Matthew 22:15-22 (#73.2023.10.29)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:03

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, Then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the Bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the Bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Well, we've been on a journey through, finishing Strong. Hope you all enjoyed that, session. If you you missed any, they are available. So That was good to walk through that. So we find ourself back on our journey with the lord Jesus Through the gospel of Matthew.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:44

We're plopping ourselves right back into where he was in the midst of his interactions with those who, sought to follow him and those who sought to oppose him, which is where we are this day. So let's read our scripture and pull some nuggets from it. If you'd stand with me out of reverence For God and his word, we are at the top. Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap him in what he said. And they sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians saying, teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of god and truth and defer to no one, for you are not partial to any. Tell us then, what do you think? Is it lawful to give a poll tax to Caesar or not? But Jesus perceived their malice and said, Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the poll tax. And they brought him a denarius. He said to them, whose likeness and inscription is this? They said to him, Caesar's.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:54

Then he said to them, then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to god the things that are god's. And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving him, they went away. The word of the lord. Thanks Be to God. So here they are, the Pharisees and the Herodians, who were pretty much not friendly with one another, didn't agree with one another, Oftentimes, we're in disputes with one another, but they came together for the purpose of what? Trapping Jesus. Coming together to trap Jesus. So we find them here questioning Jesus questioning Jesus. Interesting when that happens in scripture.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:35

Sure. And they're they they say to him, teacher, we know that you are truthful and that you teach the way of god in Truth, and you defer to no one for you are not partial to any. Some say they were sort of flattering him, but I think they were Mocking him. Right? Of course, you're truthful. Of course, you're impartial. Yes. Aren't you? And so they asked him, tell us then, what do you think? So tell us in order that we can judge you. Tell us then, Jesus, what do you think? So they asked him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:13

Right? They're questioning in order to judge him. Confused about the fact that Jesus knows the heart, Jesus knows the heart, doesn't he? Because he says Jesus perceived their malice. And literally, it comes from a word that, Greek word which means depravity, that he could see into their heart, Which when I first came to Christ, that was one of the scariest things that Jesus said, when you look on a woman to lust for her, you've Committed adultery with her already in your heart. Oh, dang. This is a hard thing. I thought it was all about, like, following rules, which is what religion is about. Right? But god is about what's in your heart, and he can see what's in their heart. And what's in their heart was malice.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:00

Malice, intent to deceive, intent to trap him. So I love this because Jesus rarely answers With a statement, he most often answers with a question, which is a good reminder for us. Right? Because when Unbelievers seemingly put God in in the corner, because what are they trying to do? Push God in the corner? Like, I've asked you a question where I'm going to Expose the fact. Right? Now what's interesting about God is he finds no need to answer anyone. He has no need. We feel like, oh, I've gotta have the answer For god, god is not worried. He doesn't feel like he needs to answer people's questions because he doesn't. He's god.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:44

He's infinite. He's wise. We feel like, what happens if I don't have the answer? Well, Jesus doesn't give them the answer. He asked them a question. What's he say? And he speaks this is so funny because he said, oh, we know that you speak the truth and that you are impartial, Jesus, kinda Hawking him, and Jesus speaks the truth with impartiality. And he says, why are you testing me, you Hypocrites. And then we all the times I love this phrase. I don't know what it means.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:18

Just love on them. How many have heard that? Unbelievers just love on them. Jesus said, you hypocrite. Because there there are some who are wicked and against Right? So he calls them what they are, a hypocrite. Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? I think Jesus is confounding, isn't he, at times? He's this stunning combination of truth and compassion and and impartiality. I mean, just all of this together, I think he's just stunning. So they're there to judge him and to test him, and he asked them a question. Why are you Testing me, you hypocrites.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:00

You asked him a question back. So I was thinking about this, questions, questioning god, And it became clear to me that there's a difference between asking God a question and questioning God. Because you think, is it is it okay to ask god a question? Is it okay to question god? So when I question God, I'm putting him on the scale, and who is testing him? Me. I'm seeing if he comes up valid. Right? So I thought many times in scripture, people ask questions. Right? So in the Psalms, often, if you read the Psalms, one of of the things one of the habits we've been trying to do for many, many years is before bed, read a psalm, right, and pray and then go to sleep. So the Scripture kinda drops into the subconscious and, you know, work while you're sleeping, and there are lots of questions In the Psalms, a lot of times they ask questions. So he says, I will meditate with my heart and my spirit ponders.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:57

So oftentimes, questions are coming from within. Right? So he's sitting around. He's saying, essentially, I'm thinking on this. Right? I'm thinking on my situation. Will the lord reject forever? How many have been in a situation in your life where you wonder, has the lord rejected me? Right? And he says and will he never be favorable again? Has his loving kindness ceased forever? We feel like that's the case. Has his promise come to an end forever? Has god forgotten to be gracious, or or has he, in anger, withdrawn his compassion? And then what does Scylla mean? Stop. Think. That's what Scylla means.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:34

Stop. Pause. Think. Think about it. Think about it. So he says think about that. Right? That's what it feels like, doesn't it? It's the question oftentimes in life situations. Right? And you wonder those questions.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:47

So he says, stop. Think about it. Then I said, It's my grief that the right hand of the most high has changed. What? No. Has god changed? He says, I shall remember the deeds of the lord. Surely, I will remember thy wonders of old. So he fixes. He reboots.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:03

Right? He answers it in some ways himself. I'll remember who god is. Right? So Oftentimes, the answers to our question are to come back to the character and the nature and the favor of our god. Right? Favor of our god. Yeah. Run to the core. That's a good reminder, Roger, and not just what he's done for you and what he's done. And so Mary says to the angel, How can this be since I am a virgin? The angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:33

The power of the most high will overshadow you. And for that reason, the holy child shall be called the son of God. So Mary asked the question, how can this be? And we, of course, we see Jesus Who says, my god, my god, why hast thou forsaken me? So apparently, there is a a surrendered, Submissive questioning of god, where it's just you're surrendered to the fact that he has he has the right And the ability to do this, but the question comes from a surrendered submissive spirit. It's interesting because I hadn't thought about this. It's actually John Piper who who pointed this out in Luke 1 18 where Zacharias says to the angel, how will I know for certain? And Lou and so, right, how will I know for certain? So he says, for I'm an old man and my wife has advanced in years. The angel answered and said to him, I'm Gabriel. So wait a minute. Like, I'm Gabriel.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:35

Like, wet my pants stuff. Like, this you know, this An angel, right, he says, I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. So there's something about that question that's It's different than than Mary's question. And he says, I've been sent to speak to you and to bring you good news, and behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak. Why? It says in there, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time. So it was a question of it was a question which had its nature in unbelief. And so the The apparently, there is a surrendered submissive why, a surrendered submissive how can this be? Right, Mary? Like, How can this be? Surrendered to it, submissive to it, but still with a question, as opposed to Zacharias who's saying, This can't be. Like, come on.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:31

So there's something about, right, in our nature, Lord, you have the right. You have the ability to do this. I don't fully understand this. Right? We've had questions. You know? Why would you right? So there's a surrendered submissive. Why would you take my husband when you did? Why would you take my wife? Why why did I lose my friend? Why did I lose my job? Why did I have cancer? Why I mean, there are all of that. There is a there's a surrender to it that god has the right and the ability to do that, and it, surrendered to it. But there is a questioning, a childlike questioning.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:05

Right? How? Why? Right? Then we see that in Mary. We see that in Jesus. And then there's a, like, what are you doing? What are you doing, god? Right? There's a there's an unbelief to that question. So we see in the scripture kind of that. So is it okay to ask god questions? Sure. What's the nature of my question? What is the nature of my question? So sometimes god doesn't seem to answer, at least not right away. Sometimes it doesn't seem to answer. Why do you stand afar off, oh lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Sometimes it'll feel like that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:42

Again, reminder that god's always answering. Sometimes he answers in silence. Right? Sometimes he answers out loud. Sometimes he answers now. Sometimes he answers later. And I think as I was thinking about this, sometimes our questions become questioning god's motives and his ways. So our questions can slide to, like, what the heck are you doing? What can that feel like? That can feel like this, underline my way is hidden from the Lord or underline the justice due me escapes the notice of my god. So what are the nature of those questions? You don't see? They're not fair? This isn't just? What are you doing? Right? All of those things.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:31

Now those rise up inside of us, don't they? Particularly when there are hard places In life. Right? So there's this you know, I remind myself of Mary's response. I remind myself of Jesus' Response. Lord, help me to be in the right place for that because it's hard, you know, hard. So it it's different to say this is a hard place. Why, lord? It's this is Hard, why, lord? Then, like, where are you? Do you leave me here? Like, what's up? Where's my justice? So the lord answers. Again, he answers how with a question. He says, do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting god, Yahweh, The creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:17

And, oh, by the way, His understanding is inscrutable beyond scrutinizing From you, beyond you putting it into your your scale of what's just, because that's what they were essentially, that's what he's doing. You are testing me. You are seeing whether my ways fit into your scale of justice. Not that I would ever do that, but it's our nature, isn't it, to say, explain it to me? Explain it to me. And so There's just a caution that we don't quest quest asking God a question and questioning God are 2 different things. And, of course, then I love when He lord answers Job out of a whirlwind, and he says, get on your adult pants because right? Your potty pants because now my turn. God says, now it's my turn to ask you some questions. Holy smokes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:18

Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man. Holy smokes. And I will ask you and then god says, see, you instruct me. Go ahead. You instruct me. Where were you? I love that. When I laid the foundation of the earth oh, yeah. That's a good question.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:38

Tell me if you have understanding, who sets its measurements? Oh, here's another good one. Since you know or who stretched out the line on it or, you know, on what words base is sunk or Who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who enclosed the sea with the doors When bursting forth, it went forth from the womb. And he says, who commanded? I love in the in the summer, we sit down at the ocean, And the ocean just keeps coming, but it doesn't come up to me. Why is that? Well, it's gravity and the moon and all that. No. He says in here, God says, because I said no more. You'll come here and no more. That's what God said.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:20

Like, what? He said, can you do that? How about you? And then he goes through. Right? Check it out. And then he says, who are you to instruct me? Oh, yeah. Those are good questions, Lord. And then in Romans 9, which is astounding to all of us, how he hardens some and and softens others, right, then the the the apostle Paul, the whole the Spirit of god says to the apostle Paul, you will say to me then, why does god find fault? If he hardens 1, he softens another. Who is god to find fault? And for who resist his will? So in other words, if you're sovereign over the choice, Right? Of who you chose, how can you hold somebody responsible? That's what it's somebody's saying. Somebody's saying, how can you do that? On the contrary, he says, who are you, oh man, who answers back to god? Well, that Answers back is the Greek word which only found one other place. If you go to Luke 14 didn't have room to put it on there.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:26

Luke 14 5 and 6. So in in in beginning 14, it it says it happens when he went into the house of 1 of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath. He prayed. They were watching him closely. What's that mean? They were seeing if they can catch him again. Right? And there in front of him was a man with a dropsy. Jesus answered, spoke to the lawyers And the Pharisees saying, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? They kept silent. He took hold of them and healed him, sent them away.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:53

Which one of you, he says, will will have a sun or an ox fall into a well and will not immediately pull them out on the Sabbath day? Good question. Right. So if you can't work on the Sabbath, well, wait a minute. If your ox fell in or how about if your son fell in, would you pull him out? And it says they could make what's your version say in verse 6. They had nothing to say. New American Standard said they could make no reply. That's the same word that's used here in this scripture of answer back, which means they had no ability to call him on account because of what he just asked. They couldn't they couldn't come back to him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:36

This that's the same word here. So you notice there's a motive in this word that's wrapped up in this. That's why it's often good to look at the Greek. It says so he says, on the contrary, who are you, old man, who answers back, who who puts God on on the on the, You know, how do you answer God, call God to account? So then he says, the thing molded will not say to the molder, why did you make me like this, will it? Yeah. That's a good picture. How many have done the wheel, the clay in the wheel? How many have done that? Right? You're doing so in the middle of that, you're doing all the same and smooshing it, and then the clay says, hey. What are you doing? Like, why are you why are you making me into that shape? Say, wait a minute. You're the clay.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:20

And because there's a motive in this question, like, who do you have a right, god, to harden some and soften the others? And then he's saying, who do you, oh man, have a right to question the sovereign lord of the universe about this? Well, I don't understand it. It doesn't seem fair. It doesn't seem right. A thing molded. Why did you say? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay to make the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? And then he says, what if god? What if god? And so it's it's just a reminder for us to watch on our questions, Particularly when we get into areas that don't seem to answer, don't seem to fit all our mold. Why would you do this with my friend? Why would you do this with my children? Why would you do this with somebody? Right? There's lots of the the what ifs. Right? What ifs in life. So just it's a it's just a good caution for us to be Careful when we start to answer back, and this has really called God into question, is that In in in other words, when it says they had no reply, there's no way they could they could get god on That.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:40

That's that same word here. Does that make sense? So it's likely you have some questions in your life at the moment. Questions are not bad. It's really the intent behind them. Right? So what are some of your questions? So I remind myself, think about Mary's surrendered And submissive how Jesus surrendered submissive why, you know? That that, Abba, father, Papa, I trust you. I just don't understand how you're gonna do that. Papa, I understand. Right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:13

I trust you. I just don't understand why. Right? Why. Right? So just a great reminder, right, that we can trust We can trust him in the whys and the hows. Right? We can trust him in the whys and the hows questioning god. So flip over. So what do they ask him? They wanna test him. Is it lawful to give a poll tax to Caesar or not.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:39

Oh, we got him now. We got God boxed in the corner. How many have unbelieving friends who think I boxed God in the corner? What about the people over there? What about this? What about that? Right now I got him. I got him. Right? Trying to box Jesus in, a denarius, right, poll tax every man paid, every woman paid. And paying the poll tax was a sign of Submission. So I figured we got him. If he says no, he's breaking the Roman law.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:09

If he says yes, right, we got him. We got him. So Jesus answers, of course. Right? He says, render. Right? He says, grab the coin. Look at it. And as they pick it up, then he says, what image is on this? What's the image? And the image is Caesar. This is the you're right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:28

His image is upon that coin. So he says it's his. It's his coin. Right? So he says, then render to Caesar the things underlying that that are Caesar's. Render to Caesar, give back, in other words, as due. Right? So the image of Caesar is on their coin. He says it's his coin render to Caesar what is Caesar's. And, of course, if you were an insurrectionist as a 1st, as a Jew at the time, you'd say, woah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:57

Wait a minute. I think we need to overthrow the government. Let me feel like that today. Yeah. Sometimes you think about it. Right? So car Clark says this gives us the limits, the rights, and the jurisdiction of the 2 empires. The images stamped on their coin denotes the temporal things belong to government. And first Peter says, This is hard because the wife's dear to your husband.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:29

Right? In the air, yourselves to the Lord's sake for every human institution. Dang. And then he says in Romans, let's read this. Every person as to be in subjection to the government authorities. There is no authority except from god, and those who exist are established by god Render to all what is due to them. Tax to whom tax is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, Honor to whom honor. So he says render that same thing. Right? Give back as what is due.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:03

Submit yourself. You gotta pay tax. Dang. I hate the IRS. So he says, submit yourself, and you do it. Why? For the lord's sake. For the lord's sake. No authority except from god.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:18

God puts authority in. Melchic had said in all questions the real and and seeming collision between secular authority and spiritual freedom, the former claims obedience as a de facto ordinance of god up to the limit. To limit. Where is that limit? When it encroaches on the rights of the conscious and prevents men from worshiping And serving the creator. Where is that? It's a tough challenge. Well, for Bonhoeffer, it was a really tough challenge, Who's in Hitler's Germany, and it was a question that he constantly struggle with. What, You know, what subjection to the state authority and what call of god do I have in the midst of this? Right. The answer for him was he was literally, right, colluding to kill Hitler.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:08

To get Hitler Removed, he felt like that was God calling him, and he paid with his life as a result of that, standing against that. Hard for us to imagine, But not a lot because we're in a time when things are changing. Get your vaccination passport. Get your financial passport. Get your just watch. See all all all of that Where well, as Christians, are trying to think about, okay, where is that line here? Right? Where is that line? And so that will become, for us, who knows, But certainly for our children and grandchildren, as god continues to move his work will become a challenge. Right. What do they what do they do? What does that mean? Right? Does that make sense? So submit, but there's a limit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:58

Render to Caesar. What do you render to Caesar? The things that are Caesar's. Then he says render to god. Give back what is due. Underline the things that are god's. Well, what are those? Well, for a Christian, it's the whole self. It's the whole self. The image of god stamped on the soul denotes that all its faculties and powers belong to the most high and should be employed in his Service.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:27

We are stamped with god's image and believers, but all believer all people are stamped with god's image. Right? Made in his likeness, Stamped with his image. Therefore, the image is upon ownership, but particularly now, we are as Christians. Right? We are being made into his likeness. He stamped his image upon us. So let's read Romans 6. He says, do not Go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to god as those alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. So render your members, he's saying, as instruments of righteousness to God, render them to God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:14

And that's reads 12:1. Therefore, I urge you, brethren, By the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. So he's saying render to god your bodies, your all your whole life. Right? Your body, right, your mind, your will, your emotions. Right? Your mind, your will, your emotions. So he says, render your whole self to god. Also, your time, talents, and spiritual gifts. Your time, your talents, And your spiritual gift.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:54

Whenever you wanna go through and improve your eating, you keep a diary. Yeah. And by it's what's interesting by its nature, when you start To do that, you'll notice you change how you eat just when you start to track it. Right? If you wanna change your fitness, you you track your fitness. Right? And you do. A couple of times a year, I have a tool with the people that we we coach. We track their time, but not time like in track your time, but where is the categories that it comes in. Right? It's a good exercise to say, where am I investing my time? Where am I investing my time? I have limited time.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:28

And where am I investing my talents? So it says, to 1, he gave 5 talents. To another 2, to another 1, don't have talent envy. You get the ones he's gonna give you, and to each according to his own Ability. There are some 1 talent people, 2 talent people, 5 talent people. Right? I generally think that those who are in Leadership pushing in the ministry of 5 talent people. God has given you the talents to be able to to apply those talents, to invest those talents For fruitful return, and they brought back 10. Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful in a few things.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:11

Therefore, I'm gonna put you in charge of many. Right? He was faithful in a little as faithful in much. So how are we investing your talents? Render to god your time, your talents, and your spiritual gifts. He says as each one has received a special gift to underline, put it to work. Put it to work. Not like The world around us where you're paid to be unemployed. He says be fully employed. Be fully employed as each one received a special gift.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:43

And then he says, how about tracking right? What would it come up if you tracked your time? What would come up if you tracked your Treasures. If we submitted our checkbook as evidence that we're a Christian, we submit submitted our time tracking as evidence. So he says, honor the lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce. So the first fruits, that's the whole idea. The first fruits belong to God. No. Actually, there's a reason. He says, because it All belongs to God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:20

His image the whole earth is full of his glory. His image is on everything Because he's created it all. Right? So we honor with the wealth that he's given it. Which part? The first part. The first part. Do not Store up for yourself treasures on earth, right, where moth and breath destroy, where thieves break in, but store up for yourself treasures in Heaven. So, you know, we give back for god to employ not only our talents, but we want him to employ our treasures. Put this stuff to work, Lord, and multiply it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:57

And they ask in in Malachi, will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say how? In tithes and offerings. Right? In tithes and offerings. Right? So, again, tithes are in the law, But there were 2 a third ties in the Old Testament. So ties is not 10% is not an actual, right Like law, but it's a it's a it's a reference point. But he said there are tithes and offerings, tithes and offerings, Which means, for me, giving be is always beyond the tithe. But the tithe belongs where? He says, right, where do you bring the tithe? Into the storehouse. Where is that? Your local fellowship.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:42

So I believe the tithe belongs here. The ministries outside of the local fellowship are the offerings. The tithe belongs at the church, right, in your local church. The ministries, right, a lot of you Support ministries apart from here. Right? I believe that's what the offerings are. Those are in addition to tithes. This is bring the tithe into the local church. Just a thought from me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:04

And the re reminder, right, he says the word of the lord came to Haggai, the prophet, saying, is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses Where this house lies desolate. The average giving, among Christians is the same as unbelievers in the United States, which is about 2.4% on average. Right? Same as unbelievers. No no unbelievers are as generous as As Christians are. Generally, that's the case. He says, why is that? He says, because you dwell in your paneled houses. So god says, consider your ways. You've sown much, but harvest little.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:42

He who earns earns wages, puts it in a purse with holes. You look for much, but behold, it comes to little. When you bring it home, I blow it away. So god says right? So think about this. Here's the cool thing. God says if if you got this wrong, if you're all about you, Right? If you're all about you, if you're ungenerous and and stingy, right, and it's all about you, You'll bring it home. I'll blow it away. Which also means, by the way, if you bring it to me, I will blow it up.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:11

I blow it away, and I'll blow it up. Everybody get that? God has the ability. So that's the really cool thing. He says if you get this right, if you get it wrong, I'll just blow it away, and you will you will be unsatisfied with it. If you're if you're not generous, if you're stingy, then I will blow it away. But he says, if you bring it to me, I'll blow it up. Isn't that cool? So you think about that. He can take what we have as little as we have.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:37

So sometimes you think I can't maybe that's not much depending on your situation. God can multiply it. That's why the the widow and her might gave more. God will take it, and I'll blow it up. Right? I can multiply the little bit that you give. So don't don't don't be thinking, I can't give a ton. It's okay. I can blow it up.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:57

You bring it to me, I will blow it away if your heart's wrong, but I will blow it up. Does that make sense? So he says render to Caesar the things that are Caesar. Understand, Stand. Right? There are things. Right? Our our as Christians, our submission to the local authorities and to the national authorities, At the same time, render to god the things that are god's, your whole self. We render our self to god. Your time, your talents, your spiritual gifts, and your treasures your treasures. And if you do that, you honor the lord, he will blow it up.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:30

I love that. And then all of a sudden, you can see. You can take a little, and he'll do a lot with it. He will do a lot. So how's your rendering? Time, talents, spiritual gifts? 10's are well done. How you doing? And how about your treasures? Harder. The treasures are harder. No time is harder.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:47

No. I don't know. Maybe Your challenge is time. No. Everybody's got a different don't understand. Everybody's got a different challenge. Some, it might be time. For the right time and talents.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:57

Right? Employing the gifts that god has given you. For other might be treasures, but it's there's a generosity about both of them. Right? It's recognizing they're his. That's all all he's recognizing. They're they're yours, lord. And when you do that, You bring he says, you bring it into the storehouse, and I will multiply it, same with my time. I love this. He says, for a day in high courts is better than A thousand outside.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:24

God's math is 1 1 minute in, 1,000 out. Everybody get it? See, he blows it up. So when you think I have time, he can explode your time. Same with your treasures. So god's math is day And thy courts is better than a 1,000 outside. Render to god the things that are god's. Larry Birkett Used to say people come to me and say, do I give off of my gross or my net? And he would say, well, depends on whether you want god to bless Gross or your net. Is that a good answer? I'll write an application, then we'll write we'll share some questions with God and rendering.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:06

I love God's math because God God creates everything out of nothing. If you multiply anything by 0, what do you get? Yeah. God multiplies, and he got everything out of nothing. Right? God's math is amazing. Right? He'll take a little, and Faith of multiplies. So just like we ask God questions, they're good to ask yourself questions regularly just To see where you are. Right? And and when you think about that, when when I say, you know, where are you on a scale of 1 to 10, the the relative answer is important, but more important is what's the direction? What's the direction of that of your answer? Right? You're you're You're not a 10. You're you're only a 10 in Jesus.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:48

Everybody get that? You're only a 10 in Jesus. He makes you a 10. That's well done. Well done. Right? Well done. This is my son in whom I am well pleased. You're well pleasing in him. Understand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:02

Stand. Right? In the midst of that, we struggle. We struggle. So it's direction. How am I doing with direction? For a righteous man falls Seven times and rises again. Right? I got my mitts all over this stuff again, Laurie. No. Seriously, it's mine.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:16

Right? That's the struggle, isn't it? Yeah. If you understand his glory, glory means wait. That if god if god gave you this much of his wisdom, it would crush you. Do you understand? It it it it's not even physically possible. It's not that not that he won't. He can't. You would you would be consumed with the weight of His wisdom. His glory is beyond.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:38

We just the door has just been cracked. We just get this little crack of his glory, And he needs to transform the body of this humble state into conformity with the body of his glory for you to see him, because otherwise, if If a man sees him, he is dead. He would be dead. Right? Understand. His glory is so heavy, If you will, that it would consume us. It would bury us. It would squash us. So he's going to Form us, and then we will see his full glory.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:11

When we see him, we'll be like him. Amazing stuff. May the incomparable, Indescribable and ineffable one. May he bless you. May he keep you. May he cause his face to shine upon you. May he lift up his countenance and grant you his shalom deep in your soul. And may the grace of the lord Jesus Christ, may the love of god the father, and may the blessing and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with you now and always.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:38

Amen. Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, and may the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may god bless you and keep you.