I am Talented | Jason Martin

You're listening to a message to go from AXT church. We hope this message

will light up your team. Turn to your neighbor on the left and said

I am talented. Turn to you I don't neighbor and the right and say

you are talented. Okay, how many of y'all believed that? Okay,

some people believe that, So hopefully by the end of this sermon, all

of us believe that. Right. And when I ask y'all to say that

just now, right, I can see the kids are very confident. The

kids are very confident. They say I am talented. But adults, right,

they're like, I am talented. The sheepislee smiled, and they look

and they're green at each other. So you're not really convinced, right,

Um, So, even as I wanted to talk about this, right,

this is actually what I'm talking about today is in line with what EX Kids

has been sharing with the kids for the past month of May. So I

hope I will do X Kids justice the lessons and I will share with us

here as well in the main service what the kids have been learning, and

I hope that it will be a blessing to us all as well. Okay,

So, First up, I want us to watch a video. Okay,

So y'all all believe y'all have y'all have talents, right, and all

of us love to watch people who are talented. So let's watch a video.

So Isaac anytime, Isaac is ready? Okay, yeah, see shot

you said the company, Wow compies around the sea? My god, you

you can? You'll take you the stye s all right, thanks Isaac?

Alright, so how many of you all have watched that before? A cliff

of it before? You have watched it before? Right? I mean,

it's so awesome she is. All of us will totally agree that she is

very talented. So first of all, she can sing, and then she's

a ventrala quist. Somehow you can project your voice into a puppet and you

make it entertaining. No, So all of us love to watch America's Got

Talent or Britain's Got talent and stuff like that. Right, And when we

look at that, right, sometimes we say that, wow, this person

is so talented. I wish I was like that. Or some people will

say, hey, I don't have any talents, and we go into a

thing and saying that I'm not as special, you know. But today right.

The word of God says that everyone is fearfully and wonderfully made. Right.

So the title of today's sermon is tapping your talent. Okay, So

all of us have talents. Don't your neighbor and say all of us have

talents. So that's why when I told you turn to someone and say I

have I am talented. All of us have talents. Right. If you

I don't think you have talents, it is probably because you haven't found it

yet. But it doesn't mean it's not there. It is there and God

does not make mistakes. Okay, So what's the definition if I go to

the next light? So what is talent? The natural ability to do something

well? Right, the natural ability to do something well. So you think

some people they are able to play music well, some people they are able

to tell jokes, some people are able to cook, some people are able

to teach well. And different people have different talents. You know, some

talents are more obvious, but all talents are special. All talents are special.

Okay. So let's see what it says in Psalms one three nine the

next light. So this is Psalms one three nine. It says, yeah,

for you are created my inmost being. You knit me together in my

mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your

works are wonderful, and I know that full well. So God has made

us, and we believe that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God makes

no mistake, you know. And I'm telling you right, I even as

I'm preaching this, when when I was growing up us very very insecure,

I tell you up there now, so I have this insecurity thing where I

feel that, Yeah, I wish I was like this person. I wish

I was that. How come I not so special? And stuff like that?

But we have to remember right that the enemy wants to keep us down.

So if we decide to believe the lies of the enemy, we are

not able to discover our talents and use it to glorify God. And this

verse stays here, right, I am fearfully and wonderfully being. So how

many of y'all have made plaster scene before? Right? You made play doo?

You carefully meet your plato to shape it. And God has carefully crafted

each and every one of us. Okay, next verse, next light,

So efficients two wards tend for we are God's handiwork. We are God's handiwork.

So all of us, like art and craft. When we do art

and craft, we give our best. And each everyone's art and craft is

different. When you do art and craft, right, that's every single art

and craft look the same. No, it's because everyone is creative. Everyone

has a different way of doing things, different way of expressing and God's We

are God's handywork. So it shows there that God, we are created to

do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So

first of all, your handywork, you're created to do good works, but

to do good works, God has already prepared it in you too in advance,

so you already have whatever it takes for God to use it to do

good works. Okay, So do you believe they're not? Yes, I

know they don't believe me. You know you have to believe God. You

know, do you believe this? Okay, because each one you have to

believe that God. I believe that you have created me to do good works.

I believe that you have given me what is required to do the good

works. Okay. So, but it still comes back to the thing and

it's like, how do I know what's my talent? Say like, hey,

Jason, great, but what's my talent? I don't know what's my

talent? I don't know what to do? Okay, next light, So

how do we tap into the talent that God has placed inside of us?

How do you discover your talent? Anyone? Do something? That's the best

answer. If you do nothing, you can't find it. Do something right?

Any other ways how you can find talent? Ask others? Yeah,

yeah, Sometimes if you cannot find your talent, right, ask your friend,

ask your parents, Hey, what do you think I'm good at?

You know, because other people can sometimes see the talent in you that you

cannot see. Right. So today's whole sermon, right, it's about I

will go take us through a story about how we can discover our talent.

Right, So it's all in tease, all in tease. So the title

again was tapping our talent? And I will give you five teas. Okay,

make it very easy to remember. So you're a journal right, very

easy, all teas? Remember these five teas? Okay, All right,

so let's go into the next slid. Alright, So the story is when

Jesus fed the five thousand Okay, those who are y'all in X skates,

Do you all remember this story? So? How many people did Jesus feed

five thousand? Correct? And how what did he feed them with? Yeah?

With the boys bread and fish? Okay, so x kids, they

all are ahead of us here in main service. They got heads up on

what the lesson is. Okay, so let me read us through this,

okay. Sometime after this, Jesus crossed to the fast shore of the Sea

of Galilee, that is the Sea of Tiberius, and a great crowd of

people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.

Then Jesus went up on a mountain side and sat down with his disciples.

The Jewish Passover festival was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a

great crowd coming towards him, He said to Philip, where shall we buy

bread for these people to eat? He asked this only to test him,

for he already had in mind what he was going to do next. Light

Philip answered him it would take more than a half a year's wages to buy

enough bread for each one of us to have a bite. Another of his

disciples, Andrew Simon, Peter's brother spoke up, here is a boy with

five small loaves and two small fish. But how far will they go among

us so many? Jesus said, have the people sit down. There was

plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. About five thousand

men were there. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed

to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same

with the fish. Next, when they had all had enough to eat,

he said to his disciples, gathered the pieces that are left over. Let

nothing be wasted. So they gathered them and filled twelve basket with the pieces

of the five bally loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the

people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, surely this is

the prophet who has come into the world. Jesus, knowing that they intended

to come and make him king by force, we drew again to a mountain

by himself. Right, so you'll know this story, right, They said,

Jesus fed five thousand men, but they didn't say how many women and

children, so it could be ten thousand, you know, it could be

more than that. Right, So how does this story tie into talent.

Okay, let me take us to the first point. When you want to

tap into your talent, right, the first thing you need to do is

you will go through a time of testing. You will go through a time

of testing because without a test, you will have no idea what is inside

of you. How many of us have taken exams before, you've taken exams

before. How many of your love exams? Nobody? You also don't like

the blood test or so you don't like to take it blood tests, You

don't don't like even to take us its school exams and stuff like that.

But when they test, what are they testing? They are testing something that

you should already know or something that is inside of you. Right. So

for example, when you go to school and you take an exam, what

are they testing you on? They're testing you on what you have learned before

previously. So when you when they test you on what you've learned before previously

and you do the test, well, it means that you have learned all

right. So let's go into the next line. So John six, verse

five, when Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him,

he said to Philip where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?

He asked this only to test him, for here already in mind what he

was going to do. So why did Jesus want to test Philip? Why

did Jesus wanted to test Philip? I mean, all of us have read

the scripture or stories so many times. Right, have you thought about it?

Why did Jesus want to test Philip? It probably means that Philip knew

something already. Right, Jesus tests us to pass us. Right, Jesus

is a good god, he's a good father, and he tests us to

pass us. Okay, So let me take you to another of us next.

So this is the same story, but in Luke nine it's the same

story. But Luke nine, late in the afternoon, the twelve came to

him and said, send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding

villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote

place here. What did Jesus tell them? You feed them? Jesus told

Philip, and also the disciples, you feed them. So why do you

think that Jesus told them this? The earliest scripture they are also said that

Jesus knew what he was going to do, and we know right in the

Bible, right, Jesus always loves to answer a question. Waiter question,

so do you Jesus asked them. When the disciples say, hey, how

are we going to feed them? Jesus, Jesus asked them the question how

are you going to feed them? Or you feed them? You know and

you remember um the other There's other examples. Right when Jesus was sleeping in

the storm, and then the disciples asked him, teacher, don't you care

if we drown? The disciples asked Jesus the question, remember that, teacher,

don't you care where you drown? And Jesus replied the disciples, why

are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? So Jesus will

never usually right answers a question with a question. Another example, I give

you a question with a question. Right when the Pharisees were saying, oh,

the disciples were saying, do you hear what the children are saying?

They asked him, yes, replied Jesus, have you never read from the

lips of children and infants? You have ordained praise? So the children were

praising Jesus, and then the people are not very happy, like are saying,

hey, how come the children can praise you like that? Did Jesus

reply them with an answer? No, he replied them with a question.

He said, from the lips of children and infants? Have you never read

from the lips of children and infantcy have ordained praise? So the reason why

Jesus usually answers a question with a question, it is a way of coaching.

Have you all gone coaching? Have you done a coaching scenario before somebody

comes to you and say, hey, I got a problem I need your

help. Then the coach, so tell me. Once you're they say,

then you tell them a problem. Then they say, so what do you

think you want to do about it? Then you'll be like, I'm here

to ask you to tell me the solution. What do you think about it?

How do you feel? What do you think is the next step you

should do? And that's what coaches do. Coaches reveal take a torchlight,

go into your mind, turns on the torchlight and shows you the experiences to

draw it from. So Jesus already knew that Philip had what it takes to

do this miracle. So first thing is test, right, next one.

So before you test, you have to go through training, right, So

do you think that the Philip and the other disciples went through training before his

test? What training do you think they went? Oh, spots, not

really sports, Jesus, Jesus sermons. Okay, maybe Next line the start

of the story. It says some time after. This means there was before

and this is John verse chapter six. So before this, right, there

were many things that Jesus was doing with his disciples. Next line. Some

of the miracles that Jesus performed before this was the disciples catching board loads of

fish after listening to Jesus. Another scenario was Jesus healed the boy at Capenam.

Remember the boy is going to die. The father came here and pleaded

with Jesus, and Jesus told the father to go back, your son is

healed, and the boy was healed. Next one, Jesus healed the man

at the pool of Bethsheba. That shada. Sorry, so totally different biblical

reference, just to see whether you're not paying attention. But this guy was

crippled. He couldn't reach the pool, but Jesus healed him right. Next

one, and Jesus and the Samaritan woman. He knew what the Samaritan woman

was going through, and he the Samaritan woman, and the whole village was

came to know Jesus, so that all this right. The disciples experienced it

with Jesus. They knew what Jesus is capable of, They knew what he

could do, They knew he could heal. But why when Jesus tested them

they couldn't answer when Jesus asked them, what should we do? Now?

You feed them? Remember the scripture said Jesus was testing them. So Jesus

will only test us on what we have experienced with him. Okay, and

sometimes right we may have. How many of us have testimonies? You have

had testimonies before. All the testimonies are your training and experience. Do you

know that every time I share testimony, I'm a bit scared, because right

I have experienced that every time I share a testimony, I have gone to

a next level. The next level has the next levil, you know,

and you are going from strength to strength, to glory to glory. So

God is with you, and your testimony is not for your benefit. It's

for you to glorify God. So every time we are going through a time

of testing. We have had the training. Sometimes we forget, we forget

the training, we forget the experience, we forget the testimonies. And that's

why we forget who God is. So Philip, although he followed Jesus,

he had no idea how to feed the five thousand. Okay, next,

so because Philip, Jesus asked Philip right, Philip was immediately he was flustered.

He was frustrated. He said that he's gonna take half a year wages

two feed because, like I said, right, five thousand men, and

then most likely it will be like ten thousand. And this is how Philip

answered. He answered in timidness. Next line, Jesus, Philip answered,

it would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each

one to have a bite. Put yourself in Philip's shoes. You have just

caught so much of fish. You have seen Jesus heal the boy. You

have seen a lame men walk. You have seen Jesus tell a Samaritan woman

of everything she has done and forgiven her. How would you respond to Jesus

when he asked you a question? If Jesus asked you, you go and

feed the five thousand. How would you respond? How would you respond?

What do you want me to do? Right? That is the right response.

Yes, Lord tell me what to do right. But a lot of

us we depend on our own strength. Okay, next line. So when

Jesus asks us a question, gee, I told you right. Jesus loves

to answer our question with a question. When he answered us with a question,

we should take that question with anticipation instead of exasperation. Anticipate you're like,

if Jesus is asking me, man, it means that I'm going to

be part of the solution. And you have that anticipatient, you know that,

Wow, God is going to use me. If Philip had that kind

of thing, right, Jesus asked him, how now you go and feed

them? If Philip had that antisupatient, he'll be like, Wow, there's

going to be a miracle that God is going to use me for. But

a lot of times when God asks us asks us to do something, you

see a problem, right, you go and do something. You'll be like,

huh, why me, I don't know, I don't have enough,

and then you act you're exasperated. You get frustrated, instead of when God

is asking you to do something. Instead of anticipating and partnering with God,

you feel that it's a burden. Okay, So next light Isaysia in First

Timothy for commandos who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant,

nor put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put

their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Why do I put this worse? I put this worse because when Jesus asked

Philip a question, Philip's immediate response he taught the answer was money. Philip

said, it will take half a year wages, and most of us will

think that the solution to our problem is money. God, I don't have

enough. God, I can't do it. I don't have enough resources.

Sometimes you say I don't have enough, I don't have the connections. Next

line, do not put your trust in princess. In human beings who cannot

save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground. On that

very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the

Lord, the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

So you can see right when Jesus asks hey, why don't you do

something about it? Our first response usually is God, I don't have the

money. Oh God, I don't have the influence. But God is not

asking you for that. You know, God is not asking us for that.

God is not asking us to be to look at our limitations. Okay,

next line? What is he looking for? He wants us to recognize

the truth. So instead of our timidness and looking at our limitation, he

wants us to recognize the truth. And what is the truth? Next line,

So another of his disciples, Andrew Simon, Peter's brother, spoke up.

Here is a boy with five small bally loaves and two small fish.

But how far will they go among so many? So you think about it,

right, it's a crowd of people, five thousand minimum, most likely

close to ten thousand. Everyone is hungry, Everyone is hungry. Most people

would have brought their own most people some. If you're a mom, you're

brought something for your kids. But out of the five thousand plus people,

only they can find one boy. How come do you think that there was

in that crowd of people? There was only five bali loaves and two fish.

No, I don't think so. I think there was a lot more

food, but why wasn't it offered? People were holding it back when God

is asking us to partner with him. We are scared of letting go what

we have. Why are we scared of letting go of what we have?

It's because we don't know the truth. And the truth is God is good

and God will not shot changes. So you think about it. Right,

the boy came up five bally loaf and two fish, so an idea,

a bit of research, right, bally loaves is actually the food for poorer

people. The people who are more well to do, they ate wheat and

bally loaves are like one third the price. So this guy came from a

poor family. And the two small fish, right, it's not like one

tangiri too tangiri, you know, it's like maybe one he can't believes,

two he can't believes. It's like the small fish. They were saying,

it's more like flavor for the bally loaves. But this small boy, imagine

you're that poor, you'll probably go. I mean, this is all he

had, maybe the whole day. But he was willing to give it up

to God. Why it's because he knew the truth and what talent do you

think this boy had what talent? Do you think this boy had generosity?

Giving? He has faith, He wanted to help different ones, And that's

talent as well. It is not the five lows and two fish, you

know. The five low and two fish is not the talent. The talent

is the ability to give and to serve God with whatever you have. Okay,

So if I go to the next line, well, yeah, so

it says here, believe me when I say that I am in the Father

and the Father is in me, or at least believe on the evidence of

the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes in me

will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater

than these things. You want to do greater things than God. You want

to do greater things than Jesus. How many of us wants to do greater

things than Jesus. It is there for you to take. It is a

promise. But we have to believe in Him and we have to acknowledge the

truth. And when God answer asks us a question, we give the might

answer. God tell me where to go, God tell me what to do.

God show me how. Don't give excuses, don't depend on money and

the limitation of resources. But give God our best because that is the truth.

Okay, And what's next line, So says, yeah, he called

a little child to him and placed the child among them, and he said,

truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,

you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the

lowly position of this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. So

kids, right, have childlike faith. I remember, right. I think

there was an example I had I chat with all that I got that time

I got caught using the phone. Now God caught using the phone, and

then I had to go to court. I had to go to the court

for a court case because I use my phone. So I was telling my

kids are saying, hey see, I break the rule. I had to

pay the price. I prayed the price, and then I have to go.

So I remember Jude was like saving money. He's like, Daddy,

this is the money. This is some money that can can pay for the

thing so that you won't have to go to jail, you know. And

then that's the same response that I got. Oh, but he wanted to

give us all because the quest. And that's how our father wants us to

respond. He doesn't need it, no, but he just he just wants,

He wants to know our heart. Do we true believed that he's a

good God? We truly want to be a blessing to him? Right?

Okay? Next line, So this is the last tea. The talent is

multiplied. When you know the truth, and you saw your talent in truth,

your talent will be multiplied. What happened to the people who held back

everything that they had nothing? You probably had a packet of nazi lama after

the thing. You'll still have a packet of Nazi lama. You have one

fried chicken. You have one fried chicken. This guy, this kid,

five balilos, two fish. He went back with so much more. He

went back with so much more. Okay, next line. Jee took the

loaves, gave tanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as

they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they all had

enough to eat, he said to his disciples, gathered the pieces that are

left over. Let nothing be wasted. So they gathered them and filled twelve

baskets with the pieces of five valley loaves. Left over by those who had

eaten. So the first part here right as much as they wanted. Sometimes

right with whatever talent we have, we squeeze it so tight because we are

scared to let go. But one of the best depictions I remember having,

right sometimes as a kid, we hold on to our chocolates or sweet so

tight when you are French fries, French fries or quite French rice or nuggets,

so very important currency for kids. So you ask them a can I

have one, and some kids they will share. Some kids they will hold

on very tight. But what they don't know, right is the parent has

the wealth to buy a million friend fries, you know, or a million

nuggets or a million whatever it is. And sometimes when we give to God,

God will give us back as much as we want because he knows he

can trust us. Right next line, so even as a draw to us

at end right on, share this story. So this guy, this guy

is this guy called Jack Hill Naim Jackson. So um. Last time we

were watching this show on Disney Plus. So it's called Marvel Heroes, I

think our heroes something like right, yeah, along those lines. So it

just showcases different kids who are doing different kids who are doing extraordinary things.

So this kid, five years old, he followed his grandmother into the town

to go and help those who are needy and homeless. And when he followed

the grandmother, I think he was really touched, and I think the question

came to him, what can you do? The same question that Jesus will

sometimes ask us, And that question came to him, what can I do

to help? So he went back, he told his parents, he told

his grandma, we need to help these people. So he started collecting stuff

and started putting them into the bags, you know those kind of bags that

you see on the right of essential items. He collected and started passing it

to homeless people. Soon he grew to a thousand packs. Soon he grew

to ten thousand. Soon companies were involved in it. And right now he's

like, I think he's about fifteen or sixteen years old. So Marvel found

his story and they created as comic about him because he's a superhero. He's

an ordinary guy who used his talents to serve the people, and God just

multiplied it. So right now, right he's the top fifteen under fifteen.

Wow, I didn't even know there's a category top fifteen under fifteen. You

know so now you hear top thirteen, under thirty right, top fifteen,

fifteen. He has his own marvel comic. President Obama has recognized him,

and he has and this is just the start. He has so many things,

and sometimes right we think we want to use our talent for our glory,

but that is so small minded. When we use our talents to serve

God, God can use that to bless so much more than what we could

ask or imagine. Remember the boy when he sold his talent, right,

he was blessed abundantly. He had more than enough, and apart from that,

he blessed more than five thousand people. So, church, right now,

even as I draw towards the close, do you have a talent?

The answer is yes, And God is asking you. I've given you a

talent? What are you doing with it? Who are you helping? Right,

there's a few scriptures I just wanted to share, even as a close

next light, as each one has received a gift, minister to one another

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let

him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do

it with the ability which God supplies that in all things God may be glorified

through Jesus Christ, to whom belonged the glory and the dominion forever and ever

So Church, this is the word of God. Each one has received a

gift. If you do not know your gift, look for it, seek

God, and use it to glorify God. Because using it for our glory

is just too small. It's just too small. God wants to us.

He blesses us to be a blessing man. And there's just two quotes,

right. The only way you can serve God is by serving people. The

only way you can serve God by serving people. So find out what your

talent is. Find out God, how can I use this to help people?

And the last slide. Your talent is God's gift to you, but

what you do with it is your gift back to God. So what are

you doing with your gift today? To be honest, I share right as

I was preparing this, I had a very busy week last week or so,

I was preaching, so I was put all my I was preparing for

that, and then this week I thought, Okay, I have some time

to prepare. But it was a very busy week. And then on Friday

we took a short break, Jess and me. So we went somewhere into

a jungle and I thought, okay, I can probably prepare the e in

the case, not that go inside. There got no lines, ahe no

line so and then and then came to me, I mean, I thought

that, hey, why am I doing this actually for water? You know?

And I felt like frustrated and stuff. And and then this is the

sermon that came to me. Your talent is God's give to you. How

you use it is your gift back to Him. So it's not about me.

It's not about me. And right now, church, let's repent and

just remember God, thank you for blessings. Thank you for giving us gifts

so that we can be a blessing. The only way to serve God is

to serve people. He man. We hope you've been blessed by this message.

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to be a good week, a hit for you. God, bless