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The Heart of Multiplication: Understanding God's Expectation 0:00 Welcome to the men's global live stream. If you have a Bible, I want you to hold 1 spot in Matthew chapter 25 as we begin this new series called multiply. Now when you think about that0:12 word, when you multiply anything, it just means that there's gonna be more of whatever that thing is versus less, and that's really the big idea of the series.0:24 So when Jesus, in the context of talking about his return, is telling a story about a master who gives some money to a few of his servants0:36 to manage while he is away, and then that master returns to see what they did with it. The headline is this, the master wants to know what did they0:47 do with what I gave them. And the master in this story just wants to know what you and I would wanna know if we gave something to somebody.0:59 Think birthdays and the giving of gifts. Think Christmas and Christmas morning and the anticipation of you giving and people receiving. Think1:11 about like a thoughtful surprise where you do something that is thoughtful for someone else. We give, others receive, or vice versa, but it's clear. There's1:23 a giver and a receiver, but after the wrapping is undone, after the obligatory thank yous and the gift is received, What we really wanna know1:35 is this, did what we give get used or enjoyed, or did it go in a closet or go in the garage or, god forbid, it got regifted1:47 somewhere down the line. Right? In your relationship with God, in my relationship with God. Right? When he gives things to us, he not only1:59 tracks our initial response, but more importantly, what we do with what he gives us. Now think about the things that God gives2:10 us. Think about the life that he gives us. Think about the salvation through Jesus that he gives2:22 us. Think about all the relationships that he gives us. Think about your natural giftings2:35 embedded in your genetics that he's giving you. Think about your spiritual gifts that god has given you. Think about the material2:47 provision that you enjoy today, that he has given you your material resources. And just like2:59 us, the Bible declares that his hope is the same. I want what I've given to him to multiply.3:11 So in this series, we wanna get a firm handle on what God has given to us, but not just what he's given us, but how he is thinking. This is the key part. How he's3:23 thinking about what he's given us and what his hopeful expectation is after giving it to us. Alright. So here's where we're3:35 headed today and in each session as we move along in the series. We're gonna define very clearly what we mean by multiply from God's word and directly3:46 from Jesus himself. 2, we're gonna identify what god has given us so we have a clear handle on, oh, okay. These are the things that god wants us to multiply. And 3, we wanna see3:58 practically really simply what it looks like to multiply what he's given us. So let's get to it. If you have the downloaded notes, you're going to want to look at the top of the page,4:11 in in page 1. Let's clearly define what we mean personally by multiply, Right? So it's a verb, obviously, and it means this, to make more of or4:23 become greater progressive growth in size, amount, or intensity. Okay. So let's be really super clear. When you multiply anything, you4:34 make more of that thing. There is an extension of what is given. There's an expansion of what is initially given. There is progressive4:46 growth in size or amount or intensity. And so what we want to do now is we want to go right to God's word and look at this the story4:59 that Jesus is telling. Again, the context of Jesus telling this parable of the talents, as you might know it, is his return. So let's pick5:10 up Jesus telling the parable in Matthew 25. We're going to do it at the beginning of this session and we're going to do it again at the end of the session by contrast. So let's look at the5:22 beginning, Matthew 25 verses 19 to 21 as Jesus addresses servant number 1. Jesus says, after a long time the master of those5:34 servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received 5 bags of gold brought the other 5. Master, he said,5:45 you entrusted me with 5 bags of gold. See, I've gained 5 more. His master replied, well done, good and faithful servant.5:58 You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness. Now many of6:10 you reading that just now, you read that before, but maybe you haven't unpacked it personally for you. So let's unpack this simply by6:21 identifying what we see in this first part of the parable of the talents. Number 1, we see the master who gave. We wanna make sure that we we6:33 have him in mind, the master who gave. And what did he give? He gave what was uniquely his to give versus what the servants would possess on their own.6:45 Number 2, we see the entrusted 1 who received. So there's the master who gave and then there's the entrusted 1 who received. In fact, the servant says,6:57 master, you entrusted me with 5 bags of gold. So it's important to know that what the master gave was uniquely his, the servant didn't possess it on his own, and7:09 then the servant feels like it's been entrusted to him. Number 3, we see the desire to multiply and the actual multiplication.7:20 Right? The the the servant says, see? I mean, have you ever said that to somebody? See? He wanted the master to see7:32 what his desires had produced, understanding the master's heart. And number 4, we see the response of the master. And this is the coolest part where7:44 we see the master respond to 2 things, to to that desire and of course to that outcome. The desire that the servant had to multiply and then to the outcome of his multiplying7:56 what had been given him. Well done, good and faithful servant. So the master responds on a character point, he's he's good,8:08 and, then, a conduct point, he's faithful. Right? Notice that the master didn't say, well done, good and high performing servant. He didn't say8:20 that. He said, well done good, there's a character point, and faithful servant. In other words, that the character of the servant was consistent with what the master wanted to see8:32 and the conduct followed his character. Okay? So there's there's the basis and the headline and we're going to cover this each time pulling out something different just to embed8:45 this, these words and these points. Now it's important to see when we look at the master who gave, the entrusted 1 who received, the desire to multiply, and the8:56 response of the master, it's important to see how Jesus modeled this pattern in his own life. And we see him talking about this pattern in John chapter9:08 17. He's in prayer. He's talking to the father and we read this in John 17 verses 1 through 4. Jesus looked up to heaven and said, Father,9:20 the hour has come. Glorify your son so he can give glory back to you. Now listen, for you have given him authority over9:31 everyone. He gives eternal life to each 1 you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the 19:43 you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work that you gave me to do. So if we simply unpack that,9:55 we see a repetition of the pattern that is inside and within the parable of the talents, where you have the father who gives, and he gives authority10:07 to the son, and then you see the son's desire to multiply what God has given him where? On earth before he returns to the father, and10:19 the outcome is glory. That's the return on on Jesus's multiplication. The return is is that it's reflected10:31 back to the father in the form of glory. That's the stewardship of Jesus's authority and his multiplication. And then you see the modeling of what10:43 Jesus does. And here's why this is important is that Jesus is modeling the parable of the talents in his own life. Where? Not in heaven.10:56 On earth. The father gives authority to the son. The son multiplies that authority and gives eternal life to people on earth before he returns to have11:07 his moment back with the father. This glorifies the father. Right? That's Jesus's return to the father of his stewardship, and and this is what we see Jesus11:19 modeling. Now what's the implication for you and I if this is Jesus and Jesus is in us, and the Holy Spirit is making us more like Jesus?11:31 This is us. This is Jesus in us, helping us take what the father has given us, and then multiply it back for him11:44 for his glory. Alright. So now that we have that basis of parable of the talents, a simple unpacking, the modeling of Jesus. Right. EveryStewarding God's Gifts: Life, Salvation, Relationships, and Talents 11:56 man of God has to ask himself a couple questions, and the questions are these. What has god given to me that he wants me to multiply? And then 2,12:08 really practical. How do I multiply what he has given? So it's a what question and a how has it. What has god given to me to multiply, and how practically do I multiply what he's given to me? And so12:19 for the balance of the session, let's answer those 2 questions simply. And in the process of doing that, we're going to build a road map for the rest of the series12:31 where we're really gonna take a deep dive into each segment that we unpack. So let's look at the what question. What has God given me, and then how,12:44 am I to multiply that? Let's look at the first 1. Number 1, God has given or entrusted to me my life and existence. I think that's that gets12:56 to the foundation of all things, doesn't it? Right? Either there's a creator and I'm a created 1, and I believe in that creator and13:08 that I'm a created 1. And wherever there is a creator and something that's created, Right? There is a thought first before the act of13:20 creating, and then there is the act of creating. So how does that relate to you and I? Well, you have a creator. He thought he had a thought about you, but then he acted13:32 on the thought about you, and he pressed the button on you and the act of creation. Now he used human beings to do that. He used13:43 the, the DNA of 2 human beings to come together. But in that moment of conception, that is that is God acting on a13:55 thought and creating. So just let the paint dry on that 1. That is the most fundamental thought you can ever think.14:07 There is a creator and he created me. And where there is creation, there's always intention. Right?14:19 Anytime you create anything, so you produce something, there is an intention behind what you create, and you want what you create to fulfill that14:31 intention. In fact, that's what it talks about in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10. Let's read it together. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus14:43 for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. So you see this this this progression of14:55 there is, a beforehand where in the mind of God, he he says, yes, I I want to create this person, and I'm gonna use this person and this person to15:07 create that person, and I'm creating that person because I have an intention that is uniquely assigned to that person, and that15:19 person is you. Wow. And you know the scale of that is staggering from a human perspective, but not from God's perspective. Because if we understand the God of the15:31 Bible, we understand that he is powerful and he is infinite, which means he is infinitely powerful. So there is no limit where you and I might have a stop loss15:43 after a 14 hour day. We gotta sit down, and there's no way we can or manage everything else because we're overwhelmed, because we're limited. He is unlimited, and that's how God can15:55 create so many people and have a little over 7 and a half billion specific extrapolated intentions16:07 for every person that he created. God has specific intentions for you. So if God has given16:18 you your life and your existence, the how question is, how do I multiply my life from God and existence from God? Well, this is how you do it. Write this down. I multiply16:30 my life from God by aligning it with his intention. Pretty simple. Creator created. Creator has an intention for16:42 what he creates. Well, what's the intention of my Creator for me, the created 1? And we even16:54 saw what that grand intention was in Jesus's high priestly prayer that we just read at the at the top of today's session, that they may know you, the17:06 only true God, Jesus Christ, whom you did send. So maybe 1 of you or a few of you or several of you or hundreds of you are dropping in on the men's local livestream, and you're17:18 seeking god. I wanna tell you unequivocally that that is god's plan and that he created you, and his intention for creating you17:30 is for relationship with him. So that's number 1. Fundamental. What has God given you and I? Our life and our existence and we multiply17:42 that by aligning it with this intention. We're gonna we're gonna go into the deep dive on that 1 in part 2. Alright? Second, God has given me my present17:54 and eternal salvation. So if you have believed and you're watching this, if you have believed in the person of Christ that he's18:06 God and the work of Christ that he died on behalf of your sin to clear out that barrier between you and God, you have18:18 began and are going to eternally continue a relationship with God. That is the definition of salvation. To begin and eternally continue18:30 a relationship with God based on my belief in the person and work of his son, Jesus Christ. Wow. And a lot of people think, wow. Salvation is then and there. It's when18:42 my heart stops and then I go to heaven, then I experience salvation. That's not what the Bible teaches. Your salvation begins the moment that you believe18:54 in this life and then carries through to eternity. Let's read about this amazing gift that God has given called my present and eternal19:05 salvation. In Titus 3 verses 4 through 7, it says this, but when the kindness of God our savior and his love for mankind appeared, He19:17 saved us. Not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy. By the washing of regeneration and renewing19:30 by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, now here's the intention, be justified by his grace, we would19:42 be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. I was putting this study together, and I I flip I was flipping through my Bible, and I have this this little19:54 thing. It says it says never forget, and it has this passage from Titus in it. And I have a note to myself, and it says,20:06 I am a rescued 1. And that's what the picture is painted here. We we're like, people stranded at sea or20:18 people, lost in the wilderness, people who who really have no hope unless somebody rescues them. We're20:30 stuck. And what I love about this passage is that it's a picture of God's unilateral saving of us. There's there's a person20:42 who will not live unless someone sees and moves toward them and does it all to to to save20:54 them. So I love about this passage. But that's what I want you to hear right now is, yes, god has given you your life in existence. And if you are a Christian, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, god has given you21:05 your present salvation that's being worked out in an eternal way. Now the question is, oh my goodness. How do I21:17 multiply that? Right? Well, write this down. I multiply my salvation from God by pursuing ongoing transformation. And let21:29 me give you a sense of what that looks like from a human perspective. When you I like to read articles about people who are saved, where they're stranded at sea, they're stranded in the21:40 wilderness, or maybe they're saved by a fellow soldier in battle. So it's hopeless. They are hopeless, and then into21:52 that hopelessness comes this hope, and they are rescued, the experience of being rescued. And then22:04 what happens in each of these stories is that they are not the same after they're rescued. It's such a traumatic22:16 and powerful and, kinetic experience that it changes them forever. Mainly, it changes their perception22:28 of their purpose. So someone who was on the verge of dying is rescued and on in hopelessness, and then then now they have hope all of a22:40 sudden. It's like, oh my goodness. What am I gonna do with what I've just been given? I've been given new life. I thought my life was ending. Now I have a new beginning, and22:51 it changes how people look at how they're gonna do their life from that point on. They transform. They transform in their thinking. They transform their living. You read a lot about how, hey, look. I got a23:03 second lease on life. I got a second chance, and I'm gonna do the most I possibly can. So they they're transformed. Their thinking is transformed, and their actions are transformed. They have a23:15 new sense of stewardship. They have a new sense of responsibility after being rescued. And it's interesting. I,23:27 on my little note here from this passage, never forget, I am a rescued 1. Wow.23:40 Wow. So my response to that, how do I multiply my rescue? By transforming the way I I'm looking at my rescue.23:52 I'm like, I got a new life. Now, I gotta think differently and I have to act differently. I'm not I'm not coasting. I'm not stagnating. I'm investing24:04 and multiplying my life in light of this rescue. So what has God given me? He's given me my life and my existence. God has given me my present and eternal salvation. Number 3, God has given24:16 me my specific connections with people. Kenny, are you saying that God has assigned me my family? Yes. Are you saying that God has assigned me, the24:28 friends that I have presently in my life right now? Yes. Are you saying that God has assigned me, the person in the cubicle next to you? Yes. Are you saying that God has assigned to me my24:40 neighbors? Yes. God has given you your specific connections with people. And with that24:51 placement, there is again an intended purpose. We read about that in John chapter 13 verses 34 and 35. Jesus says, a new commandment25:03 I give to you that you love 1 another. Circle that, 1 another. Even as I have loved you, that you also love 1 another. By this, all men25:15 will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for 1 another. So you see how God is25:27 relational, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God has relational intentions because he's relational. And just as father, son, and holy25:39 spirit have intimacy and unity and love and oneness, God wants that reproduced in you and through25:50 you based on how he has loved you. So you see that there is this, pay it forward dynamic. We see this in other parables,26:03 that Jesus talks about like, the unmerciful parable of the unmerciful servant. But you see him just directly express it right here that how God loves us, how26:15 God treats us, we are supposed to multiply that by treating 1 another the same way. So that's our multiplication point. I multiply my26:27 personal relationships from god, the ones he's assigned to me, by practicing the 1 anothers. Now in this and at the very top, we26:39 see Jesus say, love 1 another just like I have loved you. Now in the Bible, when it talks about relationships, there are also other26:51 1 another's. Okay? There's encourage 1 another, forgive 1 another, serve 1 another, carry 1 another's burdens, and these are the same dynamics that God has27:04 displayed with us. So life in existence, right, God has given you your present and eternal salvation. He's27:15 given you your specific relationships and there are ways to multiply those, right? Let's look at the fourth thing God has given us in a way to multiply that. Number 4, God has given me my natural27:27 and spiritual gifts. Now the reason why I make a distinction is because, the Bible makes that distinction. Okay? There there's natural gifts. That's your genetic makeup,27:39 your brain chemistry, your physical, your physical stature, your body brain coordination, your your27:51 mind, how he's built your mind, spatially, reasoning, that's your natural giftings. That's what's, in the,28:04 in the eternal software code called your DNA that's in you. That's that's that's your natural gifting. Now the Bible also talks about, spiritual giftings. And,28:17 what I love about both natural and spiritual giftings is that everybody's got them. Right? So let's read about that in first Corinthians 12 4 through 7. God's28:29 various gifts are handed out everywhere but they all originate in God's spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere, but they all originate in God's spirit. God's28:41 various expressions of power are in act in action everywhere, but God himself is behind it all. Each person is giving some is given something to do that shows who God28:53 is. Everyone gets in on it. Everyone benefits. So if you ever had somebody say to you, you know what? You're so good at that. I mean, like, you're naturally gifted this29:04 way. Fill in the blank. Or have you ever had somebody say maybe a fellow Christian just like, you know what? You have the gift of encouragement. Or you know what? You have the gift of hospitality. You know what? You have29:14 the gift of mercy. You know what you have the gift of evangelism telling people about the good news of Jesus. That's a sign of the gifts that God29:27 has given you. Now when God gives natural and spiritual gifts, next question, it's the how question. How do I multiply my29:39 personal giftings, plural, from God? Well, you multiply them by, write this down, using them for his glory. Right? You reflect back on29:50 the giver. So if you're a soccer player and you're extremely athletically gifted, when you play and use those30:02 gifts, you are glorifying God. If you are an engineer, if you are a design engineer, and you are using, you know, your brain power30:15 to design something innovative and new as a solution. You are glorifying God. You are reflecting back that natural gift30:27 to your creator. It's sort of like, when my wife gets complimented on boy, this 1 jacket gets a lot of compliments, but it's a velvet blue jacket. It has, like, cool30:40 buttons on it. It's it's styled great. Anyway, my wife, when she goes to work, sometimes she wears that and she always gets comments. She goes, somebody else compliment me on my jacket. And then she says this to30:52 me every time. And I told her I told her my husband got that for me. So she's reflecting the gift back on31:04 yours truly, the giver of the gift. Now let's make that that really simple connection. When God gives you something that other people notice, a natural gift or a spiritual gift that's been deposited31:16 in you, that's what we do. We use that gift, and people notice that gift. And then we reflect it back31:28 on the giver of the gift. That's how you multiply the natural and spiritual gifts that God has given you. You use them for his glory. You don't keep them on the shelf, you seek31:40 them, you discover places where you can use them, and then you multiply that by using them for God's glory. Okay. Number 5, the fifth thingShow more In this video 0:00 The Heart of Multiplication: Understanding God's Expectation11:49 Stewarding God's Gifts: Life, Salvation, Relationships, and Talents31:50 Generosity, the Danger of Fear, and Faithful Response
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