Borrowed Blessings | Student Pastor Zach Hammond
by Zach Hammond
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Mark 12:1-11, Leviticus 19:23-25

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/zach-hammond--borrowed-blessings
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

------------------------------------------------------------
Turn in your Bibles to Mark 12 and verse number one. We'll quickly go to the word of the Lord, but don't I know you're getting your Bibles out, but just with a big amen, why don't we just give a big amen to the choir and praise team. Come on, somebody shout amen. >> Thank God for them. And they've done a wonderful job leading us into his presence. I know there's a lot of sacrifice. They get here early. They cut their Sunday afternoon nap a little short and come in and prepare. And we're thankful for all that goes in to everything that is just so excellent. And it's a blessing to be able to stand here and just be in the presence of the Lord. I honor you wonderful people tonight. And I thank God for each and every one of you. I never take it lightly to be able to stand before you. And um I'll be honest with you tonight. I I know sometimes I may maybe give a little bit too much background or too transparent too maybe too transparent but I I had no intentions of preaching what I'm going to preach to you tonight. In fact, I struggled with it all the way to brother Dale I think has two sermon titles up there because I didn't want to preach it. I'll just be honest with you. But the Lord pushed me yesterday as I walked this sanctuary uh to this passage and I want to just try to minister to us tonight. Is that all right? >> Mark 12, if you're indulg this my reading, I'm going to read you all the way down to verse 11. And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard and he set a hedge about it, digged a place for the vine wine fad and built a tower and led it out. He led it out to husbandmen and went into a far country, planted a vineyard. He set a hedge about it. He dug a place for the wine fat. He built a tower and he let it out for someone to keep. And he went into a far country. And at the se at the season he sent to the husbandman a servant. Everybody say a servant. >> That he might receive from the husbandman of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him and beat him and sent him away empty. Verse four says, "And again he sent him another servant, and at him they cast stones and wounded him in the head and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another and him they killed." Man, I don't know about you, but I'm not I'm not going over to the vineyard. Amen. Pick you another servant to send, huh? He says he sent another and they killed him and many others, beating some and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his beloved, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto thee, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours." And they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? Question. He will come and destroy the husband husbandman and will give the vineyard unto others. And have you not read Jesus telling a parable transitions now? Have you not read this scripture? The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner. This was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes question. There's certain times and I don't have time to this is just I'm not going to get off subject tonight but it's powerful when the Lord makes a statement but then puts a question at the end of it because his statement is a question for you. It's established in heaven, but will it be established here on earth? >> He says it's the Lord's doing. Is it marvelous unto your eyes? It's marvelous unto my, but is it is it marvelous unto you? I want to preach for just a few moments tonight. And I just want to stir us up. I I I probably going to sound like a broken record after pastor ju just a few moments ago. It's kind of the same vein I'll be in tonight. My title is borrowed blessings. Borrowed blessings. If you lay your Bibles down and you lift your hands and ask the Lord to speak to you tonight, Lord. Lord, break up the ground. Lord, break up the hardened heart tonight. Lord, I pray that each and every one of us tonight would understand and know, God, that we are nothing without you. Lord, that we are not only lost without you, Lord. We cannot move forward. We cannot function. We cannot be fruitful without you, Lord. I pray that tonight that we would give you all that is due to your name, Lord. That we would surrender completely, Lord. We would set all our affections, our heart be turned towards you as we evaluate our lives tonight in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen. And amen. Before you are seated, I wish you'd clap your hands and give the Lord a shout of praise. Come on, give him a shout. Come on, give him a shout tonight. Oh, hallelujah. Jesus, we bless you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You may be seated in the house of the Lord tonight. The vineyard is a familiar imagery that is used throughout scripture. And many many of your uh theologians and commentaries and different ones that have uh seemingly mastered the Bible. Oftent times anytime Jesus mentions a vineyard or the venture vineyard is referenced in the New Testament by Paul or another writer is referencing Old Testament Israel. And so uh you'll see many things are applicable to them. And even in the Levitical law in Leviticus 19, you'll see that are laws put in place to help them not only steward the physical ground, but whatever they did with the physical ground was also applicable to their spiritual lives. And so we see here that there were things that were established in Leviticus. For instance, this story maps it out that in Leviticus 19 and verse number 23, he says, "When you shall come into the land, you shall plant it in all manners of trees for food, and you shall count the fruit thereof uncircumcised. Three years shall it be uncircumcised unto you, and it shall not be eaten of." This is interesting. But in the fourth year, all the fruit thereof shall be a holy praise unto the Lord. So for the first first three years, you don't touch it. The fruit comes to the end of end end of it. the you know it's ripeness and it falls to the ground. We don't touch it for three years. The fourth year it goes to the Lord. It's completely the Lord's. That's the Levitical law for the the farmer. And and for he says you plant these things and for the first three years you don't partake of it but the fourth year you give it to the Lord and the fifth year he says here in the fifth year you shall eat of the fruit thereof and it may yield unto you to increase thereof and I am the Lord your God. The f the the farmer here uh is is to abide by these laws. And so even some of these things that Jesus is using in this parable correlate perfectly with the this this idea of the Old Testament. And so you know there's there's a concept here and it's something that you know well I'm just going to kind of use this to get where we want to go tonight. But you know you'll see many times that as a person comes into a relationship with God and they are newly planted. Let's say it that way. They're newly planted in this thing with with God. They're planted in Christ. They've been baptized into Christ. They're a new creature in Christ Jesus. And they begin to grow. And we see this with young folks. We see this with with uh even as we begin to mature as saints. But there's times where you can see if you study the way that a a vineyard grows or a tree grows or any kind of uh of we see that the far farmer would work until the ground. But as it grows, if you allow it to produce fruit and you allow that fruit to fall to the ground for the first three years, that is the best way. You say, "Why would you do that?" Because it helps establish the weight of the fruit establishes the roots. We've seen this many times, at least I have in my life that we have. I have seen young ministers and they've been begin to grow up and all of a sudden they begin to partake of the fruit of ministry way too soon and they never get roots and all of a sudden they move into perhaps a charismatic movement or they move into something where they'll compromise this or compromise that. Why? You say, "Well, they were so fruitful." It's not necessarily the fruit. It's the roots that have to be there when some wind of doctrine starts blowing through. And so there's a whole lot more to this passage of scripture that Jesus is just telling another parable. He's telling not only the parable, but he's establishing the principles that have been uh established to Israel for a very very long time. So you have to be you have to be careful that although producing fruit is what we want to do as you begin to grow up, if I speak to our students tonight, there has to be a season that you bear fruit and it falls to the ground. Nobody comes and applause, you know, and pats you on the back. You just you got to practice, you got to pray, you got to learn, you got to live, and the fruit's got to fall to the ground so that you can establish that what you're doing in the kingdom of God is not for man, but it is for God. Amen. All these things are very very applicable. When other people are not partaking of what you're producing, will you still produce the fruit? And so within this entire story, within this entire concept from the Levitical law to Jesus's parable here to the people as they listen on, he is addressing a spirit that I would like to come against tonight. And I know that many of us are going to lean towards our students tonight, but I believe it applies to every one of us. And it is the spirit of the age. It's a spirit of blessings. It's a spirit of entitlement. Entitlement refers to a mindset or a belief that a person inherently deserves certain privileges or benefits or treatment often without having earned them or without considering the responsibilities that usually accompany those benefits. This is a vineyard. He said, "I planted it. I built the tower. I built the hedge. I've done everything. You just go in and keep it and dress it." In other words, maybe you referred to, you can remember this this one that gets quoted a lot. You move into houses you didn't build, >> vineyards you didn't plant. >> Huh? That that's what Jesus is saying. He says, "You're just the you're just the keeper. You are just living in borrowed blessings. >> It's not your vineyard. >> It's not your Are you with me tonight? >> It's not going to get very deep tonight. I just want you to remember that nothing is ours. >> We are all living on borrowed blessings. We have a generation. We have a mindset that's being pedled that I deserve this. >> All right? >> And we begin to like the benefits. WE LIKE THE FRUIT, BUT WE don't like the work. We like the title, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE the title. WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE SEEKING THE MANO, but they don't want to walk the miles. >> Elisha said, he says, Eli Elijah says to Elisha, he says, "I'm going I'm going to throw this manel on you while you're tilling the ground." He's stewarding and working already. But he says, "YOU GOT TO GO WITH ME TO A FEW PLACES. You got to go be with me to Gilgal AND TO BETHL AND TO JERICHO, A PLACE OF BREAKING. YOU got to understand that Bethl is the house OF THE LORD. YOU GOT TO HAVE A VALUE OF SOME THINGS before you get to Jordan and the mantle falls." Amen. >> THERE THERE'S NOT THERE THERE'S NOT just these things AND WE WE ESTABLISH THEM. and social media is playing a a huge role into it because you see the limelight and you see the person DOING THIS, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT TOOK FOR THEM TO GET TO where they're at. >> That's right. >> You're walking into a vineyard THAT'S ALREADY GOT A TOWER. YOU'RE WALKING INTO A even a movement today that pioneers PAVED THE WAY AND THEY FACED CRITICISM THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE TO FACE. THEY FOUGHT. And God help us that we be a generation that stands here and we are not truly stewarding something because we feel entitled to it. >> If it's if it's really yours, I'm here to enlighten you. According to the Bible, nobody can take it. >> God will open a door no man can shut. I see way too many people that have forced doors open with entitlement >> and they play defense trying to keep it open because God didn't open it. They were do this. They were entitled to this opportunity. WE ARE QUICK TO POINT OUT what what others don't deserve or or what they're not gifted to do. But we aren't so quick to look at the lack of our own inability. Right. >> I I KNOW IT'S NOT FUN TO PREACH. I KNOW IT'S NOT FUN TO TALK ABOUT. BUT THERE IS NOWHERE IN THE BIBLE does it say that that every single one of us are are going to RECEIVE THE SAME EXACT THING. There is certain uh there's certain talents and there's certain abilities and there's certain things. And if you allow it to, you'll get this sense of equality and all these different things. Yes, I'm thankful for the grace and the mercy of God. I'm thankful that he died for all of us. I'm thankful for all. But God help us that we don't get so consumed with the ideologies of our culture that we begin to look around and WE BECOME ENTITLED TO this vineyard. >> We have confused ownership with stewardship. >> This is not ours. >> I am nothing without the Holy Ghost. I am nothing. >> I'm living tonight in borrowed blessings. I'M LIVING TONIGHT ON BORROWED TIME. I'M LIVING TONIGHT ON BORROWED BREATH. >> God help us. God help us. It is not ours. We are simply stewarding what is God's. The tower was built. The vat was dug. They grown the hedges. There is a there there's protection. But but you you've got to understand there was somebody that paid the price of what is costing you nothing. We have to intentionally live in a state of gratitude. We have to live in a state of of thankfulness enough to be confident of God's blessings and his faithfulness without becoming becoming entitled to it. >> I'm thankful for all the things that God has done. I'm thankful that we are in a place that many would drive by and say, "Well, look at this edifice. Look at this place that God and it's the marble miracle, but we have not arrived. And we are not God's SP. No, no, no. We've got to continue to press. We've got to continue to move. We've got to continue to sacrifice. We've not come to just set up camp and just partake of the vineyard and be a part of what another GENERATION SACRIFICED for us to be a part of. There is more. >> There is greater things. There I want you to understand tonight, you are a steward of this season. >> You are a steward of this moment. You are stewarding tonight, this church service. >> That's right. >> You'll give account tonight of what did you do on a on a Sunday night in July when you were able to come into the house of the Lord. You are a steward of where you're at in this place right now. I've seen too many people too many times, well, I've just got to do this for a season. I've just got to take this for a season. We're just going to miss church for a season. We're just going to be here for a season. I've just got to work these nights for a season. I've got we've got we've got sports for a season. Be careful because you're going to give account for how you stewarded that season. And how you steward that season will determine the harvest in the next season. Because God will not be reaped, will not be mocked. What whatsoever a man sws in the season currently. HOW YOU STEWARD NOW WILL DETERMINE what you reap. There's too many people and too many hear me tonight, please. I'm coming to you as humble as I possibly can. I don't deserve to be here tonight. >> But we we just step step back for a season and all of a sudden we wonder why we're reaping what we're reaping. >> Cuz you're you you have to steward now >> to allow God to work later. You are a steward of the moment. You are a steward of the breath in your body. God is going to take it one day. You're not promised tomorrow. That's just as much Bible as Acts 2:38 or here, O Israel, the Lord our God is WHAT YOU'RE NOT PROMISED TOMORROW. But yet, we live in planning for tomorrow more than we do stewarding today. >> If we truly stewarded now and stewarded the season we were in, we would not be dealing with a lot of the things that we're dealing with now if we would have stewarded yesterday. Regret would not be near the issue if we would have stewarded the previous season. >> We have to live in a state of gratitude. He woke you up today. He didn't have to. >> Think about how your mind would change if you just had that mindset. He didn't have to wake me up today, >> but he did. It's like pastors already talked about, some of us can't find anything to praise God for and it baffles the creator. >> That's right. >> Some of us couldn't find one thing to worship for. We've got so many we're just caught up. And you know what IT GOES BACK TO? AT some point, it has to be identified as entitlement. Are you entitled to the breath you're breathing? Are you entitled to the fact that you just get to show up and feel his presence? Are you entitled to the Holy Ghost God gave you 10 years ago? >> What are you doing with the vineyard? What are you doing with the wine? What are you doing with the Holy Ghost that God gave you? It was a gift. It's not something. >> What are we stewarding? What does our life look like? There's an attitude that comes with entitlement that is repulsive. It's scary because everybody can see it except the person who has it. You think you deserve it. Whether it's health or breath or or or your mind or a gift or the school you're in, young people. >> I to give anything for the school you're in. >> I to give anything to be able to go in and listen to truth and not have to debate. >> I to give anything to be able to listen to a god-fearing. I'd give anything to not have to go in and listen to once saved always saved and actually listen to somebody that was going to teach me here. O Israel, the Lord our God is one I would love to have been in an atmosphere where I wasn't being. You're going to school. You're going to church. You're living in families that are second and third and fourth generation in houses you didn't build, vineyards you didn't plant. It's repulsive to a previous generation. IT'S REPULSIVE TO THE PIONEERS. It irks them when they see THE DISRESPECT. IT BOTHERS THEM WHEN THEY SEE YOU NOT TAKE advantage of a moment that they didn't have. Yes, sir. If there's ever been a sermon that ought to have some trends setters that have a hearty amen, God, help us to continue pushing through the same path of work and dedication and respect and gratitude and thankfulness. WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD. WE CAN'T DO anything without his spirit. WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT THE WINE. IT'S not by our might. >> IT'S NOT BY OUR POWER. >> WE DIDN'T GET HERE BY HIMSELF. AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO ANYWHERE BY OURSELVES. >> We're nothing without him. >> We got to live that way. >> Because if you mistreat the provider of everything, God help us because we don't own anything. God has a way of putting us in situations. But as long as you don't think you deserve it, I don't deserve to be where I'm at. I don't deserve to be where I'm at. In fact, I did everything to be honest with you to try to not be where I'm at tonight because I didn't think I deserve to be where I was at. My wife said, "I'm not marrying a preacher." I said, "Well, good. I'm not going to be a preacher. I found myself stewarding what somebody asked me to do. See, how did you get to where you are? I don't know. I honestly can't could. All I can tell you is I was stewarding where I was. >> I was trying to cultivate wherever I was needed. I I I was trying to steward where I was even though there was a lot of uncertainty when I got a call to move to Marville. >> I was stewarding what I was doing long before I was speaking in a chapel service. I was stewarding something in an athletic department when I was elected to a position at a district board meeting that I wasn't even at. >> I'm just I'm just stewarding. I'm not there trying to run for office. I'm not there trying to point out that somebody else has got something I think I deserve. >> I'm sorry. I know I may come I may come across if there's anything that I can preach >> and I'm Please God help me. I'm not trying to toot my horn, but I have if there's anything that's been beat out of me. >> I was raised you don't deserve nothing. It don't matter if you're better. You're going to get in line like everybody else. >> It don't matter if you if you're more skilled. It don't matter how much you worked. You're going to let that fruit fall to the ground and you're going to grow roots and realize >> you have to steward the season. I rarely see people that they they get promoted who think they ought to be. I RARELY SEE GOD PUSH TO THE FOREFRONT THE people who think they ought to be. >> I'm sorry. I'm just preaching to you tonight. >> I'm just preaching to you tonight. You can be burdened. You But you still got to have the ability to perform that burden. >> The inward man can be burning with passion, but the outward man has to have the ability to carry out that burden. >> Yes, sir. Huh? I had a I had a a conversation the other day with a very successful businessman that God is somebody somehow just just kind of merged his path. And I literally just a text message. I may see the guy once a year and he said, "Hey, hey, hey, I know you're a minister. I know you're a pastor." BUT HE SAYS, "WHY is it that all pastors want to be businessmen and all businessmen want to be pastors? I don't think this guy even goes to church." I said, "Man, I don't know." I said, "But it sure is a great point. But if we all could realize our giftings and our calling to steward where we're at, it's all advancing the kingdom. >> The mind has to be able to to to understand and oh, I I see many that are able to articulate certain things that I can't articulate. I see many that are gifted in so many ways that I can't artic. We we're not entitled to an opportunity just because we have a burden for it. You have to be gifted to be able to carry out that burden. >> I know this isn't popular. >> Nathan told David, "You don't have You're not going to build the house." Pastor preached it right off my notes. >> I did. But that didn't stop him from rejoicing. >> That didn't stop him from buying in. That didn't stop him from giving. That didn't stop him from supporting the success of someone else. Why? Because he realized it's not mine to begin with. It would be much easier to rejoice with those who rejoice when you realize that it's not ours to begin with. It's not my >> We are professional mourers. That's right. >> Somebody passes away, people will drive hours, but somebody has a church dedication >> that just all of a sudden walked into a 90,000 square foot building that God just worked a miracle. They can't get pastors to show up. Why? I literally listened to a pastor who was discouraged the other day. He called him when everything the pastor's calling when everything's falling apart. That's sad. We must be able to rejoice >> with those who rejoice. The success of my brother is the success of me. Why? Because it's the body of Christ. IT'S THE KINGDOM OF GOD. IF BUT IF I'VE GOT THE MENTALITY that I'm entitled to what you get and what you do and it becomes repulsive because I don't know if I want to share my success with them because >> it's hard to have friends with someone who's entitled. >> It's hard to share wins with someone who's entitled. >> It's repulsive. Let me preach to the young folks here for a moment. It is not yours. No matter how gifted you are, it is not yours. And none of it is ours. We have to be willing. Time, talent, treasure, it is borrowed blessings. God will open doors that no man can shut. Titlement has to come from someone on the outside who sees value. When you title the property, you don't get to title it based upon what you see it's valued at. You have to go let someone from the outside title it. Entitlement can't come from yourself. The entitling has to come from the outside. I've heard it said, my grandfather used to tell me, "Man, if we could buy them for what they're worth and sell them for what they thought they're worth, we could get this finished, this building finished." >> It's all throughout scripture. If you even think that God's going to use you, humbleness. >> The more humble you are, the more blessed you'll be. >> The more doors will open. >> You're not going to be blessed because your last name. >> You might be blessed out because of it. >> You're not going to be blessed because mama says you got it >> or the gift that daddy thinks you got. >> He blesses the humble. I want to do this. I want to do that. Humble yourself. >> Humble people worship. >> Humble people pray. >> Humble people are praisers. They are desperate. You >> can say what you want to say. You can look at it how you want to look at it. But when the spirit of God gets to moving, the presence of God gets to moving and it doesn't do anything to you. All it screams is a spirit of entitlement. >> I deserve to be here. >> Life's just not fair. Of course, they can praise them. Look at what they're Look at what they're going through. Look at all the blessings. Look at all the goodness. Once heard a man said, "Life life is fair because it's unfair to everybody." If life was fair, if if if we got what we deserve, you've heard it said before, we'd all be in hell. >> We would all be in eternal damage. If it wasn't for the grace of God, if it wasn't for the mer, I'd be consumed. The scripture says, >> I am got to look at it every time I'm able to step into the house of the Lord. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. If we walked in this place with the mindset that this is borrowed blessings, I I don't deserve to be in the house of God. I don't deserve to be able to worship. I don't deserve to have health in my body. I don't deserve it's borrowed blessings. It's not yours. It's it's not it's not mine to begin with. >> We can't make it without God. >> And some of us that's going to come. Humbleness can come in multiple ways. Some of us we need to praise our way through our pride. >> You say I heard people man I come up. I've never been at a service like like the Thursday night a strong time. I've never felt anything. You know why that happens? >> Cuz everybody's pride gets out of the way when they start jumping and running and shouting and spinning and kicking their shoes off and taking their tie off and say, "Hey, we're just going to worship God." And everybody's doing and all of a sudden the room gets loosed and people don't even know what the Holy Ghost is start getting the Holy Ghost. People that don't even know why. Everybody starts pride has gone out of the room. it. >> Oh, I've got I've got I got a little stirred up in my spirit the past couple weeks. I've had I've had some folks tell me to say, you know, I I and and you could say we might be referencing them a little too much, but I I'm I just feel bound in my spirit to to the people over there in North Little Rock. >> And I heard somebody make a statement the other day said, "All they do is shout over there." >> And I said, "Looks like it's working. You know why? Because there can't be an ounce of pride when you're running laps around a >> I CAN'T WALK IN HERE THINKING THAT I AM OWED ANYTHING. IF ANYTHING'S OWED, IT'S him praise. I I owe him everything. I I owe him everything. I need you, God. Lord, I don't deserve to be here. I IT'S ALL JUST BORROWED, BROTHER P. I don't It's not mine. I DON'T DESERVE TO BE HERE. >> Stir us up, GOD. >> LET US BE THE LET US BE THE MOST RADICAL WORSHIPPERS. LET US BE THE LOUDEST PRAISERS. LET US BE THE LOUDEST PRAYER WARRIORS. GOD, WHY? BECAUSE IT'S DUE TO YOU. OH, GOD, help me tonight. Lord, help me tonight. Oh, you could sit there with your arms folded in the spirit of entitlement, but I've come to stir up that spirit tonight. GOD, HELP US. GOD, HELP US. THE MOMENT THAT WE think that I'm due in no THE HOLY GHOST, THE HOLY GHOST IS SOMETHING I'VE GOT TO STEWARD. Come on, LIFT YOUR HANDS UP RIGHT NOW. SPIRIT OF GOD'S IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THIS MOMENT? STEWARD the moment. IT'S JUST BORROWED. IT'S JUST A BORROWED BLESSING. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Lord, I don't know how he got here. Lord, I don't know how I made it this far. Lord, I don't know how. Oh, somebody just ought to praise him for a moment. I'm not entitled to do anything, Lord. I'm not entitled to preach tonight, Lord. I'm not entitled to having a blessed family, Lord. I'm not entitled to my job, LORD. I'M NOT EVEN ENTITLED TO THE BREATH that's coming out of my lungs right now. Lord, Sister Ericson, if you'll come help me. Come on, somebody. Come on. Get that spirit off of you tonight. Get that spirit off of you tonight. He says, "I hate a proud look. I hate a proud look. And I hate to be so direct tonight, BUT IF YOU'RE NOT A WORSHIPPER, that's pride. HE DON'T EVEN LIKE THE LOOK of it. COME ON. IT OUGHT TO BE COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH RIGHT NOW. IT OUGHT TO BE EXPRESSED IN YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW. Clap your hands. LIFT YOUR HANDS. SHOUT UNDER GOD SOME PRAISE. cry in the presence of God, that's entitlement. If you CAN'T WORSHIP IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, MY GOODNESS, MY GOODNESS, GOD HELP US. >> OH, just stay where you're at. Just stay where you're at. Those of you that are around the altar, you're fine. But just we're going to continue here for a moment. Come on. >> I want you to understand tonight, >> we are living on borrowed time. >> I'm not entitled to help. I'm one diagnosis away. I talked to brother Cook the other day and God smoked me and he said, "You're one swerving car away." >> Living life totally different. The things you think that are important now aren't important when you got your back. >> Got your back in the bed looking at the ceiling evaluating everything. I'm not entitled. Oh, God. I I just come to remind the church tonight. Maybe there's some things. It's just been a It's been a while since you thank God for it. It's been a while since you thank God that you got what you got. It's been a while since you said, "God, I feel the Holy Ghost in this place tonight." I'm here to tell you, I'll just be honest with you tonight. If we opened up a prayer line, WE'D MARCH ALL THE way around this place. But I'm here to ask you tonight, would you praise him? Would you worship HIM FOR WHAT GOD'S ALREADY DONE? AND MAYBE IF YOU STEWARD THE MOMENT, GOD MIGHT TAKE CARE OF TOMORROW. IF YOU STEWARD THAT I took ADVANTAGE OF WHAT I DON'T DESERVE NOW, MAYBE GOD WILL GIVE ME SOMETHING I DON'T DESERVE TOMORROW. Come on. This is not my vineyard. This is not my vineyard. THIS IS NOT MY VINEYARD. I believe a generation tonight. I want this to be a tipping point. We are a blessed generation. We live as the ceiling of the previous generation is our floor. But that DON'T MEAN WE'VE ARRIVED. GOD WANTS TO DO GREATER THINGS. GOD WANTS TO DO GREATER THINGS. GOD WANTS TO DO GREATER THINGS. Come on. I should be dead, but God. I should be lost, BUT GOD. I SHOULD BE, Brother Seth. I COULD BE ADDICTED. I could be strung out. I could BE IN A JAIL CELL SOMEWHERE. I could be in a mess. But God Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh. Let me get down. Let me get down to where you're living for just another moment. I'm almost done. I'm going to let you worship. I'm going to let you express it to him tonight. I'm going to let you praise God for every every mountain he's ever brought you over. every trial he's ever brought you through. But I want you to understand something tonight. Hear me for just a moment. Assumption. Assumption of deserving. Just assuming this is how it ought to be. You're normal. Your normal is somebody else's miracle. what you call normal would be God parting the Red Sea for somebody else. >> I I just come in and I assume and I go through the motions and this is just what we do. I automatically deserve this and >> it's just an owed benefit. >> No, it's a borrowed blessing. This story, this story that Jesus tells is not just a type of stewarding what the Levitical law spoke to the children of Israel. It is a type and a shadow of the Garden of Eden. >> Adam and Eve stepped into a finished work. He's already planted it. >> He's already got the tower. The name of the Lord >> is a strong tower. His name has already been established not only in in earth, but it's already been established in many of your lives when you went down in baptism. There's a highway, but he also calls it a hedge of holiness that's already been established in this church. And I thank God for the people who have established that without holiness, no man shall. It's a vineyard that's been protected. It's a tower that's been planted. It's something that's been bringing fruit, brother Cheshan, for some time. But he said it's a finished work. There's never been a generation of people, brother or that's living in a more finished work. He said, "You have been baptized into Christ. you through repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus. The tower that the righteous run into and you receive the gift of the Holy Gh that's a vineyard you didn't plant. You're walking in the finished work of Calvary. HOW AM I STEWARDING WHAT GOD has established? Cuz it's just a borrowed blessing. It's Oh, it's a danger. It's a danger. A danger we've got to be aware of tonight. I'm not entitled to anything. Oh, God, help us tonight. God, help us tonight. I want to open up an opportunity tonight. God has sent a servant tonight. God has sent a servant to just simply say, "It's time to give unto the Lord what is due his name." Now, these folks, they stoned not only one, >> but they stoned multiple >> and finally said, "We're just going to crucify him. It's his son. We'll take everything for ourselves." So, will you stone the servant tonight or will you give him what's due his name? >> Brother Landry, it's just borrowed. No matter what, no matter what, it's just borrowed. No matter our age, no matter where we're at in our life, I want to steward this moment. And so God's come to stir us up. There's an opportunity tonight. The water's stirred, but it not might not always be. There's a moment tonight. Somebody might be healed tonight. Why? Because it's a moment that needs to be stewarded. Somebody's tomorrow can be taken care of if you steward what you've been. Come on. I wish every person would lift your hands. I wish you'd lift your hands. I wish you'd lift your hands. But now, would you lift your voice as loud as you can and say, "God, I BLESS YOU. GOD, I BLESS YOU. GOD, I BLESS YOU." OH, HE'S DUE. OH, he's do his praise tonight. He's do his worship tonight. Come on. He's do his worship tonight. Praise him on the loud sounding symbols. Praise him on the high sounding symbols. Let everything that has breath BECAUSE IT'S A BORROWED BREATH. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. I wonder if there's anybody THAT'S GOT A SHOUT IN YOU. I wonder if there's anybody THAT'S GOT A SHOUT in you tonight.