Skip to content Borrowed Miracles: How Jesus Transformed Generosity || Pastor Diego Mesa Nov 17 · 45 min ...more
Borrowed Miracles: How Jesus Transformed Generosity || Pastor Diego Mesa
November 17, 2024 · 45 min
Series Patria Sermons November 17, 2024 · 45 min · Patria Sermons
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492K followers
Adam Mesa is Lead Pastor of Patria Church and speaks to a congregation of 12,000 about how the gospel of Jesus Christ brings purpose to every life. Patria
492K followers
The Power of Generosity and Faith 0:00 Let's pray, and I know God's gonna say something tremendous to all of us today. Father, we count it an honor. It isn't a right to stand behind this pulpit. It's a privilege. We're not here, like0:11 Pastor Aaron says, or the song that Pastor Daniel says, to lift up our name and to evaluate and to brag about us. It's about to lift up the name of Jesus. He's the only 1 that can0:23 resolve and the solution to all the remedies and difficulties of life. Help us to help us to learn more that we can leave this place and represent you really well. In Jesus name,0:35 amen. We're gonna read a couple of scriptures. I invite you to stand on your feet, and we'll open up with these scriptures. We are in family business, and, last week,0:47 Pastor Adam shared the vision of some things we are building out, some places we wanna go with us helping a school, and we want to, Bible translate0:59 the book of Joshua into a translation that don't have a Bible. We have courtyard that we're expanding for people to have fellowship, things that were talked about and you have1:11 those touch. It says when you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord. Wow. I've never thought about it that way. And the Lord will the Lord will pay you1:23 back. Another translation, says, kindness to the poor is to loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender. You may be seated.1:35 Powerful words there of financial transaction that we would often not think about in the body of Christ that are often used, borrowing and loaning1:47 and things of that nature. Name was Hattie Mae, a true story, around the turn of the century, 1900. Very poor, meager1:59 young girl who wandered into a church, children's church or Sunday school. She went over there, but all the seats were filled. It was a very crowded, little2:12 And, she walked out of there discouraged. And she just so happened to bump into the pastor who asked her what her name was and what she was doing, and he proceeded to tell her, she proceeded to tell him, there's no more2:24 And he apologized and said, Yeah, that's why for many years, we've been trying to raise money for the church so we could build a bigger children's church so that we would never turn away any kids. And she would come2:36 back and she would find places in the weeks and months to come. But there came a time when she was not showing up. And so the good pastor, he decided that he knocked on the door of their2:48 home to see where Hattie Mae had been. And he discovered that Hattie Mae had tragically died. He was overwhelmed, and the parents were there. And he sent his3:00 condolences and his apologies that he didn't know about. And she's the parents said, I'm glad you're here, pastor. Because there's this little note that Hattie Mae had written to you3:19 twist. Here is 57 pennies, 57 cents in my little purse. First time, there was no room, but you made room for me.3:31 But I think about all the other kids that will come where there will not be any room. And so I started to raise money, so that you would build a children's church that would be big enough for kids like me and3:43 others that would be able to come and not be turned away. He was overwhelmed by that. The local newspaper had gotten word of that or wind of it, and they3:54 publicized it. And the community of Pittsburgh was overwhelmed by this story.4:10 Sunday school, a children's church in honor of Hattie Mae. Today, you could go over to the Baptist church in Pittsburgh. Not only have they built a church and a Sunday school for4:22 children, they have also built a hospital, and they've also built a university. All because of 57 cents that was started and4:33 donated by a little girl who sense the need, and she would fill that need. What you just read is this word called borrow and lender.4:46 And I'm fascinated by that word because I want to talk about Jesus who borrowed everything and yet owned everything.5:09 Right. Doesn't make sense oftentimes why he did that. Have you ever had to borrow something from someone? How did that emotionally make you5:21 feel? Desperate? In a place where Did you feel humbled that I have to ask you because I5:33 don't have? Have you ever loaned something to someone?5:46 Time, my neighbor, who wasn't my friendly neighbor at that time, said, can I borrow some milk for my coffee? I thought to myself, what am I living5:58 in the 19 fifties? What's going on here? I said, okay, sure. And I went and gave him some milk, a little cup. Said, can I borrow some more milk for my coffee? And I6:10 thought, what? Am I the markable here or the market? What's going on here? The dairy or what are you doing? Drive by here. A week later, he knew that,6:23 Adam was the last 1 to leave the Yeah. Adam riding his, mountain bike. He knew Adam had left and he knocked on the door and said, can I borrow Adam's mountain bike?6:36 I thought, okay. So I loaned him the mountain bike. He he knocked a couple weeks later. Can I borrow Adam's mountain bike again? And I thought to myself, you know what? The6:48 milk's okay. Adam's bike okay. But if this guy asked for my mountain bike Sometimes it's a strain to loan.7:00 Sometimes it's easier than harder to loan.7:15 I'm not sure that I'm willing to give that 1 up. Let me give you this statement. It'll go on the screen. It reads like this, this statement I want to share with you. Do you see7:26 yourself through your faith or being a Christian? Are you more of a borrower? Are you more of a lender? It's a trick question because the answer is both.7:39 As a Christian, I'm a borrower because I didn't bring anything into this world. I had to borrow favor. I had to borrow relationship. I had to borrow intellect.7:52 I had to borrow education. I didn't come into this world with nothing. I'm a I'm a borrower. But at the same time, I am to be a lender through my generosity and the needs that God8:04 presents in front of me. So in reality, I am both of those things. It blows my mind again as I trace this thought8:29 mighty God. That the Bible calls him great. And the Bible calls him Lord, which means master and ruler. He's the creator. I'm trying to describe to you the bigness of God8:41 would would humble himself and be dependent upon you and I. That blows me away that this plutocrat rich8:53 God would be so dependent on your yes and my yes to help him in the kingdom work? Why doesn't he just create it? Why doesn't he just make it?9:05 There must be a purpose around him asking me to borrow something from me. He must wanna stretch my faith somewhere. Maybe it's to give9:17 a testimony or a story of participation or blessing or reward. Maybe it's to develop my character to break some bondages of greed and selfishness9:29 and fear and covetousness that can never be broken unless you financially give. You don't have to agree with me. You don't9:41 have to agree with me. Until you know how to trust God with your money, it will be a struggle to trust God in any other area of your life.9:55 Try to let think that through. Why do people struggle to believe that Jesus will heal them? Because they've never really been able to overcome financial divis. Why do they struggle in their10:06 marriage? Why do they struggle with their children? Why do they struggle in their emotions? So, I'm just trying to say, if you can manage and figure out how to trust God with your money,10:18 everything else is easier. Because the number 1 thing that Christians struggle with to give God is their money. And I'll prove to you in a few moments. I think I'll do it10:30 now. Why not? So it's a word. So, it's a word. So, it's a word. So, here are some statistics I want to give you on the screen. The So here are some statistics I want to give you on the screen. The average household10:39 income in the Inland Empire, say IE. IE. Is 87597 dollars10:53 because tithing is 10 percent, 8750 dollars. Are you with me today? Hundred and 37 households.11:05 Make up are sometimes singles, but they could be married people and family. So there's almost 7000. That equals out to about 14000 members of our11:17 Patriot is 19 86 dollars That would mean that the average household income for Patriot is 20000 dollars11:40 Sometimes it's important to talk about kingdom stuff. People don't like to talk about kingdom stuff. Let's just talk about the miracles, the breakthrough, how God's going to help me in my life, and how I'm going to be11:50 better. Sometimes, not every week, not every month, but notice this, it allows to be a way that we could do so much in this church. The National12:02 Tithing is a collection of all Christian churches, of all denominations, about 5 to 10 percent of Christians. Right now at Patriot about 10 to 15 percent12:14 of our membership tithes. So let me just use this illustration right here. Okay? So these are my little jelly beans for the illustration. And we're gonna just12:28 put the jelly beans up to the 15 percent mark. So this is our capacity at at at Patriot right now. This is how much we give. Right12:40 there. Look look at how much, how many don't. Okay? So let's just let's just play around with this for a moment. I can see you're having a good time. Let's just go a little. If if fifth12:51 if, 50 percent if 50 percent of our people tied that's that's how much much that's how much more we could do, but we still have more capacity. If we went to 75 percent, what13:03 if we went to a hundred percent? If 100 percent of our members tithe, So here's,13:15 here is the reality. So here's here is the reality right now. 15 percent of13:27 us that a patriot tie, 15 percent that equates out, Pastor Adam showed us last week, our budget through ties, we bring in 13000000 dollars If13:39 100 percent of us started tithing, our new budget would be 86000000 dollars we'd be bringing in. It blows me away that we could do all that we do here at Patriot13:50 with this amount, 13000015 percent tithers. What could be done in the kingdom of How many orphanages could be built? How many churches could be built? How14:02 many needs could be met? It blows me away that this omnipotent God has made himself so dependent to me.14:16 You can't. How about this side? Can you handle deep? Okay. I'll talk to this side because they couldn't handle deep. Figure this out. How does this Jesus borrow everything and yet14:28 he he needs a treasurer? And his treasurer's name is Judas and Judas rips the treasury up so much that it doesn't hurt Jesus's14:40 ministry and what he wants to do. Just linger on that for about a week. Chew on that 1. Here we go. That was my introduction. Now, I'm going to preach. Everything in14:52 Jesus's ministry is done through borrow. He borrows a manger when he comes into this world. Why didn't Mary and Joseph go to Baby R Us, host a party,15:04 and ask you all to give toward it? How irresponsible of Mary and Joseph. She's 9 months pregnant. She has to borrow15:16 an innkeeper's manger to birth Jesus. The next thing we say is he borrowed a lunch. A little boy's lunch.15:28 The little boy of 2 little sardines and 5 little crackers. That's all. It was a little boy's lunch that his mom had packed him. That 5000 men. There's women and children, 10 to 15000. Let15:40 me ask you. Right now, there's a couple thousand people in this room. Let me ask you. Does anybody have any crackers? Raise your hand. Anybody have any crackers? Anybody keep it up. Anybody have any cookies? Raise your15:51 hand. Watch this. This. Women. Any women have any chocolate? Raise your hand. Chocolate women. Anybody have any gum, Tic Tacs, candy? Anybody have any food on them right16:03 now? This is only 2000. Look at all the hands. In a group of 5000, you're telling me that the boy was the only 1? No. I think the boy is the only 1 that's gonna give it to Jesus. Everyone else has16:15 their hands in their pocket. He borrowed a little poor boy's lunch. How dare Jesus steal that little16:26 boy's lunch? What happened? He borrowed Peter's boat to preach a sermon to the multitude. He borrowed a fisherman's boat and that boat is how he makes16:38 his income. He borrows a donkey to go into Palm Sunday. Upper room16:50 for the last supper, for the washing of the feet. He borrowed this man that probably makes a side hustle and income loaning out his property.17:01 Death, how many of you believe that Jesus knew he was gonna die before he died? Every 1 of you should raise your hand. Yes, of course he did.17:14 The heart of the belly of the whale, so the son of man will be 3 days in the heart of the earth. He he talked about it all the time. Why didn't he make no preparation? Most of us make preparation.17:26 You already have your your gravestone or your site. You already bought your plot, whatever it is. Why didn't Jesus do that? He allows a man named Joseph of Arimathea, a rich17:38 man, to to give Jesus and loan Jesus his tomb, and Jesus is buried there. Why?17:49 Why? Why did he do that? Because all the things that I just shared with you, these 6 things, they're not cheap. They're not leftovers. They're not scraps. They're a thing of18:01 great importance. They're things of great value. They're things of great need for these people. Who are these types of people? I have to ask a question. Who are these people that Jesus asked? And do18:13 I share any similar qualities with these people? Who are these people? Were they just rich people? Were they were they just simply,18:25 white collar people? No. They were they were Were they just professionals? No. They were tradesmen too. They were uneducated as well as educated. They were rich but they were also poor.18:38 They came from various cultures. I'm trying to tell you something that all of us He did this for us for all of us to understand. We all have something that he can borrow. We all have something18:50 to give. We all have something we can loan. We have we all have something that we could loan to Jesus based19:02 upon these characteristics. 3 2 scriptures to you in Proverbs 22 and what kind of people we're gonna trace it now and land this point. What kind of people were these people? The Bible says, the stingy are eager19:14 to get rich and unaware that poverty awaits them. Surely none of these people were stingy. Look at somebody and say, he's not talking about you. The kinds19:25 of people that would never ever loan anything to Jesus are the fearful, are the stingy, are the hoarders, are the covetousness people,19:38 and the selfish people. Those classifications are never going to loan anything of value, significance, or worth to Jesus. But then we got this amazing scripture19:50 here. The next 1 in Proverbs talks about the generous will prosper. Those who refresh others themselves will be refreshed. So the people that actually gave to Jesus, let him borrow, are the generous20:02 people. The unselfish people like you. They are they are the people that love Jesus, really love Jesus. These are the kind hearted people that do that. These are the20:13 people that learn how to trust God in their life. I don't know about you. Every year, I come up with earning goals. I'm a good steward.Trusting God with Your Resources 20:26 I I live I'm a spiritual person. I'm a natural person. I'm a recreational person. I'm an emotional person. I'm a married person. There's all qualities of my life. So 1 aspects of my life is I'm20:39 financially responsible. I have goals. I have dreams. I have aspirations. And so I set I set earning goals of how much money I wanna make this year, How much debt20:51 I want to reduce this year. I have goals about when I'm 70, this is the status of life that I will have based upon my stewardship. Does anybody do that? Like do you have21:02 anybody have earning goals? Only 5 of you. This section's really bad today. Does this section have earning goals? Okay. This section's the most fiscal responsible people. All the rest of you, we're gonna pray21:14 for you. How about this section? Oh, that one's the best. Okay. You guys have to work up to this level over here. I said earning21:26 goals, but every year I set giving goals. Why would I set earning goals21:38 and not set giving goals? So for the last 10 years, me and Cindy have given more every year than we did 10 years ago. And we have been tithing 10 percent of our income, no matter21:50 what it is, for over 40 years. Way before I was a pastor or a minister, I was just where you are. I was a layperson who came to a church, who had a pastor, who had a22:01 normal job, and I would tithe. We made an agreement on premarital counseling whether I would marry this woman or not. She was fine, and she still is. She weighed22:13 106 pounds. And I won't tell you in Lionel Richie's song, what she looked like. Ours.22:25 My my tae. I don't care how fine she was. When I went into counseling, I said, if you are not willing to tie 10 percent of our income,22:38 mine, yours, and ours, then this relationship will not work. Been married 40 years. Hold on. No. 41.22:49 41? Yeah. 41. 41 in December eighteenth. Yeah. 41. Sorry. She don't even remember, but I remember. What kind of people are23:01 these that loan to Jesus? Watch. They're gonna be on your screen. The first point is this. These are the kinds of people. They are people that had no regret or borrowers remorse. Not 1 of23:13 these examples that I gave you had any regret. Dang it. I shouldn't have given him that. I really miss that. And that's what most people think that's23:24 why Jesus can't borrow anything from you. You've heard of buyer's remorse. I'm talking about borrower's remorse. None of them23:36 had that in them. They were simply grateful that Jesus borrowed the loaves and the fish and that he borrowed the boat and he borrowed the upper room and he borrowed the donkey. There was no sorrow connected to it.23:48 You know what? We really need that money now. I'm gonna call the church. I'm gonna call God and ask him for the last 6 months of tithing back Because then he's not God. Right. Right. To24:00 provide for you. And says, I will rebuke the devourer and open to you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you don't have enough to receive. And the law of reciprocity that what you sow, you reap and24:12 it will be returned to you. You have no sorrow. You have no regret. And they had no sorrow and they had no regret. The second thing that I look at when I look at24:24 these is they were left in a better position, not a worst 1. They were not now homeless. Peter went bankrupt in his business, fishing business now.24:46 Don't give to God. Don't give to the church.25:03 After Peter loans Jesus his boat, he catches more fish in 1 day than he has ever caught in his life, and he caught it in a hundred degree weather25:14 at noonday when fishermen and fish don't bite. How does that happen? Because God leaves you in a better place than you were. I personally believe that the25:26 little boy, when he went home to his mama who had packed him that lunch that day and said, where's your lunch? Did you enjoy your lunch? Well, the preacher, he25:38 took it from me. Oh, mama's I don't care who you are. Mama would have showed up at the preacher's door. But I don't think that mama showed up at the preacher's door. Because I25:50 think the Bible tells me that there were 12 baskets left over. And I think Jesus gave that boy those 12 baskets. And mama said, where were you today? I was with the preacher. Where'd you get these26:02 baskets? I loaned him my fish and my loaves. And whenever he that preacher asks you something, give it, give it, give it to him. We living off the hog now.26:14 I'm going into a baking business now. You're left you're left in a better position, not not not a worst position. They realize26:26 this is what they realize. The third 1 is this. What kinds of people were they? They realized that they were never they never really owned anything. It was entirely his.26:40 The boat was always his. The fishes and the loaves were always his. The upper room was always his. The donkey was his because he created it. He made it happen. He brought it into existence.26:52 So these people may have had a struggle because they're natural people like you, but they could overcome it because they realize, did I really own it in the first place?27:05 Did I really own it in the first place? Let me give you this quote and I think this quote drives a little bit of what Jesus why he did what he did. Did27:16 Jesus watch this the quote. Not that's the end of the message story. This is why we're giving because we need to upgrade our27:28 equipment because our equipment is so old. Okay.27:40 No. The quote. Tell me when it's on. If not, I'll just, read it for myself.27:52 I'll find it somewhere. Okay. Forget it. I'll do Thank you, Lord. Okay. The28:04 quote. Is it the fact that Jesus really needed this stuff or is the fact that they really needed him?28:17 I don't want to look at it because I'll get mad. He put himself in a place of need, not28:29 for himself. He put himself in a place of need because they needed his blessing. They needed to grow.28:55 I liar. Because here's what second Corinthians29:07 9 tells us. Second Corinthians 9 tells us, now the 1 who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your29:19 Jesus has to provide seed for you to sow. If not, you can't give. And so he always wants everybody to be able to give into his kingdom so that he could bless them, grow29:31 their faith, become a story. So we always Heath provides seed for the homeless person. How many have ever seen a homeless person with some stuff?29:44 How many of you have ever given money to a homeless person? When you give money, that's God giving to him so that he has seed to sow. If you're on disability. I don't29:56 care if you're on social security. I don't care if you make minimum wage or maximum wage. I don't care if you get bonuses or however you get paid. The reality is God always provides a seed to sow. The problem30:08 is we don't see it as a seed. We see it as I can buy a bigger house. I can buy a bigger car. I could take more vacations. But God is bringing increase30:20 into your life so that you could participate in his kingdom work so that you can give and experience all the benefits of that. He wants everybody to contribute. He wants everybody30:32 to do their part. It's not equal giving, it's equal sacrifice. When I was a little boy, my last point I'm getting to my last point now.30:44 In Montebello at Grant Ray Park, I played for the, city championship baseball team. We went 20 25 and 1 that year. We lost 1,30:56 because it was a forfeit. We didn't have enough players. So we really didn't lose, but technically we lost. Okay? Back then, it was different from how you play, Pastor31:08 Ashley, the way kids play today because Pastor Ashley is a coach. So back then, you didn't you were not required to play kids.31:20 If you weren't good enough, you didn't you sat on the bench. That's it. There was no sympathy players. Unless the score was run up really high, you'd you'd bring in the kind of I don't wanna make31:32 a kind of oddball just not developed yet kid. Okay? So that's how it was back then. Okay? It there's some benefit to that. I that I know you31:44 wanna argue with me but that's benefit. It teaches you how to persevere. It teaches you how to fight. It teaches you how to go home and practice and get better. It teaches you how to measure your anyway, I'm sorry.31:55 Let me go back. So we had a little kid, his name was Alex. Everybody knows Alex. Alex is a foot shorter than the smallest kid on the team, everybody else.32:07 He's like a foot short. His uniform when he puts it on is like 3 size bigger than him. The sleeves are down, the pants are down like this. The sleeves are down, the pants are down like this. Alex cannot catch a ball.32:19 He he turns his back on it. If you go, Alex, here we go. Oh. Alex never hit the ball even in practice with the bat. He didn't do that.32:32 Nevertheless, when we sit in the middle like you do when you win a championship game, and and all the kids put their hands in the middle and you do a sis boom bah, and you you you you say something really neat there.32:43 Here here's what Alex did, we never asked him to. When we say, and we say, Mets, because that was our team. Mets. He take off as fast as he can, as short as he can with those little legs, and he run to first base,32:55 and then he go around to second base, and he go around to third base, and he slide into home play, and we jump on Alex. When we got the trophy, when33:07 we got a trophy, Alex got a trophy. When we were honored in the newspaper, Alex's name was in the newspaper. It didn't matter. Alex wore the33:19 jersey. He was on the team. He contributed in the way that he could contribute. And my last point, they all had to go through a33:31 process of contemplation or consideration. They had to weigh in balance. Should I? Shouldn't I? Will I or won't I?33:45 Take everything. This is my livelihood. I I I was going to use this for this. So so so when you loan something to the kingdom of God, and33:57 I wanna say this about that, none of the things that were loaned to Jesus was for his personal use. It was all for the kingdom of God. What you give is not to give to me. It's not going into my34:09 bank account. I'm gonna drive around in it and I'm gonna wear it. It goes into the kingdom of God and the work of God. But there's this contemplation that you and I have of weighing in balance.34:21 Yes or no? Will or won't? Can or can't? And you go through a decision making process that yields and says, you know what?34:34 I'm gonna honor God in the way that he is asking me to honor him with what he's asking me to honor him with. Because the reality is this, Jesus could force, he could just takeShow more In this video 0:00 The Power of Generosity and Faith20:17 Trusting God with Your Resources34:43 The Call to Faith and SalvationComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
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