The One Talent Man 9/19/2021 11:30 AM

amen praise the Lord I think it's good when we get Beyond ourselves eles and sink from the depth of our soul God gave us a a soulish realm and when we lift up our voices to the Lord something breaks in Us and something breaks in the spiritual realm amen where we kind of get Beyond ourselves in worship and praise to the Lord so why don't you shout a little bit to him and give some glory to our great God God became Our Savior sacrificed himself for our sins on the cross [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] amen well we can launch in to thank God for the blood and a lot of other great songs that remind us of what Jesus did for us on the cross the Bible is very clear not with our righteousness that we have done but by the precious blood of Christ all of our right rightousness says our righteous Deeds are but filthy rags and the best saying on the best day will never make it to Heaven if it wasn't for the blood would not make it to Heaven if it were not for the blood that covered our sins amen if he was to ask you why should I let you into my heaven it will not be because anything you've ever done it will be because of what he did for you that he took your place he took my place on the [Music] cross amen he made me Justified just as if I'd never sinned my God Amen open your Bibles please in the Book of Matthew chapter 25 it is great to see you in church it's great to have you watching online we're glad to have jaquan's grandmother here today we're proud of jaquin God God bless you good to have you and your friend here and all of our guests together I may have missed you thank you for being in church today at Atlanta West Pentecostal church we identify with what took place on the birthday of the church sometimes Pentecost needs a little Pentecost Revival amen a Pentecostal Revival a Revival not just of Our Roots but of what God did on on that day it needs to be revived in our hearts amen Paul said though our outward perishes our outward nature man perishes the inward is renewed day by day I don't think the old-timers missed it by much if at all when they said you need to pray through every day that's not a bad idea Amen to stay renewed in the spirit all right Matthew 25 we're going to honor our volunteers today dig into the word of God I'm reading a portion of what is called the parable of the talents that Jesus gave in Matthew 25 then he who had received the one Talent came and said Lord I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown a gathering where you have not scattered seed and I was afraid and when and hid your talent in the ground look the King James says lo there you have what is yours I want to preach about this guy today this one Talent man thank you for engaging in worship God bless you please be seated amen this church exists because of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross but this church is also fueled by the ministry labors of 343 men and women including young people young adults who serve in Ministry officially at our church those people serve in 843 Ministry positions or about 2.5 Ministries per person on average we're really blessed here you know last week we celebrated 60 years of faithfulness the faithfulness of God to our church and the faithfulness of our people to a faithful God in our church we have an amazing Church trustey board that is engaged spiritual supportive that has the official oversight of the ministries of our church we have a tremendous pastoral leadership ship team that I work very closely with uh with every week and they serve our church we have a pastoral staff of employes and people that have given themselves vocationally to serve our church in addition to that we have a large number of what we call 301 leaders who lead the variety of Ministries in our church and then those volunteers that I just mentioned and then lots of more faithful members who give and support our church and your giving your move the mission offering many other things show that this is a very strong solid church and I commend you for that it is an honor to be the pastor of this church but as you know it is not a oneman show it is not a solo performance it is all of us responding to God's call in our lives doing what we can do to advance the cause of Christ in this love local church but it's our custom every year to honor faithful Volunteers in our church so today I would like to give two lifetime achievement awards this award uh says Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of this particular person for outstanding faithfulness service and sacrifice to the kingdom of God volunteer celebration which we officially do every other year September 19th 2021 the first award I'd like to give is to Sister Rosa Walden sister Walden would you please stand and would you give her a hand amen thank you sister Walden her daughters helped us accumulate this she came to our church in 1982 at Cooper Lake Road which is both a place and an era of Revival in our church back then she was on the cleaning team when people took turns on teams to clean the church and she would bring her girls with her to clean the church no wonder they do such a great job and are so meticulous when they clean sister Walden cooked and baked for Church events and then individually for people in the church that she blessed with her amazing cooking she worked a lot of long hours baking and helping set up for what back then was the Fall Festival and she did it every year there's a thing called mother's Memorial it's a missions fundraising effort that happens around Mother's Day every year and sister Walden assisted sister Nancy Dudley in raising funds for mother's Memorial when Lisa lapra had her daughter clean the Family Life Center along with Richard and their entire family she assisted with that through the years sister Walden has helped cook for funerals serving at funerals bringing food and baked goods and her delicious cakes made with old school ingredients thin layers with delicious icing I haven't eaten very much today so I'm really hungry right now I wish I could tell you I wouldn't preach long because of that but I've got a lot to do today and then she served in our friendship Force meeting people welcome them to our church during my tenure for the past 26 years sister Walden has been a very faithful solid saint of God she is thoughtful cheerful willing to work she's a strong Resolute Godly lady and from time to time she keeps me going by making lady fingers for me which are amazing just a little tip there but she made some not that long ago so sister Walden not just for doing something for a day or a week or a year but for a lifetime of serving God and giving your best we honor you today would you once again thank sister Walden for a lifetime of service to the Lord she is healthy and has years to go the next couple I would like to honor our brother Jack and sister Sylvia white would you please stand right now brother and sister white thank you sister white was a Sunday school teacher for many years and she worked in our Christian School brother white served as our head Usher and also served on our truste board that you us to have meetings between services and brother Townson says that they never minded going because brother white Al always provided good food and something to drink brother and sister white went out on visitation on Saturdays taking their day off to go reach out to people who needed the Lord they came to the Lord when the church was on Chestnut Street so that's a long time ago brother Brad Fain told us that one of of his Fondest Memories of brother and sister white was as Sunday school teachers brother white would sing a song He's The Vine and I'm the branches his banana it's supposed to be Banner his banana Over Me Is Love Brad said Brother Brad said they would laugh so hard every time as brother White made Sunday school a very fun time he was always very funny Brother Brad said he always loved sitting near brother and sister W who back then sat way up front because he would always finish the scriptures that were being read across the pull pit because he had memorized the word of God sister white Brother Brad said was always quiet and still is but a very solid woman of God a faithful wife and mother a teacher as he already mentioned in our school and she was the goal checker her that means if you didn't get your goals she would give you a detention you'd have to stay after church I got a witness of that in the first service brother and sister white were great worshippers and brother white someone who in the years when he had all that strength was demonstrative in worship and brother white thank you for still giving it all you've got all the time amen brother and sister wife both went through some health issues that kind of sidelined them for a while but they've been back in church being faithful and I'm very thankful for your support through the years brother white you're such an encourager to your pastor I appreciate that and I'm so excited about the Revival that God is giving your family because of your years of faithfulness and prayer would you once again thank brother and sister white for for their lifetime of service that we're honoring today amen I also am going to honor some people who are really just representative of the Second Mile Spirit of the great volunteers of our church I'll mention them for just a few things there are many many people that could receive this award every year I'd like to First honor Julianne copelan who serves on our registration and check-in teams Julian are you here she was in the first service she's Pro there she is in the back thank you for sticking around amen she's working right now on the attendance team aren't you glad you're here today I hope she sees you sister her Stephanie Hernandez who leads that team said that she's always more than willing to help with both registration checkin and the attendance team always willing to help with very little notice when someone wasn't able to come at the last minute someone cancels she's willing to step in never complains always serves with friendliness and a welcoming smile to everyone who comes in our building on multiple occasions Brother jury has had to ask Julianne and her cohort her sidekick a Danielle that I'll honor in just a minute but they were there to check in people again he commented the same that they would serve on little notice she would and uh filling in for other volunteers and they also assisted in training new volunteers how to work with our system and to get used to the iPads and whatever was done so thank you sister Julie and would you thank her again everyone in the church and if you're watching online you can applaud at home the second person is Danielle Norris standing right back there with Julian would you give her a hand right now through Co both these young ladies have been heroes in the way they have served our church if you've passed through our foyer in a church service you know that they were there almost every week helping and serving and we appreciate that very much amen sister Stephanie says of Danielle it sounds like I'm reading from the same script it's the same basic story for two very special young ladies always willing to help with registration checkin and attendance always willing to help on short notice if sister Stephanie was ever in a bind and a volunteer cancelled if she needed extra help Danielle was always there never complain always served with a friendly attitude and welcome people who came to church brother jur mentions the same about Danielle there were times that he needed help at the last minute and she was willing to step in and help us and train new volunteers to serve in our check-in and our attendance team you may remember that during covid from May 31st all the way to December 31st we had 1,151 Unique Individuals attend church at least once and many people many times so during Co helping know who was here and making sure registration checkin was done right was a really big deal so thank them again if you would for their work to help us know our people and look diligently the Bible says to your herds or the flock of God next I'd like to honor Bo Johnson if You' give Bo a hand who serves in children's ministry and also on our production team are you here in this service Bo are you serving there's Bo would you please stand Morgan you can stand with them if you'd like thank you no okay sister Jackie who is administrat of our children's ministry said that Bo is very committed and reliable we believe in being faithful if you say you're going to serve that you should actually do that brother Brad said that Bo is very bright intelligent I don't know about that but that's Brad's opinion this is true thank you brother Brad good observation and since coming to the chips team it's been a pure joy having him his love for God first his love for his family are the ingredients to make a fine children's ministry volunteer he truly loves and cares for the kids outside of chips as an example these involved in the father son camping trip but there bows not just with his boys but he makes sure everyone feels welcome Bo also served during Junior Camp sister Jackie helped lead our Junior camp for the Georgia district and thank you Bo for taking time off work to serve there and she said that he did an amazing job he helped head up our outdoor Pavilion helped in the game room make connections with the kids highly relational and he was always a huge help in the dorms where you really need somebody that's like an Army Ranger or a Navy SEAL you ought to get many crowns in heaven for working in the dorm not just at any camp but Junior Camp I'm just going to say I didn't say this in the first service some of those boys aren't really comfortable at Junior camp and they will try to go a week without a bath so you need to have good people serving in those dorms you can take that off the Record Bo also serves on our production team and Ryan John's our director production said Bo has been extremely helpful on the team he's always Dependable communicates whenever he has a scheduling conflict and he's jumped in to help with funerals and other services when Ryan needed help Bo is Dependable does his job well and always has a wonderful attitude so today I want to thank Bo and and Morgan and Saul and Samuel for so being to be being so deeply committed to the Lord and our church and for serving in Ministry and would you let him know that right now it's a family effort Morgan serves right beside him my final Second Mile award recipient is brother Chris Walton and he was in the first service but would you thank him if you're here brother Walden please stand he was in the first service their whole family was sitting right here he serves on our hope Ministry team and uh this coming Saturday they will celebrate 15 years of faithfulness to Hope Ministry brother William Jones who serves on that team mentioned that through covid when Sister Margaret Bennett's sister was sick uh and Mary Donaldson and Sister Margaret couldn't come to hope that she passed that baton to brother Chris Walden what she did is gather clothes for the homeless and would distribute them so brother Chris now organizes that clothing and has even taken it to another level brother Chris also serves on our parking team and brother Mike gorick who leads our parking team said that Chris is definitely always on duty he's attentive he has high eyes meaning he's always looking around for or in need which to me says he has a lot of initiative which I love High eyes always looking for opportunities to serve our guests he is compassionate sacrifices himself to help in any capacity necessary last Sunday on our 60th anniversary he pulled double duty he served on our parking lot team and then he helped serve back in the 60th anniversary reception brother Mike said I know he also serves in Hope and takes care of clothing donations to that Ministry and brother Mike gorick said I'm so thankful that we serve in Ministry with such Godly and committed people and I hope you hope you let our parking te team know how much you appreciate them they serve rain or shine cold or heat they're there to minister to our family along with hundreds of other people Amen Brother David jury noticed that often brother Chris Walton will be in the foyer watching to see if someone pulls up to let someone out of the car the vehicle that needs a little extra help getting in the building so he's not just doing his job he's got the global view of what it means to be a servant in the kingdom of God to serve your church and the people of God but brother Chris Walton also serves on the crossover team those pre-teen young people between chips and the crowd sister Becca Austin who leads that team says I would call him a willing vessel to do anything he can to help he leads games he sets up tables he picks up trash he's always willing to help help no matter what it is to serve our students and when he serves he serves with a humble Spirit he's been a blessing she said to cross over and I'd also like to thank his wife who also serves in Ministry sister Amelia Jamiah Jordan and CJ for also being committed to our church so would you now let these people and everyone who serves in Ministry know you can stand if you would like you may be applauding for yourself but you're applauding for your peers for your leaders in Ministry amen thank you I know that John the Baptist heard the compliments of Jesus after his servants were gone after his Messengers were gone and John the Baptist got his well done when he arrived in heaven but we think it's important to let people know how much we appreciate their service to the Lord and his church means to this local church and I thank you amazing people and in addition to everyone who serves in an official place in our organization I am aware that many of you do things whether you're involved in an official Ministry of not or not that we never track we never know about unless we just randomly hear about it last night my wife wasn't even thinking about what I would Preach Today she was just sharing with me some people in our church that went the extra mile yesterday to minister to some of our elders it won't be calculated in time but God keeps good records of every good deed done in the name of the Lord to minister to someone else it was Jesus who said that even if you give a cup of cold water in my name you will not lose your reward so I want to encourage you to keep doing every thing you can for every person you can help every opportunity you have whether they are in our church or not and do it as an ambassador of Jesus Christ that's what makes the body of Christ a great church in the earth amen that's what makes us the light of the world and the salt of the earth because we make a difference by serving amazing people now it is the culture of this local church and God's church it's biblical principle that everyone who who is saved is called to serve in the body of Christ we're compared to the human body the in the Bible with members in particular each having a place each having a function that is integral and essential to the body functioning as a healthy body the members itself and answering to the Head who is Jesus Christ actually provide strength and healing and nourishment to the body of Christ the Bible speaks specifically about the spiritual Ministry gifts that God has given in the church in Romans chap 12 that speaks of spiritual Ministry gifts the Bible said that God has dealt to every every one each one a Measure of Faith now that's not faith in this case and this place in the Bible for a miracle although it takes faith for a miracle but he is speaking specifically about a measure of faith that is used for Ministry in the body of Christ that God has given something to everyone to do something to bring him glory and to advance the cause of Jesus Christ so through the years we've gotten into Matthew chapter 25 this parable of the talents that Jesus taught that teaches us about the stewardship of the ministry that God has given us Matthew 25 said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man TR traveling to a far country who called his own servants now back then he owned them we could say that in the modern times they were like his employees they could have been indentured servants and he delivered his Goods to them so he is the owner they are stewards are they are managers of something that they have received that doesn't belong to them it belongs to him and the Bible calls him their lord or like their Master to one he gave five talents we don't know how much this Talent was worth whether it was gold or silver but it was money to another he gave two and to another one according each according to his indiv idual or his own ability so when the master gave that first man five talents he knew that he could handle five and he entrusted him with something two Talent man the same the one Talent man that may seem like it was judgmental but it was probably an act of Mercy to not give him more than he could handle the Bible said he gave these talents out and then immediately he went on a journey now it reminds me in principle Jesus I believe is talking about his Ascension into heaven where he ascended on high according to Ephesians chapter 4 and he gave gifts to men he is like this man who travels on a long journey that is giving us Ministry abilities to be used for his glory he goes on a long journey that's what happened with us when Jesus filled us with the spirit now the story goes on and Jesus says the man who receiv received five talents he went and traded them he went on the stock market maybe bought some real estate whatever he did but he doubled what the man gave him and he earned five more talents the guy who received two did the very same thing he doubled what he had receiv received but this one Talent man many of you know about him when he got it he went and he dug a hole in the ground and he hid his Lord's money it was not his money it was his Lord's money he made a decision decision to do something that was not really what he was called to do he buried it so put it in the ground the master the Lord goes on a long journey now I've thought about this one Talent guy for years and I wonder if he had an inferiority complex I mean how would it feel to you you know if you've ever been picked last on a team that's kind of a weird feel in right I know you're saying it's never happened to me but you know maybe they didn't know how good you were now he's standing there one guy gets five one gets two here you go buddy you know we don't we know really don't have a lot going for you but we believe you've got a little bit going for you here's one Talent so he's really struggling with this evidently and but but it's I told you it's an act of Mercy that he's not given more than can handle and then time passes a long time that's what the Bible says that after Matthew 2519 on the screens after a long time it's not days weeks or months it seems that it's years because these men have had enough time to take what they were given invested and double it probably took several years at least to take what was given them and to invest it and then the the master comes back the Lord comes back and it is time to give an account now I want to pause here to say that you and I will give an account to God for the gifts that he has given us they are not your gifts they are his gifts you really don't get to decide to bury it it's not yours it's his and you are only a steward or a manager to do something with what he's given you so Matthew 2029 20 excuse me 2520 so he had receive the five talents came and brought five other talents saying Lord you delivered to me five talents look I have gained five more talents beside them his lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you are faithful over a few things five talents few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your lord the master says good job well done you have my words of approval and someone said that if we want to hear the words well done then we need to do well that's what well done is contingent upon the joys of your lord the five Talent man is blessed now the two Talent man is very similar wording he also verse 22 who had received the two talents came and said Lord you delivered to me two talents look I have gained two more talents beside them his lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you've been Faithful over a few things I will make you ruler you were just a guy investing but now I'm going to give you supervisory Authority same thing with the five Talent man you've shown yourself faithful in a few things I'm going to multiply your influence and your Authority enter into the joy of your lord five talents two talents are just considered a few things but he made a profit he doubled what was given to him he is not compared with the five Talent guy or the one Talent guy they're not in competition with one another the competition is for your potential it's your best for your Lord that you will give an account for in the Judgment seat of Christ but then there is the guy the one Talent man he who had received the one Talent came and said Lord verse 24 I knew you to be a hard man does anybody remember the five Talent guy or the two Talent Guy saying that they did not say that they saw themselves in a partnership they saw the investment of five and two talents as a as a trust I believe in you and I'm giving you something because I know that you can do something with it but not this guy he says I knew you were a hard man reaping where you had not sown and Gathering where you have not scattered seed and I was afraid and when and hid your talent in the ground look I love the King James low there you have what is yours now you know that a conversation is going in the wrong direction when a subordinate says to a superior I knew you were a mean boss you're a you're a tough guy to work for he saw his master in a totally different light than the other other two men they saw partnership he might have seen a setup for failure maybe something's going through his mind I know he thinks I'm going to go out and invest that and lose it I'll sure surprise him when he gets back I'm not going to be a loser I'm going to be a maintainer I don't think the Lord likes maintenance mode at all verse 26 but his Lord answered and said to him you Wicked look at how he labels him Wicked and lazy servant you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed do you notice something missing from the response of the Lord the master he doesn't accept the moniker that I'm a hard man he he knows he's not a hard man but he does say I do gather I do reap where I have not swn and I do gather where I have not scattered seed because that's not my job that's your job I'm the master I'm investing in you I'm entrusting you that's what you're supposed to do so he says verse 27 you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest right now if you do that there's not much interest but the the master the Lord is saying better than nothing at least you could have had something to show for all this time what have you been doing all this time apparently you've been doing nothing because he calls him a lazy servant there is an expectation of this man but his laziness is evidently tied to his wickedness and the wickedness is kind of hard to imagine so the master says the Lord I want you to take the one Talent Give It To The Man with 10 because that's the way the kingdom works if you are not productive I'll take away even what you have and I will give it to someone who has shown himself to be faithful this man has acknowledge that he he has this talent that it belongs to the Lord and that he has buried it in the ground and he says Lord here is this it belongs to you then verse 30 and this is what has really kind of rocked me this week I know this story you know this story many of you do I've taught from this story through the years but but I just started over fresh I didn't I didn't want want to look at what I how I've addressed it before verse verse 30 and cast the unprofitable servant unprofitable means worthless he did nothing into the outer Darkness there will be weeping and nashing of teeth think about what happens to the unprofitable servant he has been judged as wicked and lazy in verse 26 he does not get a Co Rock in heaven the punishment of the one Talent man is rather stunning outer Darkness weeping and nashing of teeth in case you've missed what that is that is a lake of fire that is eternal torment that is what we sometimes call hell that Lake of Fire this man because he buried what the lord gave him is going to hell now how how is the man Justified the Lord is applying this Jesus is applying this how can he go to the same place with a bunch of Sinners I mean his failure is a failure to be productive but how is that wickedness and he's going to go to a place according to Revelation 21 and8 where there are abominable people there murderers sexually immoral people people Sorcerers idolators and all liars that have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone and I thought about the company that this man will keep in hell and you know it's kind of like guys in prison say what are you in for mass murderer what are you in for robed hund banks what are you in for trying to make up a good story you know like well I buried my talent what you're here for that life in prison for that all I can tell you is I had a chance and I blew it and now I'm here but as I reread Revelation 218 and I want you to see this verse on the screen that at the head of the list of people who will go to hell are two words that describe this man to a te but the cowardly unbelieving and then the list of all the really bad Sinners show up in Revelation 218 and going to hell first on the list of people who would go to hell are people who are cowardly or fearful this man says I was afraid now what kind of fear doesn't mean he was afraid of the dark wasn't afraid of a monster he was afraid of failure he was afraid of his master he thought he was a hard man he was afraid to enter a partnership with the Lord who loved him who gave his life for him who trusted him he was a coward from the Greek it means a worthless man and literally he is worthless because he is not produced a profit the second sin is unbelieving someone without faith this one man he said he was a afid he buried his talent he's operating out of cowardice instead of Courage he's operating in unbelief he knows he's accountable he's expected to turn a prophet but what is he afraid of is he afraid of failing and this this has kind of rock my mind and and I thought about the sin of unbelief that ultimately it is the sin that leasts every other sin because if you don't believe in heaven or hell if you don't believe in Salvation through Jesus Christ if unbelief is that Chief sin then it leads to every other kind of sin this man evidently doesn't believe and I thought back to the days of the wandering in the wilderness when those people did not enter the promised land and Hebrews chapter 3 asked the question now with whom was he angry 40 years was it not with those who sinned whose corpses fell in the wilderness and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those who did not obey so we see the writer of Hebrews says that they can not enter because of unbelief now if you read the story they worshiped Cals they were involved in idolatry and all kinds of sexual sins but at the root of it all was that they did not believe that God was able to do what he said he would do and this man inherently should know that he's a partner with god he's a labor together with God but he doesn't [Applause] believe so I want to tell you today that God believes in you and you need to believe in yourself and need to believe that God does not pick junk he doesn't believe in people that he does not know can do something with what he's given you God believes in you do not be paralyzed with fear do not let past failure keep you from a future that's different so I thought about this passage familiar passage never taught this part of this I never thought of this before but this is what really struck me the Bible says that when the Lord delivered to them his Goods he went on a he went immediately on a journey and we learned later it was a long time so I thought about what could have happened over a long time these three men evidently they work for the same man possibly they work in the same business Enterprise Farm they probably eat lunch together they may may know each other they're certainly not distant people the five Talent man can't you imagine him sharing the excitement ment of how he went and traded and invested and and something came from it and the two Talent man he's sharing his story and and the one Talent man is just dead silent he doesn't have anything to talk about he's ashamed he's afraid but at the root of it there's a laziness there that he doesn't want to go take a risk he doesn't want to venture out but this is what really I I want to preach today at the end of this message that you've got time to make make a change what if that man over that long period of time would have woke up one day and said hey I am wasting my life I'm wasting what God gave me I'm going to wake up tomorrow I'm going to be a different man what I'm preaching to you today is that there is still time for you to do it differently there is time for you to wake up and come to yourself there is time for you to make a difference in the kingdom of God thank God today you've got time to change praise God I think some people who are see themselves as one Talent people are not really one Talent people I've worked with people all my life at all my adult life of ministry and people who are probably really five Talent people or two Talent people just genuinely don't believe they have much to offer they see themselves as a one Talent man or woman and out of fear out of unbelief they just bury their talent trying to just hold on they don't want to lose anything but ultimately for this man he lost everything including his soul this investor this master the Lord in this story expected something from these men and when he came back when this man had nothing not even 1% interest from putting it in some type of an investment he is called wicked lazy and he is Des sentence to Eternity in hell so it's a very serious matter what we do with what God has given us but my message today whether you're a FIV Talent person producing two Talent person is that every one of us need to be aware that one day according to 2 Corinthians 5 and 10 we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ that everyone will receive the things done in his body according to that which Heath done whether it be good or bad this is the Judgment of saints let's bow our heads right now Lord I Thank you for the amazing people in this church and in your body around the world who serve you with gladness and serve your church Lord with an open hand I thank you Lord today God for the people who really understand stewardship Lord that it is not just something you've given us but it is an expression of your confidence in us that you would not give us giftings if you believe we were inep and unable to multiply that Talent Lord that is given us I pray for the person today who feels totally inadequate that they have so very little to offer and Lord they are hiding their talent they're burying their talent I ask you today to let this day be a day of change Lord what that one Talent man should have done and could have done in his lifetime in all the years or however long it was however much time passed every day he got up knowing that he was doing nothing and Lord he could have done something with what you had given him so today Lord I pray that you would help me make the best with what you've invested in my life I pray in Jesus name that you would help me develop the giftings that you've placed in me and use them for your glory in Jesus name I pray you look this way this story just came to my mind I've told this story before when I was eight years old I my parents allowed me to take piano lessons and I still have the piano that I took lessons on in our house Mrs Leo that I didn't think was that good of a teacher she's really old she's probably in her 60s you know Mrs Leo I was eight you know she taught me my very first song it was called Mr Middle Sea you had to find Middle Sea on the keyboard and you had to say can you give me a c Mr midle C you can go back into the real key but anyway thank you Mr middle SE that was it and you know I I thought about going into the songwriting business at 8 I knew one song and you could make you could make lyrics of Jesus I love you be a profitable servant you know I could have written a song but what if what if I don't have near the talent of my boys you know and my dad but what if I had just like okay I'm talented I can play a note if God gave me any musical ability and he he did back in the day you know my gift back to God was what I did with that that's called practice we've talked about this before brother Brandon how many hours a day did you and Isaac practice I know Isaac probably practiced more more than you but how much did you practice when you were growing up sometimes five or six hours a day maybe you sat out in the audience and there's somebody playing music and you're like man I wish God would give me a gift to play like that no that's called five or six hours a day that's not Mr Middle Sea that's another world but I know people who after years of serving God they're effectively playing Mr Middle Sea when they should be playing cors they should be playing sevenths and ninths and minors and diminished cores they should be well Advanced Beyond where they are but they have buried their Lord's Talent so today I'm encouraging you challenging you it's not too late it's not too late the Lord is as of right this moment he could come back before I finish the sentence but you still have time to change your mind and make the best you can of the giftings that God has given you would you stand please right now and if you would like to dedicate yourself to the Lord if you would like to present yourself to almighty God to do the best you can with what he's given you whether it is five or two or one you have something and he is expecting a return on his investment would you come to this altar now and would you bring yourself as a vessel [Music] willing to do your best [Music] h [Music] I say would you commit yourself to the Lord would you let him know that you take his investment in you seriously and whatever he's given you whatever Talent he's given you that you will utilize it for his glory [Music] I Surrender [Music] all to you everything I give to you Withholding Nothing Withholding Nothing I surer all to you [Music] everything I give to you withh holding [Music] nothing Withholding Nothing I surrender all to [Music] you everything I give to [Music] you with holding nothing Withholding Nothing I surrender all to you everything I give to you with all holding nothing Withholding [Music] Nothing I surrender all to you everything I give to [Music] you with holding nothing Withholding Nothing Withholding Nothing Withholding Nothing witholding nothing Withholding Nothing with holding nothing with holding nothing I surrender all to [Music] you everything I hear to you withh holding nothing with holding nothing Withholding Nothing with holding nothing [Music] would you now thank the Lord that he loved you that he believed in you that he invested in you that he knew you can make a difference would you thank the Lord that he's still giv you time to do better to do more to make a difference in the kingdom of God hey you may feel like it's the 11th hour but you can still go to work in the father's work amen you can still change your mind and go do the will of God oh Hallelujah [Music] if you need a renewing of the Holy Ghost today or if you've never received God's spirit in your life the Lord is here right now to fill you with the Holy Ghost to renew you in the spirit in just a few minutes we're going to baptize Eli Vargas in the name of Jesus Christ if you'd like to join him we have changing room we're ready to baptize you in Jesus name