Double Or Nothing Series

Double or Nothing - Sermon 4 of 4

Matthew 25:20 - And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

Sermon:

This week as we bring this time of sharing on this subject to a close, I want to begin with bad news first. Far too many of God’s children are burying their gifts and talents out of fear. Consequently, God cannot beless us with the increase. Fear is the diametric opposite of faith.

Everything my faith says I can do fear says I cannot.

Everything my faith says I can accomplish fear says I will fail.

In fact fear will arrest your spirit and numb your ability to be creative. It is time to stop the madness and get rid of our fear, today. God has not given us the spirit of fear, so why claim it? Ask somebody, “What are you doing with somebody else’s stuff?”

What are you doing with somebody else’s stress?

What are you doing with somebody else’s anxiety?

What are you doing with somebody else’s issues?

What are you doing with somebody else’s problems?

What are you doing with somebody else’s confession?

You don’t have room for all that mess. God has invested too much in you to be dealing with somebody else’s demon.

You got too much word in you…

You got too much love in you…

You got too much joy in you…

You got too much peace in you…

You got too much revelation in you…

You got too much information in you…

You got too much inspiration in you…

You got too much destiny in you…

You got too much God in you to be stressed and stretched out like this. Tell somebody, “Give the devil back his stuff!”

Give the devil back his stress!

Give the devil back his anxiety!

Give the devil back his issues!

Give the devil back his problems!

Give the devil back his confusion!

Give the devil back his fear!

From here on out if it ain’t mine I don’t want it. What God has for me, is for me and someway somehow if I can survive the process, what’s coming to me will come. But I’m not going to rush it. I’m not going to get in a hurry. I’m going be like David in Psalms 40 and wait patiently on the Lord because after while he’s got to incline his ear unto me and hear my cry.

Here’s what you got to understand. Good stewardship doing the most with whatever God gives. So as he gives you time, it is your responsibility as a good steward to use it the best you can. Ephesians 5 says we are to redeem the times, but the NIV of the same verse says that we are to make the most of every opportunity, because the last thing that we want to be is unprofitable. Yet most of us are not investing and a little further into the context of our text, the benefactor rebuked the man that did not invest. He saved what he had, but he failed to invest what he had been given. If you believe that God is going to increase you like we’ve been talking about all month, you need to invest in what you believe. You can’t expect a harvest where there has been no investment.

Every farmer knows that a little seed, planted in good soil and well tended, will produce a harvest exponentially greater than the original seed. For example, each seed of corn invested in the ground has the potential to grow into a stalk that will minimally produce a couple ears of corn, each ear containing numerous kernels. Likewise, when you plant your money in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or any of a number of investment opportunities, he will receive a return that is greater than his initial investment. A seed of money planted at a certain interest rate will grow exponentially over the years if it remains untouched. $2,000 invested in the stock market at 11 percent interest per year would be worth about $53,416.19 after 30 years. Compounded interest causes money to grow greater the longer it is planted. Two dollars a day invested at a 13.17 percent annual return will grow to over $1 million after 46 years. So if you start early in life and invest a minimal amount, you can potentially retire as a millionaire. But like the farmer, you plant something to get a harvest.

The reason we are struggling is because we haven’t used resources that God has given. God gives acorns; we invest in that acorn and end up with trees. Despise not the day of small beginning.