Last night I said when we're in a recreational room or apartment, I was going to go home and read a fistful of the envelope. Well, when I got home, I looked at the clock. I thought, well, if I read all of them, it'll be too late. And I like to keep Hannity and I open to prepare for today. So I've got all that to move forward to. some time this afternoon. I appreciate what you give. Even I don't know what's in this old envelope. I'm living by faith. But it comes what's in the envelope. I'll see them by sight possibly this afternoon. Shall we turn in our Bibles over to Luke? I think we'll go to the same verse we had last week. these ten pages in this New Testament or something. All right, so chapter sixteen, okay. That's all. Okay. Chapter sixteen, Luke. And he said unto his disciples there was a certain rich man which had a steward and the same was infused unto him that he had wasted his goods and he called him and said unto him how is it that I hear this of thee and give account of thy stewardship for thou mayest be no longer a steward then the student said within himself, What shall I do for my Lord takes away from me the stewardship? I shall obey. I am ashamed to do that. I resolve what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. And as Lord said, So the Lord, he called every one his Lord's servant, and unto him, and said unto him, first, how much o'est thou unto my Lord? And he said them, hundred measures of oil. He said unto him, Take thy bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty half. Then said he to another, how much owes thou? And he said of hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill and write fourscore. And he said unto him, And the Lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are wise in their generation are wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitation. He that is faithful in depth which is least is faithful also in much, and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also and much. Therefore, if therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous manner, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" It's a remarkable passage. The more you read it, the more you see some of the depths in it, and sometimes you see some confused things. Last week we were speaking on the subject of stewardship. In other words, we're talking about things that God has given to us, urging us to use these things. God is reminding us of our stewardship, and God intends that we do the things that He referred to. And if I remember right, we mention several things that can be likened unto our stewardship. God has given us His name. He's given us His Word. He's given us His Holy Spirit. He's given unto us our life. He's given unto us talents. He's given unto us possessions. And there's some things I did not mention last week, but I'll mention them this morning. Think of Him given unto us His name. How we should honor and revere that name can you think of a better name think of all the names you know can you think of a better one than the name that he has given unto us that name is Christian also a child of God he calls us a friend of God are you fulfilling or carrying out and using those names that God has given you There are many names and they're great names. I just jotted down a few the other night of names that one can refer to, titans of men for a king and an emperor, an admiral, a president, his majesty the Pope. No, I will not accept any of those names. The name I accepted when I was saved The name that I've sought to love and live with and have carried out is that of a Christian. Just to be a simple Christian, not any of these other names. I wouldn't give you a dime for the other names I'd mention. Behind those names there may be character, accomplishment, man or woman who can do great things, but I am very happy just be called by the name of a Christian, that name will take you through the gates of glory. Just that name. What I like about that name is that it embraces every Christian. When you take a lot of other names, it does not embrace every Christian. For instance, you can take the name of Baptist, That name only embraces the name of those in the Baptist denomination. You can take also the Methodist name. That only embraces those who are Methodists or call themselves by that name, and that's how they join the Methodist Church. You can do the same with Presbyterian. Same with Catholicism. Planned that only one name embraces every Christian in the world. And that is Christian. That simply means that only those who are born again are in the body of Christ and they are called Christian. And when Christ comes, it's only Christians that are going to be caught up. It doesn't mean any other name. There are some Christians in those names I've mentioned, but the name Christian, Christ one. is the name that God recognizes. And that's the name I love to hear. I love to speak its word. It sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest name on earth. And so we have that wonderful name of Christian. Now I think we mentioned last week about him giving us his word. What a wonderful book. he had given to us. What a treasure. Stewards of this book, the greatest book that everybody put in print, a wonderful book. It contains the mind of God. It contains the state of man. It contains God's only way of salvation through the Bible. And it's the one that Sinners should fear, and saints should rejoice. What a wonderful book he has given us. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, its decisions are immutable. It is to be read, if you're going to be wise. Believe it to be sure. Practice it to be holy. and it will cast light upon your direction. It's food for your sustenance, comfort for your cheer. It's the traveler's map, and it is the pilgrim's staff. That's what he leans on. It's the pirate's compass. The pirate wants to know where direction he's going. He looks at his compass. That's what the Bible is. And it's the soldier's sword. If the Christians chartered it, hell opens heaven's door, and you can see what's in heaven, through the Bible, and hell discloses it. It tells what's in hell for those who are lost. And this blessed book will fill the memory. It will ruin your heart. It will guide your feet. It is a mine of wealth. It is a paradise of glory. And it is a river of pleasure. God has given you this wonderful treasure. He has given you life. And this book will be opened in the judgment. And this book will be remembered forever. That's something. Will the souls in hell remember this blessed book? I'm sure they'll remember all who have heard about it. The Lord Jesus made that plain in Luke sixteen. He says, Remember, thou in thy lifetime rememberest thy good thing, but thou hast thou evil things. Yes, but remember the word of God at hell. I know that one thing, even those who haven't read it or haven't heard it preach, they're going to realize one thing, that God is the Creator of this universe. And that's given us in the Bible. How wonderful it is to carry out things concerning this blessed book. Christ is its subject. The glory of God is its end. God wants you to read it as your reward, and also don't trifle with it. You'll be damned. That's the Bible the book God has given of us. Is that not a wonderful treasure? God has given us something else. I mentioned last week, and you could go on and on and on. He has given to us the Holy Spirit. Yes, yes. Those who are saved, God has given to them the Holy Spirit. You know, remember, in creation, the Spirit of God moves upon the face of the deep. Here is the Spirit of God in creation. This book, I want to say this, the Holy Spirit of God reveals the deep things of a holy righteous dog. He only can go down to its depths and reveal the depths of this blessed book. And this blessed book, by the Holy Spirit, he imparts knowledge. If you're going to have any knowledge, you're going to have to read this book. And this book searches parts by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God takes this blessed book And he searches the human heart through this blessed book. And the Holy Spirit maketh intercession for us. That's a wonderful thing. The Holy Spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. The Spirit of God can groan in a human heart. I know people who've had that experience. I had at once myself, groan in my heart, and only God can interpret the groanings of the Holy Spirit. There are many of God's people who have suffered, passed through hours of agony and pain and suffering. Oh, the groans that you can't interpret. No man can interpret. You can't write it down in language, but God knows The full meaning of that groan of an aching, broken heart. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the Spirit of God bears wonderful fruit. The Bible tells us that. It says, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. And the Spirit of God can bear all that fruit if you are yielded to His leading. The Spirit also can fill you. That's what the Bible teaches. Filled with the Holy Spirit of God. You can quench the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit has limited operations. God says, My Spirit shall not always try with man. And if ever the Spirit of God used a verse, a remark, in my life it was that, brought up in a Christian home, I knew the Bible from my very beginning almost. I knew what grace at the table was. I knew what reading the Bible in a family altar with all around reading each having a Bible, and Father Fultz in their session in prayer, that if ever there was a verse that scared me, it was my Father who struck my mother's constant reminder, God says my Spirit shall not always strive with that. There can be a time come when you cross the line. There is a limitation. of the operation of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit, true. The many things he can do, he can, over in Revelation, you see him speaking to the seven churches of Asia, speaking to those seven bodies of believers, but they also teach us individuals. While the Apostle Paul, And God, in trying to teach the apostle as to his pathway, the Holy Spirit told Paul not to go into Asia. Here is the Spirit of God directing the apostle. And he can direct our walk today. Yes, he directs our pathway. And he can be blasphemed. That's the unpardonable thing. blaskeemie, the Holy Spirit. He can be lied to. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit. Yes, you can do despite under the Spirit of grace. You can rebel against the Holy Spirit. How sad, how solemn. When you stop to think of the Holy Spirit of God, you can rebel here. You see him in the form of a dove descending on the Lord Jesus. You see him as a form of a dove or forks of fire that set along disciples when we have the Spirit of God given at Pentecost. Yes, the Spirit equals the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Here you have the Divine Trinity, and the Spirit of God is not lower in power than the Lord Jesus, nor does He exceed the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Trinity is not jealous, and so you have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is deity. and that's plainly talked if you want to read it over in John you'll find he mentioned about seventeen or eighteen times he personal program he referring to the Holy Spirit yes the Holy Spirit is one of the Zion God you have his deity I read a verse this past week that's quite amusing in one way, as you apply it, and yet it's very, very solemn. This is what you read. He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord, and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Power of nineteen seventy. And another version says, when you help the poor you are lending to the Lord and the pay and he pays wonderful interest on your loan and thought about that verse in connection with stewardship I might give an illustration of that a wealthy southern gentleman was called upon by some institution who wanted a gift, wanted something toward this big institution. They needed a sizable gift. And so when the gentlemen representing that institution went to that wealthy man and told them, in fact, he read that verse I've just read. And this was the answer of that wealthy man. He replied that security... is no doubt good, and the interest is liberal. But I cannot give such long interest." He didn't want to pay something back over a long period of time. Little did he realize that two weeks later he died. And so we must remember, we are stewards, and God should handle that part of our lives. I think true of another incident. An old rabbi, he had some money, and he wasn't quite sure how to invest it. But he also had a friend who was quite, you know, acquainted with debts and securities and so on. So the old rabbi, he went to this friend of his and he said, I wonder if you would do something for me. This friend said, yes, we've been very close for a long time. He said, would you take my savings and all my money and invest it for me? I just said, yeah. He said, I'll be glad to do that. So he did. After a couple of months passed, the old rabbi said, did you invest my money? Yes, I did. How did you invest it? He said, I gave it all to the poor. That was quite a joke to a rabbi. And he said, what do you mean you did give it all to the poor? Well, he said, I presume sometime you're going to go on a journey. Yes, this is in England. I plan to. Well, he said, no, when you go on a journey, you need to do something about your money and transactions. In other words, you're going to have to deal with the currencies in other countries. For instance, if you're going to go to Russia, you'll need to get some rubles. And then you'll be able to go around Russia. and you'll be able to buy things because you've got their currency. Then again, if you're going to go to France, why are you going to get some francs? And you'll have the currency in that country you'll be able to spend. Or if you're going to the United States, it'll be dollars. You'll have to have an exchange of currency. And he said, I was just thinking you'd be very wise if you do what I told you. Give your money to the poor, for you're going to need it when you die. Take that journey into eternity. You need to change your currency, earthly things, into heaven's value. I don't know when the old Levi old Jordan II went through that a lot. Even nevertheless it was true. True story of how one needs to invest his earthly belongings in the values of heaven's possessions and currency. So we have this wonderful experience and honor of taking care of these things that we are made stewards storage of the man are called pleasures of God. I think also of another situation. A Christian was asked, and this man was a Christian, had I been a born-again Christian. He'd been a wonderful Christian. But he got away from God, and that was serious. So he had a dream. one night away from God and a person appears in his room a personality so real and he said the less the person in the dream said to this man he said five years ago you prayed to God or a little girl died, who was dying. Then he said, remember, ten years ago you were praying, and you were praying about how to be saved, and oh, how you prayed. Then something else, fifteen years ago, you were a very sick man. And oh, how you pray, you pray. And then when the one who was telling the story, he told this man about what he had in his dream, the interpretation of, and he cried out as he awoke, O Lord, O Lord, have I done all this? And also the man has said in his dream, Are you willing tonight to ask no more of God if he from this time will ask no more of these? And lo, God, he said, and Savior, what have I done? What have I been doing? Take all, take everything. What is all I have for what? All you have. And I don't have. You don't realize these things. I think I mentioned one time of a little boy, ten years of age, and he left a letter on the table. And when the mother saw it, she saw the letter and she looked at it. This is what's contemplated. You owe me for fetching wood and coal six times, fifty cents. You owe me for going to the store twice, twenty-five cents. You owe me for cleansing up the yard twice, fifty cents, total, a hundred and twenty-five cents. Mother read it. and she was a man and this is what she wrote the little boy read it you owe me for a happy whole you owe me food clothing nothing you owe me for nursing you through a long illness nothing you owe me for loving you and being good to you, total nothing. That's the total. Well, Thomas, we read that letter. He ran through his arms around the small and this is what he said. Oh, my, I'm just a poor wretch. Just a poor wretch. How should I think such a thing? that to charge you for the little things I did, instead of sobbing, I'm an ungrateful wretch. And that's true. In other words, the whole story comes down, what does the Lord owe you? Do you ever think about it? What does the Lord owe you? Nothing. What do you owe the Lord? Everything. The Lord owes you nothing, but you owe the Lord everything you've got. It's his. So in this passage you have a word of warning. Give account of thy stewardship. Give account of thy stewardship. Thou mayest be no longer a steward. The time is coming when every Christian is going to have to give an account of his stewardship. What have I done with these things? I've missed them. Honor to his name, respect for his name, and that treasure of his Bible. What have I done with it? Is it having dust wrapped vomit on? the dust picked off the cover as it's been put away what is it doing well this blessed book are we looking forward at a time when we're going to have to change our values change earthly treasures into heavenly riches i wonder that's what you're doing from day to day as you read this blessed book and in that passage we read there about earthly treasures and also the value of spiritual values. And we're told to treasure up heavenly things, spiritual things, things that last forever and forever. There you have a word of warning. Give account of thy stewardship. For God has given you life. He's given you intelligence. He's given you ability. He's given you opportunity. Give account of thy stewardship. Then there's something else. There's a word of despair. What shall I do, said the unjustly. So, sir, what shall I do? I'd like to ask that question of you. What are you going to do when that day erect me close? What will you do? That's what this unjust servant says, steward says. Then again there's one chance, one opportunity. This man said, I'm too old to work, too proud to beg. What shall I do? He comes to an end of himself. Now, There is a word of inquiry. How much owes thou unto my Lord? Just how much. He's given you physical blessings, cold blessings. He's given you financial blessings. He's given you health. He's given you food. He's given you clothing. He's given you mental blessings. He's given some of you education. He's given you spiritual blessings. He made fear through you, Christ, whom you receive by faith alone and not by works. What are you going to do now? A decision has got through me. Give account of thy stewardship. Without me it's been a wonder, Stuart. When I reflect back over my life, I think of how little I have really, after all, given to the Lord. I tried to study his book. I tried to preach it. I tried to visit people, the witness to them. I tried. All I could say, what I had, I gave. It was the best I could. And friend, they come, but we're all going to give an account of our stewardship. Yes, I have studied my Bible by the hour. I could have studied it more. Through I preached over the years, some near fifty, sixteen years, but I could have done better. All I can say is, I gave what I had when it had it. I gave my best. I lead the results with God. No man is a judge of what all accomplishments. Neither do I accept the discernment of man or the judgments of man. This is something you have to settle in the presence of a holy, righteous God as to how you have treated His books, His name, His words, His spirits, and the time He has given you in life. What have you done to that? What is the approval of your life? in the presence of God. Give an account of thy stewardship. This man in this miracle, or in this parable, he pulled a trick quite in keeping with the Middle East. In other words, he had these people, he'd been over them, he'd been the boss, and he said, I'll tell you what I do. I'll call this man in. Now tell him here, write down so much, fifty percent. All right, write that down. Then he says, write down too. All you got except twenty percent, take that off. Boy, he said, when I'm put out of my stewardship, or I'm going to be put out, these people will receive me. into everlasting judgment, no not judgment, into everlasting righteousness. They received me in because I did a good deed for them. And the Lord commended it for that. And it wasn't the Lord Jesus who commended it. It was the boss of that story. But he commended it because he saw this man saw he was up against it. The job was through. Being a steward was at an end. He had one chance to try and make friends of the treasures of unrighteousness. All you can do in that passage is this. You can win people to Christ. You can win souls to Christ. That's a great way to make friends. that when Jesus comes, you will have those who will meet you in the air. And you point them to the Lord. And they will receive you because of your faithfulness. They will receive you into everlasting happiness and joy. That's the only chance you've got. give account of thy stewardship thou mayest be no longer steward except one chance and we have to leave that with the Lord and he will reward you for what your efforts are in trying to win souls to Christ I think the Apostle Paul refers to that in Thessalonians the end of each of the chapters of that first epistle five you find something about the Apostle Paul. And one passage he speaks about that day, when is you want to receive all those whom he has won for Christ, he'll receive them. As the Lord comes, he'll meet them in the air. And they will be with the Apostle, as they welcome him home, and for eternity. be able to rejoice over those who have appointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's nothing in the world can equal winning a soul to Christ. It's something that lasts and lasts forever. My mother led my father to Christ in England. My father led me to Christ. So it was kind of a family affair. And I sometimes feel all those whom I have had a hand in seeing saved. I've prayed it many a time. Oh God, let my mother and father take some of the credit. Get up until I was nineteen. I broke your hearts. May they share in the reward. in that coming day. May you, when sold for Christ, in that day when the Lord comes, you'll have some fruit. So who will welcome you and receive you into everlasting habitation. Our Father in heaven, we ask thy blessing upon thy word. We thank thee for it. We thank thee thou have given us these riches, these treasures. May we make use of them. May we be good stewards. Holy Father, and blessed in thy word, to thy people, and any here who are unpronged. May they come to know Christ, whom to know is life eternal. We ask it in our Savior's name. Amen. Shall we sing the verse of truth of three hundred and forty-two. Three hundred and forty-two. Jesus is tenderly calling thee home, calling today, calling today, why from the sunshine of love with our own, father, and father away? Shall we stand and sing this hymn?