Faith, Obedience and Purpose | Kris Vallotton

okay haha

I've got Kleenex

because I've had menopause for 2 months

haha

I was gonna be prepared well

it is it's a privilege to be here and um

so thank you for those so kind words

obviously

this place wouldn't be here without you and your wife

and I'll just like

would you can we just honor the founders of this place

it takes a lot of courage to um

start something from nothing

and obviously it takes a lot of faith

and we know

none of us would be here if it wasn't for Jesus Christ

so we want to make sure that we

we keep Jesus at the center

as one of my one of my staff tell me all the times

Jesus at the center I'm like hey

is he is he off the bubble a little bit

and we move him back

but none of us would be here if it wasn't for Jesus

but it does take pioneers and

and the hails have been pioneers

and we're we're

we're here today because of their

their obedience to god

and their ability to make sacrifices

and what a beautiful place

and isn't this a beautiful place

like the setting is just amazing

this whole thing is just beautiful

well once you grab a hand we're gonna pray

again you can get a date this way

Holy Spirit thank you for what you're doing today

we pray god for your anointing to be on us

you said that you it's the

your anointing that teaches us

and so we pray for that anointing to be on us

and I also pray Holy Spirit

that you would feel the freedom

to do whatever you want to do

please tell me first but

but feel free to do what you want here Lord

and heal people and deliver people

and transform people and open our ears and our eyes

father in Jesus name amen

I I wrestled a little about uh

what to share this morning

um I don't know if I've ever shared this here before

probably I have

I've been here a lot of times

but I uh

and I've changed the message three or four times

just because of the season we're in

and it feels like it feels like I'm

I'm gonna share something that's like

opposite of this season I would be sharing in

but um I

I felt this morning last night I went to bed and like

I think I'm supposed to share on

developing a wealth mentality

and I

I sort of realized that that's running against the

the current grain of what maybe what we should share

but um

and two or three times I've

I've kind of I've been sharing this message on humility

and I I said well

maybe I should just do that

and I felt so strongly

that I'm supposed to talk about

developing a wealth mentality

so I'll tell you a little bit

um you may know my story because um

most of you are here because of uh

because you've heard our story or my story but um

Bill's story

um so I

I grew up my father drowned when I was three years old

and so we when I was

from the time I was uh

three to I don't know

maybe seven or eight we lived on welfare

and

I'm so thankful for our government system of welfare

I just want to say that like I

I don't think it was uh

meant to be a lifestyle but it certainly is

it's beautiful that um

when you're in a crisis that there is

that your government helps to take care of you

and um

in welfare in those days was a very um

I I

I remember it as being very humbling

because we were on and off welfare

so my mom was on welfare for a while

and then we she went through a uh

divorce when I was 13

and then we were back on welfare for a while and

and um

the welfare lady would come to our house

and she would look through our cupboards

and if we had any like

sweets or anything like that

then they would withdraw the welfare and

and then uh

also I couldn't have friends stay overnight at my house

and so my friends would often

the welfare lady would show up unannounced

so my friends would have to hide

or go out the back door and so it was a

it was it was pretty intense time in the season

and I and I remember um

and and so I

I remember that um

my my parents

my my

I had two stepfathers uh

eventually I had a second stepfather when I was 15

and my my parents and my uncles and aunts

my whole family they

they literally they

they hated wealthy people

now I don't know if they actually hated them

but that's the impression I had as a young man

I remember sit

I remember my parents sitting at the dinner table and

and I was sitting with my uncles and aunts

when they would gather

and they would just talk about how people like

obviously there wasn't a Bill Gates in those days

but the Bill Gates kind of people

they were evil and

and how they abused people and how they

they they

they hoarded wealth to themselves

and my my

my parents you know

taught me that wealthy people had

took the money that should have belonged to us and uh

we voted for people uh

my parents voted for people that um

would that

that increase government entitlements and um

wrong or right I'm just telling you the way I grew up

I grew up just and I remember um

I didn't know I was poor until I went

I went to school um

I think it was around eighth grade

and I remember seventh or eighth grade

and I remember we were back on welfare

and I remember standing in line

uh

with about five kids for lunch

and we all had vouchers

and that was the first time I

I thought oh

these guys have money and we

we have vouchers

and and so

and and I

and I and I hated

I hated the feeling of being broke

and I started working uh

cutting lawns when I was uh

12 years old and I would

and then I would give my the money to my

my mom because we were

we're on welfare

and that's the way we got to do extra things and like

have

you know food we weren't allowed to have and

and I started working full time when I was 15

I went to school and I worked at a shoe store and

and later on it had several service stations

and I I just

part of my work ethic came from

I hated the idea of being in poverty

um and then I got saved at 18

and it was

I had a beautiful experience with the Jesus people that

anyone old enough in here

you got saved in the Jesus people movement

I I love the Jesus People movement and

and uh

they they taught me how to love Jesus and how to I I

I was immediately given a

a spiritual father that's a story for another day

he was a beautiful man

I actually did his funeral some 17 years ago and um

he he um

he taught me how to be a disciple and um

but the the

the challenge with a lot of the Jesus movement

at least the part I was in

obviously it's a big movement

but the part I was in is that they

they also had a poverty mentality

and they they um

frankly the people I were with love Jesus

but they didn't really know the Bible very well

and uh

and I was so excited like

I had such a powerful experience when I was 18

receiving Christ it changed my entire life

like I've never turned around since that day and uh

and my my girlfriend

and I my

my girlfriend was uh Kathy

still is my girlfriend

51 years of marriage this year

I met Kathy when she was 12

we got engaged when she was 13

cover your children's ears

I'm glad they're all out of here now

we got married when she was 17 and um

I we

we found the Lord together

I was 18 and she was 15

and we received Christ together that day

and we've never turned back

and we're radical Christians

from the day we received Christ

when our kids were little we uh

you know young

and people would wrap presents in Santa Claus

gift wrapping

we would unwrap them and put Jesus paper on them

and if someone send our kids Christmas cards with Santa

Claus on them we throw the Christmas cards away

and we call her parents and say

don't send anything with Santa Claus

and we are upset

let me just say it was a rough few years

I have a little bit more wisdom now

the Easter Bunny we shot that sucker right away

didn't celebrate Halloween

now we are now we are

we are we're still radicals

but we are radicals raising our children

you know

I I hear of some famous singers like

I was raised in a in a religious home

my parents forced Jesus on us

and I'm like that was us

we weren't we weren't religious

but we loved Jesus and

and

our kids watched deliverances happen in our front room

and they knew there was a devil

and they prayed there was a god

oh yeah

I could tell you a lot of stories

and um

and all all my kids love god

all my kids are pastors

and um

I'm very proud of them but uh

we we grew up um

in in the Jesus movement

and the primary

one of the primary scriptures that I Learned

it was kind of like the like

the motto over the door metaphorically speaking

is it's harder for a rich man to get into the kingdom

than it is for a camel

to go through the eye of a needle

and uh

I didn't realize it but I I

I Learned right away that I was a child of the king

and I remember reading this book

The King's Kid and I'm like

I remember like

you know growing up with such low self esteem

and two fathers who didn't like me

and then I I

I meet the Jesus people and they just love Jesus

and they they had this deep sense that we were

we were you were

we were kids of the king and and

and I Learned uh

from the Jesus people that we were a royal priesthood

and it was and and

and there but there was this really weird contrast

that I never understood for more than 10 years

that we are royal people but

but we embraced poverty

as if it was a sign of loving god

and it was really a shame to have things

and people who were in our movement

that had really nice things

they always had to apologize for those things

when they came into our presence

and so I was really was really a

a kind of a a strange um

thing and I didn't understand that

that that mentality was uh

actually it

it actually hurt my relationship with god

and uh

and so I'm I'm gonna share now

I wanna I

in the Bible in the old and New Testament

there's a one word for riches and wealth

there's not a word riches and a word wealth

are you with me but I'd like to say that I I

I but I but

but the context sometimes dictates the definition

and I'd like to point out

that there really is a concept of wealth

and there really is a concept of riches

and I'd like to point out that you can be rich

and not wealthy

and that you can be wealthy and have no money

so I'm not primarily talking about money

although there are more parables in the

in the New Testament about money

there's more conversations about money

in the New Testament than about heaven or hell

so Jesus talked a lot about money

and so and I

I also think I should say this um

I I understand that when we start talk like

talking about poverty riches and wealth

that that subject has been really abused in the church

and we have what we call the prosperity gospel

and I know I'm on the

the list of those prosperity teachers

let's not even go there

and and and

and I'm like and uh

and this is what I think

that they mean by the prosperity gospel

in the negative sense

is that you're measuring your spirituality

by what you have and

and just to be clear like

that's not what I'm saying at all

and I I want you to understand that I've known many

many people who were very

had lots of money and were

as far as I'm concerned were very poor

I don't mean poor in spirit

I mean poor poor

and I've known lots of people who have

don't have hardly any anything

any material wealth

and yet they are incredibly wealthy people

so um

but I'm gonna do what Jesus did

and I'm gonna illustrate a lot of things with money

and I although I'm not primarily talking about money in

um so in Deuteronomy 8:18

Deuteronomy 8:18

the Lord tells Moses this

you shall you shall

he says

tell the people they shall remember the Lord their god

for is he who's giving you power to make wealth

say this power to make wealth

listen to the rest of this

and then you're gonna repeat it in a minute

that he may confirm his covenant

which he swore to your fathers

as it is to this day say this that he may

that he may confirm his covenant

confirm his which he swore to your fathers

so so god says to Moses listen

tell the people

that I'm gonna give them the power to make wealth

and here's the reason

I'm gonna give them the power to make wealth

so that it will be a confirmation

to the covenant I have with them

I call it jealousy evangelism

and listen you know the story

you may not like the story

but here's the story god says to the Jewish people

I'm gonna give you the power

make wealth and all the and

and it's gonna confirm that I

that you have a relationship with me

and the nations around you are going to look at you

and they're gonna go how do we get that

and god said I'm gonna so bless you

that the nations around you will be jealous

and they will say our gods don't do that for us

maybe we should serve your god

and so god was saying I'm gonna give you wealth

but it's not for your sake

it's for the that the people will know

that you have a covenant with me

and they'll want me

because of the kindness I show towards you

now here's the interesting thing

the word wealth I'm gonna give you power to make wealth

not the word power but the word wealth is

is actually translated uh

in the New American Standard

it's translated 82 times army

I don't know if you know what I just said

the Hebrew word for wealth is only translated wealth

25 times

it's translated 82 times army

it's translated elite army

1 times forces

12 times capability

one time

uh strength

10 times

valiant 41 times

wow

okay I'd like to propose to you

that poverty and wealth are both a power

that poverty no

remember I'm not talk like if you cannot react to

he's preaching the prosperity gospel

cause I'm gonna show you that that's not what I'm doing

but I'm also trying to say that wealth is a power

and so is poverty

somebody once said

if you took all the money in the world

and you and you and you

and you gave everybody equal amounts of money

divided it equally among all population of the world

that in 10 years the poor

the poor would be poor again

the middle class would be middle class again

and the wealthy would be wealthy again

now it's hard to prove that

except for this we do know

we do know that there's been many documentaries done

on people who have won a lottery

of $1 million or more and they go back five years later

and nearly in every case and I don't know what the

the the reports I read were 15 years old

so there may be some differences now

but in nearly every case those people were more broke

after they won the lottery than before

I point out that the environment you have within you

becomes the environment around you

if you take a hopper and you put him in a palace

he'll make the palace a prison

but if you take a prince and you put him in a prison

story of Joseph he'll make the prison of palace

I'm pointing out that the

the environment you cultivate within you becomes the

the environment around you

okay good point Chris

so um

can I can I say this

if wealth was inherently evil

remember this is the

this is the this is the

this is the mindset I grew up with

with the Jesus people

that wealth is something you avoid

like you should avoid this because then you get money

then you can't get into the kingdom

well you might scoot your way in

but you're definitely like

barely welcome

so I'd like to point out that if wealth was in

inherently evil

could it confirm a covenant god had with his people

are you with me like if

if I'm talking about if wealth was inherently evil

right right

like

I'm trying to point out for people that grew up like me

like if

if I was taught like

you gotta be really like wealth listen

the love of money is the root of everything

if you get that you're gonna barely get in

if you get in

if wealth was inherently evil

would god say I'm going to give my people wealth

so to confirm I have a covenant with you wow

okay here we go

I want to give you five definitions of wealth

these are Chris Vallentine's definitions of wealth

but I I think they're they're true

a number one

wealth is the ability resources

strength and wisdom

to create positive outcomes in the midst of lack

poverty and or emptiness

want me to read it one more time

yes wealth is the ability

the resources the strength

wisdom and etcetera

to create positive outcomes in the midst of lack

poverty or emptiness

I I

I'd point out it it's

it's kind of like the expanded version of Joseph's

in prison there's lack

there's there's

there's there's

there's emptiness but he creates prosperity

because he has it in him are you with me

number two wealth is light in darkness

it's healing in sickness it's prosperity in poverty

it's wholeness in brokenness

it's favor in obscurity it's love for the unlovely

beauty for ashes and victors among victims

you want me to give you that one more time

wealth is light and darkness

in other words it can be dark

arise and shine for your light has come

the glory of the Lord has risen upon you

behold deep darkness covers the earth

but but the Lord will rise upon you

his glory be

I'd point out that if we're the light of the world

that we actually gain influence when it's dark

okay good point

Chris and I'm pointing out that that is part of wealth

when it's dark I show up

can I say more accurately

he shows up in me

so wealth is light in darkness

healing in sickness prosperity in poverty

wholeness in brokenness favor in obscurity

love for the unlovely

beauty for ashes victors among victims

when you love someone who's unlovely

when you love someone who's not lovable

that is wealth

you just gave someone something

that they didn't give back to you

how many know Jesus said

if you love people who love you

what are you doing different than the Gentiles

because you give me love I give it back

it's reciprocity

but when you give me nothing and I give you love

or you give me hate and I give you love

I just prove that I have wealth

because I don't need you to love me

so I can love you because I have a source

number three wealth is a can do attitude

I like this because now we're talking about how I think

wealth is a can do attitude

a more than enough mindset

and a nothing and is impossible belief system yeah

I love this I think Bill Coin this phrase

he said you know

your mind's renewed

when the impossible seems reasonable

can I say that's a wealth mentality

I step into a place where there's sickness

or I step into a place where there's chaos

and I

and I have the confidence my god can take care of this

not only can he he will

No.5 wealth is radical generosity

extraordinary compassion sacrificial giving

and profound humility

I'd like to point out that when you have a lot of money

it's a lot easier to give your money

than it is to give yourself

so when I'm talking about radical generosity

I'm not just talking about giving away money

in the state in the place I'm in right now

it's easier for me to give away money

than it is to give away time

it's easy to go let's give $1,000 that person

when actually they need a visit

so when I'm talking about sacrificial giving

I'm not just talking about giving your stuff

I'm talking about giving your heart

yeah

number five wealth is always thankful haha

never jealous

doesn't brag

celebrates others and looks for

looks to the future let me read it again

wealth is always thankful

can I point out when you stop being thankful

when I stop being thankful

I've lost wealth

it doesn't matter how much money I have

if I'm not thankful I am poor

and I'm not talking about good poor

that Jesus said blessed are the poor

I'm talking about bad poor

wealth is always thankful

never jealous does not brag

and celebrates others and looks to the future

I I look to the future

Proverbs 31 ladies

you you know this

this verse the Proverbs

look the Proverbs 31

woman looks to the future and smiles

she's excited about the future

how many you know that the scary

some of the scariest things in life are the unknown

I go get a a test for some health problem

and it's five days before I get the results back

and it and

and I've imagined the worst

but what happens when you have a prosperity mindset

your what ifs are positive

you're like that test is gonna come back negative

that doctor's gonna say

you're in better health than a 17 year old

you you just begin to think that god

all things work together for good

for me that's a wealth mentality

um I

I want to talk just for a minute

I don't know if we've all thought through this

but what is money

let's say that I'm a carpenter and you're a mechanic

and I need my car fixed

but you don't need carpentry work done

but you need your wiring fixed in your house

so I pay you with money

which is agreed upon note of worth for your work

and you use that note

to pay the electrician for the wiring that you need

so the value of the money is not in the paper

it's printed on

it's on the agreed upon value of the note

are you with me some are like

I hate money it's like that's stupid

because money is the way we exchange our labor

right it's primarily the way we exchange our labor

so you need something but that but

but what you do I don't need

so you give me a note for what I did for you

so that I can take that note

and exchange it for something I need

like that's what we're talking about right now

I understand that

it gets warped and weird when we have the love of money

and we're like how much of this I can get for myself

um so Jesus uh

has an encounter

the most famous encounter in the Jesus movement

and there's a ruler he said

good teacher how shall I inherit internal life

eternal life this is Luke

Luke 18 · chapter mention

Chapter 18 verse eighteen

and Jesus said to him why do you call me good

no one's good except for the god alone

you know the commands don't commit adultery

don't murder don't steal

don't bear false witness honor your mother and father

and he said I've kept these for my youth

and when Jesus heard this

he said you have one thing you lack

sell all your possessions

distribute to the poor

and you shall have treasure in heaven

and then come and follow me

but when he heard this he became very sad

and he was extremely because he was extremely rich

and Jesus looked at him and said

how hard it is for the wealthy

to enter the kingdom of god

um

I'd like to point out if you

if you'd rather be rich than right with god

saved and have eternal life

then you're a spiritual prostitute

you've chosen the temporal pleasure

over the infinite paradise

so I just want to point out that

whenever we'd rather have money than god

that's an idol

I love it Jack Taylor said

he said an idol is something you have to check with

before you say yes to god

the problem isn't what you own

the problem is what owns you

it's called lordship

some people own houses and some houses own people

yeah yeah

haha

now let's just get

dive right into the Jesus people verse in 1st Timothy

6:10 the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil

and some by longing for it

have wandered away from the faith

and pierced themselves with many griefs

now I'd like to point out

that it's not money that's the root of all evil

it's the love of money and I'd like to point out

that it's not the root of all evil

it's the root of all sorts of evil

I'd like to point out there are lots of other evils

idolatry arrogance

we heard pride this week

the devil didn't fall because of money

he fell because of pride

infidelity immorality

I could go on and on and on

the money is not even

probably in the top 10 things that are evil

but the point is is that the love of money

is the root of all sorts of evil

now Paul's writing to Timothy

who's at Ephesus which uh

when you think of Ephesus

think of San Francisco a wealthy city

Greek city and so he's writing to Timothy

cause Timothy is an apostle in Ephesus

and they happen to have a lot of wealthy people

it's a wealthy city so what

so this so first uh

Timothy 6:10 which we just read

what is Paul's advice to Timothy's people

who are wealthy let me go on

verse 17

instruct those who are rich in this present world

to sell everything they have and give it to the poor

oh no

instruct those who are rich in this present world

not to be conceited

or fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches

but on god

who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy

so he said tell your wealthy people

to not put their hope in wealth

to fix their hope in Jesus

and to remind them that god gave them wealth to enjoy

and he goes on instruct them to do good

to be rich in good works

to be generous and ready to share

storing up for themselves treasures of good

of a good foundation for the future

that they may take hold of what is life indeed

so Paul says to Timothy

you have a bunch of wealthy people

remember that the

that the root of all sorts of evil is the love of money

he didn't tell them get rid of their money

he said get rid of their attitude

where they trust in their money

and then he said be generous

in 2nd Corinthians chapter 8

verse 9 Paul writes this

for know this for the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

that though he was rich yet he became poor

so that through your poverty

I'm sorry through

I'm sorry sorry

through his poverty you might become rich

for

know that through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

that though he was rich yet he became poor

so that through his poverty you might become rich

listen if you don't like wealth

you're not gonna like heaven

because heaven is gold streets and pearl gates

you get the idea and I'm pointing out

can I say this again like

if wealth was inherently evil

would god entice you with heaven by describing it as

pearl gates and gold streets

can can

can you imagine like

if wealth was inherently evil

can you imagine Jesus saying well

heaven's gonna be like

marijuana gardens and opium fields

I'll tell you in California

you get a lot more people saved that way

I'll tell you that right now

do you see where I'm going

I'm pointing out that if wealth was inherently evil

if it was evil why would god say

your reward in heaven is gold streets and pearl gates

and I realized some people like

that's a metaphor I'm like okay

it's a metaphor maybe it's not

maybe it's not really gold streets

maybe Jesus is using a metaphor

for things we don't even understand

but would he use a metaphor of the of

of beauty of gold

of excellence of Pearl Gates

would he use that metaphor if it was inherently evil

when he's saying this is gonna be your reward yeah

I'm pointing out if you don't like wealth

you might want to try the other place

that was a joke of course

okay I'd like to ask one more question

was Jesus poor

cause haha

let me answer that question for you

because what was quoted

when I was growing up in the Jesus movement was

Jesus had no place to lay his head

like he was bait homeless vagabond

Poor Jesus he didn't have no place

Jesus doesn't he's homeless

he's couch surfing poor guy

and I'd like to point out that at Jesus's birth

or somewhere around 2 3 years old

that wise men came we say

you know these three kings

but we don't know how many there actually were

but we know this

that they were kings and they opened their treasures

they didn't go like okay I'll give him a 20

I challenge you to match it

I'd point out

so sorry man

these are all the visions I had for 10 years

I was in a Jesus movie poor Jesus is so poor

kings came and brought him wealth

many theologians believe

that the early part of his ministry

was funded by what the kings brought him

in fact prop

maybe through God's you know

divine wisdom he thought

I'm gonna fund this guy's ministry

I'm gonna fund my son's ministry

and I'm getting kings to come and honor him

and give them wealth

could it be Isaiah 60:11

Isaiah 60:11

your gates will be open continually

they'll not be closed day or night

that the wealth of nations will come to you

kings leading the procession

could it be that

that was part of the fulfillment of Isaiah 60

the gods like

kings are gonna come they're gonna give you wealth wow

was Jesus poor let me ask you a question

if Jesus could make wine out of water

in like

30 seconds

you know the story yeah

like he's at a wedding

and they run out of wine

now have you ever thought through this

they run out of wine and the Bible says

this is Jesus's first public miracle

okay how did Mary know that Jesus could make wine

no I

I mean we're laughing right now

but like

how would she have any idea

like why would like

like I've been to weddings

they've run out of things

they never go we're out of cake

so be it on to you

here's some devil food cake

no angel food

you know I

I don't know I'm just like

like you don't go places when they run out of food

and someone then your mama looks at you and goes

do something about this

I'd like to propose that the only way Mary

on a serious note could know that Jesus could make wine

is that he had been doing it at home

how else would she have any idea he could do one

this is his first public miracle

yeah

so you can imagine you know

there's a little bit of milk in the carton

and when Jesus growing up

he's like James leave that for Jesus

are you with me

I'm pointing out

that Jesus had to live in a prosperous home

he had to be doing those things at home

or Mary would have no consciousness

that he could do anything

about them running out of wine

you know and I'm thinking

Jesus is like I always do

I see my father doing she's like

your mother told you do the wine

cause he says what's that have to do with me

like I haven't seen my father making wine

but you heard your mother

and then he makes wine right

and it and the

and the waiter brings the wine

and it's and he tastes it and he goes wow

most people serve the bad wine first

like the Gallo I mean

the good wine first

and then they serve the Gallo when people are so drunk

they could give a rip what they're drinking

right that's

that's the message

Bible sort of

but you save the best wine for last

and I point out not that only Jesus make wine

he made excellent wine

if you could make wine without planting a seed

growing a vine

trimming the vines picking the grapes

I don't know what they do after that

I think it takes a while

if you could do that in 30 seconds

without all that process you ain't poor

well listen

you might be poor

but you're drinking some good wine with the disciples

if you could take a boy's lunch

and feed at least 5,000 men

teenagers

women and children so what do you got

10,000 people easily

if you could take a boy's lunch and multiply it

so that people eat so much

and there's so much leftover

that the boy goes home with more than Jesus stole

from him

and tells him I don't know what it is about water

but it must be a prophetic thing

cause I've spilled it three times in three days

you ever see me walk on water

you've seen it right here first time

if you could take a boy's lunch

I can I just imagine the boy going

Jesus going home to his mom and going Jesus

I don't know why this thing wants to talk to me

while I'm preaching

when I was preaching yesterday

it said I'm sorry

I didn't get that like

I know that's why you were an iPhone

can you imagine the little boy goes home and go

Jesus stole my lunch

and as soon as his mom starts to get angry goes

but here's the baskets he left me with

I mean whatever you give Jesus

you're like oh okay

I'm gonna what

we heard a testimony today

like I'm gonna give him this money

it's like you know

it's like you gotta get out of that mode

because you all the fragments are more than you gave

wow

if you where was I

if you can pay your taxes

by fishing

you're like hey Peter

we're owed some taxes go fishing

how much money how many fish are we gonna have to catch

to pay our taxes one

he's gonna have money in his mouth

I mean is that not Genesis 1

you have dominion over the earth

over the fish of the of the sea

over the birds of the sky

I've been trying to work on the birds thing

you know cause they poop on my car

I'm like this is a no poop zone right here

hahaha I'm just practicing having

you know power over fish and I mean birds

you know Jesus

you know

we know that John the Baptist wore camel's hair

and ate grasshoppers

ain't nobody trying to divide John the Baptist garment

when they killed him

but Jesus wore a garment so expensive

that the soldiers gambled

instead of cutting it up in pieces

I'm pointing out that compared to where Jesus came from

heaven he was poor compared to you and me no

when your father provides everything you need

it don't matter how much money you have you ain't poor

now the

one of my favorite stories is in John chapter 21 I

John 21 · chapter mention

I know you know the story I'll

I'll so I'll just repeat the story without reading it

but it's the Jesus has rose from the dead

and his disciples are just

you know they're

they're like

he's dead they haven't realized he's alive yet

and they're kind of depressed

and I thought and Jesus is like

I mean Peter's like

I don't know I'm going fishing

I'm just gonna go back to what I know

cause I thought this guy was gonna be like the Christ

and then didn't happen

and it's been three and a half year

I know what I'm doing I'm gonna go make some money

and so Peter and John in a boat

Jesus is on the shore

and uh

he does what fishermen do with each other right

cause my wife's a fisherman

she has a bass boat haha

I know my wife has Parkinson's

she shot a bear and a deer this year

two years ago she shot a bear with a bow

she has a bass boat I don't fish

she does I don't hunt she does

someone breaks into our house

I wake her up I'm like

check that out I wrote a book on powerful women

and goes show me your real

I'll call 9 1 1 while you get down there and

so you know

I've been fishing a few times

you know and I know when you come in the shore

the fisherman who are going out are like

have you caught anything

have you caught anything yeah

we caught these bass what were you using

that's kind of the fisherman thing right

so Jesus on the shore and they're fishing

and they fished all night

as you know and he yells out hey

have you caught anything

they're like no

we've been fishing all night

didn't catch a thing

and then he goes

cast your net on the other side of the boat

now listen

I'm not a fisherman

but I'm thinking if I fished all night

I'd tried both sides

do you know what I'm saying

I'm like I probably threw the net on both sides

I'm sure I don't know if

I don't know how they're feeling

cause they don't know yet it's Jesus

and they're like cast a net on the other side

you know I

I don't know I don't know how they did it

but they cast a net on the other side of the boat

and they catch so many fish

153 exactly and the mirror

they have two miracles they've caught the fish

and it says their nets didn't break

as a sign of supernatural power

that god actually held the nets together

cause you remember the first time this happened

their nets broke

and they had to call their friends to help them

this time not only do they catch so much fish

but the net they built did not break

and remember they're fishermen

so this ain't fish this is money

and John turns to Peter and goes it must be the Lord

and Peter gets so excited

I love Peter I

I am definitely Peter

just look on the internet anyway

I'm externally processing

trying to be funny I say things like

get behind me say

you know I'm like

the lord's like the the

the Father's the father revealed that to you

who am I you are the Christ

the son of living god

flesh and blood did not reveal this to you

but my father who's in heaven

three verses later

I'm gonna die on a cross no

that's not gonna happen get behind me Satan

that's my life

got a really good idea

then I just goes bad a few minutes later

OK I'm trying to be funny

some of you are being so serious

John says

I think that's the Lord

and Peter puts his coat on and jumps in the water

I don't know a lot about swimming

but I think

you usually take your clothes off when you swim

Peter puts his coat on swims to shore

and Jesus is obviously there

ready and cooking fish already

here here

here's my point and I'm getting close to being done

I think

can you imagine if they caught like three menows

like cast your net on the other side and they catch Lee

three little minnows

and John goes that must be the Lord

so frugal

that that's the people I grew up with

and I'm pointing out when John saw the abundance yes

of fish

okay listen

we're not we're not

we're using money but you understand

when you ask for something and the Lord gives you

pressed down shaken together

more than you need whether it's wisdom

whether it's friends whether it's whatever favor

and you're you you like

it must be the Lord

and I'm pointing out that abundance told John

that's god right

wow

okay I

I have five minutes

I can do this last thing cause I have to end with this

so I'd like you to just turn to Matthew 25

and I'll tell you most of the story

uh so for the sake of time

but it's the story of the talents

you remember the story of the talents

so a master came and he gave

he gave each uh

people three he gave 10 of them

but we only know about three of them

he gave them each talents

he gave one five by the way

a talent is about $30,000

so it's a significant amount of money

so he gives one guy $150,000

he gives another guy two talents $60,000

and he gives another guy $30,000 right

and it says he gave them the talents

according to their ability

are you with me so then he comes back and he says uh

later comes back later

a season later and he's like

okay you're you

you're steward of my money

tell me what you did with it

and the one guy comes and he says

you gave me five give me five thou

you gave me you gave me 150 thousand dollars

and I have made you 150,000 more

and the the

the master says that that's so good

well done good and faithful servant

I'll put you over many things

next I comes you gave me two

I think it was two or three

and he goes and I have made you two more

I gave you 60 grand I made another 60 grand for you

well done good and faithful servant

I will put you over many things

then he gets to the guy that has one

which I'd like to read

Jesus people never read this verse

and the one who had received one talent

came up and said master

I knew you were a hard man

reaping where you did not sow

and gathering where you scattered no seed

and I was afraid and I went away and hid your talent

your $30,000 in the ground

see you have what is yours

but his master answered him said

you wicked lazy slave

you knew I reap where I didn't sow

I gathered where I scattered no seed

then you ought to have put the money in the bank

and on my arrival you would have received money back

I would have received money back with interest

therefore take away the talent from him

and give it to the one who has 10 talents

for to everyone who has more shall be given

and even when he even if he has an abundance

I I'm sorry

but he who and he will have an abundance

but the one who does not have

even what he does not have shall be taken away

and listen how it ends

throw out the worthless slave into outer darkness

the place where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth

I know the Jesus people never read that

the guy who wasn't good with money went to hell

never told me that story

I I know it's a parable

I get the idea people are like

it's a parable I get the idea

thank god it's a parable cause I don't wanna think

that guy went to hell

for not taking care of his 30 grand

I heard the rich man can't get into the kingdom

but

I never heard a guy who didn't take care of his stuff

that god gave him actually was called lazy

was actually called wicked

and actually ended up in hell

that's a powerful statement

and it says

god cares about what you do with what he has

in fact in Luke

Luke records this Luke says

Luke says records Jesus saying

who who will entrust you with true riches

if you don't take care of unrighteous mammon

God's like if you don't take care of money

how am I gonna trust you with true riches

I I love this

the passage in of the talents

because it I said to the Lord one day Lord

it seems like the rich get richer

because we took the one away from the guy

who had one talent and gave it to the guy who had 10

in fact in one

one of the parables the guys arguing go

he already has 10 and the Lord says

whoever has more shall be given

and I said Lord

it seems like it's unfair that the rich get richer

he said the rich don't get richer

I said they did there

he said the faithful get wealthy

well done good and faithful servant wow

some things that don't look fair are god

not everything

just some things

I wanna pray for for us

because I I actually believe that

the Lord wants us to have a mentality of royalty

and that doesn't mean I have a lot of money

it means that I know that my daddy can do anything

that means that when I show up

my daddy shows up with me

I'm not talking about arrogance

I'm talking about the humility

of knowing what family I was born into

that when I walk into the room

Jesus walks in the room with me

if it's darkness light has come

if it's sickness healing has come

not because of me but because who's on board

are you with me so why don't you stand

I'm gonna pray for you right now

you know this uh

honestly seems like an out of

um out of season word for where we're at right now

I really was not my plan to preach this

but I I feel like

the Lord wants to break a poverty mentality off of us

I feel like

the Lord wants to break a poverty mentality off of us

I remember that I I

I got a watch when I was really broke

and um

and I it was $150

is the year I came to Bethel

and the year my business crashed

and I and I had it

I bought it on a Friday and on a Sunday

I was in church and I had my arm over the chair

and the guy behind me said

oh that's a nice watch

let me see it and I showed it to him

he said take it off

I'm oh no

I've only had it today I took it off

he kept it through the whole service

I couldn't even think about worship

cause I was a poor man with a watch

anyway

instead of giving my watch back out of the service

he gave me his watch back

I don't want his watch I want my watch

but it was too small for me

so I had to take it to the jeweler

and he put uh

he gave me links for it and the jeweler goes wow

where did you get this watch

I said oh

a guy gave it to me he goes

a guy gave you he pulls another one out of the counter

out from under the counter it was like 16 dollars

then about two years later

I'm in his place and this guy says hey

I like your watch I said yeah

he goes you should give that to me

I said no god gave it to me

for five days he goes

god told me you're gonna give me that watch

I said god told me that I'm to keep it

and the night before I left

well actually the morning before I left

we were actually in Fiji

the Lord said I want you to give Dale your watch

I said I'm not doing that

you gave me this watch he said

if you give it to him I'll give you another one

I'll give you a better one

you will I said okay

that morning I gave it to Dale

he goes I can't take your watch

I said

you've been trying to get the watch for five days

you're taking this he goes

I can't take it I said

god told me he's gonna give me a better one

I gave him a watch within two days I had a nicer one

a two thousand dollar watch

I I go to Romania

that's one ten years after they come out of communism

everybody's poor

we're in this room with pastors

this room only holds like maybe 75 people

200 wywammers crammed in you know wywammers

youth without money

crammed in this room pastors dirt poor

the Lord said I want you to give

I want you I want you to give

I I forget his name Michael

I want you to give Michael

the pastor your watch

I said I'm

I'm OK I'm not gonna do that

I said to him are you gonna give me a better one

he said no

I said OK I'm not doing it then

I mean this watch is worth more than his year's wages

I go to bed that night at the hotel

and the lord's like you you need every hour

I wake up and the lord's like

give him your watch I said

are you gonna give me a better one

he said no

no no no

I wake up at six in the morning plagued

he's waiting for me cause

give him your watch I said

you're gonna give me a better one

he said no

I said OK

he said OK

then I know what level of wealth you can handle

I couldn't wait to get rid of that watch

I gave that guy my watch he

he must have known something about watches

he started sobbing

he's sobbing

the Lord was right he didn't give me another watch

he gave me hundreds of them

hundreds of watches

everywhere I go people give me

don't by by the way

don't give me watch

cause it'll feel like I'm manipulated to service

I'm just telling you I have

I have cabinets full of watches

I have one watch someone gave me

Bill loves watches

I don't even know anything about watches

he came over this is six months ago

he goes who gave you that watch

I said oh

some friends from Hong Kong

he goes you know what that watch is worth

I said I've no idea

I said I've only wore it once

I've had it for 10 years he goes

let's Google it we Google it it's worth $42,750

I'm just pointing out give and it shall be given to you

I just I

I I

I use that as an example to say

God's breaking the spirit of poverty off of us

and and and

and and I

I don't I just want to pray right now

that the Lord

would break the spirit of poverty off of us

and it wouldn't it wouldn't be primarily about money

it'd be about the fact that

your daddy has enough for whatever you need

and he's a good god if he doesn't give it to you yet

it's cause you're not ready for it yet

Lord I just pray right now that

that you would break the spirit of poverty off of this

off of this people off of this church

off of this community off of my mind

off of the mind of the global church

god and that we would be a royal

noble people and it would be

as it was in the days of the Jewish people

when they see the blessing on our house

they say the way

when they see the way our children behave

the way the joy that's in our marriages

the way that the

the the that

that we were generous the way that we are

are joyful even in trials

Lord they go

I don't know what that is

but I want that I want that god

I want that god that does that to them

I want that god that keeps them from worrying

even when they're in a bad situation

I want that god

that that makes them bright when it's dark outside

god I just release that to you

in Jesus name and would you just say

I receive that for myself

I receive that for myself

I receive it for my children

I receive I receive it for my children's children

in Jesus name

amen thank you so very much for listening