God First

so tonight I want to uh talk to you just a little bit and we're going to be talking about God first but um I know Sister Sloan um you did a uh a couple of classes and you guys were talking uh to the youth not long ago um do you remember what screen time was and I I didn't prompt you for this so uh what kind of hours that were was spent on screen time do you remember any of that yeah yeah right right I was you know it just really and I think that's the one that I actually looked at is was was that the US was at like 7 7 hours and 3 minutes it was just um you had worldwide with 6 hours and 40 minutes um which is which shows up quite a bit um from where we were in 199 uh 2019 uh shows like a 41% increase I mean it was just unbelievable but the reason I bring this up is is uh and no I'm not going to be talking about technology uh because we definitely need that in our lives nowadays but um the reason I bring that up is because there are there are things that we do how many can say you waste time uh waste energy um you you even um waste and I don't like to say it because that talks about us but we waste money can you say Amen um you know as as a father and uh my when my children were young you go through the store and you know what's what's three bucks you know of course I don't think you can buy anything for three bucks anymore can you um but you you you asked yourself that question what's three bucks what's what's this but then when you you times it by three or four and adds up but um you know it's it's interesting though that that there are there are things and I would I would encourage you as we go through our lesson tonight uh I would encourage you to do an evaluation on your own life um because I think you will find that there are things that you could be doing a little bit better I said a little bit I think there's a things that we could be doing a lot better in I really do um even as a as a church as a group uh there's a lot of things that we could be doing better um

in Matthew the 6th chapter and we have used this as sort of the U this has been our scripture of the year uh this was uh each year Pastor gives us his vision for the year um and we and we have some type of of theme and this year it is Matthew 6 and 33 somebody just and I hope that you know it by heart but let's quote it together sing it sing it out said seek first seek ye first the kingdom of God and what his righteousness seeking God for the right thing to do what is it that I need to be doing now I I don't think that any of us would get our grocery list out and just say oh Lord what should I eat today I don't know that there's many of us that make our grocery list up of saying what what is it that but at the same time I think that everything that we do and that is the theme for us this year is that we seek God first God must be first in our life just prior to this scripture Jesus is talking and he and he he tells them not to worry about some things he says don't worry about your food don't worry about the rment that you put up on your body don't worry about those things and he makes mention and I I I I wanted to throw a bunch of birds up there and I'm telling you I I get overwhelmed with uh I guess that tells my age as I'm starting to watch Birds even have me a little bird feeder on the front porch you know during the winter months I just feel like they need to eat but you know I I I'm just really it Thrills me to see the different types of birds now I have not invested in the book yet okay so I'm still I don't have the binoculars yet so we're still safe but he talks about the sparrow he talks about the foul of the a he talks about how that they don't worry and they don't they don't worry about these things because our heavenly father looks out about them and then he begins to say aren't you of that same value or even more I I think that we put ourselves a little too low in the god bucket folks we we bring ourselves a little we we are not valuing ourselves in his eyes he loves each and every one of us he cares about you he cares what you have what's on your clo what clothes you've got on he cares about all of that and he watches over us but we get worried about it I I I don't know I I just have to say you know and I of course until I started losing the hair I I I used to spend quite a bit of time in front of the pastor did you ever do that but you know what you want to make sure it looks good you might you want to make sure that you are you you your attire is right you you want to look at yourself and say you know does that match thank God for wives right but but we have done that and that is but then we and again don't don't just come out in whatever you think next Sunday okay I just I'm just using this we may show up with folks I'm not talking about that but we God cares about us and he cares so much about us that even the hairs on our heads are numbered he getting he was getting getting tired of counting brother Jerry still got all his but then when it comes to our side of this we worry about time we worry about our treasures and we worry about our talents to the point that we use them and we really use them in all forms and fashions that probably would not be pleasing to God John 10:10 speaks to us in this that Satan the Devil comes to kill he steal and destroy but he says I have come that you might have life and that you have it what I want to ask you this question how many of you can truly say today that you live Abundant Life yes you should because you have that opportunity you see God gives us he has got this special package for us how many you you know salesman they try to sell you these packages you know they try to they try to sell you the latest and greatest and uh you you go to buy a vehicle and what are they doing man they can give you the bottom dollar before you get in that that other little room but when you get in that other little room this guy that's sitting across the table from you and he's talk man he's adding this this this and this and he's telling you this is this is no you don't want to go without this have you ever done that have you ever felt that gut feeling that this is not right again is is that we can live an abundant life and have it with what God has in store for us Satan has our enemy and I don't mind saying that he's against all of you it is his job to tear down every part of your life and if he can eat up your time your talents and your Treasures he will

now time is one of those things and when we talk about time uh many of you I just mentioned about the the screen time that we use in our world today the average person uses SE in the US is seven hours and three minutes a day now that's outside of work that's that's not talking about work and now how many you use a screen at work probably ever every hand in the building goes up when you talk about work if you're not using a computer on a desk somewhere you're using your phone to look up a part or look up this or maybe how to build something brother Daniel uh you're looking up or you're you're looking at YouTube on how to fix your car let let me ask you this how many of you have H has used YouTube today whoa whoa yeah how many of you um that have Facebook that you scroll Facebook today now I'm gonna put a plug in for CAC how many you watch the podcast there's a few of them again back to us using time I think wisdom is one of those things that sometimes we lack Ephesians the 5th chapter talks to us 15- 177 talks to us about a few things and I want to look at those would somebody read that for us 16 17 read that one again be ye not unwise but be but look after the things that is God's will the ampli the Amplified version says it this way it says grabbing hold of the will of God getting a hold of what is God's will there there's time for everything I I believe that God has times that he he he tells us that in his word there's a time to plant there's a time to reap Harvest there's a time to live there's a time to die there's there's time for everything God has appointed time but it's up to you you and I how we use that time and when you start when you start looking at time the time that you spend I I want to ask this question I know I'm trying to get get everybody involved here but what how far into the day and you don't not all of you have to answer this maybe somebody that going to be uh super spiritual or honest I I don't know but how far into the day in the mornings are you before you mention a prayer in your life or you you talk to the Lord think about it how how far from the time that you get up and uh as you get older why am I why I keep saying that that Pastor he was talking about the baptism Sunday I don't know that light over there just really got me it got me sister Mandy yeah sister Sloan had to say was that brother Gibson's daddy But as time goes on and you get older you set up on the bed sometimes it's oh god oh Jesus but it should be that you're talking to him immediately when you realize and I I've used this before but I uh used to go to camp meetings with my father-in-law and stay with him and I liked it because uh usually if I stayed in the dorms with the young people um after I started getting older they they would stay up all night and so I started staying with him as the older guys I knew they went to bed as soon as they got in there so I'd go to bed and but there was this guy that was staying with us in during that week of camp and I mean he would literally shock me the first couple mornings I just thought something was going on but he would holler out before he even set up he would be laying in that bed and he'd just holler out thank thank you Lord because he had some he had he was able to see another day what a blessing but we talk about time that each and each and every one of us we're every day that you live there are there are things that you do I'm sure that everybody has a schedule right you can't sleep into 1 2 o00 you have your schedules you have to do certain things but you have to use it wisely time is something that has to be used wisely you you spend time on activities what whatever it may be yeah you know um I'm definitely not a a I'm I'm not into a lot of sports I don't do a lot of sports U because I learned at a young age that they hurt me so uh I got away from them but there there's people that spend time with with sports and they spend time and there's nothing wrong with all that but but when you when you have spent hours on the side of a ball field or on a ball field and then you've only talked to Jesus two minutes maybe think about it time is is something that we cannot get back once it's spent it's gone you can't gain it back and that is one of the places that our enemy likes to attack us is is he likes to he likes to take what time we do have and if he can get us to spin it and use it he's got you our Treasures or another and I I think that this one here uh when you look at I think it's 38 38 Parables that Jesus used out of all of those 16 of them he uses and he talks about money he talks about about what you have as a matter of fact I I'm going to move on down here let's let's look at this Matthew 28 and thank you brother Sam Pastor Sam for uh for leaving this for me he he was about to weigh off into my lesson last week

Matthew 28 and verse 14 the scripture talks to us and and and we've read it on a number of occasions and we've heard people teach from it and preach from it but I think it's very important that we really take this and I I have it in the King James there's a lot of good things that come out in different versions of it but it's like the Kingdom of Heaven is a a man taking a trip to a foreign country who calls his servants now you're the servants right we're Servants of the Living God you you you've been born again you're baptized in his name filled with the Holy Ghost you are serving him my Bible tells me to serve him with what gladness you know we've got to get excited and I I don't want to chase rabbits but I do chase them some sometimes we've got to get excited about serving God but we serve him with gladness uh I don't think anybody wants to see somebody that that said well I got to do this no we get to do this but he calls his servants and he delivers unto him them his Goods he gives one he gives five talents in verse 15 to another he gives two to another he gives one every man according to whatever his ability is Now understand that has no bearing on whether you're a big people in God or you're a little people in God because I can tell you that sometimes I got a one track mind and if I get something on my mind H and don't don't don't get your feelings hurt when I go straight to it because I'm afraid I'm going get I'm going to lose it but but don't worry about the five that's a lot of responsibility the two or the one whatever God has given you as a servant it is it it has been given to you personally everything that God gives you to do we do it with gladness and this is a prized possession whatever it may be and so this servant or this this man takes his journey and he comes back he returns he said the scripture says that the one that that that was given five he went and he did transactions and he he made and he gained and he got five more verse 17 likewise the one that received two he went he gained two more why what were they doing they're working they they're they're investing they're doing whatever it took let me tell you something there is nothing wrong and uh and I I I used to try and do this a little bit brother Tim uh I did a little bit of what you do uh I'm not real good at it I'll just say that but I would make a few dollars take cars and clean them up you know it's it's amazing what a set of wheels will do or tires and make a few dollars uh we we lived in one Community while we were pastoring and I I don't know how many cars I had we we sat there one time and tried to to count through them I would drive them until I got them right I'd sell them go get another one again using talent that you got I want you think think right now what is it that I do and I do well and don't tell me there oh nothing you do there's something you can do well you you think about what you do well now I'm going to tell you this shame on you if you're not doing it for the kingdom of God why because it's a talent that God has given you yes and I'm doing it for other reasons but I should be doing it unto the Lord was um Pastor Price um he won't mind me saying this but uh several years ago Pastor Price he he did a a series and he did to a couple different churches in in the area that we were in but he called it uh uh God's hour and I just just Cliff Notes I he would take and he went through and talked about the very first hour of every day on your job it belonged to God and then the rest of that God would bless and I don't know how many testimonies that I received that I saw what was happening when they did that is that that God first their very first their first the first day that hour of the first day it belonged to God you didn't even and that that wasn't even that wasn't ties Pastor that was that was what they had committed themselves to do for the for that was what they did and testimony after testimony of what God was doing I I look back now and and I mean they're bursting at the seams right now their son his son is taking over the church now and he's pastoring there and it just and again he's still still teaching the principles of what belongs to God and and I think it's very important where we are right now and what God is doing in our life that we always we must keep God first go in a panic sometimes because you know nowadays we got the electronic so uh the the job sends you your check electronically and and this is the way we should be is when it hits the checkbook when it hits the bank it's like oh there's a tie time should be automatic that belongs to God that that is not part of my figuring it out it's not it's not part of my plan it's not part of the financial plan that belongs to God I'm already there and I had even finished my scripture yet the man that had one Talent the scripture said he took it and he hid it he dug a hole and he hit it it did no good as a matter of fact the master after all of this was presented back to him said sir i' I I had five you gave me five and here's five more more and he says well done the one that had two he presented two more well done but the one that went and buried it it's interesting how that we view things we we view value through God's eyes and then sometimes we don't you see he he viewed value through his own eyes and and and he had this timidness about him and he he he had oh no Master's a hard he's a hard person no he's not he wants to bless you and you he wants to bless you and you get blessed through it he and then you have the opportunity to bless him and it just goes on and on and on it's like a river you take and or a stream of water you take and damn it up what happens it's not going anywhere you go out there it won't be a few days later and it's going to have this stuff that's all over the top of it it's going to look nasty and it's not going to be fit for nothing nothing will live in it same with our finances so many times we get things damned up in our life and it can't flow and we're wondering why why is everything breaking down I I I get amazed sometimes at at people that that come and they they Wonder well why is things so wrong you know and I don't need to be the one that be asking it but first thing You' say are you paying your ti are you giving to the Lord because that belongs to him it's a part of that pool that he has for you and and he say if you'll keep this running and keep all of that scum off the top you'll be blessed because it goes to the next and it goes to the next goes to the next my wife told me not long ago she well she's told me this over the years but she says you know we'll never have anything she said you always giving it away I you know it's not mine this the way I look at it it yes the Lord blessed me but I want to be a blessing right and that's the way we should feel about it we Dam it up and we try to hold it this is what happened to the one that had one he he decided he's going to put it in a a hole I don't know what how it corroded I don't know what it looked like but I'm sure it was not presentable when he pulled it out knew a lady one time that she would bring us I don't know she would iron her her money when she brought it to church just simple widow woman and she would make sure that it was iron why because she believed in presenting it to the Lord she said it belongs to him now I'll give it to Walmart and it can be all but this Belongs to the Lord this is the way that and you know I don't remember it may have it may have been $15 I don't know but it was her best it belonged to the Lord this man he presented what he had buried in the ground to the Lord I I knew you was a hard person and I just want to make sure that I gave back what belonged to you and he called him a fool he said this is foolish you might as well have given it to one of these guys now there's here's a prayer for you God if there's any other talent that you can give me I'll be a blessing and I'll do whatever I can with it if you'll make that kind of commitment to God just see what God will do for you always keep that in mind though God if you can give me whatever it is that you feel feel that I'm capable of doing I'm going to do it to my best I'm going to do it to whatever whatever I can do and we've got a lot of department heads here there's a lot of people that do a lot of things and I will tell you this that pastors constantly in our meetings talking about giving it our best doing what we can for the kingdom of God giving it our best and I know this that if we'll do whatever God has given us to do it will not come back void it will be blessed your finances whatever it may be you give it to God I'm sure if I was to ask right now how many you've got testimonies of what God has done in your Treasures there's many of you could tell me that God had come through for you in whatever that whatever that may look like that you gave it to God so many times though we give it to God and then we just it's like yeah but God you know I want to hold on to that just a little bit and you want to sometimes you want to try and say well you know I think it'd be the will of God if I did this no I think God's got a way of of correcting you thank you Pastor for being a corrector sometimes he can send words and say let's just try this if we can get God in everything that we do involve him in it

our talents those things that God the scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 and 18 says there is there there's members in this body and God has put those together every member is put in place by God he has he has these things figured out if you don't know by now God knows exactly what the outcome's going to be he already knows what's going to take place in your life he knows the trials the tests and and and this has been one of those that I've had in my heart and mind over the last little bit is is even when you go through tragedy and disaster and things of that nature God trusted you with that he knows that you can handle it whatever it may be he knows that you can handle it so these things that God puts together he does this so that it that that he gets the benefit he gets the pleasure out of it the members that he's put together now you may not be able to turn the head but you can do your part whatever that may be whatever it looks like I think a couple weeks ago in our prayer time I mentioned it that that sometimes it's the little things you may not see it but just that little thing it's amazing what just that pad on the shoulder sometime does to me it didn't mean anything that's just the way that I express myself but that person may have been going through something and they needed that touch and it changed everything God has blessed you with Talent what is your talents I think I mentioned that a few moments ago think about it what what are some things that I can do and do well God help us that whatever ever we have whatever God has entrusted us with that we do it unto his glory god if you give me one I want to make two we as a church here at CAC as a group I think it's okay for us to to say that that we're thinking about what the next move is for us we're thinking about what is next steps for us and I know this as as brother Sloan our senior pastor is is always he's always thinking of things and talking about things and I'm thankful that I get to be along beside him um in some of our conversations but there there's some sometimes if you hadn't figured it out sometimes it's hard to follow him like would you where you going where you going but but as he shares with us his vision and as he shares with us what what he can see happening it would be nice if I could just say this that each and every one of you really need to have that have him in your prayer every day every day because there are things that goes on that many will never know and as I've already read earlier the enemy has come to steal to kill and destroy and if he can do that you know um one of the one of the biggest things that can can stop a move of God is confusion and if we can get confusion started in in some form or fashion it stops everything so as as Pastor navigates as he navigates the things that we are to do as a church we've got Council we've got groups we've got and he's he's talking even outside of our group I I'm there's there's parts of him I'm say thank you Lord that I have him in front of me I'm back here praying for you brother but as we navigate to know what the will of God is understand this that there's a bigger picture this is not this is not just my four and no more it it's not just a small group at CAC chatt we're talking about Chattanooga a city that needs needs salvation we're talking about a group of people that is out there not in here but a group of people that are out there and so however that may look I've often times wondered why why have and it's okay to ask why right why has things happened the way they've happened beautiful building that we had on I good Gap beautiful state-ofthe-art it had everything but God knew that that wasn't big enough and then we start looking at other stuff you know what that looks like stuff and God still says that's not big enough I'm reminded of the disciples you know disciples didn't have they didn't have a building he didn't have one as a matter of fact Jesus would pull them together and he would bring them together and he'd say hey you two go there you two go there you two go there and I I want you to carry this and I want you to talk to the people and then then they would come back and talk about all the marvelous Works what does the New Testament Church look like in our day and time what does it look like I'm Gonna Leave You with that to answer God I don't know what it looks like and may I tell you that when I came to CAC I'd been pastoring for about 20 years doing a lot of traditional type Pentecostal Hallelujah burn burn burn the carpets up you know that type stuff God God dealt with me and I don't know probably two years that just that and I devil and I we were getting along pretty good then because I was I had a lot of questions but then I realized that God you're bigger than this you're bigger than this if there's anything that I can say tonight is God has revealed that that that the church is Big it's big it's a lot bigger than what we think I I don't know what that really looks like really but it's big

I want you to stand with me right now and I I really feel this this in my heart but I I I want you to take just a moment lift your hands with us and I want you just to talk to the Lord about those things God my time my talent my treasure what is it and I believe this that God can lay on your heart tonight the things that he has in store for you to benefit the kingdom of God God I I I want you to lay upon me those things talk to me about those things in my life I've been given a gift what is it that I need to be doing with it in the name of Jesus God you are you are everything to me Lord I surrender to you Lord Jesus my time my talent my treasures God those those have been given to me but I give them to you Lord for your kingdom For Your Glory bless in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus Hallelujah