This is one of those mornings that I don't have a text. Preacher didn't do his homework. Oh yeah. There are some messages you just start preaching and it applies in many areas. Don't have to be confined to a title or whatever. Now because of Brother Shelton's illness I'm going to Probably be on tab for tonight, which is that is fine. Started this past Wednesday night on what is that in thine hand? Didn't finish it. Matter of fact, we really didn't get even a real good start. And unless he shows up or whatever, I'm going to continue that message tonight. And then come Wednesday, we'll be able to go into the next part of that. This morning, you know as a Christian, as a child of God, I came to each one of you, or just ask everybody, and everybody lift their hands that love God this morning. You'd lift your hand, wouldn't you? Yeah. I didn't ask you, but it's OK. Go ahead. Everybody loves God this morning. Lift your hand. OK. All right. Very good. Do you really? I'm not trying to trick or anything. You know, I love the woman that I married and for almost 60 years lacking just a couple, three, four months. I always did. Never had any other thought, never had any other. God bless us, the two fine children. Then there came some grandchildren and now there's great-grandchildren and all of that. I believe that God expects me and you to know he does. Live our lives in such a way that portrays his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's very evident that we love him. Very evident. So what do you do daily that proves your love for Christ? And it's done because we don't feel like we have to because we want to. We want to. Sure. 1 Corinthians 4.2 says moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. Next Sunday we're going to preach The proof of your discipleship and then the proof of your obedience and last of all the proof of your faith. That will be for this month. Pray that God will bless and use them. And of course there's a lot of illustrations. The things that I think about that is not on the note or whatever but in a way it's going to have to do with stewardship. Our overall purpose is to teach that we show our love for God by just following his leading. You know, just follow him, just follow him. Love must be the motivating factor in the life of every believer, every child of God. The Bible teaches that God so loved that he gave, that he gave. God put his love into action. Oh, and how he did it. He proved his love to us by sending his son to die in our place. The Son proved his love to us and the Father by being obedient to death on the cross. Love can only be shown by action. In the case of the Macedonian church, they prove their love to God by their giving. We use that, as you know, when we have our missions month. It's always part of the scriptures that we use. Every Christian must understand that others know that we love God when we act upon his word. In other words, we are setting an example. An example. I told someone, where was I? I was talking to someone, anyway, I told them, I said, someone and more than one is watching your life. And it's true. It is so true. We prove our love for God by obeying him. I mean, not to obey, how can that show love? No, it don't. It can't. So we must understand the ownership of God. I belong to him. That's when I said I do there in that little chapel in Draper, Virginia, southern part of Virginia. And when I said I do, I meant it with all my heart and soul. 1 Corinthians 6, 19 says, what know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God? and you're not your own, for you're bought with a price. Therefore, as a result, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's, apostrophe S, showing ownership. That's what God saved us to do, is to serving. If you're a child of God this morning, you've been washed in the blood, you are His, belong to Him, How exciting it should be, no matter how old we are in the Lord, to know that we belong to Him. Oh my, absolutely. After all, He owns the earth. Psalm 24 and verse one, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. He owns all material wealth. Psalm 50 and verse 10. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. All mankind belongs to God. So as we understand the ownership of God, we also understand about our possessions. Put your finger on, I know I say this often, but put your finger on something, point to something, whatever, that you have. and tell me where it came from. You know, without God, we could do nothing, and without God, we'd have nothing. How true it is. How true it is. As stewards, we don't own our possessions. We simply manage the possessions God has entrusted in your and my care. And if we recognize that and keep him first in our lives, we'll never have a need that he won't meet. He promises that. God can't lie. James 1.17 says, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. As stewards, we're required to be faithful with that which God has allowed us to have. And also, we understand about accountability. This belongs to the Lord. Back in the Old Testament, the Old Testament saints, they tithed on their crops. And what they gave, a tenth belonged to God. And they, in many instances, more was given. The example of that is in the New Testament today when Malachi chapter three in Old Testament, but in the New Testament, first Corinthians and other passages were to do the same thing. It belongs to God. To my knowledge, since the Lord saved me and I'm able to say this by the grace of God, I've never spent any of God's money. And by the grace of God, I'm not going to do that. It's not mine. It belongs to God. Firstfruits. Firstfruits. Belongs to God. Folks, I'm going to tell you something. One day there's the judgment seat of Christ, and we stand before the Lord. We've hid nothing. He knows. He knows. So let's be honest with God. Let's be a good steward and make sure our heart Oh, everything hinges about the heart, and the heart's right, and most likely everything else will be right. Because he says in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Yes, yes. Well, preacher, that sounds so restrictive. It just sounds like we can't do, hey, listen, you're misconstruing the whole idea. We do what we do. We keep our sins confessed. We stay in church. We spend time in prayer. We grow in the Lord. And we can do it if we do it the way God says do it. And it'll be fine. We go to sleep at nights well, unless we are sick or something, but as a general rule, all is well. So we prove our love for God by understanding God's ownership and our possessions and our accountability. Secondly, we prove our love for God by getting involved in his work. What are you doing for the Lord? I mean, other than just going to church. He's commanded us to go to church, so we're not really doing anything for the Lord when we go to church. We're just doing what he said to do. But what am I doing to be... See, when you got saved, immediately, it's like a time clock starting, a race or something. But when you got saved, your life started, and the moment that you got saved, This matter of testimony began. Every day, 24-7, every day, week, every month, on it goes. By getting involved, find something, do something for the Lord. You'll be surprised what it'll do for you. This is God's work and and sacrifice the time by the way, you do have the time Richard you don't yeah, I know you do have the time It's this matter of putting God first what it is what it is You see participation begins by giving ourselves to God. 2 Corinthians 8 and verse 5, and they did, and this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God. Yes, God wants our total life surrendered to him. You see, because of Gross misunderstanding. People hear this preacher or some other preacher and read that, and they say, yeah, they just think I'm supposed to move into the church, I guess. Wrong concept. That's not what it's all about. God gave you a family. He wants you to rear them. He wants you to work a job. God said a man won't work, shouldn't eat. There's a happy medium that we find, and the Lord will lead us into it when we know Him, but Him first, and what does the Bible say? And all these things shall be added unto you. Okay, I hear something, please turn it off, will you please? Was that what it is? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Okay, all right, all is well. So it's reasonable for God who created and saved us to expect us to give our lives to him. Hear my Lord, send me, Isaiah said. Okay. Romans 12, one. Before I even start, how many in this building today, are you listening to me now? That's all over with. Let's look up here. God wants our total life surrendered to him. How many know what Romans 12 one says? And actually two. One, two, three, four, five, several. That's good. I want everybody in here turned to that verse of scripture. Romans 12. Romans 12. And verse one, wait till everybody gets there. I want you to read it with me. You don't have to share with somebody, okay? Romans 12 one, I beseech you therefore brethren, brethren, that's all God's people, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Yeah, my, what a verse. See, only when we're totally committed can Christ live his life through us. Let me repeat that. Only when we are totally committed to Christ can he live his life through us. Just some truths that I want to share with you that'll help you. Galatians 2.20, turn to that one with me. Galatians 2.20. Galatians 2.20. I want us to notice To the colon there, we start reading the verse one, two, three, four, five, first five words. Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. What does that mean? You've been put to death, Christ. Crucified, when they crucified Christ, did he die? Well, sure he did. Oh my. I'm crucified with Christ. We read on nevertheless, I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life, which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Tremendous. Isn't that something? Oh my. And when we have given ourselves to God, Then of course, our possessions, everything we have, it belongs to God. We must give time to God, as I've already illustrated. Ephesians 5.16 says, redeeming the time because the days are evil. You have to put him first if we redeem the time. Time. And then if you have a talent. Do you have a talent? Always did it yesterday. We're doing some, throwing away at our house. Mercy. I've been living where I am for 46 years, and now, matter of fact, I got somebody else going around throwing my stuff away. Even up in the closet. Yesterday, she pulled out my daughter. She's really not all bad. She pulled down this bag out of the closet up on the shelf. She said, what in the world is in this bag? She looked in there, she said, my goodness, look at the harmonicas. I got all the keys in there. And I got one, you can play all the keys. It's a big, long, double-noted. And I hadn't hit a tune once in a while. We were having a fellowship downstairs, and my wife was down there. And I just stepped away from the guys, and Lauren stood there. Sherry. And I played, you are my sunshine. She peered up. But it never did reach the place where God wanted anything to do with those harmonicas, anyway. And it's amazing in life, and you have your story you can tell, you know. But the talent God gave to me, as far as I can tell, after all these years and all this time, is to preach his word. And at first, I kind of balked about that because I said, you got the wrong man, father, wrong man. But he said, I don't think so. I didn't hear any audible voices now, though. But anyway, I'm where I know I'm supposed to be. Give your talent to God. Get your treasure and tune with God. 2 Corinthians 9, will you turn there with me? 2 Corinthians chapter 9. Most of us familiar with this chapter, so I think I referred to it a little earlier. 2 Corinthians chapter 9. Look down with me. Verse seven. We'll just go ahead and start there. Verse six. For this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart shall let him give, not grudgingly nor of necessity, For God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye always, having all sufficiency and all things, may abound to every good work. Aye, aye. And as Jude tells us, we must earnestly contend for the truth. Number one, we must understand God's stewardship, obeying to get involved. And thirdly, and lastly, we prove our love for God by being in his leadership, following his leadership. You'll agree with me this morning. I know, I know you will. That the blessings of God are abundant, aren't they? That's been my experience, Brother Jay, as a Christian. God's blessings are abundant. Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your blessings. See what God has done, that is, if you've let him. Yeah. Oh, they're abundant. Let me just mention three. What about the blessing of God's love? While we think about the blessings of God's love, there's never a doubt whatsoever that we should ever entertain the fact or try to believe at all that God doesn't love us, because he does. God so loved the world, settles it. That includes everybody. Everybody. 2 Corinthians 9, 7. Well, we just read it. Every man according is a purpose within his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. God commendeth his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And then secondly, what about the blessing of having every need, every need supplied? That's the second one. I've experienced that in my Christian life. And secondly, the blessing of multiplied return. Now, I've found out, discovered in my Christian life, you cannot give God. Now, I know the majority of people, I heard another preacher say some time ago, I know you don't believe that, but you cannot give God. I'm not just talking about monetary things. I'm talking about all of God's blessings, every need, every need, not our wants, every need. And when we put Him first, He allows us to have things that we don't really need, things that we can enjoy. He, down through the years, he supplied me with a .30-06 rifle, some other rifles, and supplied me with, I don't know, down through the years, how many fishing rods I've had, fishing tackle. You ought to get on the line sometime with a 370-pound blue marlin. It'll pull the boat if you're not careful. Oh my, like you're holding a team of horses. Wow. Turned him loose, let him go. Guess what happened was we're trying to get him up in the boat. All these sharks are swimming around us. You didn't want to go overboard there, you wouldn't be back. Just blessings. Paul said, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. But my God, supply all your need. Two verses, and there's more, but this is all we need, even one of them. Matthew 6.33, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things he hath done unto you. In Luke 6, 38, give and it shall be given unto you, good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over shall men give into your bosom. Or with the same measure that you meet with all, it shall be measured to you again. Oh my, mm-hmm. So we prove our love for God by obeying him. Just simple. We prove our love by getting involved, and we prove our love by following his leadership. We need to do that. Our first message on stewardship for the month of January, the Spowerheads, please.