 00:20:39.050
  • Because if you're a good steward,
  • 00:20:40.170 --> 00:20:43.010
  • then when you want to give a tip,
  • 00:20:43.010 --> 00:20:45.040
  • or you want to buy someone some gas,
  • 00:20:45.040 --> 00:20:47.090
  • or you want to give an offering, you can.
  • 00:20:47.090 --> 00:20:49.220
  • Because you've been a good steward with it.
  • 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:51.260
  • Here are some things about being a good steward.
  • 00:20:51.260 --> 00:20:53.240
  • Luke 16:10.
  • 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:55.090
  • "He who is faithful in what is least
  • 00:20:55.090 --> 00:20:57.260
  • "is faithful also in much.
  • 00:20:57.260 --> 00:21:00.050
  • "And he who is unjust in what is least
  • 00:21:00.050 --> 00:21:02.190
  • "is unjust also in much."
  • 00:21:02.190 --> 00:21:05.260
  • Now, some of you might be thinking,
  • 00:21:05.260 --> 00:21:07.250
  • "Pastor, I just wanna be honest with you.
  • 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:10.270
  • "I have two little of this unrighteous mammon
  • 00:21:12.020 --> 00:21:16.260
  • "to be concerned about this sermon."
  • 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:19.120
  • (laughter)
  • 00:21:19.120 --> 00:21:21.190
  • Lovingly, what I wanna say to you is,
  • 00:21:23.100 --> 00:21:26.190
  • "And you always will
  • 00:21:26.190 --> 00:21:28.150
  • "if that's your attitude."
  • 00:21:28.150 --> 00:21:29.280
  • Because if you're not faithful with a little,
  • 00:21:31.030 --> 00:21:33.220
  • you'll never have much.
  • 00:21:33.220 --> 00:21:34.280
  • Verse 12 says,
  • 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:37.260
  • "And if you have not been faithful
  • 00:21:37.260 --> 00:21:39.150
  • "in what is another man's,
  • 00:21:39.150 --> 00:21:42.070
  • "who will give you what is your own?"
  • 00:21:42.070 --> 00:21:45.100
  • Now we've talked a little bit about tithing,
  • 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:48.150
  • and we're gonna talk about it
  • 00:21:48.150 --> 00:21:50.050
  • in this series even a little more.
  • 00:21:50.050 --> 00:21:52.180
  • But we've already talked about it some.
  • 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:55.260
  • If you've not been faithful in what belongs to someone else,
  • 00:21:57.100 --> 00:22:00.070
  • could that be referred to the tithe?
  • 00:22:00.070 --> 00:22:02.010
  • Who would give you more?
  • 00:22:04.060 --> 00:22:05.180
  • Who would give you what is your own,
  • 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:07.010
  • or 90 percent, to spend on whatever you wanted to spend on?
  • 00:22:07.010 --> 00:22:10.170
  • And one other Scripture, verse 11 says,
  • 00:22:10.170 --> 00:22:12.250
  • "And if you've not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,
  • 00:22:12.250 --> 00:22:16.080
  • "who will commit to your trust the true riches?"
  • 00:22:16.080 --> 00:22:20.220
  • True riches are people.
  • 00:22:20.220 --> 00:22:21.280
  • I have a daughter, only daughter,
  • 00:22:23.020 --> 00:22:25.090
  • very beautiful young lady,
  • 00:22:26.280 --> 00:22:29.100
  • cheerleader, you know things like that,
  • 00:22:29.100 --> 00:22:31.100
  • she's 28 now, mother of four.
  • 00:22:31.100 --> 00:22:33.050
  • When she was in high school,
  • 00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:37.150
  • lots of guys wanted to date her.
  • 00:22:37.150 --> 00:22:39.100
  • I said no.
  • 00:22:41.050 --> 00:22:42.180
  • I watched over her,
  • 00:22:42.180 --> 00:22:44.160
  • guys would come to the house and say,
  • 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:46.000
  • "Can I have permission to date your daughter?"
  • 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:48.000
  • I'd say, "Let me show you my gun collection."
  • 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:50.120
  • (laughter)
  • 00:22:50.120 --> 00:22:53.040
  • What a normal father would be, you know.
  • 00:22:53.040 --> 00:22:55.040
  • Anyway, but there was a young man named Ethan
  • 00:22:56.090 --> 00:22:59.140
  • who is now her husband.
  • 00:22:59.140 --> 00:23:01.060
  • And he did everything I asked him to do.
  • 00:23:01.060 --> 00:23:03.070
  • I asked him to be friends,
  • 00:23:03.070 --> 00:23:04.140
  • I asked him to do, you know,
  • 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:06.100
  • and here's one of the things I told my daughter.
  • 00:23:06.100 --> 00:23:08.090
  • If he won't respect me, he won't respect you.
  • 00:23:08.090 --> 00:23:11.050
  • So if he won't respect me, he'll never respect you.
  • 00:23:13.270 --> 00:23:16.130
  • Ethan did all the things he was supposed to do.
  • 00:23:18.250 --> 00:23:21.140
  • But one time they were standing around
  • 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:23.020
  • at the front of the church,
  • 00:23:23.020 --> 00:23:24.100
  • and it was Ethan and Elaine,
  • 00:23:24.100 --> 00:23:25.210
  • this is before they got married,
  • 00:23:25.210 --> 00:23:27.090
  • there was about six or seven young adults,
  • 00:23:27.090 --> 00:23:29.240
  • and they got to joking around with Ethan and Elaine
  • 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:33.170
  • about what's it like to date the pastor's daughter?
  • 00:23:33.170 --> 00:23:36.160
  • And so one of the guys said to my daughter,
  • 00:23:38.040 --> 00:23:40.280
  • "You know, your dad is so strong on tithing,
  • 00:23:40.280 --> 00:23:45.090
  • "I'll bet he even checks the tithing records
  • 00:23:45.090 --> 00:23:48.070
  • "of the guys that wanna date you."
  • 00:23:48.070 --> 00:23:50.020
  • (laughter)
  • 00:23:50.020 --> 00:23:52.060
  • And my daughter said, "He does."
  • 00:23:52.060 --> 00:23:55.290
  • (laughter)
  • 00:23:55.290 --> 00:23:58.060
  • And I did.
  • 00:23:59.140 --> 00:24:00.110
  • Well, let me just ask you a simple question.
  • 00:24:03.130 --> 00:24:05.240
  • Why would I give my daughter to a thief?
  • 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:08.210
  • Why would I give my daughter, who is true riches,
  • 00:24:13.020 --> 00:24:16.210
  • to someone who can't even handle money?
  • 00:24:18.150 --> 00:24:20.220
  • Now, what was funny was,
  • 00:24:21.260 --> 00:24:23.060
  • when they said he checks the tithing records,
  • 00:24:23.060 --> 00:24:25.090
  • and Elaine said he does,
  • 00:24:25.090 --> 00:24:27.280
  • Ethan, my future son-in-law, went,
  • 00:24:27.280 --> 00:24:30.130
  • "Uh-oh."
  • 00:24:30.130 --> 00:24:31.150
  • (laughter)
  • 00:24:31.150 --> 00:24:33.040
  • And she said, "What do you mean, uh-oh?
  • 00:24:33.040 --> 00:24:34.250
  • "You told me you tithed."
  • 00:24:34.250 --> 00:24:36.230
  • And he said, "Well there was one time
  • 00:24:36.230 --> 00:24:39.240
  • "that I was one day late."
  • 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:41.130
  • He would get paid on Friday,
  • 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:44.210
  • and he would go online and send his tithe immediately,
  • 00:24:44.210 --> 00:24:47.240
  • the first 10 percent,
  • 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:49.190
  • because he didn't have internet at home
  • 00:24:50.230 --> 00:24:52.010
  • because he's a good steward.
  • 00:24:52.010 --> 00:24:53.200
  • And it costs too much.
  • 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:55.140
  • But that Friday he was off.
  • 00:24:55.140 --> 00:24:57.200
  • So on Saturday he worked, so he went in and did his tithe
  • 00:24:57.200 --> 00:25:01.090
  • on that Saturday.
  • 00:25:01.090 --> 00:25:02.060
  • He was kinda mad at himself,
  • 00:25:03.170 --> 00:25:04.260
  • they didn't go to Starbucks or something
  • 00:25:04.260 --> 00:25:06.220
  • and do his tithe.
  • 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:08.050
  • So he said, "I've never forgotten it.
  • 00:25:08.050 --> 00:25:10.150
  • "One time I was one day late."
  • 00:25:10.150 --> 00:25:11.290
  • He said, "I've always felt bad about that."
  • 00:25:11.290 --> 00:25:14.060
  • And so they're laughing,
  • 00:25:14.060 --> 00:25:15.270
  • and they said to my daughter,
  • 00:25:15.270 --> 00:25:18.290
  • no they said to Ethan,
  • 00:25:18.290 --> 00:25:20.140
  • "Pastor Robert is not gonna notice that."
  • 00:25:21.210 --> 00:25:24.100
  • And my daughter said, "Yes he will."
  • 00:25:24.100 --> 00:25:26.220
  • (laughter)
  • 00:25:26.220 --> 00:25:29.000
  • And so she came home that night,
  • 00:25:30.140 --> 00:25:31.270
  • she's telling me that story and she said,
  • 00:25:31.270 --> 00:25:34.010
  • "Did you check Ethan's tithing records?"
  • 00:25:36.110 --> 00:25:38.210
  • And I said, "Yeah.
  • 00:25:38.210 --> 00:25:40.050
  • "And there was one day he was one day late, by the way."
  • 00:25:40.050 --> 00:25:42.130
  • Now, we're talking about something funny there,
  • 00:25:45.060 --> 00:25:47.170
  • but I think that the Father
  • 00:25:47.170 --> 00:25:50.230
  • is interested about how people take care of His daughter.
  • 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:56.100
  • And I think He checks tithing records.
  • 00:26:01.040 --> 00:26:03.080
  • And what we're showing him is our heart.
  • 00:26:05.150 --> 00:26:07.150
  • I wanna tell you guys thanks.
  • 00:26:09.100 --> 00:26:11.010
  • Thanks for letting me share with you.
  • 00:26:11.010 --> 00:26:12.210
  • And for those of you watching,
  • 00:26:12.210 --> 00:26:13.290
  • thanks for letting me share Beyond Blessed,
  • 00:26:13.290 --> 00:26:16.280
  • and join me next time.
  • 00:26:16.280 --> 00:26:18.110
  • And I wanna keep sharing Beyond Blessed.
  • 00:26:18.110 --> 00:26:20.230
  • Thank you all.
  • 00:26:21.210 --> 00:26:22.180
  • (applause)
  • 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:24.260
  • - [Voiceover] A life without financial stress
  • 00:26:26.230 --> 00:26:28.240
  • or money worries.
  • 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:30.050
  • A life Beyond Blessed.
  • 00:26:30.050 --> 00:26:32.020
  • Throughout this TBN-sponsored program,
  • 00:26:32.020 --> 00:26:34.080
  • Pastor Robert Morris has been giving us a biblical road map
  • 00:26:34.080 --> 00:26:37.170
  • for living that kind of life.
  • 00:26:37.170 --> 00:26:39.150
  • And we'd love to put that complete road map
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  • in your hands right now.
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  • And thanks for helping TBN keep this kind of program
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  • coming to you and others around the world.
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  • Right now you can receive the companion hardcover book
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  • to this series.
  • 00:26:52.250 --> 00:26:54.020
  • Beyond Blessed: God's Perfect Plan
  • 00:26:54.020 --> 00:26:56.060
  • To Overcome All Financial Stress.
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  • And thanks for your gift of any amount today.
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  • (lively music)
  • 00:27:26.070 --> 00:27:28.240