The Sermon Miser Vs Giving by David McGee
Jan 19, 2014
Miser Vs Giving (35:08)
Referenced Scriptures: Luke 11:1-13; Luke 12:16-22
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The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
Luke 11:1-13
1) It happened, that when he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples."
2) He said to them, "When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, May your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come. May your desire be done on Earth, as it is in heaven.
3) Give us day by day our daily bread.
4) Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.‘"
5) He said to them, "Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
6) for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,‘
7) and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don‘t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can‘t get up and give it to you‘?
8) I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs.
9) I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.
10) For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
11) Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won‘t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?
12) Or if he asks for an egg, he won‘t give him a scorpion, will he?
13) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
Luke 12:16-22
16) He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly.
17) He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don‘t have room to store my crops?‘
18) He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19) I will tell my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry."‘
20) But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared -- whose will they be?‘
21) So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
22) He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, don‘t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear.
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Chapter 11 beginning in verse one and the title of our section here in the Scripture from the message Bible is ask for what you need and I will. I wish you, your gut. Maybe a lap later say what an earth as pastor doing now is how miser versus giving miser versus giving and will find out what this is a little bit Outlook areas of a miser versus giving the pleasant scourge that said Sjostrom is our miser and were not what I thought about screws just yet, but any Outlook Chapter 11 beginning of verse one. One day he was praying a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said master, teach us to pray, just as Doctor John taught his disciples. So he said, when you pray, say, father reveal who you are. Set the world right keep us alive with three square meals, keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others keep us safe from ourselves and the devil, they said, imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said friend, lend me three wolves. The bread and old friend traveling through just showed up and I don't have a thing on hand. The friend answered from his bed, don't bother me. Yours locked my children are all down for the night. I can't get up to give you anything but let me tell you, even he won't get up because he's a friend. If you stand your ground, knocking and walking all waking all the neighbors to finally get up and get you whatever you need, so I'm coming to your house beaten on the door to give me what I want me what I'm saying and you'll get it seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat and mouse hide and seek game wherein if you're a little boy asked force or ask for a serving of fish you scared him with a live snake on his plate. If your little growl ask for in a you tracker with a spider as bad as you are. You wouldn't think of such a thing. Your at least decent to your own children and don't you think the father who can see you in love will give the Holy Spirit. When you ask someone we think of the idea voice and will earlier that we are the people of the spirit with other people recognize God 's presence with us, and that it in this presence of God, we find our everyday life. I had our everyday surroundings that God is with us and helping us in guiding us while they've left the Christmas season and you realize it's only been four Sundays since on the Christmas program for Sunday's twenty six days run instead for Sunday the twenty eight businesses know twenty six days since Christmas, sunset twenty six days since Christmas. I maintain a dozen and feels like Christmas feel so long ago, so what did you get for Christmas that is still working using in somebody's wearing popcorn popper. How do I really splurge as you're not run a popcorn Popper, so they have a eighty LCD. Think about what you're wearing. Using what you gave the people were still wearing working using, wearing whatever. If you go to the mall duking Christmas trees for seventy five percent off, closing one hundred Christmas tree for next year, so I in the past the Christmas season, didn't you ever watched a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Watch Chris Mister and we all thought more than once. Sometimes it just on in our hour again what is already different kinds in so many different versions I I I don't not particularly like the Bill Murray one but I want units on a lot sightseeing that once the Disney animated one the movies in others all different kinds of movies. The old one. They have of screws us on his way. Look at this character and we see the highlights of this guy named Scrooge what you think of him what you think of Scrooge what that facts that right to see Brian, I think they will now cast on the bag, but the central truth of the message is, there is a scourge of all of us and that is why the movie and the FA yet you how to be up to offset but wait, we find why does the movie. It has such an appeal because there's a Scrooge in all of us. Now Scrooge is the character trait of Scrooge is that he is a miser. Okay I'm nicer now a miser is a person who is reluctant to spend something, but it's more than that spelled something to the point of foregoing e-mailed the basic comforts of some necessities in order to award the money or the possessions, so there's like three part being a miser. One reluctant to spend. Now we all are sometimes in that one bar to the plaintiff for drawing basic comforts never and in the movie we had him not be when you conflict: the furnace, you know, crap puts his name ratchet scratch it can put: there is the own after three months, now is a miser, he will he will forgo all the basic comforts in order to port his money or possessions, so it's not just being mean with money, but accompanied with taking the light according so jamming, according to a miser is a Baja humbug experience now and giving or hoarding and greed are China opposite sides of the same coin and grade is also known for its access grade is known for its access and that means people forgo many things in order to keep so spiritually grade is way well into our spiritual well-being for the future over some type of physical pleasure in the present great willing to forgo what we ought. We talk about. We are people of eternal life. We are people of God 's presence. We are people of God 's blessing. We are people in grade. We are people who will eat the seed of the corners both the plateau, regional high risk because we don't think it will grow. It is a because were hungry. This is because we all think it's worth investing in the grounds of work. I keep it just in case it doesn't route. So that's the greed and the hoarding so Scrooge is a character where these qualities of the hoarding are confocal lives and so they called hearted miser who despises Christmas despises its joy and despises the pleasure of giving is this guy called Ebenezer Scrooge in our Dickens, the story of the considers Christmas this Christmas story came from the Scrooge, while it stands from a grave marker, he saw in eighteen forty one, is walking on in a independent date kirkyard in Edinburgh and ever neither Lennox Carucci, Ebenezer Lennox Scrooge. He is the name on a headstone and his occupation was on the headstone and it was a meal man. He was dealer in core. He was a mailman and Dickens. This red, the mailman to be a now mean that Dickens miss read the mailman to be a mean man, and he wrote that is a fillet felt that Scrooge is soul would be must have had a shriveled soul in order to be a person who would have the designation of his life on her tombstone as the mean man, and it's from that that the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Now remember, no one here is Ebenezer Scrooge to FFF I got right now that no one here is Ebenezer Scrooge, because if you are an easy screwed, you wouldn't be here okay man, nor are we Jesus Christ incarnate, because if you are the exact image and raptly on Jesus you be in heaven. Okay, so none of us are Ebenezer and none of us are perfect, as Christ and walk with God. I was so the message today is to see the Scrooge of all of us, so he does go home, good, you know, you don't have it right, it is not always going to talk about me today and only this, so the message of the gospel is what is more blessed to give than to receive that the next twenty. So when we were in darkness. It's it I was reading this sometime back in the state about how that when people are in darkness. They are in total darkness, and when they are in like they are in toll like no when we were lost. The darkness casts its shadow of its inability to see upon our life. And whenever we are in the light, following Christ the light of Christ in shines upon our life. And so in the tax invalid Chapter 11, it says about us asking, well, whatever we are in the light, following Christ were not perfect. There's still aspects of our nature are Scrooge that is still there in the challenge for the Christian and the challenge for us and walking the light is to see how the light of Christ is reflected upon every area of our life and that there are times in which we limit our spiritual block by our preconceived Scrooges so I think that the word right. Scrooge -isms. It is now, but it is not there. It's now it's it did, namely he is him that the Scrooges on my cell in a text& ask for what you need the Scrooge character is not someone who would ask because Scrooge is self-sufficient. He self-sustaining. He selfish Lord. Verse one, says the Lord to just fray, going to do every verse. I didn't even take highlights of these verses in Barcelona, says the disciples are with Jesus and their wanting them to a money Jesus to teach and to pray now are the disciples really in tune for the spirituality or are they wanting to do some of the things that Jesus is doing so that they can be elevated by the people as Jesus is on now in a completely well defined spiritual world, we would say that the disciples were very spiritually in tune. Well, sorry to say the disciples work they were still trying to figure this whole thing out. And even if in the time of the crucifixion and thought they still than have it figured out because they're trying to get Jesus to tell them, and I settled in, I want Jesus to give information to sit on his writer 's life when he comes into his kingdom, so they still have this together so probably this is a this is an aspect of their Scrooge characteristic is that they want Jesus to teach them how to pray, so they can get what Jesus is doing and be able to do on around you disagree with that, but it's okay so it was more of an elevating themselves than it was. I'm an elevating of God, and you see Jesus doesn't hammer them are jump on them. He just simply begins to teach them any a seat. This is the part of our life where we recognize that God is an about straightening you out you come over here on the straightening out boy, I brought you into this world and take you out the beatings will continue until the attitude changes. There is not bad of in the AL God, where that type of a disciplinary antenna type that type of a God. None of us would have a prayer. So even if the disciples are in this mode of know they really haven't got a string value. Jesus is in the process of teaching us and in our studies. The lesson we were trying about Ecclesiastes, and how Solomon is looking at time and the value of time knows a time to be born in a time to die find about relationships and talking about with the farming community. There's a time to kill animals for food is a time to tear down and is a time to rebuild as a time to tear down your old house because it's falling apart and build another one. So Solomon is talking about the value of time and in our lives were looking at the value of time and God has eternity, and he has the rest of your life to take you where you need to be the challenge for us is to get there. So Jesus presents to the disciples towards what we call the Lords prayer, and he starts off by saying our father. Now disciples want an all-inclusive prayer, but did they want a specific prayer, my God, not our God and Jesus teach me how to pray so that I can do this for me. That's the one I'm I going to get out of my faith and how is my faith going to work for me so that I can get what I want so I can arrive at where I need to be at the Scrooges on give is to present a gift. Okay, give is the idea presenting a gift verse three. Give us this day our daily bread, do you think a Scrooge or a miser. How do you think is a miser would look at this get us this day our daily bread. Know what is a miser. If the person who will forgo all the basic needs in order to horde in high you seek gaming on us this day means that God is going to give us a daily provision on my theater will look at what he's got will take a portion of what he's got a leave and always hungry, and even though he doesn't have a middle is enough for this day, he's not going to use it. He's going to hide it. Those moldings not talking about saving and putting things away and at times was nothing about that at all. This is about a hoarder who looks at whatever he has anything to take part of what he has these been to do without in order that he can keep it separate, so they can use it later. Now that's a good thing if it is done right, it's a bad thing was done like Scrooge, so him in the wilderness when the children of Israel in the wilderness. What were they to do with the manner and I remember every day and adopt there was Nana and if they collected more than enough food for the day because the native light up tomorrow and get it. What happened to maggots in rotting what was God teaching them teaching them daily provision that God is going to take care of you each day so the hoarder. The miser is an individual who's going to take God 's provisions, and not, and not use them, but take them and put them away selfishly, forgive us our sins as we forgive others. So how would this penny printer. This is these are the words that go with miser Penny picture cheapskate skinflint tightwad quarter pack rat. How would they approach forgiveness. I went out with this pennypinching packrat approach forgiveness. You know what you given too much forgiveness, the worse it off. I may forgive him, but don't ever don't ever expect me to you. I'm not forgiven them. In what they did to me. See Scrooge is a self justifier through the events of his life through the events of his life as he people arrive. We don't arrive. We arrive where we are at based upon our perception of what is happened in our life that we all have a story we all have hurts, we all have a story we all have pain we all have them. It's what we've done and how the attitudes we have established, and the attitudes that we have established how that they have come together to form an opinion of our present day so and his own mind. Scrooge is completely justified in his attitudes and his actions in all places whenever they ask him for July to contribute to the to the children and on all the senses aren't orphanages for the kids, but where did he grow up the daily not overcome those difficulties and establish himself as a very prestigious individual in his own mind. So if I can do it, you can do it on a given up anything. The people does nobody ever gave me obtaining so you see in this Scrooge in all of us were often justified in our actions is he God is not looking far our own self-justification. We have reasons why we don't forgive, we have reasons why we withhold we have reasons why we don't do what we do know there are reasons that the Scrooge in all of us defeat this scourge and all of us limits what God wants to do in us now were not lost in the sense of going to hell euros spend eternity. Now lets you change no that we look at this idea of what has happened in the past, the events in the decisions that we made and how that we can this place in our life. And guess what, there are justifiable that we came here. Logically, we came to our understanding of ourselves and what is happening by the events of our life. So how does jump how does Scrooge began his transition, Juventus at Christmas time right after your business is a Christmas sermon. This is a trick center printer as well as you have for Christmas and then used, and yet again, and before it's too late. No, this one of things that came up so. The who are the ones that help Scrooge find out what's going on in his life. The three three ghost three, spirits okay and this race lyrics cover the events. The good and the bad cover the reason for his decisions on the Y and they see the outcome of his decisions, so the same to be done. With each of us. We all have the past events. The good and the bad. We all have a present, the actions the house and the wise and we all have a future. There is an outcome to our actions. So if we continue on our current path, given our present attitudes which are formulated by understandings and actions of the past where we got into the forgiveness is a Baja humbug hardhearted miser Google Luke eleven verse five through seven, he says you're in need. A friend has come to your house and you don't have anything to eat, so you go through another friend and knock on his door. No, Jesus is telling the story about God because another yet another Houston friends house. He knocked on the door and a friend tells you, and he's a Scrooge, as he's in bed isn't that anything out of it for you. And this is not even really got soaked as if this is picture of God being a Scrooge not getting to us what we ask of me wanted and what Jesus is telling us is there's two different stories and God is a Scrooge. But what is telling us is that we need to be persistent in our need and why is the man who is making the request, not a Scrooge. He is asking for something that God that he would receive so he could get the something out to someone else the value of our life is not in what we get in horde and put away the value is and what God has given us to share and how that we are going to plant and solid in the lives of others. And here we have this individual knocking at the door and he and Jesus telling us he gets it, not because the friend is a really good friend, but he doesn't want the neighbors awakened by his persistent knocking and waking the neighbors Lisa God that give the man we want because his persistence. These persistent and recognizing the need of his friends, and so he is going to do twenty two to make to provide for the needs of his friends. Okay I thought of out of this one. What if the guy was knocking his Scrooge UK LA will first of all, this guy was really my friend in one comment night and if he was right. My friend to bring his own food and feed me why Kate and airfields. My friend Rick, Ryan talking about is also any effect me and I would have to be out and knocking on the door trying to get credit for my friends to take care of this lowlife. I thought that was funny that the and FBI are doing to discourage visitors, this idea that none of us are perfect and I don't know what your scenario is, but I'm sure we all have scenarios that we can look at and say oh my God, and what were doing is missing the point is to is like the parable of the rich man in Luke chapter twelve, verses sixteen hundred units. The two civilizations. They spoke a parable under the same and run the ground of a certain rich man yielded plenty and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do since I have no room to store the crops, he said I will do this. I will pull down my barns and build bigger and so there will be store all my crops and my goods. Description why because he is. I jumped up a few volumes. I guess that was the point of emphasis that you want some earplugs for the concert. I have them so as you described. Why, because he recognizes that I have and I got more and I'm not giving you anything, build bigger blinds and family keep it for myself. He's a miser, so, so what changed Scrooge was at the tree spirits now with the realities of his life, seen from a future perspective that this is really going to turn out that unless I change my future is going to really be bad and it was in the past. He saw and injured child. He saw that his response to events that established an attitude and an action he saw the presence in which it was hurting others by withholding what he had and he was withholding himself. You see how that the miser is not just withholding goods. It's developing an attitude of withholding itself, and it is used, the giving of ourselves that is the most important gift that we have what we possess is not as important as the person who possesses that you and so we are called upon them as we look at this, he saw that he was hurting other people by not participating in their life. And of course, the third was in seeing the future in which everything was they were laughing at young bodies. Daddy 's gone and all that that the thing the hottest life change verse nine and I say unto you, ask asking expresses an openness and a willingness to receive the if we don't ask you, we use a story about about men and women asking directions. Men won't ask for. They know the way that best so it out if you just asked me to find our way, but in while the idea is doesn't matter if it's a matter woman matters that it's an openness are we willing to receive in our life to see something different than what we have concluded and we all haven't we all have our circle that we live in. Everybody has and we have arrived at the circle of life and we can run around our circle. We can know it completely in and outs and no ever, and but the thing is, like, and in the Psalms. It talks about God expand our boundaries expand our borders. What what we what we see is that when we get close to our borders are boundaries. We don't go there because that's not a safe place. God wants us to look at our boundaries and keep stepping over them, and expanding them because our life is more than what we have and our attitudes need to be greater than what they are and whenever we see how God is going to work in our lives. It takes us to a point where we are able to receive what God wants to instill in our lives. We all have in us. But the most important thing is we all have. Jesus Christ and because of Christ being alive in us, we are able to ask means we have an openness we are able to knock in you have an expectation that things can change, but there are doors of opportunity yet to be open as seek that we literally see for things we sit for things that are beyond our limitations beyond our personal circle beyond our knowledge base so we are looking at how that God is at work to take us and to develop this person that he has created and that he loves, and that he wants to take us to a place we haven't got there yet but being a miser as the Scrooge X what we have because we take it. We hoard it and we don't use it. We turn on our barns and build bigger barns, but the giver in us is seeking how that God can distill upon our lives. We can increase who we are to be able to touch the lives of others. The that will make a difference. Ebenezer Scrooge. He withheld not only his goods. He withheld himself and when was all over. He was alone in eternity in chains for us. We have an eternity with Christ in a limitless freedom and so as we go there and we look back on the present matter what were facing is not that difficult. Because God is with us and we are asking. We are seeking. We are knocking and God will make a difference in our life as we receive. Thanks we bless, we thanked we receive we give, and God keeps flowing through us, it is more blessed to give than to receive. So is there father, we thank you for your blessings. We thank you for our life. You have brought us to this place, you brought us to this time you brought us here, Lord, for purpose and Lord we pray that your spirit will help us in every situation we find ourselves in to see the best of the season. How many can be changed and how that your spirit to make a difference in us, and how the we can view the. Your love of God in our lives, we thank you for Vincent Masco got your blessing upon our lives, our families and Lord our community just for out your Spirit upon us. Oh Lord, we pray that we might be receptive that we might be freely. We receive and freely give. We pray in Jesus name and everyone said amenChapter 11 beginning in verse one and the title of our section here in the Scripture from the message Bible is ask for what you need and I will. I wish you, your gut. Maybe a lap later say what an earth as pastor doing now is how miser versus giving miser versus giving and will find out what this is a little bit Outlook areas of a miser versus giving the pleasant scourge that said Sjostrom is our miser and were not what I thought about screws just yet, but any Outlook Chapter 11 beginning of verse one. One day he was praying a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said master, teach us to pray, just as Doctor John taught his disciples. So he said, when you pray, say, father reveal who you are. Set the world right keep us alive with three square meals, keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others keep us safe from ourselves and the devil, they said, imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said friend, lend me three wolves. The bread and old friend traveling through just showed up and I don't have a thing on hand. The friend answered from his bed, don't bother me. Yours locked my children are all down for the night. I can't get up to give you anything but let me tell you, even he won't get up because he's a friend. If you stand your ground, knocking and walking all waking all the neighbors to finally get up and get you whatever you need, so I'm coming to your house beaten on the door to give me what I want me what I'm saying and you'll get it seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat and mouse hide and seek game wherein if you're a little boy asked force or ask for a serving of fish you scared him with a live snake on his plate. If your little growl ask for in a you tracker with a spider as bad as you are. You wouldn't think of such a thing. Your at least decent to your own children and don't you think the father who can see you in love will give the Holy Spirit. When you ask someone we think of the idea voice and will earlier that we are the people of the spirit with other people recognize God 's presence with us, and that it in this presence of God, we find our everyday life. I had our everyday surroundings that God is with us and helping us in guiding us while they've left the Christmas season and you realize it's only been four Sundays since on the Christmas program for Sunday's twenty six days run instead for Sunday the twenty eight businesses know twenty six days since Christmas, sunset twenty six days since Christmas. I maintain a dozen and feels like Christmas feel so long ago, so what did you get for Christmas that is still working using in somebody's wearing popcorn popper. How do I really splurge as you're not run a popcorn Popper, so they have a eighty LCD. Think about what you're wearing. Using what you gave the people were still wearing working using, wearing whatever. If you go to the mall duking Christmas trees for seventy five percent off, closing one hundred Christmas tree for next year, so I in the past the Christmas season, didn't you ever watched a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Watch Chris Mister and we all thought more than once. Sometimes it just on in our hour again what is already different kinds in so many different versions I I I don't not particularly like the Bill Murray one but I want units on a lot sightseeing that once the Disney animated one the movies in others all different kinds of movies. The old one. They have of screws us on his way. Look at this character and we see the highlights of this guy named Scrooge what you think of him what you think of Scrooge what that facts that right to see Brian, I think they will now cast on the bag, but the central truth of the message is, there is a scourge of all of us and that is why the movie and the FA yet you how to be up to offset but wait, we find why does the movie. It has such an appeal because there's a Scrooge in all of us. Now Scrooge is the character trait of Scrooge is that he is a miser. Okay I'm nicer now a miser is a person who is reluctant to spend something, but it's more than that spelled something to the point of foregoing e-mailed the basic comforts of some necessities in order to award the money or the possessions, so there's like three part being a miser. One reluctant to spend. Now we all are sometimes in that one bar to the plaintiff for drawing basic comforts never and in the movie we had him not be when you conflict: the furnace, you know, crap puts his name ratchet scratch it can put: there is the own after three months, now is a miser, he will he will forgo all the basic comforts in order to port his money or possessions, so it's not just being mean with money, but accompanied with taking the light according so jamming, according to a miser is a Baja humbug experience now and giving or hoarding and greed are China opposite sides of the same coin and grade is also known for its access grade is known for its access and that means people forgo many things in order to keep so spiritually grade is way well into our spiritual well-being for the future over some type of physical pleasure in the present great willing to forgo what we ought. We talk about. We are people of eternal life. We are people of God 's presence. We are people of God 's blessing. We are people in grade. We are people who will eat the seed of the corners both the plateau, regional high risk because we don't think it will grow. It is a because were hungry. This is because we all think it's worth investing in the grounds of work. I keep it just in case it doesn't route. So that's the greed and the hoarding so Scrooge is a character where these qualities of the hoarding are confocal lives and so they called hearted miser who despises Christmas despises its joy and despises the pleasure of giving is this guy called Ebenezer Scrooge in our Dickens, the story of the considers Christmas this Christmas story came from the Scrooge, while it stands from a grave marker, he saw in eighteen forty one, is walking on in a independent date kirkyard in Edinburgh and ever neither Lennox Carucci, Ebenezer Lennox Scrooge. He is the name on a headstone and his occupation was on the headstone and it was a meal man. He was dealer in core. He was a mailman and Dickens. This red, the mailman to be a now mean that Dickens miss read the mailman to be a mean man, and he wrote that is a fillet felt that Scrooge is soul would be must have had a shriveled soul in order to be a person who would have the designation of his life on her tombstone as the mean man, and it's from that that the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Now remember, no one here is Ebenezer Scrooge to FFF I got right now that no one here is Ebenezer Scrooge, because if you are an easy screwed, you wouldn't be here okay man, nor are we Jesus Christ incarnate, because if you are the exact image and raptly on Jesus you be in heaven. Okay, so none of us are Ebenezer and none of us are perfect, as Christ and walk with God. I was so the message today is to see the Scrooge of all of us, so he does go home, good, you know, you don't have it right, it is not always going to talk about me today and only this, so the message of the gospel is what is more blessed to give than to receive that the next twenty. So when we were in darkness. It's it I was reading this sometime back in the state about how that when people are in darkness. They are in total darkness, and when they are in like they are in toll like no when we were lost. The darkness casts its shadow of its inability to see upon our life. And whenever we are in the light, following Christ the light of Christ in shines upon our life. And so in the tax invalid Chapter 11, it says about us asking, well, whatever we are in the light, following Christ were not perfect. There's still aspects of our nature are Scrooge that is still there in the challenge for the Christian and the challenge for us and walking the light is to see how the light of Christ is reflected upon every area of our life and that there are times in which we limit our spiritual block by our preconceived Scrooges so I think that the word right. Scrooge -isms. It is now, but it is not there. It's now it's it did, namely he is him that the Scrooges on my cell in a text& ask for what you need the Scrooge character is not someone who would ask because Scrooge is self-sufficient. He self-sustaining. He selfish Lord. Verse one, says the Lord to just fray, going to do every verse. I didn't even take highlights of these verses in Barcelona, says the disciples are with Jesus and their wanting them to a money Jesus to teach and to pray now are the disciples really in tune for the spirituality or are they wanting to do some of the things that Jesus is doing so that they can be elevated by the people as Jesus is on now in a completely well defined spiritual world, we would say that the disciples were very spiritually in tune. Well, sorry to say the disciples work they were still trying to figure this whole thing out. And even if in the time of the crucifixion and thought they still than have it figured out because they're trying to get Jesus to tell them, and I settled in, I want Jesus to give information to sit on his writer 's life when he comes into his kingdom, so they still have this together so probably this is a this is an aspect of their Scrooge characteristic is that they want Jesus to teach them how to pray, so they can get what Jesus is doing and be able to do on around you disagree with that, but it's okay so it was more of an elevating themselves than it was. I'm an elevating of God, and you see Jesus doesn't hammer them are jump on them. He just simply begins to teach them any a seat. This is the part of our life where we recognize that God is an about straightening you out you come over here on the straightening out boy, I brought you into this world and take you out the beatings will continue until the attitude changes. There is not bad of in the AL God, where that type of a disciplinary antenna type that type of a God. None of us would have a prayer. So even if the disciples are in this mode of know they really haven't got a string value. Jesus is in the process of teaching us and in our studies. The lesson we were trying about Ecclesiastes, and how Solomon is looking at time and the value of time knows a time to be born in a time to die find about relationships and talking about with the farming community. There's a time to kill animals for food is a time to tear down and is a time to rebuild as a time to tear down your old house because it's falling apart and build another one. So Solomon is talking about the value of time and in our lives were looking at the value of time and God has eternity, and he has the rest of your life to take you where you need to be the challenge for us is to get there. So Jesus presents to the disciples towards what we call the Lords prayer, and he starts off by saying our father. Now disciples want an all-inclusive prayer, but did they want a specific prayer, my God, not our God and Jesus teach me how to pray so that I can do this for me. That's the one I'm I going to get out of my faith and how is my faith going to work for me so that I can get what I want so I can arrive at where I need to be at the Scrooges on give is to present a gift. Okay, give is the idea presenting a gift verse three. Give us this day our daily bread, do you think a Scrooge or a miser. How do you think is a miser would look at this get us this day our daily bread. Know what is a miser. If the person who will forgo all the basic needs in order to horde in high you seek gaming on us this day means that God is going to give us a daily provision on my theater will look at what he's got will take a portion of what he's got a leave and always hungry, and even though he doesn't have a middle is enough for this day, he's not going to use it. He's going to hide it. Those moldings not talking about saving and putting things away and at times was nothing about that at all. This is about a hoarder who looks at whatever he has anything to take part of what he has these been to do without in order that he can keep it separate, so they can use it later. Now that's a good thing if it is done right, it's a bad thing was done like Scrooge, so him in the wilderness when the children of Israel in the wilderness. What were they to do with the manner and I remember every day and adopt there was Nana and if they collected more than enough food for the day because the native light up tomorrow and get it. What happened to maggots in rotting what was God teaching them teaching them daily provision that God is going to take care of you each day so the hoarder. The miser is an individual who's going to take God 's provisions, and not, and not use them, but take them and put them away selfishly, forgive us our sins as we forgive others. So how would this penny printer. This is these are the words that go with miser Penny picture cheapskate skinflint tightwad quarter pack rat. How would they approach forgiveness. I went out with this pennypinching packrat approach forgiveness. You know what you given too much forgiveness, the worse it off. I may forgive him, but don't ever don't ever expect me to you. I'm not forgiven them. In what they did to me. See Scrooge is a self justifier through the events of his life through the events of his life as he people arrive. We don't arrive. We arrive where we are at based upon our perception of what is happened in our life that we all have a story we all have hurts, we all have a story we all have pain we all have them. It's what we've done and how the attitudes we have established, and the attitudes that we have established how that they have come together to form an opinion of our present day so and his own mind. Scrooge is completely justified in his attitudes and his actions in all places whenever they ask him for July to contribute to the to the children and on all the senses aren't orphanages for the kids, but where did he grow up the daily not overcome those difficulties and establish himself as a very prestigious individual in his own mind. So if I can do it, you can do it on a given up anything. The people does nobody ever gave me obtaining so you see in this Scrooge in all of us were often justified in our actions is he God is not looking far our own self-justification. We have reasons why we don't forgive, we have reasons why we withhold we have reasons why we don't do what we do know there are reasons that the Scrooge in all of us defeat this scourge and all of us limits what God wants to do in us now were not lost in the sense of going to hell euros spend eternity. Now lets you change no that we look at this idea of what has happened in the past, the events in the decisions that we made and how that we can this place in our life. And guess what, there are justifiable that we came here. Logically, we came to our understanding of ourselves and what is happening by the events of our life. So how does jump how does Scrooge began his transition, Juventus at Christmas time right after your business is a Christmas sermon. This is a trick center printer as well as you have for Christmas and then used, and yet again, and before it's too late. No, this one of things that came up so. The who are the ones that help Scrooge find out what's going on in his life. The three three ghost three, spirits okay and this race lyrics cover the events. The good and the bad cover the reason for his decisions on the Y and they see the outcome of his decisions, so the same to be done. With each of us. We all have the past events. The good and the bad. We all have a present, the actions the house and the wise and we all have a future. There is an outcome to our actions. So if we continue on our current path, given our present attitudes which are formulated by understandings and actions of the past where we got into the forgiveness is a Baja humbug hardhearted miser Google Luke eleven verse five through seven, he says you're in need. A friend has come to your house and you don't have anything to eat, so you go through another friend and knock on his door. No, Jesus is telling the story about God because another yet another Houston friends house. He knocked on the door and a friend tells you, and he's a Scrooge, as he's in bed isn't that anything out of it for you. And this is not even really got soaked as if this is picture of God being a Scrooge not getting to us what we ask of me wanted and what Jesus is telling us is there's two different stories and God is a Scrooge. But what is telling us is that we need to be persistent in our need and why is the man who is making the request, not a Scrooge. He is asking for something that God that he would receive so he could get the something out to someone else the value of our life is not in what we get in horde and put away the value is and what God has given us to share and how that we are going to plant and solid in the lives of others. And here we have this individual knocking at the door and he and Jesus telling us he gets it, not because the friend is a really good friend, but he doesn't want the neighbors awakened by his persistent knocking and waking the neighbors Lisa God that give the man we want because his persistence. These persistent and recognizing the need of his friends, and so he is going to do twenty two to make to provide for the needs of his friends. Okay I thought of out of this one. What if the guy was knocking his Scrooge UK LA will first of all, this guy was really my friend in one comment night and if he was right. My friend to bring his own food and feed me why Kate and airfields. My friend Rick, Ryan talking about is also any effect me and I would have to be out and knocking on the door trying to get credit for my friends to take care of this lowlife. I thought that was funny that the and FBI are doing to discourage visitors, this idea that none of us are perfect and I don't know what your scenario is, but I'm sure we all have scenarios that we can look at and say oh my God, and what were doing is missing the point is to is like the parable of the rich man in Luke chapter twelve, verses sixteen hundred units. The two civilizations. They spoke a parable under the same and run the ground of a certain rich man yielded plenty and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do since I have no room to store the crops, he said I will do this. I will pull down my barns and build bigger and so there will be store all my crops and my goods. Description why because he is. I jumped up a few volumes. I guess that was the point of emphasis that you want some earplugs for the concert. I have them so as you described. Why, because he recognizes that I have and I got more and I'm not giving you anything, build bigger blinds and family keep it for myself. He's a miser, so, so what changed Scrooge was at the tree spirits now with the realities of his life, seen from a future perspective that this is really going to turn out that unless I change my future is going to really be bad and it was in the past. He saw and injured child. He saw that his response to events that established an attitude and an action he saw the presence in which it was hurting others by withholding what he had and he was withholding himself. You see how that the miser is not just withholding goods. It's developing an attitude of withholding itself, and it is used, the giving of ourselves that is the most important gift that we have what we possess is not as important as the person who possesses that you and so we are called upon them as we look at this, he saw that he was hurting other people by not participating in their life. And of course, the third was in seeing the future in which everything was they were laughing at young bodies. Daddy 's gone and all that that the thing the hottest life change verse nine and I say unto you, ask asking expresses an openness and a willingness to receive the if we don't ask you, we use a story about about men and women asking directions. Men won't ask for. They know the way that best so it out if you just asked me to find our way, but in while the idea is doesn't matter if it's a matter woman matters that it's an openness are we willing to receive in our life to see something different than what we have concluded and we all haven't we all have our circle that we live in. Everybody has and we have arrived at the circle of life and we can run around our circle. We can know it completely in and outs and no ever, and but the thing is, like, and in the Psalms. It talks about God expand our boundaries expand our borders. What what we what we see is that when we get close to our borders are boundaries. We don't go there because that's not a safe place. God wants us to look at our boundaries and keep stepping over them, and expanding them because our life is more than what we have and our attitudes need to be greater than what they are and whenever we see how God is going to work in our lives. It takes us to a point where we are able to receive what God wants to instill in our lives. We all have in us. But the most important thing is we all have. Jesus Christ and because of Christ being alive in us, we are able to ask means we have an openness we are able to knock in you have an expectation that things can change, but there are doors of opportunity yet to be open as seek that we literally see for things we sit for things that are beyond our limitations beyond our personal circle beyond our knowledge base so we are looking at how that God is at work to take us and to develop this person that he has created and that he loves, and that he wants to take us to a place we haven't got there yet but being a miser as the Scrooge X what we have because we take it. We hoard it and we don't use it. We turn on our barns and build bigger barns, but the giver in us is seeking how that God can distill upon our lives. We can increase who we are to be able to touch the lives of others. The that will make a difference. Ebenezer Scrooge. He withheld not only his goods. He withheld himself and when was all over. He was alone in eternity in chains for us. We have an eternity with Christ in a limitless freedom and so as we go there and we look back on the present matter what were facing is not that difficult. Because God is with us and we are asking. We are seeking. We are knocking and God will make a difference in our life as we receive. Thanks we bless, we thanked we receive we give, and God keeps flowing through us, it is more blessed to give than to receive. So is there father, we thank you for your blessings. We thank you for our life. You have brought us to this place, you brought us to this time you brought us here, Lord, for purpose and Lord we pray that your spirit will help us in every situation we find ourselves in to see the best of the season. How many can be changed and how that your spirit to make a difference in us, and how the we can view the. Your love of God in our lives, we thank you for Vincent Masco got your blessing upon our lives, our families and Lord our community just for out your Spirit upon us. Oh Lord, we pray that we might be receptive that we might be freely. We receive and freely give. We pray in Jesus name and everyone said amen