(silence) Let me begin by asking you guys this question, okay, to help you guys get in the frame of the sermon for today. Is what is the best and greatest reward you have ever received, okay? The best and the greatest reward you have ever received. I'm not talking about a birthday present, that's something you just got, even though you didn't deserve anything, it's just 'cause you were born, you know?

But something that you actually kind of worked for, but it was a bigger reward than you had imagined. A greater reward than you had imagined, okay? Can you think of something like that? Maybe you were pushing really hard for a test, you thought you might get a B, but you got an A plus or something like that, I don't know.

Maybe you were working for a promotion, but you didn't just get a promotion, you got a bigger office, I don't know, think of something that you might have gotten, okay? You got that in your mind? All right, so that's great, that great reward. If you wouldn't mind, you could share it with the person next to you, just don't rub it in too much, okay?

But you wanna share it with the person next to you, yes? No, okay, okay, gotcha. (audience laughing) This is a quiet bunch too. But they're laughing a little bit more than the first bunch, right? Okay, whatever that reward you received, right? I wanna let you know that God wants to bless you and reward you more than you can ever imagine.

And I'll prove it to you by just what the word of God says. Do you believe that God wants to reward you and bless you more than you can even imagine? Do you believe this? Because if you do, then it will alter and it will change and transform the way you live your life and what you live your life for.

You know, if we live our life for rewards on this world, what do you get? You get something temporary, right? You use your credit card to get some credit card reward points, what do you get? Maybe a free ticket. But when you live for God and you know that he wants to reward you greatly, then that will begin to change the way you look at God and also the way you live your life.

And so that's what we're gonna be talking about today. So let's look at the Luke 19, verse 11 through 27, okay? Luke 19, verse 11 through 27, okay? I'll wait till you guys all get there. I'm reading from the ESV, the English Standard Version, okay? As they heard these things, okay, we'll get back to that part, he, Jesus, proceeded to tell a parable because he was near to Jerusalem and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

He said, "Therefore, a noble man went into a far country "to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. "Calling 10 of his servants, "he gave them 10 minas and said to them, "Engage in business until I come." Everyone say engage. - Engage. - Thank you. "But his citizens hated him "and sent a delegation after him saying, "We don't want this man to reign over us.

"When he returned, having received the kingdom, "he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to "be called to him that he might know "what they had gained by doing business. "The first came before him saying, "Lord, your mina has made 10 minas more. "And he said to him, well done, good servant.

"Because you have been faithful in a very little, "you shall have very little more." Oh, I'm sorry, that's not what it says, I'm sorry about that. "Because you have been faithful in a very little, "you shall have authority over 10 cities. "And the second came saying, "Lord, your mina has made five minas.

"And he said to him, and you are to be over five cities. "Then another came saying, "Lord, here is your mina, "which I kept laid away in a handkerchief. "For I was afraid of you because you are a severe man. "You take what you did not deposit "and reap what you did not sow.

"He said to him, I will condemn you with your own words, "you wicked servant. "You knew that I was a severe man, "taking what I did not deposit "and reaping what I did not sow. "Why then did you not put my money in the bank? "And at my coming, I might have collected it with interest.

"And he said to those who stood by, "take the mina from him "and give it to the one who has 10 minas. "And they said to him, Lord, he has 10 minas. "I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given. "But from the one who has not, "even what he has will be taken away.

"But as for these enemies of mine "who did not want me to reign over them, "bring them here and slaughter them before me." The word of God to us today. Please take a moment to look at that yourself. Try to picture it. Imagine, feel the tension, the joy, the elation, all these things, the fear, all that stuff.

Okay? And now let's just take a moment to pray as we enter into the word of God. Heavenly Father, thank you for your love. Thank you that as you look upon your sons and daughters, you absolutely adore them. In fact, you love them so much that you gave your only son for them.

Is there anything that you would not provide for their needs? Lord, you are so good, you are generous. Every good and perfect gift comes from you. And I pray that today, Lord, as we look into your word, and once again, remind it, that Lord, as we live our life, that we would live it knowing that you alone are worthy of our praise, you alone are worthy of all of our life, and God, that you are a good and generous God.

We love you, we serve you today. We pray that you would fill us with your spirit and guide us. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen, amen. So I think that as we look at this parable, it's kind of clear, right? Let me, can we do some interaction, is that okay?

You guys can respond to me, okay? If you're wrong, I'm not gonna go, "Eh," get out. I'm not gonna do that kind of stuff. But I would like some interaction, okay? So who is the nobleman in this story? Jesus, very good, right? He's a nobleman who goes off, I thought I heard someone say Jesus.

Okay, and he's the nobleman who goes off to a distant country to become king. That means we don't know how long he's going to be away. Okay, currently, he's been away for over 2,000 years. He goes away. Also, what else do we see in this passage? That he has given his servants one mina each.

A mina is worth three months' wages, okay? So he gives each of his 10 servants one mina each. While he is away receiving his kingdom, there will also be haters, people who don't want Jesus to be king. And we see that all the time around us, right? Sometimes even in our own life, we don't want Jesus to be king.

We want ourselves to be king or queen in that sense, right? But Jesus is coming back as king, and when he comes back, he's gonna call everybody, his servants, to give account for their life, for what they've done with the mina, as well as the enemies who opposed him, he will call them to give account, okay?

So that's pretty much what the parable is saying. Now, what Jesus has done is he has given us, actually, a future parable of what the framework of our life is going to look like, okay? So here we go. Let's imagine this is the picture frame. Slide number one. Ding!

Wonderful. (audience laughs) So the picture frame at the top, Jesus is king, or going away to be king, and as he left, he gives us minas, his servants, but also there are haters. So this could be this side, right? Jesus is coming back. We do not know when, but he is coming back.

And lastly, when he comes back, he will call us to give account for our life. This is the framework of our life. There's nothing you could do about it. You cannot change this. You cannot stop Jesus from becoming king. You cannot deny that he's given you minas. You cannot stop haters in this world.

There's always gonna be haters. You cannot stop him from coming back. One day he's gonna come back, and nothing you can do can stop it, and when he does come back, we'll all give account. So the only thing that's missing from this picture frame is what? Ding! Ding! The picture of what your life is going to look like.

Of what your life will be about. That is the only thing that is missing from this frame. Everything else, you cannot do anything about it. It is already set this way. But how you will live your life. What will be the picture of your life? So let's go back to the passage now, okay?

This begins by, "As they heard these things," and so it's a connector from verse 10, right, and on. Who are the they that heard? Who are the they? The they are not just his 12 disciples. The they are literally thousands, if not 10,000 people that are crowded around Jesus.

They have watched Jesus raise the dead. They have watched Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, feed the multitude with five loaves and two fishes. And they are in this frenzy, this euphoria. They are following Jesus because they believe that Jesus fits the exact model of the Old Testament prophets that are prophesied of the Messiah.

They look at Jesus and they say, "If there's gonna be anyone who's gonna be Messiah, "it's Jesus." And so there are literally thousands, if not tens of thousands, that are following Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. Verse Luke 18, he was going through Jericho. As he was going through Jericho, there was a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus.

Cries out, "Son of David, have mercy on me." What does Jesus do? Gives the man sight. Crowd gets even more frenzied, more excited. He's walking through Jericho. Remember he sees a small guy, what was his name? Zacchaeus, right, the chief tax collector. The one that is hated by the other Jewish people because he's considered a traitor.

What does Zacchaeus do when he encounters Jesus? He says, "Look, Lord, right here and now, "I give half my wealth to the poor, "and anyone I cheated, I will pay back four times." He is returning the hearts of the traitors back to the heart of God in that sense.

So they're like, "Jesus is unstoppable. "He's going to Jerusalem. "He's going to establish the kingdom of Israel." And they're pumped. But this is the thing. Jesus is not going to Jerusalem to establish a political kingdom. In fact, he tried so hard for those three years to do ministry in like these little towns, like Capernaum and Galilee, where he would be unknown, but it just continued to spread.

Because in Luke 19, verse 10, he says this, "The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. "That's why I came. "I came to do the salvation work "before I build my kingdom. "I've come to save lives, to lead people back to Christ, "back to me, to salvation, "before I establish my kingdom," in that sense.

And so he's saying the first time he's come, he's come as savior. But when he returns, he's going to come back as king and as judge. Now, the thing is this, even though he's telling them this, even though he's saying this to the people, they don't get it. Especially the disciples, they don't get it.

They're like, "Jesus, when we get to Jerusalem, "can I sit on your right? "And can I sit on your left?" And they're arguing about this. Because their whole thought is this, "Jesus, we are sick and tired "of the Roman government oppressing us. "We are sick and tired of the pagan Roman worship.

"We are sick and tired of all these idols "that are set up around us. "We are sick and tired of all our fellow Jewish people "just falling away. "We want you to make Israel great again. "Make America great again. "And we want you to do it now, "like I said, immediately." But Jesus is saying, "No, that's not why I came for.

"I did not come to establish a political kingdom. "I did not come to become a political king. "I came to seek and save the lost. "When I come back, then there will be, "the eternal kingdom will be established." So we need to think about this, because I think many of us, we're kind of in the same attitude as the disciples.

Oh Jesus, I'm sick and tired of these laws. I'm sick and tired of these transgender issues where guys can use the girls' bathroom. I'm sick and tired of all, I'm sick and tired, God, either you come back now, or you stop all this and bring judgment, and this is the kind of, take me away.

And so in a real sense, we are just like the disciples. I notice when I look at YouTube and I see a lot of the 666 or the end of the world, a lot of those YouTube clips, they come from America. They don't come from other parts of the world.

They're kind of just going on. It's the Christians in America. Come back now, Jesus, get us out of here. Rescue us, save us. And Jesus is saying, "No, it's not time. "The king is gonna go away for a while." And so he gives them this parable to help them to understand, okay?

And the parable is the nobleman go off to a far country. We don't know how long, but there's two things Jesus is sure of, that he is gonna become king, and he's going to return. And when he returns, every single person on this world will stand before him and give account.

And those who have been faithful, those who have been obedient, will receive a great reward. But those who have not will face a great judgment, as we see here, right? It's all dependent on how we live. He calls his 10 servants and he gives them one minna each, says, "Engage in business." Everyone say, "Engage." That word, engage, in the Greek is the word pragmatoumai, which is where we get the word pragmatic, right?

Pragmatic. It means to carry on business, to trade, to occupy. The king, the nobleman is telling his servants, "Be active. "Multiply the minna that was given to them." The command is simple, I think, and very clear. What, as a servant, am I to do? Engage. Engage in business. It's hard, though, right?

Because we look around and we go, "Oh man, there's so much crime. "There's so much greed. "There's so much backstabbing. "I don't wanna engage. "I just wanna stay in a handkerchief. "I just wanna stay safe. "I just wanna protect myself." In fact, what happens is most of the people, if you look at the world, the population of the world is moving into cities.

And so God is saying, "I want you to engage in cities." And I live in Gangnam, which is ridiculously crowded. If you haven't been to Korea, Seoul, it makes LA look like a countryside, really. You get into a subway, people are crammed against you. The first time I went to Korea, I sat down in the subway, I had no idea, okay?

I had no idea, I'm from LA. I sit down, there's no such thing as personal space. I sit down, and all of a sudden, this girl who's wearing a short skirt stands right between my legs. And I'm just like, "What is going on here?" Personal space, you know? So when I encounter, you know, people are bumping, little ajummas are pushing me.

When I encounter that, I'm telling you, I don't want to engage. I want to disengage and go off to some secluded area. But Jesus said, "No, I want you to engage. "I want you to engage." And he gives this parable, engage. But the question then becomes, okay, it's clear what you want us to do, but what does he mean by engage?

Right? Because, you know, that could be kind of nebulous. What do you mean by engage? And secondly, maybe more importantly, how do we engage? Because I don't want you to just leave here and say, "Yeah, I have to engage, I have to engage, "but I don't really know how to." I want us to start thinking about how do we engage as well?

So we are to engage, what does it mean, and how do we do it? So let's start by saying, by looking at what does it mean. To engage, literally, it means to put my money to work. Invest this for me while I'm gone. Literally, word for word, Jesus is commanding that the money given to us, all of it, since it belongs to God, somehow we figure out how to multiply it and then give it back to God, the money back to God.

Now, to be sure, the Bible does talk about us being faithful stewards with God's money. We know that's there. But I think that most of us, if we look at this, we can figure out that it's not just talking about money. Right? Right? It's not just about money. Do you believe that?

Do you see that? Because if it's only about money, some of you don't have money, so you go, "Well, this parable means nothing to me "'cause I have no money." So, no, of course not. And a lot of the apostles didn't have money too, right? Silver and gold I do not have, but this I have in the name of Jesus, stand up and walk, right?

So, it means more than just money. So, what could this mina from the king be? This is interaction time. Can you guys give me something? What could the mina be? The gospel, very good. What else? The gospel, very good. What else? (audience laughing) Was that like an echo? The gospel.

(audience laughing) The gospel. Anything else? (audience member speaking faintly) Huh? Abilities. Abilities. Spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts, very good. Anything else? (audience member speaking faintly) Time, very good. That's so precious to us, right? What else? (audience member speaking faintly) Talents, right? Holy Spirit, right? So many things. And doing the research, going over commentaries, they all said these kind of things.

The gospel, some of the commentaries are gospel, some of the commentaries say talents, energy, spiritual gifts. I think it's safe to say, though, the best way to do it is just life. It's all of our life. The King's Mina is all of our life since all of our life is a gift from God.

Our life is a gift from God given to us. It will be the basis for our rewards. So the command is to take all that you are, all that you are, that which the King has given to you, and then to occupy, to engage until he returns. When we stand before God, God wants us to be able to say, Lord, Lord, the life you've given to me, I return it back to you, and it's been multiplied 10 times, five times, whatever, and God wants to reward you.

Look at the person next to you and say, God wants to reward you. Say that to each other. That's right. God wants to reward you. So engage is to really start to do business, to interact, and it means to participate, to be involved, to enter into people's lives and interests, to get to know them is the understanding of engage, 'cause you have to trade.

In order to trade, you have to interact. And you know what, Jesus is the true model, the supreme model of engaging. He did it all the time. In fact, he was the one who did it in the most real way. Do you remember when Jesus was over at Simon the Pharisee's house?

He went in, Simon didn't wash his feet, didn't do anything, didn't give him water to wash his hands, and Jesus is laying down and he's eating, and what happens? Remember, a woman walks in, a so-called sinner, probably a prostitute, and as she comes up to Jesus, she begins to weep, and her tears start to hit Jesus' feet, and the dirt begins to start to smudge, and then what does she do?

She unties her hair, she begins to wipe his feet with her hair, and then pour the alabaster jar perfume, very expensive perfume, and what does Simon the Pharisee say? If Jesus knew who this woman was and what kind of a sinner she was, he wouldn't let her touch him.

But this is the ironic thing. Only Jesus really knew who this woman was. You see, we look up from the outside, from the superficial, but Jesus actually engages, he knows them, he goes, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. "Go in peace." And then along comes another time, he's walking, and along comes a rich young ruler, remember?

He goes, "Good teacher, what must I do "to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus says, "Well, what does the law say?" "Well, I've kept all the law." So all the girls are like, "Oh." (audience laughs) Keeps all the law, is rich and young and good-looking. "Oh." And then Jesus looks at him, engages him, 'cause he knows him, says, "That's one thing you lack.

"Sell all you have, give it to the poor, "and then come follow me, and you'll have riches in heaven." And what does he do? Turns around and he leaves. You see, Jesus is the only one that truly engages people. He sees them as they really are. That's what Jesus wants us to do.

He wants us to truly engage people, engage with your life, engage others. So this is the question. Do you engage, do you invest the life God has given to you, or do you try to escape? Do you try to hide or put it in a handkerchief? Now that was the word engage, what it means to engage.

But how do we engage? How do we engage? That's the more important question, I think. Now let me start off by asking you this question. If Bill Gates gave you a large chunk of his money and said to you, "I want you to multiply this for me." Bill Gates gave you this chunk of money.

How would you treat that money that he gives to you? And how would you know how to multiply it as well? Would you know how to multiply it? Now this is the thing, Bill Gates is just a man, and that money he gives to you is just temporary. God has given you his very son, his very spirit, his very life, his God, he's given you.

How do you treat what he has given to you, and do you know how to multiply it? And so I was thinking about this too, 'cause I really want to be a good steward, I wanna be a good servant. If you wanna be a good servant in this place, raise up your hand, say, "Yes, I do." Yeah, amen, praise God, I'm speaking to you guys, great.

So think about this, here are the 10 servants, they're lined up, and the king gives each one a mina. I want you to multiply this, engage in business, engage in business, engage. Now the moment the king gives them the money, what have they become? Stewards, yes, what else? Like, occupationally wise?

Investors, right? They become investment bankers in that sense, right? So not only are they servants, they are now investment bankers. And so I started looking at this picture, this story, and I go, "Oh man, it would be great "if there was someone who was a professional "investment banker, and took this parable and taught it." So I said, "Okay, if God wants us to be investment banker, "then I better look up the five top qualities "of an investment banker." So that's what I did, I went on YouTube, I went on a bunch of different sites, click, click, click, click, top five qualities.

I was shocked. I thought that the number one quality would be that they know where to invest, that's what I thought the number one would be. Wouldn't you think that would be a successful investment banker? This is what they all said. You can look it up yourself. Unanimously, they said this, "A good investment banker knows their client "and knows what their client wants." I was like, "Oh my gosh, that sounds like Christian." (audience laughing) Second, good investment bankers give of themselves and take big risks for their clients.

Thirdly, good investment bankers sense where the investment will make the most impact. That's what I thought would be number one, but it was actually like number three or number four. So really, a good investment banker has this relationship with their client. That's the most important thing. The client comes and says, "Here's my money, "I want you to multiply it." The good investment banker says, "I'm making my number one priority to get to know you.

"What do you want me to invest in? "How much return do you want? "Do you want a quick return or a slow, steady growth?" There is a sense where a good investment banker knows it's not my money, it's this client's, so I need to know this client. And what does the first servant say when he stands before the king?

What does the first servant say? "Your mina has made 10 more." I'm so humbled by this servant, 'cause you know what I say sometimes? I go, "My mina has made 10 more." But he says, "It's yours. "Your mina has made 10 more." There is this humility, there is this absolute sense where he knows that it's all the king's.

But there is a second principle that is so profound. He says, "Your mina has made 10 more." Do you know that the mina of God, what God has placed in you, whether it be His Spirit, whether it be the Gospel, whether it be the spiritual gifts, whether it be just your life, that if you just engage the promises, this is the principle, that it will just multiply itself.

Because God is powerful, God is almighty, like the seed of the Gospel. It has everything in there to produce fruit, to multiply. You just have to engage. This is the principle. "Your mina has made 10 more." There is this absolute sense. I need to know you, and it's all about you.

Sometimes this is a struggle for me, because I go, "God, it's my mina, "so I don't want to forgive. "God, it's my mina, so I don't want to share. "God, it's my mina, so I don't wanna give my time." I find myself doing that. But not only that, sometimes I find myself going like this, "God, I need more minas, and then I could do something." But you know what?

It's not about how I feel, or even what I think. It's about being obedient to the King, who said, "Engage with my mina." It's about obedience. It's about being faithful. One investment banker said this, "You become more valuable to the client "as they see you understanding their wants, "and working hard to get their investments multiplied.

"The client recognizes that you genuinely care about them, "and not just trying to make some money for yourself. "You ask them if this investment "is acceptable to their portfolio. "If they say no, then you find something else. "If they say yes, then you act upon it. "Each step is taken side by side." So to engage in business, how do you do it?

First, build your relationship with Christ. Build your intimacy with God. Know His heartbeat, know His ways. Know His words. In this parable, of course, the client, or the investor, he is the nobleman, he is the King Jesus. We are the servants. How well we know Christ, how closely we walk with Him, will determine how and what we invest in.

And Jesus, again, is a supreme example of the investor. Because who is the client in his life? God, the Father, right? Jesus says, "I do nothing apart from my Father." Every morning, when everyone's sleeping, every afternoon, when people are doing ministry, whatever, busy, every night, when people go to sleep, what is Jesus doing?

He is constantly engaging the Father, even starting from the age of 12. And because He knows how to engage the client, the Father, what flows out of Him? Engaging the world, right? Engaging in His ministry. That's the first thing. So, really, our life, in our engagement, it should look like Christ.

That's what it should look like, the picture of our life. Second, a good investment banker gives themselves to take big risks for their clients. In other words, they work hard for their clients. They are faithful to the very end. The first thing a good investor does, and this is what they said, is, when they come early into work the next day, the first thing they do is they open up their portfolio and they go over the data, 'cause things change overnight.

And then they meditate upon it, they research it, they even for hours sometimes, and they act upon it after they research. And I go, oh my gosh, this sounds like a Christian again. Doesn't it? Because what is, we as followers of Christ, what are we supposed to do? Open up God's portfolio, look over His word, meditate upon it, see how we are to adjust our life according to His word, and then act upon it.

I go, oh my, this makes so much sense. That's why you're a good investor, because you know what's going on in the portfolio, you know what the word of God is saying in your life, and then you act upon it, and then you have to take risks. Because sometimes it's risky to say, hello, how you doing, to a stranger, because the word of God says, love your neighbor.

Hey, you know, I have extra $5, but I just wanna bless you, because I feel like God wants me. It's risky. I wanna forgive you, it's risky. But you act upon it, because you see it in the portfolio of God. And this is the thing, investment bankers, they never quit.

They don't call up their clients, hey, I lost your money in this investment, I'm sorry, so I quit. They don't do that. It's only the client who says, no, you're fired, right? You can't quit, only I can fire you. But that's kind of what we do sometimes as Christians.

God, I messed up again. You should find somebody else, I quit. And God's like, no, I didn't fire you. Get back up, get back up. I still have work for you. Work with me, work with me. I want you to engage, right? Taking risks. So, think about this now.

Here's servant number one, servant number two. Servant number one makes 10 minutes more, five minutes more, and then the third servant. So when servant number one and servant number two wakes up, how do they wake up? I know it doesn't say, but you imagine. How do they wake up?

This is kind of what I imagine. My master has given me minas. How can I multiply it today? And meditate, think about it, pray about it, whatever. Okay, they're excited. They start to act upon their mina, upon what, you know, commander of them. In a certain sense, they wake up with meaning.

They have meaning, they have purpose. How does the third servant wake up? Oh gosh, I'm so tired, maybe a couple more hours. (groans) Okay, let me get up. Mm, I wonder what's for breakfast. Who posted on Facebook? Anyone going to the mall today? Anyone going to the mall today?

And looks over at the number one and number two guy, and servant's like, what are you guys doing? Why are you wasting your time? Come on, how long has this master been away for? 2,000 plus years? Come on, he's not coming back. You guys are stupid. You weren't, just give it up, and just come live like me.

Come on, live it up, be free like me. And because the third servant has this kind of attitude, he doesn't care about the master's mina, and he doesn't take risks. In fact, what is his attitude like when the king does return? He goes like this, right, he goes, "Here's your mina.

"I kept it in a handkerchief "because I know you're a severe man. "I know that you try to reap what you don't deposit." What is someone who tries to reap what they don't deposit? What are they called? A thief. This third servant is calling the king a thief. Could you imagine what servant number one, number two, are doing?

They're looking at him, going, which king are you serving? My king is generous. He gave me one mina. It became 10, and I would have been happy if he just gave me 10 minas back. In fact, I'm thankful that he even gave me a mina, but he gave me 10 cities.

Which king are you talking about? Something's wrong with you. I think about this third servant. Perhaps some of us are like this in this room. Where we think that God is stingy. Where we think that God takes away. You know there's that song, ♪ Every blessing you pour out ♪ You know that song?

(audience laughs) And then there's that bridge, right? ♪ You give and take away ♪ ♪ You give and take ♪ You know that, right? This servant is saying, ♪ You take and take away ♪ ♪ You take ♪ You know? (audience laughs) But I thought about this. I really thought about this for a second, you know?

Where in the Bible does God just take things away from his faithful servants arbitrarily? Nowhere. Job says it. That's where we get that stanza from. But Job didn't know that it was actually Satan taking stuff away. Yeah, God allowed it, yes, but it was Satan. So in actuality, it's not even biblically right to say that he gives and takes away.

In fact, if you look at God, what does he always do? He gives and gives and gives. He gave his son, he gives his Holy Spirit, he gives his word, he gives the body of Christ, he gives salvation, he gives us, he gives! But if you think that God is keeping something from you, he's stingy, then your heart becomes like this third servant you're a severe man.

First servant, second servant goes, "Are you kidding me? "He is abundantly generous. "He gives, and now these two guys are excited. "Hey, you wanna serve my king? "He's awesome, he gives!" More than you can ever imagine. These three, these 10 servants, these three servants, they're all given the exact same minna.

And that means every single one of them have the exact same opportunity to see multiplication. So what is stopping them from multiplying? What is preventing them from multiplying? (water splashing) Nothing, except themselves. Do you hear me? What is stopping you from multiplying God's minna in your life? It's not God, God's not gonna stop you.

He wants you to multiply. It's not Satan, Satan cannot stop you. Only you can stop yourself from multiplying your minna. Only you can stop yourself from taking risks for God. Only you can stop yourself from pushing that extra hardness to get more of what God has for you. Only you can stop that.

The third servant, he was his own worst enemy. God wants you to multiply your minna. You know what, it really saddens me that in modern Western Christianity, which is what I'm part of as well, in modern Western Christianity, or should I say Churchianity, there is this attitude. And the attitude is like this, or this belief.

Well, I said this in this prayer once, so now I'm saved, and I go to church on Sundays. So check, check, check, I'm good. Now I will live my life the way I wanna live it. In fact, why would I risk, take risk? Why would I try to work hard for God?

Why, I'm in. And there is a sense where we are living in such affluence and comfort that we just live like this. And what's kind of scary and saddens me is that the church, people in the church, our life starts to resemble a lot like the people of the world who don't serve God.

And so this is an example of the picture, slide number three, please. So our life, this is what we're living for. Clothes, money, cars, house, you know? This is the picture that we want our life to look like, and it doesn't look any different than what the world looks like.

But Jesus is telling us he wants us to engage in his kingdom. Do we understand the price that was paid for our salvation? Are we truly grateful for the honor and the privilege of being a servant in his kingdom? If we do, then how can we just go on living like people of the world, pursuing the things of this world?

No, we must be like the first and the second servant who are faithful, who are hardworking, who take risks, and who give everything for their king. The third thing of good investment bankers is they sense where the investments will make the most impact. At any given moment, you know, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of different possibilities to invest in, mutual funds, CDs, real estate, et cetera.

So what you have to do is you have to have a sense of where your master wants you to particularly invest in. You have to have the sense where you will make the most impact. Remember, it's the same Nina, but it's a unique servant. Each of you are unique.

We all have one life to live. And we are to live the life that God has created and called us for. What has God called you for? So servant number one wakes up, this is what I enjoy doing. Let me use the Mina for God. This is, number two wakes up, this is what I enjoy doing.

Let me leave it for God. You know, I've been a Christian now for 24 years, and there's one occupation that I didn't think could really be glorifying to God, and that's bodybuilding, okay? And please, you know, if you're a bodybuilder here, please don't get offended. You can hear the rest of the story, okay?

Because, you know, you ever go to see, watch bodybuilding on TV, these guys come out and they're wearing like this thin, thin thong underwear, you know? And they turn around and you see their butt cheeks, I'm just like, how do you glorify God like that, you know? (audience laughing) And then the girls, you know, they come out in this even thinner, you know, and go, oh boy, you know, I don't know.

But what happened was, in Korea, there was this one lady, her name is Samantha. She's from the States, she's Caucasian, and she came to Korea to teach, just to make some extra money, and she became a bodybuilder, okay? And so she came to New Harvest, and she wasn't a Christian, and she became a Christian.

And so she's just on fire for God, and she's like, you know, I feel like God really wants me to bodybuild. I go, can you do that, can you do that, you know? And then she like posts pictures up on her Facebook, and I'm like, can I look at that?

I don't know, you know? (audience laughing) So, anyway, but she's just on fire. Like, everywhere she goes, she's trying to encourage people. And so she's like, you know, how can I use my Mina for God? I was like, I have no idea. I really don't. Let me flex your muscle, my Jesus, I don't know, what, you know?

(audience laughing) So then this is what happens, honestly. She tells me this, she goes, one day she's working out at the gym, right? And she's preparing for a competition. And all of a sudden, she meets this one Korean lady who's actually preparing for the same thing as that competition.

Now, one thing, I don't know, some of you, you know, Korean people may know this, but in Korea, there is this huge shame culture where all Korean women, they hate the way they look, they hate the way their body looks. So they're always doing plastic surgery, right? It's really sad.

So anyway, they start talking, and then this Korean girl, the Korean lady, realizes that she's in the same competition, so she goes, oh, I cannot do the competition. You look too good, I go lose, you know? She goes like that, right? (audience laughing) What, why are you guys laughing?

I can do that, I'm Korean, I can do that, okay? (audience laughing) So then this girl looks over, and this is what she says, Samantha, she goes, hey, I'm not your competition. Each of us, we do our best so that when we go up on stage, we present our best.

You're your own competition. Don't compare. And I just thought, like, wow. And that lady, she got encouraged, and so she started working out, you know, and they're working out together, and I go, oh, I guess you can go if I got a bodybuilding, right? And this is what I realized, that she's absolutely right.

Don't compare yourself to others. You are uniquely made for the way God made you. Don't compare, because if you compare yourself to somebody else, it will only lead to two things, either jealousy or arrogance. Look what they have. How come I don't have it? Jealousy. Look what they have, and look what I got.

Arrogance. If you're gonna compare, compare yourself to Jesus, and then you realize how much more you need of him. You have to live out the plan and the purpose God has created you for. Engage with the way God has made you. Now, how do you know how God has made you?

I know for sure you cannot figure it out by putting yourself on a handkerchief. You ain't gonna figure that out. What is a handkerchief? Handkerchief is this. Coming to church, sitting there, never talking to anybody, hearing the sermon, and then leaving. There is no way you're gonna figure out how to engage like that.

There's no way, 'cause that's your handkerchief. I did my part, I'm out. There's no way you're going to figure out a sense of how you're supposed to invest if all you ever do is go to your office, lock the door, stay in your office. Wanna get some coffee? No, no, no, no, I'm too busy.

I gotta work, I gotta work. You don't engage nobody. You're in your books all the time. I understand, some of you are students, so you have to study, I understand. But some of us, that's the way we just escape. That's the way we keep ourselves from engaging. There's no way you're going to know a sense of who you are, what God's called you for, if you're always escaping and hiding and being secluded by yourself.

How do you learn the sense of who you are, of what God created you? That's why I love small groups. I love it. Because when you're in a small group, or when you're serving, and you start to interact with others, and all of a sudden someone comes up to you, goes, "Man, you know what?

"I think you have a gift of hospitality." "I do? "How do you know?" "Because every time I'm around you, "you're so welcoming." "I am?" (audience laughing) "I didn't know." "Yeah, of course you didn't know, "because you didn't engage." But then when you start to engage, all of a sudden people start to see and call you out.

"Man, you have a gift of generosity." "I do?" "How do you know?" "Because everywhere you go, people are blessed "to become more abundant when you pass through." "I didn't know." "Yeah, because you never engaged." But when you engage and you interact, then you begin to start to see people start going, "Wow, there's something about you." There's a brother that was here in the first service, his name was Joseph.

Man, he's got such a gift of hospitality. You need to put that brother on the welcoming team, because as soon as he walked in, he just looked at me and goes, "Hi, I'm Joseph." I was like, "Hey, bro, how are you? "I'm Doug, so great to see you." This is like gems, man.

You gotta really encourage them. You know? How will you figure it out? You're not gonna figure it out by just sitting in front of a book in a cubicle. You have to continue to engage. Do you believe God has given you life? Do you believe that God has given you his son, his Holy Spirit, every good and perfect gift?

And that means you have this treasure that he's given to you. Then what can you do with this life? What is the greatest impact that you can make today? Not in a couple of years when you have money or when you have a bigger position. Today, how can you make the greatest impact today?

What is the greatest impact you can make today? What is it? You know the answer is? It's unlimited. It's unlimited. The impact that you can make today. You know, we do a thing in our church called discipleship training. This time, this term, we had nine sisters that went through nine months of discipleship training.

The third month, every sister is required to start to disciple somebody else. Now some of them are really shy, so they didn't do it. I had this one sister named Minji, very shy girl. She's a professor at a school. And so she saw this one student and she just engaged him.

She said, "Hey, would you like to do Bible study?" In Korea, you could still do those kind of things, right? In America, I know you get in big trouble. So she said, "Would you like to Bible study?" And the guy's like, "Sure." And he's not a Christian. They started doing Bible study, the Book of John.

He liked it so much, he invited his friend. Became two. He liked it so much, they invited another friend. There's three of them. Now this guy is on the verge of becoming a Christian. That sister Minji came up to me, her face is beaming. She's like, "I never knew that this could be done.

"I could do this." I was like, "I know, because you never engaged. "But you finally took the risk. "And this is the joy of it. "When you engage with God's Mina, "not only will it multiply, "because that's the powerfulness of God's Mina, "not only will it multiply, "but you will also receive the sense of joy, "the sense of meaningfulness, "and not only that, God will reward you.

"Why wouldn't you want to engage? "Why wouldn't you?" It's only if you're, as King says, if you're wicked. If you say, "I don't wanna live for God, "I wanna live for myself." So God's been really challenging me too, about this. You know, I'm in Korea, and so it's difficult for me, because everyone speaks Korean.

So you know what, I said, "Lord, wherever I go, "teach me how to engage." So I was at the gym, and I was working out, and I've been trying to get myself into shape, and working out, and there was this guy, really skinny Korean guy, and he was trying to do pull-ups, and he's like, "Yeah, yeah!" (audience laughs) And he brought a chair over, he's standing on the chair, "Yeah, yeah!" And I was just like, "Okay, chance to engage." So I go up to him, and I just said in my broken Korean, I said, "(speaking in foreign language) "Can I spot you?" And he looks over, probably shocked, 'cause I don't speak Korean very well, he's like, "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah." So I kinda spot him, and I'm holding up the back of his foot, and he's doing like 15, "Ugh, ugh!" He comes down, he's like, "Oh, come on, sit down." I was like, "Oh, no, no, no, no." And so I go up, and then he just walks away.

(audience laughs) But you know what, it didn't matter, because I do not engage so I can get something back. I engage simply because God has commanded me to engage, because my king has told me to engage. And you know what, I'm gonna continue to engage. Even yesterday, I went airsoft shooting with my son.

I don't know if you guys know what airsoft is, it's like little plastic pellets, you shoot at each other. And we went airsofting in Norwalk over here, or Downey, and we're sitting at a table, and these two guys come over, and they're high school graduates. And I start talking to them, I just start engaging.

You know how I engage them? I say, "Hey, you guys want some Doritos?" That is a powerful way to engage. (audience laughs) 'Cause no one says no to Doritos, right? "You like some Doritos?" I'm like, "Oh, yeah, sure." And so who's this strange old man giving me Doritos, you know?

But they started eating it, they started eating my Doritos, and I just started talking to them. They just graduated high school. One guy is gonna be going to Long Beach Community College, and the other guy, he's gonna be going to Thailand for two years on missions. As soon as he said that, I go, "This guy's a Mormon." And sure enough, I said, "Oh, why are you going on missions?" He goes, "Oh, I'm a Mormon." I go, "Oh, okay, I already knew." I didn't convert him.

That would be an awesome testimony, wouldn't it? I didn't. But you know what? As I just kept on talking with him, talking with him, and I wish my son was here, he could tell you, they were not even talking to each other, they just were talking to me now.

They kept on asking me, they kept on engaging me, and I go, "Wow, Lord, I just took a risk, "and I just was obedient, and I just engaged them, "and look at the way their hearts are." That's what's gonna happen. When you start to engage the people at your work, and your family, engage them with God's love, with the gospel, with kindness, with generosity, you know what happens?

When you're missing, they're gonna go, "Where's John? "Where's Sam? "Where's Lisa?" Because they're gonna miss you, because they realize without you, something's missing. It is that grace, it is that goodness, it is the life of Christ that he has placed in you. I wanna end with this passage, Matthew 25, verse 31.

Again, remember, today's parable is really like a futuristic parable. He's telling us the framework of our life, and what will our picture look like, right? So Matthew 25, literally, it is, we're getting a glimpse of the end. Says this, 25, verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne, here is the king.

Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, and the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right, come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom.

I give you the kingdom. Prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. You see, giving food is sharing your minna. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. Drink is a minna. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.

I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me, visiting and coming to see somebody. That is a powerful minna. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, or give you drink?

And when did we see you a stranger, and welcome you, or naked, and clothe you? And when did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you? And the king will answer them, truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

You see, these sheep, they were not even looking for a reward. They were not even looking like, where's Jesus? Let me do this, so I can get something from Jesus. They were just simply being faithful, obedient, and loving, because of the love and the faithfulness they had received from God.

If you know that God has given you his son, salvation, forgiven you of your sins, given you the Holy Spirit, given you the word of God, the community, he has blessed you beyond imagination already. Then just live it out by sharing that with others, the love of God. Just live it out.

Because God says at the end, he wants to say to you, well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with very little, now receive much. Your reward is great. You know, I believe with all my heart, that each of you in this room, that there is a sphere of influence that God wants you to really impact.

I believe that this church's body, that you guys can impact this area powerfully, as you each decide, Lord, I'm gonna live, and I'm gonna engage with your love, your grace, the life you've given to me. And not only that, but this is what I hope you all will do for each other.

That you will be praying for each other, and say, Lord, if you're gonna bless me with five cities, I pray that you will bless my brother and my sister with 10 cities, bless them. Be men and women of generosity, of blessing, even as God has blessed you. Let's pray.

Oh, sorry, here is a picture, actual picture of that guy. Sorry. So I took that picture out, and I superimposed it, but this is who he really is. He gave his life to really invest into international students and be a blessing. And this will be his reward. This will be his reward.

The meaningfulness of his life well lived. Well, let's pray together.