Take It To The Bank - Pastor Stacey Shiflett

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Take It To The Bank

Luke 19:11-27 (text verse 23)

I. Some Things Are Going to be Entrusted – vs. 13

We have been given so many things.

God has entrusted unto us an amazing array of things.

We have been entrusted with:

               A. The Grace of God

• Ephesians 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

• 1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

               B. The Spirit of God

• Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

• 2 Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

               C. The Word of God

• John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them

               D. The Ministry of Reconciliation

• 2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

               E. The House of God

               F. The Man of God

• Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

II. Some Things Are Going to be Expected – vs. 13b

OCCUPY: to be occupied in anything; to carry on a business; to carry on the business of a banker or a trader

Take what God gave you and put it to work.

NOTE – vs. 14 The problem with these servants was they refused to submit to the authority of their master.

• 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

People want the blessings of God but they do not want the accountability that comes with it.

• Luke 12:48 For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

I have found that many Christians want the REWARDS, but they despise the REQUIREMENTS that is attached to it.

• 1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

REQUIRED: to seek in order to find; to seek a thing; to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into; require, demand; to crave, demand something from someone

God expects a return on His investment.

God expects you to turn a profit.

Luke 17

• 7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

• 8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

• 9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

• 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

III. Some Things Are Going to be Evaluated – vs. 15

• 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

Make no mistake; the day of reckoning is coming!

• Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

ACCOUNT: to reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over; to take into account, to make an account of; metaph. to pass to one’s account, to impute; a thing is reckoned as or to be something, i.e. as availing for or equivalent to something, as having the like force and weight; to reckon inward, count up or weigh the reasons, to deliberate; by reckoning up all the reasons, to gather or infer; to consider, take into account, weigh, meditate on; to suppose, deem, judge; to determine, purpose, decide

CONCLUSION: When was the last time you took inventory of what God has given to you?

When was the last time you run the numbers to see what you’ve done with it?

If you are not saved, and you have heard the Gospel – TAKE IT TO THE BANK – you will give an account to God!!

You had the opportunity to receive Christ, and you rejected Him.

There will be a tremendous penalty for rejecting Jesus!

Revelation 20

• 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

• 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

• 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

• 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

• 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.